Without our friend s help, we would probably still be filling out paperwork now!

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1 Chasing the Sunshine by Fiona Thatcher This story was first published 2011 in DFA jubilee book Voices: stories of Defence Families. With the support of DHA, Defence Health, ADCU and RANCCF, 2000 copies of this book were printed and made available to Defence family members to enhance the understanding of the unique lifestyles and experiences of families of the Australian Defence Force. Without our friend s help, we would probably still be filling out paperwork now! 72

2 Our family consists of Neil, a submariner, myself and our two girls, Emily, 12 and Abigael, six. We arrived in Australia on 4 July The decision to move out to Australia was a combination of Neil having to retire from the Royal Navy in 2012 and the fact we had spent most of the previous ten years on various postings outside of the United Kingdom. There wasn t really anywhere in the UK we called home and house prices were high. The fact that we would not be able to afford to live where we wanted to we would have to live where we could afford. The main thing that attracted us to Australia was the Dream Lifestyle. Being able to walk along a beautiful beach an outdoor lifestyle. The pavements aren t lined with gold, like you imagine, but I know that my children will have a better opportunities here in Oz than if we had stayed in the UK. The process of moving to Australia from start to finish took approximately 18 months. This was done in two separate sections. First, Neil had to get accepted by the Royal Australian Navy. Then we, as a family, had to be accepted by the Immigration service for permanent visas. For the most part it was just a case of getting all the paperwork together, sending it off and waiting. If anything, the waiting and not knowing was the worst part. Apart from a couple of minor hiccups along the way, it seemed that in next to no time we were at the stage of having a job offer and visas. Suddenly we were thinking, Oh God, what have we done! The ladies of the overseas recruiting office in Australia House, London, were outstanding. Not having to worry about anything was a godsend as having to say goodbye to friends and family was stressful enough without having to worry about removals, hotels and flights. The journey itself was first class (or should I say Business Class) all the way. 73

3 The process of moving to Australia from start to finish took approximately 18 months. This is where our smooth journey hit the first bump and turned into an adventure. No one from HMAS Cerberus or DCO met us at the airport as we expected. Lieutenant Commander Terry George, the Officer in Charge of Overseas Recruiting flew down from Canberra to meet us and take us to temporary accommodation. The next day Terry took Neil to get his ID card and show him around base. Then he had to return to Canberra. This is where we were truly left on our own in a new country. Contact from DCO, DFA or any sort of sponsor would have been a lifeline. However, we were left to our own devices. We were fortunate to have friends and family in the Melbourne area that were able to help us with the virtual mountain of paperwork when moving to a new country including bank accounts, Medicare, Centrelink forms, medical insurance, gas, electricity and schools. It was also the smaller things such as what types of taxes and insurances you should pay when buying a car. Without our friend s help, we would probably still be filling out paperwork now! Neil had five days leave before having to report to work, where once again, we were surprised that nothing was organised and no one seemed to know what to do with him. Two weeks later, just as our belongings were clearing Customs it was decided that Neil would be better off posted to HMAS Stirling in Western Australia, where most of his courses he was required to do would take place. So we again we packed and flew off to Perth. This time there was no one to meet us. With map in hand, and the family plus luggage crammed into the small car we were entitled to, it was off to find our hotel in Fremantle. We were able to get moved to the Beachside Apartments in Rockingham where we stayed until moving into our second service 74

4 residence. Throughout all this time we relied heavily upon advice from other lateral transfer families and Neil s workmates on which areas and schools were good or bad. We were not aware of the educational support that DCO provides. We were only in the service residence for a few months before buying our own place. It was really hard to say goodbye to our family and friends in the UK. We hope that they would all be able to come and visit. Prior to departure, we purchased both sets of parents webcams and set them up on Skype. Without this, I think things could have been harder. Sadly, my mum passed away four months after we got here. That was really hard but I know that she saw how happy we were and that she saw pictures of Our House not just a service residence. Our forces lifestyle back in the UK was different to most in that we had really left the UK 10 years ago, as we were lucky enough to have overseas postings this also made it a little easier to leave the country. We now feel we are truly settled. Settled what a wonderful word! To have our own home, to paint whatever colour we want, to hang pictures where we want, is just fantastic. I think the house is a big part of being settled but being involved in the community and school life also helps too. My children have coped well with the move. My eldest, Emily, thinks she wants to be in the UK sometimes. But when I remind her what it was really like and what we would have over there and what we have here, then I think deep down she prefers being here. The distance from family is tough for her as we used to see my parents every school holidays. My Dad has come over twice already and is hoping to come again next year. That is the time that we love. All in all the journey hasn t been too bad, the help we had from Australia House, the Overseas Admin Cell and various Customer Service Centres has been outstanding the only disappointing aspect has Above Fiona, Neil, Emily, and Abigael Thatcher. 75

5 The outdoor life, the sunshine, the space but most of all the people have made it all worthwhile. been the lack of contact from support organisations. Without the help from family, friends and Neil s workmates the whole transition would have been a lot harder. The main difference between the UK and here for me is housing. Not only the cheaper cost but the size the floor plan of our old military house in the United Kingdom could fit into the kitchen area of our new house. The cost of living such as utilities, shopping, cars and insurance are on par, if not more expensive. However, having said that, the move over here has been the right one for us. The outdoor life, the sunshine, the space but most of all the people have made it all worthwhile. Having my husband in a different Navy isn t too hard, so long as he is happy. I am looking forward to becoming a citizen and I think it s sad that Lateral Transfer wives have to wait for so long (four years after arrival when the member and children under 16 are naturalised immediately). Two years of waiting to become an Australian would be enough. 76