Horn Family Wanted Down Under Revisited


Horn Family

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Imagine if, after years of discussion,

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you'd finally persuaded your partner to consider emigrating

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to the other side of the world,

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only to discover your teenaged children

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still needed to be convinced.

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That's the situation Lyn Horn was in back in 2010

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when her family set off on a trial week to Adelaide.

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Six years later, we'll find out where and how the Horns are now.

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For 30 years, Lyn Horn believed in a life down under,

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but her children didn't share that dream.

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I'm not only losing a boyfriend, but I'm losing a friend.

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And the thought of splitting the family in two

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was hard for everyone to comprehend.

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I couldn't stay in England

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and have these three out in Australia, I couldn't do it.

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Today, we'll find out if the Horns stayed in the UK or, together,

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made the leap to the other side of the world.

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You just don't know what to do when it gets to that stage.

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You know, is it worth then going?

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Lyn Horn had dreamt of moving to Australia ever since childhood.

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After years of discussion,

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husband Andy was finally in agreement

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the country could be somewhere they could call home.

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But with two teenaged children less than convinced,

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the family's future was far from certain.

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A trial week in Adelaide in 2010

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gave the whole family a taste of what life could be like

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and the chance to decide once and for all

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

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Back then, glazier Andy and preschool teacher Lyn Horn

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lived in Herne Bay in Kent.

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Their son Chris was aged 18 and daughter Kirsty, 17.

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They had built a good life for themselves,

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but it wasn't enough for Lyn and she was desperate for change.

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I have wanted to go since I was about nine.

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My mum went to Australia on a cricket tour with my dad

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and they came back absolutely raving about the place,

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and I told Andy that when I met him

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and we've tried a couple of times, we've looked into it,

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but we've always thought that something wasn't quite right,

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timings weren't right.

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She talked Andy into giving Australia a try,

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but he wasn't convinced.

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It's been a long, long time since she first dreamed about going,

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but I'm not sure whether she is really committed

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to leaving everything she's got to make that big move.

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There were two other potential problems.

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Chris and Kirsty.

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They were old enough to stay at home on their own,

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but Lyn wouldn't contemplate splitting the family up.

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We want more for the children, for their futures,

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which we don't think they're going to get over here.

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About to leave school,

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the timing couldn't have been worse for Chris.

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He needed some serious persuading.

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For me, I feel a bit confused as to where I am and what could happen

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within the next couple of years.

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It's going to have a massive impact on all of us.

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For Kirsty, leaving a group of friends and her boyfriend behind

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was unthinkable.

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If we did make the move, we'd be leaving so much behind.

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I love life as it is now.

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I'm not sure if it's worth giving up.

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But Andy could see the possibilities down under and had grand plans.

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If I do get any time off work, then I'm out on the golf course.

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Playing somewhere.

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I've always wanted to build myself a small crazy golf centre.

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Yeah, that would be my ultimate dream.

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Even so, he was heading out to Australia with some doubts.

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There's still a lot of convincing for me to go as well, I think.

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If things don't work out this side, for us to make that initial move,

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then no, we don't go, basically.

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Still believing it was the right move, for Lyn,

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there was only one barrier.

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Finances are the only thing

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that could actually stop it from occurring, I think.

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Selling Andy's business, selling the house,

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getting the money we need for the house

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to then make the move over,

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it's purely financial.

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To find out where their future lay, the Horns visited Adelaide.

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After a 23-hour journey across two continents,

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Kirsty was feeling a little emotional.

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We've had tears on the way. But...

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-Don't, because I'll start again.

-No, you won't.

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Lyn and Andy were more positive.

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Really looking forward to it.

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Yeah, here we come, Adelaide.

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Lyn had to persuade the whole family Australia was for them,

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if she was to realise her dream.

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Their home for the week was in Henley Beach,

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and it was the perfect place to explore the area.

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They were soon feeling the effects of a long journey.

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Being on the flight for 23 hours overall...

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..definitely made me realise how far Australia is away from home.

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Kirsty had a lot to leave behind,

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so Andy and Lyn had a huge challenge ahead to persuade her to move.

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We're going to try really hard throughout this week...

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..to try and make a point that this is going to be a really good idea

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and there's going to be everything for her that she wants here.

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Which is why the week is so important for us.

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Yeah, not just for us, but for Kirsty as well.

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With so much to consider,

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the week ahead would be full of difficult decisions

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as they found out if Australia really was for them.

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Back in the UK,

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the Horn family lived in a three-bedroom end terrace property

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in Herne Bay.

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They love their home, but ideally wanted something a little bigger.

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If they got the £175,000 they hoped their house was worth,

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they would have a budget of £230,000 to spend in Australia.

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We showed them three properties in Adelaide

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to give them an idea of what they could afford.

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Property one was in Seaton,

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a busy suburb 25 minutes from the city centre

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and only ten minutes from the beach.

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This Tudor style three-bedroom property was under budget

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at £210,000.

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It needed some updating,

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but would the Horns see its potential?

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-About the size...

-Yeah, about the same size as ours, really.

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I like the small room as well.

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I've always wanted the kitchen and diner combined.

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-Yeah, the open-plan.

-Yeah.

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-Nice size.

-Yeah. It's not bad, is it?

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I'd be happy with this view as well.

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Outside was an alfresco dining area, very typical of Australian homes.

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This is nice, I like this.

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You probably get about three days a year in the UK for barbecues.

