The ceremony was officiated by Port Phillip Council Mayor Heather Cunsolo, who became an Australian citizen herself in St Kilda 10 years ago to the day.
There was a sense of excitement as conferees were presented with their citizenship, along with a wattle pin and a native Australian plant. A performance by the Decibelles choir and a sausage sizzle outside on the lawns added to the celebratory atmosphere.
South Melbourne residents Raniya (14), her mother Iftu, brother Mursi (11) and sister Inas (eight) were among the new citizens.
Raniya and her siblings were born in Nairobi, Kenya while Iftu was born in neighbouring Ethiopia. The family arrived in Australia in 2018 as refugees.
Raniya, who described the ceremony as emotional, said receiving Australian citizenship means it will be easier to travel to see family members.
“We’re all feeling so happy,” she said. “It means so much to us to be a part of the Australian community and we are happy to spend the day with friends and family and other members of our community.”
Raniya loves living in South Melbourne and attending Albert Park College.
“South Melbourne is close to shopping for Mum and we like living near the big parks where we go and play,” she said. “At school, I like working with other students, collaborating with my teachers and learning new subjects.”
Fellow conferees and former professional basketball players Camilla and Rasmus arrived in Australia from Denmark in 2016.
Camilla, the former captain of the Danish national basketball team, said their stay was originally intended to be a short trip to enjoy the opportunity to play basketball in a new country.
“We wanted to play in another country before we finished up our basketball careers,” Camilla said.
“We wanted to go somewhere we could speak the language and have a fun experience with basketball as a working holiday. Eight years later, here we are with a dog and a baby!”
After arriving in Australia, Camilla and Rasmus moved to South Melbourne and now live in Middle Park, never straying from Port Phillip.
“We arrived here and never wanted to live anywhere else. It’s a beautiful area, you have everything you could ever need and we like being close to the city,” Camilla said.
Despite taking up the offer for a longer stay, Camilla and Rasmus never envisioned that would turn into an opportunity to become Australian citizens.
“Australia is a country that has given us some massive opportunities for our family and our work,” Camilla said.
“We’re really grateful and proud to be able to give our daughter a dual citizenship where she can go live in Denmark or live here in Australia in two of the best countries in the world.”
