Main content
Sorry, this episode is not currently available

Whylie

An updated look at families previously featured on Wanted Down Under. Zoe longed for a new life for her family, but her eldest daughter didn't want to go.

Zoe Whylie had fought hard to build a life for her family. She wanted to give them the lifestyle she never had. She felt her children were growing up too fast in the UK and thought Australia could be the answer. But was a move half way around the world the way to do it - especially when the eldest child fought her all the way?

Meet the Whylie family from Halifax, West Yorkshire. Mum Zoe, 15-year-old, soon-to-be-16 Courtney, her sister Taylor, nine, and youngest of the family Harley, who is eight. Zoe always had big dreams for her family even though it has been a tough ride. Having Courtney at 16 and becoming a single mum made her a target for bullies. But the taunts only made her stronger, and by the time Taylor and Harley were born Zoe was determined to make a better life for her and her children.

She studied hard, got to university and is now a social worker in Bradford and adores - and is very good at - her job. But she was still dreaming of a better life and thought Perth would give them that. She had been planning and saving for four years and Australia could now become a reality. There was just one problem - her daughter Courtney. She didn't want to go and Zoe wouldn't make the move without her. So 12 months on, where are the Whylie family living now?

A trial week in the capital city of Western Australia sees mum desperately trying to stay positive, but it soon becomes a battle for the future as to where the family will settle.

44 minutes

Credits

Role Contributor
Series Producer Jacqui Berkeley
Executive Producer Paul Connolly
Executive Producer Lindsay Bradbury
Presenter Nicki Chapman

Broadcasts