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Here, it's probably three days a week.

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I really like the house. It's a good size.

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The driveway space is a bit limited, isn't it?

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-Yeah.

-There'd be a big fight for the last spot each night.

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The bijou driveway had ruled out property one.

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Could property two win them over?

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It was in the suburb of Queenstown, where property prices were generally

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lower than the city average.

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This huge house offered four good-sized bedrooms

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and a massive living space.

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All for £233,000.

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Estate agent Sean O'Hara was waiting to show them around.

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It definitely had the space they wanted,

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but would it impress the Horn family?

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Wow!

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Kirst, I would be in my element.

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-I want this room.

-Do you?

-Yeah.

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-You can't have it.

-Dad, you can be in the other room.

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Wow!

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You could fit our house in this space.

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And I'm not joking. Seriously.

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-So it's big enough for you, then?

-Just a little bit.

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The property seemed to be going down well until Andy spotted a problem.

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It hasn't got any air con at all, has it?

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No, it doesn't. There is an air conditioner in the lounge,

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but you'd probably still want that upgraded.

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Would the final house be more in line with what they were after?

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On the market for £255,000,

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this four-bedroom,

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two-bathroom house was £25,000 over budget.

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With a large garden and spectacular views,

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could they be persuaded to stretch their finances?

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-This is nice.

-That's huge. You can see the sea from here.

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-Beautiful, isn't it?

-It is lovely.

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This house had impressed everyone so far.

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-It's nice.

-Oh, wow!

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You wouldn't have to do anything here, would you?

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No, you could just move in.

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And the garden really hit the spot.

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Stunning, isn't it? There's not much maintenance really.

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-Not at all.

-Cutting the grass and watering the plants.

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There was just the master bedroom to seal the deal.

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Oh, my Lord!

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-Look at this.

-Oh, wow.

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-Now this...

-..is the bee's knees.

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Oh, wow. Look at those views.

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The views...all the way round, by the looks of it.

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Who wouldn't want to live in this house?

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This is just mad.

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I would do anything to have this house.

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This is absolutely amazing.

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Andy had fallen in love with the place,

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but would need a well-paid job to be able to afford it.

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The Horn family liked property one, but lack of parking was a problem.

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Property two had the floor space,

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but they couldn't see themselves living there.

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While over budget, property three was the dream house.

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But giving up their home in Herne Bay wouldn't be easy.

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Had they seen enough in Australia to make it worthwhile?

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It was time to vote on property.

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Based on the houses we've seen today,

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our vote is going to be...

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-Australia.

-Australia.

-Australia.

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-Can't compare, really, can you?

-No.

-No.

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We're at that vital stage now,

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we really need to know our budget, what we can afford.

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Yeah, the dream is to sell the house and the business,

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make a bit of profit on both of them

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and then have that as a set-up, really,

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for coming out here and starting a new life.

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Back in the UK, Lyn was a preschool supervisor.

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I do actually love my job.

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I don't get up in the morning and think,

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"I don't want to go to work."

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She had been working with young children for 24 years.

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Lyn would have to work more hours in Australia,

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but hoped that would mean a decent hike on her annual £14,000 earnings.

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Lyn visited a preschool in the heart of Adelaide

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to find out more about working in Australia.

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I'm a little bit nervous at the minute and a bit excited.

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I really just want to get an overall view of how the systems work.

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An idea of wages and hours would be good.

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She met with preschool director Melissa Ray for a rapid introduction

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into teaching down under.

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Do you want to come through and I'll show you the classroom?

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It was straight in at the deep end for Lyn,

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but there was a great reception waiting for her.

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-ALL:

-Hi, Lyn.

-Hello.

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With creative learning a key philosophy at this school,

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she seemed to have fitted in perfectly.

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Have they all gone? You did good pinning.

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As Lyn settled into a day at work,

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Andy was determined to find out

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if his dream of owning a mini golf course

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could be viable in Australia.

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He met course owner Brian to discuss the pros and cons of the business

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over a quick game.

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There you go. Look at that. Oh, excuse me!

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Andy was planning to sell his glazing business back in the UK

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to help fund the set-up for a mini golf course like Brian's,

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but there were some costs he hadn't even thought of.

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The maintenance involved in mini golf

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is obviously keeping the greens nice and clean.

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Probably to carpet, something like this

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is going to cost you probably 30 or 40,000, it's not cheap.

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But before he even considered that,

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Andy would need to find a plot of land on which to build his business.

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If you're starting from scratch, you've obviously got to buy land

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and it's got to be in the right place, too.

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It would properly make 85% of your income

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during school holidays.

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The only day we close here is Christmas Day.

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The more he heard, the more Andy realised

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his plans were out of reach.

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Well, my dream for this golf, mini golf,

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I think, is going to stay a dream, to be quite honest with you.

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It looks like he would have to find an alternative income,

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so it was even more important Lyn was happy teaching in Australia.

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Back at the school, she was curious to find out if she could earn

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enough money to stretch their property budget.

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If she couldn't, the whole move could be off.

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What would be the sort of start pay?

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If you were to work at our centre, it's about 880 a week,

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so it's about 46,000 a year to come and work here as a team leader.

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That was about £27,000 a year,

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almost double what Lyn was earning back in the UK.

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-Thank you very much.

-It's been lovely to meet you.

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-Thank you.

-All right.

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The wages would be better, but she'd have to work longer hours.

