Buchanan Family Wanted Down Under Revisited

The Buchanan family dreamed of a move down under

to improve their disabled son Jordan's quality of life.

I think Jordan would benefit the most out of everybody.

But things got off to a very bad start.

Oh, God, there's a cockroach.

Ew! It's horrible. Yeah.

And Angie's daughter Sophie was torn about leaving her dad.

I think the hardest thing for me

would be leaving my dad and my sisters and my stepmum.

I try not to think about it, to be honest.

When we caught up with them two years later,

we found out if the family had made the move.

When we initially found out about the visa,

and Jordan maybe not being eligible,

we were obviously a bit shocked.

But where are the Buchanans now?

In the UK or living down under?

Australia's famous laidback way of life, sunny climate

and almost 30,000 miles of coastline

has made it the chosen destination for Brits moving abroad.

But life down under doesn't always give you

the kind of paradise you imagine.

In 2011, the Buchanan family faced a huge decision -

whether to leave their family in Scotland

to start a new life down under.

We gave them a week to explore that possibility,

and then caught up with them two years later.

Today, we'll find out what's happened since we last met.

Back in 2011, it took the Buchanans over 24 hours

to reach Brisbane from home in Scotland,

giving them time to think about what they're about to do.

-It was tough.

-I don't think we could get used to that.

Nobody could get used to that.

If we make the decision to stay here, I think

the visits back home would be limited.

Regardless of the long journey,

the family were looking forward to the week ahead.

Back in the UK, the Buchanans lived in Armadale,

a small town outside of Edinburgh.

There was Angie and husband Jason,

along with Angie's son Jordan, who was 18,

Angie's daughter Sophie, who was 13,

and their two-year-old son Jay.

The couple had been married for six years,

but since the beginning, Jason has had one dream for his family.

I visited Australia about nine years ago,

and ever since I've met Angie, I've wanted to go back.

Unfortunately for Jason, Angie had very different ideas

about where their future lay.

I've never fancied going.

I've always been...

I'm Scottish, I stay in Scotland, this is where all my roots are.

I like being a mum, having foundations for our family,

whereas Jason would pack his bags and go tomorrow.

However, concerns about her children's future

had pushed Angie towards considering Australia.

We believe, after hours and hours of discussion,

that it would be best for all of us in the family,

in particular Jordan.

I think Jordan would benefit the most out of everybody.

18-year-old Jordan's disabilities meant he required extra care.

Jason and Angie believed a move to Australia

would improve his life dramatically.

Jordan flourishes in the summer. When we go on holiday...

Yeah, if we go on holiday, Jordan becomes a different boy altogether.

The weather affecting his joints, and stuff like that.

So, his mobility, his posture...

He really finds it difficult here.

When it comes to wintertime, Jordan basically hibernates in a room.

We certainly believe he's got more potential than sitting in a room.

But it was Angie's daughter Sophie who was resisting the move the most,

facing the possibility of living on the other side of the world

from her dad.

I don't fancy living in Australia at all.

My biggest fear would be I would never, ever see my little sisters

or my dad or my friends, or stuff, ever again.

So it would be quite upsetting to leave them, and stuff.

It's hard cos I don't want Sophie leaving her family,

her dad and her sisters and step-family, but...

the thing with Sophie is, I'm trying to better Sophie's life for her,

give her more opportunities,

and I think when we go to Australia, she'll flourish.

So, I need to make sure that Sophie's OK in going to Australia.

And with a tight-knit family at home,

they were also concerned about what they were giving up.

My biggest concern would be leaving my mum.

We see her almost daily. So, not only am I leaving her

but I'm taking her grandkids away as well.

Having decided to give Australia a go,

Jason had just one week to convince them

this was the right move for everyone.

It's the two girls that we have to convince

to ensure that this goes through.

Sophie and Angie.

Jason would be there tomorrow, it's his dream,

but at the end of the day, it's not just Jason's choice.

It's Jordan, Sophie and Jay's as well.

It's a family thing.

For their week in Australia,

the Buchanans stayed in the Redcliffe area,

just 20 miles north of Brisbane.

Their base was a traditional Queensland timber house.

As it was Angie's and the children's first time in Australia,

Jason knew it had to make a good first impression.

Oh, this is big, Jay.

Oh, this is a dining room.

-Oh, this is Jay's room!

-Let me see!

-Cool.

