Brenda Barton is excited to become an Austalian Citizen by Nathalie Craig.
ONE of Australian’s newest citizens, Brenda Barton, said the community spirit in her home town of Pindimar was one of the main reasons she made her citizenship official.
‘‘I live here, my friends are here and my family are here,’’ she said.
She was due to join six people from the Great Lakes community yesterday to become new citizens as part of Local Government Week.
Ms Barton was only a teenager when she arrived in Australia from England with her family.
Her father was offered a four-year contract to work at a power station in Adelaide but the stay stretched into a permanent move.
‘‘At first my sisters and I didn’t want to come out [to Australia] at all,’’ she said.
‘‘I thought there’d be kangaroos in the streets.’’
While this was not the case in Adelaide, there are plenty of kangaroos in rural Pindimar, where she has lived since 2001.
Ms Barton said she took to Australia quickly and came to appreciate the weather and beaches.
She said the only time she felt English was when she followed the cricket.
She still returns to England when she can to visit her extended family.
Great Lakes Mayor Councillor Jan McWilliams said it was always very rewarding to welcome new Australians to the Great Lakes.
‘‘It’s a very special day for the participants,’’ she said