Ben Dark makes fun of new Australians at Noosa Australia Day citizenship ceremony
FORMER Getaway host Ben Dark has entertained an Australia Day ceremony by poking good-natured fun at new citizens' names and hair. Did he go too far?
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IF IT'S the Aussie way to take the piss, the Sunshine Coast Council was bang on the money when it hired television presenter Ben Dark to host its citizenship ceremony today.
The 40-year-old Sunshine Coast local let rip as 200 of the nation's newest citizens and their families celebrated at a ceremony in Noosa this morning.
The former Getaway presenter and bloke from the bush kept the 600-strong crowd (and himself) entertained as he good-humouredly struggled with pronunciations, poked fun at people's names and fed the audience a few furphies.
Did Ben Dark go too far? Tell us below
He was also a considerate host, letting the audience know where the "dunny" was so they could "go for a slash".
"For those of us new to Australia my name's Ben Dark, I'm the Prime Minister of Australia," he said.
"Isn't this nice, having new people coming (to Australia) We're going to have another ceremony tomorrow where you all give back your old passports."
New citizens with the surnames Dick, Dickens and Dickie were easy targets.
"A lot of you guys have obviously changed your name by deed poll before you got here today," Dark said.
Richard Earnheart's name was kindly abbreviated before he was anointed an Aussie.
"There he goes, Dick, ladies and gentleman, Dicky Earnheart," Dark said.
The opportunity was too good to pass up when Herman Krapp's name was read.
"Herman Krapp, now there's an Aussie hey," Dark cheered as Mr Krapp he made his way to the stage.
"There goes Krappy, good on ya Krappy!"
Even pregnant Charlotte Page wasn't spared a ribbing.
"Yay Charlotte! Oh and you're bringing a new one in, what's going on there?" Dark said.
"Is the dad one of us or is he overseas? He's right there (in the front row), nice work Dad."
But rather than take offence, the audience seemed to relish Dark's lack of political correctness.
"If I can't say your name you better get used to it because the rest of Australia can't either," was how he welcomed one new citizen.
"Do you think they're Catholics?" he said after another family.
"Are you guys from Ireland? Where's all the carrot top come from?" he asked another.
The ceremony was educational too, with Dark share some pearls of wisdom during lulls.
"More tomato sauce is consumed today than any other day in this great country of ours," he said.
"Because none of us work today there are more flies killed today than any other day."
He then invited new citizens to have their own "Australian Doctor Phil moment" and take the roving microphone.
"Is there anything that you citizens want to say?" he said.
"Does anyone have anything that ya wanna get off ya chest? This is like an Australian Doctor Phil moment."
Two new citizens, out of 200, obliged.
Meanwhile in Brisbane, grey skies could not dampen the mood of 1117 new Australians at the Australia Day Citizenship Ceremony at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre.
But the weather did play a part.
Drizzly conditions nearly foiled the Nunkul Yuggera Aboriginal Dancer's Welcome to Country fire lighting, as a clutch of damp grass refused to erupt into flame.
Luckily, after five nervous minutes of stick rubbing and egging on from the crowd, the troupe found success.
The small hiccup proved a fitting start to the ceremony, where wide smiles, warm support and rapturous applause proved the Australian spirit was well and truly alive.
Proud new citizen Herbert Maguma, 28, from Zimbabwe, took his citizenship pledge after moving to Australia five and a half years ago for business.
He joined his Australian born baby daughter Talitha, who was born in Australia, as a Queenslander.
"The quality of life and the opportunities that were offered to me here really appealed," he said.
"I got married and had my first child after becoming a permanent resident in 2008.
"I've travelled to many different countries and it was the people that really appealed to me. The diversity in the cultures, the respect people give you and the freedom that you have is really valuable."
New English export Beverley Turner said she was looking forward to celebrating her citizenship in true Aussie style.
"We're going for lunch at the Melbourne Hotel," she said.
"A few Aussie beers, a few Aussie songs - Aussie, Aussie, Aussie. Oi, oi, oi.
"My sister lived over here with my three little nieces, so I wanted (to move over) to be closer to them."
After the ceremony, state Premier Anna Bligh and Brisbane Lord Mayor Graham Quirk rubbed shoulders with new Queenslanders, chatting and posing for photos.
The event proved an ideal chance for the figureheads to win some new fans before the state and council elections in March and April.
Queensland welcomed more new citizens than any other state today, with 3850 new Aussies from 114 countries taking a pledge.
The Brisbane ceremony was the largest in the country.
