Holroyd Family Wanted Down Under Revisited

If your marriage was at breaking point because of your partner's job,

how far would you go to save it?

Back in 2015,

the Holroyds were struggling to balance work and family life.

To be honest, me and Simon have come to the end of the road.

A week in Australia showed that moving there could be the answer.

When I'm not away, it's bliss, because there's never no arguments.

It has just been amazing. It's been great to spend time together.

One year on and we'll find out where the family now call home.

I says, "You might as well...

"We might as well give up the idea now."

More than 30 times bigger than the UK,

and the sixth-largest country in the world,

Australia is a nation built on immigration -

with a warm climate, cosmopolitan cities

and an estimated 50% of the population living less

than five miles from the coast,

it's easy to see why thousands of British families emigrate each year,

in search of their happy ever after in the sunshine.

Simon Holroyd's working away from home five days a week

had left his and Helen's relationship in ruins.

All the couple wanted was a normal family life,

and Helen believed Australia could be the answer.

After a week experiencing what life there could be like,

the family faced a life-changing decision -

whether to stay in the UK or make the move down under.

The family's trial week began with almost 22 hours in the air,

flying from Manchester to Brisbane via Dubai.

Dad Simon was relieved when they finally touched down in Australia

for the first time.

I'm absolutely worn out.

This one was sleeping on my lap.

-Yeah, and she was snoring. You were snoring!

-She was snoring, yeah.

-No, you were snoring.

-You were snoring.

-You were!

Harry had already spotted a difference from home...

To be honest, it's a really hot country.

..and Mum admitted she was feeling overwhelmed.

I don't how I feel.

I'm excited to be here, but I'm nervous, I'm scared...

It's decision time, isn't it?

Helen was absolutely right.

Ahead of the family lay a week that could change their lives forever.

In 2015, the Holroyds - dad Simon, mum Helen,

Harry who was eight and Alexa who was five -

were living in West Yorkshire.

YELLING AND LAUGHTER

Simon and Helen met in 2006 and got engaged just five months later.

Our relationship when we first got together was brilliant, wasn't it?

Simon's job as a full-time welder often took him away from home,

but, when they became parents, things became harder to handle.

As soon as we had Harry, that's when it all changed.

Simon had tried swapping welding for a job closer to home, in an attempt

to be around more, but financially it hadn't worked out.

After my first month, it was basically...

-What you earn in a week.

-..what I could earn near enough in a week

from doing the job which I do now.

With two children to feed, Simon returned to welding,

and for the previous five months had been working in central London

from Monday to Friday every week.

My alarm goes off on Monday morning at 2.15.

I generally leave the house at about 2.45,

travel down to London, and work until six o'clock at night.

It's horrendous, to be honest.

While Simon grafted down south,

Helen juggled work with looking after Harry and Alexa...

It's like being a single mum.

I know a lot of people who are in the same boat,

people that are single,

but I'm not single and it's not how it should be.

..and Harry and Alexa were missing time with their dad.

I miss Daddy because he works away every day in the week.

The ongoing situation was putting Mum and Dad's relationship at risk.

They have arguments sometimes, because he doesn't come home

and she wants to see him more.

I've just had enough of it.

I just can't stand it.

I know.

Obviously I don't want to split up, I love him to death,

but something's got to change...

before it's too late.

Inspired by stories from friends who'd already made the move,

Helen thought Australia could be the answer to their problem.

Obviously, we want to go for the nice things,

the weather and stuff, but the main thing for me is just having you

-come home every day.

-Yeah.

HELEN SNIFFLES

That's why I want to go to Australia,

because I want you to be able to come home all the time.

Simon was willing to do whatever it took to keep his family together.

I do love my wife and kids so much, and this is one of the only ways

we're going to be able to spend that quality time together.

But much as she was desperate for change,

Helen was also torn at the prospect of being on the other side of

the world from her mum.

I feel torn. I feel like I've got to choose between

you and the kids or my mum, and it just...

It's awful.

