Mungur Family Wanted Down Under Revisited

Two near-death experiences had cheated Nazeem Mungur

of the life he once knew.

He can no longer work, he no longer drives.

Most days, it's the same four walls, day in, day out.

Missing out on family life,

he was convinced that moving down under

could help him become the dad he was desperate to be.

The dream for me is that we'll move out to Australia

and I'll get substantially better.

While a trial week in the country worked wonders...

It's a complete different change for him

cos in the UK all he does is be in the house.

..did the financial cost mean that the dream was over

before it had begun?

That's quite a big shock.

Not happy.

Not happy at all.

But the big question is,

where are Nazeem, Joanne and the family now,

in the UK or living down under?

Home to no fewer than 200 nationalities,

Australia boasts a vibrant, multicultural society

and with the promise of an easy-going outdoor lifestyle,

it's no wonder the country remains an irresistible pull for Brits

seeking a better life down under.

Not everyone stays for good, however,

almost half of those who emigrate end up returning home.

Nazeem's injuries had left him a shadow of the parent

and partner he wanted to be.

A warmer climate, he believed, would make a big difference.

But did the reality of life down under mean a move

was nothing more than a pipe dream?

We sent the Mungurs for a trial week to discover if Australia

could enable them to lead the normal family life

they were all desperate for.

To get from Manchester to Brisbane,

the Mungurs had to spend a gruelling 22-and-a-half hours on a plane.

When they finally arrived for the first time,

the distance from the UK had hit home for Joanne.

My biggest concern is, um, family coming to see us,

my parents especially.

They're not used to doing long-haul flights and I think, um,

they would really struggle with it.

The long journey had given Nazeem plenty of time to think.

Quite a bit apprehensive to sort of find out where we're going to be

in the future. Hopefully Australia will meet all our expectations

and this will be where we sort of settle down as a family.

There was a lot hanging in the balance for the week ahead.

It's got to massively deliver for me.

I'm the one that needs convincing.

-Yeah.

-I want to have the nice house,

I want to be in a nice area and I want the right job as well.

I've worked really hard to where I've got to in the UK so far...

It's got to deliver, definitely.

Otherwise, I'm not going to come, at all!

Joanne had set the bar high.

The next seven days would've had to impress if Nazeem was to get the

fresh start he desperately wants.

When we first met them, the Mungur family were

dad Nazeem, mum Joanne,

five-year-old Katie, and Tom, who was three.

They live just outside Leeds.

Nazeem and Joanne had tied the knot nine years previously,

but one year later, their lives were thrown into turmoil.

I was on a night shift at work and Nazeem was at home

and I got a phone call to say that he was in A&E

because we'd had a house fire.

An electrical fault had set the house ablaze with Nazeem inside.

Talking about it now, I can feel the heat on my skin.

Apparently, the flames were literally chasing him

-out of the door.

-I could've died in it.

It was a devastating time for the couple and things were about to get

much worse when, two weeks later,

Nazeem was involved in a near-fatal car accident.

I was stationary at some red lights

and a very large car hit me from behind at speed.

Fighting for his life, Nazeem had to be cut from the car.

When I went to A&E, he was attached to drips and monitors,

he was on a spinal board,

there was loads of doctors and nurses around him...

It was... It was really shocking to see.

The pair were struggling to comprehend their misfortune.

How can this happen to us?

We've just lost our house

and I potentially have lost my ability to walk,

it was that, that serious.

It was as if our world was ending, really.

Nazeem's injuries were life-changing, but against the odds,

the couple began to rebuild their lives, and eight years on

the Mungurs were a family of four.

-What?

-Do you not, um...

-Yeah.

-..have to have pink and white?

But Nazeem was still struggling with everyday life.

Having chronic fatigue syndrome and having chronic pain, on a bad day,

I can't make a cup of tea because I can't figure out the order

to make a cup of tea in.

He can no longer work.

He no longer drives.

Most days, it's the same four walls, day in, day out.

Frustrated at needing constant medication,

Nazeem feared he was missing out.

Taking more painkillers causes more fatigue,

but if you're sleeping 18 hours a day,

you're sleeping your whole life away.

Having cheated death twice already,

he was determined not to let life beat him.

You need to move on.

You need to achieve something past that.

Although he'd never been,

Nazeem was now convinced moving to the other side of the world

could help him claim back the life he wanted.

I see Australia as a potential place where I can get better

in myself and come off my painkillers.

Family holidays abroad had fuelled Nazeem's belief that living

in the sunshine was the tonic he needed.

