docboat

I would check with the airline, and also HK government to see what the requirements are. If you need to renew, you can get an emergency passport very quickly indeed, but with the time available, you have time enough - I think, nearing in mind post office delays - to renew. Can you not also pay more for an expedited return? Your thought regarding having it sent to friends in UK and courier back to Australia - the post office can do it quicker, I think. I recently went to Singapore with a passport less than 6 months on it - they checked at Qantas office for eligibility, and i could board (and return ...) with no problems

What you are facing is not about Australia or the UK - it is about grieving. Remove the grief you feel, and you will be as happy as ever in Australia. Keep the grief, and you will be unhappy in both the UK and Australia. What you need is a process to help you move through grief, and within that process there is absolutely no need to complicate life by moving country, which will - at least in my experience - actually make things more difficult. Managing grief might best be worked through with your GP +/- counsellor +/- medication - are you sleeping enough? But you might also be able to take the time to put together an appreciation of what your mother has brought into this world, and celebrating that with thankfulness for her life. That often helps - focus on the beauty, not the loss. It might also help if this process is worked through with the intent of strengthening your family relationships - I am sure they are fine as they are, but this might be a useful time to work on making them even better, perhaps as tribute to yourself (your mother taught you well) and your mother, who would smile on you with pleasure at the improvements you are making. (Sorry - I do not know you, but perhaps this is the beginning of a guide?) Does it get easier or better? Most definitely it does. (Ask me how I know ... nah, no need, you can guess)

From all that, he would not qualify. Ah well - but he can visit, and visit often, I suppose. We were all living here in the 1960s but after leaving he settled in Scotland, while I continued roaming. Sister would not return - happy to visit, but not live. Thank you for the replies!

mmm - that was my reading too. I had hoped I was being dense.

I was looking some time ago into the options for getting my little brother out here to join me. He is 57 now, possibly could retire on an early pension, but also could work as a graphic designer. As far as I can see from the complicated visa options, there is no way he would qualify for a visa, nor as a family member. Does anyone have any ideas as to which visa might enable him to come to Australia? No, he cannot invest huge sums in a business.

You were not aware of the condition at the time of visa application - that is not a problem. You became aware of a problem - that needs to be notified. But before you do, best get all the relevant information precisely correct. But I think diagnosing a child at that age definitively with ASD is not clever.

As an aside - healthcare for free? Not possible. There is always a cost, it is a high cost and it is getting higher. You either fund it out of the tax money you give, or you fund it out of your pocket, either via private health insurance or straight from your pocket. The concept of free healthcare only really applies to bludgers who don't work, pay no tax and get to use the "free" system - which makes it more expensive for everybody else. Personally speaking, I don't like to pay for someone else to suck my money out of the system - the druggies, the dole bludgers, the scammers. As for a comparison of the two systems - it depends very much on where you live.

The only issue for the flight booking is to ensure that you have a valid visa for the country you are entering. You can use your Australian passport - all the way to the UK, if you want, show the UK one on entry to the UK. And ditto for the return. As long as your passport is valid with 6 months or more, you are fine.

Done that a few times, in the old days, but on a regular steamer - anyone used the Blue Funnel line? - and it is a great way to travel. But I love the flight, really enjoy a bit of luxury in the lounges in between flights, and catch up on sleep and reading on board the flight.

Really? Never again?? I mean to say, get real. Imagine the stresses the poor dears feel when they have to deal with living in a foreign country, hazard a taste of vegemite, sample the strange chocolate, miss their UK TV programs - and then they can't fly back to dear old Blighty, poor dears.

This is not a dilemma - it is a moral question. The answer is probably quite simple - stay in Australia and leave both women alone.

But you can "look down" on those who choose not to have the mindset of working hard and saving/investing wisely, and then choose to complain that they have less than you do. aka whinging. On the other points you make I do agree with you

I am going to be brutally honest with you - based on what you have written, I think you should stay put.

mmm - the point being, I think, that FOC sees only warts, but occasionally will admit to seeing some pretty warts

Nope. Gotta say that I know of no-one in my circle of friends or acquaintances who has any intention of moving over east.

