About Denzel and Karen

Denzel and Karen met in South Africa in 1995 when Karen was working as a physiotherapist at Baragwanath Hospital in Soweto, which is a large African township outside of Johannesburg. Soweto has a population of 1.5 million people many of whom live without access to running water or adequate sanitation.

 

They shared a house together for two years and then Karen decided to return to Australia to undertake further postgraduate study to obtain her Masters in Public Health.

 

They maintained a long distance relationship for several years with Karen travelling back and forth to South Africa several times a year. Their relationship dwindled for a few years, but then Karen wrote Denzel a letter out of the blue in 2002. This was a catalyst for the rekindling of their relationship and they were engaged six months later. Denzel came to Australia in 2005 after waiting almost three years to get an Australian visa. They were married in 2006 in Karen’s home town of Dubbo, New South Wales and had two beautiful children, Nicholas and Grace, in quick succession in 2007 and 2008.

 

Karen has worked for the New South Wales Department of Health since 2000 and is currently Associate Director in the Primary Health and Community Partnerships Branch, which develops policies and manages programs that give direction to primary and community-based services and aim to improve the health of particular population groups that often require special attention.

 

Since coming to Australia Denzel has worked as a sales consultant for Hospitality Marketing Concepts Pty Ltd, which markets the membership rewards program for Intercontinental, Crown Plaza and Holiday Inn hotels The family have lived in the lower north shore suburb of Willoughby, Sydney for the past five years.