When it's cold and wet in England, I get a lot more pain,

whereas when we travel out to a warm country,

I'm able to do and achieve a lot more

and I get significantly less pain.

By moving to Australia he would be able to get his life back and he'd

be able to interact more as a family,

we'd be able to do more as a family, so it's a huge dream for him.

Ultimately, Nazeem's goal was to be more hands-on with Katie and Tom.

It's really heartbreaking when the children want to play with you

and you have to say to them, "Actually, no,

"I can't play with you today because I'm in too much pain."

I'd love to be able to do that.

At the moment, it's not achievable, but in Australia, it should be.

Nurse Joanne understood what a move would've meant for them all

but as the family's sole breadwinner,

the decision to start again in a country they'd never even visited

wouldn't be taken lightly.

There's a massive amount of pressure on me.

What if the jobs are not there? What if the houses are terrible?

And I wouldn't want to give up on everything that we've achieved in

England to...

..to move to Australia to do it, if it's not going to be there.

She was also worried about cutting off

the strong family support network they had in the UK.

Can you sort me iPad out again, please?

LAUGHTER

We're going to be away from everybody

that can potentially help us.

Are you hungry, sweetheart?

-Yeah.

-To think that we're going to be out there,

doing it all by ourselves, is...

..is really difficult.

The next seven days would be their chance to find out

if Nazeem was right,

as the couple decided once and for all which side of the world

their future lay.

I think if we're not in agreement,

somebody's going to be really disappointed.

I'm hoping...

I'm hoping it's not Nazeem cos I think he's been through enough,

but I'm not going to commit to something that's going to be

worse off for us as a family.

I'm pinning everything on this dream.

For me, it literally is everything.

-It's a new chance at life.

-It's a new chance at life.

For their trial week down under,

the Mungurs visited Queensland on the east coast,

also known as the Sunshine State, ideal for Nazeem.

The final leg of their journey took them to the suburb of Broadbeach

on the Gold Coast.

What did they make of their first taste of Australian living?

-Wow!

-There's a lake.

This looks very nice.

-Wow.

-Wow, this is a nice entrance hall.

-It's huge.

-Oh, it's a lot bigger than what I thought.

It was a positive start.

Look out the back. Katie.

The house backed onto a lake.

I think that's better than a swimming pool.

It's nice, I like this terrace thing as well.

Nazeem was already picturing himself at home here.

-Can you imagine having breakfast outside?

-Breakfast every day.

Back indoors, the positivity continued.

Wow, it is really nice.

Look at this dining room! It's nice and open-plan, I like that.

Only in the country a few hours, it already looked like Joanne

might not be the tough customer she thought she was.

-Look at that view!

-That's amazing.

Oh, I could definitely see myself waking up every morning,

looking at that view.

Just what Nazeem had hoped to hear.

-If this is what homes are like, I absolutely love them.

-Yeah.

Nice open-plan, nice big garden...

So far, I'm feeling positive.

Back in the UK,

the Mungurs lived in a four-bedroom detached house near Leeds.

It was the same house that had caught fire eight years ago.

The property had been completely renovated

but the memories hadn't gone away.

It's a lovely house, the area's lovely,

but I've got no emotional attachment any more.

The couple's budget for a home in Australia was £250,000.

We want family space.

I'd love a really, really big open-plan kitchen,

dining room and lounge. I live in the kitchen,

so being able to see the kids just playing with their toys...

For me, storage is something that we desperately need.

A nice single-storey house, where we're all on one level.

Unfortunately, there's been about four occurrences on the stairs

where I have fallen down the stairs.

I think a swimming pool's our dream...

-Yeah.

-..but I think grass for the kids or some open space

where they can just vent and let off some steam.

A big requirement for us is obviously being within a maximum of

45 minutes' drive to a place of work for Joanne.

We don't want to move to Australia

and we see even less of her than we do now.

To give them an idea of what was available

on the Gold Coast property market,

we had arranged for the couple to view three properties -

two close to budget,

and a third which should've been everything they were looking for in

a dream home. With the children being looked after by a childminder,

Joanne and Nazeem began the search.

First stop was the suburb of Ashmore.

With plenty of schools and parks on the doorstep

and a brand-new teaching hospital nearby,

it could've been the perfect spot for nurse Joanne.

Did this spacious four-bedroom home fulfil the Mungurs' needs?

-What do you think?

-Interesting.

Interesting, that's a nice word.

Steps...

With his restricted mobility

it wasn't the perfect entrance for Nazeem.

