Susan Moseley was overjoyed to become a citizen of the country she has called home for 50 years.

The Green Point resident was one of 25 people who took part in an Australian citizenship ceremony, held in the Club Taree auditorium on Thursday, September 17.

She was just a '10 pound Pom' when she arrived in Australia all those years ago and has fulfilled a wish of her late parents.

"They wanted me to finally become an Australian citizen," she said.

Nicola Emoe should be celebrating a milestone birthday with her mother in Ireland, but the ongoing global pandemic put a stop to that plan.

"I have my 50th birthday this week and my mum turned 80 so I was going over to celebrate with her," she said.

The Old Bar resident has lived in Australia for 22 years.

"We're in a great part of the world," she said.

She said there was an option for the ceremony to take place via Zoom. But where's the fun in that?

"It's nice to do something with the other new citizens," Mrs Emoe said.

When the pandemic settles down, she will be on the first flight to Ireland to celebrate with her family.

Other nations represented at the ceremony included Brazil, Thailand, Philippines, Denmark and Germany.

It was fittingly held on Australian Citizenship Day and was the first in the Mid Coast since the COVID-19 pandemic began.

Ceremonies across Australia were strictly held online between March and June.

The Taree ceremony was hosted by MidCoast Council general manager, Adrian Panuccio, with mayor David West and Member for Lyne Dr David Gillespie handling presentation duties.

Addressing the group, Cr West said his involvement with citizenship ceremonies was one of his proudest roles as mayor.

"New citizens have an incredible impact on our country," Cr West said.

Dr Gillespie read the citizenship message on behalf of Federal Immigration Minister, David Coleman while Cr West read the citizenship welcome before the group recited the citizenship pledge.

One-by-one they accepted their citizenship certificates from Cr West and Dr Gillespie.

"It's a really proud day for these new Australian citizens and we welcome them to the best country in the world," Dr Gillespie said after the ceremony.

Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the traditional post-ceremony morning tea was cancelled.

Thank you for valuing local journalism with your subscription. While you're with us, you can also receive updates straight to your inbox from the Great Lakes Advocate. To make sure you're up to date with all the news, sign up here.

While you're with us: