By Cynthia Smith

On Friday, November 12, it was a special day for the Natividad, Driza and Alvarez families as well as for Rhea Quimada and Elmira Lawty when they celebrate the occasion of Australian Citizenship at Narrabri Shire Council’s chambers.

Narrabri district has a thriving Filipino community, many working in the health care sector at Whiddon Group Robert Young, Weeronga Aged Care and Whiddon Group Jessie Hunt.

The Filipino Communities Council of Australia is the national representative body of Filipinos in Australia, which is the fifth largest ethnic community in the country.

The FICCA plays a role in supporting local, state and territory councils in the promotion of Filipino heritage, culture and language and local and national efforts to advance the economic, cultural and social impact of Filipinos to the Australian community.

These families have endured a lot to achieve the goal of having their families with them.

Parents have sacrificed family life until they were awarded permanent residency visas, at which time they could bring their children to Narrabri from the Philippines to join them.

The children attend St Francis Xavier’s Primary School and Narrabri High School, with the older children working at McDonalds after school hours.

Most will retain dual citizenship to keep their heritage intact while at the same time adopting and embracing the Australian way of life.

They are proud of their heritage and hard work ethic and are looking forward to a lifetime of friendships in the Narrabri district.

See more like this:

To order photos from this page click here