Echuca widow arrives at new South Australian home after two-week border battle

By Ivy Jensen

Aug 18, 2020

ECHUCA’S Jan Main has completed the journey to her new home in the Adelaide Hills after more than two stressful weeks fighting to get an exemption to cross the border into her new state.

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The 83-year-old widow sold her Mt Terrick home and had timed settlement so she could drive straight to Woodside and self-isolate there for the mandatory 14 days.

But she was shocked to receive a phone call from the retirement village, where she had bought her new home, to say she would not be allowed to come because of tough new border controls.

Suddenly she was faced with being homeless and turned to Member for Murray Plains Peter Walsh for help.

Emergency accommodation was arranged courtesy of Kathi and Ian Maddison while appeals and rejections flew backwards and forwards between South Australia and Victoria.

“I was really starting to think this was never going to happen; and that’s not a nice place to be,” Jan said.

“But Peter Walsh was able to get both the Premier’s and the Health Minister’s offices to intervene and after a couple of false starts we made it.

“I doubt we would have made it at all without his help and I would also like to thank all the people in Echuca-Moama for their good wishes and support through all of this.”

Jan left Wednesday afternoon, stopped at Nhill overnight and arrived at her new home about 4pm Thursday, August 13.

She said they were COVID tested at the border before heading straight to her new home, where she and nephew Andrew Lawrence, who is helping with the move, will isolate for two weeks.

She said they had to have a second test in 12 days and once they got the all-clear, she would be an official Croweater.

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