Italian Quartet (Italy)

The Monterosso and Formica families chose to become Australian citizens together on Australian Citizenship Day. Photo not to be used or reproduced without the permission of the Department of Immigration and Citizenship.

Among Victoria's newest Australian citizens are a brother and sister born in the south of Italy, and the Italian-born sister and brother they married in Geelong in the 1960s.

'We are a close family,' says Nina Monterosso, 'we do everything together.'

Both couples had children by the mid 60s. Both called their first sons Enzo, after the grandfather of Nina and her brother, Salvatore Formica. And both Enzos were soon urging their parents to become Aussies.

'It had to come from the heart,' Nina says.

Salvatore and his wife Dora decided to apply for citizenship after Salvatore retired from more than four decades in the car industry.

He had moved to Geelong from southern Italy in 1960 to find work after hearing about Geelong from another sister, Maria, who had migrated to Australia in 1956.

Nina's husband Paolo is also retired after a long career in the Geelong auto industry.

In 2006, the couples agreed they should all become Australian citizens together.

'It will be emotional,' Salvatore says. 'It will be special because we'll be a big group.'

He says it helps that they don't have to give up their Italian heritage to become Australian citizens.

And both he and his sister look forward to voting in Australian elections.

'We'll all vote for a better future,' Nina says.

'We should have done this a long time ago. But it's never too late.

'All my relations are here now.'

Both couples have Australian grandchildren.

'This is our country now,' Salvatore says.

The Italian quartet were among 53 people who became Australian citizens at an Australian Citizenship Day ceremony held on 17 September at the Melbourne Immigration Museum.