The massive ceremony saw new citizens from more than 90 countries taking the pledge.
Topping the list were arrivals from Vietnam (338), followed by Bangladesh (239), Pakistan (192), Lebanon (168) and India (116).
And at the other end of the scale, some 20 countries were represented by one person each.
“We are very fortunate that each year we are able to welcome new Australians to our growing multicultural community,” Canterbury-Bankstown Mayor Khal Asfour said.
“Receiving Australian citizenship is such an exciting moment for so many migrants.
“It signifies the end of one journey and the start of a new life as a citizen of a country full of opportunity and prosperity.”
Held at Dunc Gray Velodrome in Bass Hill, the record-breaking ceremony signified a life-changing moment for Italian woman Sara Saccon and her husband, Polish-born Maciej.
The Chester Hill residents met and fell in love in Australia and had waited eight long years to officially call this country home.
“We were so excited for the ceremony,” Saccon said.
“We dressed up and took the day off from work so we could celebrate.
“I got very emotional when the Australian anthem started.
“I started singing as well and I was in tears... it was very emotional.”
Hailing from San Fior di Sopra, a small village located in Veneto and surrounded by Prosecco wineyards, Saccon arrived in Australia in 2013 and immediately felt at home.
“When I came to Australia, I realised I wanted to stay as long as possible because it’s a very beautiful country with a lot of potential and I really love the lifestyle and the mentality – the respect that people have for others and their opinions,” Saccon said.
“Here in Australia I feel free to be myself.
“I also like that you are very in touch with nature here.”
While Australia may be the place where Saccon plants her roots, it isn’t the first foreign country she has lived in.
Having grown up travelling the world with her parents for their work, Saccon developed a passion for exploring new places from a young age.
She began travelling independently at the age of 17, living in Austria for a summer, before moving to Germany for a year.
She then lived in Egypt for three years, arriving on the day of the 2005 Sharm El Sheikh bombings, which killed 83 people.
A 19-year-old Sara spent most of her time in Egypt working at a scuba diving centre in Hurghada.
“I’ve always worked when I’ve travelled,” she said.
“Travelling to me is being immersed in the place and its culture, finding a job and living there for a bit.”
After returning to Italy for five years, to work for a leading global company specialising in architectural envelopes and interior systems, Saccon began to get itchy feet.
In October 2013, she left Italy for Australia with her mother, Rosa, in mind.
“My mum always dreamt of coming here since she was a child,” Saccon explained.
“She thought it was so exotic but it was also very hard to reach because it’s on the opposite side of the world from Italy.
“Whenever I travelled, my mum would come and visit me for a holiday, so I thought if I went to Australia she’d finally get to travel there too.”
Saccon touched down in Sydney and intended to travel around the country, picking up jobs as she went.
But a week after her arrival, she met her future husband, who was in Australia for three months on a student visa to improve his English.
Some 14,000 kilometres from Europe, an Italian woman and a Polish man fell in love, both with each other and Australia.
The couple now own a house, have a young daughter, Amelia, and are expecting another baby girl later this year.
Having picked up jobs as a cleaner, receptionist, aged care worker and in customer service, Saccon has now returned to her roots and works as an accounts assistant for manroland Goss, a leading company in web printing solutions located in Regents Park.
“In the beginning I had to start from zero because my English wasn’t good enough to have an office job,” she said.
“But Australia is a very meritocratic land and with a bit of hard work and humility things will come to you.”
Not only has Saccon built a life for herself and her family in Australia, but she also helped her mother to fulfil her lifelong dream.
“She came to visit me three times and then she moved here on a student visa in 2019 to help us out after our daughter’s surgery,” Saccon said.
The family now live together in a multilingual home, with little Amelia speaking English, Italian and Polish.
“She has a very rich vocabulary and sometimes she says words that we don’t even remember teaching her,” a proud Saccon exclaimed.
Having made many fond memories in Australia with her friends and family, Saccon was thrilled to finally become a citizen of the land she adores so much.
“It wasn’t an easy process at all; it was expensive and a big mental test for both me and my husband,” she concluded.
“But it was worth it because now we’re certain that we can stay here and we can officially call Australia our home.”
