The next step

 And so it begins ...

Image: G Altmann, Pixabay

unDESERTED indeed!

29 March. The day we first enter Australia on the visa* that we waited five and half years for.

Pulse rates high, we dropped off the hired vehicle at Oliver Tambo International Airport, Johannesburg, and made our way to the departures hall. We were still in go-go-go mode having recently celebrated our son’s marriage. 

This is the reason for flying from South Africa and not from the Middle East. 

The visit home also gave us the chance to bid farewell to dear family and friends for what would most probably be the final time.

I'd checked the required paperwork time and again, but I was still sweating bullets, wondering if there would be a last-minute COVID-19 requirement that I had missed. A few weeks before the Australian government had suspended pre-travel Covid tests for those who were vaccinated. I knew I had everything else. But my knuckles were white as we approached the check-in counter. It took 2 mins. We were welcomed and passed through to the inner domain of the terminal. As we approached the hand luggage scanners I heard "Excuse me!", and my heart skipped a beat. "Can I see that please!", and she reached for my dad's walking stick that I had stored all these years. I was ready to burst into tears if she said I could not take it on board. I contemplated suddenly developing a limp. But it turned out to be just an inspection. 😅 Safely into duty free, it was time to relax with a coffee.

After a delay on the runway, we eventually took off. Relief! 

Halfway across the Indian Ocean I had to admonish myself to stop biting at my fingers ... they were beginning to pain. Nervous! No, not for flying, but for the Australian Border Force customs check. Say now something wasn't in order? Praying had been the order of the day for the last week, and I quickly said another prayer. 

I couldn't sleep. Instead, I sat through another season of 'Unforgotten' – totally not helping my nerves. Andries (AJ) tried his best to sleep, also without much success. Always disenchanted with air travel, he makes the best of an uncomfortable situation – those seats are always too small for such a strapping bloke! 

 

We arrived with a bumpy, side-crawl landing in Sydney to cold wet weather. The immigration/customs queue was long and winding. More time to sweat bullets. And to pray! By the time it was our turn to step up to the counter, I was shaking visibly. AJ was uncharacteristically silent. Hungry, exhausted, headachey ... we looked anxiously at the agent as she took our passports. However, the smile (inside the mask) that greeted us was warm, and a friendly voice said: "Please remove your masks" as she inspected our passports, "and you can leave them off until I'm done, so that you can have a breather." I went blank. Kindness can catch you off-guard at times. After a minute, I think, she said those all-important, amazing words: "Welcome to Australia!". 

What power lies in that piece of paper that we had invested so much time and money in!

 

Off we went, passports in hand. Breathing easy for the first time on that trip, ready to shout for joy. Instead, we behaved as we dragged our tired bodies towards the baggage collection belt. Although we realised the take-off delay resulted in missing our connection flight to Brisbane, we didn't have a care in the world. We were in! What a feeling of elation. We couldn't have wished for an easier entrance. Queensland's borders had recently opened for interstate travel after Covid lockdowns; it seemed as if everyone was there, ready to hop on a plane. We were placed on the next flight to Brisbane. Upon arrival we made our way to the exit and there she was – our beloved daughter, Nadya. It had been far too long. 

A busy mother of three, she chose to make the 2-hour trip from Gympie. First, she got to drive her brand-new vehicle which they had just taken delivery of that day, and second, she could have an uninterrupted catch-up with us. We were about to be the first passengers to travel in her car. Her dad was especially chuffed!😊

Although it was about 9pm, we had to first take care of the mandatory post-flight Covid test, due within 24 hours of entry to Australia. The process required online registration and payment at a medical facility at the airport. My fried brain filled in the forms on the small phone screen, tummy screaming with hunger. Another queue, another wait. Finally, we were free to leave. Under isolation until the test results were out, we were not allowed to leave the vehicle until we reached home. And I already needed the loo. 😑 Fortunately the results were on our phones before we were even halfway home.

Nadya stopped at the first 24-hr service station to pick up a wrap and some hot coffee. No gourmet meal ever tasted as good. While dad and daughter chatted for the 2-hour drive home, I passed out on the back seat. What a dad! Keeping his daughter awake. 😄 We were in Gympie before we knew it. 