It was a heartbreaking choice,

but after eight years of Simon coming and going,

the couple were pinning all their hopes on Australia giving them

the answers they needed.

We're not really expecting miracles,

but anything's got to be better than the current situation.

The way it's been, we could end up splitting up. I... I don't know.

I'm just praying that Australia works out how we want it to.

For their trial week down under,

the family stayed in a rented property in Coolum Beach,

on the north end of Queensland's Sunshine Coast.

-Here we go.

-A swimming pool!

Oh, wow!

Things were off to a good start.

-Imagine having this to live in.

-I know.

Inside, their home for the week looked perfect.

-Wow.

-Big open plan!

-Is that what you want?

-Yeah.

As Simon and the children headed straight for the pool,

Helen was quickly reminded of why she was considering moving

so far from home.

Seeing Simon and the kids like this is amazing.

KIDS LAUGH

This is perfect.

This is what we want. This is why we've come to Australia.

Simon was already seeing the benefits, too.

That's what we're searching for, really -

some good quality time together.

But Helen was also aware that living a lifestyle like this would mean

leaving her mum behind.

-I'd find it hard leaving my mum, but I've got to...

-Mummy!

I've got to think of us.

Difficult choices lay ahead in the next seven days.

To be honest, me and Simon have come to the end of the road.

If we don't... If we don't do this,

I don't know what's going to happen. SHE SNIFFLES

Back in 2015,

Helen and Simon were renting a three-bedroom townhouse

in Cottingley, West Yorkshire.

They had clear ideas of what they'd be looking for in Australia.

Four bedrooms, open plan, lots of space...

A garage, that'd be nice as well,

-cos we've always wanted a garage, haven't we?

-Yeah.

Just to put your junk in.

South-facing garden for the barbecues in the summer.

Obviously, I'd like the swimming pool, but that... That is not...

-That's a bonus.

-It's not on my...on my list.

With a maximum budget of £1,200 for rent each month,

a swimming pool might have been out of the question,

but Helen was prepared to compromise.

Property is important,

but it's more important that you come home every day.

Yeah.

To find out what kind of house they could actually have in Australia,

we showed them three properties -

two on budget and one which could have been their dream home.

First stop was Sippy Downs, just an hour's drive from

Queensland's capital city, Brisbane.

Did this three-bedroom house get things off on the right foot?

Oh.

Oh!

Oh, this is gorgeous!

-I could live in this, couldn't you?

-Yeah.

-Yeah?

The open-plan living area was a hit,

but did outside have the space they wanted?

All the gardens are so big, aren't they?

The amount of land that you get...

Do you like it?

-Do you like this house?

-Yeah.

It's lovely.

The spacious master gave Helen something else to get excited about.

-HELEN GASPS

-A big walk-in wardrobe!

I've always wanted a walk-in wardrobe.

And, next door, something to make Alexa smile, too.

Ah...

Oh!

Oh, that's nice, isn't it?

The house was a hit, but with £1,200 for rent every month,

was it somewhere they could afford?

-Oh, wow!

-Oh!

-890.

That's cheaper than we thought.

-That's unbelievable, that.

-Mm-hmm.

I think that that's... That is very doable.

-Of course it is, yeah.

-That's a good price.

-Shall we go and see what else there is?

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

-What else we can afford?

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

-I'm excited about it.

£300 under budget was a great start,

but would the next property prove as encouraging?

Also situated in Sippy Downs,

this traditional four-bedroom house promised plenty of what

Helen and Simon desired.

This looks nice.

Nice big double garage there.

Just what they wanted.

Oh.

And stepping inside...

Oh, this is gorgeous!

I hate cooking, but I would probably quite like it here.

-I'd enjoy it more.

-Is that a promise, is it?

Well, no, but we'll see.

The bedrooms didn't disappoint, either.

-Oh, what?

-Oh, it's gorgeous!

A dressing room again.

I can't believe the size of this house.

I know.

It definitely wasn't short on space, and just when they thought things

couldn't get any better, a garden with a pool.

Oh, my God, I could cry!

This is just the sort of thing we'd want to come out here for.

