Steve2438

Great post phoenix, I like you, no spring chicken (46) good UK jobs, house and all that, but still willing to give it up and move to Oz.
why...well in my younger days I travelled around the world and at first couldn't wait to get back to the UK to see friends, food, pubs etc, but after a while I found that if you got rid of that British mentality i.e. Bloody Foreigners, which is what I found most “brits” do, no matter what country they are in we call everybody Bloody Foreigners……after that you start to enjoy the life style, understanding their way of life and adapt to it…in the end England was always home but I wasn’t that keen to come back, the other thing I noticed was the change in the place and the people…ask yourself this question” how many of your neighbours do you know” I only know next door and I’ve lived here for years.
So for me I want to move to Oz, no bed of roses, or an easier life, I have two small boys and I want some sunshine for them, somewhere they can ride their bikes all year round…plan a BBQ and have it with out standing under a brolly …simply things…

steandleigh

Phoenix,

reading your post was a bit like reading an extract from my own diary.

We have always had a 'super positive' attitude towards settling in Oz and it has worked for us to. No major problems or dramas our end either.

Positivity is definetly a state of mind.
Excellent thread.

Geordie George

Hi Phoenix,

I think ABCDiamond has it spot on - it's your attitude and your expectations that impact most on whether things go well or not. I know we're at the very, very beginning of (hopefully!) a long journey here in Aus. But since that plane touched down, it's felt like home. Our reasons for moving here were to experience a different culture - not one better (or worse!) than the UK, just different. And we're not pressuring ourselves by thinking this is it for ever more. We'lll stay a couple of years and see from there ...

I'm worried about the day that stage two of culture shock sets in ... I know it will come, but I hope this honeymoon period stays for a bit longer yet. 'Cause I'm having a ball!

Great positive post!

Nichola

Phoenixuk2oz

Thanks Dreamaway. None of us know what's ahead in life but for now we're enjoying the ride, that's for sure!!

I spoke to my parents this morning and they said it was cold and dreary in UK. They too are going through the process but can't start til next June so as you can imagine their frustration with the slow migration process. Like you, they have their days when they lose the excitement as they think they'll never get here. But they will....and so will any of you guys who are nearing the touch line. The time comes round quicker than you realise

It's at these times during the migration process when you need to see what the outcome can be like. it's not all doom and gloom even though sometimes things don't go to plan.

We've had our fair share of upset along the way but the thing is to keep going and keep jumping those DIMIA hurdles. It'll be worth it in the end

Bix da Boss

Hi

Excellent post!

We are still pinching ourselves on a regular basis afraid its all just a 'dream'!

You are not alone - a lot of what you said really hit home with me.

Our two sons also do not know if they want to stay 'forever' and often talk about going back to the UK. That will be their choice when the time comes, we will not hold them back, it is their lives they must live not ours, although it will be hard to let them go!!

We also love where we are in Australia and what it has to offer us, I love going to the Espanade in Cairns and just sit outside with Bix having a beer taking in the scenery. Driving along the coastal road to Port Douglas, ace views there, leaves you in awe! Seeing the lush green Rain Forest all around us, just looking out the window of our house.

There is still so much for us to see and do - not touched the surface yet really. We feel very lucky to have made it - and very much hope we can stay (if we get P.R.)

Continue living your dream Phoenix.

Take care

B da B



Missing family and friends is probably the hardest thing to cope with for me.

natty

But then there are times you see something, an animal or a bird or a beautiful view or you simply find somewhere lovely to eat and drink, maybe overlooking the ocean with clear blue skies or go to a party and you look around and there's Aussies, Kiwi's, Scotts, Welsh, Irish, Italian, Greek...etc,etc........and you all have a few belly laughs ....and then you suddenly realise you're not on your own after all......and you can make friends....


I think this sums up exactly how we feel about the move. Like you we apreciate that life is life wherever you are. I am sure there will be plenty of time when I have a rubbish day and also I hope plenty of times when i have great days. This is the same as in the UK. I am sure it will be the same in OZ BUT i hope to walk down the road and see the ocean ( or from my penthouse balcony If i can afford it and remember exactly why I came and how lucky I am to have the chance for this new life.

