Settling in Sydney – One Family’s Story

Everyone has a story as to how they ended up in Australia, whether it’s to retire, work or study.  Here’s just one of those stories from a family who only landed on Australia’s sandy shores in July 2009.

Phyllis and Paul Groundwater, originally from Scotland, first had a taste of the Australian life in 1988 when Paul did his first post doctorate at the Australian National University.  The pair had been granted temporary residency visas and after two years, although they dearly would have loved to have stayed, they moved to Birmingham when Paul was offered a University lecturer job.

“We moved on, always with the view that we would try to return one day.”

However they never forgot the two years they spent in Canberra and always kept Australia in their hearts.

20 years and three daughters later, Paul spotted a job advertisement for a Professor in the Pharmacy Department of Sydney University.  He applied and was duly interviewed.  To his huge delight they offered him the role and asked him how quickly he could move out there.

Family Decision Time

But as with all decisions of this magnitude, there were discussions to be had. Not least with their three daughters - Ellen 18, Catriona 16 and Amy 13. All three girls were reluctant to move and leave their friends and family behind. The situation was made more difficult by the fact that Ellen had been accepted to study medicine at Glasgow University. She initially refused to move to Australia, but Phyllis and Paul’s enthusiasm soon spread and all three girls finally agreed to move out with them, with Ellen deciding to apply to study medicine at an Australian University.

The Groundwater family just before they left for their new life in Oz

Vexing Visas

From there they had to apply for permanent residency visas and as Phyllis says: “Obtaining visas was more difficult and expensive then I imagined – very thorough medical, chest x-rays, huge forms to fill in.”  Luckily Sydney University, although anxious to employ Paul straight away, agreed to wait until the visas came through.

Even after the forms had been sent, the process was far from straightforward. The person who was dealing with their visa application left and the Groundwaters were forgotten until they started enquiring about the delay.  So a process that should have taken 2 – 3 ended up taking 6 months to finalise.  “I was convinced we weren’t going to get them and found this the hardest part about the whole process.”  Phyllis says.  “We had told a few people but didn’t want my husband’s employer to find out until we knew we had been accepted.”

Stresses and Exams

Finally Paul was able to take up his position at Sydney University in April, but Phyllis had to remain behind with her girls as the eldest 2 had major exams to sit. A Levels and GCSEs. As well as coping with her daughters’ anxities, Phyllis also had the unenviable task of sorting out the house sale and removals. In fact the house sale was only finalised the day before she was due to fly out and join her husband.

“The house sale went through the day before we flew!”

Yet Paul was hardly soaking up the sun in Sydney. He was able to get to know the area and did some probing as to where the good schools were. He finally decided on an area in the North of Sydney and once Phyllis and the girls arrived, they were able to rent a four bedroomed house with a swimming pool.

Sydney - their new home

They’ve rented basic essential furniture as their worldly possessions aren’t due to arrive until September. Phyllis adds: “It would have been better to send stuff out before we flew, but it couldn’t be helped as with the girls’ exam commitments we had to be in the house in the UK up until the last moment.  We will have a party when all our things arrive!” She also wishes she had brought more clothes for the girls because of the lack of teenage clothes shops in Syndey.

One of the most surprisingly difficult things to sort out, Phyllis states, were their mobile phones. It took them 2 days, with one company even refusing them a contract! But she admits that this could be because they were trying to get 5 contract phones all at once.

Feels Like Home

Now that they are ensconced in Sydney, the girls are slowly coming round to the new way of life. The youngest two have started school and have already made friends. Phyllis says that joining clubs such as the local swimming club has really helped the children to settle and feel a part of things.

They hope to buy in a year or so, but are determined to stay in the same area so that the girls don’t have to leave their schools and friends once more. Phyllis, who worked part-time as a Laboratory Technician and Librarian back in the UK, is already looking for something similar.

“Concentrate on the positives”

Asked if she had any advice to give to others thinking of moving to Australia, Phyllis has this to say: “You just have to be positive and embrace the whole experience – if you think about all the negative aspects of moving; the worry of selling the house, leaving everyone you know and everything that is familiar you will never do it. Concentrate on the positives – a great new way of life, sunshine guaranteed, (not always in July!) meeting lots of new people, no more stuck in the same old rut.”

The only thing she would change is the timing of the move. It’s the middle of winter right now in Australia and they’ve found the house very cold and hard to heat, although she admits it will be lovely and cool in the summer!

We would like to thank Phyllis, Paul and their family for sharing their story with us and we wish them lots of luck with their new lives and welcome them to the Embrace community. Hopefully we’ll be able to look on them in another 6 months from now and find out how things are going.

If you’d like to share your story with us, please do get in touch, we’d love to hear from you!

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