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Well hello to you all at PIO, I have missed you and the group but I have deliberately not posted until now as I wanted to give myself sometime to get over the initial shock of moving my worlds…literally, I have been so very very busy with new job / divorce 🥲 / saying goodbye 🥲 / saying hello / trying to settle / British life again and just feeling like I am back home and belong it has been the hardest thing I have ever done, I knew it would be but until I sat down in the single room in the shared house and the door shut it didn’t really hit home, I sat there in silence, no more voices of my children, no more cooking meals, dancing to music with my daughter, being a silly dad……Australia for me was with the people I love with all my heart, but not in the place that I love…….and that is eventually toxic to your soul I cannot pretend that it has not been a bumpy ride, I have had moments when the aching to see the children have been so bad that I started packing a bag and looking at flights…after all I could just do it, I could just get a cab, get a flight and go back…..but even though that’s what my heart wants my head is telling me to stay, I should explain that when I came to Australia I was very homesick from day one, but I decided to not just cut and run, I needed to keep going to ‘ see it through’ to ‘ stick it out’ …ten and a half years later I finally left so how has it been, other than the difficult bits, missing my children, new job, new people etc Amazing….I can only describe that the feeling of being back where I belong has been like a weight lifted of my shoulders…like I have been released from a prison, like I had never left…really…I knew that somethings will have changed, the people I knew would have a few more wrinkles, houses and roads would now be in places that they where not in before, but on the whole ten years have not really changed that much, since being back I spend all my time when I am not working exploring…not only does it help to keep my mind occupied, it helps with mental health to have an interest outside of work, something totally separate the food….the food …..honestly the choice and the food….. the places every town, every village, every city is individual and different…. the pubs ….say no more…there are hundreds of them each one different the beaches…the mountains…the long country drives …the late nights …..the late sunsets I have met some really lovely people, I forgot how friendly people are, and how they are willing to help you or check in on you, I have just got back from camping around the lochs of Scotland, every spare moment I get I go camping and exploring….I can’t pretend it’s all roses I have to admit it would be nice to share my time with someone…it can be lonely at times A couple of things I have found really difficult, I have gone from being with someone and serving a purpose as a dad, to being not needed as such, it’s a weird unsettling feeling, I have had to try and get used to no one being there when I get in from a journey or work, it doesn’t matter what time I get in no one is waiting for me, I do find this hard a song came on you tube whilst I was listening to Coldplay yesterday it’s called ‘daddy’……it really got me….I cried and that doesn’t happen often on a plus note the work here is so very, varied and I feel like I have already made a difference in my patients lives, when I am at work I am totally committed to my job and the patient before me, I switch off my personal life and switch on my paramedic head, to say I have had some eye opening jobs is an understatement, My next move is to get a mortgage, I have to wait until I have three months wage advices so I can approach a lender….I am working around Manchester which is not where I want to be, but I got ‘put here’ so will have to stay for now….however I will be looking to get a place back in North Wales as soon as possible, as that is my home i have a post stick note on my cupboard in my room …I look at it most days ….i wrote it when I arrived, ‘ one step, one day at a time’ I realise there is a long road to go, but I am getting there…..slowly, ………is it all great nope, nothing ever is, is it home absolutely

quite amusing regarding the insanity of the UK plan. Liiz Truss declared that she spent UKP 450,000 on her leadership campaign, which included a UKP 100,000 donation from the wife of the Chairman of BP, an energy company. Now she's giving energy companies 100 billion and committing the UK taxpayer to carry that debt burden.....a weak woman who has already been bought and sold. The EU however, are raising 150 billion from a windfall tax to ease the cost of living crisis for their citizens. The UK's economy will become comparatively weaker as a result and people will become poorer.

Thanks for sharing. I had not seen this. Powerful and from the heart.

No, you need to apply for a Resident Return Visa.

Well I suppose a reason Bug had all the time in the world in Oz to post was maybe because he didn’t have much else to do ?

Hello u , still travelling in my van ,enjoying the freedom of the east coast . Hope life’s treating you well .tink Xx

I applied for 173 on 16th August 2016 and on 12 August 2022 got an email from my agent to provide police checks and medicals.