Hang on...

Don't like this bit.

Maybe things would improve inside.

Oh, this is nice.

That was more like it, but...

It's really dark.

Feels really small.

I like the wooden floor, that's nice.

Well, that was something.

-It just feels a bit claustrophobic.

-Yeah, quite hemmed in.

-Yeah.

Feeling closed in was the last thing Nazeem needed

and things went from bad to worse.

Oh, that kitchen's horrendous.

Yeah, the kitchen is quite hideous.

We couldn't live in a kitchen like that.

The main bedroom was modern and spacious.

Wow.

-This is amazing.

-Oh, I love this.

Walk-in wardrobe, that's what you want.

That's my dream. Yeah, I think I could fill this!

And Nazeem approved of the shower.

-That's really good access for me.

-Mm. It's what we need.

The room led directly to an outdoor area.

Wow, it's nice.

We've got a hot tub - excellent - and look at the garden patio,

it's amazing.

Unfortunately, though, it wasn't long before Nazeem's energy

took a dive.

-Quite dizzy.

-All right, OK.

It was a reminder of why this move would be so important for him.

Right, get your bearings.

Rallying round, Nazeem was impressed with the garden.

-Looks amazing.

-Absolutely, no, I can't...

I'm overwhelmed. The kids would love it as well.

-It's not a swimming pool, but it's halfway there.

-Yeah.

Although access would have to be rethought.

-We could obviously move it and then ramp it over that way.

-Yeah.

Despite their earlier misgivings,

the couple had warmed to this property.

As I've gone through the house, it seems really, really nice.

I like it. The master bedroom's amazing.

I could definitely see myself there.

The kitchen is the biggest let-down for me.

-Yeah.

-I was expecting a bit bigger.

For me, this room, I'd probably redesign completely.

-That's a lot of work, though, isn't it?

-It's a lot of work.

So, was this property within their £250,000 budget?

So, how much do you think it is, then?

Um, I think I'll go with...

..probably 235?

I think it's going to be a bit higher than that,

so I think it's probably like towards the top-end of our budget,

about 245, 250.

-Shall we have a look, then?

-Yeah.

-Wow.

-Whoa!

That was £65,000 over budget.

-It's well over our budget.

-I'm really disappointed,

I thought that would be worth a lot less than that.

For the work that needs doing on the house to meet our needs,

I don't think it's worth it.

It had been a disappointing start.

Hopefully the next place was more affordable.

It was situated in Nerang,

just 30 minutes from Surfers Paradise, close to the motorway

for access to Brisbane and popular with families.

But was this modern three-bedroom property the Mungurs' idea

of a perfect Aussie home?

You wouldn't want to come down this in the snow.

I don't...

Thankfully, we don't have that here.

That is a really steep driveway.

The idea got a thumbs up, though.

It seems a really quiet street, really nice, yeah.

I love it already.

This is nice. It's open-plan.

It's really light.

It's airy, there's a nice outside feel about the house.

-Yeah, that's what we want.

-Yeah.

First impressions were good

and the kitchen seemed more suited to their needs.

I've got the work space, that's what you need,

and I'm also in the lounge with the kids.

-It's so much better than the last house.

-Yeah, yeah.

And this kitchen, I mean, it's handmade, it's amazing.

But the main bedroom led to a difference of opinions.

I love the red walls in this room.

Oh, I hate them. It's a nice room, it's a nice size...

-Yeah.

-Needs a bit of decoration.

Oh, that's nice as well.

-Yeah.

-A nice big walk-in wardrobe.

You've got loads of extra room now.

Yeah, it's obviously not as impressive as the last house,

but it's a good size.

At the end of the day, it's a bedroom.

The en-suite had an unusual layout.

Ooh, I like this! Goes all the way through.

So it's like part en-suite, part family bath.

However, the garden fell short on space for Katie and Tom.

-It's quite small.

-There isn't as much running around space.

But this property was full of surprises.

Oh, wow!

I'm in love with this house.

I think that this makes up...

-..for definitely not having a garden.

-Yeah.

-Look at that.

-That's an amazing pool.

-Perfect.

-Kids will be very happy with that.

-Yeah.

And it wasn't just the children who would benefit from a pool.

It'd help strengthen my back muscles up.

One thing we want from Australia is a healthy outside lifestyle and

-this, this gives us this.

-Yeah.

This has exceeded expectations, definitely.

-It's exactly what we're looking for.

-Yeah.