It's amazing! Definitely, yeah.

-We won't be able to afford this, I don't think.

-No.

-This is going to cost a fortune.

-No way.

I want it.

-Do you?

-I do.

I loved the other house, but I love this even more.

Helen had really fallen for this house,

but was it on the right side of their £1,200 rental budget?

If we could get something like this, I'm coming.

-Definitely.

-Yeah?

It's a no-brainer.

-Oh, my God!

-I was so close.

-You're joking.

-1,165.

-Unbelievable.

-Isn't it?

-Ha.

That is amazing. Wow.

Yeah.

Yeah, I'm really shocked.

I know, yeah.

It had been a great day so far for the Holroyds.

Next stop was Buderim,

a small town overlooking the southern Sunshine Coast.

Did this three-storey house hit the spot?

Wow.

-Wow.

-Goodness me.

Spacious and modern, this place was a real show home.

-Wow.

-This is unreal.

-It's massive!

-SIMON LAUGHS

-Can you imagine getting in this on a night?

-Every day.

Every day?

Extensive gardens promised plenty of room for outside living.

Look at the garden.

They'd have a whale of a time in all the woods and stuff.

But moving back inside, Helen worried it might be too big.

-A lot of cleaning.

-HELEN LAUGHS

Upstairs, things got back on track.

-Look at the bedroom!

-Oh, wow.

This is the master bedroom here.

My God.

Just the standard of everything is so much better than back home,

-isn't it?

-I think so, yeah.

The house had definitely impressed Helen and Simon,

but did its price tag put it out of reach?

-One, two, three...

-One, two, three...

-I was the closest.

-1,630.

-1,630.

Hmm...

Have we got enough money?

I think that's a bit over.

It was more than £400 over budget,

but Helen and Simon weren't too disappointed.

-Personally...

-No, I know.

-..I preferred the other house a lot more...

-Yeah, I did.

-..and it's cheaper.

-Yeah.

Discovering the local property market had been

a largely positive experience for the Holroyds.

Property one was a hit with the whole family and well within budget.

Property two bowled them over with the pool Helen wanted,

and at a price they could afford.

Delivering the wow factor,

the final property of the day was the ultimate dream home.

Even discovering it was over budget

wasn't enough to dampen Helen's spirits.

So, how did the Holroyds vote when it came to choosing between homes in

Australia and the UK?

-ALL:

-Australia!

-Yay!

-Yay!

-High five!

-Yeah.

The unanimous vote for Australia had got the Holroyds' week off

to a promising start,

but Helen and Simon both knew the Australian dream could quickly fade

unless Simon found a job that enabled him to be home every night

and fund the lifestyle they wanted.

Back in the UK, his job as an arc welder meant Simon worked

away from home every Monday to Friday.

I really enjoy my job. I do.

When I started doing the job, I...

I was single. It's...

Obviously, working away from home, it was...

It was brilliant.

But now with a family, the single most important thing was

finding a similar job closer to home.

I don't mind doing a lot of hours, as long as I could get to go home

on a night to spend time with my family.

That's the whole point of this.

Helen loved her job as a classroom assistant,

but she was prepared to put family above work.

The most important thing for us is for Simon to get the correct job.

I am willing to sacrifice my job for us to have the family life

that we've wanted.

While the children were looked after by a childminder,

the couple set out to explore work options down under.

With the majority of skilled workers on the Sunshine Coast commuting to

Brisbane, we arranged for Simon to meet Joe and Martin Lewandowski

at their industrial welding firm on the south side of the city.

-Simon.

-Hello.

-Martin. Nice to meet you.

Nice to meet you, Martin. I'm Simon.

-This is Joe, the director of Hitec.

-How are you? All right?

The pressure was on for Simon to make an impression.

Meanwhile, Helen was meeting with teacher's aide Heila Greeff

at Matt Flinders Anglican College in Buderim.

It's absolutely huge, this place.

-It is a big place.

-Yeah.

All the facilities here are pretty good.

-Yeah. Oh, it's fantastic.

-We certainly have everything here.