“Our own correspondent” Wow but remains anonymous . Poppy land ? The fact that war vets are respected is now called into question. The respect for the Queen , regardless of her position , was for the qualities she showed throughout her reign . Respect and decorum amongst them . To ridicule and presume the feelings of mourners to a passing of historical significance, the core of what Britain stood for ,especially at this time , is another piece of trash journalism imo . Her worth is shown by the respect and sadness of not only Britain of a lifetime of fulfilling a role she was born into with all those quality’s, attributed to her . Will Charles be as able ? Who knows but mocking him before he has a chance to prove his worth, easily done by those unable to suggest a better alternative to a centuries old tradition that has served Britain well.

Ah...so Andrew serves as what exactly? Royal Groomer - extracurricular? Heavy medal wearer? Absolute pantomime the lot of it. I thought this was quite close to the mark

Didn’t Harry leave the royal family The Uniform Act says: "It shall not be lawful for any person not serving in Her Majesty's Military Forces to wear without Her Majesty's permission the uniform of any of those forces, or any dress having the appearance or bearing any of the regimental or other distinctive marks of any such uniform." cake and eat it springs to mind

For me, the problem with Megan and Harry is that they send mixed messages. They wanted to leave behind the pressures of royal life and the glare of media scrutiny -- but ever since, they've actively sought out publicity and appear eager to discuss the smallest detail of their private lives. I'm not convinced by the idea that they have to do all this publicity because they have to make a living. Both came into the marriage with several million dollars, so that's rubbish. They could choose to live a more modest lifestyle and cut their cloth so they can live within their budget. They're choosing not to, and therefore they're choosing to exploit the media circus. No sympathy for that.

I still feel for Harry. He lost his mother at 12 years of age. How can anyone not have some sympathy for what he went through at such a young age? Meghan has pussy whipped him as Donald Trump said recently and led him astray.

Why are posters even bothering with a thread about this insignificant person, who has apparently managed to create such ill feeling between both of the families she is a part of? A coincidence? Most of us are not wasting our time on a nonentity as we are mourning the loss of a truly inspirational person. Queen Elizabeth 11

When you throw angry and bitter accusations about , especially useing media platforms and televised interviews , doubt your going to be flovour of the month tbh And to do so when the accused family was sick and vulnerable shows not only a lack of respect but hypocritical values , professing to uphold the values of the now late Queen Elizabeth II of honesty, integrity, decency, humility , by slandering the family on national tv ? The threat of a tell all book that threatens to expose supposedly racist and other atrocities they claim they were subjected to . How is Megan and Harry doing so far ? Excellent if you consider mudslinging and headline grabbing for all the wrong reasons a sport to support .

If they'd gone to the USA and kept a low profile I'd have no problem with them. That's why they left isn't it? But they never shut up. And as I keep saying, the so called interview with Oprah when they KNEW Prince Philip was dying, ended any respect I have got them.

As I said, the "interview" with Oprah was lies from start to finish, and Oprah never challenged them on a single point.

I'll put my hand up. I haven't got much time for Harry and Meghan. Now that they are out of the whole royal family shebang and apparently living their independent lives, I just wish they would shut up about their past harrowing life in the UK and enjoy what they have created in the US with their little children. Sure the media and social media have got to be blamed for so much but I don't remember any racist comments or did I miss something? The Harry and Meghan saga will probably drag on for years.

I dislike them because of that awful "interview" with Oprah when they told a pack of lies and, even worse, they went ahead with it knowing that Prince Philip was dying.

Not that I’ve seen. Hopefully that’s a good sign….

Has Bug Family posted recently? I wanted to know how he's getting on? Sorry if I've missed his posts.

