ianandhelena

i've just found this and read the whole thing in one sitting-fascinating (even if written by somebody over the border from god's own county!)

more soon please.

TheCrone

I've hesitated to write more because I realised it's become far more about me than about Australia, and that wasn't the objective when I started it!

ianandhelena

everybody seems to enjoy reading it though.....

nomayaja

I've been waiting for the next chapter. Please do write more.
Marina x

Woodstock62

Don't stop writing!

If you feel there may be a problem in that it isn't just about Australia then maybe you could think about asking the mods to move it into the Barbie area.

Just a thought.

phoenixinoz

But that's the thing Crone. You ARE Australia. That's what makes this country what it is today i.e it's people, their individual experiences and lifelong struggles. This is a fantastic story based on true life experience and it's one persons reality of life in Aus. It's YOUR story of Australia

Your stories are eloquent. You've shown you're a genuine "battler" and you should be proud of what you've achieved throughout your time here. You sure make me feel we got it easy in comparison

As you can see, we have missed your tales of Aus. You are a survivor in this tough country and your stories have demonstrated this. Please keep it up....... and help others to see there is always a way ahead, despite the obstacles life throws at you

[Thank you for sharing this with us m8 ]

NickyP

However as this forum is about lifestyle and culture it is still good to here how you have coped with these things. Most people that are coming here will have to take the rough with the smooth and for many there are serious difficulties to overcome. Threads like this are inspirational and help to put things into perspective as you are still here after it all and wouldn't change that. The standard worries of most migrants revolve around the isolation of being out of your comfort Zone (support networks need to be rebuilt) and that is not too bad until things start to go pearshaped. It is good to hear from people like yourself who have made it work through choice or through having to, it really doesn't matter which. We have migrated here to stay and I can't imagine what would make me pack up and go back to the UK as I have left that behind a long time ago.
I have enjoyed reading your posts very much and it reminds me, while we are umming and ahhing about whether to buy a house or rent while I finish my Uni studies, not to lose sight of why we came here. I hope that one day we will get the opportunity to travel and show the kids the wonders of this country, in the meantime we are exploring and enjoying the natural sights close to where we live, and there are plenty to keep us busy for a while .
I think that your thread deals with many important issues that people have to be aware of when you move to another country and will read it with interest if you choose to continue posting.
Thanks.
Nicky

cranni

we are waiting for the next chapter. You are an amazing lady, and we love reading about you experiences. please, please write some more. Denise xx

aussiesoon

When is the book coming out? Your style of writing is infinitely more interesting and addictive than most 'A year in a different country' sagas.

Please write more - you have a real talent.

Simone

hear, hear (here here?)

Keep writing

TheCrone

Well, with so many of you looking forward to your first Aussie Christmas, I thought I'd tell you about mine!