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Had it been enough to convince her to leave behind the school she loved

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in the UK?

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Based on what I've experienced today at the preschool,

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my vote for jobs would be...

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..Australia.

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I could really work in a place like that.

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The setting was lovely, the people were nice,

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that's sort of the setting that I would really fit into, I think.

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Lyn had been impressed with work,

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but if Andy was unable to subsidise the income,

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it would impact on their finances.

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For the Horn family to achieve their dream home in Australia,

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they needed not only to secure good jobs,

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but also a decent price for their house in the UK.

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So we sent two estate agents round to give them valuations.

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-Look at that snow on the ground.

-Here's our house!

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Not a large kitchen, but adequate.

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Hob, oven, could do with a bit of a clean.

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Quite a good size.

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Now, conservatory.

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The only problem being, maybe, it's not double-glazed.

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It IS double-glazed.

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It was an interesting start. Was the second opinion any better?

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Very usable space for a modern family.

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Nice, usable conservatory.

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Nice to see timber construction for a change.

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Not a large bathroom.

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And the master bedroom, yeah, it's a nice room.

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The family had believed it was worth £175,000.

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Ideal family house, modern end terrace, recently built.

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If I was to put this property on the market today,

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I would value it around about 160,000.

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If the family were looking for a quick sale,

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I would recommend they put it on the market at, say, 154,950.

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In the current market, I would value this house at £169,000.

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If we wanted

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to get a queue at the door,

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if it was going to go on the market

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at between 160 and £165,000,

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then I feel it would go very quickly.

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We were hoping to come to Australia with a budget,

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and we've just watched that crumble, basically.

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But the house was only part of the package.

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They had to make a comparison between their UK finances

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and what they could afford in Australia.

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If they were going to struggle to have the life they wanted,

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Lyn's dream could be over.

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-Right, should we start with salary, then?

-Yeah.

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That's your wage.

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Yeah. Before tax.

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So we bring home 42.4.

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If I worked 40 hours, I'd be bringing home 26,

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nearly 26.5, and you'd be bringing home 27.

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-That's a 4,000 drop.

-Yeah.

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-But look, they clobber you for tax.

-So, 6,000 a year.

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So, we'd be £500 a month worse off.

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Mortgage, we pay 450.

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Repayments...would be 969.

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We're doing it on property three, then?

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And groceries.

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-That's a bit small, look.

-A bit small.

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-There we go.

-That's perfect.

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Chicken's expensive, look.

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5.72 to 6.79.

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-That's quite a jump.

-It's about a pound.

-Yeah.

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Let's add up these monthly figures.

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UK is 1,855.

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And Australia is 2,605.

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That's 750 higher in Australia.

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-It almost looks like we've got to work...

-Harder to...

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-To pay for that.

-It would be tight, though.

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-Very tight.

-Hm.

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Discovering they'd be £750 a month worse off in Australia

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was disappointing.

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The finances have got to start going

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the correct way now...to keep our dream alive.

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If they keep dipping and dipping, then our dream is fading with it.

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SHE SOBS

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Just realising that it might not ever happen.

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Lyn's worst nightmare had come true.

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So would they choose finances at home or away?

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That was a really hard exercise going through them figures.

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But our decision on cost of living is going to be...

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..UK.

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Australia.

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I thought you'd go the over way.

0:18:580:19:01

You can think what you want to do.

0:19:010:19:03

I think the cost of living is definitely better in the UK.

0:19:030:19:07

The cost of living is better in the UK,

0:19:070:19:09

but we looked at the most dearest house of the three.

0:19:090:19:13

-I think, definitely, the dream is still on.

-Yeah.

0:19:130:19:16

And we're going to have to delve a little bit deeper

0:19:160:19:18

to find that dream.

0:19:180:19:19

I'm not backing down. The dream is still on for me.

0:19:190:19:22

It's still on for me, even though I went that way.

0:19:220:19:25

With so much to leave behind,

0:19:310:19:33

socialising and making new friends was essential for the Horn family,

0:19:330:19:38

so we arranged for them to make up with Paul Durgin,

0:19:380:19:40

his wife, Lisa, and teenage children,

0:19:400:19:43

Brittany and Henry, at a park in Adelaide.

0:19:430:19:46

A little bit hot, is it?

0:19:460:19:48

While the parents got to know each other better,

0:19:480:19:50

the youngsters all headed off to explore the park.

0:19:500:19:53

Chris and Kirsty were both worried they couldn't cope without

0:19:530:19:56

their friends in the UK,

0:19:560:19:57

so it was crucial they found out if they would fit in here.

0:19:570:20:01

They used a leisurely paddle as a chance to get some answers

0:20:010:20:04

from their new pals.

0:20:040:20:06

I think we need to go that way.

0:20:060:20:07

Kirsty had some serious issues to discuss with Brittany.

0:20:090:20:13

-Have you got a boyfriend?

-No.

0:20:130:20:15

-Oh.

-I hear you do, though.

-Yeah. Back in England.

0:20:150:20:18

-What's his name?

-Callum.

0:20:180:20:19

-Callum?

-Yeah.

-It's a nice name.

0:20:190:20:21

-Bless him.

-THEY LAUGH

0:20:210:20:22

Yeah, tears at the airport.

0:20:220:20:24

Oh, really?

0:20:240:20:25

The boys had other priorities.

0:20:250:20:27

And then most people play footy, for school and club footy.

