We are one, we are many

A ROOM  of more than 400 people included family and friends who joined 120 new Australian citizens from 36 countries to celebrate a milestone moment in their lives at the C.ex last week. 

One by one, the conferees received their citizenship certificates, marking the culmination of journeys that brought them to Australia for many different reasons — and their decision to make this country home.

Officiated by Coffs Harbour Mayor Nikki Williams and Member for Coffs Harbour, Gurmesh Singh, the ceremony formally welcomed the new citizens into the Australian community, with everyone witnessing conferees undertake the citizenship pledge.

For some, the occasion marked the beginning of a new chapter. For others, it represented the culmination of decades of living, working and raising families in Australia.

The ceremony acknowledged the traditional custodians of the land, with Uncle Richard delivering a Welcome to Country and explaining the cultural significance of the official welcome as seeking permission to enter another people’s country. He jokingly likened the practice to the modern-day process of going through customs.

He also passed on the message to conferees that local Elders were honoured that the new citizens had chosen their country as the place to live.

Mayor Williams read a welcome from Minister for Immigration Tony Burke, who acknowledged Australia as “one of the most diverse nations on earth”.

The Mayor said Coffs Harbour prided itself on its diversity and that becoming a citizen showed a desire to have a say in Australia’s future.

“We are proud you’ve taken a voluntary decision to be part of it,” she said.

She encouraged the new citizens to consider volunteering with local community organisations, saying that Australian values included supporting one another and giving back.

Among those celebrating their new citizenship was Sien Tedjo, originally from Indonesia, who has called Coffs Harbour home for almost 22 years and has certainly embraced these values in spades.

Sien came to Australia from Indonesia 27 years ago and has lived in Coffs for two decades.

Since then, Sien has become a familiar face in the local multicultural community, where for many years she has quietly and cheerily helped around 100 Coffs newcomers to feel welcome and part of the community.

Originally starting as a support group for Indonesians, her initiative has since grown into a wider multicultural network. Each month she organises a multicultural lunch at Jetty Park where a mix of long-time locals and newcomers come together to show friendship and have fun.

Sien said she felt both happy and sad as she became an Australian citizen because, as Indonesia does not generally permit adults to hold dual citizenship, she would now be relinquishing her Indonesian citizenship.

But said she made the decision as her life was now firmly here, including her daughters – and after all, she will still be able to visit Indonesia.

For Rupinderjit Thindal, his wife Parinder Kaur and their two-and-a-half-year-old daughter, Harsanjh, citizenship was about securing their future together.

While originally from India, Rupinderjit has lived in Australia for 10 years, while Parinder arrived five-and-a-half years ago.

Although Rupinderjit had previously spent time in Britain and initially considered settling there, a holiday in Australia changed his plans. He decided Australia was where he wanted to live. Having met Parinder online while he was in Australia and she was still in India, he persuaded her that it would be a good place for them to build their life together – so, in the middle of COVID, she left India and came to Australia to see for herself.

“It means a lot to us,” Rupinderjit said of becoming Australian citizens, who through his Indian family’s connection with the British army, says he feels an affinity with the country’s colonial history.

“We love Australia’s weather and its multicultural character,” said Parinder.

For Selma Nayif, the ceremony marked another milestone in a journey that began when she arrived in Australia as a young child from Iraq in 2017.
“I love Australia and also being part of the Coffs community,” she said.
A member of the Yazidi ethnic group, Selma has lived in Coffs Harbour since arriving in the country and has embraced the Coffs Coast lifestyle, particularly its beaches. Having taken up the popular Australian hobby of surfing, Selma regularly takes advantage of the good surfing conditions around North Wall.
She has also already decided her career path in her new country – to become a doctor.

Their stories – just a few samples of many more – are a reminder that belonging is not only about formal citizenship, but also about the connections people build, the life they make in their community, and their contributions to their new country.

Coffs Harbour’s diversity is reflected in its population, with 15.6 per cent of residents born overseas, compared with a regional NSW average of 12.2 per cent, and also has a significant Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population, making up 5.6 per cent of residents.

As the new citizens celebrated with their families and friends, the ceremony offered a glimpse of the many journeys, cultures and experiences that make up the Coffs Coast community — and the shared future they have chosen to be part of.

By Leigh WATSON