As part of the 2019 Australia Day celebrations, ceremonies were on in the Camden Haven, Wauchope and Port Macquarie welcoming 20 Port Macquarie-Hastings residents as Australian citizens.

Nineteen-year-old Connor, his sister Kate and mum Candace became new citizens at a North Brother Mountain ceremony on Saturday, January 26.  Connor’s dad Mike had previously already become a citizen. 

The family came to Australia in January 2014 from Creston, Canada and now live at Bonny Hills. 

Connor said he enjoys the relaxed environment and the friendly people in Bonny Hills. 

Connor’s sister Kate is 16-years-old and attends St Columba Anglican School in Port Macquarie. 

When they first arrived in Australia, Connor and Mike tried Vegemite for the first time. 

“We slathered it thick on toast, like you would with peanut butter,” Connor said. 

“It didn’t go down well.” 

For Australia Day Connor said he would play backyard cricket and enjoy a barbecue with friends. 

As part of the ceremony, the new citizens were presented with their certificates after making a solemn commitment to uphold the values, privileges and responsibilities of being Australian.

Candidates came from all corners of the world including Fiji, United States, Czechoslovakia, Canada, Nepal, Philippines, Algeria, China, India, Thailand, United Kingdom and England.