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Mayor welcomes our new citizens

30 September 2014

Mrs Somphon McAllister (centre) from Thailand receives her certificate at the Australian Citizenship day ceremony in Jabiru. Mrs Somphon McAllister (centre) from Thailand receives her certificate at the Australian Citizenship day ceremony in Jabiru.

WEDNESDAY was a special day for two Jabiru residents, as the Mayor of West Arnhem Regional Council officially welcomed them as Australian citizens.

Vinay Banymadhub, from Mauritius, and Somphon McAllister, from Thailand, proudly made their Pledge of Commitment in Jabiru Town Plaza on Australian Citizenship Day, Wednesday 17 September – the final step in becoming dinky di Aussie citizens.

After receiving commemorative certificates, our newest Australians and their friends then joined West Arnhem Regional Council staff for a morning tea with scones and lamingtons – and you can’t get much more Aussie than that. After acknowledging the traditional owners, the Mirarr people, Mayor Lothar Siebert congratulated Mrs McAllister, and Mr Banymadhub (or ‘Blue’ as he is known to mates at the Croc Hotel) and welcomed them to this part of Australia.

“As Mayor of West Arnhem Regional Council, I know how special this region is,” Mayor Siebert said. “We have the culture and history of the local Aboriginal people in West Arnhem land. We live and work in the midst of a World Heritage-listed area, in Kakadu National Park. But what makes West Arnhem truly special is not only this, but the people who choose to live here. Places like Jabiru demonstrate that regional Australia is a multicultural place.

“Personally I have a German background, although I have lived here in West Arnhem, in Gunbalanya, for many years, and this is my home. Mrs Somphon McAllister comes from Thailand, and Mr Banymadhub is from Mauritius. You can take the best parts of your culture, and mix them with the best parts of life here in Australia. It is people like you - people like all of us – who make Australia the great multicultural nation it is today.” 

New citizens and guests join West Arnhem Regional Council Mayor Lothar Siebert for the Australian Citizenship Day ceremony in the Jabiru Town Plaza on Wednesday 17 September.  New citizens and guests join West Arnhem Regional Council Mayor Lothar Siebert for the Australian Citizenship Day ceremony in the Jabiru Town Plaza on Wednesday 17 September. 

Mr Vinay Banymadhub with his commemorative Australian Citizenship certificate. Mr Vinay Banymadhub with his commemorative Australian Citizenship certificate.