parkhigh

Hi All
Havent posted for quite some time but thought I would let you know how we got on.

Well my husband and I and our 2 girls age 3 and 7 came to Melbourne in Oct 2005. We had visited several times and decided on Mount Eliza as i had an aunt, uncle and cousins who live in Baxter and Frankston. Rich has an uncle in Adelaide but we felt Melbourne had more to offer us. My aunt and uncle were quite friendly with us and had stayed with us in the uk and vice versa. I get on with my cousins and had travelled around Australia with one of them 20 years ago, so had a good rapport with him.

On our fact finding trips to Melbourne I visited the local hospital as Im a psych nurse and thought it seemed ok.

For housing I wasnt so keen on Frankston as an area as its quite built up we used to live in a village which dates back to the 1400's so I wanted something different. Mt Eliza appealed to me because of the national park, gum trees and wildlife. I went to an open house and saw a house with my cousin and fed kookaburras whilst I was there. I will never forget that experience, it left its mark.

When we returned to the Uk I kept checking real estate in Mt eliza and thought of the possibilities of what life could offer us. Im sure most expats share this same past time. We had quite a few difficulties selling our house as the sale fell through (which i wrote about before quite extensively on expats) and we had to delay our emigration and validate our visas instead. This was in the March.

In May I had become quite unwell and discovered I had problems with my liver and as a non smoker and social drinker (I worked in an alcohol rehab unit) it was quite a shock. My LFTs were worse than some of the patients I was treating. Anyway I also discovered that I was pregnant a month later which was cause for concern as a) i was receiving treatment for my illness and b) it was unexpected and c) what about our plans. the house was still on the market and we began to get very dispondent and fed up with the bs from the agent etc. I started thinking about leaving my family, friends and job and thought this was an omen and maybe we should stay. I was very unsure about the whole migration thing and it was my OH who was keen to do this. He has a brother who he doesnt really have much to do with, but I have parents who are both profoundly deaf without speech and have limited communication skills ie cant use a computer and writing is limited. They communicate using BSL which of course im proficient at. Also at work I was the deputy manager of the unit and had been approached to take on some of my managers duties as he was looking to retire.

Anyway despite my reservations our buyer who pulled out previously decided to rebuy after they got a new buyer and made an offer in the August i think. We were set to leave on Oct 5th. I handed in my notice and planned a party for the kids and us. The realisation that we were leaving was extremely hard. I think when you plan to emigrate because the whole process takes so long, getting the papers together and then applying etc your friends and family take it for granted and assume maybe that you wont go. My grandparents are now 96 and 94 and I had hoped that they would have passed before I left which sounds bloody awful but only because i knew how much they also relied on me.

Must go as end of shift will write later on.

Jaycee1

Hurry up !! It was getting to the exciting bit...
My Dad has a house in Mt Eliza, we stayed there in '05. I loved the area too,
especially Mornington.
Look forward to part 2
J x

parkhigh

Hi
Ive just woken up and off to have something to eat etc. Im on a night again so will continue tonight. You will just have to wait.............

Jaycee1

o.k.....
J x

curly

I enjoyed that can't wait til next instalment

parkhigh

Hi folks been flat chat all night and its 3.30am so if my grammar is poor its because im tired. Ok now where were we............

We eventually sold the house after more wrangling and negotiations from our buyers. They had already got it for $10k cheaper and then tried to haggle for white goods, our bedroom furniture and heaps other stuff. We naturally refused and they eventually caved in after they threatened to pull out. We did have a few hairy days though when we thought should we......dont be put under pressure to let things go just because you want to leave. Anyway in the end our estate agent offered to pay for some items for the buyers so that the sale would go through. Overall everyone was happy.

Party was arranged we had a kids party in the afternoon with a magician and then an adults only party. Both parties were really great as everyone dressed up Rich and I were Steve and Terri Irwin and the girls had kangaroo suits on. It was good fun. We made heaps of severely alcoholic punches as we were using up all our liquor stock and it was mixed in with all the bottles brought along on the night. The adults were plastered and it was a scream. We had red back spiders, surfers, cowboys, aborigines, miss australia, prisoners, rangers khaki, steve irwin, lifesavers, ayers rock and so on it was great the effort they all made. Two of my friends were emus wearing yellow stockings. One of my friends was dressed up as a prisoner from cell block h and she was carrying around an ironing press. By the end of the evening she was trying to breakdance with this in tow. Hilarious. In hindsight though I think if i repeated I would have had just one big party with kids allowed too as some friends couldnt come due to no childcare etc. Maybe having them all there would have better....who knows but still we had a good night. Plus having 2 parties meant more expense and more stress.