-It's so much different to where I come from, completely.

-OK.

It was a good start for Helen,

but back at the welding company, Simon's wasn't as promising.

What I see - you have just only very basic welding.

It looks like his skills weren't the perfect fit for this company,

but Martin reassured Simon all was not lost.

Um... We could get you to do TA work or labour around the yard

or in the workshop.

You know, we could ease you into the welding side of things slowly.

-Yeah, yeah.

-Yeah.

So, if you were to give me an opportunity,

what would the wage expectations be?

At first start, you'll be looking at probably 22 to 24,

because we'll have to really invest with you.

The hourly rate meant an annual salary of around £25,000,

but that would increase once fully trained.

Then you will probably look at between 28 and probably 38.

Right.

Even longer term, that was just slightly more than what

Simon already earned in the UK, but the big difference was

he'd be able to go home when his day's work was done.

I just want to be at home.

I don't want to work away any more, you know?

If you do get to work here with us,

then you will be with your wife and kids.

That was exactly what Simon wanted to hear.

Back at the college, Helen was getting a handle on

her prospects down under.

So, what kind of qualifications would you need?

Most teacher assistants here have a TAFE qualification.

And is that something that I could do over here?

-You definitely could.

-Yeah.

And you might even find that you would get recognition for your

-experience and the other course that you've already done.

-Right.

Qualifying could take up to two years, but Helen wasn't put off.

That's great.

So, assuming she could find a paid job,

all she needed to know now was how much she could earn.

For a teacher assistant that works the full five-day week,

-we're at about 35,000 per year.

-Right.

-That's quite a lot more than what I'm on.

-Is it? OK.

-Yeah.

That was the equivalent of around £17,500,

almost double what she was earning doing the same job in the UK.

Helen was impressed.

I would love my children to come to a school like this,

and I would love to work in a school like this. It's just amazing.

It had been an informative day for the couple,

achieving a better work-life balance would come at a cost for Simon,

but was it a price he was willing to pay

when it came to choosing between work in Australia and the UK?

-Australia!

-Australia!

-Yeah?

-Yeah.

Having Simon home every night would be enough to transform family life.

To give them a glimpse of how they could spend

their new-found spare time,

the Holroyds set off on a typically Aussie day out.

The family took a ferry to Fraser Island,

the largest sand island in the world.

Massive.

Almost 75 miles long and 14 miles wide, there was plenty to see.

This is like paradise.

After a short trek through it, the family stopped off for some lunch.

So, what do you think to Australia altogether, then?

-Really good.

-Do you like it?

-I love it.

-Mm-hmm.

-I really do.

The day was rounded off on the beach,

giving everyone an opportunity to dip their toe in the water

and find out if typical Aussie living was really for them.

Definitely ten out of ten.

It's just been amazing,

and if we can get this every weekend,

it's a no-brainer, isn't it?

The day had given the couple a chance to reflect on

their relationship and how much a move could mean to them.

You sort of lose touch with each other

and, obviously, with him working away, it's just not the same,

but being over here, it's...

We're kind of falling in love again.

When I'm not away, it's bliss, because there's never no arguments.

And as for the kids, it's great to spend good quality time together

as one big unit, really.

Yay!

But living this life would mean Helen saying goodbye to her mum.

I'm not going to start crying again, but...

..it would be difficult.

The decision is huge.

It's massive. It's leaving everything that we know behind.

Erm...

It's going to be difficult - very difficult.

Helen faced a heart-wrenching choice come the end of the week,

but for now, it was time to see if the family would choose

a lifestyle in Australia or the UK.

-ALL:

-Australia!

-Have we all got the same?

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

-That was going to be a definite, wasn't it?

-Definitely, yeah.

Fab.

The whole family were enjoying what Australia could potentially offer,

but Simon and Helen knew their chances of getting the life

they wanted could be washed out to sea

if finances didn't work out in their favour.

While the children played outside, Mum and Dad sat down to compare

living costs in Australia with the UK.

They started with their weekly food shop.

All right. 3p difference on carrots.

