I was just interested to hear people’s opinions. Personally, she’s Australian to me. She’s been the only real good thing to come out of our country for a long, long, time. She’s a role model for me, and the way that she interacts with her fans is unbelievable. Something a lot of athletes don’t do. I think she really values them. Also I’ve heard she is one of the kindest, and funniest people out there. Fingers crossed in the next 10-15 years the Gct will have a show in Australia, she deserves a chance to compete at home.
[QUOTE=AussieEquestrian;8808972]
I’m interested to hear people’s opinions on this. Edwina competes for Australia at the Olympics in Showjumping, she’s our best rider, she was born here, but to further her career she moved to Europe. She currently lives in the Netherlands and is based there, and lives in Monaco, and has been for 20 years. She is married to an ex-Dutch showjumper and her accent unfortuanley has lost a lot of its “Aussie”. Would you still consider her to be Australian?[/QUOTE]
I don’t know her at all so am going just on your OP, OP.
Giving what you said, I would consider her Australian, but I think she should be competing for either the Netherlands or Monaco. If she wants to compete for Australia, she should live there.
I think we can make an exception for the Aussies given their travel challenges. It used to break my heart to see them come to Europe and know they would have to leave their horses there just to afford the trip and/or their personal flight home. Although I did meet my all-time favorite OTTB as a result. Thank you, Di Dawson (RIP). Look at Chris Chugg who basically had to cash in on Vivant and now Cristalline to keep going as a competitor. I think the Vegemite/Marmite test should be sufficient to determine their nationality.
Just because you marry someone of another nationality and live outside your home country does not mean you lose citizenship.
I sincerely wish Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum had elected to keep her US citizenship after her marriage. That was our loss.
Yes, she does.
[QUOTE=AussieEquestrian;8809075]
I just thought that if she has been living in the Netherlands for almost all of her life and is married to a Dutch guy, I thought that she may consider herself to be Dutch. But it’s great she is true to her roots, and I hope she keeps representing Australia. I also hope she keeps wearing the flag on her Jacket like she’s been doing this season. She really is a huge inspiration to us all back here in Australia. And about the meat pie, I doubt it, 500 calories isn’t too good for an Athlete:lol: Not to mention she has said Vegimite is her favourite food.[/QUOTE]
Why is she a huge inspiration to people in Australia when she’d rather live in the Netherlands? Sounds like an expatriate to me.
Doda lives in the Netherlands. He still inspires the Brazilians. Same with Rodrigo and Neco although they live in Belgium. Actually I think right around none of the big time Brazilian riders live or train in Brazil. Most are in holland and belgium although menezes was in the us for a number of years.
The Qatari guys also live in Belgium/Holland.
My last boss is from another island nation. She has lived in Belgium for the last twenty years or so while still competing for her country in the last two Olympics. She also married a Belgian.
And then of course we have a number of south Americans who primarily live and train in the us. Like Silvio Mazzoni.
I could continue to list rider after rider who lives elsewhere while continuing to represent their country in international competitions.
Are they all ex pats or is this limited to Edwina???
[QUOTE=Anonymoose;8817510]
Why is she a huge inspiration to people in Australia when she’d rather live in the Netherlands? Sounds like an expatriate to me.[/QUOTE]
Her husband is Dutch. What difference does it make where she lives?
does she pay taxes and vote to Australia
sounds like a citizen to me if she does
[QUOTE=hoopoe;8818236]
does she pay taxes and vote to Australia
sounds like a citizen to me if she does[/QUOTE]
Voting is not compulsory for Aussie expats.
I doubt she pays taxes. She’s too good for that. I wonder if she votes though?
[QUOTE=AussieEquestrian;8819188]
I doubt she pays taxes. She’s too good for that. I wonder if she votes though?[/QUOTE]
I doubt she would be allowed to show under the Australian flag if she didn’t pay her taxes. US citizens living overseas have to pay taxes to the US government, I’m sure Australia had similar laws for citizens living and earning money overseas.
[QUOTE=Crockpot;8819231]
[/QUOTE]
with you on this one,
WTH???
The US is only one of two nations (Eritrea is the other one) who actually has citizen-based taxation. Australia, along with every other nation except for the ones listed above, does not tax their citizens on money earned overseas while residing there. Here is an article that explains it, if anyone is interested:
http://www.tax-news.com/articles/US_Citizenship_Based_Taxation_Unique_or_Outrageous____571149.html
I suspect that Edwina and any other rider who lives overseas and rides for Australia would have to be a member of our Federation. My daughter is an American citizen and could ride “for America” at events here, but would need to join the USEF and pay some fees of some kind.
Hell, it used to be (and may still be, think the government was trying change it) that after seven years living/working overseas, you didn’t even have to pay back you HECS debt which is our version (much nicer/less expensive) of the student loans that the USA has.
