September 22, 2016
Member for Maranoa David Littleproud paid a flying visit to the South Burnett on Wednesday to take part in one of the largest citizenship ceremonies ever seen in the region.
Shortly before morning tea, 27 very proud new citizens filed into the Warren Truss Chamber in Glendon Street to swear the Oath of Allegiance, join in a spirited rendition of Advance Australia Fair, and then collect their citizenship papers.
Citizenship ceremonies are a frequent occurrence at South Burnett Regional Council meetings, and are usually held before the morning tea break so the region’s newest Aussies can have a cuppa and a chat with Councillors and guests afterwards.
Usually there are one or two … and sometimes as many as half a dozen.
But the crowd was so large on Wednesday it was a case of “standing room only”.
Mayor Campbell said when he heard how many new citizens he’d be swearing in this month, he planned to hold the ceremony in the Town Hall.
But unfortunately it was already booked, so the Warren Truss Chamber had to make do.
The Mayor welcomed everyone and congratulated them on their decision to become a fully-fledged part of the Australian community.
He also noted the day’s ceremony was the largest that had been held since the new Council was formed, and Mr Littleproud’s visit was the first Citizenship Ceremony attended by a Federal member of parliament he’d seen in his 17 years at Council.
To get the new Aussies more acquainted with the South Burnett, the Mayor then presented each of them with bound copies of ‘Landscapes Of Change’, the two-volume history of the region written by Dr Tony Matthews.
Mr Littleproud congratulated all the new citizens on their decision to become part of the Australian family, too.
Then both he and Mayor Campbell posed with whoever wanted a commemorative photo on the day, before everyone descended on the brunch room for a dinki-di morning tea of lamingtons, fresh fruit and sausage rolls.
