In our last Newsletter we spoke with Olga Reilly from Dublin, who was in the middle of preparing the family for their move to Australia.

Olga, her husband Phil and the 3 children arrived save and well in Brisbane on the 24th of August 2003. I caught up with Olga to hear about her move from Ireland to Australia.

Jean & Frank our Meet and Greet Coordinators in Brisbane welcomed the Reilly Family at Brisbane Airport. It was the first flight experience for the children. We organised some temporary accommodation in Spring Hill offered by St Andrews War Memorial Hospital in Brisbane. Olga had 10 days to organise her new life before commencing at St Andrews. "You really need 10 days to prepare yourself for your new life in a new country. It's not only organising your bank account or your tax file number, we also had to organise schools for the children and most importantly, we had to find a place to live" said Olga.

The 4th of September was the big day....starting a new career in a new hospital. After 2 orientation days it was hands on at the ward. Olga remembered that it was different from home;

"you have so much to learn and you want to do it all at once and at the same time your kids have to get used to their new school and your husband also starts a new job...Too many things are happening in such a short period of time" said Olga and continued " without the very nice staff at the hospital and all the helpful people around us, it would have been much more difficult".

Olga and her family settled in very well and they bought a new car, and went for trips to Wet 'n' Wild and Movie World on the Gold Coast and visited Australia Zoo with Steve the Crocodile Hunter. Also, Olga and Phil bought a block of land and are going to start building soon.
When I spoke with Phil and Olga, it was like listening to a fairy tale. They love the weather in Brisbane, love the people and the outdoor lifestyle and they have been invited to a few Aussie "barbies".

"The sun is shining everyday in Brisbane, the children are happy at school, Phil has a terrific job"
and Olga loves her job at
St Andrews... so many things to learn" said Olga and she added: " you can tell everyone that without the superior assistance of HealthStaff Recruitment we would not be here and my special thanks to Vanessa who always was there for me". (Thanks Olga).. John

How we look after our staff:

In 2002, The Alfred was rated as one of the best Victorian hospitals for patient satisfaction. As an innovative and dynamic organisation.

The Alfred recognises that to maintain their high standards, they must attract and retain exceptional staff. Some of their current staff
benefits include:

Name/Country of Origin/Living in.../Working at.../Area of Nursing...
Ruby Mthembu, from Durban in South Africa, working at
Cabrini Hospital in the Cardiovascular Unit.

Why did you choose to move to Melbourne?
I asked Teresa, my consultant in South Africa, for the place that is most like Durban - by the sea, similar climate, similar size etc, she suggested Melbourne was the most similar so I trusted her advice. Now that I am here I would say it is quite similar to Durban, except for the weather!

What was the biggest challenge you faced during the preparation stages of organising the move?
My Visa took ages to process, I had my Registration and everything else but the Visa took about two months to be processed which held things up a little.

What was the easiest part of the process?
Communicating with my consultant Teresa, I always received immediate answers to my questions, and was kept up to date with how things were going in Australia with organising my contract. It was always exciting to receive news!

What is the best piece of advice you could offer to others?
Prepare yourself for a change. I was mentally and emotionally prepared for living and working in a different country, so it was not too much of a shock for me. And make sure you bring enough cash, I was informed of this before I arrived. Must have enough money for rent and bond to get an apartment. Also you should arrive at least one week before you commence work, to get settled.

What was the best tool that you used during the preparation stages?
I received a brochure from Healthstaff on Melbourne, it provided lots of information and it prepared me for what to expect, I felt very well informed before I arrived here.

What was the thing that surprised you most about Melbourne?
Melbourne is so "White" I was like a "raisin in a glass of milk". I can take a trip on the tram into the city and not see one other black person. But I am comfortable with this, I feel proud. And everyone is so lovely. I was aware of this from looking through brochures and Healthstaff Newsletters before I arrived, but it was still a shock at the beginning.

But I expected racial discrimination like in South Africa, but everyone is so lovely!

