Samra Raison Family Wanted Down Under Revisited

Desperate to improve their family's prospects,

Jessie and Kevin saw their future in Australia...

I'm not happy in the UK

and I'm really hoping this is the answer.

..but not all the family were on board...

At the moment, no, I don't want to move out here.

..when a trial week in 2015 showed the good...

-Oh, that is lovely.

-..and the bad.

That noise from the road is just driving me crazy.

Did the thought of leaving loved ones behind...

It hurts. Actually, hurts. Yeah, it'd be tough.

..put paid to the dream forever?

So, where are the Samra/Raison family now -

in the UK or down under?

The world's sixth largest country,

Australia's 30 times bigger than the UK,

but with just over a third of its population.

But that figure's rapidly growing, thanks, in part,

to the 23 British families

who make Australia their new home every day.

Many are drawn by the country's warmer climate

and famous outdoors lifestyle, but not everyone makes it work.

Around half return with their dreams a distant memory.

Jessie Samra and Kevin Raison wanted the best future possible

for their children, but had become increasingly concerned

about their family's prospects if they stayed in the UK.

Though having never been,

they set their sights on a new life in Australia.

Ahead of them was a week to discover

if the country could live up to their high expectations,

followed by perhaps one of the biggest decisions of their lives.

Flying via Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia,

it took the family over 24 hours

to travel from London to Australia.

When they finally touched down,

there was a difference of opinion on how the flight went.

Wasn't as tiring as I thought it would be.

I'm feeling quite... I'm looking forward to the day.

-I thought the journey was really tiring.

-Yeah.

Arriving on Australian soil was a huge personal milestone for Kevin.

Thinking of all that time I wanted to just get here,

just being in Australia is just...

Yeah, it's good. It's really good.

He and Jessie were pinning their hopes

on the next week being a success.

It's really important that Australia,

this week, goes really well.

I'm not happy in the UK

and I'm really hoping this is the answer.

It really depends on this week. You know, this is the crunch.

We find out whether this is something for us

or whether it's not.

Kevin was right - the trial week could decide

where the family would spend the rest of their lives.

Meet the Samra and Raison family.

They are Jessie, Kevin, Kuba, Kieran, and baby Shay.

Before she met Kevin, Jessie was a single mum

living an active life in Wales with daughter Kuba.

We were really outdoorsy. We had lots of activities going on.

Literally, just have quality time as a family outdoors.

So, we did loads of activities, like dance and drama

and horse riding. Like karate and stuff.

Then, four years ago, mum and daughter returned

to where Jessie grew up.

Kuba and I moved back to West Bromwich from Wales

because we wanted to be close to family.

I just felt Kuba was missing out on seeing her grandparents more often.

Wanting to remain active,

Jessie enrolled in some bootcamp training sessions

and the instructor caught her eye.

Jessie was actually a client of mine from my bootcamp.

-She accidentally texted someone...

-Oh, my God.

..thinking it was someone else, and texted me instead.

And I think the words were, "I'm smitten."

So, that's how I knew that Jessie liked me in some way.

The couple fell in love,

and Kevin became part of both Jessie and Kuba's world.

To me, Kuba's my daughter,

and I felt that I took that on board quite easily.

And soon son Shay came into their lives.

It feels like everything's just pieced together finally.

The whole of my life has just pieced together.

There's also an important fifth member of the family -

Jessie's nephew Kieran, who Jessie's cared for like a son.

I think he was a massive part in mine and Kuba's lives,

but he's a big part of your life, really.

-Yeah, he's a good mate.

-He helps you coach in the business.

-Yeah.

Before they met, Kevin had a dream of moving to Australia.

I had a dream, many years ago - about the late '90s.

I was looking to see as much of Australia as I could.

But his initial plans were put on hold

when some unexpected bills landed on his doormat.

Unfortunately, my dog was taken ill.

All the money that I'd saved went on the operations for my dog.

A couple of years later, after losing his dad,

he thought it might be time to try Australia again.

When my dad passed away...

..I decided I'd go to Australia.

I didn't feel as if I had anything here for me.