-Oh, wow.

-And that's Jordy's bed.

-This is bigger than your room, isn't it?

-Aye.

-Cool.

That all sounded positive.

But once they'd had time to unpack,

there were second thoughts.

First impressions of the house, very old-fashioned.

Definitely wouldn't be something that we would look at.

Since I've got here, it's not really blown me away

as much as I thought it would, so I hope it opens up to me

during the week.

After the first night, things went from bad to worse.

When we came in yesterday,

I don't think either one of us were completely happy with the house,

but it just got worse. Behind the surface, the house was disgusting.

We saw a mouse. And that kind of scared me.

So, like, as far as it goes for me,

I'm not convinced at all that I would like to live here.

It was a bad start for the Buchanans,

and a blow for Jason's hopes to relocate.

Thankfully, a move to a modern apartment,

free from visitors and close to the beach, was a big improvement.

This is nice.

This is much better.

Back in the UK, the family lived in a modern, five-bedroom home.

It was their pride and joy and they had firm ideas

about what an Australian home should offer.

We need a four-bedroomed house

because of the different ages of the kids.

Hopefully, a newer-build house.

The dream is to go there and have a nice standard of living,

which, in the first place, equates to a nice house.

They thought their house was worth £180,000,

which would bring their budget to the £250,000 mark.

We arranged to give the Buchanans

a taste of Brisbane's housing market. We showed them

three typical options

based upon what they wanted from their ideal home,

what they can afford,

and the real price of property down under.

After seeing what was on offer,

we'll revealed how much each house cost.

The first stop was this four-bedroom house in Scarborough,

20 miles from Brisbane. It was close to the beach and shops,

but in need of renovation,

which should have meant it would be good value for money.

-That's a bit strange, eh?

-What's this?

Whoof, oh, there's a big cockroach up there.

Eek! That wasn't good start to any house viewing!

-Oh, my God.

-It's horrible.

-Yeah.

Oh, God, there's a cockroach.

It wasn't any better upstairs

but Jason did have some ideas on improving things.

If anything was to be done with this house,

-I think it needs knocked down.

-Aye.

-And rebuilt.

What about little Jay? He seemed pretty chilled.

-Do you like this house?

-No.

This house was definitely not the start Jason wanted

and that was before they'd even found out its price.

Would their £250,000 budget be enough to cover

the cost and renovation expenses?

-No way.

-£217,000.

-No chance.

-No chance.

It might have been affordable,

but this property had got Jason's house-hunt

off to the worst possible start,

The second house was also in Scarborough, had four bedrooms

and was close to the waterfront.

For Jason, it really needed to impress.

Oh, look at that, Jay!

Wow!

-This is more like what we were...

-I love it.

-..looking for.

The pool was a great start, but they were yet to set foot indoors.

-Oh, that's nice.

-Oh, this is lovely.

-Oh, wow, look at that.

Great. Spot on.

-It's lovely.

-It's lovely.

-Absolutely lovely.

I love the ceiling, I love the windows...

Just the whole layout, it's just perfect.

That was music to Jason's ears.

Is this Jordy's room?

We'd need to get this decorated for you, wouldn't we?

You'd get everything in here.

Do you think this would be the perfect size for you?

This house had done a far better job

of impressing the Buchanans,

but was it within reach of their £250,000 budget?

So, this is the price of this house.

Ready?

365.

-I would say that was definitely...

-Worth it.

..at the very limit of what we could afford.

-Mmm.

-I think.

It looked like Jason's hopes of moving his family were on the up

but the price wasn't ideal.

Could the final house convince everyone without breaking the bank?

Property number three was a four-bedroomed new-build

in North Lakes, slightly closer to central Brisbane,

but because it was further inland,

it should have offered better value for money.

Wow.

-Love it.

-This is nice.

This is nice.

For me, this... It ticks all the boxes.

This would be my dream home.

-There's a pool.

-Never mind the pool, look at the barbecue.

-Uh-huh.

Unbelievable.

Mum and Dad were convinced, but what about the rest of the family?

-I think I would consider moving...

-For this house.

..if this was our house.

Much to Jason's relief,

this property seemed to offer everything the Buchanans wanted,

but was the dream house a fantasy or a possibility?

-350,000. It's cheaper.

-It's cheaper.

I can't believe that this is cheaper than the other house.

It's kind of shocked me.

