Louise69

Many thanks to you all for taking the time to post. I really appreciate everyone's comments. KARA - I am so sorry to hear about your husbands injury - I sincerely wish him a full recovery. Similar to your situation, my son is going to live with my parents in the UK as soon as he completes his final exams in Nov. He has been offered a place at 6th form college to study for A' Levels. It's going to be so hard without him here but it's got to be done and it's not forever. DIANE - Thanks for the heads up about international fees at university, I wasn't aware of this. Yes, he is wanting to eventually study at university. To answer some points made in posts - we won't be returning to where we hail from as this is a low socio economic area with very poor prospects - high crime, high unemployment, poverty, poor housing, high mortality rates, cold and damp climate etc. We would be asking for problems if we went back there. Instead we will move to an area where there are more opportunities, better weather, more accessible and where my family moved to for a better quality of life. I am hoping to return to the medical profession, thankfully I never let my UK nursing registration slip because of that ....just in case scenario. I will have to complete a refresher course at university but that's ok, it's got to be done. In my line of work, there is a government recruitment drive to train 4000+ new HV by 2015, hence why I need to get back sooner rather than later. I am waiting to see if I have been offered a place on the course which will be sponsored by a local health authority. Financially we a fortunate to be 'comfortable'. Providing we choose a house wisely we should be mortgage free and not have to worry about approaching banks for a loan. The one concern is in regards to my hubbie. He's always been in employment but does not have a trade to his name. His age may prove detrimental in his endeavour to find employment. This is causing me the greatest concern and could explain why his family are reacting like he is.

INCATA -Thanks for your reply. I loved your answer to your MIL's emails "Thanks for your concern, we will bear that in mind" - going to use that one as we were looking for polite answers that wouldn't encourage further debate. Re: your first paragraph, I really do wish this was the reason for their actions ..... that they wanted us to go back but is worried that we'll back out'. Unfortunately, this isn't the case which really upsets us all. They're quite angry and bitter that we are making a huge mistake. I know their reaction is because they're worried for us. Unfortunately for them, finances always come first before emotions.

Has anyone else come across this after having made the decision to relocate back to England? I would love to hear your stories and how you overcome this issue. My side of the family are great, supporting us in whatever we decide. However, my husbands family. OMG!!! We are being accused of being foolish, not having thought things through, making a BIG mistake...blah, blah, blah!! We keep getting emails about how much better the Australian economy is and that our future is more secure in Australia. Stuff the fact that we are bored and unhappy here, that obviously doesn't matter in their eyes. Instead, we should stay and be thoroughly miserable. We have been here ten years and have had a wonderful time whilst the children were younger. But now, we're at the stage where we've had enough and want to return 'home'. We've seen most of WA and many other parts of Australia.We're disillusioned with the rising cost of living, lack of community feel, we have friends but not 'true' friends, hoons, WA is like a throw back to the 70's ....... I could go on but I won't. Just waiting for our house to sell and our son to complete his final Year 12 exams. Once I have secured a job in the UK, then we'll be off. :biggrin:

My family are in a predicament too albeit our situation is different to yours. We are hoping to move back to UK as soon as possible once we sell our house in WA. Our 17 year old son is taking his final Year 12 WACE exams in November and was hoping to study architecture at an English University. However, upon enquiring, he would have had to score a 98.5 or higher in his exams, which is near damn impossible, to be offered a place because he would be classed as an international student even though he is British. So, to overcome this, we have had to get him a place at a sixth form college where he can study for AS and A levels. Of course, this will delay starting at university by two years but I try to focus on the positive in that having studied physics, economics, specialist maths, maths and English in WA, the same subjects should have a similar curriculum so he will basically be consolidating what he has already been taught which will hopefully strengthen his weaker areas and result in a decent A Level result. It will also be an opportunity to meet teenagers from the local area and establish friendships along with joining a local football team.

Each and everyone of us will think differently but here is my experience of life in Perth. I have to agree that for my family and I, Perth is, as the previous post wrote, 'as dull as dishwater' We are in our tenth year and i truly don't want to make it to eleven years. I am currently packing boxes in readiness to return back to England and it cannot come quick enough. When our children were younger it was fine - meet up in the park or at the beach or at someones house for a BBQ. But as they have become older and more independant we all need more stimulation than this. One plays football, the other is starting dance lessons again. There are only so many times you can visit the zoo, movies, bowling etc. Perth is very young family orientated. Because of the geographical isolation we are very limited and Perth people aren't forward thinking to keep up with the rest of the world. They are happy to just keep plodding along at their own pace and are reluctant to make changes. Adventure World for example is like a throw back to the 70's. I don't wish to offend anyone with this as this is purely our honest opinion on what we've witnessed. If I was single, I would definately not live in Perth. Admittedly, it is a beautiful city but thats about it. It frustrates me no end that when we go to a social event, people get up to leave at about 9pm. To me this is when a party is just warming up. Life here is go to bed early, get up early! We have visited numerous restaurants and just after 9pm the coffee machine has been turned off because there is barely anyone left. You could go to Burswood casino which is open 24 hours but gambling is not our scene. There is Northbridge which has a buzz but after a certain time we leave because of its reputation for trouble makers. Melbourne has alot more to offer. It is a far more vibrant and multicultural city and is more accessible for travelling. Please think long and hard before settling here. Explore all options - I just we had before putting down roots. All the best with your decision.