Council & Business
31 July, 2026
Shire welcomes new Australian citizens
Living in a quiet and friendly neighbourhood is among many reasons the shire’s newest citizens are proud to call the Central Goldfields home.
Central Goldfields Shire has officially welcomed 13 people from across the globe who marked the pinnacle of the citizenship process on Wednesday, taking their formal pledges and finally receiving their Certificate of Australian Citizenship.
Conferees from the Philippines, New Zealand, Kenya, England, Belarus, Sri Lanka and Canada formally pledged their commitment to Australia in front of a full Community Hub of friends, family and councillors in the shire’s second ceremony this year.
Upon formalising their commitment to Australia, Central Goldfields Shire mayor Ben Green congratulated recipients and honoured their commitment.
“Today is a very important day for each of you, that have chosen to become an Australian citizen. Taking the oath of citizenship is a significant step,” he said.
“Whether you are a new resident or have been in Australia for a long time, this is an exciting new commitment to your community and our country.”
One new citizen, Manilyn Gabatan, lived in the Philippines’ Visayas islands before she moved to Maryborough at the beginning of the pandemic.
She feels the official recognition allows her many more opportunities than she had before.
“There are great opportunities now being Australian citizens. I have been in Maryborough since 2020, so it’s been six years. It was a good feeling [to become a citizen], like a second home, with lots of privileges,” she said.
Another on the day, Elvira Victoria moved to the Central Goldfields from Manila, the Philippines’ capital, in 2018 and has since enjoyed living in a much smaller town with so many familiar faces.
“It is very quiet, very peaceful, if you walk down the street, you know a lot of people because it is a small population,” she said.
The pair still enjoy returning to the Philippines every few years to see family.
Shifting from the busy urban areas of the Philippines for a calmer street in Talbot, new citizen Evangeline Defino seconds the experience of living in a much calmer town compared to where she grew up.
“It is very nice here, compared to my place which was very populated,” she said.
“I love [Talbot] because it’s very quiet ... the people here are very nice.”
A citizenship ceremony fulfils the requirements in Australian citizenship law and provides an opportunity for the shire to officially welcome new citizens.
“Citizenship ceremonies are a wonderful moment for our community. They bring us together to welcome those who have chosen Australia, and the Central Goldfields as the place they want to call home,” Cr Green said.
“We congratulate our newest citizens and thank them for the commitment they’ve made to Australia and the values we uphold.”