Council & Business
7 July, 2022
Shire welcomes seven new Australian citizens
Seven new Australian citizens have been welcomed to the Central Goldfields Shire, with an official ceremony held this week. The seven residents, hailing from the countries of Sri Lanka, Canada, New Zealand, the Philippines and India, attained their...
Seven new Australian citizens have been welcomed to the Central Goldfields Shire, with an official ceremony held this week.
The seven residents, hailing from the countries of Sri Lanka, Canada, New Zealand, the Philippines and India, attained their Australian citizenships at the Maryborough Community Hub on Wednesday afternoon.
The ceremony was attended by council representatives including CEO Lucy Roffey, councillors, Member for Ripon Louise Staley and the new citizens’ family members.
Ramneek Kaur and her partner Arshdeep Singh were among those welcomed as Australian citizens during the ceremony and she said it was great to officially be an Australian.
“We wanted to become Australian citizens to start good careers and to have a good future,” she said.
“We came to Australia because I was an international nursing student and I chose to study here.
“We came to Melbourne in 2009 and in 2018 we moved to Maryborough, it’s really nice and quiet here and we are building our house here, I think we’ll stay here forever and I am a nurse at Havilah.”
Fellow new citizen Mary Margaret Duque Sulapas said since first arriving in Australia from the Philippines, she’s always felt welcome — especially now she’s officially a citizen.
“Ever since I first moved here I’ve always felt like a citizen really — Australia has been really welcoming to me,” she said.
“I moved here in 2016 and I fell in love with the country, I decided to go for it and make Australia my home.
“I just love the nature in Australia, it’s still preserved compared to where I came from where it’s not really like that.
“I lived in Burwood when I first moved here and I was so shocked, you walk outside and everyone was just so friendly and welcoming.
“I’m looking forward to being involved and helping the community because I feel like I could be of use to them.”
Council administers citizenship ceremonies on behalf of the Department of Home Affairs, with citizenship ceremonies marking the final step in the journey of becoming an Australian citizen and receiving a Certificate of Australian Citizenship.
Central Goldfields Shire mayor Chris Meddows-Taylor said it was an honour to officiate the citizenship ceremony.
“It really is an honour to be part of such a significant day for these residents,” he said.
“It’s an opportunity for us to give a warm welcome to our newest citizens and acknowledge the importance of what it means to become a member of the Australian community.
“It also enables us to celebrate the added richness and diversity they bring to our community.
“Citizenship is the common bond uniting all Australians, whether you are an Australian by birth or by choice. Congratulations to those becoming Australian citizens on making their commitment to Australia.”
