Another group of new Australian citizens have been celebrated in Parkes with a citizenship ceremony during a Parkes Shire Council meeting.
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The town welcomes eight new citizens from a range of locations and State Member for Orange Phil Donato was on hand at council's February 18 meeting to help Mayor Ken Keith OAM with the formalities.
Our new citizens are:
Eriberto da Silva, or Beto as he is more fondly known, comes from Brazil, first arriving in Sydney in 2012 with his partner and Parkes woman Mel ten Cate and their first child Isabella.
Sydney soon proved too big for the family and they moved to Parkes, where Beto started up his own gardening services business.
Beto's interests include soccer, barbecues, fishing and camping.
Gina Hernandez Sastoque and her husband David Serna Benavides hail from Venezuela and Columbia respectively.
Gina arrived in Australia in 2009, first living in Melbourne, then Perth and eventually moving to the Central West of NSW first to Condobolin and settling in Parkes in 2018.
David first moved to Perth and headed east to Parkes in 2018.
Gina has a Degree in Electronics and a Masters degree in Secondary Teaching, and currently works as an office assistant. She enjoys playing table games with friends, running, exploring new places and volunteer work.
While David is a senior mechanical engineer and enjoys running, technology, product design, bush walking and in his spare time, volunteers with the SES NSW.
Sereima Corerega is from Fiji, first moving to Sydney in 2009 and to Parkes in 2010.
She works at an aged care facility in Parkes and enjoys socialising, travelling, watching sport, gardening and attending church.
Paulini Lagilagi also comes from Fiji and first arrived in Australia in August 2012, moving to Parkes shortly afterwards.
Paulini went to Parkes High School and works as a support officer with Currajong Disability Services.
She enjoys swimming, sports and watching movies, and she recently got married in Fiji.
Maricel Smeaton is from Baybay in the Philippines and she arrived in Australia in 2007, moving to Parkes soon after.
She works as an administrative officer having completed her Business Administration Certificate III at TAFE. She also has a Bachelor of Science and Agriculture Business Degree from Leyte University Philippines.
Maricel enjoys cooking and gardening, growing her own organic vegetables and herbs, she loves playing sports, particularly volleyball and badminton.
Shuxin Wu arrived in Parkes from China in 2012. She is in Year 11 at Red Bend Catholic College in Forbes.
Shuxin enjoys reading books, travelling and photography.
Jane Lee is from Devon, England and first arrived in Australia in 1982, moving to Peak Hill in 2001. She works as a sheep farmer and hospital assistant, and enjoys wool classing and gardening.
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