Selamat Datang!
- Welcome to our often strange , odd and even sometimes
queer
pages.
We would like to share with you some of the weird and wonderful events and
interests that we have shared since we met at a dance competition in1995
in Tony's home town of Padang , West Sumatra.
We believe that being well dressed means never drawing attention to
one's self. (Montessori children's picnic at Fort Canning Park -Singapore
1999).
Both of us are dancers. It is this common interest that first drew us together.
We left for Singapore in the second half of 1997, only months
before Indonesia was to experience violent riots and the fall of the
Government
.
Romantic ruins, a hot day, a plastic bottle of warm water and
thou........ at Godhbunder fort near Bombay in January 2000.
Tony was in India for from June '99 to April 2000 to study as a Montessori
Kindergarten teacher. Nicholai joined him for five weeks over Christmas and new year before
returning to Singapore to take up a new teaching position.
Things did not work out for Tony when he returned to Singapore as the
work load at the kindergarten was horrendous. The employer insisted he pay
$10.000 to be released from the bond, as such is the law in Singapore ,
employees...especially foreign workers have no rights. It's a case of Ïf you
don't like it , then go home to your own
country!'
April 2002 was a watershed in their lives. Nicholai's school went bankrupt and
didnt pay his wages, and on the 17th Nicholai's mother passed
away. Nicholai went to Australia for the funeral
where it was confirmed that he was the sole heir to the small property. The
catch was that he had to pay $15000 in unpaid rates or the council would take
the
lot.
They decided to take the house and move to Australia even though this would mean
that they would not have any money once they arrived as all their savings would
be taken up by the debts and the cost of the
move.
Tony had already been granted permanent resident status in Australia , and so
that was not a problem.
They arrived in the small Central Queensland city of Rockhampton on the 10th of
June 2002, and set about settling in.
By the end of 2002 nothing much had changed. Neither Nicholai nor Tony were able
to find employment in Rockhampton.........
For further updates please refer to "What's Happening".
Tony comes from the Port city of Padang in the Indonesian province of West
Sumatra.
The Minangkabau people of West Sumatra have elaborate costumes
and decorations for their ceremonies
Minangkabau architecture is equally fantastic and
elaborate.
