Hazel Clarke
| Town/City | Bundall |
|---|---|
| First name | Hazel |
| Last name | Clarke |
| Country of Origin | Australia |
| Date of Birth | 26/04/66 |
| Year of Arrival in Australia | 1994 |
| Submitted by | Hazel Clarke |
Story
Mine is a modern tale. I met my future husband in a pub in London in Maida Vale. I had just graduated a year or so before – still looking for that dream graduate job whilst working in a library and having a great time living back in central London.
To cut a long story short he tried living in London and hated it and went back to Queensland. A few weeks later there was a DHL satchel by my front doorstep with a return ticket to Brisbane inside. Had to explain to my family that I was leaving for Australia – bit tricky but they thought it was a normal move for me. Weren’t many black people in Australia – didn’t seem to be any on Neighbours or Home and Away, they thought.
Didn’t click until passing Mount Fuji on the plane what I was doing. The passenger next to me asked me why I was going to Brisbane so I told her my story. She laughed and said I was brave. That’s when I thought “what am I doing!” Oh well if I didn’t like it I could always go back. But I knew I was doing the right thing and had to do it else I’d regret it for the rest of my life. At worse you just go back to England.
I arrived in Brisbane to a hideously small airport. Out of immigration, to baggage collection, then out to the car parked just outside this shed-like building. Certainly was a bit different to Terminal 4 at Heathrow.
14 years and a bit later, married 12 years, small business owner and very happy. No regrets. Spoke to too many people in the UK before I left about Australia. Two people said they had the chance to move with jobs but chickened out at the last minute. They wish they hadn’t and I was going to be one of them.