That's neither here nor there, is it?

OK, butter - £2 cheaper.

£2 cheaper?

Yeah.

That's a bonus, cos I love butter.

A quick run through the shopping list

revealed how much more they'd pay for food down under.

£17.24.

I thought it was going to be a lot worse than that, actually.

That's not so bad at all.

Almost £17 more per month didn't faze the couple,

but moving on to the bigger monthly bills...

The rent - we're going on that second house,

the one with the swimming pool that we preferred.

-Yeah, that's...

-It's quite a bit more.

-It's about double, that.

-Yeah.

Overall, the couple's outgoings would be

£2,708 every month in Australia -

almost £800 more than they were spending in the UK.

That is a lot.

It was a huge amount of money, and things went from bad to worse.

In the UK, they had £1,300 left over after bills every month,

but in Australia, they'd be £20 in the red.

That's... Yeah, that's fine.

Well, it's not, but what about once we're qualified?

-Once we're qualified...

-You know, if we're doing the jobs

that we both want to come out and do.

Desperate to make the finances work,

the couple recalculated based on Simon being a welder

and Helen a classroom assistant.

When the sums were done, the result was much more favourable.

That's £1,700 better off.

£415.73 more than what we've got back home.

Yeah, more than what we already save.

Right.

-That's good.

-So, £415.

-Mm-hmm.

In the long run, the couple would be financially better off,

but had the figures done enough to make them

choose Australia over the UK?

Are we going to make a vote?

Australia.

-Undecided?

-It's just the money, isn't it?

So that's why I'm...

Yeah.

They'd been united all week,

but fearing for their short-term finances had left Helen undecided

about the move, and the greatest hurdle was still to come.

Harry and Alexa had chosen to join Mum and Dad to watch messages from

their loved ones back home.

-Go on, then, get the remote, Harry.

-Yeah.

-Hi.

-Hi, Helen and Simon.

Hi, Harry and Alexa.

Hi, guys!

We wish we could be there with you.

Hope you've had a great time in Brisbane this week.

As a family, I think they are pretty solid.

Helen's very family-orientated.

The kids are very important to her.

Simon's one of me best friends.

He's a good lad - a really good lad.

Selfishly, I would hate it if they went...

-Yeah.

-..but I think it'd be an amazing experience for them,

and I think it would change their lives.

I think the main thing is going to be leaving her mum.

Yeah.

Ever since she talked about Australia,

deep down I've known that she'll do it - that she'll go.

And it's the right thing for them.

It doesn't mean it's the right thing for me.

I won't see them in real life again.

They've said we can go out there for a holiday,

but with my various health problems, we've no chance.

CRYING

I don't want her to go,

but I know that's being selfish.

I know there are some ways of seeing them every day,

but it's not the same as holding your child in your arms

and holding your grandchildren.

HELEN'S MUM SOBS

Follow your heart. If you think it's right, then do it.

You've got to give it a go.

Just take this opportunity and just grab it with both hands.

If your life's going to be better, go for it for, love.

We'll support you every step of the way.

I'll always be here.

I love you, all of you.

Bye.

HELEN SOBS

Yeah. Come on, Alexa.

I'd miss everybody so much.

What about your mum and dad?

I didn't expect that at all.

I thought...

I thought they would come over and see us,

but she's saying that they probably wouldn't be able to

because of her health.

HELEN SNIFFLES

We're going to go back and see them. Don't worry.

Hearing from loved ones had proved heartbreaking

for both Helen and Simon.

As the family prepared to choose where they'd spend their future,

could the human cost of moving mean the dream life,

and potentially Simon and Helen's marriage, was over for good?

The family's trial week had more than lived up to expectations.

Bringing the kids to Australia,

it definitely offers a lot more than what...

what they're getting in the UK, at the moment.

Yesterday just proved the sort of fun we could have.

The kids miss their dad.

That's why we want to come out here,

so we can spend more time as a family.

But while the week had shown what life could be like,

it had also reinforced Helen's angst over choosing between what was best

for her family and leaving her mum.