But then a friend did say to me, "Whenever you go,

"you're always going to take your thoughts with you."

So, yeah, it's been a couple of times I've tried now for Australia,

so third time lucky.

Kevin's dream had new life

and Jessie began to share his desire to move down under.

Since moving from Wales, I think you've started to

always look for somewhere else to be.

-You've looked... Apart from Birmingham.

-Yeah.

I have it in my head what Australia can provide for us.

So, the family time, the outdoor lifestyle.

Jessie was worried life for a teenager in the West Midlands

wasn't stimulating enough for Kuba...

She used to play the guitar, the piano, the trumpet,

and she's given it all up.

Cos I've come from Wales, it's, like, really different.

So, where I would be out and doing activities,

I'll just be at home just on social media,

and that's it, really.

..and she believed a move down under would give Kuba a better life...

Being in Australia, she'll have that outdoor lifestyle,

she'll have, in my opinion,

more opportunities to do all the things she wants to.

..and offer nephew Kieran a brighter future, too.

It'll open his eyes to what there is out there.

I just want him to fulfil his dreams.

So, the dream was back on.

It's been nearly 20 years.

The dream's always been there, but you just kind of lay it down

and think it's never going to happen.

But Kevin was close to his aunt Sandra,

and was torn at the thought of leaving her behind.

We are so happy when we see each other, and now,

you know, we could be making one of the biggest steps

we've ever made in our lives.

It worries me. It does worry me.

Jessie and Kuba were also concerned

about leaving family who live nearby...

-It's not that easy to just jump on a plane...

-No.

..and come back here if you're needed.

-I think that'd probably hurt me the most.

-Yeah.

I see my nan every day, and knowing that, after school,

I'm not going to go there or something,

it's not a nice feeling.

..while Kieran had his own doubts over the move.

I'm massively scared and nervous. I'm leaving so much behind.

Friends, family - they all mean a lot to me right now.

Despite their worries, Jessie and Kevin were raring to go.

I think it's a bit of a make or break.

-It's borderline an obsession now, isn't it?

-Yeah. Yeah.

We know what we want and we've got to have it

within our grasp very quickly.

The family visited Adelaide,

the driest of the country's state capitals.

Their base for the week was Brighton Beach,

a haven for families and only a 25-minute train ride into the city.

Once inside their temporary home, Jessie was pleasantly surprised.

-Oh, wow.

-I like this.

-This is a good size.

And the outside entertaining area definitely had the wow factor.

-Oh, wow!

-Oh, wow!

-This is gorgeous.

-It just gets better, doesn't it?

This is where I would chill out on an evening.

As they made themselves at home,

Kevin could barely contain his delight.

It's took 20 years for me to get to Australia,

and it feels quite homely.

It feels normal to be here.

-Oh, wow.

-Wow!

Jessie pinned her hopes on Australia showing Kuba and Kieran

how their futures could be brighter down under.

I think it's a huge week for Kieran and Kuba.

I really hope that they open their eyes to something bigger

and better for themselves.

But it was likely to be an uphill struggle.

I have to admit, no, I don't want to move out here.

I'm worried about, like, not making friends and stuff

because it's totally new people around me and I won't know anyone.

Kevin knew just how much was at stake.

-KEVIN:

-This week is a life-changer for the family.

It's a long way to make a mistake,

so we've got to make sure that, if we do it, we do it right.

Back in the UK, the family lived in Smethwick in the West Midlands.

Their three-bedroom house was midway through renovations.

The house in itself is a very big property.

It's just not laid out the way we would like it,

so we're knocking it all through.

The family's budget for buying a home in Australia

was around £250,000, and they knew exactly what they wanted.

-A swimming pool.

-Close to the beach.

-A hot tub.

-A big kitchen. Definitely need a big kitchen.

And a barbecue area. Crikey, it's all outdoors for me.

Nice, big garden for the dogs.

We showed them three properties -

two on-budget and a third, their dream house.

Only after they saw each one did they discover its value.

The first viewing was ten minutes south from Brighton Beach

to the Sheidow Park area.

Popular with expat families, it was close to the sea,

yet half an hour from the city.

