A LARGE crowd filled the Mount Gambier City Council chambers on Tuesday night to support and celebrate nine new Australian citizens.
Candidates receiving citizenship included Prajakt Kumbhare, Ann Kenny, Annegret Zaccardo, Wipada Jelly, Ananya and Amit Sharma, Chetna Rambani, Hsa Th Lay Moo and Ku Maung Pei.
Mount Gambier Mayor Andrew Lee congratulated the candidates and said he was pleased to see such a large amount of candidates receive citizenship.
For new Australian citizen Hsa Th Lay Moo, the ceremony was a significant moment in her life after fleeing her home country in Burma then living in a Thailand refugee camp.
“I am very happy to have received citizenship and it is a fantastic feeling as we lived in limbo in the Thailand refugee camp for 16 years,” she said.
Hsa Th lay Moo has now lived in Australia for five and a half years.
New citizen Prajakt Kumbhare left his home country of India 11 years ago, completing a masters degree in health service management in Australia.
“I met my wife her and now have three children, so I decided to stay permanently,” Mr Kumbhare said.
Mr Lee welcomed the new citizens, saying he was proud of the country’s rich heritage stemming from diverse contributions.
“Citizenship creates a common bond, uniting all Australians while respecting diversity,” he said.
The new citizens were presented with a gift by members of Soroptimist International Mount Gambier and the National Anthem was lead by singers Amy Grouse and Chanceline Kakule.