I'm so confused at the moment.

I feel if we don't... If we don't make this move,

then our marriage might end.

But then again, if we come out here, am I going to be so

devastated that I'm away from my family that we'll just argue anyway?

To be honest, this is what we do really need.

We do need a definite change from the UK life, that is...

that is 100%.

We need something to change.

It's difficult.

Why does Australia have to be on the other side of the world?

With emotions running high,

the time had come for the family to choose once and for all if Australia

really was the answer to their prayers.

-Australia!

-Australia!

Yay!

-Oh, I wasn't sure whether you'd vote Australia, Alexa.

-No.

-I thought you might... I thought you might say you wasn't sure.

-Yeah.

-Definitely Australia?

-Australia. And you, Harry, yeah?

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

-Brilliant.

I'm glad we've all chosen Australia.

I do... I do think it was a hard decision.

I'm going to start crying again in a minute.

Do you think this has got everything to offer, then?

-And more, yeah.

-Definitely, yeah.

-Definitely, yeah.

I think... I think, if we don't give it a go, we'd regret it.

-Definitely, yeah.

-Definitely. We need to give it a shot, don't we?

-Especially for these two, don't we?

-Yeah.

-Yeah?

-Yeah, definitely.

-Come on, let's go.

-Let's go. Come on.

It had been a life-changing week for the Holroyds,

and it looked like they were all set to take the leap

and start afresh on the other side of the world.

So, 12 months later,

it's time to find out if the family are now living at home or away.

It's September 2016 and the Holroyds are living in...

West Yorkshire in the UK,

but they're currently in the process of packing up their lives to move to

the other side of the world.

Right. What else do we need to do? Take these pictures down, look.

The trial week had convinced Helen and Simon Australia was where

their family's future lay.

It gave me a really good insight into what Australia

would be like to live for real.

It went really well, to be fair.

Time spent down under saw the country capture everyone's hearts.

I love the swimming pools, the beaches,

and eating ice creams every day.

The weather was great.

We spent a lot of time down at the beach.

And all the people were really kind.

And I can't wait to go there again.

We were just all really happy. It was really good.

When the whole family voted for Oz at the end of the week,

Helen couldn't quite take it in.

It was quite emotional, again, for me,

cos that's all I seem to do.

It was a relief, to be honest, knowing that we're...

You know, we all wanted to do the same thing.

After the trial week, the family stayed on to explore further.

We basically moved in with our friends for ten days.

-Yeah, yeah.

-Ten days, an extended stay.

We had their car and we had a key to the house,

and so it was just like...

We pretty much lived how we would live.

Yeah, yeah, in the same kind of house that we'd have

-and all that kind of stuff.

-Yeah.

-So, that was a good insight, wasn't it, to what we'd do?

-Yeah.

Yeah, I think we had a good sample of...

-Australian living.

-..the Australian way of life, to be fair.

The Holroyds headed back to the UK convinced the country could

offer them the normal family life they've been craving,

but the long journey home gave Helen pause for thought.

I think we had three plane journeys and it was...

It was just forever, absolutely forever.

She decided on the way back that she didn't think she'd be able to do it.

All I kept thinking is, "I can't. I can't. It's too far."

However, her doubts were soon dispelled when the reality of life

in the UK hit home.

I went back to work, he was working away,

and the weather started getting bad again and...

She phoned me up a couple of days after she been back at work

and pretty much said...

"I don't want this. I don't want to live like this any more."

"I want to get out of here." I want to give it a go."

So, we got straight on with it, didn't we?

We just started planning straight away.

Decision made, they started the lengthy process of

applying for a visa.

They knew it wouldn't be easy,

but fortunately, things were made slightly less difficult

by Simon's work moving closer to home.

He's been in Manchester, so he's been coming home every night,

which has been amazing.

We've had that little bit of quality time,

which is pretty much what we're looking forward to when

we arrive in Australia, yeah.

He's here every night to help bath the kids and have tea with us.

All that kind of normal...

the normal lifestyle that we've wanted for ages.

