“This is home now.”
Six years ago Ann O’Brien, her husband John and daughter Megan made a life-changing family decision.
“John and I both had very good jobs, Megan was settled, we holidayed to Europe every year... I don’t know if we were just at that point in our life where we were wanting something different, a bit of adventure... maybe it was a midlife crisis.”
The three agreed to uproot from their life in Scotland and move just about as far away from their home town of Uphall outside Edinburgh as you can get - to Australia.
Even with relatives here and Ann’s Australian aunt as sponsor it took a year and a half for the O’Briens’ visas to come through.
“The hardest thing was leaving family and friends,” says Ann.
“It’s not as though we were just moving down the road.
“As difficult as it was for them I know my parents were happy for us.”
Heading straight to Ulladulla to stay with family, Ann says it felt like an extended holiday for the first few months.
“Then once our furniture arrived from Scotland we got serious about finding a home, jobs, getting Megan comfortable at school.
“We’ve been made to feel welcome.”
Now, settled in their new lives, which include a renovated Milton cottage, complete with white picket fence, it’s time for the next step.
Tomorrow the O’Briens will put their hands on their hearts and, girt by sea, take part in the Australia Day citizenship ceremony at Mollymook Beach.
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“I think the idea of coming to Australia was probably a case of why not? One of those, if we don’t try, how will we ever know things – will we live to regret not doing it?
“You don’t want to be left thinking, if only we had.”
The O’Brien’s dived in, made it to the other side and haven’t looked back.
“We have no regrets - none whatsoever.”
Of course, there has been the need for some adjustment.
Most missed, not surprisingly, are people and particular places.
“And whenever we can we try and get some haggis,” adds John.
“You hear all the jokes about what’s in it... but when you taste it it’s just a really nice dish.”
Kangaroo is a new favourite.
“With sweet chilli sauce,” chimes in Megan with unabashed enthusiasm.
“I love sweet chilli sauce.”
While the effervescent 16-year-old reckons she had no trouble slotting in - “I think the accent helps” – she does admit there were some lingo lessons to be learned.
“Lollies not sweeties, and here I drink ‘cordial’ and say ‘heaps’ quite a lot.”
“And now she puts on her thongs to go to the beach,” explains her mum.
“In Scotland you take thongs off to go to the beach because thongs are undies... except there your undies are pants and your pants are trousers.”
But the biggest change in their lives?
“The weather,” chorus the O’Briens.
“We spend so much more time outdoors here. In Scotland you don’t bother putting furniture outside because you’d hardly get the chance to use it.
“And there’s not really the weather in the UK that makes you want to go and sit at the beach for too long.”
The Aussie clime, says Ann, creates the lifestyle.
“I do miss the snow, but here it’s not too cold, not too hot – it’s perfect,” reckons Megan.
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“Getting our visas stamped, the customs officer saw Ulladulla was where we were going and said - welcome to paradise.
“People assume we must have been somewhere else before coming here – but why would you go anywhere else if you could come here?”
A family holiday with their Ulladulla cousins in 2005, to test the water, convinced the O’Briens that the South Coast was the place to be.
“Having seen Sydney and how busy it is... it’s so different down here - so laid back and peaceful, and we liked the community feel.”
“We’ve got lovely neighbours - everyone’s really friendly here.”
Even supermarket shopping is a pleasure says Ann.
“The Milton IGA is such a nice place to go - there’s always someone to bump into... it’s just the friendliness of everyone here.”
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“We’re still getting used to beetroot in burgers,” jokes John, “bare feet in the supermarket and people wearing pyjamas down the street.”
When they think about it, the couple agrees that the only real challenge has been the employment opportunities locally.
John is now working as relief for St George Bank, travelling between Batemans Bay, Ulladulla and Nowra.
“I get to do all the roles in the bank – it’s really interesting.”
Ann too has a background in banking but has only worked sporadically since arriving.
“It is hard to find a job here, but I’m actively looking.”
“I’m doing fine, it’s part of life and you just get on with it – you get on and do things.”
In the meantime Ann volunteers with Meals on Wheels.
“I feel like we are a part of the community.”
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“We must have pretty positive attitudes - to sell up, give up our jobs and just think we’ll make it work, we’ll find jobs... and we did.
“We wanted the best for Megan – to give her this opportunity.
“It’s a great life here – we’ve got everything we want.”
Standing on her back deck, on the eve of her citizenship ceremony, Ann gazes past the back garden with its Hills Hoist and shed, over the trees and across to the escarpment in the west.
“Life is what you make it.
“If you sit back and do nothing, nothing will happen - you have to get out there and do something.”
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