They left Jersey on 30 September 2005 and, despite the upheaval and distance from relatives and close friends, they have no regrets.
They live in Canberra close to their daughter Donna and two grandchildren and close to Joan’s brother David who emigrated 30 years ago. Their son, Lee, and his then fiancée, Jolene Kinney, also decided to join them, and they were married there in January of this year.
‘We came out to be near our immediate family,’ said Joan, the daughter of Jurat Mazel Le Ruez and the late Leslie Le Ruez, and whose sister Irene lives with her husband and family in Jersey.
Joan and Steve had visited the Canberra area many times and weighed up all the pros and cons before coming to a decision – things she would advise anyone thinking of emigrating to do.
In their case, the visits to the family made the decision easier. ‘It was always hard to say goodbye when we visited, but then when the little ones came along, we really began to seriously consider it,’ she said.
Her daughter emigrated ten years ago after meeting her future husband Terry Stuetz within three weeks of arriving in Australia on a working visa. The couple now have two boys Jamie (5) and Cody (3), who naturally are the apple of their grandparents’ eyes.
Beeches Old Boy Steve (57) and Joan (53), who went to Hautlieu, say that having been able to get to know the area beforehand and having family there helped a great deal with the move.
‘The move was quite stressful and very emotional but knowing that we were going to be with our children and grandchildren kept us going,’ she said. ‘Starting a new life at a mature age is obviously a lot harder than at a younger age, but we both like a challenge and were determined to make a go of it no matter how many obstacles we had to overcome.
Steve works for Shell Petroleum and Joan has set up her own small business Health and Wellness, but they would also advise anyone thinking of emigrating to check out visa restrictions which they say are becoming much stricter.
‘Our son, Lee, came over on a temporary visa with his fiancée and is at present waiting for permanent residency to go through which will enable them to purchase their own home.’ said Joan.
‘However, just after he was granted his temporary visa, there was a change in recognition of qualifications. NVQ qualifications in Child Care are no longer being recognised by Vetassess so his child care qualifications would not have been recognised had he applied later. This is ironic as he has become in such demand that the child care industry have sponsored his application for permanent residency.
Lee is now manager of a Child Care Centre and Jolene is operations manager of a large sports retail outlet.’
Like their son and daughter–in-law, Joan and Steve have settled in well. They are outgoing people, love being near their family and are making new friends, while not forgetting their old ones.
‘Good friends are made over many years and you never lose them so we do spend a lot of time e-mailing and using the web cam,’ said Joan, who confessed that was the main thing they both missed – ‘ as well as the Jersey new potatoes’ ofcourse!
‘Jersey will always be our home where we grew up, got married and raised our family,’ she said. ‘We look at our life in Australia as the next exciting chapter; being part of our children and their partners’ lives, seeing and enjoying our grandchildren and having the opportunity of travelling around this great country.
‘We are looking forward to the arrival of two more grandchildren at the end of the year. Lee and Jolene are expecting their first baby in November and Donna and Terry are expecting their third baby early January – so we have another busy time ahead – really exciting!’
Pictures: Steve and Joan with their family and at their son Lee’s wedding
