Joseph Family Wanted Down Under Revisited

If you lived with the heartache of knowing

your youngest child's health could deteriorate at any time,

what would you do to guarantee your family the best life possible?

In 2014, Elizabeth Joseph was considering uprooting her family

from everything they knew in the UK to start afresh in Australia.

Today, we'll find out how, and where, the family are now.

Elizabeth was desperate to make her son Aiden's life

as good as it could possibly be and believed Australia was the answer.

I feel that it's the next chapter of our life.

It can be a fresh start.

But husband, Kevin, wasn't convinced.

This is a massive gamble,

uprooting our family to the other side of the world.

One year on, just where do the Josephs now call home?

It's a very hard place to be.

Very hard.

Lying in the southern hemisphere,

Australia's one of the world's oldest continents

and the flattest landmass on Earth.

Approximately 32 times the size of the United Kingdom

but with around one third of the population,

over a million British residents have emigrated there

in the last 40 years.

But the grass isn't always greener.

Of those who've made the move, over 40% have returned home.

When Kevin and Elizabeth Joseph's son, Aiden,

was born with a life-threatening heart condition,

the family faced an uncertain future.

The chances of him surviving indefinitely

without a heart transplant were slim,

so Elizabeth wanted to make every day count

by giving him and his siblings the best life possible.

One year ago, she was hoping to persuade dad Kevin

the family's future lay in Australia.

Today, we'll find out what happened next.

The Josephs trial week in Australia started with 26 hours in the air

getting from London to Adelaide.

It had been Aiden's first flight

and the journey had reminded Elizabeth of his fighting spirit.

Aiden did cope really well with the demands of flying.

It just makes us realise how strong he actually is.

Having made the trip before,

Elizabeth was happy to have her feet back on Australian soil.

I am overwhelmed that I'm back here.

I just want to stay, I don't want to have to leave.

And so far, Kevin was sharing her enthusiasm.

I'm really excited for the week.

I really want to see what the week brings.

Elizabeth was hoping Australia could give their children a better future.

The coming week would give her the chance to find out if she was right

and convince Kevin it's where they should be.

In 2014, dad Kevin, mum Elizabeth and their three children -

Harrison, then 11, Isabel, then ten, and Aiden, aged eight -

were living in Dartford, in Kent.

Teenage sweethearts Elizabeth and Kevin

had met at a Saturday job in a chemists.

I was on the pharmacy counter and Elizabeth walked past

and she saw me and she said to me...

-Miserable.

-.."Miserable smile," or something along those lines.

-"Why don't you smile?"

-Yeah. I was like, "Just smile."

And we've been together since.

Left foot on green.

Harrison and Isabel were born a few years later

and the couple married in 2005.

Elizabeth fell pregnant again soon after,

but the couple were to face an incredibly tough dilemma

when a routine scan revealed baby Aiden had a rare heart condition.

We had three choices to make -

terminate it straightaway, or have him and do nothing,

then he would die within ten days,

or these three surgeries, which it was a 25% chance

of actually dying on the table.

-Hello, Mummy.

-Hello.

It was a heartbreaking decision to have to make,

but Elizabeth and Kevin were determined to keep their baby.

What parent wants to have that choice given to them?

No-one does.

To think that I could not have him,

the charming little boy that we've got...

I could have missed out on that.

Aiden had been born with hypoplastic left heart syndrome,

meaning he only has half a heart.

Having survived the operations,

his parents knew he was likely to need a heart transplant

at some point in the future, but they'd no idea when.

That's probably the worst thing,

not knowing whether he's going to be fine for the next 20, 30 years,

or whether something could creep up on us.

-It's hell, isn't it? It's like...

-EMOTIONAL:

-Sorry.

-It's all right.

It just doesn't bear thinking about, losing him.

Eight years later, though, Aiden's condition was stable

and Elizabeth was determined to give her whole family

the best future possible.

A previous holiday there had her convinced

that's what Australia could offer.

She believed the country could also benefit Aiden,

allowing him to enjoy a more active lifestyle.

He's not allowed to go outside to play with his school friends

because it's too cold.

So over there, hopefully those limitations will be really reduced.

Elizabeth was so determined to make the move,

she'd already started the process of applying for a visa.

Even though she knew Aiden's condition meant it could be refused.

