Sam Bosire (Kenya)

Proud to be Australian

Sam Bosire pictured with Mayor and former athlete, Ron Clarke, at his Australian citizenship ceremony. Photo not to be used or reproduced without the permission of the Department of Immigration and Citizenship.

Sam Bosire is the President of the African Communities Association (ACA), Gold Coast Inc. He shared his citizenship story with ACA members in their newsletter and has kindly agreed to republish it here.

27th April 2011 was an important day for me.

This was the day when I became an Australian citizen and declared Australia to be my new home.

I acknowledge the traditional owners of this great land which I have now chosen to call my home and I recognise their living culture and the unique contribution they make to Australia.

I thank the people of Australia for accepting me as one of them without asking me to renounce my Kenyan cultural, religious, language and family traditions, when practiced within the context of Australia’s laws.

My decision to become an Australian citizen is a significant expression of my pride in being part of Australia’s dynamic and diverse community; a community based on mutual respect and tolerance, where we all share a past, and hold common hopes and goals for the future.

The citizenship ceremony conducted by the Gold Coast Mayor Ron Clarke marked the end of my migrant journey into Australia that started in July 2005 when I first arrived in this country.

By birth I was a Kenyan but by becoming an Australian citizen I am showing that I want to be a part of Australia’s future. I want to contribute to a country where my children and grandchildren live, work and enjoy in the years ahead.

My Australian citizenship is a symbol of my formal commitment to the future of this great country and its people. The commitment brings a feeling of ownership and responsibility that only comes when one feels that he belongs.

My background in psychology tells me that it is always a good feeling when you feel that you belong.

Today I feel that I belong to Australia, a feeling that makes me want to think, feel and act Australian each coming day.

The sense of "a fair go" and the democratic principles that we enjoy in this Great Country are things that I cherish and want to be part of.