Hi all
It's 2 years ago I landed in Australia to start all over again with new house, new wife and no kids - ain't always been easy but have now happily settled.
So this is a :thankyousign: to all the NGF members back there who have made me feel like I still have a very firm contact with my old homeland and also to the Aussie contingent who have made me feel at "home here. I miss all the shows very much but not so much the weather :laugh:
Just goes to prove that this hobby is a great way to make/have friends all over the world.
I am hoping that maybe later this year I can make a trip back to England and tie in with a trip to TINGS, Plans are in the offering but finances will, as always, be the finally sticking point - it ain't a cheap trip.
Thanks again Colin
Thanks Colin - the main thing is it's good to hear you have settled down in your 'new' country and that you're enjoying the life there :thumbsup:
Good to hear you have settled down there.
Wouldn't be my choice of destination but you've done the right thing I think, this country is past redemption now and still heading downhill :(
Paul
How much did it cost you to relocate? (gimme a ballpark figure?)
I might follow in your footsteps one day in the not too distant future.
Also, how are the spiders? This is the main concern for my woman.
She's hoovered so many of the poor blighters up that she's now afraid to empty the hoover. Convenient.
Good on, ya Colin! Two years... forty for me this August!
Yeah, I've had me ups and downs too, but I've never regretted the move. Australia's been pretty good to me.
Congratulations on your anniversary! Have a few cold ones for me! :beers: :beers: :beers:
George
Hey Colin. 28 years for me, in a few days time. I've had my ups and downs, particularly when ill a few years ago, really missed "home", but overall Aus has been good to me and I have achieved far more than if I'd stayed in UK. Not for everyone, of course, but I rate it high.
I'll raise a glass to you tonight, so well done and let's hope there are lots more. BTW, never mind going to UK, why not come to Melb in Aug for the Sandown show?
@ mr. Grumpy, the spiders, overall, are fine in the southern states. East Coast (NSW and Qld) you tend to get the worst ones, along with the venomous snakes, but very little dangerous in Melb.
Cheers, Bill.
Hi Col always hard making a new start, so glad you have settled down, are you sure you want to vist old blighty again its always raining and cold, we even have one of your great white sharks coming over for a visit,must of heard all the Brits are fat and tasty.
Anyway you enjoy all that sun sea and surf while us Brits go down to the local chiipy for our traditional cod and chipss and not fogetting to swill it down with a good old pint of beer, take care Colin and keep the banter and jokes coming.
All the very best.
Geoff
Quote from: Sprintex on March 07, 2014, 10:14:27 PM
Wouldn't be my choice of destination but you've done the right thing I think, this country is past redemption now and still heading downhill :(
Paul
With such negative thoughts like that perhaps you might like to jump ship, I'd gladly chip in to get rid of people like you who seem to do nothing but whine on about their country of birth.
Rob.
Quote from: Rob H on March 08, 2014, 07:58:44 AM
Quote from: Sprintex on March 07, 2014, 10:14:27 PM
Wouldn't be my choice of destination but you've done the right thing I think, this country is past redemption now and still heading downhill :(
Paul
With such negative thoughts like that perhaps you might like to jump ship, I'd gladly chip in to get rid of people like you who seem to do nothing but whine on about their country of birth.
Rob.
Quite correct Rob, i have worked all over Europe when I came out of my apprenticeship, and have had holidays all round the world, but I must say I would rather be on English soil, this country as a few faults but not half as much as some other countrys I have visited, I say good luck to any one who emigrates to other countries but please do not knock old Blighty, its only the power mongers who put us off course, but that can change through the years.
You seem to be doing OK Colin, new life, new wife, new home, what more could you need? Congrats.
The Jocks will be able to add to this topic in September 2015. :D
I left the UK about 25 years ago to live in France, initially for a 10 month stay!! No regrets whatsoever, but I do like coming back to the UK mainly for railway related activities. The 'old country' has certainly changed a lot, in some ways for the better and in some ways for the worse. Most non-Brits I meet still think very highly of the UK, in particular how friendly and open the people are. How long this will last though I don't know as non-Brits become increasingly aware of the poison and condescension that drips from many British newspapers about foreigners and which is increasingly prevalent in mainstream political discourse. Anyway, I'll be back in the UK in a couple of weeks for the GCR Diesel Gala, which this year includes a Deltic. Probably treat myself to a good curry too. Can't wait!!
