Dr Lionel Lundall (University of Western Cape) now living in Innisfail, Far North Queensland

What made you consider coming out to Australia?

Many reasons. I attempted all the different formats of practicing in South Africa in a few different cities.

I tried a 2 man partnership (from 1992-2001) which was great for myself and my partner (Gus). It was a very well-established practice and the partnership was wonderful. However, the state of private practice in South Africa was such that most patients belong to third party funding called "Medical Aid". The dentist was responsible for retrieving the funds from the Medical Aid companies after treatment. However as the years went on, it became increasingly difficult to extricate funds owed from the Medical Aid companies. We actually even ended up employing a full-time administrative person to work for 8 hours a day on the phone with Medical Aid companies to confirm how much was allocated to certain procedures, however this still didn't deliver the result.

Although the practice was incredibly busy and 'successful' in one sense, we were not being reimbursed for our work. The debt was growing monthly and we were not being paid.

In 2001, a position came up in an 8-man dental clinic in East London (in South Africa) and I went to join them. This was a turn-key operation, whereby they provide you a nurse, a surgery and they take a percentage of the profits. That percentage would be guaranteed on a monthly basis. They took responsibility for the Medical Aid problem, so this became a very attractive option. My bank account was not in overdraft anymore and I was happy.

In 2002, Gus (my old partner and friend) immigrated to New Zealand a year and a half after I left the practice. He begged me to join him, however I thought I could still make a difference in South Africa. But by 2006, my family and I decided we had had enough. I was so unhappy in private practice that we wanted to look at something else.

In May of 2008, my wife, three kids and I all immigrated to New Zealand. We moved to a place in the southern part of the North Island and I became an Assistant Dentist in a very busy rural practice. My qualifications are recognized in New Zealand (I just had to sit the NZ Conditions of Practice exam), so it was relatively easy to make the move.

Compared to Cape Town, it was quite cold there and I developed chronic severe hayfever, which I had never had before and which was incredibly difficult to manage. We weren't particularly happy there and didn't like the cold climate. Also, as an Assistant Dentist with three kids and a wife, it was difficult to make ends meet and we were living hand to mouth and week to week.

In 2009 I came across the DJS ad in the NZDA and visited their website which explained everything I needed to know. I did the online registration and started speaking with the DJS team regarding moving to Australia.

We immigrated to Australia in April 2010. We chose Cairns as a destination as I had been there before and I realized that at my age, we probably needed to move to a more rural city/town in order to be able to work in Australia. The practice was a satellite surgery of a Cairns practice and was situated in Mossman, which was not suitable for me and my family. Thankfully, DJS had the experience, resources and ability to place me elsewhere as soon as I requested alternative employment.

What happened next?

The great thing about DJS is that you have a massive array of options available to you, so I could choose between working all over the country. Unfortunately, Cairns was not the right choice in terms of living and working. But DJS was fantastic and swiftly moved us to Innisfail (about 1.5 hours drive from Cairns).

I have been working in Innisfail since July and it has been a great move for all of us. I am very happy here in my new job and the family is very happy with the area, climate and lifestyle.

How have the kids settled in?

My two boys are 6 and 12. The local school looks great, the weather is great and although it has been a massive upheaval, the way we look at things, we can pat ourselves on the back. We have done all the hard work and are now looking forward to enjoying our lives in Australia.

How does the practice of dentistry differ in Australia?

I am working in the public sector now, and it is way better than where I have worked in private practice. I have a great surgery, great view, great instruments, and a great team.

What do you see for your future?

We are in Australia, this is where we want to live, this is where we want to be.