0:20:290:20:32

And then some other people play for league sides.

0:20:320:20:34

-Right.

-So, a lot of people play three lots of footy

0:20:340:20:38

in, like, one week.

0:20:380:20:39

After all that exercise,

0:20:420:20:44

it was time to see if the local tucker would go down a treat.

0:20:440:20:48

What have you got?

0:20:480:20:50

We have goat's cheese, we have sheep's cheese, we have...

0:20:500:20:53

Kangaroo cheese?

0:20:530:20:54

If you can work out a way to milk a kangaroo,

0:20:540:20:57

you're doing better than us.

0:20:570:20:59

The family had had a fantastic time,

0:21:010:21:03

but was their day sampling lifestyle down under enough to secure

0:21:030:21:07

a unanimous vote for Australia?

0:21:070:21:09

Our vote is going to be...

0:21:110:21:12

-Halfway.

-Halfway.

0:21:180:21:21

Australia.

0:21:210:21:22

Australia.

0:21:230:21:24

A great family today.

0:21:260:21:28

They're really sociable out here.

0:21:280:21:30

And made us feel like part of a group already, in one day.

0:21:300:21:34

So, really looking forward to meeting lots more people like that

0:21:340:21:37

if we ever do get the move over here.

0:21:370:21:39

While they had enjoyed their day out,

0:21:390:21:41

the family were no closer to an agreement.

0:21:410:21:44

Yes. Here we go.

0:21:480:21:49

Messages from friends and family back home would make things

0:21:490:21:53

even harder for the Horns.

0:21:530:21:55

Hi, Lyn, Andy, Chris and Kirsty.

0:21:550:21:58

Hello, Chris and Kirsty, Lyn and family.

0:21:580:22:01

Lyn's a very responsible person, and as far as the family are

0:22:010:22:04

concerned, well, I couldn't fault

0:22:040:22:07

any of her way of bringing up, bringing the children.

0:22:070:22:10

I've been very close to her all my life.

0:22:100:22:12

When she met Andy, I felt that I was losing the closest thing I'd got,

0:22:120:22:19

but realised that, in actual fact,

0:22:190:22:21

I had actually gained a brother, not lost a sister.

0:22:210:22:24

He is good company, good friend, good fun to be with.

0:22:240:22:27

You just enjoy his company. No-one's got a bad word for him.

0:22:270:22:30

I mean, he's one of the legends,

0:22:300:22:31

one of the kingpins of the club, ex-captain.

0:22:310:22:35

Chris is my closest and best friend because he's always there

0:22:350:22:39

and he's always kind, and he'll always go out of his way

0:22:390:22:42

more than my other friends will for me.

0:22:420:22:44

Kirsty's just, she's really easy to like,

0:22:440:22:47

a really likeable person.

0:22:470:22:50

Funny, loves to shop.

0:22:500:22:51

She's just constantly happy, talking to her friends.

0:22:510:22:54

Bubbly person, always knows when to have a laugh.

0:22:560:22:59

And cheers me up whenever I'm a bit unhappy.

0:22:590:23:03

I want her to enjoy herself, but I don't want her to, like,

0:23:030:23:05

love it that much that she stays over there.

0:23:050:23:07

Yeah, we don't want her to leave.

0:23:070:23:09

Kirsty belongs here with us, so...

0:23:090:23:11

Naturally, I'd like to hope

0:23:110:23:13

that they didn't make that decision to go permanently.

0:23:130:23:18

I'd like to think that they would stay here.

0:23:180:23:20

I'm really going to miss you if you go to Oz.

0:23:220:23:25

Even though I'm going to miss you, I think it's a brave decision,

0:23:280:23:32

and I'm going to really miss you.

0:23:320:23:34

Hearing from loved ones made the pain of leaving even more real.

0:23:410:23:45

It does make it hard to think about actually leaving Mum and Sue.

0:23:450:23:49

Like, if we miss our friends after a week,

0:23:500:23:53

imagine after, like, a month.

0:23:530:23:55

It's going to be so hard.

0:23:550:23:56

It hits you in the heart, doesn't it?

0:23:560:23:58

Shows you how close they really are.

0:23:580:24:00

And it would be the hardest decision, I think,

0:24:000:24:03

to leave behind.

0:24:030:24:05

But splitting up the family wasn't an option.

0:24:050:24:08

I couldn't stay in Australia...

0:24:080:24:11

Stay in England and have these three out in Australia.

0:24:110:24:17

-And vice versa.

-I couldn't do it.

0:24:170:24:19

The week had been emotionally draining for the whole family,

0:24:250:24:29

but for Chris, it was the extreme heat that worried him the most.

0:24:290:24:33

I've had really bad headaches, stomach pains.

0:24:330:24:37

It will affect my decision,

0:24:370:24:40

because I'd have to deal with it all the time, obviously,

0:24:400:24:45

because it's so hot.

0:24:450:24:46

For Kirsty, the emotional pain was just as strong.

0:24:460:24:49

I think I'm the one that would stop this move from happening.

0:24:490:24:53

But the thing is, like, with Callum, I'm not only losing a boyfriend,

0:24:530:24:57

but I'm losing a friend.

0:24:570:24:58

Would the children stop Lyn fulfilling her dream?

0:25:020:25:05

Potentially, either of them could say "no", to be fair.

0:25:050:25:09

To lose one of them, one of them to say,

0:25:090:25:12

"I want to stay in the UK," would break my heart, I think.

