I The work life balance wasn’t there for Leanne either. She would work Monday to Friday and alternative Saturday and Sunday shifts and long days at the hospital.
I would like to say nothing is all that bad in South Africa. There are good parts and not so good parts. There is so many similarities in the land between here and home. The farming is less machinery intense and the low minimal wage causes a gap between those who can live well and those who really struggle.
We first visited Cummins 4 ½ years ago to see the town and its facilities. Leanne had to sit a test and South Australia looked appealing. At home we were robbed twice significantly, one of these they used a crowbar to get through the security gates. These burglaries prompted us to think about moving. We had an option of going into a security complex to live and these still sometimes get robbed. Or we could move.
We weighed up our options and initially, New Zealand look like a great place to move and bring up our son. We looked into this website for the Medical Board and it was extremely difficult to navigate, in comparison to the Australian Medical Board which was easier.
We came across a Dr from South Africa and he was working in Australia. He gave us advice about how to verify our credentials and this was an expensive option. We realised that we needed to find a sponsor. So, I started looking for GP sponsor jobs. I was on my phone scrolling one night and found this job, and I showed Leanne and she was keen. We made contact with Gerard Quigley and he helped guide us through the process.
We moved to Cummins during Covid and had to quarantine in Adelaide for 14 days. That was challenging in a hotel room, the 3 of us. It has been 2 ½ years now and I think it’s been one of the better decisions we have made. We have work life balance now which we didn’t have before.
We have been welcomed into the community and the elderly have been especially welcoming.
I haven’t found being away from my family too challenging but at times Leanne has, she does miss her family. People ask if we miss South Africa. Yes, sometimes I miss my mates, but the country looks similar,, and I am making new friends.
Our home in South Africa had many security gates on the front of each door. At night I would check every door to see if it was locked and then put the security alarm with cameras on. Crime over there is fuelled by very low wages, in many cases they steal to feed their families. In saying this, South Africa is a beautiful place though.
When we first moved into our home here in Cummins Alex said, “mum, there’s no gates.”
Moving to Cummins has been positive. We have more of a work life balance and my employers are very accommodating and understanding. They are willing to help and train me. Having employers understand the bigger picture of our situation has made the transition positive and we have felt supported. "
Andre Perrang
"I was born in a town called Worscester, about an hour from Cape town in South Africa. I grew up in Ceres, a fruit growing farming environment, similar to the Riverland in South Australia. They grow peaches, apples and pears. There is a large juice manufacturing factory and they have the second biggest cooling rooms in the Southern Hemisphere.
I went to primary school and part of high school in Ceres, and then I went to boarding school in Cape Town. This was an interesting experience. The school I went to wasn’t a proper boarding school at first. The boarding house was a huge house on the property next to the school. The girls had a house on one side of the school and the boys on the other side of school.
The school is opposite Newlands Cricket Ground and I played cricket at school. I was fortunate to usher some of the cricket games and get a minimum wage and a food ticket.
This was when I first saw the Australian cricket team. Shane Warne, Steve Waugh, Ricky Ponting, Glen McGrath, Ian Healy. The first time I saw Shane Warne play I was amazed. I had a banner that said ‘It ain’t over until the fat boy spins’. I witnessed the banter between Shane Warne and Daryl Cullinan, the South African batsman.
After finishing school I studied a 3 year Civil Engineering Diploma at Cape Peninsula University of Technology. After which I worked for a civil engineering contractor, for Greymo Construction. After Greymo, I worked for 15 years for Gibb Enginering and Science as a technician until I resigned to come to Australia.
When I was working in head office in Cape Town as a civil engineer, I would drive 2 - 2.5 hours each way from work. A total of 5 hours of each working day was on the road. I travelled between multiple sites to go through the paperwork and do the site checks.