This was great news for Jason's dream,

but being over budget meant it would have put the family's finances

under pressure.

The Buchanans had seen three very different properties

and after a disappointing start to the day,

did they vote home or away?

-ALL:

-Australia!

That was a great result for Jason,

but getting the dream home would require well-paid jobs.

Angie worked in social care but wanted to return to nursing.

Ideally, my main aim is to go back into children's nursing

because I'm a qualified children's nurse.

Angie's nursing qualification was critical to the family's

visa application, so the whole move was resting on her shoulders.

We arranged for Angie to visit Brisbane's Redcliffe Hospital,

to get a feel for working in down under.

-Hiya.

-Hello, I'm Emma Fitzhenry, the Nurse Unit Manager for Paediatrics.

-How are you doing?

-Nervous.

-Oh, you'll be all right.

-Come with me, we'll go up to the children's ward.

-Thank you.

While Angie got stuck in,

Jason took the children to the park.

Back home, I own my own business dealing with office technology,

in particular, photocopiers, printers and scanners.

However, coming to Australia, at this stage,

I wouldn't have any ambition to start up my own company,

coming over here.

I think it would be wise to find employment

and see where that goes.

Back on the ward,

Emma was putting Angie's bedside manner through her paces.

Did she still have what it takes?

-So, I might just introduce you to Calum.

-Hiya. And what did you do?

I didn't do it. Someone fell on top of me.

-Can I see your arm?

-Wow.

-Have your friends wrote on it?

-Yeah.

While Angie was back on familiar ground,

Sophie was considering her new life.

Since we're here, surprisingly,

didn't think it'd be as good as it has been.

I think the thing that's most pushing me towards Australia now

is just being here and experiencing it for yourself is...

It's not like a holiday, it's actually somewhere you could live.

But she was still struggling with her decision.

I think the hardest thing for me

would be leaving my dad and my sisters and my step-mum

and I think...

I try not to think about it, to be honest.

Back at the hospital, Angie was getting down to business with Emma.

At home, I worked part time, so, what,

are there vacancies for part-time staff or...

Yep, most of my staff are part time.

-Oh, right.

-It's the minority that are full time.

So, you know, it's a great work/life balance.

Are there vacancies available?

We don't have any vacancies at the moment

but with six beds opening at the beginning of next year,

I'll have eight full-time positions.

Thank you. When it comes to salaries,

what is, like, a full-time employee and what's part time?

So, dependent on your experience

and where you would sit on the pay scale,

as a registered nurse, you could earn anywhere from 58,000

to 78,000 at the top end of the scale.

Oh, that's great. Jason wouldn't want to work if that was the case.

That meant Angie would have a salary of £37,000

if she was prepared to work full time.

Today has been very, very positive. I feel a lot calmer.

I'm a bit excited, actually, being honest with you.

Angie's prospects were looking good

but how would she vote?

Australia!

For me, as the main applicant,

I feel that I've got no worries getting a job.

It's been a very pleasant experience today.

With Angie's vote for work in Australia,

it was definitely looking more positive for Jason.

But could the family actually afford to make the move?

To help figure it out,

we had prepared a breakdown of their everyday living costs.

-Oh, look at the size of the mortgage.

-Mortgage repayments 1,811,

so, the mortgage payment has doubled.

So in terms of outgoings...

we're just slightly more than we would be back home.

However, our salaries have increased quite substantially,

which means we're far better off here.

-We're quids in.

-We're quids in.

Angie and Jason had worked out

they'd be a lot better off in Australia

if they both worked full time. So, how did they vote?

Australia.

Australia.

Realising they could afford to live in Australia

was a good result for Jason

but the move was still far from certain.

Both he and Angie needed to know if Oz could offer Jordan

the independent outdoor life he thrived in.

But I think that the two of us would like Jordan to have a wee job and...

And start his own life.

He is kind of secluded to his wee self

and he doesn't have any communications with anybody.

And, as a mum, it's worrying because you don't want

everything that you've done for your son, for him to waste away.

So we've arranged for them to visit Cascade Place,

a day centre for adults with a range of disabilities.

-Welcome, guys.

-Hi there, how are you doing?

-I'm Jason.

-G'day, Jason.

-This is Jordan.

-G'day, Jordan. How are you, mate?

Come on through, guys. Welcome.

This is nice and colourful.

Everything that you see in this room has been made here.

