It has been 59 years since Pauline Johnston moved to Australia, and on September 5 she was finally made a citizen.
Travelling by ship from England, Ms Johnston was just eight years old when her parents decided to move her and her sister to Adelaide, Australia.
Without a passport or a visa, becoming a citizen was a tricky task, she said.
Now living in Newcastle, Ms Johnston received her citizenship with almost 180 others from six continents at Newcastle City Hall.
"It has been such a long time coming, it was something I wanted to do years ago but it got put in the too hard basket," Ms Johnston said.
"I am over the moon, it is just wonderful," she said.
Guest speaker, Dr Mary Amponsah moved from Ghana in 2016 to do her PhD in Economics at the University of Newcastle (UON).
She works part time at the university and at Zara's House, a non-profit supporting refugee women and children.
"I am so so excited because it was something I'd always been hoping for, especially when I arrived here and knew I wanted to stay here," she said.
"I can't really get the right words to express how happy I am."
As the oldest child following the loss of her brother and father Dr Amponsah won a scholarship at UON, which meant leaving her mother, two sisters and Africa for the first time.
Since living in Newcastle, she said she had really felt a sense of community.
"It makes you have that feeling of welcome and sense of belonging somewhere," she said.
The Mason family moved to Australia from New Zealand ten years ago, originally moving to Albury-Wodonga before relocating to Newcastle.
Gabriel Mason said while it was hard work with all the paperwork, it was "a dream come true".
"We are just so proud to be officially Australians," he said.
Sylvia Udenta came to Australia from Nigeria in 2017 on a visitor visa while her mother was working at the Nigerian embassy.
She said citizenship was a "long but fulfilling process".
"I'm just really happy to be a citizen now, I don't have to worry about a lot of things."
Mazombo Zabilema-David moved from the Democratic Republic of Congo in 2018 with five children, he now has two more.
He said they were really happy to have citizenship particularly so they could have a passport to travel.
Lord mayor Nuatali Nelmes said the Newcastle was diverse with more than 130 languages and 20 per cent of residents having been born overseas.
"I congratulate all of today's new citizens, who join more than 340 people to have taken the pledge in Newcastle this year," Cr Nelmes said.
