Millicent Spencer
South Morang locals Swati Sharma and Hans Sharma are proud to call Whittlesea home.
The married couple were last week declared citizens, having migrated from India to Australia for work.
“We chose Australia because we knew that our profession [in the health industry] was highly regarded here,” Ms Sharma said.
“We are feeling very proud and happy to be citizens of this amazing country.”
Ms Sharma said she chose to live in Whittlesea for the opportunities the municipality provided for growth.
“We have chosen Whittlesea council area for our residence and business as it is one of the fastest growing areas and has a high immigration population,” she said.
“Whittlesea council offers various multicultural events which helps us stay connected to our culture as well.”
Ms Sharma and her husband run a dental practice with offices in Epping and Mernda.
“We feel that with having a culturally diverse background we are able to cater for more people as we can speak not only English but also Hindi and Punjabi,” she said.
“We also run a community group called Sanskriti Community Group for women as we feel morally obligated to help our community.”
Whittlesea acting chief executive Debbie Wood said the council held 32 citizenship ceremonies during 2022.
After a decision by the federal government last week to allow councils to hold citizenship ceremonies either side of Australia Day, Ms Wood said the council was yet to be informed about how this would impact the municipality.
“The department of home affairs’ cut-off date for January citizenship ceremonies was November 21 and so council’s planning for these ceremonies is well underway with invitations sent to conferees,” she said.
“In light of this, we will be continuing with our citizenship ceremony on January 26, 2023.
“Council will review its plans for January 26, 2024 in the new year.”