All I've ever wanted was for Jordan to be seen as a person,

not as a figure or a number, or just somebody with special needs,

but to be identified as Jordan.

Geoff Trappet from the Queensland Cerebral Palsy League,

was able to address their concerns.

What's really important for us is how we can progress Jordan

and find the right activities or workshops

that's going to take him into adulthood.

So, it's about building those skills up

that someone would build up in life

to be able to move on to the next stage.

And do you get involved in employment opportunities for him?

Our job is to help Jordan with whatever his goals are.

So, if that's to get work, then that's what we can work on.

Had the Buchanans heard enough?

-I feel a lot better.

-I feel a lot more confident

from just one association that we've spoke to.

I think Jordan would excel.

The day seemed to have answered Angie's concerns,

and Jason's dream appeared to be one step closer.

Before the final vote, the family had to face

the reality of leaving behind the people they love.

While little Jay had a nap,

they watched some messages from friends and family at home.

-Hi, guys.

-Hello, guys.

I hope yous are having a great time in Australia.

Angie and Jason are meant for each other.

They totally bounce off each other.

And every weekend they've always got a plan

for the kids. Every weekend, not just the school holidays.

And they're lovely kids.

It's going to just...

break my heart to say goodbye to them.

If yous decide to move to Australia,

I will miss you, like, loads,

cos we've been friends for so many years and, like,

all the stuff we've been through,

all the laughs and all the sad bits that we've had,

I'm going to really miss them all, and I'll really miss you, too.

If yous do decide to go,

it's going to rip us up a bit, because you're my wee sister,

my nephew, my niece,

it's just going to, kind of, rip us up a little bit.

Well, I think... they're doing the right thing.

I know for a fact he loves me to bits.

As long as they're happy, that's all that matters.

Jason, I've always said to you, if an opportunity comes up,

in any way, go for it.

And I still say go for it. I think it's the best decision

the two of yous could make for the family and yous.

Move over.

Do you want a cuddle, Jordy?

It has been made a lot more real, that we might actually go.

Just need to wait and see.

Seeing messages from home was painful for Sophie and Angie,

and even Jason's started to have doubts.

I've always been the one driving this

but it's been pretty overwhelming this week,

thinking, you know... reality's starting to kick in.

And, obviously, I'm leaving my mum,

um...which is going to be tough, especially at the age she's at.

For Angie, the week had shown her

what the move could have meant for Jordan.

In the last few days, I mean, Jordan's just excelled

in his personality, in talking to people.

This is going to be one of the toughest decisions

we've got to make, because it's not just me and Jason's choice.

It was time for the Buchanans to make their final vote.

So, it's been a great week. Lots of new experiences,

loads of vital information

and we're now ready to vote, UK or Australia.

-Australia.

-Australia.

I'm not sure.

Four out of five ain't bad.

Having faced the ups and downs of life in down under,

it seemed like the move wasn't quite in the bag yet.

Back in March 2013, we caught up with the Buchanans,

who were still living in...Scotland.

Sort of.

The family had dealt with some turbulent times

since we last saw them,

including the sad passing of Jason's mum.

My mum was watching the kids, or Jordan and Jay, overnight,

and she just suddenly became unwell and a day later died,

so that was all really sudden that that happened,

and obviously had a horrendous effect on us all.

Jason was heartbroken,

but it's just...

It's just gave us

the kind of nod on the head...

It's almost as if Australia's what we're supposed to be doing.

It was great knowing that my mum gave us the full backing

to go to Australia, should we wish to do that,

when she was alive,

so that was reassuring, anyway.

And my mum always said that anyway.

If we were going to go and it was going to better our lives,

and especially the kids' lives,

then we should go for it, so that was good to know.

Angie had been busy working hard to secure her visa,

which was their key to starting a new life down under,

but in the end, it wasn't needed after all.

We were just ticking along

and waiting for my paperwork to come through for my visa,

for my nursing, so that I could apply for our sponsorship.

However, Jason applied online one day

and received an offer of a position in Australia

on a temporary four-year visa.

And it was Jason that got the visa, not me.

So all my hard work for nothing!

Incredibly, within days of getting the job offer,

Jason was in Australia and had already been there three weeks.

Angie and the children were packing up the house

before heading off to Australia themselves.

So basically, it's made the whole move

go faster than what we expected,

and the fact that Jason's been away for three weeks

and we're flying out tomorrow, so everything's just went...