0:25:120:25:16

We may have to face up to that, mightn't we?

0:25:160:25:18

It might be a reality. That could happen, yeah.

0:25:180:25:20

Yeah, it's just, you know,

0:25:200:25:21

-we'll just have to take it a step at a time.

-Yeah.

0:25:210:25:24

When it came to the final decision, which way did they vote?

0:25:240:25:28

This has been my dream, but now, it's time for the family to vote,

0:25:280:25:31

and based on what we've experienced in Australia this week,

0:25:310:25:33

our vote is going to be...

0:25:330:25:35

Australia.

0:25:400:25:42

Australia.

0:25:420:25:43

Australia.

0:25:430:25:44

Halfway.

0:25:480:25:49

-I'm surprised at you, Christopher.

-Yeah.

0:25:510:25:53

I thought it was going to be a half, or...

0:25:530:25:55

You've been ill virtually since you've been here.

0:25:550:25:57

And you've looked over that. Well done. Hats off to you.

0:25:570:26:00

That's a bit better than what I expected.

0:26:000:26:02

-I thought...

-You were going to go UK.

0:26:020:26:04

Thank you. That's peace of mind for us.

0:26:040:26:07

Thumbs up to Australia, and we'll work on that one.

0:26:070:26:10

Yeah.

0:26:100:26:12

-You can try.

-OK.

0:26:120:26:13

When we caught up with the Horns in 2011,

0:26:230:26:26

the family were still living in the UK,

0:26:260:26:29

but after their experience down under,

0:26:290:26:32

Lyn was more convinced than ever Australia was right for them.

0:26:320:26:35

The trip to Australia was amazing.

0:26:350:26:38

It just showed us the life we could have.

0:26:380:26:40

Just the lifestyle in general, wasn't it?

0:26:400:26:42

Just convinced us that that's definitely what we want to do.

0:26:420:26:45

Then, just as they were getting ready to make the move,

0:26:450:26:48

their plans were brought to a standstill.

0:26:480:26:50

We applied when the recession kicked in in the UK.

0:26:500:26:54

We just watched our finances crumble.

0:26:540:26:57

So the budget we wanted to go with, we've just seen disappear.

0:26:570:27:02

We've sort of been on hold for a few months,

0:27:020:27:05

purely because of the financial situation.

0:27:050:27:08

But better news was just around the corner.

0:27:080:27:11

Just out of the blue,

0:27:110:27:12

someone's offered to buy my business,

0:27:120:27:14

which really has given us the golden ticket

0:27:140:27:16

to go to Australia.

0:27:160:27:17

We then approached Christopher and Kirsty,

0:27:170:27:20

and that's when it all kicked off with them,

0:27:200:27:22

and actually finding out their true decisions

0:27:220:27:25

of whether they wanted to go or not.

0:27:250:27:27

Selling the business opened the door to emigrating all over again,

0:27:270:27:31

and despite her original doubts,

0:27:310:27:33

changes in daughter Kirsty's life made moving more realistic.

0:27:330:27:37

I voted undecided because of the boyfriend I was with,

0:27:390:27:42

but as soon as I split up with my boyfriend,

0:27:420:27:45

I was ready to go to Australia straightaway.

0:27:450:27:48

Since then, it's changed, and it was...

0:27:480:27:50

Well, it was my brother that was indecisive,

0:27:500:27:53

because he got a girlfriend...

0:27:530:27:55

and it's just flipped.

0:27:550:27:57

As one relationship ended,

0:27:570:27:59

another had left the Horns in exactly the same position

0:27:590:28:02

they faced in Australia.

0:28:020:28:05

We started seeing each other just before we went to Adelaide.

0:28:050:28:08

I was a bit worried about Mum and Dad

0:28:080:28:11

giving up their lives here, and then leaving Olivia,

0:28:110:28:14

I didn't want to do that.

0:28:140:28:16

The reluctance from Chris had thrown a spanner in the works.

0:28:160:28:19

We all had a long chat,

0:28:230:28:25

just talked about everything, really, to do with the whole move.

0:28:250:28:29

Just... Yeah, it was a long discussion.

0:28:290:28:32

Chris just said he didn't want to go,

0:28:320:28:34

and that was hard for all of us,

0:28:340:28:36

because it's either all of us going out there or none of us.

0:28:360:28:39

If he didn't want to come with us, we just basically wouldn't go.

0:28:390:28:43

It looked as if they were right back at square one, but as it turned out,

0:28:460:28:50

facing their true feelings was exactly what the family needed.

0:28:500:28:54

We came up with the solution of possibly asking Olivia

0:28:540:28:58

and seeing if she wanted to come out with us,

0:28:580:29:01

and that seemed to sort of sway him the other way,

0:29:010:29:04

so then he made the decision that he wanted to come.

0:29:040:29:07

I mean, it's a good quality of life out there.

0:29:070:29:10

It's something that you can only experience once,

0:29:100:29:13

and I'd like to give it a go.

0:29:130:29:15

After a total turnaround, the entire family were finally up for moving.

0:29:170:29:22

All that was holding them back was affording it.

0:29:220:29:25

It is still about the finance.

0:29:260:29:28

Obviously, if the business sells and then the house sells, we can go.

0:29:280:29:32

The crux of the matter was Andy selling his business.

0:29:320:29:34

18 months ago, the work was very slack and the price of the business

0:29:340:29:38

was dipping and dipping.

