The Native Iowan

Damn, I say damn…

It’s the 10th month already. Where does time go? Or am I just distracted?

Busy, productive, lovely morn in QLD. This is a great time of the year, here. Today’s temps range from 11c-28c / 48f – 82f. Chilly n cold nights to warm n hot days. Could not be better. Noting that the morns warm up slowly. Its 1018am and the house is still chilly but the sun is warm and bright. Once the sun sets at 6pm, the temps plummet. Perfect sleeping weather.

I have been working on our final application for Australian Citizenship. We have rung all the bells, jumped through numerous hoops, paid huge fees, clocked up the required time, and now qualify for citizenship. It’s been a long road. All up we’ve been at this over 10years. A mountain of paper has been generated. It’s all but done n dusted.

Today I reviewed over 100pages of forms. Filled in some blanks spots, made sure the base info was correct, chased a few missing documents, and now have all in one file, ready to go. I need to get my Policeman-buddy, Smitty, to sign one form, then its all pretty much done.

It makes me consider what I see going on in the world… Diaspora, displacement, dissatisfaction… All leads to mass migration. Organised and disorganised migration.

I think it is timely to think about, ruminate on the circumstances that create an Emigrant… Creates a “refugee”…

Emigrant: A person who leaves their own country in order to settle permanently in another.

Refugee: A person who has been forced to leave their country in order to escape war, persecution, or natural disaster.

But, in my mind, refugees are emigrants, tho not all emigrants are refugees…

I am a serial offender when It comes to emigration. I left the land of my birth and emigrated to the Solomon Islands. It was a conscience move. I built a life, a home, a family in the Solomons.

10 years ago I made the decision to “retire” to Australia. My life and time in the Solomons was ending. My needs were changing. A life of adventure and risk was less attractive as my knees and spine aged. Revolutions, civil strife, political instability were less attractive compared to quiet neighbourhoods, a positive policy force, magnificent medical care.

Aus is a very good place. There are pros and Cons but, at my age, at my station and time in life, Aus offers what I need.

One may ask why I chose Aus over the US… immediate answer is that its close to the Solomons. Retirement always included the Solomons. We have family there, we still luv deIslands. Bouncing back and forth between Aus and deIslands was dePlan…

Covid kinda messed that plan up…

Covid has messed a lot up…

So sad…

I consider the depth and breadth of the changes, the new-world order, that covid has created for us all… what aspect of our modern lives has NOT been effected? Of course my retirement plans evolved around travel. I purposely bought a home an hour from the International airport. Gracie and I previously spent about half our time “on the go”. It was a great gig, while it lasted. I do not see it all returning, any time soon.

And thats OK. I am content where I am. Of course I’d love to be able to visit my ageing mother. I’d really, really enjoying seeing our latest grandchild, Brimstone. I miss my regular visits to London. The bucket list of global “to-dos” shall go undone. And thats OK.

I say often these days, that I am glad I am an olFart. Glad I got to travel the planet for as long as I did.

And glad I get to settle in Aus. I like the idea of being an “Aussie”. A Queenslander.

Mate.

More later