Richard told us the process would take at least a year, and it was almost a year to the day that our visas came through the post. OE seemed pleased with the speed of it, but we were so keyed up over the move that it felt pretty slow to us! Once you’ve started things moving, it’s always there in the back of your mind. There was a mountain of paperwork to get through, but luckily Sally is good at that sort of thing. I found it very frustrating at times, but OE helped us every step of the way. It was a great feeling to know that we had someone on our side, who would be upfront about everything, and would guide us through the whole thing. The worst moment was when a legal matter which I’d completely forgotten about came to light. I hadn’t mentioned it on the paperwork and I was sure that I’d managed to blow the whole application because of it. Richard was very reassuring and told us how to handle it, and he was right.

Four months into the application process I went out to Australia for the first time. I went to Melbourne to see my brother, and travelled all over the place. When I got to Perth, the place just blew me away – it’s so beautiful. I met Richard Swarbreck, OE’s accountant, and he was great. I spent hours with him, getting his advice on things like pensions, banking and property brokers, and his help was invaluable. I spent a lot of time looking at property and I’ve got my eye on a house with a pool and a nice garden. We have a good quality of life in Scotland, but I’m pretty confident we can improve on that in Perth. Sally hasn’t been to Perth yet, but luckily she trusts my judgement!