One couldn't deny the joy in the room after Sunday's citizenship ceremony at the Ballarat Town Hall.
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Twenty-seven people, from across the world, recited the pledge and officially became Australian citizens.
For some, it's the culmination of a years-long journey in Australia, for others, a new beginning.
Jafar Zaidi described hearing his name called out and receiving his certificate as an exciting and memorable moment in his life.
"I'm originally from Pakistan, I was brought up there, I did engineering there, then went to the UK for further studies, then I had the opportunity to explore Australia, so I came to Sydney in 2013," he explained.
"I love the culture, the people, and the way that Australia has opened its arms for different cultures and nationalities.
"The thing is, I've got Pakistan and Australian nationality, so it was an honour for me to have a second nationality.
"The first is by birth, and this is by choice, so I'm very proud to have Australian citizenship - the moment they called my name was fantastic, because that's the last stage."
Maryan Bottras moved to Australia from Egypt on December 31, 2013, living in Horsham with her family before settling in Ballarat.
Her two young children waved flags and helped her put on an Australian flag hat after the ceremony.
"I was excited to become an Australian citizen, I've been here for six years now, it's good," she said.
"I came to Australia after I got married to Tony, and it's an open country, accepting of people from other countries and other cultures.
"It gave us the chance to become Australians and share our cultures and beliefs."
Orginally from India, Aleena Varughese said she and her husband were both registered nurses working in operating theatres.
"It's a really great country to be in, and becoming a citizen is an integral part of our future - we do have a plan of getting settled here to bring up a family," she said.
"We've been here for a couple of years, in Melbourne before, we thought about settling into a quiet place away from the CBD."
City of Ballarat mayor Ben Taylor said it was an important part of the job.
"It's not about giving up what you've been in the past, it's about enriching our city and our nation in who you are as a person, in your community and culture as well," he said.
While the federal government has mandated citizenship ceremonies must be held on January 26, Cr Taylor added the service had been changed to incorporate an acknowledgement of the suffering still felt by Indigenous people.
"Today, we did a minute's silence through the ceremony, because for some people it's not a day of celebration," he said.
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