The Australian Consulate In Bali Is Staffed By…Yes Stop Me Before I Get Arrested!

Did the form. Got all the documents I usually provide. Did the taxi ride to the visa centre. It was all relatively painless actually. Decided to walk from the villa to Discovery Mall, which is a fucking long way. Was feeling quite at peace with the world for the first time since being on holiday. Shit the sun was out too… Then my phone rang. Some dizzy bitch from the Australian Consulate! We can’t grant a visa because he is under 18 and there is no letter of permission from his mother. I got really angry. This is his fourth application. We did the letter thing after all the hassles with the second application. Oliver’s mother went to the Australian Consulate and did a letter giving permission to take him out of the country anytime. This stupid cow on the phone started going on about there being nothing on file and maybe the paperwork has gone to Australia and I would have to redo the letter, so I ordered her to get in touch with the embassy in Jakarta as that’s where the paperwork must be. I don’t have a copy of the letter and I should have. Meanwhile I tried to contact Oliver’s mother. Luckily she is still in Bali. So through my friend I have organised to go to the consulate tomorrow or Monday and do another letter. I will keep this one. I rang the consulate back and miracle of miracles, got to speak to the same person who had rang me. She actually said she had cited the letter and would grant the visa but recommended I still come in with Oliver’s mother and do another letter. It will be good for Oliver to see her again and I will take a photo of him with her for posterity sake too. So I suppose the whole thing has a positive twist to it after all. I really need to do something about legal custody too. I can’t sit on my bum about that any more.