IT'S described as a precious, awesome and beautiful thing.
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And it's available for free here in Tamworth.
It's probably fair to say many people might have taken it for granted over the years.
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Tamworth welcomed 16 new Australian citizens on Thursday with seven nationalities represented at the official ceremony at Ray Walsh House.
To some in town they would already be familiar faces, but their first day as an Australian citizen marked a new beginning and day which won't be forgotten.
The mayor swore-in people from India, Brazil, the Philippines, China, Bangladesh, Thailand and Sri Lanka in a packed council chamber in front of friends, family and a choir from Tamworth Public School.
Henry Julian Mukuti, originally from Bangladesh, said it was awesome to officially become an Australian.
He has recently built a house with his wife and young child in town and said this is where they wanted to stay.
"Sydney and other big towns are a little bit busy for me, I like a quiet place and everything is very close," he said.
"I can enjoy my life here, I'm not just always working, working, working. I can spend time with family, that was very important for me."
He works as a chef in Tamworth, the same profession he had in Bangladesh where he worked in five-star restaurants, so it was pretty easy to make himself at home in the Australian kitchens.
The next Tamworth naturalisation ceremony is on September 17, Australian Citizenship Day, where there is expected to be a huge number of people sworn-in.