But husband Kevin wasn't convinced of the merits

a new life on the other side of the world could bring.

It is all about, can we afford to live there?

Will it live up to Elizabeth's expectations?

But Aiden as well, I just want to make sure

that everything's right for him and set up for him

to go out there, for any eventuality.

Elizabeth was determined to make the move happen.

Australia just feels right.

It feels like that's where I should be, it's where we should be.

But she had her work cut out over the week ahead

to bring Kevin on board.

This is a massive gamble.

Uprooting our family to the other side of the world is, you know,

it's a massive thing to do.

To find out if Australia could deliver on Elizabeth's dream,

the Josephs visited Adelaide where, even in winter,

daily temperatures rarely dip below 15 degrees.

Their base for the week was a three-bedroom semi-detached

property in the popular suburb of Forestville,

just ten minutes from the city centre.

But did it meet Elizabeth's expectations?

It's not really what I wanted, I wanted a detached.

Maybe not, but appearances could be deceptive.

-Oh, my God! Wow!

-The kitchen...

-Oh, my gosh...

Oh, wow.

It was a great reaction from the children,

but Elizabeth still wasn't sure.

There's always going to be a but with me,

just because my expectations are high.

It wasn't the best start to their week, but as they unpacked,

Elizabeth was still convinced

the country had plenty to offer the whole family.

I'm looking forward to seeing the kids' reactions this week.

For them to actually see the dream that I see,

for them to look at this place and think, "This isn't just a holiday.

"This is actually how we want our lives to be."

Ultimately, though, Elizabeth knew the biggest challenge

she faced in the week ahead would be bringing Kevin onside.

I've been reflecting on what we have in the UK and what we've built up,

and starting again's quite a tough decision.

Back in the UK, the Josephs were living in a rented

three-bedroom townhouse in the centre of Dartford.

We've got three floors and my kitchen is on the middle level

and the kids' bedrooms are right upstairs,

so they have to endure four flights.

If they were to go ahead with the move, Elizabeth and Kevin

both had high hopes for the kind of house they'd like.

I would love to have a really modern home.

I don't want to have to decorate,

I don't want to have to do anything to it.

The garden definitely, cos the garden we have is quite small.

Four bedrooms would be great.

To not be so overlooked would be great as well.

The family planned to continue renting in Australia

and had a maximum budget of £1,200 to spend each month.

To give them an idea of the kind of house they could have,

we showed them three properties -

two based on budget and a third based on their ideal home.

The search got underway

in Forestville.

Would this three-bedroom townhouse in a secure, gated complex

be somewhere the Josephs could call home?

-Oh, this is nice.

-I like the big windows. Lots of space.

This house had the modern interiors Elizabeth was looking for,

but the tiny outdoor space was disappointing.

Yeah, the garage is great,

it's just there's no actual space for the kids.

-No, it's not what we wanted.

-That's a bit of a downer, isn't it?

The house only had three bedrooms,

so some of the children would have had to share,

and that wasn't the only concern.

Not too keen on the fact that we've got...

-..trams right outside the window.

-Oh, the view, yeah.

So, noise-wise, whoever's sleeping here isn't going to get much sleep.

The master bedroom, though, did show more promise.

-Ooh!

-That's better.

-Yeah.

-This is the sort of perfect size, I think.

-And there's a nice balcony out there as well.

-Elizabeth?

But then no view.

Even though she was the one pushing for the move,

Elizabeth was proving hardest to please.

-Sadly, this doesn't blow me away.

-Yeah.

The house may not have lived up to the family's hopes,

but with £1,200 to spend every month,

was it in line with their budget?

I reckon £1,400 a month.

I will go for one-five.

Whoa.

£1,035 a month.

It's still not where I'd want to live

and I still wouldn't pay that price.

Yeah, I'm quite surprised by that.

-I still wouldn't move here.

-No.

While it was affordable,

it was going to take much more to impress Kevin and Elizabeth.

Would property two do the job?

To find out, the family headed for the leafy suburb of Belair,

just 13 miles from central Adelaide.

With schools, parks and a variety of outdoor activities available,

the area could have given Aiden the outdoors lifestyle

Elizabeth wanted, but did the house come up to scratch?

-So, what do you think?

-It's really nice.

