Her journey to come home from London for the birth turned into a nightmare of days waiting in airports while heavily pregnant.

Ms Young and her British fiancée Brett Goodison were living in Manchester when they found out they were expecting their first child.

"A week after COVID hit, I received a call from my doctors [about the pregnancy] and as soon as I found out I was like no, I want to go home.

"I wasn't allowed to leave the house, wasn't allowed to go do my shopping, I wasn't allowed to go do anything."

Her doctors were concerned about her health as she had lost a previous pregnancy, and the risks for pregnant women contracting COVID were still unknown.

The next challenge was securing a visa for her fiancé because the Australian government had put all visas on hold.

Ms Young also couldn't get her working visa extended so she faced the risk of having the baby in Australia without her partner.

"I didn't want to leave without Brett."

Several months later they were finally able to book their flights after securing a holiday visa for Mr Goodison.

When they boarded their first flight in mid September 2020, Ms Young said she had been flooded with relief, thinking they were set for the rest of the trip.

"When we got on the first flight, I thought oh my god I can't believe it," she said.

However when preparing to board the second flight leg from London, they were told there was something wrong with their tickets and they couldn't continue.

This was the start of five days of extreme stress, as they were made to wait 12 hours in the check-in section of the airport.

"I had been sat there all day, every day, in this area where there's no food, no vending machines, there was nothing," she said.

Ms Young said she was becoming increasingly worried as her doctor's certificate to travel was running out and she couldn't go back since her British working visa had run out the day they were supposed to be boarding their second flight.

"I was stressing every day, hoping they'll come out to tell you that you can get on the next flight and then realising at a quarter past seven each night, that you'd missed the last one."

Ms Young said she kept being told she would board the next flight, however every night around 9-10pm the couple were told they'd have to come back the next day and try again.

"British Airways gave us a hotel ticket so you'd have to check out in the morning and sit at the airport for 12 hours and then do it all again the next day.

"The staff were really helpful it was just hard because none of the companies wanted to help one another, even though they're all sister sites," Ms Young said.

Ms Young then began to reach out to her friends and family from home.

"People were offering you all this money to help you get back but then you couldn't even book the tickets yourself. It was just an absolute nightmare."

Among all the support she received from friends and family back home, one friend, Krista Belle from Eden, told her to reach out to Kristy McBain.

Ms McBain pointed her in the direction of accessing help from Senator Penny Wong.

Senator Wong's team helped get Ms Young's story publicised by putting her in touch with Channel 7 News and 10 News First Sydney.

However on the fifth day of waiting at the airport, Ms Young got some upsetting news that British Airways couldn't help her anymore and she'd have to leave the airport.

"It was so emotional because all of a sudden the staff were like we can't help you anymore, I was just like 'what the hell are you going to do?'"

When given the news, Ms Young said she refused to take her luggage and leave the airport and stayed exactly where she was.

"I knew as soon as I'd left there and gotten my bags that would have been it," she said.

As a last resort Ms Young reached out to two large news organisations in England, The Sun and The Mirror.

"A journalist from The Mirror got back to me straight away and I told him all my side of the story, he was amazing.

"He is the reason we got back, his media team contacted British Airways and within an hour they changed their tune massively.

"Two of the CEOs of British Airways walked straight over to us, I don't know where they came from, but they came straight over and apologised, saying how embarrassed they were at how I had been treated."

Ms Young said that after this, curiously everyone "jumped on the bandwagon" to try to help her.

Upon arrival at the Sydney Airport, Ms Young said it felt strange and unreal.

"When we got off the plane and walked through the terminal, it was like it was abandoned, it was very weird," Ms Young said.

She said there were doctors, nurses, army and police everywhere.

"First you'd get screened by doctors and nurses before you go through immigration, they'd ask you if you've got any flu-like symptoms and test your temperature, ask where you're going what you're doing.

"The army and police were then directing you on to buses and then there'd be like 56 or more police and army at each hotel.

"They'd sign you in and then you'd be sent off up into your room. There was security on the floor and literally at your door, so you weren't going anywhere."

Ms Young said she struggled with being locked indoors without fresh air and constant air conditioning.

"We had windows that were bolted closed and big signs saying that if you opened windows it was a massive fine.

"The first three days, I struggled with just having the air conditioning because my throat was so dry," she said.

"I'd wake up with anxiety because I couldn't breathe in any fresh air, but you just had to surrender to it in the end."

The couple got out of isolation on October 7, and Ms Young had her baby boy Georgie two months later at Bega hospital on December 19.

"I came back here because obviously a lot of my family lives here and it's a better quality life over here.

"We can have a backyard and enjoy the outdoors."

Upon her return, friends from all around the Far South Coast came to celebrate her arrival at a baby shower hosted by one of her childhood friends Bekie Smith, who also hails from Pambula.

"I couldn't be happier to finally have my best friend home without the stress that she might be stranded overseas, I was so grateful she came home in time," Ms Smith said.

"All of our friends are very blessed that we can be part of watching little Georgie grow up in our local community."

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