Wilf

By night (from the Oz/NZ point of view), this forum is awash with questions about immigration and visas and so on that maybe belong on the Immigration section but are very well tolerated and entertained by the expats. By day, the expats come out and dicuss lifestyle and culture in Oz and NZ. Those who live in Oz and NZ know full well that it is not the paradise depicted in UK media and on telly, and both places are very different when you live here rather than come on holiday (even one of a few months). Lately, there has been a lot of discussion by the expats of your chances of being a victim of crime being very much like the UK, of the very bleak situation regarding getting a job (anyone who thinks 6 months or more unemployment before getting a low skill part time job is an indication of a land of opportunity must be mad), and of the poorer education standards for kids.

When these discussions are going on, amongst the expats, there is a real air of apology about it all - there is a sense of fear of being labelled a "whinger", or some such knock, by those who do not even live in Oz or NZ and have no idea what they are talking about. So much do people hate to hear that which they do not want to hear that I am continuously told I do not even live in Oz and make it all up. I admit my tone is abrasive a fair bit of the time but that is to counter the bull spouted by the mafia of "Oz/NZ is perfect" people who have never even lived here. You need acid to break through the bull on here half the time and try to get some reality back into the forum. Most of the people who say how rude I am have said much worse to me and are often the people who start threads like "Wilf is a bastard" or whatever and so they are clearly not trying to provoke it are they?

Well, I would like to just put one point or question to many of the future immos (most but not all). You like to put your questions here about life in OZ/NZ - basically, you want to know the same thing "Am I going to like it?" But when you get people's answers, if they do not agree with what you want to hear you go on the attack and make people feel like not posting their so-called "negative" stuff. If you only are prepared to allow "positive" stuff or stuff that you consider "acceptable" to you, why bother asking? You want expats to answer your questions, for free, but then also object to them having a laugh in the day time with daft posts and a bit of to and fro. We all know what you want, but what is in it for the expats? You want to have all questions answered but also dictate what the answers are going to be, and want to deny the expats a laugh along the way.

Anyway, I leave you now and this time, many will be pleased to hear, for good. This forum will have all the usefulness of a travel agent's window if the "negative" people are driven away or made to feel like there is a "two complaints and you are out of favour" policy which seems to operate here. In the end, you will get the forum that you want/deserve - it will just be a mirror of your own dreams of what you want Oz/NZ to be. What the hell is the point of that?

Anyway, apologies to the adults like Florida, Megalania, Karawara88, dotty, Ceri, AndrewR, jayr, richard, diane, kath, janeyray, badger, renth, peteY, and one or two others I have missed. It goes without saying that you are not who I am talking about at all and I wish you all the best.

Wilf

cam the man

I agree with your point of view.

We do need to hear both good and bad experiences - both of which should help all us would be's to decide wether to make that jump. It is up to ME to decide what I believe is true, false or somewhere in between on the forum. It is my life.

At the end of the day though the only way to find out is to try for yourself. If it doesn't work out we can always come back wiser with a bit of life's experience.

Florida_03

Yes...with eyes wide open...

S/pick

Some of the things 'Wilf' has said is true and sometimes quite funny. I feel the issue is the way he expesses his opinion about a country NZ which from his posting he once lived in and hates. Good luck to him anyway.

Florida_03

I hear many say they hate going through what they see as noise to find THEIR answers. Perhaps if they wade through the posts they will find THE answer.

Well I for one have enjoyed the banter. With a little heat added this forum I believe becomes more helpful. Plenty will disagree, but when people are pressured you tend to extract the essense of truth. If a laugh can be had along the way then good.

Wilf

Thanks for the good luck. All the best.

Wilf

By all means give it a go, but have a plan to come back ready should you need it. For your own good, don't put all your eggs in one basket and don't assume it will be for good. About 25% of people stay for good and are happy, I would say, so consider that you may well be one of the other 75%. And, whatever you do, if you don't like it, don't say so here.

Good luck.

Megalania

Getting quicker in your old age?

ACE

I will probably get slated for saying this but here goes.

Question:[/COLOR]What is the point of an expats forum without the expats point of view?

I value each and every post from the expat community as the people who have made the move can tell us more about what it is really like to emmigrate than 10, 20 or more years of book reading, Internet research and TV shows. Having said all that I will still continue to do all of the above as they are a good source for finding out all the practical information but the few months I have been postng questions here has told me more about what it is really like to start again than 3 years research.

