A DOWN Under-bound couple waved goodbye to family and friends at an Aussie-style barbecue.

Pete (Chalky) and Carol White are leaving life in Weymouth behind for a new start in Melbourne.

In keeping with the Antipodean theme, barbecue goers enjoyed crocodile and kangaroo.

Pete moved to Dorset from Cambridgeshire in 1998 to take up a post at the Young Offender Institution in Portland.

He then worked at HMP Weare until its closure, when he took up a post as manager at Bosworth Care Home in Preston.

Carol moved from Cambridgeshire in 1999 to work at Weymouth College, where she supports students considering their career choices and applying to university.

The couple said they wanted to pass on their best wishes and thanks to their colleagues for supporting and encouraging them during their nine years in Dorset.

In Australia, Pete will study hospitality and catering management, while Carol will run a coffee shop.