2 year Update

[niknjas]

First of all, Happy Australia Day to everyone.

As of last week, 20th Jan, we have been here two years hurray. Sometimes never thought would make it, but we live to tell the tale.

Arrived in Christies Beach and stayed. We are still renting in the first house that we came to after the short term rental. Lovely landlord who's has been here 18 years and was originally from Milton Keynes. Has let us decorate (was 1970's trippy colour scheme in some rooms) and do bits to the house to make it a bit more child friendly and a bit more like a home than a house.

We got the car, house and job within three weeks of being here. Camped out for the first six months and made do until our furniture got here. Did not want to ship everything over with no job, no home etc or to find out that it was not for us.

Had a few heated discussions with companies that do not give a toss about customer service and been burnt by it but have learnt through our mistakes. We have told you about them on here...

Made some very good friends and some that we thought were and then showed their true colours further down the line. Think if you have not had one of those experiences, you have been very lucky.

It has been all good (to coin an aussie phrase) apart from work. That has been the thing that has nearly tipped us over the edge. Work was good for the first year and was applying for my licence (which seemed to take forever). Niki always jokes that we need an Aussie dictionary to understand what they are talking about sometimes and to understand their phraseology, which was our problem with the course to get a licence. Got our licence, paid out thousands with courses and relevant cards and insurance, to then be told by the only major roofing company in SA, that they had no work and even if they had, it would be given to the ones that had been there longest. One of the chaps that worked there, said half of them did not deserve to be working there as their work was rubbish but this made no difference. They also would not give me work while I had no labourer. I have always said, how can you promise work and pay if you have no work.

Luckily I then found some work in the paper for a one off job and got further work from that and things have sort of gone from there. Wouldn't say work was abundant but, touch wood, it is getting there. As they always say, it is who you know, not what you know here and that seems to be true.

Would say hoping this will be our year, but my wife is the optimist, so it will be our year (on her direction) and we will get the house that we want is and things will go from strength to strength.

Do not regret any moment of coming out here, miss family but they have visited. The kids settled well and so did we. Loved UK but cannot see it returning to what it was for many years yet.

We always knew it was never going to be easy and accepted that fact. First year was a breeze and felt too easy, compared to the second. Maybe the second year is when reality really kicks in and it no longer feels like a holiday or it is just the GFC.

Hope for everyones sake, that this is a momentary blip and that the year will get better for all our sanitys.

[lyn]

Lovely to read your experiences of the first couple of years. Thank you for sharing and it's good to hear that you are feeling happy and settled despite the inevitable ups and downs.

All the best for 2012!

Lyn x

[Damien]

Nice one Jason, good to hear you're still sticking with it. Life in Christies Beach is pretty good hey, just a shame we could only have it for a year but mustn't grumble hey. We'll have to catch up for a beer when we're next in town, Lisa's parents are here at the mo so we may come to Adelaide to show them the place.

It'll be 2 years for us soon too.

Damo

[Kingpin]

Thanks for posting your story so far. Its good to read about people who are a bit further down the line than us and that have made it. Glad your settled and happy.

[thebacons]

Great update and happy that you are still enjoying the experience. We love Christies Beach to, so much that we have just moved into our long term rental their to.

Here's to a great year 3 (or year 1 in our case).

Chris.

[niknjas]

Good to hear from you Damo, how's it going? Defo on for a beer when you are next here, give us a shout. Will we still need to give you directions after the beers

Glad to hear you have made it through the two years too and may there be many more in Oz.

Nice one Jason, good to hear you're still sticking with it. Life in Christies Beach is pretty good hey, just a shame we could only have it for a year but mustn't grumble hey. We'll have to catch up for a beer when we're next in town, Lisa's parents are here at the mo so we may come to Adelaide to show them the place.

It'll be 2 years for us soon too.

Damo

[ozdreamsa]

Very well written and enjoyed every bit of it. Hope things get even better for you.

[familygood]

Great update! We arrived on the same plane and don't know what I would do without you here. You make a lot of friends here but only a very few that are truely there for you. Thanks for all the help, support, tears and laughs (mainly laughs!) Here's to many more happy years for you all (and for us!).

xxx

[niknjas]

Great update! We arrived on the same plane and don't know what I would do without you here. You make a lot of friends here but only a very few that are truely there for you. Thanks for all the help, support, tears and laughs (mainly laughs!) Here's to many more happy years for you all (and for us!).

xxx

Ah thanks Em. These two years have gone very fast and lots happened. Wouldn't be without you either. Glad to count you as one of my friends that I "found" here and here's to many many years of friendship and happiness to come for all of us x

[Bealesfamily]

Great Update!! Thanks for all the laughs along the way! What can I say - I showed my true colours and yet we are still friends!!! Here's to many more happy years down under! xxxxxx