-It's different, isn't it?

-Yeah.

-And it's got a big garden.

-Yeah, I like it.

Was everyone still on the same page inside?

I like this.

It's better than the last place, much more space.

Elizabeth?

-It's not pulling my heartstrings.

-No?

-No.

And a wander into the kitchen didn't help.

-It needs updating.

-I'd update it a little bit, yeah.

I like the view and I like the location.

Compare it to where we saw before with the trains,

this is idyllic, really, isn't it?

With four bedrooms in total,

the children wouldn't have had to share...

Decent sized rooms, aren't they?

..but it wasn't long before Elizabeth's good mood

was flushed away.

-Family bathroom is just needing to be modernised again, isn't it?

-Hm.

Even with room for the children to roam,

this house just hadn't captured Elizabeth's heart.

What's the point in having an outside that you like

-if you don't like the inside to live in it?

-Hm.

If it's not pulling on your heartstrings

to want to move out to Australia, then what's the point?

Elizabeth wasn't settling for second best,

but with a £1,200 monthly budget, could they even afford this house?

-Exactly the same as the other property.

-It is.

That's surprising, but it still doesn't sway me.

That's good to know that we're in this type of area...

-The further out you go, you get more.

-..with this much land.

If you could get smaller land, maybe you could get a better house.

Even knowing they'd have almost £200 leftover every month

wasn't enough to turn this house into the couple's perfect home.

Hopefully, it was a case of saving the best for last.

To round off their search,

the family viewed what we thought could be their dream home.

Within easy commuting distance of Adelaide,

Chandlers Hill offered all the facilities the family could need

and promised modern individual housing set on large blocks of land.

Wow, look at that. That is amazing!

Wow!

It's lovely. You've not got to do anything.

It was the happiest Elizabeth had been all day,

and it wasn't long before Isabel was feeling at home, too.

-This would definitely be my room.

-Wow.

And a look at the plush master bedroom

gave Elizabeth even more to celebrate.

Very nice. Walk-in wardrobe as well.

I don't know where you're going to be getting changed

-cos this is mine.

-Oh, is it? OK.

And there was even more to come.

Now, this is a family bathroom.

-This is, isn't it?

-This is like...

-This is lovely.

-Big bath, big shower.

-Perfect.

It looked like Kevin could imagine being right at home here.

And when the family stepped back outside,

Aiden spotted something else to get excited about.

Wow, look at that swimming pool!

Yep. It wasn't on their wish list,

but this house also had its own pool.

This is the biggest and best garden ever!

The home was a hit with everyone.

I can't really fault this property at all.

But Elizabeth and Kevin were both worried

it would be way beyond their reach.

I couldn't even hazard a guess but...

more than 2,000. 2,500?

-Three? I don't know.

-I'm going to go for 2,000.

The couple's budget was £1,200 per month.

Go on, Aiden.

-Oh, my God.

-What?!

That's a lot low... What, really?

No. That's just crazy that...

-Yeah. I just want to be here.

-I'd move in.

-Yeah!

I just want to be here now.

House-hunting had started slowly for the Josephs.

Although under budget,

property one lacked the space they wanted inside and out.

Property two cost exactly the same,

but the generous gardens weren't enough to compensate

for dated decor.

But property three had raised the bar

and the family were stunned to discover they could live

in a fabulous five-bedroom house with a swimming pool

for just £50 more than their budget.

So, how did their last-minute discovery

influence Elizabeth's chances of getting the life she wanted

for her family?

Based on the properties that we've seen today,

our vote goes to...

-Australia!

-Australia!

-Australia!

I thought today I was going to be more of an unsure.

When I saw the last one, I thought,

"Oh, definitely, we're not going to afford this."

Then as soon as I saw the price... Yeah, it makes it more realistic.

It's been a good start.

I can't wait to see what we've got next to come up.

Fingers crossed that it will be just as positive as it has been today.

A unanimous vote for Australia

meant Elizabeth was perhaps one small step closer

to the family life she'd been dreaming of.

Good work prospects down under were now crucial

if she was to convince Kevin to make the move.

Back in UK, Elizabeth was working as a midwife.

Kevin was also based in a hospital.

As a pharmacy technician, he looked after patients' medication.

