New Zealand- 1980

This and the follow-up are untypical but may interest some who would not consider moving to the 'other side of the World'.

 

NEW ZEALAND

I'd worked for the UK defense department for 15 years and soon after disillusionment set in badly there appeared a recruitment team from Aotearoa (New Zealand). Lo and behold, they picked me for free emigration, family, lock stock and barrel! Now, I had never flown, nor even left the UK so there was much uncertainty, but carpe diem, as the Romans said; I married just before emigrating and my new wife was all for it, despite leaving her parents and 5 siblings. Gutsy one, that.   The flight took 25 hours plus an overnight in Singapore so on arrival we were taken to a motel on the beach where we all zonked out for a whole 24 hours. 

 

At the time NZ was in 'Think Big' mode,building a major refinery and a steelworks for a population about 2.5 million. After a year at the Naval Dockyard I struck out into private practice, switching from Naval Architecture to Structural/Civil engineering with a consequent huge increase in earnings. We had a new daughter, new house, car, etc. and life was romping along. Small pond, big fish! Wifey started a clothing business which soon became more than she could cope with. I won $25,000 by saving tax due in a premium bond account. We could do no wrong!

 

Proudest achievement- good education and excellent jobs for my 3 kids, eventually. Back in UK they were doomed to menial labour and basic survival. When the NZ economy hit the wall, I persuaded the wife to hop across the Tasman to OZ, the 'lucky country'. We had qualified for Citizenship and immediately took out passports; these were valid for Australia. High interest rates in NZ pulled the dollar up to parity with the AUD, at which point our house sold and I transferred all the Kiwis to Oz dollars.

 

AUSTRALIA 

Arrived 1988, Feb 7; walked out the Perth airport doors into a 42 C (107 F) furnace! All we took were 2 suitcases and our 2 tea chests arrived by ship some weeks later. But the cash came with me. Banks will ALWAYS drag their feet and use any excuse to delay.   It's just goof business...

 

We both began jobs in that first week- Oz was in an iron-ore boom, plus nickel, aluminum, gold and diamonds. Pay rates rose by the week. 25 years went by SO fast, kids became 'Senior Designers' 'Business Consultants' and my older girl started an Engineering Recruitment Company. Moved across to Brisbane for a brilliant job, stayed for the better climate and places to go see. Perth is reckoned very isolated- at least 5 hrs flying time to anywhere of interest. 

 

Sadly, divorce was the fly in the ointment and we all suffered emotionally and financially. But we survived. Kids have substantial property assets and secure futures and that's one of the major aims of parenting. My move to Thailand was forced by economic pressures of the rapid increases in cost of living plus financial losses resulting from mental illness and instability; it was necessary to remove those factors from my life or who knows what I may have done. Family frictions contributed so distancing myself was not such a bad move...

 

Now over 70, healthy but quite withered!  :->  there's nothing left to bother me, except I probably won't get to see the Caribbean!