Two Years - 4th October 2009

G'day,

I know you haven't heard from me for a couple of weeks but I was a bit worried that my missives were becoming more of a personal diary than a reflection of our lives in Australia - a subtle difference I know. Anyway, Bron reminded me that it was exactly 2 years ago today that we arrived in Oz. That got the literary juices flowing................

I have never bagged South Africa and don't intend to now but if I have to objectively look at some of the reasons why we left and where we find ourselves now, this is what it looks like....................................

Opportunities for Matt and Jen

We always felt pressure that Matt and Jen had to achieve if they were going to be able to live a fulfilling and successful life in South Africa. This was all well and good if it was going to be on a level playing field - the level playing field that Bron and I both supported and dreamed of when we stood in line at the 1994 General Election. But, South Africa's playing field tilted too far on its axis to correct the wrongs of the past. We could not accept this. Don't get me wrong, we still want Matt and Jen to realise that you have to work hard to achieve but we certainly believe that their efforts have a greater chance of being rewarded here.

Safety

Despite being able to sleep more peacefully than the great majority of South Africans, Matt and I were particularly affected by the possibilty of becoming victims of violent crime in South Africa. Our new location has not made us completely immune and some areas of Australia ( urban and rural ) are significantly affected by lawlessness. However, I calmly drive out at night to attend calls and no longer worry if Bron is 10 minutes late arriving home.

Work satisfaction

In a nutshell, I was getting burnt out doing what I was doing. Despite trying to protect myself ( and my family ), for various reasons I continued to work crazy hours doing things that really could have and should have been done by someone else. Contrary to what some of my patients might have believed, I was never comfortable with fee-for-service medicine and having to chase people for payment for my time and expertise was just something I could never get to grips with and it was wearing me down. Being a salaried Public Servant means that we have to do without some of the things that we used to have but as you have seen, we still do pretty well. My job is challenging and fulfilling. I reassure, cure and palliate as the condition demands. I practice evidence based medicine with a touch of artistry. I teach, plan and contribute to the hospital and the wellbeing of children in general.

Family

We have become a tight unit who have got to understand each other more than we thought was possible. Bron has slowly got used to having me around and we take joy in being able to do things together and just talk. We never used to have time to talk ! Our inherent characters remain unchanged yet we all seem to have better insight into what that character is.

What about the forbidden subjects?

Politics, religion and sex

• I don't miss South African politics but Australian politicians are far from perfect.
• I would describe most Australians as " non-practising " Christians but churches of all denominations are working to change this. We continue to be guided by our faith.
  
• As far as sex is concerned - as I said, this was never intended to be a personal diary.
  Australia is not perfect.

The country has huge challenges in trying to reconcile differences between Indigenous and Non-indigenous cultures. A culture of welfare has also had its impact on those who live off it with no aspiration, desire or need to better themselves even though the opportunity is there.

There is no doubt that two years down the line, we are relaxed and happy. The novelty is over but the adventure continues. We miss our family and our closest friends but the world is a small place these days.

By the way - make an attempt to name the flower in today's picture.

Live well !

The Wesleys