My journey to become an Australian citizen

Last week we learnt about Australian cultural diversity. This week your teacher may also work with you to complete a writing activity or recording an interview on Harmony Day. The best articles which will become part of a future blog post. 

This week we read about a DL student, whose  pride and love of Australia drew her to become an Australian citizen.

My name is Emily and I am from Taiwan. I have been in Australia for 5 years and recently received my Australian Citizenship Certificate on Australia Day. I would like to share with you how I gained my citizenship and the highlights of the citizenship ceremony.

I started my citizenship preparation 1 month before the examination day. The first thing I did was go to my local town hall to get the resource book Australian Citizenship – Our Common Bond. I spent 1 week reading this, then downloaded an App called Australian Citizenship Test Practice to my smartphone. After that, I spent half an hour a day using the App to practice the test questions. I felt confident by doing this practice. On the examination day, I was well prepared and passed the test on my first go.

Emily's local newspaper

 There were a few factors that made my citizenship ceremony such a special day.  First of all, the ceremony was on Australia Day, 26 January 2017 and it was a  glorious day with bright blue sky and brilliant sunshine. Secondly, my parents-in-law drove all the way from Victoria to South Australia to attend my ceremony.  It was wonderful to have my family there to share my happiness. Another factor was that I was the only Asian among the 36 new citizens. Finally it was  not just my citizenship ceremony, but also everybody celebrated Australia Day. We had the local mayor lead us in singing Advance Australia Fair and we read out the pledge together. During the ceremony we had some Australian signature food- sausages with bread, pavlova and pancakes with jam. We all experienced the Australia Day spirit.

The following week, surprisingly, I saw an article in the local newspaper. It was titled ‘Gawler welcomes record new citizens’ with a photo of our group and the mayor. The mayor said that she thought of the positive impacts that new citizens make in the community, “I think that it will enrich our community, I always think of the different food we get to experience. Over time, understanding different cultures and welcoming people from different parts of the world into our community will make us stronger.”  For me, it was such a wonderful day that gave me a lot of great memories. I am proud to say, I am an Australian. Ozi ozi ozi! Oi oi oi!    

Would you like to know more about the citizenship test? Click to go to the Australian Citizenship resources HERE.

• Why do some people want to become Australian Citizens?
• If you wanted to become an Australian citizen would you use the App to study?
• The new citizens ate Australian signature food -sausages on bread and pavlova. What do you think is a typical Australian dish?

What's great about Australia?

On Tuesday 26th of January we celebrate Australia Day. We celebrate everything that's great about Australia and being Australian.
 There are many events planned in every major town. An important part of each event is the Citizenship ceremony where new citizens pledge their loyalty to the country. You can see more information on this at the Citizenship tab on this blog. 

At Distance Learning we think it's great that Australia is a multicultural country and we value the contribution of migrants now and through Australia's history. Here are some thoughts from staff members on the question: What's great about Australia and being Australian?

"For me Australian citizenship allows me to participate in elections. So I have rights and I feel like a full member of the country. Also I like the people, climate and the multiculturalism here. It's hard to say..it means I have made the right choice for my family and I."

"I love Australia  because of the fresh air, beautiful sunshine and delicious international food. I also love the friendly Australian people and the fair environment where everyone is equal and well respected."

You can find out what's on in your area from your local newspaper or by going to the website Australia Day Events. For more information and videos on Australia Day go to the website ABC TV.

So the discussion question for this week is:

What do you think is great about Australia?