VictoriaP Posted May 8, 2008 Share Posted May 8, 2008 First off, apologies if this has been talked about before, I am new to the site and have had a quick search on this topic, but with little luck. As a family we are looking into the possibility of moving to Melbourne with my husbands work. I know that there is ignorance everywhere in the world, but as a multi-cultural family, unfortunately it is something we have to think about. I am white (Dutch/Irish someway back I think) and my husbands parents came over to the UK from Trinidad in the sixties, we have two lovely daughters. I have heard that Melbourne is very accepting of different races and cultures and was wondering if any mixed race families have made the move and whether they could share their experiences, good or bad. Thanks for any feedback. Victoria Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Pinhead Posted May 8, 2008 Share Posted May 8, 2008 I'm not really in a position to comment on your specific circumstances but I can tell you that I lived in Melbourne CBD for 6 months in 2004 and didn't come across any racism at all. Melbourne is very multicultural with a very diverse ethnic background, especially European (Italian, Greek) but also from Asia (Mayor is Asian for example). Across Australian in general I would say there aren't a lot of people from African/Afro-carribean ethnicity which is maybe why the black SA cricket players were targeted by the Perth crowd last time they toured which I think was disgusting. The fact that in the past the indigenous Aboriginal black population were treated so badly may also have added to that. I believe that Australia is trying to tackle racism in all forms but as you mention there is a lot of ignorance particularly in the local 'working class' population who haven't travelled or mixed with many races. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest BRISSYBOUND Posted May 8, 2008 Share Posted May 8, 2008 Hello Victoria,I did type a long reply but something went wrong and I lost it some how.The upshot of it was you'll find morons wherever you go, but the nice people seem to out number them nowadays,so don't let the morons spoil your dream.Best of luck with it all,Fred Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Racht70 Posted May 9, 2008 Share Posted May 9, 2008 Hi there im in a similar position.Im white and oh is black (barbados heritige but born in uk).My oh is holding back on the oz dream as he thinks that the racism will be more overt over there. He dosent really experience it so much here maybe the odd joke and thats it.Ive tried to tell him its years since the "only white" policy was eradicated and that Oz is quite multicultural, hes still unsure tho :arghh: . He watches all media relating to Oz websites, tv programmes and he states he hardly sees any Afro- Carribeans....He wants to go put this still keeps cropping up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calNgary Posted May 9, 2008 Share Posted May 9, 2008 I havnt heard any racism but the aussies do call a spade a spade and a black person is called a black person (even on TV)as a pom is called a pom,it isnt said offensively just openly,i agree with the others that there will be prats in whichever country you live ,follow your dream and dont let them stop you,good luck with everything Cal x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VictoriaP Posted May 9, 2008 Author Share Posted May 9, 2008 Thank you for your messages. You have given me some peace of mind on the issue and from what I can gather, Melbourne seems to be one of the most open minded cities. To be honest, we will only really know if we go. On the one hand, why should narrow minded people stop us from living where we want, but on the other, as a parent you want to protect your children from prejudice. I think we'll start the visa ball rolling and see where we end up. Thanks again guys! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VictoriaP Posted May 9, 2008 Author Share Posted May 9, 2008 Hi Rach, My hubby is the one holding back too. I can understand it but it makes me so mad that it is something we even have to consider. His sister has been living in Sydney for the last 6 years and as a 6'1'' black lady in Sydney, she really stands out (and she's proud of it!). She says the situation is improving, but also said that there is no afro-caribbean culture at all. But all said, she totally loves living there and will never come back to the UK. Again though, she has no children to consider and she can certainly handle herself in any situation. My hubby still hasn't really made his mind up, so I'm hoping that by showing him some of the replies on this site, he may be persuaded. Good luck with your situation too. Victoria x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Racht70 Posted May 9, 2008 Share Posted May 9, 2008 Hi Victoria, I personally think my kids will be ok as they look more italian (mine have curly hair but not afro hair, must have more of my genes in them lol), its the old man im worried about, he had racism when he was little in the 70s he remembers being spat on by adults when he was about five! Things have changed a hell of a lot in the uk since then thank god, my oh is worried tnat he'll be stepping back 25 years when he goes to oz. Anyway good luck and keep in touch. Rachxx We are hoping for Melbourne too :smile: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VictoriaP Posted May 9, 2008 Author Share Posted May 9, 2008 Sounds like your hubby's had some real bad experiences and I can understand his reservations. My girls have