This property may have helped convince Joanne to move,

but was it somewhere they could've afforded

on their £250,000 budget?

I think I'm going to go for 350.

So I'm going to say...

..270.

-BOTH:

-Wow!

That was £10,000 under budget.

I was well over!

I'm really surprised at the price, but it's actually...

It's a really, really nice surprise.

-I think I'd be ready to move tomorrow.

-Yeah.

Things were going well for Nazeem

and there was still one house left to see.

It was in Maudsland,

this suburb had the country-living feel the family were after

and good transport links making it accessible for commuting.

We believe that this modern three-bedroom family home

could be the dream house,

but did it have the wow factor for Nazeem and Joanne?

Here it is on the right. Wow, it looks really nice.

Wow. I love the street as well.

-It's nice and quiet.

-It looks like a really... Yeah.

The positivity continued inside.

Wow, this looks nice.

I love this entrance hall.

I like the door as well. It's nice.

-This is amazing.

-It's a lovely kitchen.

I love it, it's really nice and open-plan.

I can see myself cooking here, I can see myself watching the kids play.

It's just perfect for me.

I really, really, really like it.

It's a house ready to move into.

-Yeah. I want to move now.

-Yeah.

The outside area was a winner, too.

-Wow.

-I can see ourselves here cooking on a barbecue outside.

I can see YOU cooking on the barbecue outside.

-Yeah.

-The kitchen's my domain, the barbecue's your domain.

The alfresco feel was just what they were looking for.

Standing here, we can see everything inside...

-Yeah.

-..and everything outside, it's just...

It's just absolutely beautiful.

Moving on, the upbeat mood continued.

Wow.

-Oh...

-This is impressive.

-I like this.

-It's just so modern, it's so new.

-Yeah.

-And it's a wet room as well.

-Yeah. Especially having kids around.

-Yeah.

The main bedroom had all the space they needed.

-Ooh!

-Wow.

-This is impressive.

But the proximity to the road might have presented a problem.

There's a truck just gone past, so...

Working night shifts, it's really important to have a cool,

quiet bedroom away from the road, and it is a little bit noisy.

However, moving outside, their spirits soon soared.

-BOTH:

-Wow.

That is beautiful.

The large garden offered plenty of room for the children to play

and a pool was the icing on the cake.

-I think us and the kids would be really happy here.

-Yeah.

It was the dream house.

All Joanne and Nazeem needed to find out was how much it cost.

So, how much do you think it's worth, then?

I think it might be sort of top-end or higher than what our budget is.

I'm afraid to look, cos I just like it too much.

Um... I'm genuinely really, really nervous about this one.

-Yeah.

-Cos I think this is our house.

I think I'd probably go in again at 350.

I think it's probably about 300, 310.

Let's do it.

That was £13,000 over budget, but...

Whoa!

-That's impressive.

-It genuinely feels, like, achievable, it's,

it's within reaching distance.

It looked like Joanne was won over.

I mean, this is moving me towards Australia, definitely.

It's so much for our money. It's unbelievable.

-You think this is definitely sort of for us?

-Definitely.

Their day exploring the Gold Coast properties had given the couple

a real insight into what their money might've bought them

in Australia.

Property number one's outdoor spa had hit the spot,

but indoors was on the gloomy side, and so was the price.

The second house was perfect for outdoor living

and at £10,000 under budget,

they felt it might've been a home from home.

But the third property was the dream house and although over budget,

it would've been worth stretching the purse strings for.

So when it comes to homes down under,

was it the UK or Australia?

Based on the properties we've seen today, we've decided to vote for...

-Australia.

-Australia.

This house, it's just perfect, it really is perfect.

I think it's going to be amazing for us here.

We can see we can get a lot better houses for our money out here than

we can in the UK, so I think this is definitely the place for us.

And just sat out here, I just feel so happy, just sat in this garden.

Having discovered a house that would help improve Nazeem's life

was all very well but as the sole breadwinner,

Joanne knew the pressure was now on her to find a job

with a decent salary if they were ever going to afford it.

Back home, she was a sister in an intensive care unit in Leeds.

It was a job she was passionate about.

I absolutely adore my job.

Seeing that appreciation in, like,

a relative's face or a patient's face, to say we've actually done a

good job there and we've actually helped them through

a difficult situation, it is really rewarding.

But working long shifts meant little time for the family.

It is a fine juggling act. I'm stressed a lot of the time.

I feel like I've missed out on loads.

With just one wage coming in, she had a lot on her plate.

I've got to go out and make the money because Nazeem can't.