On arrival, the sloping driveway didn't get the viewing off

to the best of starts.

-Steep.

-That's quite steep.

-That's quite frightening.

-Ah!

-The roof's almost level with the road.

-It's quite freaky, that.

-Yeah.

-It's like a basement.

-I don't like the steep drive for my heels.

But despite the shaky start, inside, things began to improve.

-Nice and bright.

-Yeah.

-I didn't expect that cos it's so low down off the ground.

-Yeah.

-OK, bedroom.

-The main bedroom lifted the mood further still.

-That's nice.

-Oh, yeah, it's nice. Walk-in wardrobe.

-Oh, wow.

I don't think it would suit Kuba. Still not enough room for her.

She could fill up all of that!

And while the open-plan kitchen-diner

and living room did win some praise...

-It is a nice kitchen.

-It is. It's nice.

..it wasn't long-lived.

It just reminds me of an apartment, this whole house.

However, up on the roof deck,

the family could finally imagine settling in.

Oh, this is lovely. Now, this is it.

It's good. If it gets too hot,

at least you've got the shade there, as well.

I could see myself out here every day.

Overall, the house received a mixed response,

but could they afford it with their £250,000 budget?

I'm going to guess at...

-..190.

-I'm thinking over the 200 mark.

I'm going to go £225,000.

-THEY GASP

-Ah.

-Wow.

-I was the closest.

That was £19,000 under their budget.

I was expecting a little bit lower.

I'm excited to see, if this is 231,000,

what on earth we can get for 250,000. I want a pool!

To see if Jessie could get the pool,

the family went to property number two,

in Reynella, about ten minutes from the nearest beach,

and everyone appeared immediately impressed.

-First impressions? Really nice.

-Beautiful.

-I really like it.

-Inside, the house just couldn't put a foot wrong.

-Oh, nice. This is what you would expect in a proper hallway.

-Yeah.

It kind of keeps you guessing as to what the rest of the house is like

and the sort of house it should be.

The main bedroom was a real crowd-pleaser.

-Oh, wow.

-What's...? Whoa!

Oh, this is gorgeous.

-It's a gorgeous en suite.

-A shower and everything.

-Oh, it's lovely.

-In the next bedroom...

-It's a good room.

-It's not bad.

..Jessie was distracted by something she spotted out of the window.

-I've just seen a pool!

-Did you?! Yes!

-Shall we go and look at the rest of the house?

-Yeah.

The quicker we move, the quicker we get to the pool.

In the living room-cum-office, trying to get a sneak peek

of the pool proved irresistible, but Kuba...

-Ow!

-..was possibly a bit too keen.

-Oh, wow.

-Oh, wow.

Don't you just want to get in it right now?

So, can we move in today?

Oh, that is lovely.

The whole family were smitten, but could they afford it?

I'm going to go...

..£265,000.

I think it's at least 50 grand more than the previous one.

So, I want to go a little bit more than that and go...

..285.

-Hey! I love that price.

-I'm shocked.

That was just £2,000 over their budget.

That's just incredible. I was not expecting that at all.

-I'm nervous.

-Wow.

We can potentially buy this house and have a good life...

-Yeah.

-..in Australia.

-It's suddenly become very real.

To see if they could top house two,

the family travel to what we thought would be their dream home,

located in a leafy suburb called Flagstaff Hill.

From outside, the two-storey house

had the entire family grinning from ear to ear,

especially Jessie.

It's absolutely stunning.

I told you, it could only be a dream house

-if it is a two-storey house.

-Yeah.

-It's massive.

It looks lovely. Look at the windows, as well.

However, the inside wasn't quite what they imagined.

-Wasn't expecting this.

-That's quite strange.

It's nice strange, though.

It wasn't until they got to the main bedroom with en suite

that they began to appreciate what this house could offer them.

This is a nice bedroom.

This excites me - this en suite, the bedroom, everything.

The rest of the house needs to be worked around this room, these rooms.

-That's nice, though.

-Oh, that is so pretty, looking over the pool.

But whilst the bedroom's balcony got Kuba's thumbs up...

Out here is really nice.

