Citizenship Ceremony

Published on 30 June 2022

Leeton Shire Council Chambers was bursting at the seams last Friday afternoon when friends, relatives and supporters of nine members of the community were on hand to witness the latest Leeton Shire Council Citizenship ceremony.

Fittingly held during Refugee Week, the nine new citizens have made Australia generally, and the Leeton Shire specifically, their new home from all parts of the world including Afghanistan, Pakistan, India and Taiwan.

Mayor Tony Reneker was honoured to host the ceremony and welcomed the new citizens to our growing community.

SunRice Ambassador Katelyn Mills was on hand to assist with the ceremony and read the message from the Minister for Immigration, Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs, the Honourable Andrew Giles MP.

The ceremony was an emotional one for many, with some citizens from Afghanistan having waited for over nine years for their applications to be processed. They were clearly relieved to call Australia their forever home.

Mayor Tony Reneker was pleased with the poignancy of the afternoon and welcomed Leeton’s newest Australian Citizens.

“All of the new citizens are part of our community in one way or another. Some are working in Shire businesses, some have children attending our local schools and some are involved in local community groups. They are firmly entrenched in the Leeton Shire and are making it an even better place to live,” he said.