Local Leader | A warm welcome awaits
One of the most important civic duties a Mayor conducts is a citizenship ceremony, and this Australia Day I had the great privilege of conferring Australian citizenship on eight Ararat Rural City residents.
LOOKING FORWARD: Mayor Cr Peter Beales with Ararat’s youngest new citizen Inez Perera during the ceremony. Inez has a bright and exciting future ahead.
Conducting a citizenship ceremony is especially poignant for me as I have been on the other side – I became an Australian citizen myself after arriving from the United Kingdom in 1953.
So last Saturday it was a real pleasure and very moving to see people from other parts of the world who now call Ararat home, take the citizenship pledge.
It was a particularly enjoyable moment for me to confer citizenship on four-year-old Inez Perera, who became a citizen along with her mother Suhara and father Jayasuriya. What a bright future Inez has to look forward to here in Australia.
The council conducted the citizenship ceremony as part of its official Australia Day celebrations and it was wonderful to see around 150 people enjoy the day, which included presenting Ararat’s Australia Day Awards, a barbecue supplied by the Ararat Lions Club and fantastic performances by the Ararat City Band.
Ararat CEO Dr Tim Harrison and I also attended pool parties in Willaura, Lake Bolac and Ararat, and it was wonderful that so many people made the most of the celebrations. We thank everyone who took part.
Witnessing a citizenship ceremony and seeing dedicated volunteers presented with Australia Day Awards brings into sharp focus what it means to be part of our local community.
Conducting a citizenship ceremony is especially poignant for me ...
Cr Peter Beales
Our council is a wonderful place to live, work, play and do business, and we are very fortunate to have amazing people around us who spend countless hours volunteering their time to better our lives.
While our Australia Day ceremony celebrated worthy award winners, there are many hundreds of other people who spend hours volunteering in our region – rest assured, your contributions do not go unnoticed by the council. We sincerely thank you all for your tireless work and dedication.
Our new citizens: Shaikh Anas (country of origin Pakistan), Wacim Gami (India), Sumeera Mudiyanselage (Sri Lanka), Jayasuriya Perera (Sri Lanka), Suhara Perera (Sri Lanka), Inez Perera (Sri Lanka), Ravisher Singh (India) and Misbah Saqib (Pakistan).
Our Australia Day Award winners: Ararat Ambassador – Judy Wohlers; Community Spirit – Willaura Healthcare Auxiliary; Inspiring Healthy Living – Ararat Ladies’ Social Bike Group.