..the road noise just couldn't be ignored.

That's too noisy.

Sadly, that noise from the road is just driving me crazy,

and it's coming again.

-You can't relax in that.

-No.

So, though this property may not have been for them,

could they have afforded it with their £250,000 budget?

This one, I think, is about £317,000.

I'm going for 305.

-Wow.

-Ooh!

That's £104,000 over budget.

Do you know what?

-I am glad we liked the second house more.

-Yeah.

-You save £100,000 for liking the house in our range.

-Yeah.

It was a day of highs and lows

hunting for property in Adelaide's southern suburbs.

Property one felt too much like an apartment,

despite the roof deck getting the thumbs up.

Property two was the real winner with its large, open-plan spaces

and a pool that got the whole family smiling.

And house number three failed to win approval

with the neighbouring road creating a racket

the family couldn't ignore.

So, how did everyone vote when it came to properties -

home or away?

Based on the properties we've seen today, our votes go to...

-Australia.

-Australia.

-Undecided.

-Really?!

-Why, what's...?

Of the three, I thought there was one that was nice

and the other two didn't satisfy me at all.

That's not bad. Three and a half out of four's not bad.

-It's a good start.

-Yeah.

-I can see us living here.

-Yeah.

Jessie and Kevin may have found their ideal home,

but they needed the jobs to fund it.

Back in the UK, Kevin ran his own fitness company

he'd built up over the last ten years.

Impressed!

I love what I do. It's not work, it's play.

It's just something that I just absolutely love doing.

Jessie worked with Kevin

looking after the marketing side of the business.

Working and living with Kevin is interesting.

We have different ideas on how the business should be run.

But in Australia, she wanted to return to her former profession

as a scientist.

I got a degree in forensic science and that's where my passion lies.

I'd like to do some form of research and development.

Something that's going to help the world of science.

Until his new fitness business got up and running down under,

Kevin planned to work as a coach,

so we sent him to the corporate health group

who provides fitness programmes to large businesses,

where he spoke to team leader Amy.

I have a team of eight health professionals

with a very similar background to yours

and we roll out a range of different services

to improve the health

of South Australia's working population.

Kevin also met clinical services director Sandra,

and was eager to know if his fitness qualifications

would be valid in Australia.

Your qualification would be recognised

with a couple of caveats.

You can gain an Australian fitness certificate,

and once you have that,

then you would be able to work in a range of organisations.

-That's good to hear.

-Next, Kevin asked about his potential earnings.

What kind of salary would I expect for that?

Working on a full-time basis, around 55,000 per year.

That was about £27,000 - just a tad short of the £30,000

he earned from running his own business,

but were there any jobs?

We have a very large number of staff

and we would certainly be very interested in meeting with you

and looking at potential employment in the future with you.

Excellent. Thank you.

It was just the news that Kevin had been hoping for.

Meanwhile, Jessie visited an Adelaide pathology service

where she met expat managing director Ken.

She was keen to know if her forensic science degree

was transferable in Australia.

Jessie, you'd need to take advice on that.

Skills for All is a government agency

that provides help and advice on those sort of issues,

and also the Australian Institute of Medical Scientists

will also take a look at your degree

and decide whether or not that's suitable or not suitable.

It wasn't as clear-cut as she might have hoped,

but as Ken explained, she did have other options.

There's always the technical officer route.

They do a lot of work in terms of helping the scientists

and laboratory to make sure that samples are ready.

It definitely sounds like the route for me.

So, things were looking up, but what about her earning capacity?

A technical officer entry grade is around 40,000.

Goes up to about 55.

That was about £27,000.

-That's a starting point for me. I'm happy with that.

-Yeah, absolutely.

Both Kevin and Jessie had been far from disappointed

with what they'd discovered on the work front.

So, did that translate into votes for Australia?

-BOTH:

-Australia.

-Really?!

-No surprise. It's good news.

It's been a good day. You looked pretty happy when I saw you.

It's given me my oomph to get back on the career ladder.

-Two days in a row of good news.

-It's not bad, is it?

-Pretty good.

With positive results on the work front,

it was time for the family to get a small taste

of the lifestyle down under.

