The Price Of Emigrating To Oz.

[Lou Barron]

I do not think it is a hard for people to come to NZ i know that Aussie have made the laws on immigration have made it pretty tough but i do not know about NZ it also might be getting hard

[Charlie Hannah]

Jim at the time i arrived here in Oz after living and shipping out on Kiwi ships for a while i had no problems as i entered this country legally had to prove i was legal by getting document to present to shipping master in Port kembla from the immigration people at the time i came here never needed a passport to travel between kiwi and Oz.It was in New Zealand i jumped ship not Oz.I was here three weeks before i walked up the gangway of the South Esk my first ship on Oz Coast.Never had much in my pocket after paying for flights for both myself and my mate,but managed OK once i was on the coast i soon got a quid to gether and managed to buy my own place after just four years payed deposit then payed monthly for four years
wasn't making any headway with paying off the interest after 4 years i had only managed to be one month ahead i had the loan over 25 years on learning i was only that i month ahead i got myself wised up and started putting in extra and managed to pay off the full loan in eight months i was lucky i had managed to get on an oil rig and was making good cash once i had every thing payed for it was a diddle.I took out my citizenship after three years and when i retired i went on to a part pension because i had over a certain amount of cash forget how much it was but more money than i had ever seen in my entire life. I have managed to live a very happy and content life over here with no problems i haven't been able to handle myself i have good mates and live the life has i want to live it.No complaints and all it took was the will to do it my way.I am still on the reduced pension but i manage really good with the cash i have invested in various things i do OK got more than i will ever need so no problems.I
doubt i could have done the same back home in Liverpool.But i must admit i still miss my home town Liverpool and will for ever remain a Scouse!

[Lou Barron]

That is something like me
Charlie

[j.sabourn]

As regards the hardness to getting in to Australia, I never went for any formal interviews did all by post. They tried to put me off by describing the price of housing etc. to which my reply, said nicely of course, was that I was probably in Australia before they were born. Also contacted someone who gave me a reference saying I would not experience much difficulty in finding employment. On various returns to the UK have always met these blow hards saying that they could of emigrated if they had wanted, if Australia had accepted them was the only way they would have been allowed to take up residence. Thinking back as I said I was 53 when I emigrated, but even at that age the adventure was still there, after getting past the Unions at the time, have received as much experience of life the 11 years worked here as the previous 38 years spent at sea in various ships of various nationalitys. As said before and repeat I have nothing against the conditions that I experienced in the maritime industry here obviously fought for by previous generations. I have a wealth of knowledge regarding other shipping practices but nothing to compare with the Australian Maritime Industry. People can blow hard and long about the unions, but that is the only thing that has kept the industry going for the good of its workers. The practice which is enforced by the same Australian jobs for Australians, if adhered to in the UK would solve a lot of their problems as well. Foreigners will only be employed if an Australian cannot be found. That is on paper and is every governments and big businesses aim to alter, and is only the people who through the unions keep this enforced supposedly, as know probably back hand deals go on as they always do in any democratic country. JS

[Des Taff Jenkins]

Hi All.
I don't know about the immigration act at this time, but most of the big money needed is for business immigrants mostly from China, India,etc, When I came over from NZ in 72 the family and I just landed in Sydney and the immigration just asked a few questions and said OK. I don't think for one minute its the same today, unless you are a Kiwi you are [unless they have a criminal record] allowed to enter and stay but can't get the dole for six months.
As for Lou after what I read in the paper yesterday he would be an instant Aussie. Meteorologists estimated between 50,000 and 200,000 tons of Australian soil was deposited on NZ via an Oct dust storm, it caused chocolate or pink snow to fall in Otago, Lou just get off the plane shouting Aussie, Aussie,Aussie and you'll be alright.
Cheers DEs

[j.sabourn]

Des, Lou like most seamen would just merge into the background and way of life. Myself if did not have the responsibility of others could probably live in most places in the world, preferably the Orient to the west. Maybe I am prejudiced but was brought up in the UK to believe in certain standards, and have watched those standards and way of life slowly disappear, more rapidly in the past few years, and is all self inflicted by a continuous bunch of cretins falling off the conveyor belt and calling themselves a government they would be unable to purchase the favours of a lady in a brothel. JS

