Record number of Birmingham families emigrate to Australia
Adrian and Louise Warner have not looked back since leaving Sutton Coldfield for Oz in 2006 with their two young sons. The couple set up home in the Bayside area of Victoria and now run a traditional British fish and chip shop.
Louise said: “We didn’t take a holiday for the first few years as we felt we were on a permanent one. Each time we take the kids to a park which overlooks the bay we say: ‘We live here, we’re not on holiday, we actually live here!’”
As well Australia, New Zealand is becoming increasingly popular because there are no waiting lists for visas.
Teacher Sharon and civil servant Dean Smith from Smethwick are planning to relocate there in a few months.
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The couple, who have a young daughter, first thought about taking the plunge two years ago. Sharon, 40 said: “We have a lovely house with a nice garden and good jobs but the area has really changed.
‘‘Elderly people have passed on, a lot of the properties are being bought and rented out and a lot of immigrants have moved into the area. There is not the same community spirit there used to be. [Emphasis ours. — Ed]
“We looked at moving house but we would need a bigger mortgage for a smaller house.
“When we were thinking of moving away we wanted it to be an English speaking country, we looked at jobs, the location, the climate and decided on New Zealand.
“We are excited about the move.”