Dixie Davey

Company Director , Retire in Ecuador and Becoming Younger

The child of Dutch immigrants, Dixie Davey was raised in Australia from birth, finishing studies at Mercedes College in 1972. Only a year after completing secretarial college in 1973, she was hired by the law firm of Lavan & Walsh to work as a Junior Outside Clerk. Over her four years there, Dixie Davey eventually gained a promotion to the role of settlements officer. Dixie Davey left Lavan & Walsh in 1978 to help found a bridal gown company with her mother. Between her mother’s skills as an expert seamstress and designer, and Davey’s ability to manage a business, Australian Bride quickly grew to be a well-known bridal gown designer. Only 10 hours after the marriage of Prince Charles and Diana Spencer, Davey and her mother had recreated the royal wedding dress for a shop window in Perth. Their efforts put them on the local news and helped Davey’s company grow into an operation employing 12 people. After a long break to care for her two children, Dixie Davey returned to the world of business as a business development officer for Bank of Western Australia (Bankwest). For eight years, Davey was a specialist in retail and market bank products for aiding businesses in meeting their finance needs. After leaving Bankwest, Dixie Davey began working for John Walker’s company, At Source Organics. Leveraging her business experience, Davey established contacts with potential clients and marketed the company’s patented compost systems. Unfortunately, At Source Organics was forced to close after venture capitalists backing the company went bankrupt and simultaneously threatened matching government grants. Since the closing of At Source, however, Dixie Davey and John Walker, now her husband, have operated many different businesses. Andes Artisans was a business run by the duo that exported Ecuadoran crafts to Australia. While living in Ecuador, Davey also founded a website, www.retire-in-ecuador.com, which offers information and help for expats who are thinking of retiring in Ecuador. Today, the couple live in Australia, where Davey continues her online skills in travel writing and photography and as a web master to several websites.