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Thank you for the replies to my post. I feel reassured. I can't quite believe its happening, feel as if I am going on holiday. B it I will be glad when I get on that plane and the goodbyes are done. People ask if I am excited and I am sure I am but at the moment the goodbyes are uppermost.

everyone okraeveryone okra

Good luck Moira - nearly there now. It still seems like a holiday to us 18 months in and we absolutely love it!

Bye the way Phoebe - our arthritic knees are so much better now - Clive plays bowls and I go to the gym and do aquaerobics. We even managed to go kayaking with the family last week (bit difficult getting out of the boat but managed OK )

I love the heat - even 10 day in a row of 34+! Autumn is on its way now with sunny 24 days and 16 nights. Glad we had gas ducted heating put in last winter.

We were lucky - ours took 13 months from the first acknowledgement and we didn't book out medicals until our CO was appointed! Can't believe that was so long ago now. We have been here for almost 15 months and just enjoyed our second Christmas in the sun. It was a very special time as our son is out on a visit from England and it was the first time in 6 years that the family had been together.

Christmas has come early for you - congratulations

That's fantastic news Phoebe - good luck with the rest of the test results - onward and upward ..............

Emailed NAB bank to verify accounts as non residents and they are happy to go ahead

 

Well that was pretty painless

 

Phoebe

We had (and continue to have) excellent service from NAB (head office in King William Street and the smaller local branch at Blackwood)

We change our I-Saver every 4? months to get the highest savings rate. This involves closing the account and reopening another new one. A simple transfer and a couple of signatures and its all over - worth it for the extra 1% on our savings.

Many congratulations - I seem to remember posting this only a few hours ago "Hang in there all of you still waiting - it will happen sooner than you think!"

This time last year, lunchtime on 3rd October, we were on our way to Heathrow having said all our goodbyes and were off to start our new life in Adelaide, Australia. How time flies - we're still having a ball! Hang in there all of you still waiting - it will happen sooner than you think!

CAN'T BELIEVE IT YET, BUT..........VISA GRANTED TODAY..........EXACTLY FOUR WEEKS FROM ALLOCATION OF CASE OFFICER!

 

Just out for the day in the Cotswolds and looked at my phone to check the time and there it was - the email we've been waiting so long for!

 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME.....HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME! The celebrations have begun.......

 

I love you all.....especially our CO - you gorgeous girl!!!

What a fabulous birthday present - you'll be here in no time! CONGRATULATIONS

Thanks for this.

I have pmd you, but forgot to ask can you give me your blog, facebook links please.

I am such a saddo, I watch anything and everything to do with Oz!! Even repeats of Border Security!!!! So new photos would be good.......

 

Cheers Pam

I remember it well - I've watched anything to do with OZ including Home and Away and Neighbours. Even stayed in Sydney where they film H&A a few years ago. Met Alf at the Surf Club too ............... Never imagined I would be living here back then.

Noticed a few previous comments about Medicare. Works fine for us. I had a nasty virus a few weeks ago with all sorts of scarey symptoms. Saw our doc (free) and had blood tests the next day (also free) and full scans 4 days later (got 2/3s of the cost of it back) Very thorough and it turned out the virus was on the way out and I had gall-stones! Had sheets of photos and comprehensive list of the state of all my internal organs (re-assuring) Would also recommend taking out Ambo cover. I came close to needing it! Haven't bother with medical insurance.

Shame we have to pay for prescriptions but not nearly as much as I was expecting and they are capped. Will get a big reduction when we are entitled to our Commonwealth Seniors cards in just over a years time! Chemist's own brands and discount warehouses save a fortune too.

At least we get free travel and lots of other perks being 'Seniors'

Cheers Jane and Clive!!

 

How is life for you now? I see your 'line' reads Living the dream. How is that dream going?

 

Do you often have your grandchildren to care for?

 

Spanish inquisition ended........sorry!!

 

Enjoy your wine......

 

Cheers Pam

Still living the dream and very upbeat in spite of the coldest wettest winter in adelaide for 30 years! We bought a house 2 weeks after we arrived in early October (not as foolhardy as it sounds as we had been looking on line for months and had narrowed down the areas on previous holiday visits) We moved in just a month later and had fun refurnishing (we brought very little stuff with us and it didn't arrive until Christmas).

Clive has joined Probus and the local Bowls Club and I have taken up quilting and aquaerobics - new country, new life and new hobbies! We don't see the grandchildren as often as we thought we might but have meals with the family every couple of weeks, do the odd school run and babysit occasionally. We look after the girls more in the Summer holidays and make use of their pool too. I expect we will dog sit/walk too as they now have a new puppy.

