Rob and Leslie, Perth...Melbourne...Brisbane!

The Rob and Lesley story,

This is a brief account of my family's experiences since we migrated from London .

I was a London policeman and my wife Lesley, a Paramedic. We have 2 daughters, now in their mid
teens. During November 1998 we had a 6 week holiday, travelling around Australia . It seemed to us
a perfect place for family life, with its beautiful environment, climate and generally relaxed, friendly
people. Obtaining a permanent residency visa was a relatively straightforward process and just over
a year later, we were on our way back to begin our new lives in Perth .

The decision to migrate involved much deliberation; we both had good jobs, a great social circle, as
well as family in the UK . Our decision was based on wanting to do the right thing for our girls and
give them the best possible start in life.

We arrived in Perth during February 2000, spending our first 7 weeks in one small hotel room. It
was quite bewildering not knowing anybody and the occasional bout of panic set in. I resumed
police work and the girls quickly established friends and picked up an Aussie accent.

Our youngest daughter was selected to swim for WA, we were so proud. The beauty of our new
environment and the predictable sunshine made us feel good inside. We bought a house
overlooking the Indian Ocean , in a lovely suburb, with the added bonus of being mortgage free.

We developed a social circle and all was going well.

However, we began to feel increasingly isolated and unable to take advantage of opportunities
readily available in the major cities on the east coast.

Jobs were offered to us in Melbourne and we relocated.

We sold our house and spent 5 days driving across the Nullarbor, arriving in Melbourne during
2001.

I decided on a career change here and together with Lesley became a paramedic.

Although Melbourne offered a vibrant atmosphere, climatically it seemed fairly similar to the UK .
The coats and jumpers were hastily unpacked. We gave ourselves 2 years here in an attempt to
settle, we couldn't and one last move was required. We wanted to live somewhere with a good
climate, job opportunities, as well as have a great lifestyle. This time we relocated to Brisbane ,
where we found everything we were looking for and more.

The girls settled into their new school surprisingly well (3rd since arriving in Australia ) and now
have a great social circle. They were always our biggest concern on each move and the main
reason we migrated, it's obviously a huge relief to parent's when big decisions finally work out for
everybody. It's fair to say we've been very fortunate in respect our girls have always enjoyed this
adventure and adapted so well on each relocation.

Prior to each move, we had become accustomed to extensive research into suburbs, schools etc.
With each of the moves, we developed a more focused approach to our research. Of course where
you live is very much a personal choice, but if you get off to the right start in Australia , then you'll
find the lifestyle you desire, without expensive mistakes and adversity. Our move to Brisbane has
been entirely worthwhile.

Lesley and I are still paramedics in Brisbane and enjoy this rewarding, often challenging job.

We have a desire to assist others migrating and decided to form a comprehensive settling in
service, which we named Brisbane Bound.

Families using Brisbane Bound feel welcome from the moment we meet them at the airport. They
are pleased with our high standards in accommodation and then there's the support and social
functions we provide. After all we make big sacrifices to change our way of life and it's so important
to have a good start.

During these past few years, we've experienced some low points, in fact it has been difficult settling
into a new country then living in 3 cities (thank goodness for Brisbane). Although we both miss our
old friends and family, we're able to return to the UK for a visit in less than a day of travel (circling
the M25 can take just as long). Migrating has made us stronger characters and brought us closer
during adversity. I consider us a very fortunate family to have shared such diverse experiences and
yes we'd do this all over again, this one life is too short to miss opportunities. My only regret is we
didn't come here sooner.

Success here is based on a positive attitude, open mindedness and the ability to adapt.

If anybody would like to contact me, my email address is info@brisbanebound.com