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The next part of the journey....and the road to here


ronfire

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I've been thinking of writing this for a while but, you know how it is, there's always something that's more pressing, more important, more urgent. And then, of course, there's always that little matter of the right time, the right words, the right tone, and all that jazz.

It was in January 2008 that we took a punt and put things into motion to make the move from SA. Ok, the wheels had started cranking a few months before that. I would say, prior to mid-2007, we'd had no concrete plans to move to Australia at all. I'd toyed quite seriously with the idea of moving to Canada, only because I would give anything to live near the Rockies, but that quickly fizzled out once I'd checked things out. Anyway, to cut a long story short, something came up from Australia, there was a bit of back and forth, some speaking, and interviewing, etc, etc and in January 2008 a job offer was made and we made the momentous decision to accept it.

Things went a bit crazy then. We had about 4 months to wind up our lives (how casual that sounds!) and move to a whole new continent on the backside of the world. Quite literally, too. Well, except for that little matter of selling our house, we found ourselves on the evening of 17 April 2008 at my brother's place in Joburg (where we were staying for the last week). We said goodbye to them the following morning, as we would be gone before they returned from work, not knowing when we would meet again. My 9 month old niece crawled after my wife from room to room as we checked and rechecked our luggage. She knew something was up. When the car arrived and we piled in, we said goodbye to her in the arms of her nanny and she had such a betrayed look in her eyes. Like she knew we were leaving for good. My wife said it was the worst feeling she'd ever had.

The flight was crammed full. The waiting area at Joburg airport, after security checks, was jam packed. There were no seats left when we got there, so we joined plenty of other families ensconced on the floor. Everyone looked tense and harassed. Kids were fidgety and cranky, adults were tight-lipped and taciturn. Well, except for the adults without kids! We were feeling sad. Sad to leave family behind, friends, our lives. Sad, but hopeful. At least, in my case. My wife was just sad, period.

Our arrival in Perth was uneventful. We had our taste of quarantine checks, as we scrupulously declared every bit of food or medicine that we had brought with us. My wife had her entire spice rack packed in there and it was all gone through. Mercifully, the only thing they confiscated was a small packet of cloves.

The HR head at my new employers, Glen, was waiting outside when we finally emerged, with a little yellow footy for my son. He'd very kindly, before we left, organised temporary accommodation for us and duly drove us there. I don't know what we would have done without Glen's assistance on the day. It was he who advised us that our idea of managing with public transport was not such a great idea because of the way Perth was spread out. He later took me to a car hire place in Joondalup and also to the shopping centre to get SIM cards. We will always be grateful to a true blue Aussie who gave up part of his Saturday morning to help us settle in. He also showed this pampered South African that filling up the car yourself is no big deal at all!

Well, five years have now gone by pretty fast. I, of course, started working two days after we arrived. My wife stayed home for another 5 months before she started exploring opportunities and landed a job herself. Our son started school here in Australia. We've since had his baby brother, who's due to start kindy next year. I clocked 5 years at the same place I started in 2008. Which is the longest I've ever worked for anyone. Very un-Gen X, I know. Though I've moved laterally, so I guess I'm not in the very same job. That's Gen X enough.

I will not speak of the initial shock of living in a house without fences and window bars. Of renting our first house and moving in one evening after work, with the house unlocked and the keys inside - just as the landlord promised. Of wondering whether we'd ever get to be that relaxed. Of the simple pleasure of going walking along the shared path at Burns Beach at the end of the day and not leaving till after dark - without worrying about getting mugged, robbed, shot, etc, etc,etc. Yes, I know that's stereotypical in a way, but that was our experience. Of our introduction to Medicare - having a baby and taking mum and little guy home without paying a cent. Of my furtive drive back home from the hospital, sneaking along back ways, because I'd forgotten to bring the baby seat and mum had to sit in the back holding him!!! Of the tightening of the throat and slight feelings of paranoia when we left Araluen quite late one evening and drove through the Hills after dark - two years after living here, still felt the tension of being on a lonely road in the dark!! Old habits die hard.

Of the process to get PR.

This week, we took the pledge, along with about 70-80 others at the City of Wanneroo and became freshly minted Australians. 5 years, it's been, and quite a journey.

Now, we start the next part of it. I'm looking forward to it. Ok, maybe not the teenage years that are looming, but hey, that's life.

So, what's the next phase? Dunno, really. I'd love to start my own practice, be my own boss, etc, etc. We'll see where that goes, anyway! I'd like to join the volunteer firefighters, some way that I can give back to the community that's taken us in. Only trouble is - I don't think I'm fit enough, so that's the immediate goal. Get fit.