The job needs to be there, we want to be able to have a nice and

a good lifestyle, I don't want to be skimping and saving,

I want to actually enjoy my life out there.

And if we can't do that, there's no real point leaving.

We had arranged for Joanne to visit the Gold Coast University Hospital.

She was met by director of nursing, Paul Nieuwenhoven.

-Hi.

-Hi, Jo. Good to meet you, I'm Paul.

It'll be a pleasure to show you around this facility.

Paul introduces Liz, a fellow intensive care nurse.

-Hi, I'm Jo.

-Hey, Jo. I'm Liz.

So we've had a lot of trauma so far this morning, um...

-OK.

-Helicopters, you know...

-Yeah.

-Our last helicopter was last night.

-It is a busy, busy place.

-I work in quite an old hospital,

-so it doesn't have all these modern facilities.

-Mm.

In fact, that's what is really exciting for me,

-that's the kind of work environment I want, so...

-Yeah.

-This seems to fit with what I need.

-Yeah.

Impressed, Joanne was keen to find out about the kind of

work-life balance she might have got as a nurse in a hospital like this.

It's a 38-hour week.

The vast majority of our staff

prefer to work 12-hour-shift arrangement.

And you're free to swap with colleagues,

so if you've got something that comes up that's urgent,

it's pretty flexible in terms of getting the shifts that you actually

need for your work-life balance.

Just what Joanne needed to hear. She was also keen to know

if working there could have enhanced her career.

We'd take you off for a short period of the year so we can upskill you,

provide you with education,

and that also gives the opportunity for your managers to get to meet

with you, to discuss your own professional development needs.

That seems really fantastic, I'm absolutely...

I'm so surprised at that, that's really good.

Time now to talk money.

So, over here, as a registered nurse,

how much would I be making as a nurse?

A nurse in Queensland is probably the best-paid nurse

in the public sector in Australia.

You would probably be starting on a salary in the order of

about 82,000, but on top of that, you earn shift penalties,

so you can add 20-25% on top of that.

That was about £10,000 more than Joanne currently earned in the UK.

Knowing she could up her salary and skills and see more of

her family had put Joanne's mind at ease.

So, had the day done enough?

I've had a really interesting day, I've seen a wonderful hospital,

there's lots of opportunities for me here, and based on that,

I'm going to vote for...

..Australia.

I've just got a really good feel about this hospital,

the opportunities are there for me to develop and also

I think we're going to be really happy here.

I think I'll be happy so therefore everybody else will be really happy.

The potential move down under for the Mungurs was all about improving

Nazeem's health so he could play a more active role

in his family's life.

Australia's subtropical climate could improve Nazeem's condition,

so the family decided on a day out in the Australian sunshine

to give everyone a taste of how their future life could look.

The family spent their day at a wildlife park,

first getting up close and personal with a slippery character.

-Wow!

-Wow, look at this!

-That looks beautiful, doesn't it?

-What is that?

-There you go.

THEY LAUGH

-I like that.

-Do you like the snake?

Days like this were few and far between back in the UK.

-Wallaby Way!

-Should we go this way?

-Yeah.

-So, this is little Kicky.

Keep her right with her tummy up like a baby.

She's really cute.

-They seem to really like it here.

-It's really nice here.

-The kids are happy.

-I think if we moved here we could actually spend

-quite a lot of time coming to this park.

-Definitely.

Being able to get out and about with Katie and Tom was a huge part

of Nazeem's dream and time spent in the Aussie sunshine

was already working wonders.

I'm taking less painkillers already,

so I've actually enjoyed it more today than I would in the UK because

if we come out for a couple of hours,

I'm either having to put a heat pack on cos my back's really sore

or just going home early.

Although she had had reservations about giving up their life

in the UK, the excursion had given Joanne time to reflect

on how much moving really could help Nazeem.

It's a complete different change for him because in the UK all he

-does is be in the house.

-I don't feel as much of a prisoner here

and that's only in the short space of a week.

He's been putting the laundry on,

he's been sort of filling the dishwasher,

he wouldn't do things like that in the UK.

What's he going to be like in a month's time?

That's what I keep thinking.

-And what's going to happen in three months' time?

-When we got married,

I wasn't like this. I hate my life,

I hate the way I am and that's not the person I want to be.

I know moving here is not going to fix everything,

but certainly it can go a long way.

Even if his health is improved by 20%, it's just,

it's just massive, it really is.

It had been an inspiring day for the family.

So, was it a done deal when it came to choosing between lifestyle

in the UK and Australia?