[happy daze john in oz]

The rules for getting into Oz have changed considerably over the last 15 or so years. My brother and his family came out here 10 years ago. He is an electrician so a proven needed occupation. But he had to put up a $5,000 bond, returnable later, and I had to be his sponsor. The majority now coming here for permanant settlement need a sponsor. It may be family or if he has a job to come to then the employer.
Without that it is much harder. If he has sufficient funds, over $100,000 he may come under the small businessmans scheme. Required skills include, electrician, cook, baker, plumber, brick layer, carpenter or plasterer.
My brothers wifes brother came out 4 years ago under the family reunion scheme, also now much tighter rules on that, but he is a plasterer and has had work since day one. He is about 48 now. So there are some oppoprtunities but not as many as back inthe days of the ten pound p0oms.

[j.sabourn]

#8... Jim you mention School Janitor as though it was a lowly job. A friend of mine a Kiwi but lived in Oz for 20 years, was a school gardener, he chose to do that after being an Estate Agent for the best part of his life, but enjoyed being a gardener, he has just retired recently well over the age, lives on 12 acres of land and can afford to go for overseas trips a couple of times a year. Could a school gardener do that in the UK. What you are and what you do for a living has less effect on people out here than in the UK. I live 400 metres from the beach and directly on to the sea are big double storey homes, these are mainly holiday homes for mainly working people Bricklayers, Carpenters, Labourers and whoever you want. In the past if Australia wanted motor mechanics they would take them rather than someone with a fancy degree in archaeology or whatever. Any class system that I have seen in Australia has been imported from Europe. Unfortuanetly the Australia we all knew in the 50"s and 60"s is not the same, due mainly to the trebling of the population since then. However is still to me a country with a few less restrictions than Europe, You do get people coming here and not settling, must miss the clubs and pubs, most of them are rigid in their ideas and cant adjust to Australian way of life, I doubt very much that Australia is going to adjust to theirs, so suppose it is better that they don't stay. We had friends here a couple of years ago and didn't like it because it was casual wear in the Golf Club. You don't have to be a millionaire to be a member of a golf club here like in most prestigious clubs in the uk, Most people can afford to play golf, and the courses far exceed most in Europe. A lot of ordinary people go for licences to fly small aircraft and I knew one recently deceased who built and flew his own. Kept the aircraft in his garage. Children are brought up here with everything there, ponies, boats cars aircraft in fact they if anything get too much. However these are the ones born out here and have never known the other side of the coin. The average born out here Australian is still on the whole the straight to the point talker of old, very little charm, but a good mate. Cheers John S.

[j.sabourn]

Peter Chard.... Peter recently had a clipping from a friend who lives at Tauranga, about another old shipmate who got a write up in the Rodney Times. Refers to the Achille Lauro caught fire off Somalia in 1994. He was master on the Lima at the time, he was also the on scene commander for the rescue of the 983 passengers and crew. His name is John Briand and if memory serves me right saw him a couple of years ago as he was in Perth and spent the night here. He also has something to do with the sailing vessel Ted Ashby Just wondered if you know him or went to the talk at the Maritime Museum in Auckland I believe. Don't know if you live in that area or not. He lives in Army bay. I didn't know to much about the event at the time I saw him, so maybe should have said something to him then. Believe he was also on the Hazelmoor in the late 50"s or early 60"s as an apprentice when we lost another apprentice over the side inside the Barrier Reef off Queensland. He went adrift in the 12/4 unfortuanetly I was 2nd, mate at the time. Regards John S

[Jim Brady]

John S there is no way that I would put a school janitor down as a lowly job,the point I was making was that a school janitors job would not be top of the list as people needed in OZ from the UK. I know a couple of dockers that took the money (quite a few bob too) and fell on their feet as school janitors,or caretakers as we knew them.
Regards.
Jim.B.