We joined a local church and they made us so welcome - we had many offers of meals in the early day and have made many good friends there - Aussies and Brits. They have a cafe which serves up to 500 meals a week and I help in the kitchen most Fridays - its great fun and I get a free meal and lots of Lattes to keep me going. We walk most days and there are lots of footpaths near our home - its a bit hilly but it keeps us fit. The beach is only 15 minutes away too and we make frequent trips to nearby McLaren Vale for winetasting and the great Farmer's Markets. We've had short breaks (thanks to travel Auctions) to Clare Valley where we cycled the Reisling Trail - not bad as we hadn't been on a bike for 50 years!, Victor Harbour - whale watching, Goolwa - boat trip up the Coorong and are off to the Yorke Peninsular in a couple of weeks and Barossa in early October.

Our son is coming out for 5 weeks in December so the family will be together for Christmas for the first time in 7 years. I still pinch myself when I wake up on a sunny morning or drive round the beautiful Adelaide Hills seeing Koalas and Kangaroos. We've seen and done so much more but I won't bore you with all that. If you want links to picture albums/blog or Facebook please PM me.

So yes, we are still living the dream and have no regrets ....... good luck to the rest of you still waiting to get over that last hurdle.

Actually the fact we have had the grandchildren from 7.30 this morning could have something to do with it???????????

 

 

 

Sounds like you deserve a glass of wine! Angie x

I know what that feels like! - think I'll open a bottle too and join you

We use NAB and they've given us great service so far. On-line is easy too and any glitches are easily sorted out at our local branch even though its not where our account is held.

Another step closer - won't be long now!

One way of doing it is to transfer the money to your son/daughter's account in Australia and they can then get a bank draft to send to DIAC.

This is the method we used and it worked well. My daughter is an accountant here and very good at getting financial things organised

Fond memories - 'twas just over a year ago we were in Maidenhead for our medicals. I had 'white coat' sydrome and the doc asked me to lay down on the couch and he held my hand, used the manual 'thingy' rather than the automatic one which really squeezes your arm and makes me tense up even more, he chatted away to reasure me. Had the lowest ever reading!

Definately agree - not absolutely necessary when travelling but nice to look at in your passport and helpful for Medicare, Driving Licence etc.

My BP meds are cheaper than I thought - 3 different ones at around $30 a month for all of them - not too bad and this is from my local chemist - the warehouse could only save me $2 - $3 but involved a 20 minute drive there and back. (on a 143 and have basic Medicare - qualify for a seniors discount after 2 years)

http://www.immi.gov.au/media/fact-sheets/31parents.htm

this might help

Thanks Phoebe

Still can't believe our luck and we're loving every minute. Don't see the family all that much but we're making a good life for ourselves and have lots of lovely new friends. Clive is doing well at the bowls club (been asked to join the club and play in matches) and I've started quilting! I also hope to start running card making classes after Easter and using that lovely new craft room of mine. Several friends and neighbours have already expressed interest so I could be busy (and make a few dollars to cover my expenses and treat myself to the odd bottle of wine)

Had a great afternoon lounging in a comfy deckchair at McLaren Vale (with a glass or 2 of wine) watching a free Jazz Concert surrounded by beautiful vineyards

Haven't been on this site for a while but PIA is a bit 'up and down' recently. Good to see forward movement on some familar names. We thought our time would never come round but unbelievably we've now been in Adelaide for nearly 6 months and in our own home for 4 1/2 - hang in guys, it will come round sooner than you think. Good luck with all those house sales, hopefully things will pick up now winter is over and Spring is casting a more favourable light for new buyers.

Figure differ widely - depends where you get your info.

SYDNEY (MarketWatch) — Australian house prices fell in the latest quarter and are likely to remain soft through the next year, a survey out Wednesday showed.

House prices fell 2.4% in the September quarter of 2011, accelerating from a drop of 2% in the June quarter, according to a survey by National Australia Bank, released Wednesday.

By state, prices fell 3.8% in Victoria, 3.2% in Queensland, 2.9% in South Australia and the Northern Territory, 1.1% in New South Wales and 0.8% in Western Australia, the survey showed.

Who knows what the future will hold! We bought a lovely house in Adelaide and although the price may drop further we should have enough to live on for a few more years before we need to move to a retirement village or downsize!!!!! Kids won't worry what their inheritance will be then - they're managing OK and anything we leave will be a bonus.

The best advice I have had was given to me in a card just as I left. It was from an Australian colleague who had lived in the UK for 4 years. She said that it would be an emotional roller coaster..and she was so right. It has also helped meeting people through this site and in other ways

 

So Moira, doubts are understandable but for me, the good days way outweigh the bad ones! I'm a similar age to you and didn't think I wanted to work in the same field but I have realised that work is the quickest way to get integrated, especially if you're living on your own..families are great but we all need social company as well! Good luck and I'm sure it will work out for you

fiz

Its tough starting again when you are over 60 - we have come out as a couple (married for over 40 years) and plan to remain 'retired'. For social company we firstly joined a local church (have made good friendships with about 5 couples of similar age and younger) who really helped us to settle in to a new culture.

