Martina Carney will never forget her first Australia Day as an official citizen.
And she certainly made the most of it, donning Vegemite earrings as she took the pledge of commitment alongside almost 100 other people from around the globe in Lake Macquarie on Thursday.
The German native moved to Australia 13 years ago after wanting to start a new life.
"Obviously, I miss my family and friends but I'm super-happy about it," she said.
"It's the sights, the weather and the people - it is so welcoming here and I have never experienced that anywhere else. It's just a wonderful country."
Govardhan Reddy Gaddameedi moved to Australia from India eight years ago to study IT, deciding to stay after falling in love with the place and its people.
"It's a multicultural country, it's one of the safest countries to live in and it's a beautiful country," he said.
"This is a very exciting day for me. I'm very happy."
Lake Macquarie mayor Kay Fraser presided over the official proceedings from a distance after testing positive to COVID-19 on Thursday morning.
"Australia is one of the most multicultural nations on the planet, with more than one in four people in our country born overseas," she said.
"So it's fitting that on a day when we reflect on who we are as a nation, we welcome people from all corners of the globe to make this their home."
"New citizens bring with them the culture and traditions of their home country. I'm so grateful that the vast majority of people in Lake Macquarie respect and embrace these things, and recognise how much they enrich our community."
Shortland MP Pat Conroy, who stepped in at the 11th hour to host the rest of the ceremony, said more than 165,000 people nationwide became Australian citizens in 2022.
"It's an immense privilege to share this special day with our 96 newest citizens, and I was honoured to welcome them to our country on behalf of all of Lake Macquarie," he said.
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