Everyone was thrilled with the move,

and even Sophie had come to terms with leaving her dad

on the other side of the world.

Yeah, I think Sophie's really looking forward to it.

My wee gran bought me this wee bracelet,

which is lovely.

My favourite colour.

So... Just to say goodbye.

48 hours and 10,000 miles later

and the family were finally reunited in Brisbane, Australia.

Hello!

How are yous?

Hiya, darling.

Give me a cuddle!

Give me a kiss.

Hiya. You missed me?

Hi, you.

Are you all right?

I thought yous weren't coming there for a minute.

I've got a bit of chewing gum in my bag for you.

Oh, cool, mate. Give me a big kiss.

For Angie in particular, it was an emotional reunion,

and Jason was delighted to have the family back by his side.

It's just... It's an adventure. We've got lots to do.

I'm sure it's not going to be easy in the coming weeks,

maybe even months ahead,

but we just need to all pull together

and get Sophie into school,

get the wife working,

get Jordan into college

and me and Jay'll just spend days at the beach.

But I'm having a break first!

It was years in the planning,

but the Buchanan family were finally ready to start

their new life in Australia.

Three weeks later,

we stopped by to see how the family were settling in.

The Buchanans had rented a home in Coomera, 30 miles from Brisbane.

We moved into this property a couple of weeks ago.

It's... If we're being honest,

it's a bit lower than our expectations were.

It's a nice house, it's a new house,

it's got four bedrooms, a small garden.

But it was really important that we just got a base.

I wanted to settle down.

I didn't want to be staying in a hotel apartment.

So we kind of just jumped into this house.

And although it does its purpose,

it's not ideal and we're already looking for a new house. So...!

Jason was working as an accounts manager

for an office technology company

and the job was going well.

It's been excellent so far.

Really good company to work for.

Work hard and play hard, but really relaxed.

And, yeah, so far, early days, it's been great.

And the guys have done a lot to make me fit in.

And while Angie was busy getting the children settled,

she had already started thinking hard about returning to work.

And she had a change of mind about working part time.

But once they're sorted, obviously I want to go back into my nursing

and that was the whole point of doing my nursing course.

So hopefully go back

and I'll be working full time.

I think working full time over here

would still give me family time...

..but obviously boost our wages up at the end of the week.

So...that's what it's about.

Moving to the other side of the world was a massive challenge

but the boys had taken it in their stride.

The kids are settling in great. Jay absolutely loves it.

He's going to be right little Aussie surfer dude, I would imagine.

And the dream of Jordan flourishing down under

seemed to be already paying off.

Jordan always shines on holiday.

So to see that when you go on holiday

for two weeks a year or whatever back home

and Jordan comes out of his shell,

to have that ongoing, every day...

you can't explain it.

I just love seeing him developing

into the young man that he should be.

But it was Sophie who had left the most behind.

Before I moved over, I felt that,

you know, that was kind of going to be it.

We wouldn't talk as much and stuff like that.

But I missed my wee sister's birthday, she's just turned seven,

but we were, like, Skyping and I sent over cards.

And my dad FaceTimes me all the time

and I speak to my step-mum just as much as I did in Scotland.

She's struggling just now

so I think Sophie's looking forward to getting into school.

She's already went over her internet access limit twice

with FaceTiming and everything else, so...

She's a strong-headed girl.

She's accepted the move to Australia.

She knows that it could be a really good opportunity for her,

as well as the family.

So, again, if we can get her interacting as soon as possible

with people her age,

then I honestly believe that Sophie will flourish here.

Of course, there were a few things the couple missed about back home.

The one thing, the small thing, would be

I miss the football on the TV.

Erm, but you can obviously get that here,

although it's, you know, in the early hours of the morning.

But that was something that I watched a lot back home,

so I miss that.

But in terms of anything else, so far, I don't miss anything.

Yeah, I think I've got a couple of close friends that you miss,

just popping in and having a coffee with.

-But, apart from them...

-No.

..nuh, I don't miss anything.

We're not homesick.

We just feel like we're settling in and we fit in.

Although they'd only been in the country a few weeks,

and had had a few teething problems,

already the family felt their lives had been transformed.

The weather over here, it's been more quality things,

things that we've wanted to do, like take Jay to the park,

take Jay to football, take Jordan swimming into the sea.

Stuff like that, that's what we're actually experiencing.

