As new citizens were welcomed in a ceremony on Wednesday, one friendly face knew intimately what the group was feeling.
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John Ali, finance and community liaison manager at Migrant Resource Centre North, was in the same position only a decade ago.
The Launceston community welcomed 35 new Australian citizens at the Albert Hall ceremony, one of four held by the City of Launceston council each year.
Conferees came from a range of countries including Bhutan, Nepal, Vietnam, Germany, the Philippines, New Zealand and the United Kingdom.
Mr Ali was there to great them with a gift from the Migrant Resource Centre: a picture frame to hold their new certificate of Australian citizenship.
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“I feel honored to do that and to be doing that,” Mr Ali said.
“We see this thing from the start like a child, when you see a child from birth it crawls and walks and runs and becomes independent – it’s a similar thing.
“Most of these people we welcome them right from the airport when they didn’t know anybody, we were there with them and went through the journey until they are able to do things for themselves and they are able to get citizenship.”
“Especially some people who have not called a place their home… they were never identified with a country, and for them to be identified as Australians gives them joy.”
Coming to Australia from South Sudan in 2003, Mr Ali knows what it feels like to start anew.
“I can relate to it being someone who has experienced how it feels to come to a new place and a new country without knowing anybody,” he said.
“To make friendships from scratch – and then build everything from scratch – and to be able to operate independently.
“It’s a good feeling.”
The Migrant Resource Centre was also there to assist Mr Ali at this early stage of his new life in Launceston too.
“I came the same way and got support from the centre and made friends, went to school,” he said.
“Now I’m serving as one of those helping those following my footsteps.
“It's rewarding for us as an organisation to see the work we’ve been doing is fruitful and has resulted in all this.
“I just want to congratulate them all.”
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