0:29:380:29:39

But now it's picking up again, I've got this potential buyer.

0:29:390:29:43

So if it all goes well, we're obviously not going

0:29:430:29:46

to get the money we want for the business,

0:29:460:29:48

but it is still an offer

0:29:480:29:50

and it is money that could get us to Australia.

0:29:500:29:53

The potential to sell the business had given the family fresh hope,

0:29:530:29:57

but Andy was still concerned.

0:29:570:29:59

I can't get excited yet.

0:29:590:30:00

You've got to be reserved with your emotions, I think.

0:30:000:30:04

Until you've actually seen the signatures, you've got the finances there

0:30:040:30:08

and you've got the flights all booked,

0:30:080:30:11

then I'll start getting excited.

0:30:110:30:14

With the final piece of the puzzle almost in place,

0:30:140:30:17

Lynn's dreams seem to be closer than ever.

0:30:170:30:19

-We've been waiting for it for about two or three years now.

-It's very exciting.

0:30:200:30:24

It is very, very exciting.

0:30:240:30:27

But scary at the same time.

0:30:270:30:28

People think it is really easy, that especially once you've experienced the life

0:30:280:30:32

that there's no comparison, but there is still a lot of ties that are

0:30:320:30:36

pulling us this way even though we've made the decision that we want to go.

0:30:360:30:41

Leaving family and friends, I think, definitely the hardest part.

0:30:410:30:44

Especially for Olivia, cos she's going to be joining my family and

0:30:440:30:49

leaving her whole family really.

0:30:490:30:51

Yeah, it is a huge step, just leaving everything I've known behind.

0:30:510:30:55

But you have to take risks and it is a risk that I'm willing to take, really.

0:30:560:31:01

Australia can provide a great place for my kids to grow up

0:31:010:31:06

and their kids to grow up, whereas here it's...

0:31:060:31:09

Just nothing here for us.

0:31:090:31:11

Even though we've got a lot to leave behind this side...

0:31:110:31:14

..we know we've got a lot more to get the other side of the world.

0:31:150:31:19

In life you've got to grab what you can

0:31:200:31:23

and if that dream's there for us, then go for it.

0:31:230:31:25

With everyone finally on the same page,

0:31:340:31:37

a move to Australia seemed closer than ever for the family but there was

0:31:370:31:41

still some work to be done to secure the dream life they wanted.

0:31:410:31:46

Now five years on it's time to find out what happened next.

0:31:460:31:51

It is May 2016 and the Horns are living in...

0:31:520:31:56

Adelaide, Australia.

0:31:560:31:57

Having emigrated in 2012,

0:31:580:32:01

the family bought and moved into this house in the coastal suburb of

0:32:010:32:04

Seaford Rise, 20 miles south of central Adelaide.

0:32:040:32:08

We use this in the evenings to just relax and watch a bit of telly,

0:32:090:32:13

but we do enjoy watching the view out the window, don't we?

0:32:130:32:16

Yeah, it's a stunning view.

0:32:160:32:17

Watching the sunsets in the evening as well is magic.

0:32:170:32:20

How many photographs have we taken?

0:32:200:32:23

Just a few of the sunset!

0:32:230:32:25

They're finally where they want to be,

0:32:250:32:27

but they had to overcome some major emotional and financial

0:32:270:32:31

stumbling blocks to get here.

0:32:310:32:33

With the move hinging on the sale of Andy's glazing business, he realised

0:32:330:32:36

to get things going he'd have to drastically reduce the price.

0:32:360:32:40

Who wants to buy a business in the middle of a recession?

0:32:410:32:44

So we knocked the price down and then down again, then down again

0:32:440:32:48

and I think we ended up with...

0:32:480:32:50

Not a lot.

0:32:500:32:52

Fortunately, it was still enough to fund the move and the family set

0:32:540:32:58

about planning their return down under.

0:32:580:33:01

But things took an unexpected twist when Lynne received devastating news.

0:33:010:33:05

I was diagnosed with ovarian cancer and had to have...

0:33:070:33:10

They wouldn't let me fly unless I'd had an operation.

0:33:100:33:13

My first thought was, "But I'm flying to Australia!"

0:33:140:33:18

And the consultant said, "When are you coming back?" And I said, "I'm not, we're emigrating."

0:33:180:33:21

And that's when he said, "You're not flying, Lynn, until we've done it."

0:33:210:33:24

'When you're going through all the emotions of moving to Australia,'

0:33:250:33:30

just literally weeks before you're due to come here you get told that you've got,

0:33:300:33:35

you know, tumours the size of tennis balls...

0:33:350:33:38

That just set all four of us upside down.

0:33:380:33:41

It was a harrowing time for the whole family and, unsurprisingly,

0:33:420:33:47

they found themselves questioning the move.

0:33:470:33:49

We nearly got to the point where we was just going to cancel everything and just stay put.

0:33:500:33:55

And you just don't know what to do when it gets to that stage.

0:33:560:33:59

You know, is it worth then going?

0:33:590:34:02

We only had a year to do it, so it was either go now or not go

0:34:020:34:05

and we just decided to go for it, didn't we?

0:34:050:34:07

Yeah. If we didn't go then, then we wouldn't be here.

0:34:070:34:10

Determined to keep their Australian dream alive,

0:34:110:34:14

the couple postponed their flight to give Lynne time to recover, and

0:34:140:34:18

fortunately, it wasn't long before she had the green light she needed.

