VERA Saueressig and Leonardo De Campos have come a long way since leaving Brazil just over nine years ago.
The pair travelled to Australia on student visas to learn to speak English, living in Adelaide for three months to be near Mrs Saueressig’s sister until they all moved to Perth.
Since then, the couple have married and settled in to their home in Kallaroo.
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READ NOW“We loved the country and the lifestyle and we wanted to stay,” Mrs Saueressig said.
“The life here compared to Brazil is like paradise.”
Mrs Saueressig said for her, living in Brazil was “always thinking about money to pay the bills next month”.
“Here, we have the time to live and enjoy life,” she said.
“I miss home; not the life I had there but my family is still there.
“I wish I could bring them all here but we do go back and visit.”
On Australia Day, Mrs Saueressig and Mr De Campos will join more than 300 others to pledge their allegiance to Australia at the City of Joondalup’s ceremony.
“It’s very rewarding,” Mrs Saueressig said.
“We are both very happy to be given the opportunity to stay here.
“Life was very hard in the beginning as students; we have come a long way.”
After the ceremony, the couple will head in to the city to meet friends and watch the fireworks, something they do each year.
“I think it is a reminder that we are very privileged to be in Australia,” Mrs Saueressig said.
“I think with the citizenship, it will feel different.
“It is something a lot of people would dream of and we have accomplished it.
“It will be a memory forever.”
The City of Joondalup’s citizenship ceremony will be held on Friday at Central Park from 9am.
Australia Day ambassador Adam Deans will address the crowd and Mayor Albert Jacob will present the 2018 Community Citizen of the Year Awards to active members of the local community.
Mr Jacob said about 40 per cent of the City’s 161,000 residents were born overseas and for many of them, the decision to relocate to Australia was life-changing.
“Our City swears in about 1500 new Australians at citizenship ceremonies each year but there is always something extra special for candidates being granted citizenship on Australia’s national day,” he said.
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