Wilf I sincerely hope that you don't stop posting, I find your posts clever, informative and generally very, very funny.

To answer my own question,

Answer:[/COLOR] Like a broken pencil........

ACE

dotty

The best way to make a success of life out here is to face and accept that perfection it is not, also to realise that the coveted pools beaches etc are quite a small part of your life. Dont emigrate for holiday reasons, emigrate because OZ has the day to day necessities that fit your requriement needs.

Wilf

Simple world views are always preferred are they not, no matter what their accuracy?

I am convinced there are a lot of people who think that when I say "Hard to find a good job if you are a white collar pom," they think I mean hard to find a job doing whatever you want for good pay, when all I mean is hard to get a job that doesn't make you feel bad about yourself. Oh well, they have yet to live here and so they know best eh?

All the best mate and thanks for the laughs. You're a good bloke and Oz's loss is the yanks' gain.

Wilf

Wilf

If I was as bright as you, I would put my good mind to better use, just as I am going to put my useless mind to better good.

All the best,

Flea bitten Wilf

Megalania

My "better use" today is auditing accounts of licensees! Been hoping the Jehovah's Witnesses would knock!

Wilf

I am sure you are just being kind to an old duffer but it is much appreciated anyway.

I suppose I am just a bit tired of tolerating the stuff from the immos-to-be but not being tolerated myself and seeing very decent people (not me, obviously) attacked for daring to post that they have suffered crime or are not happy with the move. After a while, it gets very nauseating to see people attacked for just saying what they see here in Oz and when I or someone else says that they should not be attacked, it is all "Oh no, we appreciate negative posts, it's just the way they do it that offends us," as if we expats have to please the poms with our style as well as our content. Well, I am tired of it. It has to work both ways, and I also like a laugh in my own way without it being dictated to me how I should enjoy myself.

Honestly, if the forum were full of people like you who obviously understand my wanting to discuss in my own way and have a laugh while I am at it then I would never feel the need to bugger off, but it is not like that here. Take Ceri and dotty for example. These are both people who I have had "conflicts" with in the past, but I do not detect a sense of grudge from them and I have come to have a lot of respect for them. Seeing dotty under attack the other day from a bunch of tossers who have no idea what they are on about (I think phrases like "parasitic old ****" were used) was one of the final straws for me. Is it not clear that she has much to say of use and so what if someone does not like her style or sense of humour - are they so intolerant they cannot stand anyone different to themselves? A lot of people on here are obviously (to me, anyway) playing it up a bit and having a laugh whilst giving info and so what? It is only a harmless forum.

I am leaving the forum to the racists, the people who start threads like "Crap is...", "PB is a wanker" or "Ban wilf", the people who call women tarts, and all the people who seem to hate the UK, the land that gave them life and wealth enough to emigrate in the first place. Trouble is, there are also a whole lot of decent, intelligent people here too, and I hope they continue to get something out of the forum apart from votes to ban them when they say that Oz is less than they had hoped.

Thanks for the good wishes ACE and you will probably find yourself attacked by some gutless twerp in the future for it so well done for not being intimidated.

All the best, Wilf

DianeOZ

Wilfiepops - Out of everyone on this forum, you have been here longest and surley must have the most knowledge of Australia and a lot of people out there really appreciate the advice and points of view you give although it is the ones who don't who make their opinions known. Just look at the response PB when he departed, I bet he was quite gobsmacked for once.

I know what you mean about the "whats in it for us" thing, and a lot of expats have given up posting because of the tyranny of comments that are hurled back. It is an "expats" site after all and from that name I take it as a medium for the people already here to vent their spleen and share their troubles and opinions, just as the people waiting to make the move take the support from others on the site rejoicing or commiserating with them every step of the way.

At the end of the day we all have the same goal, to have a happy and healthy life in Australia/NZ and surely we can all be entitled to our own opinions and offer advice as seen fit.

I think it is viewed that we only post because we have nothing else to do and are not happy. Most people I know here who have moved are happy with their desicion (us included) and post because we realise what an enormous thing this is and having come through it still in once piece, post to prepare you for things that we had not thought about before our move. Also a lot of us post at work (yes Aussie jobs are boring) and it brightens up our day to have a bit of banter with the old Brits.

Apologies for rambling on but we cannot lose any more valuable posters from this site.

Diane