Starting off the new year on a welcoming note, Brimbank council hosted its first citizenship ceremony for 2025 at the St Albans Community Centre on January 23.
The evening marked the official welcoming of 140 residents into the Australian fold, originally hailing from 28 countries including India, Vietnam, Samoa, Somalia, Philippines, and South Africa.
Some conferees wore the traditional dress from their country of origin to reflect their diverse cultural identity.
Each new citizen received a lapel pin featuring Australia’s three official flags, a packet of native seeds in their certificate envelope, to sow and nurture and ”serve as a reminder of their new beginning as Australian citizens”, and information about Brimbank’s rich Aboriginal heritage which lists culturally significant sites across the city.
Mayor Thuy Dang welcomed the citizens, giving part of her speech in Vietnamese.
She also reflected on her own journey to Australia with her family as a refugee.
“Like many of our newest citizens, I have come from another land and can relate to many of their stories,” she said.
“I know what it’s like to pack up and start a new life in another country.
“We are all so fortunate to have found a land as beautiful, welcoming, and prosperous as Australia to call home — a place where it is possible to fulfil our dreams.”
