I did my Masters in RMIT melbourne and paid full fees as an overseas student. But the establishment didn't offer to put me in the Aus Shipping Guild. I had no intention to immigrate as I was a young Capt in the Merchant Navy, owned my own 4x4 home, my car, had 4 servants and a tax free wage in US$ at the age of 34. My wife was an art director in an advt co: and pulled in a decent wage. When I was in aus doing my masters she was offered sponsorship by her employet, but she refused saying I would never leave India. Lo and behold, a few incidents in India made me casually apply for immigration and we got in. We gave ourselves 2 years to make it.
Just then I had a massive heart attack n had a cabg x 4.
The way that this country looked after me and my wife during this time, made me realise that this new adopted country was fair dinkum.

I gave up everything in India and tried to settle down in karratha as a marine surveyor and rest is history.
My kids r more aussie than ill ever be.
All i tell them is- absorb the respect and culture of India and the “what you see is what you get” and the confidence of an ausdie- and you’ll be ok

I was born an Indian but choose to live my life in Australia respecting both cultures and holding my head up high as I walk the streets of life

I pinch myself every morning when I wake, for the clean environment and increasingly acceptance of newcomers to this wonderful land
Amen🙃
Different details, but I have a similar story... I call myself an "accidental" migrant🤣 Australia was never ever on my radar
 
Thank you, thank you so much everyone for your amazing and honest comments! I can really feel the love you all have for Australia and it's so refreshing to feel. I'm wondering why Aus was 12th with your stories! A top five placement seems more apt.
Different details, but I have a similar story... I call myself an "accidental" migrant🤣 Australia was never ever on my radar
Thanks for sharing too @Michelle S! I was SO happy to see at least one say 'Hot Cross Bun', you made my day! Haha! If you don't mind, can you share more about why you were an 'accidental' migrant? :D
 
  • Like
Reactions: Ricci
I feel safe here. The world is becoming increasingly more unstable and worrysome. However, I would like to point out that a lot of people here are not regarded as being Australian, but remain in limbo - known as a "Temporary Resident", awaiting the granting of full residency status!
Don't think that having been here 58 years I will ever be "considered" Australian either, though I have acquired Australian citizenship. But I agree with you those long term "temporary"visas are atrocious, furthermore I dont consider that fleeing a country because you fear death by hunger is just an "economic" move. Fear of death in your home country be it political or economic should make you an asylum seeker (I am fortunate never to have been in any of those positions... I put it down to luck, pure and simple).
 
  • Like
Reactions: Ricci
I fell in love with everything Australian the first time I came here - including my husband! Since then (just under 20 years ago) my daughter and I moved here, I was married, we became citizens and now my daughter has married as well. We both LOVE Australia and although we still have a place in our hearts for America, we would never want to move back - Australia is truly home. We are so blessed here with all the beauty, nature, people, coffee and food... oh I could go on and must include healthcare! There may be wait lists here with our Medicare but if you have an emergency you are seen to right away, and you do not have to re-mortgage your home or have a new monthly bill because of it. I must add one other thing, politics - thankfully the politics here do not break family relationships or friendships apart - which sadly is happening back in the good ole USA.
 
growing up in a free diverse country, with lots of wonderful bands, live music open air concerts, fun in the sun surf and sand. great sporting venues. Beer gardens catch up with friends.
 
What makes you happy to be Australian?

Have you heard the news?

Australia is the 12th happiest country in the world, according to the 2023 World Happiness Report. Finland is once again first. Our dear old neighbour New Zealand is ahead of us (just by a bit!) at tenth place. Canada, the United States, and the United Kingdom rank below Australia in the top 20.


View attachment 16170
What makes you happy to be Aussie, dear Aussie? Image Credit: Pexels/T Leish


In light of this encouraging news, I’ll ask: what makes you happy to be Australian? Is it the culture? The land? The people? The lifestyle? The odd hot cross bun flavours? The ever-present sense of community? Whatever your reason is, we’d love to know!
keeping an open mind, accepting people for what they are all the good and there bagged
 
Thank you, thank you so much everyone for your amazing and honest comments! I can really feel the love you all have for Australia and it's so refreshing to feel. I'
m wondering why Aus was 12th with your stories! A top five placement seems more apt.