So, we've had a really great day at the wildlife park here today,

so now it's time to vote.

JOANNE AND NAZEEM: Australia!

I don't know!

Katie, why did you choose, "You don't know"?

Cos...they're both best places.

I voted Australia because it's really,

it's really amazing over here.

Um, we've had a really, really wonderful day here.

We haven't had the weather to contend with,

it's just been amazing.

It's been really great because I've just wanted to get out and about

with the kids - which is what they've wanted us to do -

and been able to do it here.

In spite of Katie's indecision,

Joanne was feeling more confident about a life in Australia,

meaning Nazeem could've been within touching distance of the active,

healthier life he yearned for.

But would the financial cost of the move see his hopes dashed?

The couple needed to work out if they could've afforded

to live down under.

To help them, we had prepared a comparison of expenses.

Basing their calculations on the dream house,

the couple's mortgage in Australia would be £200 more per month

and that's not the only thing going up down under.

Gosh, all these bills seem to be more.

For me, the gas and electricity is like...double.

Adding up the figures revealed they would've been over £1,000 worse off

every month in Australia.

That's extortionate.

It looked like Nazeem's dream was in trouble.

We wouldn't be able to afford to live here at those prices.

But Joanne was able to see a potential healthy boost

to her income in Aus.

£722 more?

That's... That's, like, wow. That's, like, amazing.

It was a huge increase, but was it enough?

Australia income versus Australia outgoings is minus £35.91.

So, overall, we're going to be minus £322.75 worse off.

OK, that's quite a big shock.

Not happy.

Not happy at all.

The outcome was not what the couple were hoping for,

but the sums were based on Joanne's basic salary.

They said I could potentially make up to 25% more for unsociable hours.

So, virtually, with 25% on top of that and we're almost

breaking even, then.

He was trying to remain optimistic, but how would Joanne vote?

Would his prognosis convince her to take the plunge?

We've been looking at finances today and it's definitely been an

eye-opening experience, and based on that, we're going to vote.

-UK.

-Australia.

I chose the UK...

..purely because I think the pressure would be too much.

I understand what you're trying to say and, yes, it is quite a bit,

a lot more pressure. Although it doesn't look the best now,

there is definitely light at the end of the tunnel in terms of things

-we can change.

-I don't think I'm in a happy place right now.

I think it's just sort of...

We've been shown the best parts of Australia, I've seen the jobs,

I've seen everything and now, down to finances, it's just...

I just feel really disappointed.

Joanne's financial fears meant Nazeem's hopes of a better future

in Australia could've been in doubt

and there was one more hurdle to overcome -

leaving behind family and friends who had supported them

over the years would be a tough call.

While the children were looked after by a childminder,

the couple sat down to watch messages from home.

-Right, shall we do this?

-OK.

Hi, Nazeem, Joanne.

-Hiya.

-Hi, Naz. Hi, Jo.

Hello, Joanne and Naz.

Naz is a really nice, friendly guy.

He likes to get involved and wants to be part of it all,

-doesn't he?

-Yeah.

JoJo is a very nice daughter-in-law, she's like a daughter to me.

When they're together, they're a happy family,

they do everything together.

They're just going through life as it comes and that's...

-What can you do?

-Naz and Joanne have been through the mill.

But I think it's brought them closer together.

As much as we would miss, miss them all...

And if it's the right choice for them, then we'd embrace it

and tell her to go for it, definitely.

It's extremely difficult to imagine life over here without them.

If they make the decision to go...

..it'll be very hard.

Unfortunately, you've now got a rather big decision to make...

..and all I can say is...

..think carefully and go with your hearts.

Life is what you make of it and if you go with the interest of making

a go of it, you'll do well.

Your dad and I wish you a long and happy life together over there.

If you decide to make Australia your home, we're going to miss you...

That must feel really hard.

I'm starting now...

I think that's the hardest thing about coming over here,

it'll be saying goodbye to friends and family.

It's harder to make a decision now than it was...

-..an hour ago, yeah.

-Before seeing that, yeah.

The trial week had shown the couple how Australia could've made

a real difference to their lives.

I'm feeling better in myself, I'm feeling more upbeat.

It means the world to me to be able to say yes to the kids,

rather than having to say no all the time to them.

I've absolutely loved seeing Nazeem flourish this week.

His mood is dramatically changed. He's upbeat, he's positive.

But although moving down under could have helped transform

the family's future, Joanne realised it would come at a huge cost.