MAD afro hair (hard work!). We're in two minds whether to go to Melbourne for a holiday and try to get some idea for ourselves. But at about £1000 per flight ticket, it's not a cheap trip. Then you've got to find the money again if you do decide to go. Difficult one. Thanks for your replies Rach and I will definitely let you know how things progress. Victoria x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Pinhead Posted May 9, 2008 Share Posted May 9, 2008 What you have to remember about Oz is that a lot of the names/phases used are just that and are not said in an intentional racist way. It is the intent of the word rather than the actual word that makes it racist. Calling someone a Pom could be take as being racist but it's not unless it was used in a degrading way. Aussies are a lot more direct and to the point than the average brit and it takes a bit getting used to. Part of the political correctness agenda in the UK is that people are practically afraid to say anything in case it may be taken as offensive and rather than immigrants accepting the culture of the UK the UK has changed and has lost part of it's identity. In Australia the approach is like it or lump it, this is Australia you change to how we are. Australians are proud of their history & culture and want to protect it rather than lose it. Having said that I have to stress that Australia is no more racist than any other country in the world. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calNgary Posted May 9, 2008 Share Posted May 9, 2008 Pinhead youve said exactly what i was trying to say(just much better),lol, you hit the nail on the head and i cant agree more. Cal x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Racht70 Posted May 9, 2008 Share Posted May 9, 2008 What you have to remember about Oz is that a lot of the names/phases used are just that and are not said in an intentional racist way. It is the intent of the word rather than the actual word that makes it racist.Calling someone a Pom could be take as being racist but it's not unless it was used in a degrading way. Aussies are a lot more direct and to the point than the average brit and it takes a bit getting used to. Part of the political correctness agenda in the UK is that people are practically afraid to say anything in case it may be taken as offensive and rather than immigrants accepting the culture of the UK the UK has changed and has lost part of it's identity. In Australia the approach is like it or lump it, this is Australia you change to how we are. Australians are proud of their history & culture and want to protect it rather than lose it. Having said that I have to stress that Australia is no more racist than any other country in the world. Its not the name calling hes afraid of..... its the feeling of not being able to 'get on' in Oz(hes a very sociable lad ) just because of his colour. You stated earlier that many untravelled working class may be ignorant, well we are working class and would probably only be able to afford 'working class' areas' to live in. We really need do a reccie before deciding. Thanks for post. Sorry just read thro my post...to 'get on' i mean by building up a network of friends, jobs ect Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Pinhead Posted May 9, 2008 Share Posted May 9, 2008 Fair point. I think if you stick to the metropolitan areas you'll be OK. It's the rural areas / outback where they don't tend to travel or even go into the cities much to mix and get to know / appreciate different cultures. 'Working class' is probably the wrong choice of phase. It's not really a 'class' thing as such but more an occupational/wealth one and the affordibility of being able to travel & mix. Australians don't have the same hang ups about what people do for a living. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Racht70 Posted May 9, 2008 Share Posted May 9, 2008 I agree, i think we would be better off in the metropolitan areas. Thanks for the info :spinny: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Becontree Boy Posted November 19, 2008 Share Posted November 19, 2008 This thread's a bit old, but I'm writing in case this is still of use .... One of the reasons we moved to Melbourne from Brisbane is because it is a much more racially diverse community. A significant African population is now joining the mix and a good proportion of recent arrivals are refugees seeking shelter from conflicts in their homelands. Having said that, I've not come across anybody in Melbourne from the UK of African Carribean origin. That's not to say people haven't made the move - shout out if you have! We're hoping to persuade our UK based son and his family to come to Melbourne. He's of Anglo-Polish and African Carribean origin. We wouldn't want him to come here if we didn't think it would offer a safe and happy home for his young family. As an aside, I've often thought, that the first person to set up a salon specialising in African and Carribean hair would make a fortune here. Haven't seen anything in the Eastern suburbs or CBD like this yet. Does anyone else know differently? I don't think your husband has any need to worry about living in Melbourne. We'd love to see you both here! