Western Downs to welcome 19 new citizens

The Western Downs is preparing to officially welcome its newest Australians at the Citizenship Ceremony as part of the Delicious and DeLIGHTful festival in Dalby this weekend.

There will be 19 people making their pledge to our nation this Saturday 21 August with origins from Canada, the Philippines, the United Kingdom, China, India, Mauritius and Poland.

Western Downs Regional Council’s Mayor Paul McVeigh is looking forward to welcoming our newest citizens and says there’s no better time than at Dalby’s annual celebration of world culture.

“One of the highlights in my role as Mayor is having the privilege of representing our country in this important ceremony,” he said.

“It’s fantastic to see how happy our newest citizens are at these citizenship ceremonies, it’s a great addition to a special weekend of multicultural celebrations.”

Saturday will mark the third citizenship ceremony of the year, following those held on Australia Day and in May.

Dalby resident and future citizen Ligaya Sombrero from the Philippines is preparing to participate in the upcoming ceremony with her family.

“Living in Australia has been a great change and has provided amazing opportunities for my children,” she said.

“We’re all so happy to be a part of the ceremony and have members of many different cultures witness our pledge to be officially welcomed into the Australian community.”

Ligaya and her children will be taking the National pledge after having lived in Dalby for seven years.

The ceremony will take place in Anderson Park and proceedings will commence at 1pm.

All are welcome to attend.

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Media Contact: Melanie Coultas | Senior Media and Communications Officer | 0419 048 594