Bolt4

That ice cream parlor is Morellis! It's still there! My sister worked there about ten years ago. I went to Upton primary, then Charles Dickens, but only for a few months cos we moved to Wales, but I moved back for four years when I was 22 before moving to Aus. You must be around the same age as me then if you went to Morellis when you were a kid... I've just turned 40. Me and my friends used to hang about at piermont park in broadstairs and I was in broadstairs carnival a few times in the majorettes lol but I was crap at the button twirling so they had me carrying the flag at the back ha ha. Batton twirling not button ha.

Wow! And they say lightning never strikes twice! In your case it seems it struck many times! That's amazing, you should have bought some lottery tickets too!!

Ha ha Dreamland, then Bemboms and then back to Dreamland. My brother was telling me the other day that they're revamping it all and reopening it back up, apparently the scenic railway has got a preservation order on it so they couldn't sell the land. There's been a couple of fires there too, with a lot of rumours flying about that the owners were trying to burn it down so they could sell it off! I grew up in Broadstairs so going to Dreamland was a big treat for me, spent a lot of summers on Viking Bay, and as you say, you only went home when you were hungry or it got dark lol. Did you ever go to the pleasure boat park over at peg well in Ramsgate? They had a monkey sanctuary there, and the model village. Ooh it's making me all misty eyed!

Born in Margate for my sins ha ha. Have family in Herne Bay Folkestone and Canterbury. Love kent though. Some of the prettiest villages and scenery. Will always hold a place in my heart, will live there again one day.....

I agree, and what really gets me is that if she was headed in the other direction, Uk to Aus, everyone would be saying YES go for it, you'll never know unless you try blah blah blah. The children would still be the same age starting new school, there would still be the possibility of no employment to begin with and they would still have to manage on savings to start with. And yet because it a move back to the uk, it's deemed too risky? No different in my book. Sorry was meant to reply to Foolboys post but not too good at this Internet lark lol.:arghh:

Four years spent in Aus on any valid visa, with the last year at least on a pr visa is enough to meet the criteria for citizenship.

There is a member on here called Scottishstacey who is planning on a whv next year. Maybe find her and get in touch. She's seems a really nice girl x

If you haven't been overseas since you applied for PR they go off the original police check:smile:

Just had our citizenship test on Friday, we just downloaded http://www.citizenship.gov.au/applying/files/CrimTrac_form/ and filled out page one and six and took it with us to our appointment. This will save you time and hassle if you are asked for it on the day. Btw they did ask us for it so I would be better safe than sorry. Good luck with it all, exciting times ahead!! Eta this is an Aussie police check not UK, if you haven't been out of Australia, they go on your original overseas check you submitted with your PR application.

Thanks guys!

Hi there, does anyone know whether I need to get my docs for citizenship certified if I upload them in colour? I'm just slightly confused reading the website. Thanks.

I get where Paul is coming from. I don't think he was trying to take away from anyone's happiness, I just think he was trying to say what did they expect UK people to be doing differently, since life just goes on for them, the same as life has just gone on for me and my family since we moved here 13 years ago. My parents have been out to visit us 5 times since we have lived here, and I can honestly say that we wouldn't have been doing anything differently from the first to last visit, and that's over a period off ten years. It just came across, to me anyway, that she was saying it was a bad thing that people were still the same and nothing had changed. Me? I'd hate to go home for a visit and everyone moved and changed, it's bad enough seeing all the nieces and nephews etc have grown and you realize that that you have missed out on so much. That's my two pence worth anyway lol .

You are absolutely spot on! Not only does it make sense, I'm going through the same thing myself at the moment, hanging on for citizenship and waiting for eldest to finish uni, then going back for a new adventure. I don't think I could fully throw myself into settlingl inproperly knowing that that's it now, no going back if we don't like it. Knowing we can go back to Aus, will hopefully help me to not sweat the Small stuff when back home iykwim!!

Hi there would be great if you could explain the whole process to me when it's all over and your baby is back all safe and sound! I have two lovely Hungarian viszlas that I'm taking home with me and they suffer with terrible separation anxiety, they sulk as soon as I leave the house even when other family members are home! It's going to be really nerve wracking and that's just for me lol