When actor and teacher Lachlan Ruffy left Canberra to chase his acting dreams, he never thought his path would eventually lead him back home.

After graduating from the Australian National University with an Arts degree and a Graduate Diploma of Teaching from the University of Canberra, Lachlan headed to Perth’s Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts to study a Bachelor of Arts degree in Acting.

“After acting school, we had to choose between Sydney or Melbourne, because that’s where the industry is based. You pick Sydney for film and television or Melbourne for theatre, and as my wonderful agents pointed out, you don’t make money in theatre.”

“And then, funnily enough, most of the TV acting work I got was in Canberra!”

From the stage to the screen – including roles with ABC’s Rake and Total Control – he’s tried his hand at writing, directing, choreography, musical composition, and musical directing.

Lachlan was enjoying making his mark in the industry when illness struck. Lachlan’s mother was diagnosed with stage four pancreatic cancer in mid-2023, and he knew it was time to come home.

Having taught in Sydney for about seven years, Lachlan saw Teach in Canberra advertisements, applied and entered the talent pool. After an online job interview, he was able to secure a Permanency Rating straight away and just a few weeks later got a call from UC Senior Secondary College Lake Ginninderra. Within a week, he had a place to work.

Though the circumstances for his return to Canberra were heartbreaking, Lachlan felt a new appreciation for the lifestyle and remembers the community welcoming him with open arms.

“It took barely any time at all to be catching up with friends, working in theatre at the ACT Hub, and stepping back into the Canberra swing of things,” he says.

“My partner’s lived in Sydney her whole life, and we have this little token of Canberra magic because wherever we go, we’re bound to bump into at least three people I know. And because she’s never lived here, it’s been a great opportunity to find new elements of the city’s community and culture to explore!

Lachlan points to Canberra’s peacefulness, abundance of nature, and cost of living as influencing the couple’s decision to relocate permanently.

“It’s a slower pace compared to Sydney and everything’s just a lot easier. We love the wildlife – there are birds here that you just don’t get in Sydney – and there are hikes in every direction.”

Lachlan is now teaching English, Drama and Dance at the north Belconnen college, guiding young aspiring thespians to live out their potential.

“My favourite part of my job is watching very shy kids getting up on stage and knocking it out of the park.”

“It’s just that joy of creating something that hasn’t existed before and putting your own stamp on classic things. It’s something that’s very hard to describe.”

Lachlan is back on local stages too, treading the boards of Canberra’s independent theatre scene.

“I spent most of my teenage years at Canberra REP doing theatre. That’s one of the best things about Canberra, that there are so many opportunities … anything you’re interested in, there’s a spot for you.”

Canberra is no bit player in Lachlan’s ability to live out his theatre dreams in both his day job and after hours – the city’s easy lifestyle allowing plenty of time to pursue multiple interests – he and his partner’s latest adventure being burlesque classes.

“One of the joys of Canberra is we have so many opportunities to do something creative… it’s so diverse, and there’s so many cool little niche things,” says Lachlan.

“People say that there’s nothing to do in Canberra. They either haven’t been here or they came when they were on their year six excursion and they’ve never come back. It’s easy to believe the cliché, but the truth is that it’s very hard to be bored here.”