South Africans in Oz

[Guest Labonica]

Hello Labonica,

There are lots of South Africans who end up in Australia via the UK. I am one myself and know of quite a few others.

 

I am now based outside of Melbourne on the coast and love it here.

 

Regards

 

Dear Stephen

 

Thank you for taking the time to reply, as I can see you must be busy with your migration business. If you do have time for a couple more questions, I would be most grateful.

 

My main concerns are that I will miss the sophistication/intellectual stimulation/choice that we have in the UK. However, I have to keep reminding myself that the reason we want to move is mainly for the children. We want them to be kids as long as possible; in the UK they grow up too soon. Also, there is a lack of respect for other people generally and a decline in social/family/moral values (I sound so much older than I am). Obviously there are problems in every big city, but having lived in the UK, I am sure you understand what I mean.

My husband owns an IT company and he would have to sell that or try and move the business over. Is there much in the way of high level IT available in Melbourne, or do you think Sydney is better?

 

Sorry to ask all these questions, but it is such a big decision. I loved England and still do in many ways, it is my home. I do not miss south africa at all. But the England I loved is changing for the worse.

 

Thank you for taking the time to respond.

Best regards

Bridget (Labonica is my dog's name). :spinny:

[SD_MOA]

Hello Bridget,

Melbourne believes itself to be the most sophisticated city in Australia. I think that you would find almost everything that is available in a major UK city is available here.

 

IT wise Melbourne and Sydney are on a par but you may find the cost of living dearer in Sydney.

 

I hope this helps!

 

Regards

[Paul1Perth]

Dear Stephen

 

Thank you for taking the time to reply, as I can see you must be busy with your migration business. If you do have time for a couple more questions, I would be most grateful.

 

My main concerns are that I will miss the sophistication/intellectual stimulation/choice that we have in the UK. However, I have to keep reminding myself that the reason we want to move is mainly for the children. We want them to be kids as long as possible; in the UK they grow up too soon. Also, there is a lack of respect for other people generally and a decline in social/family/moral values (I sound so much older than I am). Obviously there are problems in every big city, but having lived in the UK, I am sure you understand what I mean.

My husband owns an IT company and he would have to sell that or try and move the business over. Is there much in the way of high level IT available in Melbourne, or do you think Sydney is better?

 

Sorry to ask all these questions, but it is such a big decision. I loved England and still do in many ways, it is my home. I do not miss south africa at all. But the England I loved is changing for the worse.

 

Thank you for taking the time to respond.

Best regards

Bridget (Labonica is my dog's name). :spinny:

 

Don't worry about "sophistication/intellectual stimulation/choice that we have in the UK."

Any major Australian city, including Perth, will have all the above and the added advantage of a lot of things happening outdoors. Concerts in Vineyards, parks, marinas, zoos. Went to see David Byrne last year outdoor at perth zoo. Brilliant.

While this may not be your idea of sophistication there are plenty of other choices. Perth is the smallest major city (having said that Canberra may be smaller) and still ahs plenty going on.

[Guest Labonica]

Hi Irene,

I couldn't help but respond. I left SA in 98 for London. Lived there for 3 yrs before moving to Dublin for another 3 yrs. That's where I met and married my Aussie husband. We moved to Sydney in 2004, so been here 5 1/2 yrs now.

It is such a nice part of the world. Just like SA but without as much crime or worries. I miss SA every day as I have no family here, but now with my daughter (aged 2 1/2) I don't know if I could live in SA.

I'm sure that if you did move here you would love it!!

Liesel

 

Dear Liesel

Thank you. That is just the type of input I was looking for, as you have experienced both existences; SA and UK.

 

Missing our famies is a big thing, especially with a young kids. The support network isn't there. But, I agree with you, I would never want my kids, especially my daughter, to be at risk of the unthinkable in SA. I have heard too many horrible stories of what can happen to little girls there. I suppose making friends will have to replace family for both of us because that is what we had to do in the UK too. The friends that I have made during my time in th UK have become my surrogate family. Most of us are in the same boat, so we stick together and help each other. Perhaps through sites like this you can meet and make 'new family" in Sydney too.

