Out and About is a column where we chat to South Africans who are living abroad. This week we chat to Chamonix Terblanche who lives in Perth, Australia.
Where do you live and why there?
We live in the southern suburbs of Perth. My parents, Tom and Sophi Smalberger, brother Marnus, his wife Anita and their three-year-old twin sons also live here. It is a beautiful city. The pure white beaches with turquoise water are only ten minutes from our house and it is only a 20-minute drive to Perth’s CBD.
Was it a big adjustment?
Any move is an adjustment – whether it is to Cape Town or to Perth. I believe that a place is what YOU make of it, so when I moved here I took the bull by the horns and made sure I connected with the place and the people. Australia has unbelievably receptive people and if you reach out and let them know you are here and want to be part of the community, they receive you with open arms.
Tell us more about your family? Did you study and what work do you do?
My husband Carl is from Groblersdal. We have been in Australia for 13 years and have been married for 12 years (we first courted far over the sea and he later moved to where I was down under!). He works for a bank, in their treasury department. We have three sons: Monaco (5), Bordeaux (3) and Everest (1), and then we have another little miracle on the way that will be welcomed in the world in February.
I obtained a PhD in Business Informatics here in Perth and after a wide career path where among others I worked as Chief of Staff for a senator in the Australian Parliament, I decided to make a career change and started a company in property development and sales with two other directors. From time to time I am an invited guest speaker on Sky News Australia and I am also a councillor at one of the biggest municipalities in Perth. Some of my broadcasts can be followed on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/c/thechamonixshow?sub_confirmation=1 and https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCE9rE1HHIyl5wIVZ-ODp8NA?sub_confirmation=1.
Do you still speak Afrikaans?
Yes, we speak Afrikaans. Our sons also speak fluent Afrikaans although they were born here in Perth. There is a big Afrikaans community here and we have many Afrikaans friends, so our children regularly have visits with Afrikaans friends and of course they have their cousins, grandmother and grandfather who live here!
How regularly does your family see each other?
Now that we live in Australia we see much more of each other than we ever did in South Africa. We purposefully decided to all live close to each other (five minutes’ drive from each other) and we have a standing arrangement to all spend time together ever Wednesday evening as the Smalberger (my maiden name) family. We are truly blessed to have my whole direct family so close to us here.
The strangest thing to get used to?
Gosh, I am at least used to everything by now! But when I moved here, it was strange that people at the cash registers and other service points in shops would greet each other and then always ask: “How are you?”. When the transaction or chat is done, they always conclude with: “See you later!” even though you might never see each other again – what an interesting yet friendly custom to receive and greet people with.
Do you still have contact with South Africa?
We have contact with South Africa – mostly through connections on Facebook and our families’ WhatsApp groups – but I don’t follow any news or stories about South Africa anymore. I have a general idea of what goes on in the politics in South Africa, based on what I read on Facebook every now and then or see on our Australian news channels. But this is few and far between. We hardly know any South African sport stars or TV stars anymore so to, for example, read an Afrikaans magazine is not interesting for us at all because it is total strangers being talked about or that interviews are held with. We do still like to listen to Afrikaans music through YouTube music videos.
Would you ever move back to South Africa?
No, we would never move back. We also rarely go back to South Africa for holidays. There are too many other places in the world that we would still like to see. Australia is our place now and we love our new country and her people very much!
What do you like the most about your life there?
The carefree life of safety, justice and the amazing characteristic of Australians wherein their mateship is portrayed. Mateship is an Australian way of friendship but it is greater than normal friendship. It means that people are treated equally – irrespective of their gender, religion, race or social status. Mateship symbolises actions where people will go out of their way to help you, known or unknown, and do not expect anything in return.
What is the biggest difference from your life in South Africa?
We live a much more purposeful life in Australia. If we still lived in South Africa, we would have probably still been in the rat race to climb the safety, status and social ladders that are deemed so important in South Africa. In Australia we learned to truly appreciate life and each other and to purposefully consider how we want to spend every day of our lives and what really matters at the end of the day.
What do you miss the most about South Africa?
There is basically nothing in South Africa that we can’t find in Australia. South African shops here offer all the essential snacks that South Africans abroad would miss. We eat vetkoek daily which my wonderful father bakes fresh every morning and of which I get as padkos when I swing by in the mornings on my way to work. Koeksisters, biltong and melktert are all commonly available, and the large grocery stores already sell a range of South African products such as rusks, achar, NikNaks and so forth. What I do miss though are the exceptionally nice products from biltong.co.za and Fleisherei in South Africa!