While Elizabeth was working part-time,

as the main visa applicant,

she was prepared to work full-time in Australia.

That is a bit daunting to think that I could end up losing that time

with my children that I so really want,

but if that's the way that I have to get to Australia,

then that's what I will have to do.

Kevin was a lot less certain

about the prospect of turning his professional life upside down.

If I can't secure work as a pharmacy technician

and I have to look at something else,

that for me would really put me off wanting to go.

Elizabeth knew her chances of persuading Kevin

to follow her dream could rest on what they were about to find out.

To explore their options, the couple headed to Flinders Medical Centre,

one of South Australia's biggest hospitals.

Elizabeth was shown around by Beverley, a midwife and expat.

How many actual delivery rooms do you have?

We've got nine delivery rooms, three assessment beds

and a recovery, which has currently got two beds in it.

It's very similar to the hospital that I'm in at the moment.

It was a reassuring start.

Meanwhile, upstairs, Kevin had arrived at the pharmacy.

Hi, Kevin. I'm Steve. I'm chief pharmacist for South Australia.

-Let's start off by showing you round the department, shall we?

-Brilliant.

Elizabeth was curious to find out how midwifery in Australia

compared to the UK.

The staffing ratio is better here, so there's more one-to-one

and you get less patients per midwife.

But in terms of the lifestyle, there's a lot of difference.

You've got more time at home cos you're not working as many...

or as long hours, I should say.

It was great news for Elizabeth.

Back upstairs, Kevin was ready to talk business.

Are my qualifications recognised here in Australia?

There are no formal qualifications required

to work as a pharmacy assistant within the South Australian system.

In terms of you having the ability and competences to do the job

within Australia, then you'd have those,

-but your formal qualifications wouldn't be recognised.

-OK.

So, in theory, Kevin could have been overqualified.

Outside, Elizabeth was keen to hear about potential earnings.

Full-time, which is five days a week,

you could look to earn anywhere between 56,000 and 77,000 a year.

A starting salary of just over £31,000

was almost 20,000 more than Elizabeth was earning

working part-time in the UK.

Is there currently any opportunities for a midwife with my banding

going at Flinders?

Erm...it's quite tricky at the moment.

We have an over-surplus of graduate midwives

that we didn't have positions for, so it would be difficult.

That doesn't mean to say that in the next couple of years,

there won't be an opportunity.

Finding employment might not have been easy,

but that wasn't enough to make Elizabeth rethink the move.

It is a little bit disheartening,

but it just makes it a little bit more, for me,

to bite my teeth into and say, "I'm not going to give up."

Not just yet.

It's just a tiny little hurdle to get over.

Kevin had one last question.

What kind of salary would I be earning?

As things stand at the moment, you'd come in at the baseline salary,

which is 38,000.

Discovering he'd earn £4,000 less than in the UK

wasn't the best end to his meeting.

It does put a bit of doubt in my mind about whether to make the move.

My salary back in the UK is quite good

and here it doesn't seem as high as what I was expecting.

The reality of Adelaide's job market

had cast a cloud over the couple's day.

We need to think about financial, really.

Whether or not if we can actually afford to live here.

So, did they choose work at home or away?

So, based on the positive and negatives of today

regarding job opportunities in Australia, our vote goes to...

-Undecided.

-Undecided.

I earn a lot more in the UK for my job role than I do here.

If my income can support us, then it'd be exactly the same way around

except for we'd have a better lifestyle.

For me, I've always enjoyed my career and my job,

and I want to know that I can make my contribution.

We'll just have to wait and see.

Work opportunities had put a dent in Elizabeth's dream,

but she wasn't ready to surrender without a fight.

Believing a warmer climate could benefit Aiden,

she hoped a family day in the Australian sunshine

would put any doubts Kevin had back in the shade.

-Harry wants a sandwich.

-Can you do it?

The family spent the day at Brown Hill Creek recreational park.

It was the perfect place for the children to run wild

and Aiden was more than happy to join in.

There's no-one around to turn around and say, "Be quiet," is there?

No, exactly.

For Elizabeth, it was a rare opportunity for the whole family

to spend quality time outside

and a reminder of why she wanted the move so badly.

I'm on a ticking clock,

and I don't know when the alarm's going to go off with Aiden's health.

So, being able to come to Australia gives us that extra time with him.

