Tamworth Swan Kathleen Voon has settled very nicely into country life

Born and bred in Sydney, the 25-year-old Tamworth Swans defender was weaned on a cosmopolitan lifestyle.

However, she was also exposed to a country lifestyle through her Thai mother - albeit far removed from anything that rural Australia can offer.

Still, regular visits over the years to her mother's home village in Chiang Mai - a Thai province famed for its natural beauty - helped Voon potently connect with Tamworth when she relocated there for work in early 2020.

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The North West's fresh air and friendly, down-to-earth people reminded her of Chiang Mai.

In 2019, Voon did a five-week placement at Rural Fit Exercise Physiology in Tamworth as part of her exercise physiology degree at the University of Sydney.

"I only agreed to doing six months here," she said of Rural Fit's job offer. "But I just fell in love with the country. That's why I'm still here."

"Even the clients I see here, they're very different to back in Sydney," she added. "Just enjoying my job a lot more here."

Voon is in a relationship with fellow Swan Lachlan McIntosh. "I actually brought him in [to the club]," she said, adding that they met online, but have mutual friends.

The barber was "a lovely bloke" and the relationship was going "great", she said. They have been together almost a year.

On Saturday, Voon will be back in action for the Swans when they travel to Inverell for the preliminary final against the Saints. The winner will play Gunnedah in the grand final on September 10.

The Swans beat the Roos by nine points in the minor semi-final at No 1 Oval last Saturday.

Voon - whose father is Malaysian - joined the club in 2020. It was the talented athlete's first AFL experience.

Prior to picking up a Sherrin, tennis was her main sport. She was a state-level junior and coached the sport for seven years.

"Really loved that first training session," she said of the Swans. "Just got this kick of endorphins. And I just kept going, and loved the sport after that."

Swans president Josh McKenzie described Voon as "a fairly quiet achiever" whose "natural athletic ability" had resulted in her becoming a key cog at the club.

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