ON a day that holds great significance to many, Bathurst formally recognised and welcomed 22 new citizens who had chosen the regional city as their home.
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A citizenship ceremony was held at Bathurst Memorial Entertainment Centre on Saturday morning, the second of three major events organised by Bathurst Regional Council on Australia Day.
The 22 new citizens represented a long list of countries from around the world, including Pakistan, the Philippines, Thailand, Bangladesh, the United Kingdom, Peru, Nigeria and Mauritius.
But the one thing that they all shared was the desire to call Australia home and further become a part of the nation.
Mayor Graeme Hanger said that they were not only becoming citizens on Australia Day, but also achieving the milestone on the 70th anniversary of the first Australian citizenship ceremony.
“It introduced a unique national identity for Australians in addition to their British subject status,” he said, adding that millions of the people had since gone through the process.
“Many thousands of people will join them as they become citizens in ceremonies far and wide.”
After taking the citizenship pledge, the new citizens were invited on stage one by one to receive their certificates.
Among those becoming Australian citizens was the Boyjonauth family, originally from Mauritius.
Dharmen Boyjonauth, his wife Aarti and their daughter Varshini had waited 11 years to become citizens.
“This is our biggest goal. Now we know we are all Australians, we are very proud,” Mr Boyjonauth said.
The family said they were attracted to Australia for a number of reasons, including the rich culture, the people and the lifestyle that residents enjoy.
The other residents who became citizens on Australia Day were:
- Muhammad Ali
- Arjay Macchio Fuentebella Bejo
- Kachain Chuanpunyaporn
- Biji Daniel
- Muhummad Alamgir Hossain
- Karl Nikkol Carino Jervoso
- Queenie Carino Jervoso
- Nkiruka Uchenna Jesulola
- Caroline Glen Knight
- Thankappan Sham Kumar
- Diya Sham
- Tattiana Marcela Marcas Caceres
- Graham Gilbert McNab
- Parvinder Singh
- Ranjit Kaur
- Dayanne Grace Dumasig Salomon
- Euglenn Brian Pabilan Salomon
- Ammar Sharif
- Sasiwan Wongwanwat
Saturday’s citizenship ceremony was a welcomed success after some controversy leading up to the event.
Some councillors became furious after they realised that the ceremony was going to be held on the night of January 25, instead of Australia Day.
After some intense discussion, mayor Graeme Hanger made the decision to move the ceremony back to the day it has traditionally been held on in Bathurst.
The awards ceremony was the only Australia Day event not to be held on Saturday night.
On the actual day, the controversy was long forgotten and people were able to enjoy all the activities that had been planned.
These included the barbecue breakfast at Eglinton, free entry to the Manning Aquatic Centre and a range of community events in the smaller villages outside of Bathurst.