Let's all hope that isn't going to take the next 5 years!!

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What a fabulous post, thank you for sharing. Posts like yours make others still in the deciding stages or those fresh off the plane - that there is light at the end of the immigration tunnel. Patience and perseverance do pay off. Life will return to normal - even better.

I hope your next five years are more relaxed - enjoying all Australia has to offer. And don't give up on that dream of being your own boss. Rather try and fail, then not try at all. That's my motto.

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Thank you for sharing your story - it is awesome to hear from somebody who has "finished" the process of becoming a fully fledged Ozzie! Congratulations and whatever direction life takes you next, may it be a great one!

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Thank you for sharing your story. I hope you have stopped to give yourself a pat on the back for all you have achieved.......5 years is actually a short time....looking back anyway, looking forward is quite another thing!

One day I might put our own story down, we are almost seven and a half years in....where did it go to?

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Thanks Ronfire - brings back a lot ....

As for getting fit, I wouldn't worry - you look pretty buffed in your photo ....... ;)

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Thanks Ronfire - brings back a lot ....

As for getting fit, I wouldn't worry - you look pretty buffed in your photo ....... ;)

:lol: I can always dream!

Thanks, everyone. It's been an interesting and rather quick 5 years. Hard to believe how fast the time goes by.

I decided not to be too verbose, else I might have gone on for a couple of pages!

Edited by ronfire
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What a fabulous post, thank you for sharing. Posts like yours make others still in the deciding stages or those fresh off the plane - that there is light at the end of the immigration tunnel. Patience and perseverance do pay off. Life will return to normal - even better.

I hope your next five years are more relaxed - enjoying all Australia has to offer. And don't give up on that dream of being your own boss. Rather try and fail, then not try at all. That's my motto.

I like that motto :)

I guess it's a question of how much I'm prepared to risk. At the moment, I'd be risking absolutely everything, and it's not a matter of life and death - merely a desire, a dream. I'm building up to where I have a little something in the kitty that I'm not risking, so that if it does go pear shaped my family will not go into the poorhouse. Perhaps that's a very cautious way of looking at it, but I've always been a bit calculating that way!

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Thank you for sharing your story. I hope you have stopped to give yourself a pat on the back for all you have achieved.......5 years is actually a short time....looking back anyway, looking forward is quite another thing!

One day I might put our own story down, we are almost seven and a half years in....where did it go to?

Wow, I sense a book there! I think you should definitely write it

The time does go by fast. It feels just like yesterday it was Jan 1 and now we're already in June..... :blink:

Any moment now......the stores'll start breaking out the Christmas trees and tinsel. :whome:

Edited by ronfire
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Wow, I sense a book there! I think you should definitely write it

The time does go by fast. It feels just like yesterday it was Jan 1 and now we're already in June..... :blink:

Any moment now......the stores'll start breaking out the Christmas trees and tinsel. :whome:

... or someone wanting you to pack them away ..... ;)

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  • 4 weeks later...

Ah, those blasted passport application forms. Why does an application form that really needs about 100 words of information come in a form that looks like a PhD thesis? And more than half the pages are not even part of the form - they're just telling you how to fill in the form, taking about 2000 words where just 25 will do. Seriously, are Aussies supposed to be stupid? I mean, this is really weird. I thought I was signing up to a nation of brainiacs, but when you look at any application form for any Australian government department or agency, they're written as though meant to deal with half wits. That's very worrying. Given how Australia espouses classless equality regardless of station in life, that would mean any number of the potential half wits that the government so implies exist could apply to join the armed forces in the hope of becoming chief of the air force (insert: your favourite branch of the forces). Yikes. Hope those form checkers ate their carrots last night and took their vitamins this morning. They gotta be on the ball.

Hey, wait.....so how did a seemingly high proportion of half wits appear to have ended up in politics? Did they have no forms to fill in? I know - there must be no form checkers at the hallowed gates of Politics. What was it that Shaw once said? (In this age of Wikipedia and Google, please look it up yourself!!).

Seriously, though, the passport application form is a classic example of why slapping a carbon tax to encourage public behaviour of a certain kind means diddly squat unless the rulers themselves set the example. If you have to slaughter a tree for each of these massive forms, it's a bit pointless then slapping the hapless John Q. Public with a carbon tax to compensate for that tree. How about you make those forms a bit less pompous and more concise? The tree gets to live another day, I don't get aggravated, and you can save money hiring a few less form checkers. Win-win all round, I'd say.

Too late in the night to be worrying about application forms, though. Hit the sack, I hear my inner child chiding me.

Good night all. :yawn:

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