Thanks all for the feedback. I did manage to have some success desoldering with my pump and I purchased some new tips to see that might help (will try again on the weekend).
Brian, its great to hear pre-soldered will become an option. Happy to pay $5-$10 for the extra pain in terms of logistics! I’ll keep an eye out for the change in the store and when I see it’s available then I’ll order some more boards!
Cheers,
Mike J