Baby Pom

I'm not a dog owner, but have always wondered if the pet shipping companies make you aware that your dog gets put through an x-ray machine for scanning cargo before it is put on the plane. I used to maintain these machines in UK and would sometimes be present when they scanned dogs. The dogs would always start howling as they were x-rayed. Not sure if it just because they were going into a dark tunnel or whether they could sense the x-rays. Although not as strong as medical x-rays, as humans we have to wear radiation detection badges to detect exposure and we would NEVER go in the tunnel with the x-rays on. The newer x-ray machines are more powerful and have two views which is like going through 2 x-rays. I never understood why it is considered unsafe for humans to be exposed, yet dogs and other animals are put through on a daily basis and whether the owners are actually aware this happens or of possible health risks to the animal.

I've been up to Derby a couple of times recently and it is quite a small town and is very remote. It was over a 2 hour drive from Broome which is probably the nearest place with decent shops, activities and the fantastic Cable Beach. Job wise you may be limited. There is a small Woolworths, an IGA and a few other smaller shops and cafes. There also seems to be far more 'hotels' and so-called resorts than a place like Derby seems to require so may be worth checking those out for work. There is also a golf course and a racetrack in Derby but not sure of quality or how much use either of them get. The airport is about 30-40mins outside Derby but only has 3 flights a week (Mon, Wed & Fri) and is shared with a RAAF base. In terms of things to see up there, it basically has a small jetty and 'The Prison Tree' (a tree with a hollow trunk where they used to put slaves in when they stopped off on the way to Derby). Not had much experience with different extremes of weather but it is hotter and more humid than Perth and the flies will drive you crazy!! I think it is the sort of place you will either love for its remoteness or you will hate it for the same reasons. Be warned that petrol is a lot more expensive up there too and you will need a vehicle. A lot of people would consider Bunbury relatively quiet but it is nothing compared to Derby. Probably better if you are part of the community and can get involved in local events but that may take time. Good luck when you make the move.

Have now received proper quote from Crown as follows: £3250 - for shared container (This also includes DAFF inspection fee which may be in the region of £200-250) estimated size required 640 cu.ft. Insurance: 3.7% of declared value of goods (plus 6% tax) Based on this and my previous quotes, I will try and get Crown to reduce to closer to £3000 and arrange my own insurance. I'll try to let you know how I get on.

I've had three quotes so far for shipping from Feltham (West London) to Melbourne (within 30 miles). Not taking any large furniture or appliances except double bed and single bed but still seem to have quite a lot of other stuff!! All three companies have come out to see what I'm shipping and have had varying quotes as follows: Doree Bonner: £3489 (+VAT if applicable) - for sole use 20ft container estimated size required upto 883 cu.ft. Insurance: 3% of declared value of goods PSS: £2779 - for shared container estimated size required 599 cu.ft. Insurance: 2.8% of declared value of goods Crown: £3200 (approx. - told over phone but waiting for written confirmation) - for shared container estimated size and Insurance was similar to PSS. Once I've got all my quotes, I'll try negotiating a discount, but will probably not bother with Doree Bonner. They have wildly over estimated the size I require and as a result their quote is a lot higher. I have used Crown before (when moving from Dubai to UK) but I wasn't paying for it then. I had no issues with them then and I like the fact that it is the same company at both ends. As previously posted by someone, they also include some of the additional fees in their quote. Will try and update once I have full quote from Crown.

We applied for Family Sponsored 176 in June 2008 and were asked for police checks & medicals in early 2009. As we had to get police checks from Dubai this delayed the process and then DIAC changed the rules and our application was put on hold. In late 2010 we were asked to redo medicals & UK police check and were finally issued FS 176 PR visa in December 2010. We did use an agent, so not sure if that helped.

This is the character in PB's avatar. (Quoted from Wikipedia) Citizen Smith is a British television sitcom. The show was written by John Sullivan, who later wrote Only Fools and Horses. The pilot was transmitted on 12 April 1977 in the Comedy Special series of one-off plays, and the series proper ran from 3 November 1977 to 31 December 1980.Citizen Smith starred Robert Lindsay as "Wolfie" Smith, a young Marxist[1][2] "urban guerrilla" living in Tooting, South London, who is attempting to emulate his hero Che Guevara. Wolfie is the self-proclaimed leader of the revolutionary Tooting Popular Front (the TPF, merely a small bunch of his friends), the goals of which are "Power to the People" and "Freedom for Tooting". In reality, he is an unemployed dreamer and petty criminal whose plans fall through because of laziness and disorganisation. I'm guessing the last sentence sums up why he is a hero to PB :wink: It was a great show though.

