East Gippsland welcomed 17 new Australian citizens at a citizenship ceremony in Bairnsdale on Thursday, July 20.
East Gippsland Shire Council Mayor Cr Mark Reeves led proceedings, which saw conferees from seven countries take the final step in their journey to Australian citizenship.
These new citizens come from Nepal, New Zealand, Philippines, Poland, Sri Lanka, Ukraine and the United Kingdom.
Cr Reeves said he always looks forward to these events on the civic calendar and getting to meet our newest Australian citizens.
“We are pleased that they have chosen to make their permanent homes in our region – it is truly a great place to live, especially for families,” Cr Reeves said.
“To be able to meet with these new citizens and hear a little bit about their backgrounds and how they made their way to Australia is undoubtably inspiring.”
As part of the ceremony, conferees were presented with citizenship certificates, a commemorative coin, and, as a gift from Council, a native plant.
Council holds four citizenship ceremonies each year on behalf of the Department of Home Affairs. The ceremony fulfils the requirements under Australian citizenship law and provides an opportunity for Council to officially welcome its new citizens.
The ceremony can be viewed on Council’s YouTube channel: youtube.com/EastGippyTV