0:34:180:34:23

I got the news that everything was OK,

0:34:230:34:25

it came back that it was all borderline, which is good,

0:34:250:34:28

the week after the house had been packed up.

0:34:280:34:30

In the back of my mind, we were going to get here no matter what, whatever happened.

0:34:330:34:37

-There was just a few hurdles that we had to go over to actually make it.

-Hurdles?

0:34:370:34:42

THEY LAUGH

0:34:420:34:43

-High jumps.

-High jump.

0:34:430:34:44

That's fair enough.

0:34:440:34:45

A matter of weeks later,

0:34:470:34:49

the family were touching down for a new life on the other side of the world.

0:34:490:34:53

I felt like we were coming home when we landed.

0:34:560:35:00

I don't know why, cos I'd only been here once before, but it just felt like home.

0:35:000:35:04

But one person didn't make the journey.

0:35:040:35:07

Chris's former girlfriend Olivia.

0:35:070:35:10

So, the plan was to bring my girlfriend at the time out with us, but the

0:35:100:35:13

relationship broke up just before and she didn't come.

0:35:130:35:17

And we just came out with the four of us.

0:35:170:35:19

The family remember those first few weeks in Australia as a bit of a blur.

0:35:200:35:24

When we finally got to Adelaide you're like, "Relax!"

0:35:260:35:29

You know, but there's still lots to do.

0:35:290:35:32

None of us had jobs.

0:35:320:35:33

We didn't have sort of tax file numbers, bank accounts, nothing like that.

0:35:330:35:38

We soon sort of settled in and started job-hunting,

0:35:380:35:41

house-hunting and all of that.

0:35:410:35:43

So it was busy but, you know,

0:35:430:35:46

I was still recovering from my operation as well, so I couldn't really do too much.

0:35:460:35:50

I think because there was just so much going on I didn't even think

0:35:500:35:52

about the fact that we had left the UK for good.

0:35:520:35:55

Just three weeks after arriving,

0:35:580:36:00

Lynn landed herself a job at a childcare centre.

0:36:000:36:03

For Andy, though, things didn't move so quickly.

0:36:030:36:07

It was bad timing. We got out here when the construction trade was dipping a bit.

0:36:070:36:10

So I spent the first six months here looking for work.

0:36:100:36:14

He just looked every day.

0:36:140:36:15

He just kept going online, looking on all the sites and whatever.

0:36:150:36:19

Going for interviews, applying for jobs until he found one.

0:36:190:36:22

Andy's determination eventually paid off.

0:36:240:36:26

SCRAPING

0:36:270:36:29

Yeah, after six months I phoned these guys up,

0:36:290:36:31

they took me on and three and a half years later I'm still here.

0:36:310:36:35

They are a very big company in Adelaide.

0:36:350:36:37

We do some really big jobs in the city.

0:36:370:36:40

It's a lot of hours, a lot of hard work, but the money's good and,

0:36:400:36:44

you know, if you want a good living, then you don't mind working hard.

0:36:440:36:49

For Chris and Kirsty,

0:36:490:36:50

starting afresh 10,000 miles from where they'd grown up seemed to come naturally.

0:36:500:36:55

The kids settled in really quickly, actually.

0:36:550:36:57

They just seemed to take it in their stride.

0:36:570:36:59

After putting herself through college,

0:36:590:37:01

Kirsty's working as a medical receptionist and now aged 23 she's

0:37:010:37:06

fled the family nest to move in with her fiance.

0:37:060:37:09

I came to Australia and found a Geordie.

0:37:090:37:11

He's lovely. And now we've finally moved out of home,

0:37:110:37:15

which is a huge thing for both of us.

0:37:150:37:19

I can't imagine you in chinos!

0:37:190:37:21

Chinos and a white shirt!

0:37:210:37:22

And we don't live that far either, so it's about a three-minute drive.

0:37:220:37:26

SHE LAUGHS

0:37:260:37:27

So I'm still close.

0:37:270:37:28

She's never been happier, which is just the main thing for us.

0:37:280:37:31

I was quite sad when she moved out, but I actually see her more now that

0:37:310:37:35

she doesn't live here than when she did live here.

0:37:350:37:37

Chris is also in a new relationship and is enjoying his final year as a

0:37:380:37:42

student of international studies.

0:37:420:37:45

I worked for a year and a half before I started university to try and save as much money

0:37:450:37:51

as I could to be able to put myself through it,

0:37:510:37:53

which has been tough, but for the long term I've come out of university

0:37:530:37:56

debt-free, which is great.

0:37:560:37:58

After over two years in her role,

0:37:580:38:00

Lynn fancied a change and is now working as a nursery team leader.

0:38:000:38:05

The job that I have now is everything I wanted it to be.

0:38:050:38:08

It's a bit different from the UK, cos obviously I was term-time there

0:38:080:38:11

and only did about 32 and a half hours a week.

0:38:110:38:14

Here I'm full-time and I do 37 and a half a week.

0:38:140:38:17

Cranberry and apricot muesli bars. No, that doesn't sound...

0:38:170:38:20

'Doing the equivalent in the UK I'd be on about 35 grand,'

0:38:200:38:23

but here I'm on over 50, so it's quite dramatically different.

0:38:230:38:27

New things are on the horizon for Andy too,

0:38:290:38:32

with his dream of opening a mini-golf course back on the cards.

