Wanted down under 2013

[SteveandKirsty]

Hi, we have applied to Wanted Down Under this year - not heard anything yet, but generally said they would look at applications until end of December, so fingers crossed

 

I/we applied last year, really because I thought there was nothing to lose, as we were agonising as to whether to go or not (hmmm... we haven't moved on that much in 12 months then) but I never thought we would hear anything. Kirsty was not anywhere near as keen as I was (I work in the media in any case). However, we got a call from a producer who wanted to speak to us individually, which she said and then we got a further call saying that we had progressed through to the next stage - which was a researcher coming to our house with a camera. She came on a Saturday afternoon last December and we did our bit. I never thought we would get that far, so a bonus really as it is surely only a minority that do get that far. We must have shown something! But, ultimately we didn't get through, we got a call from the producer saying that they were unable to fit everything in with the who/what/where/why/when etc. Fair enough, as Kirsty and I do not have children and they do prefer to feature families. That and the fact that we were probably a bit too vanilla, because as noted in a post above they are at the end of the day making (daytime) TV and if they can have a family that sets on each other, the kids fall out, the 15 year old daughter is missing the love of her life at home in Barnsley etc, the parents cant decide and they all go off and sulk (with a 'Coldplay' track playing in the background) and so on. Actually, as it turns out, our respective families might have been spectacular value for money when they were filmed, but, there we go...

 

It could be said that the show has run out of steam, but it still clearly brings in the ratings and that is what counts in television plus I think you'll find that 40/50% of the 2014 series will actually be "WDU re-visited" (where half the show is just showing the original anyway) and a lot of the people now that they seem to pick, who live in a three bed terrace in Stoke couldn't afford to move to the other end of England let alone the other side of the world!

 

On hindsight, not getting on the show has worked out for the better. As on getting the call that we hadn't gone through, we decided to go to 'Down Under Live' in London, where we met John from Immigration2oz who said that Kirsty could get a 190 visa for SA and we have since followed that path, which culminated in a recce last month to Adelaide. Obviously the BBC might have sent us anywhere and life in Sydney for example is different to that in Adelaide and Perth is different to Melbourne and so on.

 

And as for dustyroad's comment - whatever - I have been travelling for the last 15 years to Australia, and seriously looking at the move over the said last 12 months. And we have found that the total opposite is true and the few people we told on our trip to South Australia what we were there for, their eyes actually lit up. So that is totally false, the bond between the UK and Australia (aside from the traditional sporting clashes) remains as strong as ever.

[Que Sera Sera]

The thing is your not actually wanted down under, the locals dont like us, there good at keeping quiet at work and in public but in reality they do not like us

That might be your experience mate but a bit of a sweeping generalisation I feel considering the amount if people happily living here at the moment. I have some lovely Aussie friends and I work in the aged care community where I meet lots of different Aussies and they certainly make me feel very welcome . In fact the ONLY people that have been unfriendly or unwelcoming have been other Poms !

[Bal67]

OMG I had a phone call too last week with regards to an application we had sent last year, but I missed the call so in the meantime they must have rang hubby who said its ok as we are nearly at the end of our Visa process we would be wasting your time!! :arghh:

 

In in the meantime I got a voice mail and called them (Kerry) and she said we have spoke to you hubby and he thinks it would not be worth you going on show etc etc!! I said no we would still be interested if we were eligible etc etc!! She said have a think about it and I will call you on Monday, which I thought meant she was fobbing me off!!

 

In the meantime I said to hubby why do you say you were not interested he said he did not want to go on TV!!

 

Not expecting to hear anymore Kerry called me back 5pm this Monday and said are you still interested to which I said yes we are but things have changed since last November as hubby job not on WA now and we are now going to SA and 16 year old daughter decided last month as she has new boyfriend that she does not want to go now and hubby feels torn too now!!

 

So as Steve says there's more chance of us being picked now as 12 months ago we would have been the boring family that all wanted to go now we are probably 50/50!!!

 

So we will wait and see what happens next, Nothing ventured, nothing gained!!!

[SteveandKirsty]

OMG I had a phone call too last week with regards to an application we had sent last year, but I missed the call so in the meantime they must have rang hubby who said its ok as we are nearly at the end of our Visa process we would be wasting your time!! :arghh:

 

In in the meantime I got a voice mail and called them (Kerry) and she said we have spoke to you hubby and he thinks it would not be worth you going on show etc etc!! I said no we would still be interested if we were eligible etc etc!! She said have a think about it and I will call you on Monday, which I thought meant she was fobbing me off!!

 

In the meantime I said to hubby why do you say you were not interested he said he did not want to go on TV!!

 

Not expecting to hear anymore Kerry called me back 5pm this Monday and said are you still interested to which I said yes we are but things have changed since last November as hubby job not on WA now and we are now going to SA and 16 year old daughter decided last month as she has new boyfriend that she does not want to go now and hubby feels torn too now!!