Unless Dubai has changed the procedure recently, it was quite a pain getting ours from them. Took a few weeks and a few trips to London & Milton Keynes (although you can no longer go to MK in person for verification) It's not cheap either for 2 people. I believe, for some reason, it is a slightly different procedure if you have lived in Abu Dhabi. Also note that your local police station may not be able to do the fingerprints for you. We live near Heathrow, but had to go to Scotland Yard for them to be taken and it was 40 pounds per person in cash!! Below is some information from the UAE Embassy in London. Police Clearance Certificate from the UAE Obtaining a Police Clearance Certificate / Certificate of Good Conduct from the UAE requires the applicant to have their fingerprints taken by the police in their country of residence and subsequently attested by the Foreign & Commonwealth Office in the UK or other relevant local authority (such as: the Governors’ Offices of Jersey, Guernsey & Isle of Man, the Irish Ministry for Foreign Affairs or the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Iceland). Once the certificate is obtained, the UAE Embassy in London will attest it for a fee of £20.00, as well as provide the applicant with an application form which they have to fill in and either lodge it or post it to the Embassy with the following: Two personal passport size photographs 4 x 6 Photocopy of the passport bearing the residence permit Photocopy of the current passport if different Payment of 105DHS in bank notes A stamped self-addressed envelope and A further fee of £20. The Embassy will forward the above documents on behalf of the applicant to the relevant authorities in the UAE, who will conduct the appropriate investigation and issue the certificate accordingly. If successful, the certificate will be returned to the UAE Embassy for legalization, after which it will be sent to the applicant in the self-addressed envelope provided by themself. However, applicants who used to reside in the Emirate of Dubai will have to send their application directly to the Dubai Police in the UAE. Applicants will need to obtain their fingerprints from the police department of their country of residence, which will be legalised by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office or other relevant authority and subsequently, submitted to the UAE Embassy in London for legalisation. After the certificate is legalised by the Embassy in London, the applicant will forward it themselves to the Dubai Police Department at the address below, together with: Two personal passport size photographs 4 x 6 Photocopy of the passport bearing the residence permit Photocopy of the current passport if different and A Banker's draft for $35 made payable to Dubai Police H.Q.

I think you also need parental consent to get married between 16-18 years old in England & Wales.

Don't get to complacent yet. We had our medicals carried out there and my wife's x-ray wasn't the right exposure so it got rejected in Australia. Bridge Clinic agreed to do another for free, but it still meant I had to take another day off work and cost of fuel etc to go there again and it delayed our visa by at least another month.

The programme also gets repeated on the same day (9pm I think) and is being shown each weekday. Home channel is available on Sky & Virgin Media and there is a Home+1.

Just posting a reminder. This starts tomorrow (Monday) at midday.

For those interested in Australian property, the Australian version of Relocation Relocation is to be shown in the UK. It starts on 18th February and is on the Home channel - not sure if this is available on Freeview Here is a link for more details on the series: http://uktv.co.uk/home/episode/listing_id/176529587/channel_id/3848

When we returned from Dubai to UK in 2002 we used Crown International. As far as I recall we didn't have any issues and all arrived safely. Not sure if they were good value or not as the company I was working for paid for it. As with most shippers I'm sure most have a good experience but a few will have an awful one which then puts others off.

I have found this web page (I assume it is up to date) http://www.australia.com.ph/mnla/marriage.html It does state the following: HOW TO OBTAIN A MARRIAGE LICENCE A marriage licence is issued by the Philippine authorities and either you or your intended spouse (or both) must apply for this at the City Hall in the town or district where your intended spouse normally lives. In accordance with Philippine law, it is necessary to wait ten days from the date of application before a licence can be issued. Australian residents who are not Australian citizens should find out from their Embassy or Consulate how long it will take for a CNI to be issued. Evidence of your identity, divorce or death of a previous spouse, if applicable, is usually required by the Philippine authorities. NOTE: You will not be able to undergo a LEGAL form of marriage in the Philippines without a Certificate of No Impediment (Certificate of Legal Capacity) and a legally issued marriage Licence. I'm British and my wife is from the Philippines. We got married in Dubai where we were both working at the time. I had to get a CNI from the British Embassy in Dubai and my wife's had to come from the Philippines. Since we've been married my wife has obtained a British visa (then citizenship) and we both have Australian PR visas. Hope this helps.

How long was your apprenticeship for and does it bear much relationship to the work you have been doing for the past few years?

What qualifications do you have?

Are you using an agent or already assigned a CO? I had a PCC from Dubai which had been requested by CO but due to rule changes, application was put on hold for more than a year. When the PCC for Dubai was requested again, I asked my agent if it was neccessary as I had not been back there since last PCC issued. I was then told just to provide a more recent one for UK. Ask your agent or CO and you may not have to get another one.

Do MoveCube provide any cardboard boxes for packing? I'm sure I've read somewhere that the boxes used for packing have to be quite new. I still have boxes from when I last moved house about 10 years ago, so not sure if they are OK to use for shipping.