Wanted Down Under 2014

[MrsReiver]

I know all you addicts are out there! I am not the only one.

Upon returning to the UK, the Williamsons pushed ahead with plans to emigrate, and sold the family home. In mid January 2014, Wendie, Peter and Reece flew out to Australia to start a new life in Perth. Neither Wendy nor Peter had secured employment in advance of the move, but were confident of gaining jobs once they got there. Standing by his decision to remain in the UK, oldest son Sonny has moved into his own home in Hartlepool. Wendie is still hopeful that he might join them in the future.

No secure employment for either prior to flying out there, they've taken a huge risk!

They will be revisited in a year's time.

He will miss his big bro. Poor thing. That woman really annoyed me - why didn' she move when the kids were little and would have settled into a new life much more easily?

My theory is that she is completely mad and wanted to take oldest son away from lovely girlfriend. [overthinking this]

I can't believe they went and without jobs to go to! Oh well, good luck to them.

They'll be back in the UK by the time the next Revisited episode airs.

How could they go without securing jobs?

'Pushed ahead'. Says it all really.

I just don't understand why Perth. It's so expensive! Surely they had almost lined up jobs (hoping for them)

I've found her on FB, haven't found him though

If they hadn't gone she would have had a huge tantrum and sulked and made their lives miserable for the rest of their lives. There are plenty of these type of people in existence and people pander to them.

Any one watching homes under the hammer after? £125k for a box, where would the bed even fit?

How can they go without jobs? Australia are really strict about working and visas.

That's what I thought Pobble, that you had to have a job before you went?

They own "properties", so have got an income from rental and a cushion, also somewhere to live I suppose if they come back. Funny really, most families with a 19 year old find they are waving them goodbye at the airport not the other way round. However, I'd want to wave mine goodbye as well if they were covered in so many tattooes. Never understand these people who say it's been "their dream" since they were young, why didn't they go then before the added complication of marriage and children?

oh dear, that sounds very judgmental (about the tattooes), you would love them just the same, well almost!

Ugh. The tattoo comment by Martha75 is pretty vile.

The 'reality check' annoys me. Why do they have them pissing about with a calculator for every item? It's on a spreadsheet. Have the differences already calculated and get them to make a remark about the price of bananas/milk/cat food and then calculate the overall monthly difference (for the suspense!). Then they may have time to show what other items are on the list e.g. Are school expenses included, insurance, energy prices, petrol etc.

That didn't look into much for the youngest boy-school life, extra curricular activities etc. Though i guess his point was moot in the end anyway.

I have watched a number of these now. Are our gas and electric prices in the UK much less than Oz? I am sure I have picked this up over a few of the programmes.

Also, can we have some professional people PLEASE! Expecting pools, to give up work, to have more time with the kids etc etc when you have one salary as say a carpetner or on one programme a carpet fitter is getting a bit boring (all for £100-£150k)

Also, including late teen kids. Is that something you can do?

Apologies RiffyWammal if you found my comment "vile". It is not as offensive as some of the comments on here, but yes, perhaps it would offend some people. However, I do intensely dislike tattooes, and I was so sad to see a lovely young lad with such artistic talent covered in them. Some people may think of it as body art, but I look on it as self-mutilation.

Whatever the outcome I wish them all well; Australia is not always a bed of roses.

I was shocked they didn't realise the 19yo ds couldn't be included in their application. Even I know that, do they do no research at all?

Australian entry visas can be quite complex (and expensive). And they keep changing the criteria for whatever careers are needed or not, so people could decide to go, apply six months later and find their particular field of expertise is not needed any more.

I'm with you on the tattoos, Martha!

Format's getting a bit repetitive now too, isn't it?

Yes, the format is very repetitive. That's maybe why they had the 'surprise' of the eldest boy not included in the visa. I think everybody knew beforehand but it was this episode's angle.

Monday's episode is in Wellington, so that will be a little bit of a change.

Aah, my home town! Will definitely be watching.
Only hope they are under no illusions on the weather front!

Aquilla, do you mean - I wonder if there'll be any shots of commuters huddling together on the walk from the train station to the centre of town during a southerly?

Someone who was featured on the MN blog of the day went with her DH and kids (including a small baby) to NZ with no jobs lined up

Martha how shallow. Do really think parents love their children based on their appearances? Given that so many people view tattoos as body art, it's not very surprising that an artistic type would have one. Did you mean to be so rude? I'd rather be covered in tattoos than be a judgemental boring middle-class suburbanite.