So, they went to Four Oaks Farm in the Adelaide Hills

where they met everyone's favourite marsupial.

Today, it has been perfect.

Seeing everyone so happy,

I can't put it into words how important it was

for me to have that family time, and it's quality time, isn't it?

Next, they saddled up for a ride through the Australian bush.

Absolutely loved today.

Bit nervous about the horse riding, but really enjoyed it.

Yeah, it's been good.

It brings back memories of Wales,

but then it's also, like, totally different.

I can imagine in summer with, like, the beaches and stuff.

Time spent together gave the whole family the opportunity

to think about the possible move.

But for Kieran, his thoughts were about the impossible dilemma.

If I come to Australia, I'm leaving behind all the family,

my grandparents and my friends at home.

If I stay at home, then I'm losing Jessie, Kevin,

Shay and Kuba, and it's really tough.

Splitting Kieran and Kuba up

was something Jessie couldn't bear to think about.

Kieran is like my son. He has always been treated as such.

It would be really hurtful, saying goodbye to him.

Just, like, taking the two people that are consistent in our family

and tearing them apart, and you feel bad about that, yeah. Sure.

I would miss Kieran cos, like, we're really close and I see him every day.

I would miss Kuba, as well, obviously.

-I hate to admit it, but I would.

-HE CHUCKLES

Kevin also had serious concerns.

I have my aunt, and I'd miss her greatly.

She is the closest thing I've got and...

Yeah, it'd be tough.

The whole family had a lot to think about,

but based solely on lifestyle alone, how did they vote?

Based on the lifestyle we've experienced here today,

our vote goes to...

-BOTH:

-Australia.

What made you vote undecided?

Because, you know, I thought the horse -

these are things that we could do in England.

You know, horse riding - Kuba's done it since she was a kid.

You're halfway, so I'm always happy with that.

Find the right interest for you

and I think you would have been swayed by the Australia vote.

-Another positive day.

-Yeah, it's been good.

And considering it's meant to be their cold season,

-it's been a really nice day.

-Yeah. And no-one fell off the horse.

Despite Kieran's doubts,

Jessie and Kevin were more hopeful than ever

for the dream to become a reality.

But this reality had to be checked against their finances first,

so we sat them down to compare the cost of living

in Australia with the UK, starting with the weekly food shop.

-I'm feeling nervous.

-Are you?

Kale is double in Australia.

Yeah, there's a lot more things that are more expensive in Australia

compared to back home.

So, per week, we're £24.29 worse off.

That wasn't a great start.

Next were the bigger outgoings,

based on the second home they viewed.

Wow. That's a big difference in the mortgage.

So, we're spending just over a grand...

-More a month.

-..more a month.

That's quite a lot.

It was a huge amount of money to be down.

However, they both remained positive.

We can get rid of things, but is that living the dream that we want?

We're spending more to live better.

-Yeah, it's an upgrade.

-Exactly, and...

-You've got to pay more.

And we haven't taken into account what we'll be earning here.

So, once the potential salaries were taken into account,

what was the total figure?

£344 better off.

That was more than an extra £4,000 in their pocket each year,

and they were delighted.

It makes it much more...

Much more real now for us. We can actually do this.

We can live how we've always wanted to,

and be better off.

That's ticking every single box.

So, was it a clean sweep

as the couple chose between finances in the UK and Australia?

-BOTH:

-Australia.

There's no surprise there.

You can't really argue with the figures, can you?

No. No, it was all good.

Whilst the week had shown the family

how their prospects could improve with a move to Australia,

one of their biggest mountains had yet to be climbed.

The family sat down together to watch messages

from loved ones back home.

-ALL:

-Hi, guys.

Jess has always been very close to me.

We've been like a mother-daughter relationship,

but it's always been a friendship, as well.

Kevin is very determined

and he's just a lovely boy.

She's more like a sister than a friend.

We just tell each other everything and she's always been, like,

a part of our family.

I don't want them to go, but I will miss them.

If she's not there, I don't know what I'm going to do exactly,

but, yeah, I will miss them terribly if they decided to leave.

