Hawkesbury City Council welcomed 32 new citizens, including six families, at this morning's Australia Day citizenship ceremony.
The new citizens come from nine countries: Germany, India, Kenya, South Africa, Thailand, The Philippines, Ukraine, the United Kingdom and Zimbabwe.
They are among the 14,600 people from more than 150 countries who are becoming citizens all over Australia today - one of the most popular occasions for citizenship ceremonies.
The new citizens pledged their loyalty to Australia and its people at the ceremony and heard from the General Manager of Hawkesbury City Council, Elizabeth Richardson, the Mayor of Hawkesbury, Councillor Les Sheather, the Federal Member for Macquarie, Susan Templeman MP, the State Member for Hawkesbury, Robyn Preston MP, Superintendent Nadine Roberts of Hawkesbury Police Area Command, and RAAF Base Richmond Wing Commander Andrew Burke.
Mayor, Councillor Les Sheather said, "Taking this step today to become an Australian is a true sign of your commitment to this country - and I commend you for that. We have a terrific country with terrific people. We're very pleased that you chose our city to live in and we welcome you to the Hawkesbury community."
Hawkesbury City Council General Manager, Elizabeth Richardson, said, "The Hawkesbury region is a culturally diverse community, and you are all a great example this. Our cultural diversity is one of our greatest strengths. It is central to who we are and part of our national identity."
Each new citizen received a certificate, a commemorative coin and a native plant, from Council's community nursery, as a welcome gift.
