27 June, 2013

Adelaide welcomes new citizens at Citizenship Ceremony

Forty-two people from 16 countries across the world will be conferred as Australian citizens by Lord Mayor Stephen Yarwood on Friday 28 June at 10.30 am, at a Citizenship Ceremony in the Town Hall.

Adelaide’s universal appeal is evident through the diversity not only in age range which spans 10 years to 55 years, but also in country of origin, with people coming from as far and wide as Albania and New Zealand.

“Each time we hold a citizenship ceremony at Town Hall, I’m heartened by the range of people who choose Adelaide as their home, as the community welcomes them to our fabulous city,” said Lord Mayor Stephen Yarwood.

“Time and again people ask me, “what’s not to like?” when we discuss the reasons they’ve chosen Adelaide as the place to live.

"It’s the diversity of culture, and all it brings, that helps make Adelaide such an interesting and exciting place to live,” he said.

Deputy Lord Mayor Michael Llewellyn-Smith AM will be the Master of Ceremonies for the day and City of Adelaide’s own Councillor Natasha Malani will be guest speaker.

Councillor Malani, accompanied by her mother, will tell the story of her father who migrated to Australia from India in 1964 and became an Australian citizen about 10 years ago.

“My father arrived in Australia with just seven pounds at a time when there were only a handful of Indians living in Australia,” she said.

“Things have changed a lot since then, my father enjoyed two successful careers, one in engineering, and another as a restaurateur. He has now retired and is enjoying ‘the good life’ in the world’s fifth most liveable city - Adelaide.”

Councillor Malani is pleased to be part of the welcoming of all new citizens at the event, especially the six from India, who hold a special significance.

Citizenship ceremonies take place in the Town Hall four times each year, and other Council’s also hold ceremonies at various times throughout the year.