We had the party on the Saturday, I left my job the following Friday and then we flew to Melbourne on the following Monday. We left with emirates and had some problems with luggage as due to having already validated our visa in the April we wasnt allowed to have the extra luggage allowance that migrants get (beware of this) However, I had contacted emirates prior to arrival at the airport and as we had a one way ticket they did make an exception. Luckily I did get the persons name and stated this at the time. I think they were pretty cheesed off but I was very nice and pleasant OTT really and played on my very fat tummy at the time that they caved in and let it go. I was panicking that we were going to be in for a very big bill and was contemplating sending a suitcase or two separately and not taking it as extra weight. This was going to be far cheaper.

We arrived in Melbourne albeit tired with the kids and was met by my family which was great. We stayed with them and set about in earnest to find a home. We knew that we wanted a pool and a large block and wanted to live in Mt Eliza or South Frankston.

We didnt have a car and got estate agents to pick us up, kids as well and take us to properties they had on their books. They were very willing to do this considering we were from the uk and were cash buyers! We must have looked at about 50 properties and they were either too small, didnt feel right or just not in the right area. We also began to rule out some areas and some type of houses ie timber frame due to upkeep etc, although I really like these. OH was adamant that we would not get one

We started to feel a bit fretful at my aunt and uncles after 3 weeks and decided to also look at rental properties. Again we had a problem there as we had no furniture it wasnt arriving until December and most properties are empty and unfurnished. I wasnt too keen on spending heaps on goods when I knew my own was on its way here. Most of the properties for rent that we saw were pretty ropey and I didnt like any of them. I was getting pretty desperate by now 4 weeks on, with no hint of a rental or home of our own. I was missing my mum and dad and my friends. What had I done.
Rich thought it was all an advantage but being pregnant I didnt. My clothes didnt fit and I felt lousy. Plus I had to get into the public system here and needed to get medicare nbrs etc. Those sort of things dont take too long but its just the paperwork you need etc and the form filling. I took all relevant paperwork in my hand luggage. dont pack these things in packing cases etc as you will need these to sort out your affairs health bank etc.

One evening I was looking at the property paper and my uncle said theres a house in mt eliza where my cousins friend used to live. rich said the plot is too small 1800 we really wanted 2/3rds acre however we went to look as I recalled that this house was in the same street as the Kookaburra house. We went to see this house and it was a federation style house. It had a large front with circular drive. As you went in it had a lounge area to the right in purple and a family area in orange to the left. Also the kitchen to the left. It had 4 bedrooms and a office. Pool out back with decking and the house backed onto the reserve. It had a nice feel to the place and although I wasnt happy with the pool being smack bang in the centre of the back garden and the kitchen was in the wrong place for my liking it felt good. We had a talk and I knew that we would have to do some serious changes to make it our own. We made an offer and after allot of negotiation bought the house. After a week we still didnt have a section 32 and was thinking theres something wrong here....our agent advised us all was well but we later found out that the house sale was due to a divorce and it was not amicable. Wife was unhappy with price sale so it was stalemate. We stated we were pulling out and continued to look around. things were getting a bit fretful at my aunts house now and we really needed to get out. They were just not used to small kids in the house and they like to watch ALL the daytime soaps, bold and beautiful, days of our lives, young and restless, neighbours, home and away plus all the uk ones that are on Foxtell. I seriously dont think there was a hour in the day when they were not watching tv. They even downloaded the uk soaps to keep up with what was going on there too! Not being a soap fan it was a bit hard.

I started getting doubts about the house and the work needed to be done on the house and rang the agent and said that we were out and looked at rentals. 2 days later she phoned us back with the section 32 and asked us to reconsider. We decided to go with it as our furniture was arriving shortly and we just couldnt find anything we liked as it was either not in our price range or not in the area we liked. Our kids were getting fed up too and feeling homesick. This way we could set up roots and start moving on and enjoying our life down under.

We agreed as long as it was a quick settlement 30 days and minor works needed were resolved, which was agreed. He was as keen as us to move as he had a new house which he would settle on in january and didnt want a bridging loan to pay for 2 mortgages.

