When Linda Borrison’s marriage ended, it marked a new and exciting chapter in her life. With no children to worry about, she travelled the world and settled in Perth. She talks to Richard Webber.
By the time my marriage ended after 15 years, I’d already taken redundancy from my job with the local electricity board. Then, knowing I didn’t have any ties, various friends scattered around the world suggested I visited. Throughout my life there had been occasions when I’d regretted not doing something, so this time I was determined. In the end, I spent three years travelling the globe three times.
Upon returning to the UK, I couldn’t settle and realised I needed a radical change in my life. I’d never had the opportunity to attend university so set my sights on securing a place. Some people thought I was mad, especially when I started looking abroad to study.
Opting to study health promotion, which focuses on promoting healthy living, I researched which universities offered a suitable course; I could have applied to universities in California and Vancouver but opted for Perth because I thought I’d like it and would be able to afford living here.
With the help of an agency in London, I applied and, fortunately, was accepted. I didn’t have to attend an interview but filled in extensive forms regarding my experience and qualifications: I also undertook medicals and had to prove that I could support myself financially whilst studying.
My house in Wells, Somerset, had been sold during the divorce, so after getting rid of most of my possessions I waved goodbye to my old life and headed for Perth and my place at Curtin University. Probably the biggest challenge I faced was returning to study after working for 25 years. But I needn’t have worried because all the girls on my course – and most of them are in their late teens or early 20s – have been great; they’ve accepted me and I’m thoroughly enjoying being the mother of the class!
Australian people are so hospitable. I’ve got a part-time job in a Swiss patisserie, just down the road from my apartment in Subiaco, a suburb of Perth. I work every Tuesday and have regular customers to whom I chat. It feels like a village around here and I’ve got to know many people working and living here. Everyone is welcoming.
I rent my part-furnished apartment and from my balcony I look across the communal gardens towards King’s Park, which in spring is full of wild flowers, including freesias with the most beautiful perfume. I often have breakfast on the balcony, listening to magpies and lorikeets singing in nearby trees. I even get laughing kookaburras visit the trees.
Being central with excellent public transport links, Subiaco is a sought-after area. The rental market is red-hot at present, so I’m fortunate to be renting my apartment for as little as $240 a week (£100). House prices are phenomenal, and if I were buying an apartment like this, I’d be looking at around $400,000 (£168,000). When I arrived in 2004, it would have been half that.
General cost of living isn’t too bad. Some things are cheaper, others the same as the UK. Petrol is certainly cheaper at 50p a litre, whereas two people could eat out and enjoy a bottle of wine for around £40, so not much less than the UK.
But there isn’t anything I really miss about living in England. I feel at home in Perth, which is the biggest place I’ve lived. It has a population of 1.2 million but lots of Australians think that because it’s an isolated city it’s a cultural desert. It isn’t. There’s the Regal Theatre, cinemas, Perth concert hall and many other forms of entertainment. It’s a big enough city for something to be happening all the time, yet small enough not to feel overwhelmed.
Australia is a confident nation and everyone enjoys the great outdoors. The weather forecast doesn’t only tell you whether it’s going to rain, it provides information for surfing and sailing. It’s a barbecue, café society and if you pop down to the local DIY store, the range of barbecues is huge. Some are phenomenal and resemble outdoor kitchens!
Perth is green and offers beautiful white sandy beaches. The Indian Ocean is gorgeous and sunsets staggering. You can understand why lots of expat Brits live here. My circle of friends includes Aussies, Kiwis and Brits. My social life couldn’t be busier: I belong to the Red Hat Society, which was launched to encourage women over 50 to put some fun and friendship back into their lives. There are over a million members worldwide and my local branch meets regularly to have some fun. We’re off to watch a show, Grumpy Old Women, when it arrives in Subiaco in two weeks, and recently tried pole-dancing for a laugh. I couldn’t walk for a week afterwards!
I’m happier than I’ve ever been and moving here has made me a stronger, more confident person. I’ve also adopted a different outlook on life: having the biggest or newest items doesn’t matter to me because I value what’s really important in life.
I’d love to make Australia my permanent home. I’m in the final year of my degree and my student visa runs out in March 2008, just after graduating. I’ve started the process of finding a job and applying for permanent residency. I’m at the beginning of the process and don’t know much about what’s involved so have secured the help of a migration agency in Perth.
I believe skilled emigration is driven by a points system, based around whether you possess a skill that Australia is looking for. Also, it’s important to try and find a company that not only wants to employ you, but are prepared to sponsor you. These are avenues I’m currently exploring, but I’ll keep my fingers crossed that everything runs smoothly because nothing can beat my new life down under.’
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