Thanks for sharing too @Michelle S! I was SO happy to see at least one say 'Hot Cross Bun', you made my day! Haha! If you don't mind, can you share more about why you were an 'accidental' migrant? :D
Well, Australia was never on my radar, at school, it was that big British island with kangaroos and aboriginals, next to Nouvelle Calédonie, one of our French colonies.. It started in Paris, with me having to choose between cooking lessons and learning German (adult classes) available same day. Chose "German", and was working in an American company. Eventually had to decide: do I go to the USA (had a green card to work as a translator to the United Nations, just needed to sign the contract in hand), or marry my German (actually "Austrian") teacher who intended to go to Australia for 2 years, then on to Japan (apart from being fluent in Russian, Arabic, French, Italian, Spanish, Indonesian etc. he also knew Japanese🙂 and he was sent to France, America and Japan for work as he could speak in their language), then back to Europe (was told by several people, including my family, that i was mad to go with him, rather than America🤣). With both our jobs it enabled us to travel a lot despite being away from everybody and everything and that was the clincher. Just imagine 1968 as a woman, pregnant, was given a mortgage in my own name by a bank (needless to say it was not an Australian bank), and then was on fully paid maternity leave for 2months... Yes... I was lucky, felt like the red carpet had been laid for me and certainly not the usual hardship migrant story against all odds. Also contrary to so many women I have a confortable old age despite my husband passing away a few years ago( we had a major car accident in the eighties, his employer stood by him for the 6months he was out of work, and he was helped to go to the office for another 6months... talk about silver lining...). We had in Lightning Ridge an aboriginal bloke putting a branch of Eucalyptus in our car water heater pipe to enable us to go back to Sydney, a Canberran bloke who decided to give us a grand tour of his city in his ute, same with another in Gosford deciding we could not walk that far, in Broken Hill on our way back from Alice Springs the local fireman took us up a hill for sightseeing, and upon me admiring his roses the gardener in charge of the local memorial gave me a bunch of roses that I managed to take all the way back to Sydney on the train, in the Warrumbungle National Park, bogged down, unable to go uphill another ute stopped to help us, the driver dressed to the ninth, with polished black shoes, suit, bow tie steps out in the mud, drive our car out and left "apologizing" because he was due somewhere, we were gobsmacked (including with us an English friend of our daughter just passing in Australia) and forgot to thank him. Fortunately there was only one decent restaurant in Coonabarabran in those days, where we landed: it was also the place for our saviour's father 80th birthday celebration. Unbeknown to him we shouted (real) Champagne for the whole table, and left without a word. Later in the night he located our car at our motel and left a lovely thank you message that I kept to this day ... We have to say in the mid/late-sixties "migrants and Australian born" were not traipsing around the country as tourists😉. I could tell you so many stories about Australian born and migrants of any nationality (English included... yes they were the poms, and had something in common with us... one recommending our daughter learn karate which a few years later may have saved her life or a fate worse ...one evening sitting on a bench waiting for a bus was attacked from behind, she lifted the bloke who landed in front of her and scampered away without a word) who helped us along the way to feel at ease in the place, let alone the stunning country itself (was told by an Australian in the seventies: it so boring nothing in between ... recently Sydney/Adelaide by car and return did not have time to be bored even in my old age).well you asked😂never written so much about my experiences in Australia... Yes still love to go back to the other home...
 
Last edited:
  • Love
Reactions: Jarred Santos
Wow, thank you so much for these experiences @Michelle S (I'm sorry to hear about your husband). What rich experiences all of these are! I also love that you honoured the strangers across Aus who helped you in one way or another in this comment. What would you say was the one experience that stood out most to you?
 
I love the fact that we are very irrelevant at times, can poke fun at ourselves and dont take ourselves that seriously. Accept people at face value with like minded attitudes and can sit down with anyone and have a good chinwag and cuppa/drink
 
Wow, thank you so much for these experiences @Michelle S (I'm sorry to hear about your husband). What rich experiences all of these are! I also love that you honoured the strangers across Aus who helped you in one way or another in this comment. What would you say was the one experience that stood out most to you?
Probably the one in the Warrumbungle, he was obviously going to an important function and still did not think twice and stopped to get us out of the mud (sudden very heavy rain for 2 days, we were asked to all get out of the camping site due to fear of flooding). No idea how he spruced up afterwards as he had to walk down, in the mud, to his own vehicle.
The one in Lightning Ridge would have meant not being back to work in time having to wait for the local garage owner to be back from the Sydney Easter Show. However all of the others were still memorable as they were spontaneous offers as we were just asking our way.
 
I love the fact that we are very irrelevant at times, can poke fun at ourselves and dont take ourselves that seriously. Accept people at face value with like minded attitudes and can sit down with anyone and have a good chinwag and cuppa/drink
I love Australia because every one of us has the opportunity to fulfill our dreams and a team of willing helpers to assist us in doing so
Aussies aren't world famous for being laid-back and friendly for nothing, right :D
Probably the one in the Warrumbungle, he was obviously going to an important function and still did not think twice and stopped to get us out of the mud (sudden very heavy rain for 2 days, we were asked to all get out of the camping site due to fear of flooding). No idea how he spruced up afterwards as he had to walk down, in the mud, to his own vehicle.
The one in Lightning Ridge would have meant not being back to work in time having to wait for the local garage owner to be back from the Sydney Easter Show. However all of the others were still memorable as they were spontaneous offers as we were just asking our way.
Ooooh you really sound like a well-travelled person @Michelle S --- any recommendations for senior-friendly destinations in Australia?
 