We moved in a week before xmas and our furniture arrived having delayed it for a couple of weeks. Pss brought our stuff out and Kent transported it from Port melbourne. Unfortunately some of our things never arrived xmas bits and kids toys and a drawer set. made a claim but nothing ever came of it. A lamp and picture were also broken during the move. I should have pursued it more but baby was due in 6 weeks and I really couldnt be bothered as xmas was upon us and I was already feeling miserable and lonely. My pregnancy deteriorated and i was suffering with hormonal symptoms which resulted in me having to use crutches and take a few steps at a time which was agony. The house seemed incredibly large and it took forever to get from one room to another.

Xmas came and went and we spent it with my family and cousins and we had a good time. Everyone was happy and despite missing my own family we enjoyed the day. We went to Albury with my cousins friends for New Year and it was great i really recommend it. We stayed in some resort hotel and I camped by the pool all day and the kids and rich were in the pool. Everyone was having fun and it was a great break.

Our little girl was born and life revolving the baby started. Eryn my middle child started 4 year old kinder and Bronwyn started school. it was hectic. I made a few friends and got on well with my neighbours. Most of my neighbours are expats and we have few aussie neighbours. i think Mount Eliza has the reputation for having a lot of british expats. My cousins think it is a snobby area and think we are toffs living here. I try to say its the wildlife and the gum trees and living with nature but they still think we are toffs. Still when its hot they want to come and use our pool:curse:

I had a falling out with my aunt and uncle not long after Ashtyn had been born as my grandparents had sent her 100 pounds and they had not sent any money to their grandchildren. My uncle took offence at that and despite me saying that they have relationship with me and that they havent even seen their grandchildren it was to no avail. Things broke down after that. We didnt really speak and didnt spend Easter etc with the family. It was hard on the girls as we didnt have anyone and they had encouraged the girls to call them nanny and grandad and now they suddenly weren't around anymore.

Richard began an apprenticeship as a plumber in the January and was busy at work. He really enjoyed it and found it so much different from his old office sales job. I was a stay at home mum with the baby and the girls were at school. I found it hard to adjust and previously had returned to work after 3 months and was still at home 6 mths later. I had no motivation or inclination to return to work and missed my home, friends, family and old job. Why had i come here and put myself and my family through this stress. Plus our new home was about 2km away from them and I was stressed thinking I was going to bump into them at the shops etc.

They sometimes took their other grandchildren to school and I often saw them in the carpark which was hard. Although I still socialised with my cousins it became less frequent. Although I understand I still find it hard.

We began work on our house to make a downstairs games room/guest suite, bathroom and laundry and to extend our decking. I threw myself into these tasks and was around to assist the builders with their cups of tea etc.

In September 2006 my parents were visiting and I was so excited. Out of the blue we got a call from my uncle who wanted us to come round and visit. We hadnt seen them for months and I really didnt want to go. However Rich said we should hear what they have to say for my mums sake etc. We went and I hated every minute of being in their house. my uncle went on bad mouthing my grandparents etc. I stated that they had been good to me and thats all I can really say. They helped my brother and I and treated us like their own children. It was hard growing up with deaf parents no tv, stereos etc and the discipline was hard as they were both brought up in boarding schools. They made sure we had holidays at Pontins every year and got us the latest in things so we didnt stick out at school. However we agreed to disagree and tried to draw a line under it. My parents were here for 6 weeks and my aunt and uncle came to our house quite a lot. My dad got cheesed off with it all and i hated the intrusion. it was a difficult time. When mum and dad left we didnt see them too much but invited everyone to our house for xmas. Two of my cousins declined going to inlaws and one came with my aunt and uncle. this xmas did not go well. We agreed on kris kringle for the kids only and my children had received in cash half the amount that was agreed. I was really angry about that as I had overspent the agreed amount. I voiced my opinion and my aunt said that my cousin couldnt afford it. Her other granddaughter opened her kris kringle from the same cousin and she got the full amount in cash......work that one out!!! my aunt then said it was because she was older....My cousin who was there agreed with me and said it was wrong which made my aunt really mad.
We ate the meal and tried to enjoy it but it was crap. I just wanted to go home and get to be with some friendly people.

Needless to say I was homesick and in Jan 2007 i had enough. i wasnt working and things hadnt improved for me.

Right must go as my forth admission of the night is arriving. Will post again shortly.

