New Citizens Welcomed Ahead of Australian Citizenship Day

Siley Altaya who moved to Australia from the Philippines in 2017 and became a citizen on Friday

More than 70 people from 25 nations spanning the globe have been welcomed as new Australian citizens at a ceremony in Lake Macquarie ahead of Australian Citizenship Day.

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Lake Macquarie Mayor Kay Fraser, who presided over the ceremony at Rathmines Theatre, said seeing people from so many backgrounds and cultures take the Citizenship Pledge was always an honour.

“Some have lived here most of their lives. Others are much more recent arrivals, and each has a unique story about why and how they came here,” she said.

“But they all bring skills, passions and life experiences that add to the fabric of our community.”

Friday’s ceremony took place ahead of Australian Citizenship Day on Saturday, a date in the calendar that encourages all Aussies to take pride in their citizenship and think about what unites us as Australians.

Cr Fraser said Australia was one of the world’s most culturally diverse nations, with citizenship a common uniting bond.

“In the past 75 years, we’ve welcomed more than five million new citizens to our shores,” she said.

Almost 15 per cent of people in Lake Macquarie were born overseas, and almost 30 per cent have at least one parent who was not born in Australia.

England, New Zealand, India, South Africa and the Philippines are the city’s top five countries of birth, after Australia.

Siley Altaya, from the Philippines, was one of the people taking the Australian Citizenship Pledge after moving to Australia in 2017.

“My husband and daughter are both Australian citizens and I wanted to join them,” she said.

“Today is very emotional for me. It’s been a long journey, and this is finally the last step.”

“It’s just awesome.”