We've also joined the Bowling Club - Night Owls - Monday Night Informal Club Night ( meals and a game followed by drinks and raffle and less than $20 for the 2 of us)

Seniors Aquaerobics at the local swim centre,

PROBUS group (Separate Ladies group for me and Men's group for Clive) - we've got day trips planned and a joint short Autumn holiday in Goolwa

Beria group - meals and walks planned

PIA - meet-up at Noarlunga (haven't managed to get there yet but hope to make one of the meets)

Australia Day celebrations Our council has arranged/organised a free picnic and sausage sizzle for the community (family away on holiday this year at that time)

We've got to know many of our neighbours in the small cul-de-sac and plan to arrange some picnics/BBQs together at the local reserve just 100m away.

Clive has tickets for various cricket matches at the oval and i hope to book some craft classes (card making and scrapbooking) soon.

Haven't seen much of the family for at least 2 months - just Christmas lunch, a meal out and 3 lots of baby sitting!

Also check out the front of your telephone directory (yellow pages 9-13) for upcoming events

Hey Mike and Sue

Yeah it was lovely to meet you all and we look forward to meeting up again before you return to England. Best wishes tp Pam amd John and also John and Eirian ( lovely name) who are on the cusp of getting a CO.

Marian and Ian

Nice to see some familiar names now meeting up but has this been changed to Poms in Sydney? (I know I have a forum for Poms in Adelaide but I've lost track of so many on here I've got some catching up to do). Feel a bit 'out of the loop' being in another state! We were all in the same boat when we were back in the UK but are scattered over a much larger area now.

Can't believe we've been here over 3 months now and own our own home (moved in 6 weeks after we arrived) and furniture (arrived 23rd December!) Still as busy as ever but really enjoying the new lifestye, absence of the British Winter and most importantly... seeing the family and looking after the grandchildren occasionally.

Good luck to those who've recently arrived and those still waiting and a belated HAPPY NEW YEAR to you all

PS Phoebe, just seen your post - I do hope things turn around for you in 2012 and that you start having some good luck for a change. Hope the Physio helps and that are back to full health asap.

I'm not sure that answer is correct, Australian Citizens are not subject to a newly arrived residents waiting period (which is usually 2 year for folks with PR). To qualify, you must be an Australian resident, living in Australia (says nothing about Citizenship). I am sure if you have PR after a wait period of 104 weeks you can apply for the card. A number of other conditions also need to be satisfied, have a look at the CSHC booklet for more info or call Centrelink to confirm.

http://www.centrelink.gov.au/internet/internet.nsf/filestores/ci010_1101/$file/ci010_1101_p.pdf

To get a Commonwealth Seniors Health Card you must:

• not be receiving a Centrelink Pension or Benefit

• not be receiving a Department of Veterans' Affairs (DVA) Service Pension, DVA Age Pension or Income Support Supplement, and

• have reached Age Pension age, see page 5 of this booklet for ‘Qualifying age’, and

• have an annual adjusted taxable income (including taxable income, total net investment losses, employer provided benefits, non-taxable foreign income, and reportable superannuation contributions) less than the income limits shown on page 6 of this booklet.

• provide Centrelink with your/your partner's tax file number or be granted an exemption from providing your/your partner's tax file number, and

• be an Australian resident (as defined by the Social Security Act 1991) or a holder of a Special

Category Visa who lives permanently in Australia. You must also be in Australia when you lodge your claim.

An Australian resident is a person who lives permanently in Australia and is one of the following:

– an Australian citizen, or

– the holder of a permanent visa, or

– the holder of a Protected Special Category Visa , that is, someone who arrived on a New Zealand passport and who was in Australia on 26 February 2001, or for 12 months in the 2 years before this date, or was assessed as protected before 26 February 2004.

Recent migrants to Australia are subject to a 104 week waiting period served in Australia for the Commonwealth Seniors Health Card.

Think the doc confused me as he was telling me something I hadn't discovered when doing research earlier in the year - I know a Senior's card doesn't get script reductions but I thought claiming on Centrelink would not be an option on this type of visa especially as we've only just arrived. Thank you for the information about the 'ceiling' Marian, I knew it existed but wasn't sure of the actual amount.

Can any one help? I need regular meds for BP and realise I now have to pay for them again - and the amount varies too. My doctor, who bulk bills (and doesn't charge pensioners for a consultation), suggested I contacted Centrelink to register as a pensioner and get reduced rate for prescriptions. As my only regular income is a UK state pension would this affect the AoS bond?