  • Like
Reactions: Macarj and Ricci
Relative freedom good standard of living, Great people and a very good supply of food and a good pension
 
  • Like
Reactions: Ricci
What is not to love about living in our beautiful country .

I love the freedom that we have as well as the security.

Some say we are too far away from other countries but that could be a good thing.

I love the multi culturalisim but I dislike those who come to live in our country and don't respect our country or people .
Amen!
 
  • Like
Reactions: Ricci
Don't think that having been here 58 years I will ever be "considered" Australian either, though I have acquired Australian citizenship. But I agree with you those long term "temporary"visas are atrocious, furthermore I dont consider that fleeing a country because you fear death by hunger is just an "economic" move. Fear of death in your home country be it political or economic should make you an asylum seeker (I am fortunate never to have been in any of those positions... I put it down to luck, pure and simple).
Thanks Michelle S: It is good to know that those who have citizenship are aware of the problems that others face when coming here. I have contributed to the Economy by employing Tradies and spending money earned in another country on shopping etc. The Immigration Dept needs a good kick up the backside to make it get up to speed in processing the Visa applications! I am now 88 years old and it is very unlikely that my Visa will be processed through to completion in my remaining years. And that distresses me.
 
I am not sure if this is the best place to report what I heard on Sunrise this morning but they were talking about someone from the MCG revealing that Taylor Swift was coming to Australia and Nat Barr replied that she loves a good leak which is uncharacteristic
Is it possible that Nat's intention was letting the fan base know that Taylor Swift would be coming to Australia..
For myself i dont follow any figure... i contribute and enjoy reading the serious and informative posts regarding health and spiritual knowledge by a Canadian Indigenous genuine healer... i know absolutely she is the real McCoy as the posts she put out is to empower a person, share Ancient wisdom and teachings as permission had been given by the spirit world she is connected to as its well and truly time that others benefit from the teachings, healings and sharing of another above and more with the purpose of self empowerment.. i respectfully offer her name as she has a public site and also she has put out utube videos.. she teaches you here to cleanse, and protect oneself against negative being and much more but not overloading a novice. I have the greatest respect for her and i support her absolutely spiritually... she is a straight arrow imo and from my personal experience.. Her name is Barbara M Moreau ... and i honour her for her spiritual integrity, her gifts and her friendship across the ocean... 😊
 
Is it possible that Nat's intention was letting the fan base know that Taylor Swift would be coming to Australia..
For myself i dont follow any figure... i contribute and enjoy reading the serious and informative posts regarding health and spiritual knowledge by a Canadian Indigenous genuine healer... i know absolutely she is the real McCoy as the posts she put out is to empower a person, share Ancient wisdom and teachings as permission had been given by the spirit world she is connected to as its well and truly time that others benefit from the teachings, healings and sharing of another above and more with the purpose of self empowerment.. i respectfully offer her name as she has a public site and also she has put out utube videos.. she teaches you here to cleanse, and protect oneself against negative being and much more but not overloading a novice. I have the greatest respect for her and i support her absolutely spiritually... she is a straight arrow imo and from my personal experience.. Her name is Barbara M Moreau ... and i honour her for her spiritual integrity, her gifts and her friendship across the ocean... 😊
What has that got to do with anything? It does not follow the thread of the article we are commenting on.
 
  • Like
Reactions: MaggieAmalia
What has that got to do with anything? It does not follow the thread of the article we are commenting on.
You are so correct but please be kind and not curt.. remember this is a senior citz site... or am i having another Senior Moment according respect where perhaps it is misplaced.. just take a moment to consider that many folks have regrets and concerns and recognise their immortality and many folks have only joy and anticipation of the life that they will continue after leaving this plane of existence. I certainly could share more here expanding on that years of experience with that aspect of life but clearly that with not be acceptable but yourself.. but i do recognise your point and stand corrected/ chastised.. 😊
 
Last edited:

Join the conversation

News, deals, games, and bargains for Aussies over 60. From everyday expenses like groceries and eating out, to electronics, fashion and travel, the club is all about helping you make your money go further.

Seniors Discount Club

The SDC searches for the best deals, discounts, and bargains for Aussies over 60. From everyday expenses like groceries and eating out, to electronics, fashion and travel, the club is all about helping you make your money go further.
  1. New members
  2. Jokes & fun
  3. Photography
  4. Nostalgia / Yesterday's Australia
  5. Food and Lifestyle
  6. Money Saving Hacks
  7. Offtopic / Everything else

Latest Articles

  • We believe that retirement should be a time to relax and enjoy life, not worry about money. That's why we're here to help our members make the most of their retirement years. If you're over 60 and looking for ways to save money, connect with others, and have a laugh, we’d love to have you aboard.
  • Advertise with us

User Menu

Enjoyed Reading our Story?

  • Share this forum to your loved ones.
Change Weather Postcode×
Change Petrol Postcode×