JULIE WILCOX                                                                                                                I couldn't procrastinate any longer, so I took a deep breath and booked for my written followed straight away by the practical drivers test.   I considered myself a safe, steady driver, but after 20 years of driving, how many bad habits had been picked up along the way?   I looked through the book a few times and headed for the written test.   Computer operated and very dignified.    The result - a pass.   Well that wasn’t so bad and as driving was my thing I now had this aced.    

In jumps Instructor A – male.  Fluttering a few eyelashes in his direction –  I was quickly taken aback to find my 7-month-owned car did in fact have a rear demister, having stated confidently that it hadn't!   

Off we went.  He drew in his breath sharply every time I hit the brakes a bit hard  and put me on edge!   I tried a bit of small chat to relax myself more than anything.   I was firmly told that I only had to concentrate for 20 minutes!   After an eternity, we pull up at the station and wordlessly, he goes in adds up the score.  I have FAILED! Riding the clutch - rolling up to intersections, poor car control ...!   Years of bad habits.   He suggests I have some driving lessons - looks at, and doesn't believe, my tatty – never to expire license!    I insist on having it back and a tug of war results.   He does not look pleased.    

Rigid with embarrassment I tell Darling the bad news - insisting "it's my car, I can ride the clutch if I want to".    To cheer me up he says 'Oh they fail you just – so you don’t become too uppity".

Next day, Darling passes first time!

I return to the station and breathe a sigh of relief to find I have a different Inspector - kindness itself - and phew! I pass.   Waiting for the paperwork to be done I hear Inspector A tell Inspector B he had failed me.   I declare loudly that I am listening and, not to be outdone, tell the whole station that he had failed me. 

Looking a bit red in the face at being caught, Inspector A asks if my husband passed his test. Yes I declare and, to boot, came home rather smug about it!   They laugh.   Inspector B passes me a form and asks if this was my husbands name – yes I say.   "well here is a little ammo to go home with.   While doing his license he went over the speed limit twice and you only went over it once" Thanks Inspectors you did have a sense of humour after all and a nice touch to help restore this girl’s dignity!

The W's : arrived in November 2002 with 8 suitcases and enough to buy a cheap runabout - following a church service of welcome, a young doctor popped round with a cheque for $1,000!   So they were able to get a decent car.  Then the community rallied round extraordinarily - a free cottage for three months, a house full of furniture, second hand uniforms for the kids and lots of provisions.   Then the older daughter who had shown promise as a diver in Zimbabwe, started joining in with some divers at the Aquatic Centre in Adelaide.   Six weeks later, she was 'spotted' by the South Australian Sports Institute and asked to join the diving squad.   As Adelaide was almost two hours away, this looked impossible - until it was realised that they lived on one of the only sheep stations in Australia with a fully equipped gymnasium, that her mother was a sports science teacher, and that the school was prepared to give her home schooling for one day a week so that she could come in for four diving sessions.   She was chosen to dive for the State in the Nationals within four months and we're all watching the future with interest.

The L's : arrived in Australia 20 years ago with $847 ($1,000 per family was all you were allowed at the time - with the rest taken off because we had already travelled outside the country - going down to Pretoria for the interview!)   When they went to deposit this pitiful amount in the bank, the bank manager was so horrified that he rang a mate and 'ordered' him to lend them a car - then rang another mate and 'ordered' him to let them have a two-bedroomed unit for $17.50 a week!   Then packed them off protesting loudly, to go on the dole - saying they couldn't possible survive and would pay it all back in taxes once they started working anyway!   They had jobs within four months and have settled well despite the ups and downs of life (including being fined $874 because they had included Colcom Hams in their container).   Such is life!