Welcomes in our Shire.
On Wednesday last week I was honoured, together with Councillors Bartlett and Meyer, to support our Mayor Councillor Grace La Vella at our Citizenship Ceremony. The Ceremony was held at the Community Hub and there was standing room only which says just how much support our new citizens have. Our new citizens hail from the Philippines, Thailand, Nepal, Kenya and the United Kingdom.
Such ceremonies are more than ritual- the pledge to our country is a legal requirement pursuant to s28 of the Australian Citizenship Act (Cth) 2007. It is only at the ceremony, after sometimes years of jumping regulatory hurdles, that candidates acquire citizenship – at the very moment the pledge is completed.
We are so fortunate that our new citizens chose our Shire in which to live and work and contribute to society and to pursue their own lives.
We have enjoyed some heavy rainfalls in the last ten days - up to 60 millimetres - and whilst it was a great break we still need more rain for our farmers. You might notice that whilst paddocks look green, and some dams are filling up, that our creeks are still dry which means our aquifers have not been filled too - in other words Council is not dropping the ball when it comes to caring for our farmers.
I was at the Avoca Recreation Reserve last Saturday to support the Talbot Football Netball Club, and I was impressed with the grit and determination of all players from both teams who were generally soaked and mud covered. Thank you too for the great tucker at the kiosk - we owe so much to our volunteers!
Deputy Mayor Councillor Ben Green
Paddys Ranges Ward
