Calling Australia home

Sixty local residents declared they would call Australia home when they were formally inducted as citizens on Australia day.
The Baw Baw Shire citizenship ceremony welcomed 60 new citizens from 17 countries.

In front of a crowd of supportive family and peers, residents of all ages and cultural backgrounds took their citizenship pledges.
The conferees now calling Australia were welcomed from Argentina, Chile, China, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Germany, India, Iran, Israel, Lithuania, New Zealand, Philippines, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Thailand, United Kingdom, United States of America and Vietnam.

The ceremony was attended by Baw Baw Shire mayor Kate Wilson and Councillors Suzanne Allen, Danny Goss, Paul Pratt and Brendan Kingwill, as well as Member for Narracan Wayne Farnham.

Cr Wilson said more than 18,800 people from more than 150 countries pledged their citizenship at ceremonies on Australia Day.
"We are delighted that you have chosen Baw Baw as your home and are looking forward to you getting involved in your local community and displaying the values that make Australia so great.

"Regardless of whether you have been here for a long or short while, I strongly encourage you to become involved in your local community; through sporting clubs, community groups, schools and kindergartens or other local service or social clubs," she said.