It's his dream, and I would no more stand back and hold him from that,

but I can't help...

It's the parting.

So, I just...

I love him so much, and he is like my own boy.

We'd really miss them, especially the children.

They've always been around and we haven't really

nowhere near spent as much time with Shay.

But, you know, if that's what the children want,

and that will make them happy and a better lifestyle,

we're up for it.

How are you feeling?

-I miss it more now.

-Yeah.

Since I've been here, I've tried to put it at the back of my mind.

-I don't know if you guys have, but I miss them now.

-Yeah.

Just watching my dad on the TV, you just know that he's upset.

-The quieter he is...

-He's quiet when he's upset.

Quiet. He doesn't deal with upset very well.

It hurts - actually hurts - when you watch it,

and to see them there...

They're giving you advice to just enjoy yourself,

but it still hurts.

Watching friends and family was a stark reminder

of what they would be leaving behind.

And as the final vote drew closer,

Jessie feared the possibility of Kuba and Kieran having to split up

if they were to make the move down under.

He's my little boy, that's all I can say.

Him and Kuba are like brother and sister.

He is like a son to me.

It'd be like tearing them apart

if we decide to come here and he didn't.

Kieran and Kuba realised opposing votes

could mean a heart-wrenching separation.

We will miss each other.

I mean, we were brought up like brother and sister.

It'll be really hard because he's, like, my friend,

but then he's my family, as well. He's like my brother.

So, like, it'll be really hard cos I won't have anybody else here.

Whether the family would stay together

rested on their final turn of the cards.

Based on our experiences down under,

our vote for the country we live in goes to...

-ALL:

-Australia!

-Well done! Ooh, I'm so pleased!

-Well done, mate.

That's the best. That's good news.

-I'm so happy.

-Kuba, you voted undecided.

Yeah, I think I would eventually like to live here,

but I'm not ready for it right now.

How about being ready after the summer holidays in the UK?

Experience an English summer and then come out here for their summer?

But then it's school and everything again.

-That's a double summer in a year.

-I'm not sure yet.

-I'm so pleased.

-Thank you.

-You're going to be moving.

-No, I'm not.

It wasn't quite a done deal,

but with a little more time and persuasion,

they believed they could bring Kuba round

to the idea of starting again down under.

So, now, two years later, are they living at home or away?

It's 2017 and the family are living in

the West Midlands, but not for long.

They're making preparations to move down under

following their positive experience from the trial week.

It was everything you wanted it to be

to give you the information, as well,

so you're living it first-hand.

-It's more experience than you would ever get.

-Yeah.

-You can't get that experience on a holiday.

-No.

-You'd never get that.

-And you would make it a holiday.

-If you went on a holiday, you'd make it a holiday.

-Yeah.

We went to see if it was right for us,

if this could potentially be our dream life

-and it gave us a good insight, didn't it?

-Yeah, massively.

But there was one less-enthusiastic voice

when it came to the final turn of the cards.

At the end of the trial week, when we made our vote,

I voted undecided because I loved the houses there,

which are so much better, I loved the lifestyle,

but when I... I don't know. Like, the lifestyle was better.

It made me feel like where I actually came from.

Like, it made me feel like I was back in Wales,

but then Wales is, what, two hours max down the road from here,

whereas Australia's 24 hours away.

Kieran shocked me and Kuba shocked me

cos Kieran voted for Australia, Kuba voted undecided,

-and I was thinking...

-Shay voted for Australia, as well.

-Yeah.

-Shay's got...

-But what possibly...?

What possible reason could she give to vote undecided?

Everywhere has its pros and cons.

So, I enjoyed, like, waking up to the nice morning weather

and then having the barbecues.

I feel we spent more time together there.

I think that's what I like about Australia -

it kind of gives you that opportunity

to have more family time, which, here, we don't get much of.

But then it wasn't...

It didn't feel like reality.

And whilst Kieran voted for Australia,

his mind was actually elsewhere.

I think the trial week was great,

but with everything that I was going through at the time with university,

my final year, and my dissertation,

I just didn't get enough time over there,

so I'm hoping to go again.

