COONAMBLE celebrated being 'Australian' in more ways than one on Thursday 26 January by welcoming four new Australian Citizens into the local community.

Purva Patel, Abdullah Shabir, Aswini Aswini and her son Sai Sathyan Kumaran took the final step in the long journey of becoming an Australian citizens by announcing their Australian pledges in front of Coonamble locals, Coonamble Mayor Tim Horan, and Australia Day Ambassador Paul Featherstone.

The Australian Citizenship pledge of commitment ensures new citizens understand what it means to be an Australian citizen, including making contributions, understanding the privileges and Australian responsibilities that come with Citizenship.

Purva Patel moved to Australia in 2016 from India to be with her husband and Manager of Coonamble Supa IGA, Veeral.

"I got married to Veeral in 2015, moved to Australia in 2016, Veeral did his citizenship in Sydney in 2017, and we moved to Coonamble in 2019," Mrs Patel said.

"We now are the managers of the Coonamble Supa IGA and have a daughter Zoe. Moving to Coonamble, and now becoming an Australian citizen has been a beautiful feeling for me.

"I feel so lucky to have found Coonamble and to have started my family here.

"I moved to Australia to make sure my family had the best future. I could not have expected to have become part of such a close community that I can now call family.

"I love Coonamble because it is a multi- cultural town, with many friendly people. Australia has provided so many opportunities for myself and my family," she said.

ABOVE: Abdullah Shabir, Sai Sathyan Kumaran, Aswini Aswini and Purva Patel were up standing for the National Anthem after they received their citizenship. PHOTO: Coonamble Times. 

Aswini Aswini and her thirteen year old son Sai Sathyan Kumaran moved to Australia in October 2014.

"I moved to Australia from Indonesia to complete my Masters in Education at the University of New England in Armidale," Aswini said.

"I was a teacher in Indonesia for fourteen years and I always dreamed of studying abroad. Whilst completing my Masters, I moved from Armidale to Guyra after my husband Stewart Lloyd was approached about taking up a Coordinator position on a local tomato farm. We worked hard for many years, and I gave birth to my youngest child Rohan, until we moved again to Coonamble in April 2019 after my husband was offered a job by the Coonamble Shire Council," she said.

Aswini and her son Sathyan have gone through a long journey to become Australian citizens.

"After going through what has been a long and hard journey with many set- backs, I feel really honoured to finally become an Australia citizen," she said.

"Living in Coonamble is not at all what I expected it to be and it has been the most colourful chapter in my Australian Citizenship journey. I now work from home with my own catering business, making Indonesian dishes for the community. I love it here in Coonamble. I have made something here- I am now married to an Australian man, we have two beautiful children who will both go to the local schools here, I have made a lot of life- long friends and my husband's family loves me too bits! I feel truly honoured to live here and now be an Australia citizen," Aswini said.

Abdullah Shabir moved to Australia in 2013 and fell in love with the country and people.

"I moved to Australia in 2013 from Pakistan to study a Bachelor of Information Technology and Network Security through TAFE in Sydney," Mr Shabir said.

"My wife Maira migrated from Pakistan in September 2021. My wife Maira, and myself moved to Coonamble in July 2022 after she was offered a job at the Coonamble Shire Council. I now work from my home in Coonamble for three weeks and then we both go to Sydney for a week. Sydney is very full on and hectic in comparison to Coonamble," he said.

Mr Shabir describes Australia as his new home.

ABOVE: Abdullah Shabir and his wife Maira . PHOTO: Coonamble Times.

"Australia and Coonamble now has the feeling of home now. I am what I am because of Australia," he said.

"My professional life and family life is all thanks to Australia. Coonamble has given my wife a great opportunity and overall I would say becoming an Australian has been both a positive and amazing journey.

"I always had the desire to live in a small country town. Coonamble is a great close- knit community. The way the Coonamble community works together is inspiring to see. I know that if I am ever in trouble or concerned I will always have someone I can turn too, and someone that will look after me," Mr Shabir said.