We have only 3 weeks to go and I admit I was getting lost in the stress of packing and arranging everything and this thread has woken me up from my stress induced stupor and made me see exactly why we are doing this.

Thank you- a great start to a Sunday Morning !!!

Nat

Phoenixuk2oz

Cheers, what a lovely response from everyone. Thank you.

I'm so, so glad there are a few of us out here who are enjoying Aus. When I think back to how difficult it was keeping my chin up during the migration process, it was soooo good to hear the positives as well as the negatives about moving to Aus from those already here.

Steve: Go for it m8. My motto in life is you're NEVER too old to do anything. Sometimes when you get this chance in life you grasp it with both hands and run. This is definatley a country where you and your family can indulge in outdoor family activities because, as you say, the weather allows it. You're right, it's the simple things in life that actually bring you together.I can vouch for this cos I didn't realise till I got to Aus that my life was all work and no play. Money isn't everything...

Steandleigh:I've always read your posts as you always give a balanced view of life and strangely enough you've also often said what I was thinking too [and sometimes you've been braver than me in saying them!!].

It's been great to see how you've been doing and it's especially pleasing to see things work out cos you've got young uns. I know what a lot of trouble you've gone through to to get here and you've not just done this to better youre lives, but your kids lives too. Good on ya!

Geordie George: Yeh I agree with you and ABCDiamond when you say it's an attitude of mind. I know Badge has always said this too. I also think you made an excellent point about not seeing the migration process as something that has to last forever if you don't want it to be. That advice is helpful to anyone daunted by the move as it is valuable for people to realise that migration is not the end of the world [pardon the pun]....and that it's not impossible to go back to UK if they don't like it. It's great to hear you're having a ball and I'm sure with your positive attitude it will continue. You're one of those people who will make the best of the experience, wherever it leads you. Keep having a ball and you go for it girl!

Bix da Boss:Thanks for sharing your views too. Oh you have given me some laughs recently. I saw the post Bix wrote about going back to UK and I have to say I was so, so sad cos I thought things were going so well. At first I wondered if Bix had been sacked....lol....and so I didn't want to pry. And then I realised it was April fool....and I was VERY happy when you clarified and said you were enjoying it and Bix had been a naughty boy....lol...

Funny isn't it that we get upset when we think people are unhappy especially for those who we've see through the process. You guys especially went through goodness knows what to get here...it must have been the longest application in history...in fact I thought I'd end up sponsoring you! .....lol....

We're also one of the very few who've moved over here with older "kids" [adult age group really] ....so I understand 100% what you're going through re your boys missing UK and their long established mates. Having spoken to the few that I do know......it seems boys miss "home" more than girls i.e. it seems to effect them more? Maybe boys don't mix with new crowds of mates as readilly as girls do?

Anyways, I'm glad you are enjoying your time here in Aus as you deserve to be happy after all you went through. And you keep that lion under control girl! I've never seen him quake as much in all the time I've known him...lol

Natty:I'm glad I made your day m8 I can sympathise wholeheartedly cos the last few weeks before coming here are so stressful. It's funny but nearly everyone [inc myself] seem to think the visa process is the hardest part when actually house selling, packing, saying goodbyes, leaving jobs, organising flights, accomodation, car hire, cancelling DD's and sorting out sodding gas/water and electric readings is the worst part isn't it? And on TOP of all this stress we then start to stress about whether we're doing the right thing or not! How crazy is that! We go through the hell of it all and then when we're nearly there we doubt our decision....lol

Believe me, what you're going through is not unique. EVERYONE goes through it! So I'm glad that the post reassured you that it'll be all worth it in the end and it helped remind you of your reasons in the first place. If only one person is reassured by mine and others posts, then I'm happy

Go get a beer when the stress levels go up. You'll soon be on that plane and your new life will begin girl. Good luck!!

ProofReader

Scrolling down and picking out a few words or phrases here 'n' there, this sounds like the sort of thread which would normally interest me. Alas, tonight I can't handle anything 'nice'. Just throw a few slugs at me for stuffing up your thread, Phoenix.

Meanwhile, I'll 'ave another (red wine, actually) and try to make amends if ever I become sober again.

