clanstewarts

Yesterday i was cleaning boots and shoes :sad: Today i have been in my sons room packing up footy trophies and all his model bus/coaches he collects, then sorted out a box full of daughters zhu zhu hamsters and stuff lol

today we had the estate manager around for our pre-march out:frown: oh and watched WDU lol

My oh would like to get into this, he's a heavy deisel mech, worked on tanks for all of his career. like most people have commented if you have the right mindset bout your oh being away then it can really work for you as a couple. Being an army wife i have had to deal with him away on tours, exercise and courses and me and the kids just get on with it. Has made me a stronger person had to man up lol :laugh: We enjoy the time we have when he is around, i think it keeps our marriage fresh:em3600:

Today hubby has been filling in the shippers paperwork and doing the valuations for the insurance. I sold a couple of kids fancy dress outfits, little bit extra for the oz fund lol

Handed in my notice this morning. Last day is wednesday 29th Feb. Flying to Adelaide 5th March :biggrin:

Sandy this is the link to Trade Recognition Australia, they are the ones that will assess your skills. I am assuming you have tried to match your job up to those on the skills list! The one that is closest to you trade will have the assessement body next to it. http://www.deewr.gov.au/Skills/Programs/SkillsAssess/TRA/residenceVisa/Skilled/Pages/home.aspx

Sandybeattie, having nearly finished my time in the REME as a VM, i got my Visa last year and am moving out in March. The process is not difficult but as you mentioned trying to line your trade up is difficult for you. Without knowing for certain due to the changes after i gained my Visa, but am i correct in saying that your trade is not important on the points test? You may find it easier to speak to TRA who may guide you more and find an avenue for you to go down and last resort and i loathe to say this as i believe they are not the best in the world and are expensive for what they do but it may be an idea to speak to an agent. If you have done your degree also this helps and it is never to early to start the process. Hope this helps

Hi Tracey Welcome to this fantastic site. Me and my lot will be moving over to Adelaide in March YAY !!!!!!!! maxine:jiggy:

As quite a few others have said we too have involved our 2 kids in the whole process (7yr girl & 10 yr boy). DD is excited and very keen to start another chapter in her life. DS whilst being excited is a little upset at the thought of not seeing his grandparents (they have told him that this xmas will be the last time they see him, they wont travel over to oz). Ultimately my 2 are used to moving around and starting at new schools and meeting new friends, we are an army family:army-smile: so my kids are pretty adaptable and take everything as it comes. Let the journey begin :laugh:

Woo hoooooooo we leave on the 5th march 2012 as well London singapore singapore adelaide:biglaugh:

176 in place, flights booked for 5th january and we're off. never been to oz, but husband leaves the army after 22yrs so we see it as new phase in our lives, we have'nt lived in the uk for a long time, currently in germany. live life have no regrets thats our outlook:tongue:

started off as a cook, then a retail assistant now im a bus escort:wink:. Hubster is a VM A mec = amoured mechanic, not that he will get to work on many of those in civi street so he is classed as heavy deisel mechanic, max

Hi Sam, We had a guy around 2 weeks ago and he said to put light things in drawers. Stuff like pillows, cushions, underwear, sheets & pillowcases. He also said if taking kitchen bin or microwave (take glass plate out) and fill with tupperware/plasyic stuff cos it goes in a box anyway so wasted space if not used. We have a coffee table with a shelf underneath, guy said we could roll up a duvet and put that under there as the table would be wrapped up anyway. Hope this helps. max

Hi all Thought i would throw my tuppence in being a serving soldier. Firstly, Mr Vine is not all that (I appreciate he is only a figure head), lets look at what he does and what he earns then compare this to what all public sector personnel earn, who is spoilt here? Secondly, for someone in his position to even question are we spoilt then i believe that he should do his home workfirst, the majority of all these attractions are run and headed up by "civvies" who appreciate what we do for the nation. I could ramble on for ever and i will for a bit. I have been lucky enough to serve 16 of my 21 years so far in Germany and perhaps am stuck in a community bubble which is sheltered from the harsh reality of UK but we still have the issues out here which annoy us. Why do civil servants get better housing than serving soldiers? Why do teachers who teach out here send their children to boarding school and live rent and bill free? (This just recently changed but those on the older contracts still have it free) Why as a community do we support ourselfs and do it very well, ask the couple who raised over half a million to send their son to America for life saving treatment which would not be funded by the NHS! While the forces are not angels, just ask any garrison town on a friday night, what gives that man the right to question what we get from the well doing poeple who believe that we are not funded by the goverment. The question that he should be asking is why do these people have to do this, why is Help the heros funding projects for injured service men and women when the goverment(s) who send us there, who are voted in by the public on there policys, not funding all this, do you not think that they have a morale duty for all the aftrer care that is due to all the personnell. The nearly 400 hundred killed in Afghanistan while i say this lightly and please do not take this the wrong way, but the govermant only have to give a payout which in the scheme of things is cheap compared to the after care all the injured personnel need and this is not being funded by the goverment but all the generous individuals out there. Mr Vine needs to take a reality check and go and live in a FOB for 6 months and then ask the question again.

