i posted this on PIO, but for those of you who are not registered with PIO I thought I would bore you on here :laugh:


Two years ago I was climbing off a plane at Brisbane Airport to be greeted by a foggy morning, that soon turned into a sunny winters day, temperatures reached 20c and as I arrived on Bribie Island I thought I had landed in paradise. The first few days were spent exploring the local area and walking along the Beaches. I had locals looking at me as if I was mad because I was wearing a T shirt and all the locals were rugged up for the cold weather.

We started to look for work we could do together and just to tide us over and give us a bit more cash my wife (Marge) worked in a call center while she looked for an office job. She never did find an office job but after 12 months we found a job advertised for a curator/caretaker of a local history museum in Goondiwindi. So having no experience in looking after museums and my gardening skills practically nonexistent we applied for the job.

Well we are now another 12 months further down the line, we got the job at the museum and we live in a cottage dated around 1890 and I am explaining Australian history to the Australian visitors we get. I love my life here and I do not think I would have stood a chance in the UK of getting this sort of employment.

So do I have any regrets, yes of course I do, I miss my kids they may be grown up, but we went through a lot together when their mother left us and we have a strong bond. I miss my grandson who I have never seen with the exception of SKYPE, and the chances are we will not be able to afford to go back and see him anytime soon, and as my daughter in law is afraid of flying I do not expect them to come here. My daughter will at some point come over for an extended visit, but at the moment she does not want to risk her job by asking for extended leave, it took her over a year to find a job.

Would I do it all again ... Yes without hesitation, I miss my family, But the life here and the friends I have made make it all worthwhile, Where else could a retired Paramedic with a heart condition end up living in a 19th century cottage looking after a local history museum. In the UK I was washed up and past it, because I had to end my career of 33 years. Here it’s a case of if you can do it, we will give you a go...

 

What a great success story Colin! We lived on Bribie for 8 months when we first arrived in Oct 09 and thought it was paradise too. It did turn out to be a bit quiet for us as a place to live. We returned home in June 10 due to homesickness on my part. Big mistake!! We are now all booked to return in October with OH having another job offer!! Really can't wait to return. I know I will be homesick again and miss family and friends but at least I will be more prepared this time. Oz is def the place for us to bring up our daughter. She loved it and she's really excited about going back. We hope it will be North Brisbane! Just waiting for confirmation on where his base is going to be. He's a paramedic too! I've browsed on PIO for a few years now and watched may peoples journeys, good and bad. Just joined this forum today!

 

Hi, and welcome to LIQ.

You will find this site quieter and less argumentative than PIO, its our little sanctuary. I see you are returning during the spring to get the better weather:biggrin:. I hope it all works out for you. I suppose its fair to say that we spend all our time at school and work making lifelong friends and the we move to the other side of the world and it becomes a bit daunting as friends and family are so far away and it takes many years to form the type of friendships we had in the UK. I miss my kids and i would love to see my grandson but I know its going to be sometime before that happens. We have made friends here and if we need help I know they would be round to help very quickly but it just does not seem the same. There again I am very happy here and I have no plans to return to the UK, but who knows in a few years time what may happen and how things could change.

What service does your OH work for I was with the West Mids for a time and also worked on The Isle Of Wight. Now just quietly chilling out looking after the museum. Have you decided what area you intend to live in this time. There is such a vast choice of areas you can choose from. I am only round the corner a mere 4 1/2 hours away. Well out here that is just around the corner.

If we can help you or you just want to chat feel free to use the site and contact us, We have some great members on this site who will willingly offer advice. :biggrin: