LIVING IN AUSTRALIA – SETTLING DOWN, HAVING BABIES AND BUILDING A NEW LIFE
IN the final part of our series, we speak to people who have not just emigrated and settled in Australia, but who have married, with some of them starting a family there.
Lorraine Colfer, Carrig-on-Bannow
So far we have spoken to several people who left Ireland because of the recession. Yet in each of those instances they either left on their own or with a partner or friends.
None had children, none had the added pressure of relocating their little ones, taking them out of school and away from their friends and grandparents.
But this was the situation facing Lorraine and Peter Colfer as the economic crash wrought havoc upon their lives in 2009 and left them facing the prospect of emigrating to an unfamiliar land thousands of miles away.
‘I remember when we first landed in Australia all I wanted to do was turn around and go straight back where we came from, it was such a daunting moment landing in a big country where we knew nobody with two kids,’ Lorraine recalls.
‘I was terrified. We had a holiday apartment booked for two weeks and that was how long we had to find a house, buy a car, find a school and organise all our tax numbers, medical numbers and driver’s licences.
‘But we felt that Ireland was about to go through a very tough time for a very long time and if we could give our kids a better chance in another country well then, why not?’
Lorraine was 29 at the time, her husband Peter 34, their son Eoin 8, daughter Zoe just one.
And one of the hardest moments in those early days came when Eoin had his first day in his new school.
‘That in itself was a massive adjustment – just going from a small country school to a primary school with around 900 students,’ Lorraine says. ‘It definitely takes a long time to settle into a big town after coming from a small country town.’
Adding to their early problems were Peter’s difficulties in finding work. A bricklayer by trade, opportunities weren’t immediately forthcoming.
‘He found it hard to get work initially; like everywhere, it always seems to be easier if you know someone in the industry,’ says Lorraine.
‘Luckily after a few months someone gave him a chance to get his hands dirty again. It was an adjustment bricklaying here for him too. Everything seems so different in the beginning.’
Now with a business of his own, and one which helps apprentices start their own careers, those early days searching for work seem like a distant memory. As do Lorraine’s first forays into the Australian job market.
‘After about six months of settling in I decided it was time for me to start looking for work. So I did a medical reception and terminology course in the private hospital on Saturdays to give me some sort of chance to find a good job.
‘I am now second in charge in a big medical centre that gave me my first job here 10 years ago.’
As a married couple with children, integrating socially was also a challenge. Unlike the majority of new arrivals, they couldn’t head to the nearest Irish bar and connect over a few pints. They had to make an effort to find like-minded individuals, those in a similar scenario to themselves.
‘We didn’t come over with anyone just ourselves and we knew no one where we landed. I made it my business to join a mother’s group to try and meet people and get Zoe out of the house during the day,’ Lorraine says.
‘I was lucky enough to meet a lovely Irish girl there and we have been friends ever since. Hilary and her family really took us under their wings and from then on our new life started to feel somewhat normal.’
Adding to that new life was a new addition to the Colfer family, an eight-year-old girl who Lorraine describes as ‘our own little Aussie’.
Megan, their third child, was born in Australia and she, like Eoin and Zoe, has grown up on the Northern Gold Coast.
Chloe Bates, Kilmore
Turning 21 is usually cause for celebration, a big party, surrounded by family and friends. This is exactly what Chloe Bates did when she reached that age. However, her party was one with a difference. In addition to celebrating her birthday she was also waving goodbye to her loved ones, with a year-long sojourn to Australia in the offing.
That year-long trip with then boyfriend Adrian has since been extended, so much so that now, 13 years later, they haven’t come back.
‘When we decided to leave, we just wanted to travel and experience a new country. We wanted to go on an adventure and check it out,’ explains Chloe.
‘The reason we stayed was because the global financial collapse hit and there was a downturn in the Irish economy, which meant there were more opportunities here than back at home.
‘This variance in the economy has never really shifted and I struggle with that as I would love to go home, but the opportunities are few and far between.’
The opportunities in Australia led to Chloe first working in administration before going back to college and studying in the field of health and safety, a sector she has worked in for the past seven years.
And her now husband Adrian, like many we have spoken to, has built a new business from scratch. His company ‘Craftsmen Services’ is now firmly established in the local market.
The couple have also built a family, their daughters Ruby and Tilly both born in Sydney where they now live.
‘In terms of children, the quality of lifestyle for kids here is amazing,’ says Chloe.
‘Life here is geared towards being outdoors, whether that’s a walk every evening, a swim after school with friends and a barbecue. The sport for kids is also so diverse, even the winter sports are enjoyable. Sport is also how we’ve met so many friends and other Irish families like ourselves.’
Not surprisingly, given the parlous state of the Irish health system, Chloe says its Australian equivalent is miles ahead when it comes to looking after children.
‘The healthcare system here is very high quality and once you become a permanent resident you get Medicare and you will want for nothing in terms of health. The stories I read about the Irish health system scare me.’
However, not everything is better on the other side of the world.
‘I think the education system in Ireland is far better than in Australia. The curriculum is far more advanced and pushes children harder.
‘When I compare my daughter’s school work with my friend’s children in Ireland, the Irish kids are streets ahead. We are not called the land of saints and scholars for nothing. I am hoping my girls will go to university in Ireland.’
That last line suggests Chloe sees her long-term future back here in Wexford, and she admits this is something which has already crossed her mind.
‘To be completely honest I did plan to go home to Wexford with the girls.
‘First it was the plan to come home when my oldest started school, and then home for her communion and so on, but time goes by and we’ve spent more of our adult lives here than at home and to be honest I’m scared to go home, like I won’t fit in.
‘I had a great upbringing in Wexford but my girls have such a great life here. We’ve been able to offer them so many experiences.’
The ultimate aim is to have a base in both countries, to spend half the year in Australia and half in Ireland, ‘follow the sun’ as Chloe puts it.
Because, in spite of everything, the pull of home grows stronger with each passing year.
‘I miss Ireland a lot, I love having my feet on Irish soil I feel like I’m home. But mostly I miss the people, I miss my parents, grandparents, brothers and sister the most.
‘I hate moving on with my life without them around me and my children, it is tough. I miss my Irish friends too, there is nothing better than a friend that you’ve known since childhood, it’s very special.
‘When I go home though I do feel like I’ve never been away and we all pick up where we left
Louise Malone, Wexford town
‘When we found out we were expecting, I did consider going back to Ireland to give birth. Looking back on it, I think the thought of going home to have the baby was me extinguishing the guilt of knowing my family were missing out on this most amazing part of my life.’
These are the kind of quandaries Louise Malone has had to deal with since leaving for Australia in 2013, the kind of life-changing decisions that come with being a modern-day emigrant.
Ultimately, her son, Beau, was born in Brisbane - and Louise did manage to share some of those amazing moments with her parents.
‘We weighed up the pros and cons and decided we would stay in Australia. My parents flew out for a holiday when I was six months pregnant.
‘It was nice to spend that time with them and
‘IT WAS DAUNTING, LANDING IN A BIG COUNTRY WHERE WE KNEW NOBODY, WITH TWO KIDS’