We are one but we are many
And from all the lands on earth we come
We share a dream, and sing with one voice
I am, you are, we are Australian
If you’re a migrant to Australia, once you qualify you can take up citizenship at ceremonies held at least every month across the country.
But thousands wait until the next Australia Day comes around and it’s easy to see why.
Yesterday, at hundreds of ceremonies across our vast, brown land, more than 16,000 of these newcomers took the oath of Australian citizenship.
More than 300 of them were at Australia Day functions held in south west Sydney, from Fairfield and Liverpool to Campbelltown, Camden and Picton.
Campbelltown Council actually holds two citizenship ceremonies on our national day, one in Koshigaya Park and one in Ingleburn about an hour later.
And while new mayor Paul Hawker had his work cut out congratulating each new Australian and then directing them to councillors handing out native plants, he looked like he had been doing it all his life.
“I really enjoyed it out there,’’ he said afterwards.
The new citizens of Australia – and Campbelltown, as the mayor kept reminding them – have come from the four corners of the Earth.
Names like Farah Abubakar, Julia Marie Caruana, Monica Do, Ruth Ann Buenaobra Tinio, Sarbjeet Kaur, Michelle Clare Thomas and Dr Ferdous Nigar give a good indication of this.
Some were members of an entire family, and there were even tiny babies, who couldn’t have been more than a few weeks old.
Small Australian flags were everywhere, not that anyone needed reminding what a great event was taking place.
And when they all finished taking the pledge to be Australians, some with a holy book in their right hand, but most without, they stood together with all of the Australians present and with a hearty voice began to sing:
Australians all let us rejoice,
For we are young and free;
We’ve golden soil and wealth for toil;
Our home is girt by sea;
Our land abounds in nature’s gifts
Of beauty rich and rare;
In history’s page, let every stage
Advance Australia Fair.
In joyful strains then let us sing,
Advance Australia Fair.
