LEETON shire is officially home to several new Australian citizens, who are already making their mark and contributing to the community.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Leeton Shire Council hosted a citizenship ceremony at its council chambers recently, with several of the new citizens young children.
A large crowd turned out for the event, including family members and friends of the new citizens, who were all pleased to see them become official Australians.
MORE NEWS
The new residents originally hailed from countries such as Pakistan, India and Afghanistan, but said they were loving their new country and way of life in Leeton.
Leeton Shire Council mayor Paul Maytom led the ceremony.
"It was a very big celebration and so it should be," he said.
"It's an important day and seeing the joy on their faces afterwards was just wonderful.
"It can be a long process, so to finally become a citizen, means a great deal to these people."
During the ceremony, the new citizens had to recite a pledge to Australia.
It is typically the last step in a lengthy process to becoming an Australian citizen.
Councillor Maytom was pleased Leeton shire continued to be a welcoming community for people from not just around the world, but the rest of the country as well.
"We do a lot of work in this area ... we welcome refugees, migrants and new citizens to the shire," he said.
"I like to think we are a fairly inclusive community."
Council also usually holds a large citizenship ceremony during Australia Day celebrations each year in Mountford Park.
****
While you're with us, you can now receive updates straight to your inbox every Friday at 6am from The Irrigator. To make sure you're up to date with all news in Leeton sign up here.
