Talita thought Melbourne would be a better place to live

We arrived in Newcastle and Talita researched immediately and decided that Newcastle is not on the map enough to study the music degree that she studying at the time.
Talita is my organised daughter, who does not wait for other to sort out her life. Well in the meantime, all of them grew up and they are amazingly self sufficient, compared to me who felt very vulnerable at that age.So, Melbourne was the city to be in and Melbourne University the best educational institution. Harald went down with Talita and moved her into the College about a kilometre from the Uni.
Talita quickly learnt all the ins and outs of traveling by tram and train. Figuring everything out about Uni and life in Melbourne.
She was a very active student who helped with the musicals and organised the balls. She did not have a lot of time to come home and spend with us, there was always more to do and places to go. I planned to go down to Melbourne, but never realised how Harald's work at BHP would limit my mobility. Lydia was the active hockey and tennis player and  needed to be taken to all the practise and competitions.
Nici was not alowed to drive at the time, so she could not cart Lydia around. Hey, this is no complaint, because I love being there when the kids play sports and do things, but I just really experienced the feeling you get when you have a few very little children around and they need you all the time for different things. "Any mother with only two hands, is handicapped". I would have loved to be "mutant mom" at that point in time. It would have been so much easier to be able to go to Talita and help her when she was ill, or find a good doctor for her when she needed it, or just go shopping like girls do.
Life had to be a little hard I suppose.... you know there is no initiation for change as good as the feeling of not having it all. It is that discomfort that brought us to this country in the first place. Knowing that you can give your children something that they have never experienced. The freedom of being able to go on a train or a tram or walking with friends after dark.
Everytime I see Talita, I think, where do you get that from? She is one of those people who walks into a room and adds energy to the atmosphere.
Then there is life always making things harder for her than anyone else, or maybe she does this all on her own... who knows. Moving away from everyone, to a new city she hasn't seen, studying a very demanding course, becoming really sick and dealing with it all, coming out on the other side, stronger and more resilient than before.
As I have the story, there was a particular Sunday, on the way to church, where she realised that Adam was going in the same direction....I am hoping, you could give me a little more information on this if you read it Talita..... long story short, they are now married and yes she had to organise it all herself!

Talita and Adam make a very handsome couple.

This was the first time that some of our family could join us as it is very expensive to come over to the other side of the world if you have a currency like the Rand. Seven times weaker than the AusDollar.

Adam is the first addition to our new family in Australia, connecting us with the Aussies in a much more special way than even becoming citizens. Adding brothers (Adam and Carl) to the sisters (Talita Nicola and Lydia) and a mother (Helen) and father (Russel) with their family.
I love the way the photos make us all look so very slim! don't you?