Jaycee1

God, I'm well into this! Get them admitted quick!!
J x

Jasonmb

Me too, can't wait for the next installment. I would like to live at Mount Eliza when we arrive in March, it looks beautiful.

Tracy

Backhomeatlast

Some old people are so bloody selfish aint they.

parkhigh

Ok folks part 3, I hope this is interesting and im not just waffling on as i tend to do but i thought i would try to give a full account of our ups and downs of our life down under.
This part is about richs career change from office sales (building trade) to an apprentice plumber.

In Jan 2007 I was pretty miserable and decided I had to get a job as I was going mad but with Rich's apprenticeship it was hard as he started work around 7am and finished at 4.30pm. Plus his boss was a real task master and treated Rich very badly. Rich started for him in Nov 2005 but officially as an apprentice in Jan 2006. He is 41 years old so is not a kid. He paid him the minimum wages for an apprenticeship and nothing else. No super, no payslips, No RDO, no tool allowance, no mature apprenticeship payment which the employer receives from the govt to pay to the apprentice (work that out) we tried to follow this up but apparently they dont have to give it to the apprentice but they had never heard of this before. He never paid him overtime, travel and quite frequently expected him to be on a doncaster site for a 7 am start! it made life for us quite difficult. He had no official paperwork and was difficult to pin down if you know what i mean. He also tried to rip people off making rich charge for things he hadnt done etc. He employed a couple of sub contractors who had worked for the previous company who had worked on comission houses and they knew all the scams like having buckets with old taps, washers etc in. Rich refused and of course this didnt go well. His boss ended up doing the dockets and rich didnt have anything to do with it. The other guys were up for charging as much as possible. There were several days were en route to jobs he stopped to assist for no other reason then being a good citizen ie a lady with a baby had lost her keys down a drain and was in a terrible state. Rich stopped to help but lifting the manhole cover up and using equipment to retrieve the keys. An old lady was running in the street when water was turned off and rich helped her, and so on. Each time they were grateful and rich felt good about things. Not everything is about money. This had serious repercussions for Rich as he was not working on one of his scheduled jobs although there wasnt a fixed appt time. His boss was a a***, if you ask me.

Throughout 2007, Due to our increasing amount of concerns over the past year Rich had a number of meetings with the comission and college inspectors which resulted in him paying super but nothing else. Rich hated it but was just biding his time. For the whole 2 years Rich has worked more or less unsupervised and he has charged him out as a qualified plumber. Then his boss would berate him for taking time on a job! He would ring me up during the day really fed up. He didnt want to leave customers with any problems and never returned to any jobs which says how well Rich did the job. The crap really hit the fan in August 2007 when it was our anniversary and i had said to the kids we'll go out for a meal and they were excited. We dont go out too much as its too expensive. Well his boss has got a new contract for housing commission houses. His boss was happy with this and it meant regular work coming in however there was a downside they wanted on call overnight cover. His boss made rich work till after 7pm that night for a late job hence we didnt go out and then said that he would have to be on call every night. Rich said how can i be on call when im an apprentice. Plus I cant work all day and then all night. He said he would pay rich for being on call $50 per night but rich said no. Rich had worked overtime and on saturdays and had never been paid. Rich was physically and mentally not able to do it. Plus with me at home with the kids as miserable as sin it was too much:curse:

Rich had a few more meetings with the inspectors who seemed to be on his bosses side than Rich's. Rich turned up with his diary and a whole a4 list of stuff that had happened including no annual leave to date etc. Rich had also had an accident on a roof and cut his hand open and his boss didnt even bother to turn up and check he was ok. His boss was very uncooperative and it was all take take and no give. His boss just basically ranted at the meeting saying rich was unhelpful and no good to him as he couldnt work on call. That was all he could say. The inspector tried to resolve issues but rich was unhappy. However we got leave approved to go to the uk at xmas but thats another story. Anyway his boss couldnt get rid of him which he wanted because he wanted to pay another sub contractor who would work nights.

Even though he hated his boss he wanted to leave on his own terms. Luckily in Nov/Dec after his meeting in Oct rich was lining up a new employer and was hoping to start in Feb 2008 with him after his official shut down period. His boss was not aware of this as rich wanted to leave after notice period etc and to ensure no period of no pay. Plus we wanted his boss to pay his annual leave and public holidays over xmas which he wouldnt do if he was leaving.

