Leo Sayer's triumphant shout on accepting his citizenship certificate said it all.
The English-born pop singer was the last of more than 60 new Australians brought into the nation's fold in Canberra yesterday.
The conferees, who hailed from 25 countries, were formally welcomed by Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and National Australia Day Council chairman Adam Gilchrist at Commonwealth Park.
''You bring with you dynamism, you bring with you determination, and you bring with you diversity,'' Mr Rudd said.
''The great spirit of Australia has been this: to fashion unity from diversity.
''And that is what you joining us today does for the years ahead and for the future.''
The new Australians who celebrated at Canberra were among more than 13,000 new citizens to celebrate Australia Day across the country.
Sayer and his partner Donatella Piccinetti accepted citizenship along with champion hurdler Jana Rawlinson's husband Chris Rawlinson.
But for Juan Dalgleish, a Chinese migrant raising a family in Evatt, the event was four times as momentous.
Ms Dalgleish yesterday celebrated her new citizenship, Chinese New Year, Australia Day and the sixth anniversary of her marriage to husband Paul.
''For all these reasons we are having a big party,'' she said.
Mr and Mrs Dalgleish met online, and six months later she travelled to Australia.
''I met him here, and then he popped the question, and I just said, 'Okay','' she said.
''Now I have three beautiful children and a beautiful life here.''
Mrs Dalgleish's four-year-old daughter Eliza and sons George, 2, and Petra, three months, were all born in Australia.
She and Paul run a carpet-cleaning business from their home.
''I'm a full-time mum, and I have to work ... It is really, really challenging. We're very flat out every day,'' Mrs Dalgleish said.
Unsurprisingly, she appreciated the public holiday.
''Time for me to go out, I've been stuck in the house for so long,'' she laughed.
For Michal Miller and her two eldest children, yesterday's citizenship ceremony was the fulfilment of a dream.
''We were expecting it from the first day we came to Australia [from Israel], and suddenly it's here,'' she said. ''We've been waiting and waiting, but we've expected it every moment we've been here.''
The 38-year-old came to Australia almost three years ago with her husband and two eldest children, who also became citizens yesterday.
Her third child was born shortly after arriving, and she said raising a family in Australia was a ''dream for us''. ''Australia is the future. Australia is a stable place for us, compared to where we come from,'' she said.''The most important thing as a mum is that it is very safe here.''
Ms Millar's sister, Tal Karni, is studying at the Australian National University to be a youth worker. Ms Karni, 26, was at Commonwealth Park to watch her family walk to the stage, and hoped sometime soon it would be her turn.
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