 

Good luck.

Bridget

[Ikes]

I was so surprised when I saw this thread I started over two years ago. I had no Internet access for a while after, so hadn’t seen some of the replies, and would now like to thank those of you who did for sharing your experiences. Our visas came through in April 2008. We arrived in Brisbane at the end of May 2008, and have been on the Sunshine Coast ever since. As most people have said, it is very much like South Africa, and it is easy to see why South Africans fit in well. We laughed when my husband padlocked his ladders to the top of his works van, and our neighbour said ‘that’s a bit extreme isn’t it?’

I’d never given it a second thought that I wouldn’t find work and was shocked when I applied for numerous office jobs and got nowhere as I’ve had years of experience in admin. Then I read on PIO of others having similar problems and taking cleaning jobs. In September 2008 I began working as a resort cleaner, and was required to have an ABN. The resort was three three-story blocks of apartments with no lifts, and I cleaned seven lots of stairs a week. I looked on it as a way of keeping fit. It was seven days a week in peak season, with only Christmas Day off.

My husband was offered a job painting virtually straight away and was made foreman a year later. He loved the variety of work, painting hospital wards and theatres, schools, holiday resorts, etc. He bought a tinny and we enjoyed boating and fishing and, of course, many a braai.

In March this year, he began to feel ill, had banging headaches,fever, rash, and doctors tested for Barmah Forest and Ross River fever. The results came back negative, as did a second round of tests, and he struggled on at work. He sold his boat as we hadn’t been using it. I had another thread on this in June when my sister was trying to get a flight over from the UK to help me, so I’ll keep it short. By May, my husband was seriously ill in hospital, with what was eventually diagnosed as encephalitis, cause unknown. Coincidently my work had dried up due to a downturn in tourism. The good news is my husband recovered, is back at work, and back on track loving it all again. The people on PIO and my husband’s bosses and colleagues all came to the fore with offers of assistance and support, which was brilliant as neither of us have family here.

[Paul1Perth]

Glad your husband made a full recovery.

[AJW]

Hi there

 

We are SA'cans living in the UK and busy with the process of moving to Oz. Hubby got a job in WA, so we're going on a 457 visa, unfortunately due to hubby's age we don't have time for the long processing time of the 176 visa. We do our medicals next week, and then we wait to see if visas are granted, after that we'll sell up and start our new life in Oz, we are in 7th heaven... We have really missed the lifestyle in SA. (Not the crime - had some horrible experiences as well, and some close calls to, as well as a robbery with a gun held to my hubby's head, while I clutched to my 6 month old baby!)

I have loved UK, being here with hubby's family has been wonderful and I do looooove a white xmas, but I am a beach bum, and a sun worshiper, and I need it back. Hubby misses his social life, blue sky and a good SA'can braai, he works out in the cold to... I hate that the kids are stuck indoors all the time, we try to compensate with new toys and outings to soft play etc., but that all comes at a cost. It's free to go to the beach for a day and those are my happiest childhood memories, and the memories of my 1st born, who spent her first 8 yrs in SA. My babies (4 and 5yrs) have never experienced that lifestyle. Yes we have managed 1 or maybe 2 warm beach days in a year and they love it, but it's to few and far between.

It's the right choice for us, it's just a shame that my parents are in SA and hubby's parents are in the UK... At least we know where we will holiday from time to time!!

 

So good luck with your application... See you downunder

[Boesman]

Hi AJW, where in the UK are u and what's your hubby doing? We got our 176 visa three weeks ago and will be flying over to Adelaide on the 12th of Jan. CAN'T WAIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! My hubby is going to be a tiler at first as he is actually a builder and plumber, but tiling was the quickest way for us to get there. I have three kiddies too, 8, 6 and 4. Trying to sort out shippers now.

Let me know how you get on. Btw, we are in Crawley.

 

Cheerios

 

Boesman

[AJW]

Hi

 

Hubby is an electrician. We live in Dalkeith. Kids are 13, 5 and 3 yrs old. (My ealier post said 4 that was a typo!!) We have a house to sell, so that will be our only hicup, hope it sells fast...

 

Good luck with shipping agents...