Rich continued there until the end of the year hating every minute but he just had to go we needed the money. We went to the Uk for xmas and when we got home on 4th Jan 2008 we found a letter from the apprenticeship comission which stated that his apprenticeship was discontinued from 19th december. Considering that we were away and he was on leave till the 10th Jan this seemed grossly unfair as this would mean more time would have to be added to his 4 year term. Plus he had no notice and needed to look for a new employer straight away.

He rang the comission and they said that as his boss wasnt offering supervision and didnt comply with paperwork ie wage slips, books detailing annual leave etc he was going to be blacklisted as an apprentice employer and that was that. Rich had to find a new boss and his time would recommence then. He had no notice period and we had to fight his boss for monies that he still owes us and we have to do that through appropriate channels and not the apprenticeship comission. They are just a waste of time really and have not helped rich at all. In fact it has resulted in rich telling them how bad he was which they should have been checking up on and then rich losing his job! They have not come forward to assist in helping him at all get a new placement. Rich spent the whole of jan off which was tough and has started a new placement today. Keep fingers and toes crossed that it will be ok. Whatever happens i think rich is determined to pass the time away and keep his mouth shut. for those of you who are contemplating apprenticeships or children who are my only advice is to choose carefully the employer. I am sure there are many tradies and I hope i dont get bombarded with criticism who are great and treat their apprentices well. Rich was very unlucky. He received minimum pay, no leave, no car etc and was treated and spoken to badly. Rich gave as good as he got towards the end as by then he just had no respect for his boss. His colleagues who he worked with just couldnt understand it and the nbr of subcontractors that his boss hired and they left..............say no more.

Anyway today is hopefully a new year. This is Rich's 3rd year and VECCI and the trade school expect rich to take his journeymans at end of this year or early next which will be great and if his boss signs him off he will be qualified. Knowing his previous employer this wouldnt have happened, hopefully his new one will but the long and the short is that rich wanted a new life down under with a new career and it has cost him. However he loves being a plumber and has worked on new builds, swimming pools, gas, air conditioning, leak detection, sewers, water and grey water systems, guttering and so on. There doesnt appear to be a job that he cant do on his own (IMO). He just needs his papers and then hopefully life will be more in our control.

Right must go now but will write about my job, our trip to the uk, citizenship, family and my feelings now being back in OZ.
Irene

Backhomeatlast

Have the old ones passed away yet

parkhigh

No they havent, but I wanted to go back and see them and say goodbye. It was really, really hard as granddad is frail and 97 this year. He weighs about 8 stone and for an old soldier its terrible to see. I was very shocked to see how he had deteriorated since we left. On the day we left he gave me his beret and army badges and photos. I said I would come back for his 100th but we both knew through our tears that we wont see each other again. He barely moves from his chair all day and needs assistance to meet his ADL's. Life is not good for him. Nan although has lost weight looking after him is doing well, but is very depressed and finding it extremely difficult to look after him. Whilst I was there I instigated assistance from social services, they need help with cooking and cleaning. The house was in a poor state and the wardens where they live dont seem to be doing a good job. I went to see them and they said that nan and grandad had refused help so there wasnt anything they could do. I was not happy and said I knew the lady at social services and i would call her myself if they did not refer her. lo and behold an application was written pronto, it wouldnt look good on them if i referred them. I am following this up. I rang nan on Tuesday night in between posts and work and she said that she is still waiting......I will wait a couple of weeks and will be onto it.
Now my next dilemma and possible discussion item is do you go back for a funeral. The trip wiped us out and until rich qualifies money is tight. I feel a bit better that i have seen them and that they have seen Ashtyn the new baby which I am grateful for. I have got lots of photos and am happy for those memories. The whole trip to the uk was such an emotional onem but again will write on that soon.
Must get my 3 girls organised and do some jobs...school starts tomorrow and im back on days too tomorrow
Irene

The Crow

You are awful

parkhigh

Hi All
Short update on Richs career change

Rich started his new job today with his new employer. He has 2 other apprentices working for him (one of which rich goes to college with) this is how he got hooked up with him. He lives closer and seems to work locally so sounds positive. Rich said that his boss said that he wants to work less on the tools and more on the books so that would mean rich working alone again which as an apprentice you shouldnt do but I think that is par of the course. Rich doesnt care though just as long as he gets through his time. Ill keep you updated on his progress.

Tomorrow I will tell you about my employment as a nurse.
TTFN

irishbloo

K sent.x