What was the biggest hurdle you crossed when you arrived to Melbourne?
I have not encountered any problems here.

What was the best thing that happened to you when you arrived to Melbourne
/worst thing?
Money!! I have been earning enough to send money home and pay off my student loan, I will pay it off much more quickly than if I was working in South Africa.

What was your first impression of the city and hospital?
It looked really nice. The hospital was really nice and the staff welcome was great. The Director of Nursing came in out of hours especially to meet me.

How did HSR assist you?
I was given maps and advice, and Sue, the Meet and Greet lady came and met me the day after I arrived. Sue drove me to a couple of real estate agents, and I found an apartment in the first week. She also helped me get a tax file number and bank account. Healthstaff were available any time I needed them.

How did you find the hospital orientation?
Very informative, I just had one day of hospital orientation.

How do you find the position?
Initially it was very different, I had only worked in Maternity then came to work in Cardiovascular, but it was challenging to learn. I am still learning. I work on a 30 bed ward, and I am now in charge of the ward about one or two nights each week which is a great responsibility. Great learning experience.

What do you most like about the hospital?
It is quite a religious hospital, and being from a religious background I really like that. And the staff are so helpful and supportive and you can give really personal care.

Also that it has been such a great learning experience.

Would you recommend the city/hospital to others? Why?
Definitely, I have already recommended a friend.

What is your favourite thing about the location?
The shopping!

Have you travelled around the area? Where? Is it worth visiting? What was the best accommodation that you stayed in? What was the best tourist attraction? How did you get there?
I have been to Lakes Entrance a number of times, it is so beautiful. I have also been to Bendigo with a friend I met at the Hospital. Also, I am going along the Great Ocean Road next week. I have friend who has a car so that is how we get around. I really want to go to Tasmania but will wait until Summer when the weather warms
up a bit. I am also going to return to South Africa for a holiday
next January.

What is the best thing about HSR?
The people are really nice and friendly, and always calling me to see how I am getting on.

Have you attended HSR drinks nights? What did you think?
It was lovely, it was really good to meet the consultants and
other nurses.

Is there advice or feedback that you have for HSR regarding our services?
No, they are always there for me.

Advertising - What attracted you to our ad?
It was in the Nursing News and advert was for New Graduate Nurses. I had tried other agencies but they could not help me.

Ruby summarises by saying;
I am really happy here and have no regrets at all.

On 9 October, the team had another social gathering in Sydney! It was a great evening at a bar on Coogee beach.

Thank you to everyone who attended, we enjoy meeting everyone and hearing your stories.

Hi there!
I am the newest edition to the HealthStaff Recruitment Team and have been working here now since August. It has been a dream of mine for years to travel the world and experience the excitement of living in London. I have finally achieved that dream and have been living here now for over 9 months. I am happy to say I love every minute of it! Originally from Sydney, I have a background in Recruitment and have always had a keen interest in the health industry. It's great to be able to combine all of this into my new role.
I am unashamedly biased. I love my home town and I love telling anyone who'll listen to all the many reasons why. But working in another country is the chance of a lifetime and it's great to share the enthusiasm of a team that provides this opportunity for so many more people.
I look forward to working with more of you and speaking to you soon!

Amy Lattin

Hot, hot, hot! Not something you think of when you think of England. I had the wonderful opportunity of working in our London office with Caroline and Amy for 6 weeks over July/August.
It was fantastic to meet my fellow colleagues and meet Kim's baby, Ned and I also got to say goodbye to Vanessa as she returned to NZ.
It was a great experience to be able to advise our English and Irish Health Care Professionals about our wonderful country. I was collected from the airport and taken to my accommodation, where I stayed by myself for 6 weeks. It was a great experience to know what you have to do and how you feel when you first arrive in a foreign country. It has given me a better understanding of the travel, the distance, what you need to do, how to adjust and homesickness. It makes you realise after the initial few weeks of culture shock and homesickness, we are so flexible and adaptable and there is so much to see out there.

Joey Cooney