 

So as Steve says there's more chance of us being picked now as 12 months ago we would have been the boring family that all wanted to go now we are probably 50/50!!!

 

So we will wait and see what happens next, Nothing ventured, nothing gained!!!

 

Indeed, nothing ventured, nothing gained. (And Kerry was who came to our house and filmed last year)

[Bal67]

Very interesting Steve, probly wont hear anything now lol!!

[fifi69]

OMG I had a phone call too last week with regards to an application we had sent last year, but I missed the call so in the meantime they must have rang hubby who said its ok as we are nearly at the end of our Visa process we would be wasting your time!! :arghh:

 

In in the meantime I got a voice mail and called them (Kerry) and she said we have spoke to you hubby and he thinks it would not be worth you going on show etc etc!! I said no we would still be interested if we were eligible etc etc!! She said have a think about it and I will call you on Monday, which I thought meant she was fobbing me off!!

 

In the meantime I said to hubby why do you say you were not interested he said he did not want to go on TV!!

 

Not expecting to hear anymore Kerry called me back 5pm this Monday and said are you still interested to which I said yes we are but things have changed since last November as hubby job not on WA now and we are now going to SA and 16 year old daughter decided last month as she has new boyfriend that she does not want to go now and hubby feels torn too now!!

 

So as Steve says there's more chance of us being picked now as 12 months ago we would have been the boring family that all wanted to go now we are probably 50/50!!!

 

So we will wait and see what happens next, Nothing ventured, nothing gained!!!

 

sorry for butting in...never done wdu...but have watched it..

 

but for a couple that moved over with a VERY reluctant 16 year old....what are your plans on that problem ??

 

Thankfully it worked out in our case...she came and now loves it....

 

but it wasnt without a lot of effort on our part...and of course hers...

 

sorry just interested cos we personally have known two couples who after moving with teenagers that age have to go back cos they just haven't settled..

 

its not family they want at that age...it's friends/boyfriends...

 

no agenda....just Interested...

[Bal67]

Hi Fifi,

 

I think I did read your story on Peth Poms as Osmond 8 had the same problem and there was me giving her my sympathy, only to find myself in her boat a few months later, I had at that time joined Poms In adelaide and wrote a thread on my 16 year old daughter and had numerous responses from some lovely people, well after the explosion nearly 4-6 weeks ago, she explained to her friends she did not want to go (because of the boyfriend!) and went to visit her aunt and cousin who she is very close to and they all said you must go and validate your visa when you get it and try it!! I in the meantime thought reverse psychology and said thats it we stop here and we are not going any further forward and she said to me but mom its your dream to move to oz, to which I replied yes and if we dont all want to go together then we dont go at all!!

 

A few days later she aplogised and is now back on board, but hubby and me have both said to expect it to happen again nearer the time!!

 

Any advice Fifi please let me know.

 

Bal

xx

[fifi69]

Aw big hugs to you....

 

its an awful time to move them for sure.....hey we can all remember what it was like at that age....just in my case lol.

 

i don't really have any advise Hun ....all families are different. You know your own kids best and how they work.

 

all I can say is be her friend...difficult I know cos that's not what as parents we are used too...weve spent the past 16 years laying down the law..

 

I really had my doubts but it can work....don't give up..

 

funny thing is cos we knew she was the problem we gave 100% to her...she got sorted, loved it...taken others in the family who were up for it longer to sort.....but the good thing is after a lot of obstacles....we are all good.

[jac2011]

Whilst WDU does have it faults it does give us brits who are stuck in the UK unable to fund a reccie a chance to see a small percentage of Australia and I am sure 99% of people on this forum have learnt to take certain things with a pinch of salt. We know not all the houses are as bad as some of the pits that people are taken to on the program. We know the reality of the financial spreadhseet doesnt take everything into consideration and we know its not all the land of hopes and dreams where life will be sitting under rainbows...

 

BUT I work bloody hard to get to where I want to be, I have pursued this path with thorough research every step of the way and for just that 60 minutes every day (currently Phil Spencer's Down Under) I can live in my dreamworld and imagine how life will be when I have achieved what I wanted...

 

Had I just upped and left for Oz 5 years ago, when I was skilled but in a very unwanted and lower paid job that made me unhappy then life wouldnt have been perfect but Id have been in Australia. Australia and WDU has given me the determination to push myself, when otherwise I wouldnt to pursue a career I love and to make the move when a lot of hard work has been put in and in theory this should result in a better quality of life. This is not some philosophical idea that Australia will give me that but Australia has pushed me to realise what I want to achieve and made me work hard to get it! With 3 young children, a degree, no family support and nursing placements its been hard but programs such as WDU are my escape and I would be lost without them!

[Bal67]

Aw big hugs to you....

