LOVE can lead people to some interesting places.
For new Australian citizen Jolie Quinlan, love took her all the way from New Orleans, Louisiana to the shores of Lake Macquarie.
Formally recognised at a citizenship ceremony on Friday, Mrs Quinlan said after spending the last decade in the country it's fantastic to be able to call herself an Aussie.
"There's a sense of pride, belonging, and relief too," she said.
"I'm done with submitting evidence and paperwork to the Australian Government and now I belong to Australia and I feel like I'm one of you guys - it was really nice saying the pledge.
"Now I get to vote and have my say here, I live here, pay taxes and I'm a contributing member of society so to be able to have my voice heard is really important and special to me.
"We're really privileged to have that right to have our voice heard, I'm really excited about that."
Mrs Quinlan was one of more than 65 people from 22 nations around the world to be welcomed as Australian Citizens at a ceremony at Rathmines.
It included new Australians hailing from Belarus, Canada, Chile, China, Iran, Nepal, New Zealand, Northern Ireland, the Philippines, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Thailand, United Kingdom, United States, Vietnam and Zimbabwe.
Lake Macquarie has welcomed more than 1700 new citizens since 2016, including 362 this year.
Mayor Kay Fraser said seeing people from so many backgrounds and cultures take the Citizenship Pledge is always an honour.
"Some have lived here most of their lives. Others are much more recent arrivals, and each has a unique story about why and how they came here," she said.
"But they all bring skills, passions and life experiences that add to the fabric of our community."
Among the new citizens was Erns and Aninke Hattingh who made the move from South Africa to Australia to start a family, where they've raised their two children Klara, 3, and five-month-old Jano.
"We're really excited, it's been a long journey - this is something that we've been working toward and praying for," Mr Hattingh said.
"We came to Australia to give our children a better future and opportunities."
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