Today Council hosted three online ceremonies to welcome our newest Australian citizens.

They mark the end of online citizenship ceremonies as we move back to face-to-face events as COVID restrictions ease.

Since lockdown we have hosted 32 online ceremonies, welcoming 1,479 new citizens from 74 different counties including Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Sudan and Turkey. 

All the ceremonies have been full of pride and smiles as new citizens took the pledge from their homes. Many even dressed up for the occasion.

Congratulations and welcome to all our new citizens! We asked some to share how they felt about citizenship and their online ceremony:

With so much to experience, we fell in love with Australia straight away - the beaches, beers and the best people, the Northern Beaches just as it all! Alex and Claire Graham (pictured)

Thanks for your time and for being part of this wonderful moment for me. The ceremony was special and unforgettable. Paulo Lopes

Thank you so much for a wonderful event, best LGA by far! Joanne Wilson

Thank you for organising the virtual ceremony, it's been a 10 year journey for myself and my husband to get to Australia and become citizens and we really appreciate the event being moved to a virtual format so it could still go ahead! A massive shout out and thank you to all the team involved... :) Angel & Rob Cecil

It is a privilege and an honor to become a citizen. Despite not being able to attend a ceremony in person, I thought it was run extremely well. It was an honor to see our public officials and have them participate in us joining. My citizenship is something I have been working hard toward for a long time and look forward to making Australia and the Australian community (including my local Northern Beaches community) a wonderful place in the future. Thank you for a good process and the care and attention with the ceremony. Jenny Brenchley

Thank you so much for the pleasant experience and for performing the ceremony! It is so great to be a part of the Australian nation! Igor Paniushkin