So, I would say it's a better quality of family time

that we've got. than compared to back home.

Yeah, it's great, as a dad, being able to do all these things

with the kids and with Angie,

it's just, yeah, it brings you all closer together.

And if the kids are happy, then that only helps us be happy.

It had been an incredibly long journey for the Buchanans to

reach Australia but Angie and Jason were already reaping the benefits.

The way things are going just now, erm, I don't think that myself

and Angie would ever consider going back to the UK.

Sophie's 15-year-old,

she may decide at some point in the future that she may want to go back.

Erm, but I truly believe once she's settled in Australian life

then the most she would do would go back on holiday.

But overall, I can't see us going back.

What I can say is we are living the dream now,

because it's our dream,

it's not Jason's dream. It's our dream.

If somebody was to say to me today, "You need to go back home,"

I would cry. I don't want to leave this life, this is what we want,

it's just the beginning of something new.

So, no return, sorry, Scotland!

It took the Buchanans years to reach Australia with a rollercoaster

finale at the end.

Now, four years later, has Oz lived up to their hopes

and dreams or did they leave Down Under and return home to Scotland?

It's 2017 and the Buchanans

are living in the Gold Coast, near Brisbane.

And once again, Jason and Angie had moved into a new home

just before we arrived to film.

With them is Jordan, who's 23, Sophie, 19

and working as a waitress, and little Jay, who is now eight.

The family had some difficulty at first settling in.

So, the first year was really just about settling in,

getting Sophie and Jay into school

and obviously trying to find Jordan some work, as well as our own,

Angie had a real problem at the start getting some work.

So, yeah, the first year was really all about settling in.

We had to find out about the health system, private health,

Medicare, schools for the kids, erm...

But we never knew anywhere.

We didn't know shops, so everything was brand-new.

And it was really, it was difficult,

-but it was exciting at times.

-Mm-hm. Yeah.

Erm, coming across new adventures and stuff while we were doing it.

As Angie said, it was a new adventure for us all,

so we kind of enjoyed that part.

As a mum trying to settle kids, making sure everybody was sorted,

being away from friends, family, not knowing anything or anywhere

or anybody over here, it was pretty hard at the beginning.

We're still here four years later, so it must have worked!

Having just moved in, there's plenty of DIY for the whole family to get stuck into.

We've only been in the house a couple of days, it's a change of

area, it's closer to the beach,

which, to be honest, was Angie's decision.

She wanted to sample what life would be like towards the beach

side of things. So...

Every day, if I'm not working, I'm out,

Jason will have a day off, we'll go out for lunch, go down the beach.

Out exploring different places that we've never been.

back home, I used to go to work, Asda, Marks & Spencer's and home.

-That was my life.

-Yeah, so, this house is rented.

And, yeah, it looks pretty close to something that we would want

when we come to buy.

So, it's got a large swimming pool, large part outside

and it's fairly spacey inside.

We would probably be looking for a little bit bigger inside, once we decide to buy.

Work wise, it's been a challenging few years for the couple.

Because I was sponsored,

I started within two days of being in Australia, I started work.

Erm, so it was very much straight into it for me.

When Angie came over, about a month after myself,

she found it really difficult to get some permanent work.

-You were doing a lot of casual work.

-Yeah.

Which actually put quite a financial strain on us in the first year.

Erm, it took me about four months just to get my foot in the door

because it's a different qualification.

So, usually in Australia you are a general nurse

but you are a paediatric nurse in the UK.

So, it was kind of hard. And we were struggling on Jason's basic wage.

Erm, so, yeah, it was quite hard at the beginning.

I worked for a nursing agency and in the nursing agency,

you're not guaranteed that work.

So, I took a job in the Gold Coast University Hospital

in the paediatric ward for two years.

And it was OK but, you know...

I wanted something more.

And I moved up to Brisbane, to the new paediatric hospital and,

yeah, I'm loving my job up there.

There's plenty of opportunities for developing and, yeah,

my career's going really good at the moment.

Last year, we decided that once I had a permanent contract,

Jason had been talking about setting up his own business,

and, when I went home and I told Jason that he could give up the jobs

that he didn't like doing and start his own business, I think

that was, that was good.

Yeah, so, the job situation I found myself in,

initially, when we came to Australia, erm, was,

I found myself in a sales job, that wasn't paying very well,

so I quickly had to decide that, you know, I needed another job.