DERBY, 1969
At the end of November, we'd been given the tenancy of a brand-new State Housing Commission house, and very nice it was, too. There was a big sitting-dining area, with a lattice arch through to a large kitchen. There were 4 bedrooms, bathroom, laundry and separate toilet, with polished wooden floors throughout. And. most unusual to my Pommie eyes, the area below the windows wasn't solid, but fly-screened louvres, which could be opened to catch any breeze. After living in a tent for 6 months on our Perth/Darwin/Perth trip, then a couple of months in a caravan once we'd got back to Derby, it seemed positively immense. The only trouble was, we had no furniture! We were all still sleeping on the inflatable mattresses we'd bought for our trip. With a population of around 1200, the town couldn't support a furniture store, and anyway, the majority of people in town were Government employees on two year contracts, whose respective Departments paid all their removal costs both coming and going. Occasionally, they would sell off unwanted items of furniture before leaving town and these were advertised on various community notice-boards - but these were such sought-after items that they were sold almost immediately. The only other alternative was to order from a catalogue put out by a (now-defunct) department store in Perth and pay pretty hefty shipping costs. And it was shipping, not road transport; State ships ran a mixed cargo and passenger service to the North West ports every couple of weeks.
We couldn't afford this. M. had been unemployed for the first month after we arrived in town and we''d lived on my wages as a cook for MacRobertson Miller Airlines hostel. After he'd got work, I'd had to leave MMA.....you know the saying "If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen"? Cooking in the tropical heat for 10 hours a day, five days a week was just too much for me. Now I had two part-time jobs. I cooked at one of the pubs on two days a week and did three shifts at the telephone exchange. So we were managing, but only just. What money there was had to go on getting the house set up; a set of saucepans, instead of the two billies I'd been using; a family-sized refrigerator, instead of the little Engels fridge. We did manage to buy a dining table and chairs from someone leaving town, but had no armchairs or sofa. We made do with caravan benches stcked on crates.
M.'s job was as cargo supervisor for MMA. This required him to meet all planes (even the ones which arrived around 2am on two nights of the week),and take charge of the cargo. Much of the fresh produce for the shops was flown from Perth, so that had to go into cold storage until it was collected. Then there was quite a high volume of personal stuff, sent to individual townspeople. The job also required him to man the cargo office from 7am till 3 pm. This brought him into contact with many of the town's inhabitants, and MMA had quite a large staff in town, most of whom were young, single, living away from home and ready to party at the drop of a hat!
So there was lots of social life, with us being invited to lots of private homes, as well as the antics of the MMA staff.
But on Christmas Eve, the Shire President gave a drinks party for any of the residents who were still in town and we were invited. But you know how it is at Christmes, you want your home to look good, so I'd spent the earlier part of the day on my hands and knees polishing all those acres of floorboards. When it came time to get ready, I carefully unsealed my favourite dress from the plastic in which it had lived since we left England. It was a sleeveless sheath of white crepe. What made it really special was that it had a deep plunging neckline (if you've got it, flaunt it!) with a wide collar, and the collar and neckline were outlined with rhinestones. At last, I thought, JUST the right occasion to wear it! So off we went, leaving the children in the care of a neighbour. We had a couple of pleasant hours before heading home - but as soon as I walked in the door, I burst into tears. While we'd been out, a willy-willy had come through. My beautiful spotless floors were now an inch deep in red dust! Desolated, I sank down on one of the caravan seats and had a good cry; it was only after I got up that I realised that my beautiful white dress now had a large patch of red dust on the seat.
It never came out - I had to throw the dress away.
Christmas Day was odd. A couple of old prospectors had asked if they could come round early, to see the children open their presents and we'd agreed. MMA staff dropped in and out, pilots and hostesses who'd found themselves far from home and family on this special day. I'd made no attempt to make the traditional dinner; instead, I had a buffet with cold meat, salads, cheese, which I replenished as needed. Then, in the cool of the evening, we went to a barbecue, put on by MMA staff. It was held at the airport itself and was pretty normal, really, steaks, sausages, chops, salads. As the evening wore on the girls got tired and went to sleep in the car. And the consumption of alcohol went on.....and on......and on. I suggested we went home about midnight, but was told we couldn't; there was a plane due in at 1.30 am, and all the crew had to be there to meet it.
It duly landed. And the funniest memory of a very strange day was the sight of a couple of very intoxicated ground staff lads, trying to get the wheeled steps up to the door of the plane so that passengers could descend - and missing, and missing and missing.............

Sical

I have jus spent a very entertaining day reading all this thread, such talent!
Dont want to put any pressure on , ..but will there be anymore updates,? or have you put this thread to bed, I am sure peeps will love to read through this and get the latest update. I know its been a couple of months, and I see a lot of people that used to follow this have moved on ( well their accs are deleted),

But it makes a refreshing change from some of the more recent threads, entertaining as they may be, this was so eloquent.

A quality thread ....

No pressure , but pleeeeease.
But anyway thanks , I dont usually get influenced by peeps comments on this site, but u have inspired me to start reading again, Been a long time since I read some quality literature.

Hope things are going great for you.