He was running around all day

and he's loving this environment as well, it's great.

And even Harrison and Isabel had noticed a difference.

I think Australia would make Aiden's life feel much better.

In England, it gets really cold for him and he goes all blue.

So, Mum and Dad want us to move here cos it's really warm for Aiden.

So, yeah, he doesn't go blue, he goes red.

But the day still needed to work some magic

to make Isabel want to follow her parents' wishes.

Home is home, and this is not home.

Which was exactly why Elizabeth wanted it.

Even working full-time,

she remained confident the lifestyle they could have in Australia

would be far superior to the one they had at home.

This is definitely where I want to be. And it's hard

cos I find it hard to even turn around and say

that the UK is my home, because I don't feel that it is.

So that's how much that I want Australia.

So, had a day out in the Australian countryside been enough

to win everyone round?

Based upon the things that we did today, we're going to vote for...

-ALL:

-Australia!

So, Isabel, why did you choose undecided?

Because I haven't seen that much fun and I didn't have that much fun.

I chose Australia because some of the activities were very similar

to what we could do back in the UK, but I feel,

knowing the different environment and how close it is to the city,

that kind of won my vote over.

-Aiden, why did you choose Australia?

-Cos it's sunny and lovely and fun.

I get to have more fun and get to see more of nature.

I feel that the potential of coming to Australia is a little bit closer.

Elizabeth was hopeful, but there was some way to go yet.

The Josephs' week in Adelaide had delivered some positives,

but Elizabeth knew her chances of getting the life she wanted

for Aiden and her family would depend on Kevin being convinced

a move wouldn't lead to financial ruin.

The couple rented back in the UK and didn't have a house to sell.

So, while the children played outside,

they sat down to compare costs in Australia with those in the UK.

First up was the weekly shop.

-Coleslaw.

-3.22? Oh, my God.

It's coleslaw! Well, we'll make our own.

So, we pay £4 for 800g of strawberries and £7 here.

God!

-It's expensive, isn't it?

-No more strawberries.

So, how did the food bill add up?

It's £32.70 more expensive in Australia.

That was around £130 a month more on groceries,

and the couple still needed to factor in the bigger costs.

-Wow!

-Electricity is a lot.

-Electricity is like 28...88 more expensive.

-More, yeah.

Car insurance and MOT, that's more expensive.

So, that's 66.94 more.

This page is just not as good as the food shop, is it?

The couple had based their sums on the dream property they'd viewed,

and the numbers looked far from promising.

£4,062.33.

-Wow.

-So, we'd be spending £1,164.41 a month more

in Australia. That's huge.

It was a substantial amount of money

unless their potential new salaries could cover the shortfall.

Australia income 3,750.66

minus Australia outgoing, which is -311.67.

In the UK, the family had £400 leftover every month.

But in Australia, they'd be over £300 in the red,

making them around £700 worse off every month down under.

-That's terrible.

-That is.

But this is based on the dream home, which was absolutely stunning.

Exactly. We didn't really think that we'd get a pool

and things like that anyway, so... Is it still doable?

Elizabeth was trying to stay positive,

but it looked like the financial facts had put the life

she so desperately wanted for her family just out of reach.

Our vote goes to...

-UK.

-Undecided.

I still think that we need to just look forever into it,

so that's why I went for undecided.

While the realisation it could leave the family out of pocket

wasn't enough to put Elizabeth off,

Kevin's fears about finances down under

seemed to have been proven.

The Josephs decided to watch

messages from friends and family at home together.

Would hearing from loved ones mean another setback

for Elizabeth's vision of their future?

Hey, guys. Hope you're having a great time.

Hiya. Hope you're having a great time.

Kevin's a very good family man.

He loves his children and he loves Elizabeth as well.

With Aiden's condition, they've

had to really think about,

you know, his future,

and the cold weather over here isn't helping.

No.

I'm pleased, really.

It's a new start. It's a new life.

If you don't go for it when you're young,

you look back and you wish that you had, and it's too late.

I don't know if I'll miss my brother so much

cos I know my brother

is going to be all right and he can look after himself.

I think it'll be more I'll miss the kids, seeing them grow up.

That'd be more what I'd miss.

If you have even the smallest doubt,

then just make sure that you stay here with us in the UK.

