Photo: new citizen Ainslie at this week's ceremony
It was all smiles at Malvern Town Hall this week, when Stonnington Mayor Cr Melina Sehr welcomed 118 new Australian citizens.
In front of family and friends, our special guests, with origins from 38 countries worldwide, stood as one to take the Pledge to Australia and mark Wednesday 12 March 2025 as the day they took the final step on the long journey to becoming an Australian.
The formalities were followed by photos, congratulations and an Aussie-inspired celebration, complete with party pies. Each new citizen was presented a gift bag containing their citizenship certificate, an Australian native plant for their garden and of course a mini Australian flag to wave!
To mark this exciting moment, one of our new Australians, Ainslie, agreed to answer our questions about why she chose to make Australia her home and what it was like becoming an Australian citizen.
Which country are you originally from?
"I was born in Canada."
What made you choose to live in Australia in the first place?
"I originally moved over with work on a two-year secondment, which was enough time for me to fall in love with the country.
"What I love most about Australia is how outdoorsy it is. It's very similar to Canada, just the hot weathered version!"
What do you love about Stonnington?
"I live in Windsor which is a great suburb.
"When I moved to Melbourne with my partner less than a year ago, we wanted to be close to the city but didn't know the city very well.
"We quickly fell in love with Windsor and it made our move to Melbourne so easy.
"I especially like how connected Windsor is to everything, it is never short on amazing new restaurants to try (my list keeps growing!), and Albert Park is a few short blocks away!"
Can you tell us a little about your journey to becoming an Australian citizen?
"Like anyone's journey, it has been a long one.
"I originally went through the Permanent Residency process during the pandemic, which was stressful but taught me I truly wanted to be here, because going back to Canada at that point would have been far easier.
"I feel proud to have finally gotten myself to this point, I've called this place home for nearly 7 years but am so excited to officially become a citizen!"
This is the second City of Stonnington citizenship ceremony for 2025, the first was held on 26 January when we welcomed 102 new citizens. Combined with the March ceremony, Stonnington is delighted to have welcomed 220 new citizens since the beginning of the year.
