Mr and Mrs Barry, along with their oldest child, Carter, were among the 52 people in Bathurst to take the citizenship pledge on Australia Day.

READ MORE: Citizenship ceremony shows Bathurst is becoming a more multicultural city

Mr Barry arrived in the country just over four years ago, moving from South Africa to Australia after being presented with a great employment opportunity.

"We weren't planning to move to Australia originally; we'd just got married, bought a house and all those things," Mr Barry said.

"When the opportunity came and we spoke, did all the interviews, we chatted and here we are. It all worked out in the end."

They lived in three other towns before moving to Bathurst, a city that is fast becoming their favourite place to live and work.

"I play soccer here, Nadine got good work opportunities here, so that's been good," Mr Barry said.

Their children were a big factor in why they decided to take that next step to become Australian citizens.

Mrs Barry was 31 weeks pregnant with her second son, Cassius, when she moved to Australia with her husband.

Australia made her feel safe and she said she found the environment to be "calm".

"It just felt different, so I think that was one of the reasons, and, firstly, our kids," she said.

"You do things for your kids, so I would say our kids were one of our biggest inspirations to become Australian citizens."

On January 26, they officially became citizens and got to stand proudly on stage as a family while the community watched on.

They said it was a special moment and one they're still processing the significance of.

"It hasn't sunk in yet. Maybe when I get home it will be real," Mrs Barry said.

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