Lilian Hernandez dos Santos enjoys walking her dog at Buckland Hill.
Camera IconLilian Hernandez dos Santos enjoys walking her dog at Buckland Hill. Credit: Supplied/Andrew Ritchie

Top lifestyle ticks all the boxes for Brazilian couple

Jon Bassett, Western Suburbs WeeklyWestern Suburbs Weekly

‘It’s just beautiful, with the beaches and the river, and you feel safe and it’s easier to go anywhere, and the people are more polite and seem more relaxed than other places,’ former Brazilian resident Lilian Hernandez dos Santos (32), a refrigeration store manager, said.

The number of Brazilians in Mosman Park increased from 15 to 26 between the 2006 and 2011 national censuses.

Ms Dos Santos and her partner Mauricio Siqueira Vasconcelos, a graphic designer, were among 29 others from South Africa, the United Arab Emirates, the UK, New Zealand, Algeria and Singapore who became Australians at the 65th national anniversary of citizenship ceremonies at Mosman Park Council last Sunday.

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Ms Dos Santos saw her home suburb of the past seven years the first day she was in Perth, after she and Mr Vasconcelos arrived from their hometown near San Paolo.

‘I got on the train to Fremantle and on the way, saw the beach and it put in my mind that I should work to live here,’ she said.

Walking her dog on Buckland Hill at sunset and regular beach visits have become part of her life in Mosman Park.

Saturday’s ceremony was held with Peppermint Grove and Cottesloe councils, which alternate to organise the event to share resources and give their staff experience of the event.

‘We always have a very large turnout of new citizens, and their families and our residents seem to enjoy visiting the different venues,’ Mosman Park Mayor Ron Norris said.

Mergers expected next year will affect the councils’ arrangement.

‘When you think about the need for forced amalgamations, it is yet another example of the high level of regional co-operation which we already enjoy in the western suburbs,’ Mr Norris said.