Good luck to you all.

We hope you make the right decision and we're all behind you.

-Everybody all right?

-Yeah.

But does it make you sad? You're seeing the family,

but then you won't see them again for a very long time.

Just sad to hear that Mum might not see them again

when we're in Australia.

I was perhaps taking for granted

that your family is on your doorstep.

Messages from home had shown the Josephs the emotional sacrifices

they'd be making if they went ahead with a move,

and with Kevin's concerns,

it was far from clear where the Josephs' future lay.

The weather had worsened,

but had their week in Australia cast a cloud over Elizabeth's dream?

As the final vote approached,

would Kevin be ruled by his head or his heart?

It's been great to see the kids outdoors and doing

some of the things together as a family.

It's been good.

Being able to come to Australia means that we could do so much.

We can change so much.

We can go out and just have fun.

My emotions have been up and down throughout the whole week.

I just want to make sure that the move's right financially

and that we can support the children.

But for Elizabeth, the decision was about much more than money.

It basically comes down to Aiden's health.

For him to be able to grow and thrive and for us to actually

witness that and see that and have those memories.

After eight incredibly challenging years,

she was determined to make her children's lives

as happy as possible.

Knowing that you just don't know what you're going to get

or which day he's going to go, you just think,

"If I can give him this,

"then I will give him anything possible."

So, where did the family decide their future lay?

Based on this week, we've had lots of exciting and strenuous

and stressing times, but mainly all enjoyable,

we're ready to vote for...

-Australia.

-Australia.

So, Harrison, why did you go undecided?

Cos I'm afraid that Aiden might get too cold.

If it was sunny and we didn't have a wet day today,

-you would've gone Australia, would you?

-Yeah.

-Oh, OK.

There are some negatives, but I think if we work around those,

we could make a life here.

Coming here has been really useful to make us realise

that we can actually live our dream.

It'll be a case of us going home,

waiting for our visa to hopefully be processed,

-and set a date for us to move to Australia.

-Right.

It looked as if the Josephs

were all set for a new life in Australia,

finally achieving Elizabeth's dream to give Aiden a life in the sunshine

and the rest of her family a fresh start after the heartache

they'd endured over the past few years.

So, six months after their trial week,

have the Josephs made it to the other side of the world?

It's September, 2014,

and the Joseph family are living in...

Kent.

But not for long.

After their trial week convinced most of the family

Australia was where they should be,

they faced a tense wait to see if their visa application

would be approved.

We're still very uncertain as to whether we'd get it

because of Aiden's heart condition.

There are requirements that are a definite no-go.

That if you require an organ transplant,

you automatically are void of having a visa granted.

But we started planning on...

Started trying to tidy the house, just telling ourselves,

"We're going to make it. We'll get there."

Their optimism has finally paid off, though.

It may have taken some time to process,

but Aiden's continuing good health means the Josephs

have at last been given the green light.

It's been proven that he is very healthy

and he is doing really, really well at the moment,

I think, and so it's been granted.

It's worked out really well, hasn't it?

It's amazing.

It's indescribable to think that

we started this back in 2012.

For Elizabeth, the dream she's held for so long is finally within reach.

It's really surreal to think that we finally could go.

I feel for the past three years we have been on hold.

It's just been a case of constant exams,

having to go through the process of one drawback after another,

but there's always been something that's said,

"No, we've got to keep going," and, "We are finally there."

-Morning.

-Morning.

-Just back it in.

Kevin's already made progress finding work done under.

Initially, we were waiting for Elizabeth's registration

to come through, and in the meantime,

I'd started just applying for jobs and see what I could get.

That's huge.

And a job came up in a hospital, you know, in the centre of Adelaide

that was right for me, and I had an interview online and got the job.

It's a completely different spin on the way that this is working,

but it's nice because it means I can settle the children

into school and settle our family.

With Kevin's start date just six weeks away,

there's no time to lose.

We have near enough emptied the house.

Each time something is ticked off,

it's like, "Oh, yeah. We're getting closer."

-We have got a one-way ticket.

-Exactly.

-A one-way ticket.

Finally, a one-way ticket

that I will not have to fly back from Australia,

which is fantastic.

But not everyone's sharing Mum's enthusiasm.

Half of me doesn't want to go and half of me wants to go.

