Among those to make the journey to Arden Street were 35 individuals, all with one thing in common; they were about to become Australian citizens.
Hailing from 18 different countries from Bulgaria to Vietnam, Eritrea to Myanmar and ranging from ages 4 to 67, their lives were about to change forever.
Eight of them were children and one young girl from Ethiopia is the last in her family to become an Australian. Another is no stranger to Arden Street as a regular visitor to The Huddle’s study support program.
The adults encompass a diverse range of professions, including hairdressing, IT, acting and academia.
The migrants took the Oath of Citizenship, formally becoming Australians in front of family, friends and special guests including Presiding Officer Helen Kroger, federal MP Adam Bandt, state MP Jennifer Kanis, NMFC CEO Carl Dilena, and NMFC captain Andrew Swallow.
They’ve taken a step beyond making this their home, by declaring that they are now part of this country. They join millions of people who have made this same step since 1949; the year in which Australia first started awarding citizenships. In the 65-years since, more than 4.5 million migrants have become Australians – from fewer than 2,500 from 35 countries in 1949, to more than 123,000 from 190 countries in 2012/13.
There’s so much cultural diversity in AFL too and we need look no further than our own team at North with the likes of Majak Daw (Sudan), Michael Firrito (Italy) and Eric Wallace (United States) to find more examples.
Migration is a critical factor in the make-up of our nation. Today, nearly half of us were either born overseas, or have a migrant parent. While the UK and New Zealand remain the single biggest source of migrants, our communities are becoming increasingly diverse. Whether to join family, work, seek a better life, or escape persecution, Australia’s migrants now come from all over the globe.
The North Melbourne Football Club welcomes our newest Australians.
