When Lena Hall stood among more than 50 new Australians at Bundaberg Regional Council’s recent citizenship ceremony, she felt a wave of emotion she hadn’t quite anticipated.
Listening to the Rhythms of the Reef choir sing well-loved Aussie songs and being part of a cohort of people who had each travelled their own unique path to ‘call Australia home’, Lena said she was overcome with pride and gratitude.
“I was really emotional today – to actually now be an Australian!” she said after the ceremony.
“I just loved the choir and the sense that we are really just one – one country, one nation.”
Lena’s journey to Australia began more than a decade ago.
“I am from Germany originally,” she said.
“I met my husband in 2010, he is a Bundy boy and he lived in London for a year travelling around.
“We met in Vienna; I was at uni.”
Their relationship grew despite the distance and after two years of managing life between continents, Lena made a major decision.
“I moved to Australia in 2012,” she said.
That leap of faith meant leaving her home, her country and her family to begin a whole new chapter.
“Uprooting myself from my home and coming here and creating a beautiful life for myself,” Lena reflected.
“It has been a very long journey.”
Bundaberg has been the heart of Lena’s Australian life for years now and is a place she has come to feel connected to.
“We have lived in Bundaberg since 2017,” she said.
“I love it… it is growing and people from everywhere are moving here.
“I love being surrounded by people from other cultures.
“I love the beaches, the sunshine… but also just the people. The people are really kind.”
Lena was joined by 54 new Australians at last week’s Citizenship Ceremony, hosted by Bundaberg Regional Council at the Bundaberg Multiplex.
Congratulations to all.
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