Sergeant Richard ‘Red’ Lindeman, his wife Sarah and three adorable children Henry, 4, Maeve, 3, and Edward, 6 months moved to the area after Sgt Lindeman was posted to RAAF Base Amberley.
“I met Richard in Newcastle so it’s the first time we have had to move since we had our children,” she said.
“The ADF look after you in terms of moving and posting, they try to make it as stress free as possible as most people have families.
“I was more worried about moving away from family and friends and making sure the kids could settle in.”
The Lindeman’s came up with a novel way of approaching the move to help their children feel more comfortable with the change.
“We’ve themed this with the kids – The 2018 Year of Adventure hashtag,” Mrs Lindeman said.
“That is how we’ve phrased it right from the beginning.
“I tell them ‘we are going to meet new people, go to new places, and have great holidays’.”
Whenever avionics supervisor Sergeant Lindeman is not working with his squadron, the family is out and about getting to know the Ipswich area.
They tackle one new thing every weekend while working to a solid routine the rest of the time.
Mrs Lindeman found the best way to settle in was to get involved in the local community.
“If I get invited somewhere I say ‘yes’,” she said.
“I joined every Facebook page and the RAAF Community tends to stick together.
“The day after I arrived someone on Facebook said a group of girls (not all associated with the RAAF) were meeting for coffee and would I like to come along? So I did.
“You’ve really got to get out of your comfort zone.”
The Lindeman’s recently attended the Defence Family Expo where local businesses and community groups were available for new residents to see what was on offer in Ipswich.
“It was invaluable for the children to be able to go and see where daddy works and for us to see what service providers there are here,” Mrs Lindeman said.
For everything else, there is word of mouth.
“I find recommendations are the best way when it comes to things like finding a local GP or hairdresser,” Mrs Lindeman said.
“If you can find a good hairdresser and doctor, you are set.”
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