Now Daddy's at home, it's a lot better, cos there's no arguing

with Mummy and Daddy all the time.

All right, love. Mwah!

-Are you OK?

-Yeah, good.

My mum, and me, and Alexa needed Dad to help us out.

Having Simon back in their daily lives has helped confirm

they've made the right decision.

That has not had any impact on me at all about changing my mind.

We've seen Australia now and it's...

We've got it set in our sights.

110%, I want to go.

Yeah. Definitely, yeah.

The couple decided to apply for a skilled working visa,

which would give them permanent residency.

As the main breadwinner, the onus was on Simon.

First up, he had to sit an English language exam.

A little bit daunting, having left school 20-odd years ago,

having to go back into the classroom.

He was really, really worried about that.

Well, I even said to Helen, I says, "You might as well...

"We might as well give up the idea now."

So we got him some English tutoring.

Helen, she was quite encouraging.

She says, "You can do it. You're not as daft as you look."

Helen was right.

-We were in bed, weren't we, when we got the results?

-Yeah.

It was about seven o'clock in the morning.

They came through and it said what we needed

and you didn't believe me, did you? I was like, "We've done it!"

Well, "You've done it!"

-I pretty much passed it the first time round.

-Yeah.

But that was just the first step.

Having learnt his trade on the job, Simon had no formal qualifications

and so was faced with the arduous task of having his skills verified.

We pretty much had to prove I had all the experience

which was required to get the Australian qualification,

which was also required for...to go for the visa.

That's when we had to get an agent involved, and pay an agent to do it,

-cos there was a lot involved, wasn't there?

-Yeah.

So, then we had to go back 20 years to when he first started welding.

I went back and seen a couple of old work colleagues,

who I worked with at the time, and they did some statements.

That got sent away and then we had to wait 12 weeks.

Simon had to authenticate at least eight years of work in order to

qualify for a visa.

I mean, that wait was the worst wait ever, wasn't it?

To be fair, yeah.

Cos if they'd have come back saying, "He's got six years,"

then it would have been game over, wouldn't it?

You're thinking, "Are we going to get it, or are we not?"

And obviously you pay all this money

and they could still turn around and say,

"No, you're not having one."

But all the hard work paid off,

and, on July the 4th, 2016,

the good news finally came through.

I was... Well, I was just about to go to work

and we got a call from the agent.

Erm, it was... It was just surreal.

I was just over the moon. Absolutely over the moon. Brilliant.

I still have to pinch myself now, actually.

It was like the best feeling in the world, wasn't it?

Yeah.

With visas approved, Helen wasted no time in moving things forward.

She had flights booked before Simon got home from work

that same evening.

I spoke to him on the phone and I was like, "This date or that date?"

You know, and he just went, "It's up to you."

Leaving day is the 6th of November, 2016.

With the move imminent, there hasn't been a minute to waste.

It was all systems go.

We had to start selling stuff in the house.

Car-boot sales, we downgraded our cars...

You don't realise how much is involved.

Yeah, I can just...carry it.

We booked the shipping company to come in, as well.

Pretty much here for 12 hours, wrapping and packing the house away.

Which then, it's pretty much one of the points when you realise just

exactly what you are doing.

-So, we've been in this house empty, haven't we, for two weeks?

-Yeah.

-It's been like camping in an empty house.

-Yeah.

The kids have loved it, haven't they?

It felt really weird, because we've never really lived like that before.

We're sleeping on blow-up beds.

We've got one TV.

-Proper glamping.

-Yeah, yeah, it is.

Simon and Helen have already been making inroads

on the work front down under.

Erm, hopefully, I'd love to, you know, get a job back in a school.

That'd be ideal.

But to start with, I'm going to work with my friend for a bit.

They've got their own business,

so I'm going to be working with her straight away,

so that'll bring some money in.

Simon's been busy applying for work online.

I'm on quite a few job sites at the moment.

Hopefully, I want to get a job before I get there.

-It's just to take that little bit of pressure off.

-Yeah.

Even if it's just part-time or anything like that,

-just so you know you've got a little bit of something coming in.