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest treesea Posted November 20, 2008 Share Posted November 20, 2008 Mmm, maybe it would be a good idea to go to Australia on holiday first and check this out for yourself. I lived in Melbourne for many years, before coming back to Britain a few years ago. There is a significant African population in Melbourne, but they are not in the mainstream the way British born people of African or West Indian origin are here. They tend to come from Eritrea, Sudan, Ethiopia or Somalia. By and large they are Muslim and stick to their own community. Your OH is probably right to have reservations. African people in Britain are akin to people of South East Asian (Chinese, Vietnamese, Malaysian, Singaporean, Thai) origin in Australia - fully integrated. So on the one hand, they still have their own, strong, culture, but on the other, they don't incur much prejudice when it comes to getting jobs, renting flats, they go onto higher education. The African communities in Melbourne remind me more of people of Pakistani origin here. Even where the community is relatively large, they tend to stay on the fringes, not really fully integrated into the mainstream society. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 2kidsonecat Posted November 20, 2008 Share Posted November 20, 2008 This thread's a bit old, but I'm writing in case this is still of use .... One of the reasons we moved to Melbourne from Brisbane is because it is a much more racially diverse community. A significant African population is now joining the mix and a good proportion of recent arrivals are refugees seeking shelter from conflicts in their homelands. Having said that, I've not come across anybody in Melbourne from the UK of African Carribean origin. That's not to say people haven't made the move - shout out if you have! We're hoping to persuade our UK based son and his family to come to Melbourne. He's of Anglo-Polish and African Carribean origin. We wouldn't want him to come here if we didn't think it would offer a safe and happy home for his young family. As an aside, I've often thought, that the first person to set up a salon specialising in African and Carribean hair would make a fortune here. Haven't seen anything in the Eastern suburbs or CBD like this yet. Does anyone else know differently? I don't think your husband has any need to worry about living in Melbourne. We'd love to see you both here! We've made the move!! We came here in April 2006, I'm white, OH is black, London born and bred and we have two kids. We are in Melbourne and loving it! That not to say its always easy though... people often assume that black people only come here from The Sudan on a boat and are shocked to learn otherwise, and the fun we have on a friday night taking the kids through McDonalds drive thru, the server is always confused (because you have to talk into a box to order before you pay!) but that aside we have made some fab lifelong friends here and are good friends with 2 other mixed race couples (all in Melbourne) and they have spoken of the same types of problems, people staring, expecting them to talk in broken english etc. My OH has has guys at work trying it on because they think he's just got off the boat. What you have to consider is that Australia is so far from anywhere that a lot of aussies have never travelled that far and think the UK is full of white whinging poms! My OH dosen't let anything bother him but we had been considering going to Crown one night, but I dont want to encounter any hassle while we're out from any drunken yobs. No one would give a second glance at us in London. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Becontree Boy Posted November 21, 2008 Share Posted November 21, 2008 That's really encouraging news, 2kidsonecat. I will keep your message as a testimonial to being British, black and living in Melbourne! Treesea: I understand what you are saying, but even within the African communities in Melbourne I think there is considerable diversity. For instance, the Sudanese community I know best is based in the Whitehorse City Council area in the Eastern Suburbs. This community is Christian rather than Muslim (they are regular attendees at our local Anglican church) and individual members are making the most of being in Australia. Two guys I know from this community are attending University here and working towards getting degree level qualifications. The sad thing is that the positive message rarely gets reported in the City's media. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Petals Posted November 21, 2008 Share Posted November 21, 2008 The asian people have integrated but they do tend to stay in their own communities too and a lot of european migrants do to. Croats, Serbs, Greeks, Italians all have their own clubs and communities. As the generations go through though there is more inter marriage now especially with Italian and Greek people. The soccer field is where ethnic tensions seem to become more evident hence a lot of Australians never go to the soccer. They have addressed this by making the clubs change their names but we still have the problems, like at the Tennis from time to time. The tensions are amongst the european migrants. My neighbour is Filipino and her husband is Australian and they are a lovely couple but all their friends are Australian men with Filipino wives, its just the way it is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest The Pom Queen Posted November 21, 2008 Share Posted November 21, 2008 and the fun we have on a friday night taking the kids through McDonalds drive thru, the server is always confused (because you have to talk into a box to order before you pay!) . Hey don't worry that happens to us all the time, in fact hubby will not drive through now, he rather park up and go in to order:twitcy: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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