Tell us a little about yourself and family. What were your reasons for moving to Australia?

Hi I’m soapy, married to Pauline and we have three kids. We moved to Australia when our kids were teenagers. The oldest being our son who was 19 at the time and two daughters 17 and 15. We knew it was going to be tough but we had a plan.

Our reasons date back a long time. When I was a kid my best friend moved to Australia, but returned a year later. He told me how wonderful it had been and all the different things he had seen. I’m sure I was smitten from then on. Pauline had her own story. Her parents had planned at least three times to move to Australia, but it never materialised the last time being just when I met Pauline. So I think it was always in our heads.

We had our kids young and things didn’t turn out the way we planned life, so Australia was always put on the back boiler. As the kids grew up our lives changed, and we had more control of our destiny. One day Pauline bumped into a friend she had trained with through uni, and her friend had explained that she had been to Sydney. Meeting her and hearing her story was brought Australia to the forefront of our minds again. Pauline drew up a plan that would take about 5 years.  We had both grown up in areas of the UK that we both knew we had to get our kids away from, so they can get a real chance in life. You don’t get very much further away than Australia.

How long did the emigration process take?

As I said before it took five years really. Although from the point of speaking to anyone about Oz, it was roughly about 2 years. We went the long way about it, some of it through our own mistakes, but mostly because the agency we used was incompetent at times.

In which state do you live in?

We now live on the Gold Coast in Queensland. But we first headed for Sydney where Pauline’s work had to be. Pauline was a direct entry midwife and QLD health at that time didn’t place direct entry midwives. So although the Gold Coast was our primary choice we headed for Sydney first; always planning to head to QLD in the end. We didn’t count on falling in love with Sydney though. The kids had settled so fast, as did we. But we knew we couldn’t afford to live there forever so we knew it was only a stop gap for us.

Tell us a little about your personal experiences of the differences between Australia and the UK.

The weather for a start, it opened up a whole new world for us. We spent a lot of time in Glasgow trying to take our kids away from the area we lived in, but the weather dictated this. As soon as the kids settled here they found their own space. We didn’t have to drag them away from anything, so it freed up a lot of time for us as a couple.

Most of the time we spent with friends in the UK would have been at a night out in the pub. Whereas here, we spend more time at friends homes, beaches or parks.

Scotland just doesn’t have the weather to plan ahead.

What are some of the things you enjoy most about Australia?

Sounds silly, but free BBQs: in parks, beaches and even at the side of the road. This whole place seems to be geared up for families to spend time outdoors.

I love watching the wildlife here. Every time I see a kangaroo I want to take a photo

And believe it or not the history! We all know it’s a very young country, but because of that the place has changed dramatically about every 20 years. I love hearing about where there used to be a bridge, train station or even a shopping centre. People here as young as 40 say “ach, it’s not like when i was young”

The friends we have made, most from the same country who I would never have met had I still been there.

The Expat meets and events we have. We as a family have made so many friends from it and the enjoyment we have had from different events can’t be measured. The first one we went to was in a park cafe in Sydney. From that day we met people we will class as friends for the rest of our lives. We might not see them for a long time since we moved north, but they will always have a special place in our hearts. These friends helped us grow in Australia. And we miss them dearly. After that first meet I made it my mission to make everyone as lucky as we had been and decided to start organising meets. They grew to huge days out and photos and threads can be found on the forum.

When we moved north I didn't want to let it go. I knew a lot of people up here had seen posts and photos of the meets in Sydney so I started to organise them on the coast. Our first was at the local pub and we were shocked at the turn out. By the next meet it had doubled and had outgrown the pub. So we moved it to the beach. Around 150 turned up that day. A lot of people who had been chatting for a long time had met for the first time and it was heading just the way I always wanted. At that meet someone mentioned a football match between the Gold Coast and Brisbane. I thought I would give it a go and see how it panned out.

A friend of mine (Rab) was the manager of the Southport team and offered to ask the club if we could use the place for the day. The rest is history. Well, the Goldie won 5-4. The day was fantastic with around 200 people turning up. At this meet a friend (Haggis) asked if we could organise a golf day for the lads. I thought I would give it a go, but knew nothing about golf. I was really struggling when a friend of mine (Jim) offered to take over the golf side of things and leave me to get the numbers. The first day was a massive success with 24 guys turning out and Brisbane taking the title. Jim had done more than help out, he had built a masterpiece.

We now have Golf days, Football days and Christmas in July. By then Brisbane had started their own special meets, starting with curry nights, 4x4 days, camping weekends and the ladies going horse riding.
Other groups on the Gold Coast are having teen meets, girl’s nights, couples only nights and now curry nights. People moving here for the first time have a greater chance to have an instant social live as soon as they land.

What, if any, are the things you dislike about living in Australia?

If you had asked me this question in my first year I would have sat here all night moaning and groaning. Maybe I have changed? But there are still a few things that get on my nerves! The driving, TV, the dislike to all things not Australian and the laid back attitude. The latter drives me off my head! But none of those things listed would drive me back to the UK.

What do you miss most now you are no longer living in the UK?

Family, friends and food!

How badly, if at all, has homesickness affected you?

Hasn’t at all. Well it did a bit when my dad passed away, but I was lucky enough to travel back and see him just before he passed. I had a wobble or two for a week.

Has your quality of life improved, if so how?

I used to suffer from a lot of pain in the UK and it was down to the weather. Moving here has made life a lot better, but my body is getting used to the weather and its all creeping back.

How does the cost of living compare?

It’s all relative! When we first got here we thought it was cheap. Earn Ausie dollars; spend Aussie dollars and your back where you started.

The Work Experience

Pauline had work when she arrived so my job was to settle the kids, then find work. We planned for 6 months. The kids settled in within weeks and I was bored out of my skull. I pretended for about three months to be still trying to settle the kids, who by this time were never at home lol. So I sent off an email to Mitre 10 got an interview and was working by the next week. I was running the power tool dept. Loved the job and stayed for 2 years until we headed north. Got to the coast and drove a taxi for 2 years and loved that too. Until I got an offer from a friend I couldn’t refuse, took that, and now I love that too. I now work for a major truck company and my working life couldn’t be better.

In what way does Australia fit into your long term plans?

In two words, its home!

In retrospect is there anything you would change?

Came out when the kids were younger, and we would have brought all our furniture with us. To be honest not really, we have enjoyed every second of it.

Are there any final thoughts you would like to share?

Come here on an adventure, not as a plan for the rest of your life. Most people who have this thinking tend to make it work. I have said many times on the British expats forum. The harder you work at it, the easier it becomes!

I am always open to questions, so if you feel I can help don’t be afraid to ask. Just drop me PM on the forum. If I can’t answer it, I will find someone who will. I wish everyone all the luck we have shared since starting our journey all those years ago.

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