Posted on 05/02/2021 11:44:55 PM PDT by nickcarraway
Andre and Melissa Rivenell flew from Australia to Texas in 2019 to spend time with family.
Advertisement More than a year later, they've spent their life savings and are still trying to get back home.
In December, Andre had a stroke and was diagnosed with a disease that doctors think might be ALS. Since then, his health has declined and he's not able to walk, eat or bathe on his own.
The couple now stays in a camper in Melissa's mother's backyard.
Their initial flight home in March 2020 was canceled. Then, Andre said his disability assistance was cut off because the Australian government told him he had been gone for too long.
"I'm slowly dying," Andre told KTRK. "I need to get home. I paid my taxes in Australia, I voted for these people and yet they treat me like this."
When the pandemic hit, Australia closed its borders completely: even to its own citizens. Even as they began reopening, the country enforced a limited weekly cap of people allowed to reenter.
The Rivenells said there are sometimes less than 40 people permitted on one flight, which sent some ticket prices up to more than $10,000.
Although they're registered on a list of almost 40,000 Australians trying to get home, the couple has been denied an emergency government loan twice, despite submitting paperwork to prove Andre's medical condition.
Without any income or health insurance, the couple can't afford the pricey plane tickets. Andre said he just wants to get home before he can't travel anymore.
"God forbid I die here, I don't want to do that because I want to see my son," Andre said.
Sounds like a good case for a GoFundMe account. Probably end up with some extra cash.
It doesn’t seem as though “some” governments are meeting that obligation. Sometimes meeting that obligation becomes “situational” as in protecting our borders from invasion, or protecting public health. Me thinks your faith in government to “do the right thing” is at a higher level than mine.
Maybe they could get back home by taking a Cargo Boat Cruise. Takes longer than a plane, but they would get there. And affordable too.
Send the son a plane ticket, only 1 way. Cheapest way to do it.
It has nothing to do with government doing the right thing. The government of Australia has the same obligation to its citizens.
These people are in the US illegally. Supposedly, they want to return home but are financially unable to do so. Given our close relationship with Australia, it should be a simple matter of repatriation. It is why I have posted on this thread that there must be more to this story than provided by this article. Given what I know informed by 28 years of experience, this account makes no sense.
This wouldn’t be the first time the MSM gets something wrong. I want more information on the current status of their presence in the US.
Freighter Travel Costs and Questions
Most freighters only have room for a limited number of passengers, and, while you won’t be bunking with the crew anymore, traveling by freighter is still enough of an alternative mode of transportation to keep regular cruise tourists standing in the buffet line.
Your accommodations will be quite adequate–sometimes even a reconfigured Captain’s berth! – and all your meals while at sea will be provided. But unlike a regular cruise ship, you won’t find an onboard disco or gambling casino. On the other hand, you may have more than one-night playing cards with the crew or sitting quietly on the deck watching the stars.
https://www.gonomad.com/1560-freighter-travel-faqs
“I need to get home. I paid my taxes in Australia, I voted for these people and yet they treat me like this.”
And what lesson have you learned?
Ah yes, more price gouging.
People and companies are so fair in a crisis, manufactured or not.
A new set of prices have been established and I hope the purveyors of such smother in their own inventory.
I can hope.
Price gouging is against some law. Laws are only selectively enforced these days.
I agree there’s more to the story.
“It has nothing to do with government doing the right thing. The government of Australia has the same obligation to its citizens.”
Those two sentences don’t square. If the Aus government has an obligation yet refuses to repatriate the couple how is that not “doing the right thing” you are making my point for me.
These people may very well be in the U.S. illegally although Covid circumstances (if the article is to be believed) have conspired to prevent these folk from going back. Concessions have to be given.
Just to state “they’re here illegally, the governments must do something, get them out of here ASAP” is to obfuscate the situation on the ground. I’ve never had much success making the government do anything, even when I was part of it.
One of the things I find least desirable about the FreeRepublic is when posters state their opinion of what “must be done”. To me I find such statements disconnected from reality. Just because someone is adamant a particular thing must be done rarely ever means it gets done especially by government. Just a little pet peeve of mine.
Government is capable of neither.
Perfectly congruent and consistent. Why, if true, is Australia failing to repatriate this couple? There must be a reason. We don't know all the facts. Speculation is just that, speculation.
These people may very well be in the U.S. illegally although Covid circumstances (if the article is to be believed) have conspired to prevent these folk from going back. Concessions have to be given.
If any concessions were given, then they are not here illegally. We don't know what the US response has been or even how these people were admitted to the country. Covid Circumstances "conspired" with no one. Odd choice of words. Is English your first language?
Just to state “they’re here illegally, the governments must do something, get them out of here ASAP”
I never stated that. Why did you put that statement in quotes? You make up some phony statement and then attack me for it.
One of the things I find least desirable about the FreeRepublic is when posters state their opinion of what “must be done”. To me I find such statements disconnected from reality. Just because someone is adamant a particular thing must be done rarely ever means it gets done especially by government. Just a little pet peeve of mine.
There you go again. Cite where I said "must be done" in any of my postings on this thread. You have a screw loose. Making up false quotes and attributing to me is just plain nuts.
You were very emphatic and insistent in your first response to me with your experience. To me things are not as cut and dried as your post implied. The quotations were your statements as implied towards me. If I misunderstood my apologies. I think we both agree there is more too the story.
That being what it is I read or watched a similar story this morning (I can’t remember which as it was just in passing), but the gist of it was Aus was not letting their own citizens back into the country from Pacific rim nations. I can’t figure out what the Aus government is about, I have enough understanding our own.
Just how does our government (in a time of Biden control) meet it’s obligation to provide help to this couple when their own government won’t allow them back? Our government is purposefully ignoring their obligations to it’s own citizens right and left, obfuscating the rule of law, and flaunting their lawlessness.
The difference between Australia’s numbers and Canada’s numbers likely have more to do with fake counts, such as we’ve had, here.
Australia is likely counting on the up and up.
Also, there are rescue insurance policies. Many operate world wide.
5K cusion, on a card, shouldn’t be too difficult. That’s what many of the smaller credit limits offer as lines of credit, I would think.
They should start a Go Fund Me.
Maybe the likes of Nicole Kidman or Hugh Jackman would assist.
Australia’s delayed vaccine rollout a life and death matter for some stranded overseas
24,000 isn’t that many. Adjusted for population, Canada should have around 70,000 deaths if they have similar case fatality rate as USA.
True... But 910 is a lot better.
The Aussie’s have one thing going for them... Population density 3.2 people per square kilometer. Canada... 3.7 people per square kilometer and then the US... 33.8 people per square kilometer.
For a country that is so large and spread out, Canada’s death toll is relatively high.
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