Family proud to be new citizens

A Baldivis family, originally from South America, shared their journey to Australian citizenship with ARRAN MORTON.

From the chaos of life in a South American city, to the beaches and wide open spaces of WA, it has been an eventful four years for Baldivis mother Lissette Rodriquez.

Mrs Rodriguez, who will join more than 60 others in swearing to uphold the laws and values of Australia at a special citizenship ceremony on Sunday, said it was a dream come true to settle in the country and she was proud to formally accept citizenship this Australia Day.

The mother-of-two said she could not believe her dream had come true, until she boarded the flight in her native Venezuela and embarked on the 17,000km journey to NSW, full of hope for a brighter future for her two children.

“In Venezuela, there was so much crime and government corruption — every day we would see so many dead and I didn’t want that future for my children,” Mrs Rodriguez said.

“Here, it is like a paradise — it is much safer and there will be much better opportunities for us.”

Mrs Rodriguez, a Zumba instructor, said the family, including husband Gabriel Colmenares, daughter Andrea, 12, and son Gabriel, 6, initially settled in Sydney, before trying Brisbane and eventually settling in Baldivis in 2012.

She said the children had both settled in to Star of the Sea School in Rockingham, had perfected their English and worked hard in lessons.

“We will celebrate after the ceremony on Sunday with a special barbecue to mark our first day as Australian citizens,” she said.

“We are proud to become Australian — it means so much to us.”

Andrea said she loved visiting local beaches and looked forward to studying art and music at Kolbe Catholic College when the semester begins next month.