Hello all those I remember and new ones . nice to see this thread still going had some laughs over the years . Pomqueen hope you and yours are well . Congratulations those who got to oz , good luck those waiting . This is a good site for migrants , those who are here and even those wanting return . Lots of support and advice . Take good care tink Xx

Not in this case. Hardly any of the rivers in the country are up to scratch but there is little anyone can do under the current laws, they are powderpuff compared to the fines you can get in Australia, and nowhere near the scale of American damages for environmental destruction. The privatisation of water was sold on the increased environmental protection and the promise that investment would be put in to upgrade a 100 yr old system...cleaner rivers, cleaner beaches, better water processing, encourage people to holiday at home where they would be able to swim in an ocean that they were not pumping raw sewage into. Profits have been massive and extracted from the country, but they are still hopeless....they actually have a hosepipe ban in the south of England right now because they have not protected water supplies nor built enough reservoirs. It's not as if they have Australian-scale problems, they have ample water, but they let it drain away leaving them defenceless after a few weeks of no rain....they've had since 1989. This is from the Government report published about 6 weeks ago, it's probably the strongest language i've ever read in one of these reports: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/water-and-sewerage-companies-in-england-environmental-performance-report-2021/water-and-sewerage-companies-in-england-environmental-performance-report-2021 Foreward In 2021, the environmental performance of England’s 9 water and sewerage companies was the worst we have seen for years. Measured against our four-star rating, most of them went the wrong way: down. Four companies (Anglian, Thames, Wessex, Yorkshire Water) were rated only 2 stars, which means they require significant improvement. Two (Southern and South West Water) fell to 1 star, the bottom of our star ratings, meaning their performance was terrible across the board. The sector’s performance on pollution was shocking, much worse than previous years. Serious pollution incidents increased to 62, the highest total since 2013. There were 8 of the most serious (category 1) incidents, compared with 3 in 2020 and most companies, 7 of the 9, were responsible for an increase in serious incidents compared to 2020. Company directors let this occur and it is simply unacceptable. Over the years the public have seen water company executives and investors rewarded handsomely while the environment pays the price. The water companies are behaving like this for a simple reason: because they can. We intend to make it too painful for them to continue as they are. But this is not enough. The water companies will only stop behaving like this if they are forced to. The amount a company can be fined for environmental crimes is unlimited, but fines currently handed down by the courts often amount to less than a Chief Executive’s salary. We need courts to impose much higher fines for serious and deliberate pollution incidents. The threat of significant impending financial penalties has an impact. Investors should no longer see England’s water monopolies as a one-way bet. Repeat offenders can now expect criminal prosecutions for less serious environmental incidents where once the Environment Agency would have used civil powers. We would like to see prison sentences for Chief Executives and Board members whose companies are responsible for the most serious incidents. We would also like to see company directors being struck off so they cannot simply delete illegal environmental damage from their CV and move on to their next role. Conclusion We use the EPA to ensure that water companies meet several core requirements and to highlight where they are not. As two thirds of the sector were rated no better than requiring improvement (2 stars) or poor (1 star), this was clearly a challenge for most companies in 2021. This is the first year we are reporting on the revised EPA (for 2021 to 2025). We have deliberately tightened metric thresholds to set stretching targets that will push companies to meet regulatory requirements and our expectations. During this EPA period the challenge will increase to ensure companies achieve better environmental outcomes. Companies cannot be complacent with static performance and expect the same results. We welcome companies that are innovating to meet current and future challenges however this should not be at the detriment of complying with the law. Some water companies have more to do than others. Southern Water and South West Water continued to perform well below target for most EPA metrics. Seven water companies had an increase in serious incident numbers compared to 2020 which resulted in the unacceptable sector rise – the highest number of serious incidents since 2013. Across the other EPA metrics companies must significantly increase their efforts to meet all performance targets and sustain performance at expected levels. Sustaining excellent performance means operating in a way that best protects people and the environment. Any company falling short of this or not motivated to improve is not acceptable and reflects poorly on the rest of the sector.

Me too. I can say, "I prefer the Aussie lifestyle" but the truth is, I'm not a beach or sporty person, so most of the Aussie lifestyle passes me by. I just feel more at home here. I had always felt a bit of a square peg in a round hole in the UK, and arriving in Sydney, I suddenly felt as if I slotted into the right place at last. That came as a total surprise to me and I still can't explain it. Moving back to the UK in 2015 just confirmed it - I had that square peg/round hole feeling all over again.

Thick as mince, lazy as a toad, vain as Narcissus. Brexit is going to finally impact people, they won't be able to blame the EU, it will finally dawn, they've been screwed by their own govt. Sorry to bring the dreaded word in here, but tax(or rather the lack of it) and free trade lies are what has got us a piss poor rail service.