Just seeing everybody crying and upset

about the thought of us leaving,

it just tears me up inside, really.

I don't know if I could do it right now, um...

I'm just all in turmoil inside, really.

Without Joanne on board, Nazeem knew his dream would come to nothing.

She's the one that's making this move work and she's the one going to

work every day, so it's quite hard putting that pressure on her.

I've seen how much positive there is out in Australia with my health

and wellbeing, and I don't really want to go back to the UK.

If she's not entirely happy, then we can't move.

So, with their destiny dependent on the final turn of the cards,

where did the family's future lie?

NAZEEM AND JOANNE: Australia!

-Australia.

-Australia!

I think Australia, this week, has given us a brilliant lifestyle.

It's shown us what we can actually do out here.

We came out to Australia knowing we had to tick two boxes...

Basically, improve my health and create a better work-life balance,

and it's ticked both boxes.

I love the beach and the sun.

-Do you like the playgrounds?

-Yeah.

I think we should just, like, apply now, basically, we're just,

-like... What's the point in waiting?

-That's how I feel as well.

-HE LAUGHS

-Hey!

It was an unforgettable week for the Mungurs.

Despite an element of financial risk,

seeing how family life could be transformed down under

had convinced everyone Australia should be their new home.

So, 12 months on, are they living at home or away?

It's 2017 and the Mungurs are in...

..the Gold Coast near Brisbane.

And it's been a dramatic year.

The week after we made our final vote to stay in Australia,

I got back in contact with the hospital that we were shown around

and they were really enthusiastic, they were really pleased with my CV,

so they put me on an interview panel the following week.

So, we landed in the UK, I think that night I actually had

an interview at three o'clock in the morning

and they offered me the job pretty much straightaway.

Wow, but this fantastic news came with some strings attached.

The problem was, or a blessing in disguise, is the hospital said,

we want you to start as soon as you can.

So, it was a very big shock to the system.

Suddenly we'd gone from making a decision, let's move to Australia

in about a year, two years' time,

to suddenly the hospital want us out straightaway and they want us

out in the next six months and can we really...really achieve that?

Nazeem and Joanne started on their accelerated timetable,

planning to move to Australia before Christmas.

They had dozens of things to arrange from the sale of their house,

to schools for the children...

..and then, a major setback.

While we were still in the UK, I discovered a lump in my neck.

We went to see a surgeon, an ENT surgeon really quickly, um...

He did a scan of it and he really wasn't sure what it was,

so his decision was, "Look, you're going to be moving

"to Australia, this could be something really serious.

"We need to get it out, we need to assess it

"and find out exactly what it is."

On the back of that, I went in for what we thought

was a routine operation.

And then there was a dramatic turn for the worst.

Nazeem had suffered complications from the surgery

and was having severe trouble breathing.

The next thing I knew, my neck was starting to swell up

after I came back from the operation.

So, I thought this was quite routine

and my neck's starting to swell up to the point of

it was quite out here, I couldn't swallow, I couldn't breathe.

When Jo got there, she sort of took one look at me,

she sort of said, "Look, something's wrong here."

She got the doctor involved, she got the consultant involved

and he took me back to theatre within ten minutes.

During the operation, I had, a couple of times, the consultant

actually came out and he knew we were coming to Australia

and he actually came to me and said, "He needs a tracheostomy,

"but I know you're going to Australia

"and that would put a spanner in the works, that would stop you going."

I was absolutely petrified when this was happening.

I was crying, I was just so frantically worried

and being by myself as well, I was just...

Thoughts go through your head of what would happen

if he didn't survive.

After the house fire and the car crash,

this was the Nazeem's third close brush with death.

Joanne was concerned that his recovery would delay

or even call a halt to their new life.

This was supposed to be a routine operation

and this could've really killed him.

I thought this, the situation with Nazeem's...

Well, the complications from surgery were severely going to affect us

coming to Australia

but it's almost like we were that motivated to come to Australia

that he went through such a lot in that week,

he went through two major operations in a day,

spent some time in ICU and then rehabilitation on the ward

and things like that, but we were still, we were still so motivated

-to come to Australia...

-Yeah.

-..that it's almost like

he didn't complain about it.

He just, he just got on with it and did it.

And after Nazeem was given the all clear,

amazingly, the family landed in Australia in December 2016.

The couple are renting a home in Coomera in Gold Coast

and are delighted with the house and area.

When we landed in Australia we actually stayed with friends

for a month and they were, they were brilliant.

They let us, I mean, use their house like our home.

