Viewing Single Post From: motivation needed to stay or go

Viewing Single Post From: motivation needed to stay or go
PC Pom	Sep 7 2008, 12:11 AM
Anyone for tennis? Posts: 654 Group: Admin Member #1 Joined: March 23, 2006	Hi Sara My wife and I have been living in Queensland for 4 years, just north of Brisbane about 100km on what is called the Sunshine Coast region. We moved here because we had family living in the area but now only my father lives here. Both my brothers have left, one now living in Tamworth, New South Wales and the other in Toowoomba, Queensland, about three hours drive inland. They have been living in Australia much longer than I have, arriving here in 1991. I also arrived in Australia then, but returned to the UK 11 months later to get married and well, never bothered returning for good until September 2004, when the time was right. As a life changing experience I would say it is worth it - but that's my opinion and you promise not to sue me or any of my friends, businesses or their businesses, and friends of their businesses if it doesn't work out for you or your family - . I have had the good fortune to spend time in four of the nation's major capitals as well as spending time living in the country - not the Outback - but quite rural locations inland where it's both hot and dry for most of the year. In the more rural areas I never really felt a foreigner, unless there was an international rugby match on tv. I think television has a lot to answer for. If you'll ever witness 'pommy bashing' more in a single place it'll be through the tube. From Channel Seven's Sunrise breakfast program where one of the presenters openly remarked during the Olympics: "Don't get me started on the Poms!" to well, any other televised sporting event where British participation is just an opportunity to have a dig. What I can't understand is why say such things in the first place since a fairly large proportion of viewers are going to be British ex-pats? I wonder what opinions are quickly drawn by the Brits when they hear stuff like this? In the mornings now I turn on Channel Nine's more civilised brekkie program. But, don't think it's just Pommy bashing that's the sport here. And it is sport related, mark my words. I can't think of any other activity, on tv or otherwise, that causes grown men to behave like racist idiots. The Kiwis get a bashing. The South Africans do too. The American's get off 'lite'. The Brits, on their homeland turf, clearly take the mick out of the 'Yanks' far more than what the Australians ever do - although the gearing up of the Presidential elections is flavour of the month for political banter - are those people 'for real'? And then there are the Mexicans. No, not the south Americans, the folks from New South Wales, south of the border, who insist on calling Queenslanders Banana Benders! So, you get the picture? Just because David Koch has a poke at the Poms on Sunrise doesn't mean he's the type of bloke to go out and pop one on the streets. It's the Aussie way, and when you live here you just have to get over it quickly - or change channel. At the end of the day much of what you hear on tv doesn't get translated to the urban jungle. It's just 'sport', sport. Oh, except soccer. For some reason that'll always be more violent off the field than on. Perhaps it's the frustration felt by the fans - one goal in ninety minutes and lots of play acting. Most other team sports manage to keep their fans occupied... If you visited Perth (aka 'Perf' ) I'd have thought you would have felt at home in terms of the number of Brits living there. People living on the East Coast of Australia that visit Perth reckon it's hard to spot an Aussie accent now amongst the hardcore Pommy population, most of which apparently come from the south-east of England and snap up prime real estate on the shoreline - hence 'Perf'. I'm from the south-east of England. According to a reputable source at a large foreign exchange company (begins with an H and ends with an X), more people leave Perth after arriving there in the first couple of months than anywhere else in Australia, as a proportion of the number of arrivals. Why? I wouldn't like to say, as I've never been or left there. However, I get the feeling that Brits like to gather in groups (perhaps to call on Man Utd. ). If they based their ideal location on comments from friendly forums addicts, then they only have themselves to blame. You did well to check out quite a few areas and that's why you are questioning the move. Seeing it in the flesh is so different to a forum flutter. Forum's have their places, of course. I wouldn't want to knock this one, for example, which has gathered together some of the finest people on the planet (ok? ). Today, I live in a rural part of a growing community. It's a community that has undergone a political change, for the better in my opinion, with the unification of the Sunshine Coast regions under a single umbrella, and a big one too. Bob Abbot (www.bigbob.com.au) will do the region proud. Do I feel like a foreigner here? No. Never have and never will. Ah, only once. Opened my mouth and the words that flowed were fuel for a series of jokes, none of which even mentioned Prince Charles, much to my surprise - I have the ears and the voice! I chose to live in an area where I would meet real Australian people. I'm not one who goes out of his way to actively speak to every passing stranger (they'd lock me up) but I'm encouraged to by the people that I do meet and talk to. In fact, it's an opportunity to tell them of my roots. Just don't over do it! It might be misconstrued, as if you're missing home, in which case you'll be asked "why the bloody hell don't you go back there? Yer whinging Pom!".
	Koala Konnection UK to Australia and New Zealand. Migration Made Easy.

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