Good luck to anyone who actually likes it here in my favourite country. If you read the poem 'My Country' (see link in my sig below), you might get a hint of an idea about how I feel about Australia.

It's 'real' Phoenix; gotta love it.

Cheers *hic*

Bix

Bloody ell, am I in Australia ?
Just goes to show what can happen when you sleep in.


Hey, I thought that lettuce was expensive.


Moral of the story:
It's just another country.
Expect little - stand to gain a lot

hevs

J, if i didn't have to spread it you'd get shit loads of my karma

I have just written a email to my oldest pommy friend who lives in London but loves Australia having spent a year here in Melly, this is a snippit from it
************************************************** *****

So all in all stuff is still good, still very much doing the tourist thing, but also feeling like i'm at home too its a good feeling. We are all making friends and having real belly laughs now which you miss for a while. This beautiful place is really begining to feel like home and i would miss it massivley if i were to have to return to blighty for any length of time. Today i am living my dream. (tomorrow this could all change, but those days are coming so rarely now that i can't remember the last one!!)

************************************************** ******
Blimey!! Do you think we could have a "We Live in Utopia and we LOVE it" Party???

Phoenixuk2oz

Proofreader; Your poem is superb. I wish I could think of those things to say....sadly I'm bereft of the cleverness and sensitivity required to write poems. I've always wished I could write too.....

Enjoy your wine...and have one on me.........eeer not literally of course.....I've got me jim-jams on and I hate going to bed wet & soggy

Bixy; I've missed you
You're spot on with what you say about Aus i.e expect little and stand to gain a lot.

This is soooo true for lots of us who've come to live here and are enjoying it

Hevs;Are you spreading yourself around again girl.....god you are seriously gonna have a bad reputation Does HUP know?...lol

And fancy using my words! Plagarism.....or coincidence?...uuummm.....

.......I wonder if we are twins seperated at birth :scared:

Bix

I think you should both be separated......but the definition of theword can vary

Phoenixuk2oz

Aye....me und hevs went tu the same spellin skool as wel

Were yu our teecher Bix

ProofReader

Lol, Phoenix, thanks!

However, I have to correct you, insofar as its not 'my' poem, but rather one which was famously written by a passionate Australian from yesteryear, an admirable lady named Dorothea Mackellar:

Dorothea Mackellar (1885-1968) - Famous Australian Writer
Author of "My Country"

Isobel Marion Dorothea Mackellar was born on 1 July 1885, at her family's home that stands on Point Piper, overlooking Rose Bay on Sydney Harbour. The third of four children, Dorothea was the only daughter born to renowned physician and Parliamentarian, Sir Charles Kinnaird Mackellar and his wife, Marion (nee Buckland). The young Dorothea received private tutoring in painting, fencing and languages and later attended lectures at the Sydney University though she never formally enrolled as a student. She spoke French, German, Italian and Spanish fluently. When the family travelled overseas, Dorothea acted as an interpreter for her father.

Dorothea had a lively personality with a keen sense of humour, which is reflected in her diary entries of the early 1900's. Hers was a privileged life that was divided between the busy sophistication of the city and the simplicity of the country.

The Mackellar family owned several properties in the Gunnedah area, including "Kurrumbede" and "The Rampadells" on the Blue Vale Road near Gunnedah. The late Mrs Maude Broun lived on the adjoining property, "Coulston", with her husband, the son of Sir Charles Broun. In a taped interview after Dorothea's death, Mrs Broun recalled the Mackellar's regular visits with Dorothea, Eric and Malcolm (her two remaining brothers, Keith having been killed in the Boer War at age 19), to their Gunnedah country residences.

Sir Charles handed these properties over to his sons whom many still remember as well respected and generous members of our local community. Over the years Dorothea often visited the area, staying with her brothers and maintaining her skills as an ardent horsewoman. Dorothea was very proud of the fact that she could ride side-saddle so well, even in the bush.