We had all the flexibility and everything

and then we actually found this rental.

The area that we're living in now sold us Australia, basically.

We knew this was the area we wanted to live, so as soon as we came out

here we were looking for houses in this area.

And we looked at that many houses

and actually really didn't like them, there was a bit of this

that we liked, a bit of what we didn't

and then suddenly found this one.

-It was brand-new into the rental market.

-Yep.

It's been well looked after, it's got solar panels, which it's...

For us having solar panels in the UK, it's like we wanted

-solar panels out here cos we know how much it can save us.

-Yeah.

It's walking distance to Katie's school, 20 minutes to Joanne's work.

-Yep.

-So, basically, it ticked all the boxes for us.

So, we're close to loads of amenities,

close to local schools and it's only like a 20-minute drive to work,

it literally did tick every box.

And they have big plans for the future.

We love this house but it's nowhere near ideal for what

we would want, so we've looked at it from the perspective of,

well, we're planning to build a house in the next six months

to 12 months. So from that side of things,

we've got a lot of experience now in terms of how we would lay the house

out in Australia and what we would do differently.

Being whisked away from the UK suddenly,

Joanne had to hit the ground running in her new job.

When I first started work in Australia,

I didn't have a work-life balance.

I felt like I was working all the time,

I was working five days a week and they were long shifts.

But now I've started a new job,

I'm a clinical facilitator on the unit

and working three to four days a week gives me an extra day at home

and I'm also able to do longer hours.

And it's just brilliant, I've got more flexibility in what

I'm working so I can work around the family,

family's just not fitting around to what I'm doing all the time,

which is perfect.

However, the main drive to move to Australia was Nazeem's health.

Had the change in climate really made a difference?

Since being in Australia, my health has improved dramatically.

I've gone from taking like 30 tablets a day

to hardly taking any painkillers a day.

So that's quite a big achievement in itself to go from, like,

opiate morphine level painkillers

to just being able to manage my pain on paracetamol.

And I purely put that down to the fact

that it's a lot warmer out here,

I'm in a lot less pain because of it.

So because I'm able to have a lot less painkillers,

I don't have as many side effects,

so that means I can now, like, get out and about more.

I can walk around, we walk around Coomera Lake

and that's like a 4km walk and we'll try and do that

at least once a week.

Now, in the UK, I would never even have been able to attempt that.

Out here, it's just amazing.

Naz's health since we moved to Australia has massively improved.

He is a young, fit, healthy man at present.

He is able to do everything that I can do.

We're going for long walks, he's able to look after the kids,

he's able to drive and he's also reduced all the medication

that he was taking in the UK, so all the painkillers,

he's literally on basic amounts and that's as and when now,

as opposed to every day. You can see the look in his face,

he's just a completely different person.

We went camping for the first time ever as a family last weekend

-and it was absolutely amazing, wasn't it?

-Yeah.

It was brilliant.

We're going for walks in the mountains,

we're just more outside, we spend all our time outside, which is...

That's what I wanted for the kids

when we decided to come to Australia.

Nazeem is now playing a full role in his children's life,

something that would've been unthinkable just a few months ago.

We love being able to go out and do things more with me

because I wasn't able to do things with them.

Thomas complains when we walk Katie to school, every time we walk...

-Every day.

-Every day, he complains walking to school,

but he absolutely loves it and when you say to him,

"Look, in the UK, I wouldn't be able to do this,

"I wouldn't be able to play with you." And he says,

"Actually, yes, I'd rather be here cos you can play with me."

And although they've only been here a few months,

the couple have no regrets at all.

I definitely feel like I'm living the dream life

just because we're in Australia. The weather's perfect,

we're able to do loads of family activities outside,

we're able to get the kids fit and healthy,

-we're getting fit and healthy.

-Yeah.

We're just so active as a family.

It's just perfect, it's exactly what I wanted to do.

For me, personally, being able to take less painkillers,

being able to be a lot more healthy in myself,

that's obviously the biggest thing personally.

But from the perspective of the family, I certainly think

the best thing for Australia is a better work-life balance

because it's great to be able to spend time together

as a family because that's what we want to do.

When I see Nazeem now, he's the person who I met,

like, 12 years ago.

He's the person that I met at university who was carefree,

he didn't have any health problems

and it's almost like we've been given that time back together

cos we've got this fresh start.

The transformation to their lives

that Australia has provided is immeasurable

and within such a short period of time since leaving the UK,

the family is clearly beginning to thrive.

We wish them all the very best for the future.