Kieran left after the trial week to complete his dissertation

whilst Kevin, Jessie, Kuba and Shay

spent time travelling through Australia

with one very unexpected, high-flying event.

So, after our trial week, what we decided to do was

stay a few more days in Adelaide.

And, from there, we took a road trip to Melbourne.

So, we headed on to Melbourne, across the Great Ocean Road.

Decided to stop off and got in the helicopter,

-and asked Jess to marry me.

-I just remember parking up,

waiting, deciding that we're going to do this tour.

And he's rummaging in the bag -

one of the suitcases - and I'm going, "What is he doing?"

So, I had to sneak Jess off. I was rummaging through my backpack

trying to find this ring that I'd bought months and months ago.

She had no idea about.

And then just to get on the helicopter.

It's one of those proposals where that picture-perfect moment...

The scenery outside the helicopter - you're looking down.

You turn around and, you know, you're in a helicopter.

Over the microphone, "Will you marry me?"

It was beautiful, wasn't it?

If you close your eyes - and I don't have to close my eyes -

just to picture us in that helicopter

with the sea below us, it was beautiful.

However, the proposal also had another effect on Jessie.

Getting engaged in Australia was probably the...

I suppose the sealant to, "This is it now."

You know, this is perfect.

This is where memories are being made.

And me and Kev actually did consider,

"Why didn't we book it for a little bit longer? You know, stay a bit longer?"

Until we started to get homesick, almost,

cos you want to prove to yourself you're ready to come home,

and we weren't ready to come home.

When we left Australia and got back home,

you probably remember how miserable I was.

I'm glad you said that. I was going to say.

I was quiet, but I knew the only way to snap out of it

was to take action and that action being,

"Let's get there now. What do we do to get there, you know?"

No sooner were they back in the UK

than they started to make plans to return down under,

only this time, Australia was going to be home.

When we got back, we hit the ground running

and we...

All the things we were told we needed to do to get back

to get a visa or sponsorship for Australia,

we started applying straightaway.

I'd stay up till so late at night

just Googling things, doing my research.

If we're going, we're going for good.

However, as time passed,

the distance between applying for a visa and getting one

grew and grew.

It probably... Things kept on changing.

Each year, the visas keep on changing and we just thought,

"This probably isn't going to work for us."

Jess was becoming more desperate than I was.

I was starting to flag a little bit,

thinking, you know, "Maybe this isn't going to happen."

-I was the action-taker.

-Yeah, you kind of like...

-..kept on kicking me up the bum a bit...

-Yeah.

..to keep on doing this.

"Make sure you contact so-and-so and do this and do that."

And though they were making some progress,

it wasn't nearly enough to get them out to Australia.

So, Jessie took action and began to look at ways

of boosting her qualifications

to gain sponsorship opportunities from down under.

I am studying an MBA, which is a master's of business administration

at Aston University.

I decided I needed a more official qualification

to kind of promote my development

in the career that I'm aiming to go for in Australia.

And everything you learn in every module, every subject,

you are learning it from the corporate level

all the way down to being a new-starter in the business world.

But there was an unforeseen benefit

to Jessie moving into the world of academic business research -

a benefit that injected new life into their dreams of Oz.

There's an opportunity for an exchange programme

either in Adelaide or Brisbane, and, yeah, so, it's now become reality.

It's now an opportunity for us to actually make a change to our lives.

So, we're heading off to Brisbane in July.

Originally, it was for six months, but it's been extended to 12 months

by the university so I can complete my research project.

I am hoping that we'll come back in March

just for my graduation ceremony cos I want the whole family there.

I want to celebrate that big milestone,

and then fly back over to finish off my research.

And, hopefully, by then, it'll be a case of, when we come in March,

we're actually saying goodbye for good.

-You're pretty excited about this.

-Mm-hm. Pretty? I can't wait!

The change from a dream of a move down under

to actual reality brings along

its own uncertainties for all the family.

-I'm just nervous for the business, obviously.

-Yeah, yeah.

-I'm nervous. I'm nervous for you being nervous.

-Mm.