The first draft of what was to become Australia's most quoted and best loved poem, "My Country", was written in England at a time when Dorothea was feeling homesick. Never quite content with the verses, she wrote and re-wrote the poem several times after returning to Australia and living in the apartments above her father's consulting rooms in Buckland Chambers, Liverpool Street, Sydney, opposite the ANZAC Memorial. It is fitting that Dorothea's Memorial should now grace ANZAC Park in Gunnedah, depicting her as the young woman who wrote "My Country", and gazing in the direction of her beloved "Kurrumbede".

Dorothea never married though, at 28 years of age, whilst living in London, she fell in love with an English poet named Patrick Chalmers. When she returned to Australia just before the start of World War I, she wrote to Patrick to let him know her parents approved of their decision to wed. Unfortunately, the letter was lost and Patrick married someone else. Dorothea was heartbroken, her poetry after this experience becoming more serious with sometimes tragic undertones. ("Sorrow")

Dorothea continued to write and travel during the Twenties and early Thirties, her work appearing in journals of high repute such as the London "Spectator", American "Harper's Magazine" and the Sydney "Bulletin" among others. During these years, four volumes of verse were published, "The Closed Door", "The Witchmaid", "Dreamharbour" and "Fancy Dress".

The Australian countryside continued to be a source of inspiration to Dorothea. Two poems that particularly reflect her special relationship with our district are; "Dawn" (At the dawning of the day; On the road to Gunnedah...), and "Burning Off" (They're burning off at the Rampadells; The tawny flames uprise...).

Later in life Dorothea suffered increasing ill health and ceased to write. In the 1968 New Year Honours list her contribution to Australian literature was formally recognised and she was made an Officer of the British Empire. Sadly, only two weeks later on the 14 January, Dorothea Mackellar died in her sleep in the Scottish Hospital, Paddington. The funeral service was held in St Mark's Church at Darling Point where reportedly Dorothea's favourite poem, "Colour" was read. She was once recorded saying about the poem, "You know, I think that was as close as I ever came to writing poetry." She was laid to rest in the family vault at Waverley Cemetery in Sydney.

Dorothea's brothers predeceased her, leaving no heirs, therefore Dorothea was the last of that branch of the Mackellars.

The Poetry Awards

Earlier this century, Dorothea Mackellar's family lived in Sydney. However, in 1905 Sir Charles Mackellar (Dorothea's father) purchased four properties in the Gunnedah District. Dorothea visited the country as much as possible and it from these visits, she received her inspiration to write much of her poetry and prose.

In 1983, Mrs Mikie Maas OAM PHF, orchestrated the foundation of the Dorothea Mackellar Memorial Society Inc. whose aims were to recognise the contribution Dorothea made to Australian literature. To raise funds for a beautiful bronze statue of Dorothea Mackellar, sitting side-saddle on her horse, Mrs Maas started a poetry competition for which a small entry fee was charged. The aim of the poetry competition was to ignite a spirit of patriotism amongst Australia's youth, similar to that felt by thousands of adults upon reading Dorothea Mackellar's famous poem, "My Country".

The poetry competition for school students throughout Australian grew from strength to strength, until in 1995 a full time coordinator was employed to conduct it.

The poetry awards are now in their 17th year and in 2001, more than 10,400 entries have been received from children throughout Australia and overseas. QBE Insurance Ltd. is the principal sponsor of the competition. It also receives endorsement from the National Australia Day Council and the National Council for the Centenary of Federation.

The theme for the 2001 poetry competition was "Time" or students could write on the Subject of Own Choice. This topic has been chosen to mark the Centenary of Federation in Australia. Such a momentous date may cause reflection about the effects of time on the ideals of 1901, and developments that have occurred in our country since then.

Entry forms are distributed to nearly 11,000 Australian schools and 1,200 Rotary Clubs.

In 1997, Rotary adopted the competition under the banner of "Programs for New Generations". Rotarians are invited to visit schools to promote the poetry awards and to assist in the presentation of awards at school level.

The main aim of the Dorothea Mackellar Poetry Awards is to capture the imagination of every school student in Australia, inspiring them to discover a passion for poetry.

For more information, visit the Dorothea Mackellar web-site located at: www.dorothea.com.au

Phoenixuk2oz

Proofreader; dy'a know.....for a minute you inspired me then.

I thought we had a budding poem-ist in our midst

Oeerrr...I think I've made me a poem