-Mmm.

There's lots of work out there for him, so,

one of them jobs has got his name on it. Definitely.

Helen's adamant there'll be no question of

him working away from home.

He's not going to do it. He is not doing it.

He's already said. It's, you know, it's a massive move.

It's a whole new life change.

You know, he'll do whatever's...whatever's offered.

It doesn't have to be welding -

as long as he's coming home every day and having that family time,

he'll do anything. So, yeah.

Surfing. Surf shop on the beach, or...

In his dreams.

They've also been busy on the house-hunting front.

We've been looking at houses, well, for the last 18 months really.

We're going to look at Sippy Downs, where we stayed before.

We're going to try and look for a house before we go.

If that doesn't happen,

then obviously we'll be house-hunting straightaway.

And they've already identified a school for the children.

The kids are going to be going to school probably about a week after

we get there, because they break up then for six weeks,

so we want to get them into school before they break up.

Just so they can get to know a few people

and, sort of, break them in steadily.

-Yeah.

-Because, even for them, it's going to be a huge move.

Harry and Alexa are looking forward to their new lives down under.

I can't wait to visit the school, the beach, the sun...

This is slugby!

I just can't wait to visit Australia full stop.

I'm looking forward to living in Australia,

because it's hot weather and the ice creams there are really nice.

I'm looking forward to, as well, eating my lunch outside at school.

So, it'll be nice, warm weather.

Plans are in progress for some special send-offs.

Well, we've got two - we've got one for the children and one for us.

We've even written some nice invitations out

with a little Australia flag with flip-flops on.

Just to get everyone together, really - a final, final farewell.

It's all happy times now, isn't it?

-Course it is, yeah.

-So, yeah.

Helen may be putting on a brave face for now,

but she knows, when it comes to the crunch,

saying goodbye to her mum will be a huge wrench.

I'm not crying.

THEY LAUGH

HELEN SOBS

I knew I would end up doing this.

There's going to be a lot of tears.

The family are moving in with Helen's mum for a few weeks

before they leave.

Ooh, what have you got in here?

My life is in this bag.

I'm going to miss her so much - miss them all so much.

Being under the same roof will make it even harder when the time comes

to say goodbye.

Oh... When I think about it, I get real butterflies in my tummy.

It is hard for her, I know it is,

but deep down she knows we're doing the right thing.

Yes, I'd like to cry buckets, but I can't at this stage,

because I can't let them see how devastated I am.

It is absolutely devastating.

I'm not saying goodbye to her, I'm just...

"See you soon," you know?

Helen's mum has already booked her flight to visit down under,

but for Simon's family, that's not quite so easy.

Unfortunately, my mum, she can't really get insured to fly

cos she's got all sorts of different medical reasons.

My dad has always said he'd probably come out...

like, on his own, but it's...

Obviously, they come as a pair, don't they?

So, as the move fast approaches, are there any last-minute nerves?

Yeah, maybe somebody wanting to come back home, maybe me,

but I'm going to try not to.

Smile.

We're going to make it work.

I'm not saying we've had a bad life,

-but we've had issues and blah-di-blah, haven't we?

-Yeah.

And the future is just...

It's just bright.

Really bright, isn't it?

Yeah.

Despite everything and everyone they'll be leaving behind,

the couple can't wait to start their new life down under.

I am really confident that our future lies within Australia.

We might even renew our wedding vows again.

Might we?

Eh?

Maybe.

Where?

-In Australia, on the beach.

-Oh, right.

Yeah.

We've even spoke about having another baby, but...

I think...

It might happen.

I don't know. It's, erm...

Dirty nappies again...

Watch this space.

We'll see.

We've got a lot to look forward to.

-Is that the right way round?

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

No? Which way does it go? That way?

We're just waiting now, just waiting to get on that plane.

This is where we're going to be living.

Helen and Simon have decided to put their relationship

and Harry and Alexa's future happiness first -

a real case of love conquering all -

and we hope the family go on to make many happy memories together

when they embark on their new life down under.