Darebin welcomes newest citizens in first ceremonies since 2017

Published on 14 April 2023

Darebin City Council has today welcomed 180 new citizens at the first citizenship ceremonies held by the Council since 2017.

Two ceremonies were held today at the Preston Town Hall which were led by Darebin Mayor, Cr Julie Williams.

Mayor Williams said it was an exciting and moving experience.

“Darebin is a proudly diverse community, and Council is excited to once again be able to celebrate this through holding citizenship ceremonies,” Mayor Williams said.

“It’s an honour to welcome our newest residents who will bring their experience and culture to our vibrant City.”

An important consideration for Darebin in the return to holding citizenship ceremonies was consulting with Wurundjeri Woi wurrung traditional owners and custodians.

Darebin consulted with the Wurundjeri Woi wurrung Cultural Heritage Aboriginal Corporation and the Darebin Aboriginal Advisory Committee to ensure our citizenship ceremonies honour and respect Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Communities and create an opportunity for learning and understanding for our new citizens.

The citizenship ceremonies started with a traditional Welcome to Country and a speech delivered by Wurundjeri Woi wurrung Elder, Uncle Tony Garvey.

A plant native to Darebin was gifted to each new citizen and they also received both the Australian flag and the Aboriginal flag.

Darebin is hosting a series of ceremonies over the coming weeks and will then host citizenship ceremonies regularly going forward.

Find out more about our citizenship ceremonies.