Page 59 - IFAFA ebook v4

22. Greta Mulhall

Little did I know when I set off from Canberra to take up my short-term

posting at the Australian High Commission in Sri Lanka in April 1980,

that I would never again return to live permanently in Australia. After
working in Colombo for four months I moved to New Delhi to start my

three-year posting there. I arrived on Tuesday and met my future

husband, Dan, on Friday. My fate was sealed.

I love Australia, when I allow myself I miss it...but representing Ireland

for the last 37 years has not been a conflict for me. On the contrary, it

has been a great honour. Perhaps because my mother’s family emigrated

to Australia from Crossmaglen, County Armagh, in 1870 I can relate to

the Irish diaspora; more likely I think it was the warm welcome I received
when I moved to Ireland for the first time from India in 1983, a 9-month-

old baby on my hip. It was not hard to make life-long friends within and

outside DFA, the Irish people I met were so friendly, kind and fun-loving;

the country stunningly beautiful.

IFAFA played a large role in helping me settle by organizing morning

coffees, tours and other events, but more importantly for me, setting up a

foreign-born spouses group. It was good to meet other spouses who had

moved to Ireland because of marriage to a DFA officer and who were
separated from their own family and friends. Many were young mothers

like me, quite alone while their spouse went off each day to work. I have

subsequently served on the IFAFA Committee a number of times over the

years and sincerely appreciate the time and effort members have put into

trying to improve conditions for DFA families and to support spouses.

Congratulations on this 40th Anniversary.

I remember my first impressions of Ireland in 1983. My single,

professional days in New Delhi working for the Australian government
seemed a lifetime away. I was now a mother, living in the Dublin suburbs

without much support, having to cope with strange things like switching

on the ‘immersion’ a half an hour in advance of a shower (and more

importantly remembering to switch it off); water pressure not the best;

and sleeping under two duvets because I was so cold. We bought our first

house and a car so were also having to cut back. Curiously we look back

on those days with great fondness. You might say all couples start that

way and of course most do, but I believe there are extra adjustments for

foreign-born spouses. At that time nearly one-third of our spouses were
foreign-born.

I chose to follow my husband’s career. I was not required to leave the

Australian Foreign Service, but I would have had to return to Canberra at

the end of my assignment in India and my husband was expected to return

to Dublin. We had a 9-month-old daughter at that time and naturally we

wanted to be together.

When possible I did look for employment: I worked at the UN Atomic
Energy Agency while we were in Vienna; the EU in Brussels and on and

off at the Australian Embassy in Dublin. In the early years I also cooked

all our official meals, catering companies being so expensive. Like most

parents, I always waited until our children were well settled into their

new schools, had made some friends and were happy before looking

around for something for me. This has left huge gaps in my employment

record, which now leaves me ineligible for a pension. This is something

DFA should address, I feel they have a moral obligation to do so. Many

spouses who have accompanied officers on posting have had to forego their
own careers in order to keep their families together. In addition, spouses

contribute so much when on posting, whether by attending official

functions, hosting events or minding the children while the officer is

working or travelling. The pressure on families can be immense. Isolation 50

and loneliness are not uncommon.