I wear mine all the time, feel a strange without it. I dont wear my engagement or eternity ring everyday though only if im going out. Husband wears a ring, though it does come off sometimes for work, he's left handed and a VM in the army so if he has to spanner on rare ocassion then wont wear it. Some guy on exercise last month lost his finger as he was getting over a fence, allegedly they found the finger but not his ring and he was more concerned about the ring and going home to the missus without it :biglaugh:. Hubby is also a swimming instructor so doesnt wear his ring in the pool incase it slips off. i dont really have a problem with him taking it off, would rather him keep all his fingers than lose one cos of a bit of jewellery.

Hi Kim, We shall be flying out on the 5th Jan 12, flights and short term rental booked. Bought the kangaroo and hat complete with corks for the hubster on getting our visa, the kids took skippy to school that day too lol. max

Hi there found this for you about scouting, my husband is a beaver leader out here in BFG and we too would be looking at the scouting in oz for our two kids, though we are off to SA. Western Australia 581 Murray Street WEST PERTH WA 6872 Phone: (08) 9480 4200 Fax: (08) 9321 2804 Email: enquiries@scoutswa.com.au Web: www.scoutswa.com.au Hope this is useful:biglaugh: max

Have to say not a Runrig fan though Loch Lomond is quite stirring, spent many a friday night in the skye gathering hall foot stamping, hand clapping to that one lol. Love Deacon Blue and the Proclaimers, my 7yr old daughter loves them greatly influenced from her dad. Well pipe bands have to admit got Highland Cathedral by the Scots D G's on the ipod. Have quite a varied listening taste,probably to the disgust of my neighburs as their both in their v early 20's ha ha. At the moment listening to lots of The Jam, Ska, Two Tone music. max:jiggy:

Congratulations its a great feeling isnt it, now the fun begins with decluttering and organising:eek:

OMG Gaz can you please turn us GREEN wooooooooo hoooooooo:jiggy::wideeyed::biglaugh:

CONGRATULATIONS to everyone so far thats got their visa. We are waiting patiently :tongue: still lol max n ken

CONGRATULATIONS Gaz and family !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! and:hug: to the lady in pompey for her speedy response lol. We are still waiting for our Uk police checks to come back unlike the superduper efficient german checks that have been back translated and loaded urrrrrrrrrrrrr max n ken

Bridey If you want anymore help/advice feel free to pm me and i will tell you exactly how we achieved all that we have so far. Ken

Bridey Thought you were stuck with an agent initially, seems you may only be paying in stages? If you are at the next stage, have a look at the 176 Visa application yourself, you can print it off if i remember correctly and then if you are confident with it do it yourself. The reason why i am saying this is because you can upload all the documents yourself and have direct contact with your CO then liase directly explaining your circumstances without the message perhaps being lost sligtly via your agent who will not perhaps understand all that we do and how we work Hope this makes sense

Bridey Just read your post complete (Wife told me i should) I think you are doing the right thing in getting your OH boss to do a letter, i used my letter from my boss as a trade reference, and it just happened to validate my 22 point also. Reading into it it appears that your agent needs to be told to do his job and do as you tell him as you are the PAYING customer (Excuse me again you may have noticed i do have a downer on agents!!!!). Can i also suggest that you do letter yourself explaining about the years notice and you are not willing to give a date on the chance you might get a Visa and then add about as soon as it is approved you will give notice and mabye perhaps enhance it by stating you are aware of the 1 year validation time frame. The COs are human and will understand you circumstances