City of Wanneroo welcomes new citizens

Historically, the City of Wanneroo has held one of the largest council-led ceremonies in the country.

This year, in line with the State Government’s COVID-19 measures, the City conferred citizenship on the most people in Western Australia on Australia Day across three smaller ceremonies, with Richard Walley OAM and Dennis Simmons delivering the Welcome to Country, and performer Atida Gohwa providing entertainment.

Wanneroo Mayor Tracey Roberts officiated the event at Peter Moyes Anglican Community School in Mindarie, welcoming over 550 new citizens from 60 countries, and congratulating the Australia Day Award recipients.

“The City of Wanneroo is incredibly proud of its diverse mix of cultures and heritage,” she said.

“Our community of 216,000 people is growing by approximately 7,000 each year, and more than 40 per cent of our residents were born overseas, contributing to a rich tapestry of traditions and customs in the City.

“Today’s celebration is an opportunity to acknowledge and respect the contributions made by all of our citizens and community members to the life of our City, this region and this country, and I am delighted that you have all decided to make the City of Wanneroo your home.

“I would like to extend a warm welcome to our new citizens and congratulations to our local Australia Day Award recipients, who are being recognised today for their commitment to enhancing the City through their leadership and work in the community.”

Citizenship recipients Johanna Weadick and Gavin Franey moved to Australia from Ireland in 2014 in pursuit of new life experiences for their growing family and better work opportunities.

“We had never been to Australia before but were 100 per cent up for the challenge,” Johanna said. “It was incredibly exciting and terrifying, as we had to leave our home town and families back in Ireland where we had lived most of our lives.

“We decided to move to Australia for the warmer climate and the great outdoor lifestyle it offers most of the year. We also knew of other friends and family who had moved to Perth and could connect with in our community.

“We love the variety of experiences you can have here, from bush camping to taking a break down south, the beautiful beaches and all the wonderful parks and amenities for children. We love getting involved in school sporting events and our children Conor (5) and James (11) are also involved in soccer and martial arts. 

“The friendships we have made here will last a lifetime. We feel very lucky to live in Australia and look forward to the future and making more amazing memories.”

Since the first citizenship event in 2001, more than 9,003 new citizens have been conferred at the City’s Australia Day ceremonies, in addition to regular ceremonies held by the City throughout the year.

Australia Day Awards recipients

The Australia Day Awards recognise and thank people who have made a significant contribution to the City of Wanneroo community.

Charles Searson Australia Day Youth Award – Cian Chase

Cian is committed to supporting community safety through his involvement with the Quinns Rocks Volunteer Bush Fire Brigade. Initially joining as a cadet four years ago, Cian has since become a full member of the brigade, attending fires in local and surrounding areas.

Cian balances his duties as a brigade member with full time studies and his involvement in State hockey as both a player and umpire. In 2019, he was part of the winning Western Australian team at the Under-15 Australian Championships in New South Wales.

Australia Day Award – Teresa Newton

Teresa is widely regarded as a community leader for her invaluable contributions as a volunteer with several local community, cultural and charitable groups.   

As well as owning local entertainment business, BigMouth Productions, Teresa sits on several boards and committees for local groups, including Wanneroo Districts Netball Association, Cook Islands Community of WA, West Coast Men’s and Mixed Netball Association and the City Of Wanneroo Multicultural Advisory Board.

She is also the Paua Rose Netball Club President and coach of the Under-15 and Under-18 teams, Joondalup Giants Rugby League Club junior president, West Coast Warriors Netball Club men’s team assistant coach and West Coast Thunder Mixed Netball Association’s men’s team coach.

As event manager of the Charity Cup Netball Tournament for the past seven years, Teresa has helped raise almost $65,000 for the Type 1 Diabetes Family Centre.

Teresa is widely regarded in the community as a role model for children and youth from all cultures who want to be part of a sporting club.

Australia Day Community Group or Event Award – Patricia Giles Centre for Non-Violence, Wandjoo Place Mental Health Working Group, Mental Health Week Event

The Wandjoo Place Mental Health Working Group worked hard to plan and deliver a family friendly community event to mark Mental Health Week 2021.

The working group harnessed an opportunity to host an event to highlight the connection between social determinants and mental health and promote effective prevention strategies to keep people mentally healthy.

Over 40 organisations participated in the event at Addison Park in Merriwa, promoting the shared message that being active, having a sense of belonging and having a purpose in life all contribute to happiness and good mental health.

Hundreds of families attended the event and enjoyed a range of activities including drumming, painting, music and games to raise awareness of the importance of mental health and well-being and of support services available to the community.

Australia Day Senior Award – Thomas Corcoran

Now retired after a 57-year career in education, Thomas is passionate about making the City of Wanneroo a great place to live, volunteering with several local groups and clubs, including Wheelchairs for Kids. The volunteer-based not for-profit organisation provides the transformative gift of mobility to children in impoverished and under resourced communities in Australia and around the world.

The former teacher and principal remains committed to providing academic support to children and young people, volunteering at Ashdale Primary School helping Year 1 children with assisted reading to build fluency skills.

Thomas is a Life Membership of Softball WA and was recently inducted into the Softball Hall of Fame WA. He still umpires softball in his spare time.