Rebecca Reed and Adam Reeves

Down-under duo arrive and thrive In Alberta

A funny thing happened to Rebecca Reed and Adam Reeves when they left the small town of Dalwallinu, Australia for a year-long working and backpacking holiday in Canada. When the Aussie couple arrived in Edmonton, Alberta, they liked the capital city so much that they now call it home, having just received their permanent residency status.

"The people, the places, the opportunities that we've had here are second to none, so we won't be going back any time soon," said Rebecca. "Both of us have wonderful jobs right now. We have full intentions of staying through, doing the entire thing, and becoming citizens."

Adam, 27, is employed at Martin Equipment, where he works as a heavy duty mechanic, and also does seasonal field-service repair work for farmers. Rebecca, 24, works at LaFarge Construction Materials, and travels throughout Western Canada, overseeing the set up of a new computer software system.

"The people are very similar to Australians," said Rebecca. "They're laid-back, happy, and easy going. They bend over backwards to help you out. People have been amazingly open. It's wonderful."

When the couple realized they wanted to stay longer in Alberta, they utilized the Alberta Provincial Nominee Program (PNP). "We decided that we'd like to become permanent residents," said Adam. "It's worth staying for longer, and that's when we started looking into the PNP program. It's a fast-track program, providing of course that your employer will sponsor you."

Martin Equipment agreed to sponsor Adam, and the process began. "Once the employer side of things was approved, we were given the green light to say start completing your paperwork for the permanent residency," said Adam. So Adam got in touch with Joyce Conroy, a Provincial Nominee Program Officer with Alberta Employment, Immigration & Industry.

"Joyce was the supervisor of our process," said Rebecca. "She oversaw and made sure our application was correct, and contained everything that we needed. In a word, she was just like the overseer. Without her, I really don't think it would have gone as smoothly."

"She was very helpful," said Adam.

Adam and Rebecca became permanent residents in September, 2006. They are adapting well to their new environment, enjoying the distinct seasons that Alberta is famous for.

"The first Christmas was really cool actually," said Rebecca. "It was snowing, there was snow on the ground, so we had a white Christmas. We said wow, we've seen this on TV. We went to the Legislature Grounds. And they have ice skating rinks down there with the Christmas lights and the fairy music, and it was lovely."

Adam was given a quick lesson in snowboarding, and picked it up very quickly. "One of the guys I worked with, said we'll go down to Snow Valley, and I'll show you how. He was good. He taught me what the beginners are taught. And within an hour, I was down the hill by myself."

The couple is also fond of Alberta's unique summers. "I love the summers," said Adam.

The long days are just fantastic. It's just amazing how energized you are by the long days."

"The other thing that blew us away were the lakes" said Rebecca. "What we call lakes in Australia would be ponds in Canada. We have a lot of friends who have boats, and they have cabins on the lake, and it's just such a wonderful thing, out on the pontoon in the middle of summer."

"We love the hiking, the camping, the mountain biking," said Rebecca. "We went camping in Jasper. It's kind of a novel experience. Everyone worries about all the bugs and stuff from Australia, and we're like, we're camping and there's bears. You know you're in bear country when the bin has a latch on it."

The numerous festivals and events are also popular. "The tickets here we find are so very cheap compared to back home, that we go to nearly every concert that comes to town," said Rebecca. "You know, I've got four sets of tickets lined up in my bedroom right now, for the Goo Goo Dolls, the Barenaked Ladies, The Nutcracker, and A Christmas Carol. We really get into that side of things. There's so much here that's offered on that side of things, so that's awesome."

The couple has visited many different parts of Alberta, Including the Royal Tyrrell Museum in Drumheller, Banff, Jasper, Rocky Mountain House, the Frank Slide, and Head Smashed-In Buffalo Jump. "And we love looking at all the little places, the little museums, the off the wall, out of the way places that you're not necessarily going to see in your Lonely Planet guide book," said Rebecca.

"In terms of opportunities for people to come over, I could not more highly recommend it," said Rebecca. "It's something that you've just got to experience for yourself. To try and quantify it into words, I just find it hard sometimes, other than it's a really wonderful place to be."

The final word on whether others from around the world should settle and work in Alberta is left to Adam: "If you don't do it, you're going to regret it."

Date Updated: Nov 01, 2007
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