dreamfish

what did you do - was it themed? how many turned up? what did you do to record the event?

i am soooooooo nosey!

I was thinking about hiring a village hall, gettng in a hog roast - themed red white and blue and everyone must wear Jandals and bring a plate.

was going to put an announcement in the local paper and make it open for all people who know us. set up a camera in the corner for people to leave messages and have a jolly good knees up!

mazi

Didn't have one - just went quietly.

Winnie

Just had a good old booze up and sent a mate around with the camcorder for people to leave us messages, very amusing (and sad) looking at it afterwards. We also left a book for people to leave their addresses and emails in for us.

Genesis

Us neither. A meal with the rest of my family, that was it. We just wanted to go quietly.

No one appeared to be very happy for us and our new lives to be, so what was the point of rubbing anyones nose in it?? Plus it was one thing less to do. We have no regrets at all about our quiet departure!!!!

We have made lots of noise since getting here though!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

simonmarkellis

have they sussed you've gone yet?

mazi

No, I went for 3 years and they didn't even notice! Now I'm in Italy and they still don't realise I'm not around.

P2L

We hired the function room in the local, got everyone to bring a plate and took loads of piccies. Did the address book thing too. There was about 60 people at ours, including kids.

It's been good for our 3 year old to see familiar faces on the laptop and I think it was a good way of saying goodbye and thank you to people who had supported us. I wouldn't spend a fortune on a do though, TBH your moeny is better saved for this end

dazal

Ours was a surprise party thrown by our best friends which was a complete surprise for me! My Oh was in on it though. The Saturday before we were leaving our BF asked us over for dinner and her being a great cook we said yes. But that mean then, I would have to do something on the Friday night. As thought if seeing them on the Sat have to see everyone else on the Friday. Anyway, they forgot what a bloody organiser I am so when I sent an email round to everyone to ask to have drinks on Friday, they frantically had to ring them or send emails telling them they all had to say no they cant make it!! Which they all did. I was a wee bit put out but actually didnt think anything of it all as thought oh well will see them for our very last drinkies on the Sunday! See how hard I made it for them! We were also staying with them at the time but to be honest that wasnt the difficult part as most Saturdays afternoons we spent with some other friends anyway. So, on the Saturday we spent the afternoon with our other friends who told us that they were now invited for dinner as well (again still didnt click!) so that meant they could walk in with us without me suspecting. Didnt bloody get it until saw everyone jumping up shouting "surprise". It was really nice. They went to a lot of effort with food and getting as many people there as possible and one of my friends made me cry when she sang some sad Irish goodbye song!

Got lots of lovely photos and it was a good night.

SarahB

We didnt have one... it was just too upsetting.

Wiz'n'Ton

Oh we ad a great one, invited all our friends, fanily and close relations etc and themed it on a kind on Bond\ Blacktie and Cocktail dress thingy which went really well Had a blackjack table and roulette wheel along with a bar and DJ All went really well and my bro in law came with digi camera and rinter so took ics of all as they arrived and hen rinted them and everyone stuck them in a book with their good luck comments was a brilliant night and so chuffed we ut the effort in, by the way soz fr cra txt but still not fixed comuter yet as diff keys doing diff things you get the idea tho

Wiz'n'Ton

oh, and our avatar is a iccy from that night

Jules & Danny

Invited lots of people round to our empty house after all our stuf had been put in the container and shipped.

ordered loads of pizza and drank all our booze.

soooo glad we did it...

BEVS

We had a party down at our rugby club and the pair of us had a great night. Was a right old knees-up which was good coz we didn't see our friends in the UK again then for two years.
When we got back last summer - we all met up and had a right old knees-up

It was themed with NZ flags and the colours .

Maz

Well we're not sure what we'll do yet. Hopefully / Probably we'll have a party / BBQ (keep the riff-raff outside ) sometime soon, probably when the house is on the market eeek! So yeah we'll keep everyone outside to keep the smoke out there. MIL wants to take the littl'un for a sleepover so we'll do it on that night.

MIL won't want to celebrate with us. Hubby hasn't told her yet, and she will sulk when she hears the news. When we got back, all she could say was "well I'm glad all that silly New Zealand business is over with now". Um, not quite!

I'll most likely take the littl'un to England to see her grandparents and aunt and uncle there before we go. Hopefully we'll be able to stay a week or so.

kwprwn

had the party at our house, with just garden furniture as most of the furniture was gone by then

The theme 'Drink our booze cabinet as we cant take it with us' but people bought more booze as well and there was loads left

I had to do the equivalent of a 'cricket tea' as it was a standing joke with owens cricket club that in the 13 years he played for them I never did the teas for them (there was a roster) but my excuse was I worked on most saturdays so couldnt do them...so it was my one and only cricket tea for his cricket club

I think there were about 30-40 people there but not sure really....we had a new zealand flag on the wall

we then went to a nightclub and then the blubbing started as my sister had to go home as they had an early start back to london the next day...that was it for me once she cried, i cried and couldnt stop so went home ...that was sad