Irish Scene May/June 2020 Edition

Page 54

www.easivisa.com EasiVisa makes migration simple

Principal of EasiVisa, Carol-Ann Lynch, shares her experiences as a migration agent during the pandemic panic January 10th 2020 On a warm January morning, as I was heading to the Royal Perth Hospital on a Yellow Cat bus, a smiling senior Noongar lady, accompanied by a younger male friend, hopped on and sat next to me. We started chatting. The lady (who I shall refer to as Jen) explained that she had a keen interest in genealogy and possessed both Noongar and Irish blood. Jen was wonderfully knowledgeable and deeply engaging. I can’t remember enjoying a bus ride so much! As the bus approached Royal Perth Hospital I was sad that our conversation was drawing to a close. We got off the bus together and continued chatting for a few more minutes before heading to our respective appointments. Mine was with a client and Jen’s was with her medical consultant. Jen’s smiling, happy disposition disguised the fact she did not enjoy good health. I handed Jen my business card and said that I would love to continue our conversation one day. I hoped she would keep in touch. Later that day, Jen appeared at our EasiVisa office in West Perth with her young friend and an older chap. I was taken off guard. I hadn’t expected to see Jen quite so soon! Having said that, I was delighted to see her again and welcomed Jen and her friends into our office where a most extraordinary conversation took place. Those three wonderful people, who had experienced enormous social disadvantage in our “Lucky Country” appeared to have amazing insight into what could be done in order to repair the economic, social and environmental fabric of our increasingly sick world. They wanted to help heal our society and our environment. As our fascinating conversation drew to a close, one of Jen’s friends calmly announced “in four weeks’ time, humanity will face a global disaster. The world’s stock markets will crash, businesses will go into liquidation and there will be mass global

unemployment. It will take up to 2 years for life to begin to normalize. If you have any shares, I’d suggest that you sell them now!” I explained that I didn’t earn enough to gamble on the stock market. Jen’s friend seemed genuinely relieved. It was an unforgettable conversation that delved deep into the fabric of our existence. I was spellbound by the calm and inherent kindness of Jen and her two friends. AND then along came the coronavirus! The first confirmed case relating to the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia was identified 15 days after my conversation with Jen and her friends. Within four weeks of that conversation, the world was facing a health, social and financial disaster of biblical proportions. Was it all a coincidence? It certainly doesn’t feel like a coincidence! I was glad I had no shares! 10 May 2020 It’s overwhelming how much our lives have changed over the past four months. We are battling a global disaster that some clearly saw coming. Some highprofile world leaders have plunged their countries into chaos by failing to acknowledge the force of the enemy. Other world leaders are doing a significantly better job. Thanks to the tremendous leadership of Mark McGowan, our State Premier, Western Australia is in remarkably good shape. We’ve been hit hard but we are starting to bounce back. Our Federal government and National Cabinet have done us proud! Australia remains the “Lucky Country” in the eyes of the world. As a migrant to Australia, I consider myself incredibly lucky to be living here. According to the newspapers “Coronavirus travel bans are predicted to smash net overseas migration by a massive 85%”. What on earth does this mean? The Department of Home Affairs is continuing to grant skilled visas, employer sponsored visas, partner visas, parent visas and other visas included in our permanent migration program. Once the visa is granted, the visa holder can travel to Australia but will be required to undertake a mandatory 14-day

803A Wellington Street, West Perth, WA 6005 Phone +61 8 9429 8860 THE IRISH SCENE | 54

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Articles inside

Shamrock Rovers

1min
page 78

GAA Junior Academy

1min
pages 79-80

I bPonc le Pól Ó Muirí

3min
page 76

Australian Irish Dancing Assoc

2min
pages 74-75

Paula from Tasmania

3min
page 77

Minute with Synnott

3min
page 71

Around the Irish Scene

8min
pages 72-73

Western Australian Irish Famine Memorial

1min
page 70

Romancing The Past

3min
page 69

Family History WA

11min
pages 66-68

Tara

7min
pages 62-63

Fortune’s Wheel

7min
pages 64-65

Slow Time

3min
pages 60-61

Claddagh Report

5min
pages 56-57

The Ultimate Home Run

5min
pages 58-59

EasiVisa

5min
pages 54-55

Fight & Flight In Time of Crisis

5min
pages 40-41

G’Day From Melbourne

6min
pages 32-33

Crooners & Craic Versus Coronavirus

21min
pages 44-50

The COVID Chronicles

14min
pages 35-39

The Year of Nightingales

2min
page 34

Matters of Pub-lic Interest

6min
pages 51-53

Flying Doctors & Flights of Mercy

9min
pages 42-43

Ulster Rambles

6min
pages 30-31

The Pull of the Plough and The Stars

7min
pages 24-25

Isteach Sa Teach

12min
pages 26-29

Meeja WAtch

6min
pages 12-13

A Place Apart

15min
pages 14-18

Water Famine, Pestilence & Service to the Sick

7min
pages 20-21

Editor’s Letter

3min
page 4

A Message from the Ambassador of Ireland

2min
page 19

Irish & The Virus

6min
pages 10-11

TB or Not TB

6min
pages 22-23

Masters of Disaster

10min
pages 5-9
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