Ten new Australian citizens emerged from Lismore Council Chambers recently on Australian Citizenship Day 2020.

For Thailand-born Malivan Powley, it was a joyous day as she took the pledge and was conferred citizenship by Lismore Mayor Isaac Smith.

Mailvan said she first came to Australia in 2004, and 16 years later, in 2020, she finally took the step to become a citizen of Australia. So, why wait so many years?

“I’ve applied for permanent residency a few times and now I’ve decided I want to live here forever,” she said. “I love Australia."

Lismore's citizenship ceremony welcomes 10 new Australians

Because Covid restrictions limited numbers of people in Lismore Council Chambers, Mailvan was part of the first of two citizenship ceremonies scheduled for the same day.

Each of the new citizens only had one or two friends to see their special moment - Malivan was cheered on by her husband Alan and their friend Scott Forster.

Lismore Mayor Isaac Smith said one of the best parts of being mayor was being able to confer citizenship upon new Australians.

Malivan said she met her husband Alan Powley in Thailand in 2004 and they both reminisced about their first meeting.

“Alan was lost and then he met me and I helped him and he came to stay with me,” she said.

Then they fell in love, got married, and she came to live in Australia.

If you’ve never attended an Australian citizenship ceremony, it’s an interesting experience. Full of joy for those making pledges to be loyal citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia. It’s pledge that people born in Australia have never actually had to make.

All attendees standing for the national anthem.

The pledge acknowledges a belief in democracy, freedom, resilience and an equal society. It expresses a desire to share a common future, a promise to uphold and obey the laws of Australia and to defend and protect our freedoms.

People taking the pledge get to choose between two different pledge versions - one referring to God and the other not.

Speaking the pledge while standing on their feet was a legal requirement, as was listening to the Australian anthem which followed the pledge taking.

Maria Elena Foss.

Our ten new citizens in the Lismore region are:

Michael Stuart Merritt, Kristina Brodie, Ben William Cummings, Maria Elena Foss, Calum Alexander Horn, Ngoc Quynh Nguyen, Malivan Powley, Poonam Sharma, Niall Stanton, Krai Netsena and Nuananong Puangkhamkhong.

Kristina Brodie.