Kevin plans to start a training and rehab business down under,

similar to the one they own in the UK.

For ten years, I've wanted all the stuff that I've got in this gym,

I've wanted. And it's kind of like leaving your children.

You know, you're leaving all the things that you love,

that you've worked so hard for, you've dreamed about having, owning.

So, it is hard leaving the business, but we've got a good set of coaches.

We've got to get some more coaches on board, so, yeah...

But the way the business runs,

I think it'll run quite successfully even without me.

And to oversee it will be Kieran, who won't be going to Australia yet.

As well as looking after the dogs and the house,

I'll be overseeing their boot camps and their training.

So, they've got me all boot-camp qualified now.

I am a qualified fitness coach, which is really cool.

And, yeah, it's nice to have their trust with everything

while they're gone.

But I will be going over to Australia,

hopefully in the time that they're there.

If I do get that opportunity to go over to Queensland,

definitely going to make the most of it,

spend a month there and see how it goes.

Another member of the family who wants to see how it goes is Kuba,

who's 17 and coming to the end of a make-up course.

When they first told me they were going back to Australia,

I thought it would be...

I wasn't too keen on the idea.

I thought I'd come and visit, but I didn't want to go.

But then I researched into things like career paths

and ideas and then I thought, "I can go,"

because if I go try it out, I can always come back.

Like, it's not like I'm going to leave my home.

Like, I've got my family here

and I can always come back if it's not for me.

I was speaking to auntie Sandra today.

She phoned me up and she went,

"Do you know, this'll be the making of Kuba."

And when I heard those words, I thought, "Yeah,

"she's hit the nail on the head."

I needed to hear those words from somebody

who believes in Kuba the way I do, who loves her just as much.

Mum and Dad say the same. They all said,

"This is the best thing that can happen to Kuba."

I don't know. I want to see how the six months go first,

and then, depending on how I'm feeling,

whether I'll come back or stay.

And whilst Kevin's auntie Sandra sees the benefit

for a move down under for all the family,

he has his own plans for her.

With my auntie Sandra, I think she...

Obviously, she'll miss us as much as I'll miss her.

But we definitely...

While we were over in Australia, we wanted her to see what we see.

She's never been to Australia.

We want her to experience what we're experiencing,

so we'll probably kidnap her and hide her in a suitcase or something.

And for Jessie, she, too, has to face leaving her parents behind.

Or does she?

I actually told them that, you know, "We'd like you to come over."

I don't think I even pussyfooted around with it.

I just said, "Look, we want you guys to come over."

I think it's going to be hard. It's going to be harder for Jess

than she actually realises at this moment.

They'll probably end up coming over to Australia.

They'll probably end up selling the house and moving to Australia,

and I think, why not?

If they can have the opportunity to do that,

if it makes Jess happy, then I'm happy.

But living on the opposite side of the world from Kieran

is an impossible choice for Kuba.

I don't like thinking about that cos then

that's just something that I'll say, "I'm not going."

But then, at the same time, Kieran wants to start his own career.

He wants to go down his own path, whereas I think that's what...

I think everyone just grows apart eventually.

If they decided to stay for good...

..I would feel...

I would feel torn. I would feel very torn

because that would mean half of my immediate family are in England,

half of my immediate family would be over in Australia.

For myself, I think it would totally depend on how I feel...

..about Queensland when I visit.

It is a place that appeals to me from Britain,

but I'd have to see how I feel over in Australia.

Whilst Kieran and Kuba are waiting until they go down under

before they make their final decisions,

Kevin and Jessie are practically in the departure lounge...sort of.

We're going in two months' time.

-Yeah, just over.

-We haven't sorted out our visa properly.

It's a really easy procedure.

The letter's come from the university for confirmation.

That won't take long.

-And we're waiting to book flights.

-Yeah.

We're not in a really good position!

-We just know we're going.

-We know we're going.

But we'll wing it. We'll wing it. We'll get there.

With a move down under literally happening now,

it's an exciting, if a little daunting,

time for the family.

There well may be obstacles and challenges ahead,

but in order to secure a better life for the family in Australia,

Jessie and Kevin are ready to face them head-on.