 

its an awful time to move them for sure.....hey we can all remember what it was like at that age....just in my case lol.

 

i don't really have any advise Hun ....all families are different. You know your own kids best and how they work.

 

all I can say is be her friend...difficult I know cos that's not what as parents we are used too...weve spent the past 16 years laying down the law..

 

I really had my doubts but it can work....don't give up..

 

funny thing is cos we knew she was the problem we gave 100% to her...she got sorted, loved it...taken others in the family who were up for it longer to sort.....but the good thing is after a lot of obstacles....we are all good.

 

Thanks again Fifi, we will get there and we know it not going to be easy, but not 100% happy here something is missing in our lives and we need to go and try this xx

[Bal67]

Whilst WDU does have it faults it does give us brits who are stuck in the UK unable to fund a reccie a chance to see a small percentage of Australia and I am sure 99% of people on this forum have learnt to take certain things with a pinch of salt. We know not all the houses are as bad as some of the pits that people are taken to on the program. We know the reality of the financial spreadhseet doesnt take everything into consideration and we know its not all the land of hopes and dreams where life will be sitting under rainbows...

 

BUT I work bloody hard to get to where I want to be, I have pursued this path with thorough research every step of the way and for just that 60 minutes every day (currently Phil Spencer's Down Under) I can live in my dreamworld and imagine how life will be when I have achieved what I wanted...

 

Had I just upped and left for Oz 5 years ago, when I was skilled but in a very unwanted and lower paid job that made me unhappy then life wouldnt have been perfect but Id have been in Australia. Australia and WDU has given me the determination to push myself, when otherwise I wouldnt to pursue a career I love and to make the move when a lot of hard work has been put in and in theory this should result in a better quality of life. This is not some philosophical idea that Australia will give me that but Australia has pushed me to realise what I want to achieve and made me work hard to get it! With 3 young children, a degree, no family support and nursing placements its been hard but programs such as WDU are my escape and I would be lost without them!

 

 

With that determination, you will get there hun xx

[jac2011]

Thanks Bal, the last few years have been hard but I am surviving and I WILL get there one day! I had a lecture today in uni looking at my desires for the next 6 months, the next 3 years and the rest of my life and my friends laugh at me because they know Iv had that list created for the past 5 years! My hubby and I have planned our next 20 years of our lives but I spent my 20s going from day to day not achieving anything and not going out of my comfort zone... Approachign 30 was my wake up call! Australia, this forum, WDU and any other programs Oz related keep me motivated!!!

[Bal67]

You are not on your own there are alot of people out there like you!!!

 

40 was our wake up call hubbys not mine I have wanted to do it for 20+ years, he reached 40 and said Yes lets do it!!!! And we only have out medicals to do now and then just wait ............ that is the hardest part for me the waiting .......

[fifi69]

Once here...you realise the getting here is the easy part...

 

ypu have structure to follow...told what is needed, rules to follow..

 

then you get here...and POW..it's all about emotions..that can't be regulated..

 

just have to get on with it and ride it out....totally worth it though..

[CaptainR]

We wondered whether to apply, but reckon despite being Brits that as we don't actually live in the UK we wouldn't have a chance. We've watched quite a lot of episodes on iPlayer (VPN) and YouTube.

[SteveandKirsty]

We wondered whether to apply, but reckon despite being Brits that as we don't actually live in the UK we wouldn't have a chance. We've watched quite a lot of episodes on iPlayer (VPN) and YouTube.

 

Yes, I doubt that they would be able to fit you in to their process but you never know.

 

I totally agree with all the comments above about WDU (and other such problems) - they certainly help and the twisted irony is that it was my mum who watched it first as for obvious reasons I don't/didn't watch daytime TV. And now a few years on we are seriously considering the move to Australia she has turned a bit anti the idea.... (Understandable I know)

 

This may sound totally stupid to some but it was Neighbours and Home and Away in the late 80's and early 90's which lit my interest in Australia. I saved to go backpacking there as soon as I could (1999 as back then the Working Holiday was only up to age 25 and I was 21)

[CaptainR]

 

Yes, I doubt that they would be able to fit you in to their process but you never know.I totally agree with all the comments above about WDU (and other such problems) - they certainly help and the twisted irony is that it was my mum who watched it first as for obvious reasons I don't/didn't watch daytime TV. And now a few years on we are seriously considering the move to Australia she has turned a bit anti the idea.... (Understandable I know)This may sound totally stupid to some but it was Neighbours and Home and Away in the late 80's and early 90's which lit my interest in Australia. I saved to go backpacking there as soon as I could (1999 as back then the Working Holiday was only up to age 25 and I was 21)

Haha yes both of those soaps inspired me about Australia when I was younger. Of course now, I can't stand the acting in either, however when we are in Melbourne next week we plan to visit 'Ramsay Street'. Yes, sad I know.