Ballarat's newest Australian citizens have described their formal proceedings as a "privilege" and "a great honour".
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Yewande Lee, who arrived in the region after moving from England to the city in 2017 with her three children, said she was eager to come to Australia due to its "richness" and "opportunity".
"I wanted to explore job opportunities and give the children some more diverse opportunities in life," Ms Lee said.
Ms Lee, who works as a registered nurse in the region, said aside from Ballarat's weather the city has "felt like home".
"It's (Ballarat) not too populated; it's just right. People are welcoming and we've made lifelong friends and family here. Everybody has opened their arms to us and we're going to stay in Ballarat," Ms Lee said.
For her and her family, obtaining citizenship has meant "everything". "Just to be a part of another country, the richness and the awesomeness and just to learn about First Nations culture it feels great," Ms Lee said.
Niru Wijayakoon, originally from Sri Lanka, was among the other 76 people to receive their citizenship at the Civic Hall on Thursday.
Now joining her husband and two children who are Australian by birth, Ms Wijayakoon said it was a "great privilege".
"I'm not leaving behind my past, I'm not leaving my culture, my religion - I'm a Buddhist - because Australia respects culture and traditions and that's what made me want to be an Australian citizen," she said.
Having moved to the country in 2013 and then Ballarat in 2018, Ms Wijayakoon, who now works as a kindergarten teacher, said it was the region's strong education sector which lured her family in.
"They've got beautiful schools here. My daughter is in year two and that's the main purpose we moved to Ballarat and it's a beautiful city," she said.
Ms Wijayakoon said so far the region had provided her and her family a "safe environment" and many "good job opportunities".
More than 70 people from 20 different countries ranging from Bangladesh to Zimbabwe became citizens in Ballarat. This was among one of the largest group of conferees the City of Ballarat had inducted.
IN THE NEWS:
City of Ballarat mayor Cr Des Hudson emphasised at Thursday's ceremony the importance of new citizens to embrace both their past and their future.
"We don't want you to put aside your religious beliefs or anything else but it's about making them part of your new life as Australian citizens and so that we get to experience that, and you add to that rich tapestry, which continues to rank Ballarat as an even stronger place," Cr Hudson said.
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Malvika Hemanth
Malvika has a strong interest in covering stories on welfare, cost of living pressures and the arts. She works on the unceded lands of the Wadawurrung people and pays her respect to elders past, present and emerging.
Malvika has a strong interest in covering stories on welfare, cost of living pressures and the arts. She works on the unceded lands of the Wadawurrung people and pays her respect to elders past, present and emerging.