Harrison has dealt with this really well,

whereas Isabel and Aiden, it's been a little bit more harder.

Certainly for Isabel. She's... She is struggling.

It's going to be very hard for me

because I'm going to miss all my friends.

She may be having a few wobbles,

but Isabel can also see the upside of a life down under.

I get my own bedroom and my own door, so voila.

Harrison's already making his plans.

I'd probably spend time doing a bit of deep-sea diving

or snorkelling or surfing.

But Aiden isn't thinking that far ahead yet.

He said to me when he ever has a hump, he says,

"I'm not going to Australia. I'm jumping out of the plane."

I hope he doesn't get a hump.

Although saying goodbye to family and friends

will be heart-wrenching...

-Last item, Chris.

-Last one.

..as D-Day approaches,

Elizabeth has no doubts the move's the right thing to do.

I started this adventure as a dream thinking,

"How could anyone ever move halfway around the world?

"Who could do it?"

And then thinking, "This isn't a reality."

And actually, this is my reality.

This is my family's reality, and we're going to be living it.

At last, the Josephs are on their way.

Six months later, it's April, 2015,

and the Josephs are finally on the other side of the world

in Adelaide, Australia.

When we arrived at the airport,

I felt that I was actually flying back home,

cos I've always felt that Adelaide is going to be my home.

When we arrived and we touched down, it was a really good feeling.

Yeah, it was a really good feeling just to come back.

I was just like, "Yes, I'm finally here."

But leaving the UK wasn't so easy for everyone.

When I left the UK, I felt very, very sad.

I was crying.

She did cry quite a lot, and that set everybody off,

but... Yeah, I think she was feeling the brunt of it.

Now 10,000 miles from home,

Elizabeth and Kevin found their lives turned upside down.

We had one day, maybe two, just to get over jet lag and relax,

but after that, you've just got to storm on, haven't you?

Cos you've got so much to do.

We had so many questions that were still unanswered.

There was just so much red tape here and...that we didn't comprehend

and we didn't find out until we were actually here.

It wasn't quite going to plan. Extremely stressful.

Probably the most stressed I've been in my life

out of anything we've ever done, I'd say.

But the couple battled through together.

Elizabeth was absolutely dedicated

and focused on what she wanted to do.

We worked really well as a team getting all of our things done.

We hit a lot of hurdles,

but we did manage to get that sorted in the end.

With the initial teething problems out of the way,

it was time for the Josephs to start their new life down under.

Home is now a three-bedroom bungalow in the Adelaide Hills.

It's not quite the dream home, but it does have its advantages.

It's all on one level,

so I'm more than grateful for the fact I haven't got to trawl up

three flights of stairs any more, which is brilliant.

I absolutely love it compared to where we lived in the UK.

We're up in the hills, we've got the trees,

the birds and loads of wildlife.

I think the kids think that's absolutely fantastic.

Isabel's over the moon with her new pad...

This is my room for music and art.

No boys are allowed except for girls.

..and has found creative inspiration.

So, this is my keyboard.

I know how to play loads of songs on it.

It's really fun.

SHE PLAYS TUNE

Not bad, Isabel.

Just three bedrooms means the boys still have to share,

but that hasn't presented any problems...yet.

I sleep up on the top and I feel quite comfortable with it.

He might have to take the bottom and I have to take the top

if he gets really heavy and it might break the bed.

-That won't happen.

-Yes, it will.

Might have to lay off the kangaroo burgers, Harrison.

The open plan layout's perfect for the family,

and the proximity to the children's school

is the icing on the cake for Elizabeth.

I can hear the bells go throughout the school periods

and I can hear them playing during their lunch break,

so I know I'm not that far away from them if they need me.

That may not be an issue, Elizabeth.

When I met everyone in class, they all smiled and said hello.

And I waved hello back and then we all became good friends.

I was very confident.

I started speaking to all my friends

that I have now and they make very good friends.

School in Australia is really fun because it's more...

And the playground is more gigantic.

Things haven't fallen into place quite so neatly

for Mum and Dad, though.

Kevin's had some adapting to do in his new role

in the pharmacy department of a local hospital.

I'm the only technician, whereas I've come from the UK

working with 60-odd members of staff.

That's taking on a lot of responsibility that would

normally have been shared between other members of staff.

