Lanky Lad

Remember I am NOT really saying where I am is the sole reason for my post.... I intended a "reminder" for those thinking about emigration or in the latter stages of the visa application. I will also add that those who have "family and friends" high in the list of things "I love and hate leaving behind" ...will need a serious mind shift about just that if they want to make a success of a move to Aus. Another misconception about Aussie is "Community Spirit" - out on the verges of the bush and small - and I mean small towns - may be an exception but its even mentioned on 7 news a while back...Aussies hardly get involved with neighbors other than "over the garden fence" ! Our fence is 6 feet high and so are most on anything built in the last 15 - 20 years from what I see. Granted if your house is burning... the street will come out to help or in any other "disaster" scenario. I am currently thinking about another post - about the Aussie traders!!! One man and his ute! I will ponder it a while and let this thread cool off!

Where we are - was almost 9 years a go a small new development...which had slowed down on building due to international banking crisis at that time. BUT on Google maps..we could see the area/streets outlined and knew it would eventually get bigger. BUT the house behind ours is 6 years older...so we just thought the area would not grow to fast..and until around two years back..it did'nt - but then house building issues and banks seem to have cleare3d up and the speed up happened. On what was what we thought to be an interconnecting road strip of land...suddenly became a house lot In six weeks the shell and roof are in place and the inside plumbers and electricans and house fitters are swarming all over it - so it will not be too long before another BBQ is in operation! Birds.... in the UK at the back of us was a woodland valley - which prevented any house building and we had lost of birds in our garden I got the count up to 15 or 16 if I counted the heron that dropped down almost vertical from tree height into my tiny 4foot x 20 foot pond.. and cleaned out all my goldfish! Here we get the Mynah which is another failed import and swarms almost like starlings at tghis time we get rainbow lorrikeets and out front Galahs... but all the tree felling has taken the birds habitat away and we see less of the native colourful birds.

Spot on.... I expect folk will not understand ..IF they have only been on vacation trips and not strayed in out of town area where few tourist tread. Our kidz ( mid 30s) do not have any issues about things like I write about - so obviously my older outlook is .... just that! My generation was likely the last where we were taught to respect others and be considerate! I once mentioned to the guy behind us that two young doctors had moved into the next door.... and worked early shifts.... ie they need to sleep. Water off a ducks back!

Central Coast, NSW

It was October 28th 2008 - 5 years after our first ever trip to Aussie. December 30th 2008, Manchester Airport - With the long sought after and expensive Contributory Parent visa safe in the boss ladies bottomless handbag - she , me, daughter and then boyfriend - now husband , - are waiting for a late flight to London Airport which will deposit us at Bangkok and then on to Sydney. Coming up to nine years in Oz.... the Kids are doing great and my wife and I have a 4 year old grandson - who speaks without a trace of Aussie accent. So what it like - is the usual question from those planning the big move...OK..well those "reccie's" ie the vacation in Aussie to see if you can deal with the heat... are not adequate to give you a taste of REAL life downunder... 6 months or a year may be about enough to give you an idea. Like dealing with council officials who take 9 months to get to your file....I kid you not. That smiling young lady you chatted with, conceived the night before and does not intend to do anything to tax her strength until after the birth! Same for the guys without the screaming and mess to deal with later! If you are lucky you will buy or rent a place next door to geriatrics, who do not have BBQs where everybody gets rat legged before driving their ute home at 3 times the speed limit - while playing some crap rapper at disco strength audio. A lot don't get home early because their ute is likely stuck in some poor sods bedroom and if they are lucky.. the occupants were not in bed! Now the fave sport here for the led heads...is the saloon car racing.... souped up engines and a saloon body shell wrapped around a super strength roll cage. Snag is your local hoon tries to emulate their hero in a well used third hand car that was over driven before they bought it...... never the less... it travels fast enough to smack into your house - having ploughed through a tree, your fence and if it avoids your pool... it will end up next to the ute but in your living room...sorry rumpus room! Its a dogs life .... honest... talking of which, your local council in the UK (before we left the UK) will usually act fairly fast if you complain about loud music , dogs left outdoors day and night who get so traumatized from lack of love and at interaction with their owners - so they bark at every noise, bird, cloud that passes over and just for the hell of making a noise to here somebody scream SHUT THE F__K UP. Over here.... complain to the Rangers.. you will be expected to negotiate with your neighbour - who is adamant his dog never barks at all...well being out all day and drunk by night.. they don't hear it. The good news is you get to live in a different house...because yours will mysteriously get burned out... or somebody breaks in and and trashes every wall ( no bricks inside the shell...just a wooden frame with plasterboard tacked on) And now every neighbour with a dog...totally ignores you! The police are seldom seen in your area... unless they live nearby.... so kids roaring about on semi skeletal scooters or motorbikes without a decent exhaust pipe to brag about... are a common sight! WE have a house about 100 meters away... their 14 year old arrives home from school about 3.30pm - mom and dad are out at work..and HE is wannabe drummer..... you can use your imagination for the rest. Now all those police not serving the local community can be found at the local station...going off the amount of police cars we see parked. Neighbour disputes in the UK and the offenders can expect a visit from the police to read the riot act, not the aussie police... they tell you to take the offending miscreants to court! ...Do so and sure as hell your house is in jeopardy - so there are no disputes with neighbours...ever! Now those police sitting in the local cop shop.... that is those not tasked to hide behind bushes with speed camera, or park up on the motorway to catch speeders...( we know where all their spots are and slow down! ) --- are making sure they have time to attend to Bikies gatherings or hoons racing about in make believe super cars so the y can chase them until inevitably they stop after seeing the hoons becoming embedded in a tree up the road. That hoon now stuck in a bedroom or a tree depending on luck...suddenly gets the attention of at least 5 or 6 police cars and a guaranteed spot on 7 news! I think they get attendance money for some jobs. Sadly an older guy living near us, died in the night... three police cars and two ambulances arrived. We thought everybody in the house was dead. So if you want to check out what its like living in in Aussie... just imagine you are moving to WestWorld..... but in truth for all the s**t that goes on.... we would NOT move back to the UK

Hi, Is anybody in Sydney planning to ship a container to the Philippines? I have some friends with about 1 cubic meter looking for a less expensive option than DHL!! TIA LL

This is a very old thread I think, maybe you should repost and /or look for a newer thread. From my time on teh rock strewn visa path... the aussies make rules and sod the person who fails for any reason. To be honest.. you dont make clear (to me ) that x-rays were a problem.. did you notify in writing and get a reply? Saying you dont have enough money.. is wasted on immigration - not their problem. Each stage of any visa application is part of a slow moving conveyor and you need to be in the program or get a concession. Never think "they" understand you or will take what you reply as part of their function. Where is your agent in all this??? As I see it you have two choices... start again from scratch or contact the immigration office manager and supply a step by step statement of your visa path, the x-rays etc and copy/scan and supply all relvant documents to your request to reinstate your application to the point of your disputed contacts about submitting x- rays. They also deal in annual quota for given visa - or did, so you could get a result from the manager but go back of the queue! there are agents on the forum who have far more advice than I can offer. I suggest you scour the forum and find an agent online or in a thread and ask him/her. I am assuming you decided to save money and go it alone... bad news is its great when it works.. but if you had used a n agent and got them to do teh work of contacing the visa office...... If all else fails.. do a web search for George Lombard immigration agents in Sydney.. he also handles appeals.. we used him and he is good at his job. Good luck...