 

For the next few days we went to parks, played with kids, shopped, ate birthday cake, picnicked, walked, and simply relished the feeling of being in our new surroundings.

We could babysit for mum and dad. Fun! 😅 And we got to shop at the wonderful Bunnings. 

   

We even found time to get some ‘caravan feels’ 😃 ... 

Somehow, I managed to concentrate enough to investigate online to see what our next step was – Tax registration. Reading the fine print always puts the fear of death into me, but there it was, 15 mins and we were registered. Quite effortlessly online, via my iPad. Taxpayers from now on, the first time in 21 years. 😬 This was needed to open a bank account.
Our Visa allowed us multiple entry/exit to and from Australia, so we had planned to only stay for 10 days. Andries had to return to his job in Qatar to work his resignation period. But 2 days before we left, my darling hubby decided to go for a walk. A long walk. On his own. Turned out it was via the Ford dealer. And, yes, he came home with a quotation. 😅 It just so happened that the 2021 Ute model he had had his eye on (to tow the much-planned, as yet non-existent van) was on its way by ship and would arrive in Gympie within the month. There was just one snag – to purchase the vehicle we needed a Queensland Roads number. What on earth is that, we asked. The car dealer explained and told us where to go for one. We downloaded the forms, part of which our children (as our sponsors) had to complete. The following morning, the last day in Australia for this visit, we made our way to Queensland Roads Authority with all three grandchildren (7, 5 and 2 yrs!) in tow. A brave move, in itself! 

After a longish wait (the children being amazingly well-behaved in a packed waiting room), our number was called. Within 5 mins, no lie, we were issued with the required Road Numbers. As we turned to leave, we hear, "Wouldn't you like your driver's licences too?" Speechless, we had to pick our jaws up off the floor. 

All we could manage was a nod. Coming from South Africa this was unimaginable. 

"Sit on that stool and face the camera," she smiled. I think she saw the shock on our faces, mixed with absolute gratitude. Here it was, the coveted Aussie driver's licence, being OFFERED to us. No doubt, she’d probably had a few South Africans pass her desk before, eyes pleading under similar circumstances. 😆

In all of 5 minutes our photos were taken, and forms issued to say that we had applied. "They'll be mailed within 10 days", she assured us. They took 7! Nadya let us know when they arrived in the mail. We remain speechless. Unless you're a South African, you won't know what I am going on about. (We had just had a 5-month wait for renewed licences in South Africa. By sheer good fortune ours were two among the seven ready for collection, 4 days before we left South Africa. And over-60s could only collect on a Wednesday in our jurisdiction.) 

PS - South Africans need a current South African driver's licence to get the Aus licence. Otherwise you are required to take a test.

 

We went away from the Roads Authority office quietly thanking God for His kindness and provision, for leading our steps and facilitating more than we could think of or imagine. At the Ford dealer we paid the deposit on the vehicle, signed the forms and hurried home. Four hours later we were back in Brisbane, our son-in-law dropping us off at the departures terminal. 

We've been given a glimpse of the Ute.

The week had been a whirlwind. We felt incredibly grateful to God and humbled. The wait had been worth it.

 

The trip home to Doha seemed to go rapidly although it was 14 hours. 

Landing in Doha at sunrise (c)

Did I say home? Where was home? Home suddenly seemed a deceptive word for us. As a season began to end and a new one waits in the wings, we realised we didn’t really have a home. Our current rental would be empty in 3 months, as we get rid of all our belongings. Our daughter’s home is our ‘legal’ home, from now on. But where was home?

 

We pondered and slept on it. That feeling of ‘homelessness’ can make you feel ill. Of being between 9 and 10. Of not belonging. My head was struggling to comprehend it all.

 

Two days later we contacted the caravan dealer of our choice in Brisbane. "We need a home. Can we place an order."

A giggle on the other end, "Right, let's chat!"

 

That's a story for another day. 😄

Until next time. Cheers, and thanks for stopping by.  

* For those looking for info on Australian immigration, here is the 2022 link to the visa options available to you.