Although the job does have its pluses...

I get to finish work every Friday at 12 noon,

so I get to pick the kids up every Friday,

get a nice, lovely weekend.

Never work weekends or bank holidays.

..it may not last for long.

It's a temporary contract,

and then I'll need to find employment

before that runs out, really.

And though Elizabeth did secure registration as a midwife,

she's found it almost impossible to get work.

Knowing that we've come all this way on my skill...

To get all this way here,

to find out that I can't actually get a job,

it's really frustrating.

As it stands right now,

the situation is that there just simply aren't any midwife jobs

going here in South Australia.

Elizabeth's only option may be to look for work in another state -

a far cry from the dream life she'd imagined for her family.

I feel that Kevin would be under a lot of pressure

and it would put a lot of pressure on our marriage.

The dream was to actually come here and work.

I didn't want it to be that I separate from Kevin

cos then I'm literally leaving him as a single dad with three kids.

This is a huge country. She would have to...

It would be, you know, two, three hours' flight away.

That would put a strain, I think. That's not kind of why we came here.

The pressure has taken its toll on Elizabeth.

It's a very hard place to be.

Very hard.

And the distance from home hasn't helped.

Not having people there

that you think that you could have supporting you,

that is the hard bit.

You can't just reach out.

You can't just turn around and go,

"Right, I'll come around for a cup of tea,"

and just get all of that stress and pressure off.

And yeah, sure, making new friends, but it's just not the same.

With just one salary coming in, money's been tight.

Financially, we've just been ticking over since we got here.

My wages are not as much as they were in the UK,

but they're enough for us to be able to get by.

And the couple's stress is only increased by the knowledge

Kevin could soon find himself out of a job too.

The next seven months are pretty crucial.

My contract comes to an end and then Elizabeth, obviously,

needs to find work at that point or I need to find alternates,

so that's really a big issue.

This really is a very crucial time for us.

Work hasn't been the only difficult issue

the couple have had to battle.

Although Aiden adapted well to Aussie life initially,

things soon took a turn for the worse.

Aiden has really struggled here,

which has been a big pull on me because we came here for Aiden.

Sensing something was up,

the couple had Aiden tested for autism,

with the results coming back positive.

The move just pushed him over the boundaries.

We thought Aiden was just Aiden - he was his own personality -

but autistic children don't deal with change well,

and we've moved to the other side of the world.

In some ways, though, finding out has been a relief.

It has answered a lot of questions about the way he acts

and the way that he does certain things.

Now that we've got this clear diagnosis,

we can now actually move on

and actually get him the support that he needs.

We will deal with it because that's what we're all about,

and we just get on with it.

It's Aiden, and I wouldn't change Aiden for the world.

On a sunnier note,

the climate seems to be working wonders for Aiden's health.

It's been amazing.

I've never known him to have so much energy.

He doesn't complain about being cold,

which is brilliant, and it's a complete turnaround.

A recent review with a heart consultant down under

confirmed the good news.

His verdict was that Aiden was really healthy,

that his heart was doing really well.

It's the best that he's actually ever seen.

It makes me think that all of our efforts to come here,

it kind of makes it worthwhile cos you think,

"This is what we've come for."

We've come for a better life for him, to give him that push.

I think this is kind of like icing on the cake,

that you've moved and he's doing really well,

so it's just, like, nothing's going to stop him, really.

Yeah.

And it looks like Aiden agrees.

I'd like to live in Australia for all the days

cos it has lots of parks and lots of stuff to have fun.

It's been a shaky start,

but Kevin and Elizabeth are convinced the move

to the other side of the world is a permanent one.

I would say I'm definitely where I want to be.

I'm definitely remaining positive.

I absolutely feel we've made the absolute right choice

moving to Australia.

I think for the kids' futures,

it's going to change their life completely.

At the moment, it's difficult to look into the future

until we get these issues sorted now,

but I certainly don't think those issues won't be sorted,

cos that's not the couple we are.

We are ones that get up and do it.

-Yeah.

-Mm.

-We got here, didn't we?

-We did, yeah.

Although there have been some bumps along the way,

the Josephs' move down under has brought dividends too.

They may still have some way to go,

but we wish the family every success as they continue

to pursue their dream life in Australia.