0:38:320:38:36

The couple have put their house on the market in the hope they can

0:38:360:38:39

downsize and release enough money for Andy to set up his business.

0:38:390:38:42

I've actually found a plot of land absolutely perfect for a mini-golf centre,

0:38:440:38:47

cos there's no other mini-golf centre around here.

0:38:470:38:51

To finance that we'll go back to a rental for maybe a couple of years,

0:38:510:38:55

cos the financing in this house will get that business built up.

0:38:550:38:59

The plan is, two or three years' time we should get all that money back

0:38:590:39:02

and then we can start looking at houses again, you know,

0:39:020:39:05

a beautiful house like this.

0:39:050:39:07

I'm hoping by next February that it'll be up and running.

0:39:070:39:10

That'll be a perfect way to end my working life, I think.

0:39:100:39:14

It's the final piece in the puzzle for our dreams.

0:39:140:39:17

With everyone settled and doing well,

0:39:180:39:20

Lynn had all she'd wished for, but during a routine medical checkup she

0:39:200:39:25

was heartbroken to discover the cancer had returned.

0:39:250:39:28

All of a sudden one of my blood tests came back with higher cancer markers,

0:39:280:39:33

and I had to have CT scans, then they found another cyst and they basically told me I'd

0:39:330:39:38

have to have it removed again.

0:39:380:39:39

Having major surgery for the second time has been incredibly difficult,

0:39:400:39:45

but thankfully Lynn's now on the road to recovery.

0:39:450:39:49

I'm about seven weeks post-op now.

0:39:490:39:52

The results all came back borderline again.

0:39:520:39:54

Yeah, I'm just weaning myself back into work now.

0:39:550:39:58

With mum Lynn in better health,

0:40:020:40:04

the family are looking forward to enjoying more of the Australian lifestyle they've fallen for.

0:40:040:40:09

'We're just out every weekend, exploring.

0:40:090:40:12

'There's always something to do.'

0:40:120:40:14

It's an absolutely huge country and there's so much here to see.

0:40:140:40:18

So we've been to Sydney twice now and been to Melbourne twice.

0:40:180:40:22

You know, when we get our next holiday we'll think of another trip,

0:40:220:40:24

we'll probably go to the Gold Coast.

0:40:240:40:26

There's just so much to do in Australia.

0:40:260:40:28

They've also enjoyed hosting family and friends from England over the past four years.

0:40:280:40:33

Since we've been here we've had nine lots of visitors.

0:40:330:40:37

It's been amazing having them here.

0:40:370:40:38

We try and take them to all the places that we like down here, don't we?

0:40:380:40:42

Try and show them the way we live.

0:40:420:40:45

It's been really good.

0:40:450:40:46

The airport runs are horrible when we say goodbye, but there we go.

0:40:460:40:49

-But brilliant when we say hello and they turn up.

-Yeah. Exactly.

-It's... Yeah.

0:40:490:40:52

Chris and Kirsty have been back to the UK too.

0:40:540:40:57

Most recently Chris took his girlfriend there to show her where he'd grown up.

0:40:570:41:01

We spent three weeks in the UK.

0:41:010:41:03

It was weird to be back,

0:41:030:41:05

cos it felt like I was going home almost.

0:41:050:41:07

But then when we came back here it was weird because I was going home,

0:41:070:41:11

so it's a bit strange.

0:41:110:41:13

I see both as home now.

0:41:130:41:15

For Lynn and Andy there's been no rush to return.

0:41:170:41:21

'We originally decided that we would have five years here before we even thought about going back,'

0:41:210:41:26

just so that we knew we were settled.

0:41:260:41:29

So we haven't gone back yet, but we are thinking, possibly, we've got a family

0:41:290:41:33

wedding next year, so we might be going back for that.

0:41:330:41:36

'Yeah, I think it would be strange going back.'

0:41:380:41:40

But our passion is here in Australia.

0:41:400:41:42

I don't think going back's going to...

0:41:420:41:44

It certainly won't change our minds.

0:41:440:41:46

Ultimately, the whole family are confident down under is where their future lies.

0:41:480:41:53

The children, they are really settled,

0:41:530:41:55

they are really happy in what they're doing and I can see them settling down,

0:41:550:42:00

getting married, having kids of their own

0:42:000:42:02

and living the rest of their days here.

0:42:020:42:04

And it looks like Australia has exceeded everyone's expectations.

0:42:060:42:11

It's all been worth it, cos we just love it here.

0:42:110:42:14

It's beautiful.

0:42:140:42:15

I do still get homesick and I do have days where I really,

0:42:180:42:20

really miss people, but this is our life now and homesick passes.

0:42:200:42:26

And you realise how much better your life is here.

0:42:280:42:32

As a family I think we've made the right decision to move to Australia.

0:42:340:42:38

Yeah, life's been great since we moved here.

0:42:380:42:42

You could say we have settled down perfectly here, all four of us.

0:42:420:42:45

This is the dream. We are living the dream.

0:42:470:42:49

Almost four years into their new life in Adelaide,

0:42:550:42:58

Lynn and Andy are proof that dreams really can come true.

0:42:580:43:04

And with Chris and Kirsty both in new relationships down under,

0:43:040:43:07

it looks like the whole family's future lies firmly in Australia.

0:43:070:43:12

We wish them all continued health and happiness in the country they now call home.

0:43:120:43:17

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