So, I changed jobs, and of course that then re-kicks,

or restarts the visa erm, in terms of, after two years,

you can apply for permanent residency.

And yeah, I went through a couple of jobs, eventually,

once Angela got sponsored by the hospital, it meant that I could

solely concentrate on the football side of things and my new business.

Jason took the opportunity to turn a lifelong passion into a career.

I'm now full-time technical director at Gold Coast City Football Club.

Which means I'm back involved in football full-time,

which is just pretty unbelievable, to be honest.

I think the chances of that happening back in Scotland

would have been very slim.

The concern before moving over

was how would the children adapt to a life Down Under?

And they need not have worried about youngest child Jay.

Well, Jay's adapted to Australian life, he's just a little Aussie now.

Yeah.

He loves living here. He's just out and about, always playing soccer.

-Or sports.

-Swimming.

-Swimming. He loves swimming.

-Can't keep him out.

He speaks Scottish to us, Scottish accent, but everybody else,

he speaks in Australian accent, so...

He finds it hard, when he's talking and doing his homework,

then he'll speak to us in Scottish and can't pronounce

some of the things, so he'll have to speak Aussie, it's quite funny.

Sophie's had a bit of an up-and-down time, a lot to do with the visa

process as well because that limited what she can do after school, so

Sophie finished school over a year and a half ago

and, erm, she was limited.

She wanted to go to university or college and university.

But couldn't because of the visa process,

so she has struggled, sometimes, she seems to have settled now.

She's got a little job and a boyfriend.

-Doing a uni course.

-She's doing a uni course online.

Yeah, it definitely took me about over a year to finally settle in.

But I think now, being here, I can definitely see why we did it.

The start of last year, I moved out with a friend,

moved originally about five minutes away from where my parents were.

Like, I've had a boyfriend. We've been together just over a year.

Yeah, then we decided to move in together, which was good.

And yeah, no, I live about 40 minutes away from my parents now.

I finished school last year.

I had just been doing part-time work

but I'm also studying online to do, like a degree in childcare.

But the real concern was eldest son Jordan.

Would he be able to get a full visa?

Jordan had some health issues when he came over.

He had been in hospital a couple of times. Erm, very ill.

So, eventually, Jordan had to actually go for a medical.

He passed it. Because Jordan got the medical,

it's the same medical as your permanent residency,

so, basically, we've got a year before that medical runs out.

So, we're just need to apply for PR and then hopefully that will be it.

Jordan was always going to be that miracle baby.

We were told he wasn't going to survive, he survived.

We were told he's not going to walk, talk... He's a 24-year-old man,

who works full-time. Independent.

And he gives me and Jason so much pleasure that he is achieving stuff.

So, yeah...

I'm very proud of the way Jordan's adapted to Australian life

and work life. And I think the best choice we've ever done for Jordy.

And with daughter Sophie moving out, you'd expect the family to be

a little quieter but Angie had different ideas.

We were having a glass of wine one night

and Jason kind of agreed to buy a dog...

So, I showed him this picture of a dog on Facebook

and it was a picture of a Great Dane.

But I didn't think Jason realised it was.

I think the wine had went to his head because he said,

"Oh, yeah, she's lovely!"

-And we brought her home and you've never looked back, have you?

-No.

She's the biggest princess ever.

So, would the family ever consider the move back to Scotland?

We went home in September last year.

And from the minute that I stood off the plane, it was dreich,

it was dreary and my mood just went down like that.

And, erm, I think when you stay in Australia,

every morning you get up, the sun's there.

I mean, I leave the house at 5:30 in the morning,

I see the sun rising in the morning and it just, I don't know,

I couldn't picture myself going back to the UK ever to stay.

Erm, this is, I think, when we chose,

when Jason bent my arm round my back and said we were going to

Australia, erm, I wish we'd done it years ago.

I really, I struggled at the thought when Jason mentioned coming

-to Australia but if I'd listened to him 13 years ago...

-Mm-hm...

..we'd have been here 13 years ago and not four years ago.

We just, we love it. We just absolutely love our life.

Obviously, people want everything best in life

and I think we've got a good life.

For the Buchanans, Australia has managed to exceed all expectations.

And though they've strived for this prize over many years, it's a

reward richly deserved. As the whole family look forward to a bright

future on the gorgeous Gold Coast, we wish them the very best of luck.