Don't forget the bacon & eggs !
My wife went to London on Wednesday and came back with a month's supply of bacon from Marks & Spencers at St. Pancras. :claphappy:
Best regards,
Joe
Quote from: joe cassidy on March 08, 2014, 05:30:27 PM
Don't forget the bacon & eggs !
My wife went to London on Wednesday and came back with a month's supply of bacon from Marks & Spencers at St. Pancras. :claphappy:
Best regards,
Joe
You married someone with the right priorities!
My lady takes care of domestic bacon sandwich duties also as the last time I tried I didn't quite get the grill pan handle into the slot on the grill pan, resulting in some modern art on the kitchen floor. There's a picture of me lamenting this very moment, I'll get it off her when she's back from work.
Colin
My father came to Australia from the UK with my Australian mother in the late 40's. Some 36 years later, after my mother passed away, he went for a holiday back to the UK and on return his said well that will do for another 36 years!
I suspect my father left the UK with no regrets as he had spent some time here during the war and new what to expect. Quite a number of his colleagues that served with him here also returned to live here.
I have great admiration for people who come live here from overseas as it must be very difficult to leave what is so familiar to come and live here as Australia can be at times a difficult environment to overcome. I have great compassion for those who find it too difficult and return to their home countries.
I would imagine living in Yorketown would be something of a big leap compared to living in the UK.
Congratulations Colin on your achievement.
Kind regards
Geof
They are nice words, Geoff, I appreciate them, and I'm sure Colin will too.
In my case, it was a spur of the moment thing, and, being young, not a lot of thought given was to it. I left the UK on my 22nd birthday with a job already lined up, but I had a very open mind. I'm an only child and it must have been hard for my parents (though me Dad never showed it, of course). I told them that no matter what happened, I'd come back and see them in two years. If I didn't like Australia, I wouldn't be going back.
Forty years later with a wife and three daughters, I guess it doesn't take a Ph.D to work out that I came back!
Once again, thanks for the thoughtful post. :beers:
George
Quote from: Mr.Grumpy on March 08, 2014, 12:37:18 AM
How much did it cost you to relocate? (gimme a ballpark figure?)
I might follow in your footsteps one day in the not too distant future.
Also, how are the spiders? This is the main concern for my woman.
She's hoovered so many of the poor blighters up that she's now afraid to empty the hoover. Convenient.
Living as I do on the east coast of NSW (which is nasty critter central), I can assure you it's not too bad. I live right next to a creek which is probably all the more reason to see beasties, but in the 34 years of living here, we have not really been bothered. We have only spotted two snakes in that time (albeit one was a red-bellied black snake which IS a dangerous one).
Yeah, we get spiders, but are by no means inundated by them! The worst one is the Funnel-web spider which can kill - but they never come inside. It is easy to tell where they are lurking because of their distinctive funnel-shaped web. A quick blast with the spray brings 'em out and takes care of them (mind you, there are environmentalist types here who would be up in arms about me doing that - they can wave their arms about as much as they want - all snakes have fangs, and all spiders have eight legs, as far as I'm concerned).
Red-back spiders are also iffy - their bite can be deadly (particularly in young children) - but hey, I used to find them under my kids' tricycles and stuff left lying around the yard, and they are 27, 25 and 22 years of age these days!
The scariest ones are the large Huntsman spiders which are actually harmless. They have long legs and are extremely fast on their feet, but! ;D
Anyway, hope all this hasn't put you off. Tell Mrs. G that not all wildlife out here is dangerous:
[smg id=10893 type=preview align=center width=400]
Although it can be a nuisance. There seems to be hundreds of these birds around our suburb this year, and they will eat wood fences if allowed to. Even their huge claws do damage. They are not scared of humans - that photo was not taken with a telephoto lens - that's our balcony railing there and I literally had to shoo it away after I took the photo!
Or you get nice critters running around, like this family of three blue-tongued lizards:
[smg id=10895 type=preview align=center width=400]
[smg id=10896 type=preview align=center width=400]
Finally, in response to the initial query of how much it cost, I was what the Aussies used to call a "Ten bob Pom" - in other words, I came out on an assisted passage scheme with a job all lined up (actually it was 50 quid in 1974). That scheme is, of course, history these days, and Colin in South Australia will be able to give you up-to-date info there.
All the best,
George