MikeStanton

Yes - I returned to the land of the living.

mutant

Did not realise Mr Mover has relocated to England!

MikeStanton

You spent far too long in Port Talbot. By comparison, I guess Oz is a step-up...

mutant

You have (for once) hit the nail on the head there. But then you came here once and I guess that it was a step up for you at the time too, it is all about where your at and where you are going, don't be bitter Mike just go with the flow.

PortJackson

Dont knock it .Its a growth industry ~moving all the immos back . Am sure you were glad of the removalists when your time came

Big Galah

This post may have reached its conclusion but here are my thoughts, for what they’re worth…

1. Sackofspuds – it’s your and your family’s decision; you don’t have to justify it here, but you know that anyway.
2. But, your comment… …then followed up later by jimtrish’s remarks… Sorry, but the attitude of “it’s a better life for us and our kids but the education system sucks� attitude is, I think, slightly skewered. Lots of factors depend on how well educated your child will be, regardless of the country they live in:

i) The area you live in – does it have good schools?
ii) Do those schools have good teachers?
iii) Can you afford for your child to be educated in a ‘better’ school in a different area?

These are universal. More importantly, I’d be more concerned my child had emotional before intellectual intelligence to better prepare them for life – I think a positive attitude beats an IQ of 140 or top of the class exam results any day (as discrete qualities – all would be great of course). Anyway, your child will only be as intelligent as genetics allow them – let them find their level. Who’s to know where the best place to let them find their level is?

But that’s a personal thing. For those concerned about their kids being “top of the class� today’s Sydney Morning Herald had the leader Basically, Australian education standards (for 15-year-olds) in regards to Mathematical Literacy, Problem Solving, Reading Literacy and Scientific Literacy were well above the OECD average, and in most cases towards the upper end. Interestingly, the UK (as far as I can see) did not take part.

As if to show how puzzling living in Australia can be, I got smacked back into the reality of this country’s inherent racism with Page 6’s… Honestly, for ‘tarnishes’ read ‘blackens’ – what else could they mean?

BTW – I’m well aware of “lies, damn lies, and statistics�, just thought I’d make the point seeing as it was in today’s paper.

3. But Sackofspuds II Your comments about backpacking: I took a year off four years ago to go backpacking around the world. It was the best decision I ever made. As a result I’m now living in Australia with my partner and 5-week-old child. The fact that I chose to travel with a backpack was more for convenience than a desire to join some dropout/hippy/dosser ‘club’. I met a diverse range of people on my travels - some very clued-up as to what they wanted and where they wanted to go, some complete losers wandering around aimlessly, and for the most part young people wanting to experience the world beyond their doorstep just for the sheer fun of it – because it was there.

I would never discourage anyone (particularly any child of mine) from wanting to take some time off to have those same experiences. At the cost of missing out on joining the Corporate Ladder at the earliest opportunity? Yes, yes, yes a hundred times.

4. Quinkana’s contribution re:Captain Cook’s death – thanks for the Cut ‘n’ Paste lesson.
5. Mike Stanton’s contribution: Thanks for that Mike. That fact that you feel the need to continue to ‘educate’ potential migrants to Oz with the realities of life here long after you’ve returned to the UK is inspiring…

Erm, I think I’ve got a few things off my chest now.

Cheers,

Big.

Deadmeat

Hey big man, don't knock the Dropout/Hippy/Dosser Club - the entrance fee is cheap, the door policy relaxed, the music is great and the chicks are looooovely.

Quinkana

Well, now you have achieved your aspiration, live in anticipation of expiration.

MikeStanton

That's almost witty : where did you cut and paste it from?

Pandanda

Wow, I'm a little nervous about posting here for the first time. My bf got me onto it (he's Engerlish ) a while ago to have a look at some the messages, and I've been an occasional lurker ever since. I didn't think that I would ever make a post, but after reading some of the misinformed views on this topic, I felt kinda compelled to put a few things straight. I think that I'm in a fairly unique position to answer some of Sack of Spud's queries regarding education and professional opportunities in Adelaide. I've lived here in Adelaide all my life, and completed my first year of university this year after graduating high school last year with a tertiary entrance score of 98 out of 99.5. I simply do not understand how anyone could think that kids here have no ambition and that there are no professional careers available ????

I attended a state high school, and achieved an extremely high score with several merits. Actually look at the uni websites (Adelaide Uni, Flinders Uni, and Uni of SA--all of which are regarded highly internationally, particularly the first two) and see the courses that are available, and you couldn't possibly have anything to complain about from the "professional" educational point of view. From my group of friends from year 12 in 2003, three are currently studying law, one is doing health sciences, one is doing medicine, one is doing media, one is doing psychology, and one is doing music. I also know several people, not close friends, who are studing various types of engineering and commerce. And I think that two or three are doing something to do with physics, or maths, or something. But the point is, name a "professional" course, and it is sure to be found at one of the unis. These unis also have many unique courses involved with agriculture and wine-making, but I don't know much about those. Keep in mind that it isn't easy for anyone to get into uni, and cutoff entry scores tend to get higher every year to maintain high standards.

The high schools here are numerous and excellent from either an educational or vocational point of view. I say this because a couple of people I know are studying things at TAFE, like cordon bleu, and stuff. And many high schools have specialist focuses on sport, music, science, technology, etc.

Thanks for reading. Wow, that feels good to get all that off my chest I just hate it when people dismiss Adelaide--most, of whom I might add, have never been there ...

Three Legs

Mike,

You seem to have a slight problem with people giving a Oz a go just because it didn't work out for you.

Why so ?

Why do you seem to spend so much time on here trawling through numerous posts looking for a doom and gloom story...?

Is it because it makes you feel your decision to return was justified ?

Just curious like.

Three Legs

Big Galah

Err... that's what I was gettin at. Was I too subtle?

Innyjim

I say, put them in them the bloody army ! Bit of rum, sodomy and the lash never did anybody any harm...........errmmm, is this the right thread ?

sackofspuds

Sorry, I can't have explained myself well enough. I don't think the Oz education system sucks; far from it. We had places at what looked like a good primary school which led to what looked like excellent middle and secondary schools. My kids, I'm sure, would have had an excellent education and a really happy childhood.

The problem would have arisen, IMHO, once they had left school / college. The lack of opportunity in Adelaide would have probably meant they would have had to leave, not just temporarily but probably for good. I actually quite fancy the idea of being within a day's drive (say) of my kids, particularly if they had kids of their own, but if I went to Adelaide now and started a business, that business would probably tie me to the place so we'd end up in the situation I am in with my mother, ie, she is 10k miles away and will spend about 2 weeks every 2 years with her grandkids. Fine, that's her choice, but I don't think I'd choose it so I'm reluctant to set the wheels in motion now by moving somewhere where the choices are so limited.

So too, yes, there is the question of role models. Peer pressure affects kids enormously and I'd want my girls to have role models like, say, their niece who is doing A levels and will probably end up being an optician.

I wouldn't discourage my kids from backpacking around like I did either. However, I lived in various overseas places for more than a year. I want them to have choices. However, I have drifted most of my life and I will really try to encourage my kids to set their sights on an ambition early.

Just to clarify one thing, Mike hasn't said anything I didn't already know, having spent 4 years living and working in Sydney. Perhaps potential migrants need to hear the other point of view. I find his comments highly amusing.

Grayling

Thought that only happened in the navy

G