For me - "like". Well, in fact "like a lot" as in "love it". In the 60's, Perth was a quiet backwater, but so much has changed. It is still relatively quiet, and there are places in Perth you would rather not be. But for me, my wife and children, this is as good as it gets. Our children will probably - should probably - move out of Perth and Australia to make their own way in the world. When it comes to quality of life though, Perth is the place to be. Mind you, there are always those who much prefer other Australian cities. There are those who prefer to be out of any city and live in the bush or country. All good. Come and see for yourself.

Our home is safe - close enough to be very worrying, far enough to be able to breathe easily. Dear friends are right next to it - no word yet.

I am in the Wheatbelt, wife and children in Perth. I commute on weekends when I am free

why not check zuji.com and see what the best rates and airlines might be? As far as legroom, I would look at upgrading to premium economy as a thought.

Having lived in qute a few places for extended times, I have never really had much of an issue with change - I find the key in living in another country is to adapt. In Germany I was German. In Russia I was Russian. In Hong Kong - while lots of westerners lived there, I lived an Asian life with Chinese wife and children. It is perhaps a little more difficult to adapt if there is no perceived need for change. For example, I lived in England for a (thankfully) short time, and I absolutely hated it. I think that was due in part to the need to adapt to England, and I never did, so I always remained a foreigner in England. I can imagine that for brits to move to Australia, and for them to have the mindset that one need not adapt (think UK with sunshine mental attitude ...) is a certain way to alienation. If you accept the need to become Aussie, then you have much less of a problem. What do I miss in Australia? Truthfully said, nothing. I regret the loss of friends in Hong Kong, my masonic life here is much quieter. I think my wife does NOT miss that part of my life. My wife would miss her food were it not for the brilliant availability of ingredients in the Asian markets. So would I, for that matter.

We have been looking at options. Early days, as both boys are in primary school still. And yet ... we are looking at the options of taking IB in high school - as this would this open up USA schools as well. Then we have the planning for making an option work. If you choose UK universities, then you absolutely need to be resident in the UK for 3 years prior. by that time I expect - hope - that Scotland is independent, and that the schooling policy is more inclusive - St Andrews is just one of some excellent options. But what the heck - if it needs to have 3 years residency, and the boys choose that country, then we will look at boarding schools. Australian education is also an excellent option - depending on the type of course as well. It is an up and coming area of international revenue as Asian students flock here for schooling.

Any thoughts on the best camper trailer to tow behind the 4x4? We are heading out bush (well, probably up the coast of WA first, but Kimberley and Gibb River road a certain destination) in the coming year. Hard floor preferred, and easy to erect.

Genealogy - yes. I subscribe to ancestry.com.au with access to all sites, and use the Scotlands People site to research births, deaths and marriages. Loved Register House on Princes St for the sheer convenience - spent 2 days there last year. Much more online, but I cannot get access to parish registers or visit local historical archives.

for sure Pablo, quite agree. I see the OP has got her visa though, but I hope she has a look at the big picture. IMO though, the mental attitude to - well, life in general I suppose, is key. If you emigrate with a mindset which already shrieks "loss" then you are unlikely to settle.

And here is a major mistake being made. If you really believe that (highlighted in red) then you must not ever emigrate. Do not come here or, for that matter, ever leave your home hearth. That thinking is a root cause of all the evils you will experience on the sometimes painful path of emigration. So what is a better/different attitude? What about this: there is not a lot you will miss, but rather there will be a lot of new things that you will experience. Some wonderful, some confronting. Your life will be enriched, you will have greater experiences, you will be broader in your mind and attitudes, you will become more adaptable, resilient, well ... experienced. And that will be true whether you come to stay for ever, or make it through 2 years. I agree with an earlier post though - do not come until you have really thought it through.