Australian citizens now number 50,000 among those who have taken the pledge at a Hornsby Shire Council ceremony, a milestone reached today when 134 people from 29 countries became Australians across three ceremonies at the Community Halls in Hornsby.
Council has run citizenship ceremonies since 1954, when the Federal Government asked local councils to take them on. In the more than 70 years since, generation after generation of new citizens has taken this step in the Shire.
Mayor Warren Waddell said the figure was special for the Shire and for the many people who have made their home here. He pointed out that behind the number sit 50,000 individual stories, and said it has been a privilege for Council to share such an important moment with so many people over the years.
For some, he said, citizenship is the next chapter in a place they have chosen to call home. For others it means the security of a safer future for themselves and their families. He described the ceremonies as occasions that bring families and communities together, and congratulated everyone who has taken part in one in Hornsby Shire over more than 70 years.
Among those celebrating was the Shuryhin family from Beecroft, who come originally from Ukraine. Tetiana Shuryhina said that to her, being Australian means a safer and better future for her children, and that she loves Hornsby Shire because it has everything a family needs to live happily.
The ceremonies opened with a Welcome to Country by Brandon Etto. Mayor Waddell attended, along with Councillors Dr Greenwood, Seaglove and McIntosh, Julian Leeser MP, Federal Member for Berowra, and James Wallace MP, State Member for Hornsby.
After each ceremony, the Country Women’s Association handed out refreshment packs to the candidates. Council gave every new citizen a native plant from its Warada Ngurang Community Nursery to mark the day.
