Facebook post brings a long commute to an end
Tammy Teubes was sick of being left alone in Stratford each week while her husband commuted to Auckland for work, so she asked for help online – and it came in droves.
“The community just came together and kept coming forward with offers or leads,” she said of the offers and helpful pointers that led to her husband, Marc Teubes, securing a job in New Plymouth.
“It’s was so beautiful.”
For the past eight months, Marc has been commuting between Auckland and Stratford.
He’d leave at 3am on Sunday and drive back after he finished work on Thursday. “It’s quite taxing,” he said.
It was never supposed to be that way. Marc and Tammy moved to Stratford from Auckland eight months ago, and hoped to kick off his construction business in the Taranaki town. But that didn’t pan out.
Needing work, Marc’s brother got him a job at Tile Space in Auckland – so that’s where he went each week.
“He was staying with his brother and sister-in-law, and it was an emotional roller coaster,” Tammy said.
“I’ve been very lonely. Our relationship took quite a beating.”
Marc had been trying to find work closer to home. He would go for interviews in Taranaki, but never quite made it across the line. He found himself getting down and despondent.
Tammy, desperate to have her husband at home more, decided to try her local Facebook community pages to see what she could do, posting about their dilemma and asking for help.
And the help came pouring in. Within a matter of days, Marc was able to land a job at Lamiform, a benchtop manufacturer in New Plymouth, starting in two weeks.
Having his commute reduce from five hours to just 30 minutes was a relief, Marc said.
Tammy agreed. “It’s so good to have him home. It’s a fresh start.”
The couple, who met while living in Auckland, are both originally from South Africa. They each emigrated to New Zealand when they were younger.
Tammy’s parents first made the move to Stratford five years ago, and the couple followed to be close by them.
They also wanted to get out of the Auckland rat race.
Both love the lifestyle Stratford and New Zealand provides.
“When I tell my friends back home in South Africa that I can walk out the door and not have to worry about safety, they can’t believe it,” Tammy said.