New Australians make their pledges on National Citizenship Day
Murray Bridge has welcomed 23 new citizens from around the world or around the corner.
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Twenty-three new Australians have been sworn in in Murray Bridge to mark National Citizenship Day in 2026.
Some had lived locally for decades, others had only been in the Murraylands a short while, but all saw their futures in green and gold.
Mayor Wayne Thorley took their pledges in front of a crowd of 50 or so at the city’s council office last Thursday.
It was one of the most important roles of a local mayor, he said, and one of the most enjoyable, too.
He congratulated each of them in turn, and presented a little gift bag from the community, including Australian flags and voting enrolment forms.
Becoming Australian was “a decision of which we can all be proud”, he said.
Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke also made an appearance in a video message.
Dozens of people become Australian citizens in Murray Bridge each year, at ceremonies held on Australia Day, National Citizenship Day, and at the All Culture Fest which is usually held in June.
Citizenship Day is held on September 17 each year, on the anniversary of parliament’s passing of the Australian Citizenship Act.
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With Wayne Thorley and their loved ones are Salvador Dela Cruz; Alenca, Ale, Sebastiaan and Louwrence Erasmus; Wanda Hopkins; Prashant Khatiwada; Daryl Meech; Ricardo Plateo Balaguer; Stephanie Randall; Thandiwe Marize and James, Brooklyn, Shane and Solange Salemani; and Linhan and Yunan Weng and Chengxu Lin. Photos: Peri Strathearn.
