Australia Day: Legions of new citizens moved by pledging their loyalty

Thousands of new citizens pledged their loyalty to Australia in ceremonies around the country on Australia Day.

Daniel Mensah Adobaw, 40, originally from Ghana, celebrates becoming an Australian citizen with his wife, Nadia Samperi, 32, at Government House in Sydney. Picture: Nikki Short

For Daniel Mensah Adobaw, originally from Ghana, becoming an Australian citizen means his family and home will always be one.

Mr Adobaw, 40, and his Australian-born partner Nadia Samperi, 32, met when she was just 18, travelling on a gap year in Ghana 14 years ago.

The couple has endured long separations and jumped through “many hoops” to be united together as Australian citizens, joining five other new citizens in an intimate, COVID-safe ceremony at Government House in Sydney on Australia Day.

“Being an Australian means completing my family here and ­cementing my home,” Mr Adobaw said.

“We’ve always had these desires to live back in Ghana for a bit and then here, so being Australian is really saying this is my home now and that means I can go with my family wherever for however long and always be welcomed back here.”

Ms Samperi said the ceremony — at which the NSW governor handed out certificates contact-free before a 21 gun salute — was an incredible moment for their young family, which now includes 16-month-old daughter Kiana.

“There were points where we were apart for 18 months,” she said. “That was challenging in love and being so far away, to be at this point … I feel so grateful to be ­together.”

Despite the joyful occasion — a ceremony echoed around the country as more than 12,000 new citizens from 130 countries pledged their loyalty to Australia on Tuesday — the couple said the controversy around the day weighed on them.

“Being African, this is a question I have answered many times, ‘What does racism mean?’,” Mr Adobaw said. “Is racism only when someone means what they say or is racism the fact someone is hurt by what someone said or did?

“If people are reminded of ­horrendous things on a day that we want to celebrate being a ­nation, that is saying in a way we don’t care about those people or how they feel.”

Ms Samperi said the timing also made her “uncomfortable”.

“I’m so excited for Dan to become an Australian citizen but I do relate to what they’re protesting about,” she said.

“I see myself going there (to protest) at another date. Personally, I would like to see the date changed or celebrated in a different way that really acknowledges the pain Aboriginal people have had to endure.”

Francois Malan Calitz and wife Ruth, originally from South Africa, said they were overwhelmed to join this “amazing” country in a ceremony on Tuesday, with son Hugo, 4, cheering them on.

“It was our decision to come here, it’s where we really wanted to settle, it’s the lifestyle, the people,” Ms Calitz said.

Dr Calitz, a chemist who came to Australia on a skilled worker visa, said they didn’t see the significance in changing the date of Australia Day.

“You can keep on going on and bring up the issue and eventually time will heal it; today is a good day and if you move it to another day, people will be unhappy with it too,” he said.