Ceremony

So. Last October, I finally, finally got around to submitting my application for Australian citizenship. It had only taken 2 years or so for me to fully fill the form in. I kept getting distracted! (You might equally argue that it took me 50 years to fill it in, and you wouldn't be wrong).

Anyway. Off the form went and I more or less forgot about it. The expected wait time for a response was 12-18 months.

You don't have to sit the citizenship test if you are over 65 years old but you do need to attend a meeting. So when an email arrived in my inbox in March, I expected it to be an invitation to a citizenship meeting. But no. It was to tell me that my application had been approved and I should expect an invitation to a citizenship ceremony. In the fullness of time. Eventually.

That was unexpected. And exciting.

I had a look at the Ballarat City website to see when they were holding ceremonies and there was supposed to be one at the end of May. I hoped that I might be invited to that one. But then it disappeared from the schedule. The next one was mid-July.

It wouldn't really matter, except that I want to go to Japan in October and once you have been to the citizenship ceremony your Permanent Resident's return visa is revoked, because you should be using an Australian passport. Also, they recommend that you wait at least 10 business days before applying for a passport, so that all government departments will know your citizenship status.

Fortunately, I was invited to the July ceremony. Freyja and Julia came to watch. And it was quite cute, especially when there were families with children involved. The children were wearing their very best party clothes, or their national costume and were very excited. And after the ceremony, there were party pies and sausage rolls, sandwiches, jelly slices and mint slices and cups of tea and coffee.

Freyja and I went to the Beechworth Bakery for pies and hot drinks. They serve vegan friendly pies and cakes, as well as pies and cakes suitable for omnivores.

Freyja's photos:

Freyja and Julia, with cups of tea
before the ceremony

Ballarat Civic Hall
They had flags from all the countries
represented among the conferees

Party pie?

Don't mind if I do

I worry about the little trees, though. New citizens are given a native sapling to mark the occasion. Mine was a myrtle wattle. I saw 80+ saplings going off to their almost certain doom.  I suspect that of the hundreds of saplings that are given out each year at least 99% will die.  I don't have anywhere to put a wattle tree, although I suppose I could put it in a pot. It might be less wasteful, and just as symbolic, to give everyone a small posy of native flowers instead. Native flowers have a long life expectancy