General News
31 January, 2025
Central Goldfields welcomes new citizens
Maryborough came together on Australia Day not just to celebrate the day, but to welcome new Australian citizens from all across the world.
Six new Australian citizens were welcomed into the Central Goldfields Shire last Sunday. From the Philippines, to Sri Lanka, Iran, Namibia and South Africa they found themselves at Station Domain from across the globe.
Jacques Jacobs became an Australian citizen with his wife, Letitia Jacobs, and daughter, Adi Jacobs. Originally from Cape Town, South Africa, Mr Jacobs said choosing citizenship is an unusual experience.
“I think my wife described it best. She said that most people around the world, they’re just born into citizenship. It’s very few people that choose citizenship of a specific country and it’s quite surreal,” he said.
Originally moving to Australia for Ms Jacobs’ work, the family have slowly worked their way back to country living, and have no intentions of going back.
“The same company that she worked for in South Africa had the same position available here and she applied, and she got it, and we just came on a big adventure. Fell in love with the place and decided to stay,” he said.
From Cape Town, to Sydney, and eventually Melbourne the couple looked back on their roots growing up in the country and wanted to leave the city behind.
“We didn’t necessarily want to be near the large city. I haven’t been back to the city at all since we moved out here and I’ve got no will to go there,” he said.
On stage Adi Jacob’s excitement was clear for the crowd to see. It’s an excitement in his daughter Mr Jacobs returns.
“That was one of the reasons that we decided to stay. After all the freedom that she has here as a 12-year-old girl we just can’t take her back to South Africa and have her pretty much locked up the whole time for safety,” he said.
“Thanks for having us.”
At the other end of the stage was Lucia Farrugia who didn’t come to Australia for work, but instead love.
In 2011, Ms Farrugia came to Australia on holidays from the Philippines and met her future husband.
Although her time in Australia was short it led to a proposal within two months, engagement for four years, and the pair were married in 2015.
Ms Farrugia works in aged care and quickly found how much she loved the residents. Maryborough is no exception to this trend.
“Oh my god, so good, we love it here,” she said.
“I’m so happy I’m an Australian citizen now. I’m very proud to be Australian. It’s given me a good life, and one thing more I found a good husband.
“I never thought when I had my holiday I’d find my soulmate here in Australia.”
These people, who have oftentimes been a part of our community for years, can now enjoy their choice to become Australian citizens: Lucia Farrugia from the Philippines, Janitha Herath Pathi from Sri Lanka, Masoumeh Khademi from Iran, Letitia Jacobs from Namibia, Adi Jacobs from South Africa, and Jacques Jacobs from South Africa.