Three Hornets in formation ripped their way above me; the sound of tearing the sky in half like a rough draft that needs to be started all over again. Just when I thought it was awesome enough coming within 30m of a whole row of them on the flightline!
I was taking the scenic route to see the Unit Security Officer, yet another signature that's needed for my Inwards Clearance procedure. This is basically what everyone needs to do when they post in to a new location - much of it is just running around chasing admin stuff like handing in medical and dental records, checking up on deficiencies at the clothing store, finding out where various places are on base which I personally may never visit again, but may prove useful to the next Airman coming through.
Yesterday was my first faux working day on base, which was whiled away with various tours of the separate messes, running into more people than I thought I even previously knew, and wandering around looking for signatures in a sort fo crazed scavenger hunt, wearing terribly uncomfortable shoes. I suppose that's one bad thing about living somewhere that it's been consistently 25 degrees and sunny each day so far - it's not particularly conducive to trekking around base in service dress.
Defence Community Organisation handed me somewhat ominous takeaway goods - a plastic tray containing hand wash, two rolls of toilet paper, a box of tissues, a couple pens, and a writing pad. Do they know me, or do they know me? I also scored some not-so-useful maps of Newcastle and a whole bunch of tourist brochures for things in and around the area. I don't really have the heart to suggest to them that what people really need when posting in is a guide on how to live here, not how to live it up out there.
The latest mixture of good and bad news (I'd call it a bombshell, but perhaps it's just a blessing in disguise and I'm being overly dramatic, considering actual test bombing happens not far from here!) is that apparently Defence wants us to not live on base by June 13 of this year! Considering I thought that we had to live here for a minimum number of months before even applying to live on base, and that it would take even further paperwork to get rental assistance to support such a manouvre, this is quite the turnaround. Apparently we can get full rental assistance to live off base, because the accommodation is meant to be of a level five standard for us live-in permanents, and the current standard is approximately two-and-a-half. Or something like that.
So I had a little poke around some real estate ads, and I can set myself up with a nice little one or two bedroom unit or flat for the miraculous price of less than $100 a week after rent assistance. What a deal! I know of people that have moved into two and three bedroom houses, all with the help of il governmento. Meanwhile, people here on a short term basis are pretty much stuck with the crummy blocks until they get upgraded, but there is supposedly a Defence-wide strategy to move people off base in order to make the on-base accommodation a bit more liveable. I'm down with that.
Except for the fact that I thought I could sponge off some taxpayers and save up some money for that pesky small business operation I thought I'd launch after leaving le militoire. Instead of throwing my hard-earned at a car, some whitegoods, default furniture, and good lord... utilities. As much as would love the chance to have a government-sponsored dwelling of my own, I just don't see the point in winning a new house if I have nothing to put in it... and it'd only be the beginning of a whole range of costs that I haven't factored into this move. Heck, I thought it'd only take me a handful of pay fortnights to sort me out with a car and/or a computer... now I'm wondering how much of a loan I could possibly take out to get a washing machine and a bed!
I'm trying to not get too far ahead of myself. I haven't even got my stuff delivered from Cerberus yet. It's been my first day of work today, and I feel like I'm starting school again. All these names to remember, I feel clueless about the equipment and any recipes for bulk cookery, not to mention that everyone seems to have a different way of doing things that I previously thought were straightforward. I'm still going through a bit of the induction and admin process, and will supposedly get some time off on Thursday to sort out my removal, but there's also a big cocktail party in one of the hangars that day. Way to jump in the deep end, really.
I'm feeling nervous but good. I think I'm really going to dig it here. I've run into a handful of people I know already, and had a good chat to catch up on gossip with someone from my recruit course last year. It seems like an age since I was at Edinburgh, and surely enough all manner of things have happened to people while I was busy doing not very much at Cerberus. It's all happening, finally. I may just be fresh meat, but at last I feel like a proper RAAFie.
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