Ninety-seven people became Australians on Australian Citizenship Day, gathering at The Regent Theatre in Richmond to make their pledge and call Hawkesbury home. The ceremony ran on Thursday, 17 September 2026, with the group representing 30 countries — one small part of a nationwide wave of citizenship ceremonies held to mark the occasion.
Presiding over the pledge were Hawkesbury Mayor Councillor Mary Lyons-Buckett, Superintendent Nadine Roberts of Hawkesbury Police Area Command, Warrant Officer Roy Naden from RAAF Base Richmond, and Council General Manager Will Barton. Each stood before the new citizens as they recited their allegiance to Australia.
Mayor Lyons-Buckett told the room that Australia welcomes every new citizen who makes that pledge and commits to the country’s shared values, regardless of whether citizenship comes by birth or by choice. She called it a day worth marking and celebrating.
Mr Barton spoke to the diversity in the room, describing Australia as a multicultural country made stronger by it. He said the new citizens brought experiences, perspectives, skills and stories of their own — additions, he said, to what already makes both Australia and the Hawkesbury a good place to live.
Before heading home, each new citizen was handed a certificate, a commemorative coin, and a native plant grown in Council’s own community nursery.
