Celebrating newfound citizenships

Celebrating with Cook Medical’s employees as they become Australian citizens

Congratulations to Jenny Unett, Ruth Koch, Aristotle Abesamis, Michelle O’Shaughnessy, and Vipul Kiri who received their Australian citizenships this year! We asked them a few questions, and these were their responses.

What is your title at Cook Medical Australia?

Jenny: Human Resources business partner.

Ruth: Accounts Receivable coordinator.

Aristotle: Production engineer.

Michelle: Engineering systems team leader.

Vipul: Production assistant.

Tell us about your journey to Australia. How long have you lived here?

Jenny: I first came here in 2004 on a working holiday visa to backpack around Australia. While here in Brisbane, I worked for a recruitment firm, as that’s my background. I was lucky enough to get a sponsorship at Adecco and then became a permanent resident in 2006. I then began working at Cook Australia in 2014.

Ruth: Having worked in Cook Ireland for eight years, my family and I came to Australia in 2013. Brisbane was the most obvious choice in Australia as Cook was here. We had been here in 2009 and 2010 visiting friends who had also migrated, so we had a good idea of what it was like and how hot and humid it can get! And now we’ve been here for nine years already; the time has gone so fast.

Aristotle: I originally come from the Philippines. Before I decided to embark on my journey to Australia in 2016, I also lived in Thailand for a few years. I initially settled in Sydney for three years and worked as an engineer in fiberoptics. In 2019, I decided to join the medical device industry which led me to a role in manufacturing engineering at Cook Medical Australia.

Michelle: I moved with friends from Ireland to Sydney towards the end of 2015 on a working holiday visa. We spent the first few weeks being tourists and traveling. I moved to Brisbane in January 2016, and that is when I joined Cook. This coming October, I will have been in Australia for seven years! I’ve learned a lot of Aussie jargon, but I don’t think I’ll ever lose my Irish accent.

Vipul: I first arrived in Australia from India in December 2014 with my wife, Jalpa, and our two daughters. My daughters started going to school here, but soon my wife and I began feeling homesick. We decided to go back to India. However, my daughters missed Australia, and my wife and daughters returned in November 2015. Once I’d finished winding up my father’s established organizations, I also moved back to Australia in 2017.

What’s the best thing about living in Australia?

Jenny: I would say the diversity, the climate, the people, and the community in which I live. The beaches are great, and the weather has a huge impact on mental health. I do, however, miss my immediate family in the UK.

Ruth: There are so many things, but I think all migrants will say the weather and the lifestyle! We really enjoy the outdoor lifestyle and have fully embraced it. For example, going camping here is something we look forward to a couple of times per year.

Aristotle: The best thing about living in Australia, in essence, is the high quality of life that we continuously strive to achieve and our pursuit for excellence in everything we do. Whether it is maintaining our lifestyle, the world-class education we offer, our healthcare system, sense of security and safety, and ultimately, our egalitarian mindset, I believe that every Australian can proudly say that there’s nowhere else in the world they’d rather be than in this wonderful country of ours.

Michelle: There are a few things that make living here enjoyable. The weather, the outdoor lifestyle, the diverse culture, and I can’t forget the Aussie coffee. I’ve made some great friends here and have traveled to many parts of Australia. I miss my family and friends. Luckily, I went back to Ireland a few weeks ago, after not having been back for almost 4 years. With international borders open, many of my family and friends have trips planned to visit me down under. I’m looking forward to showing them around the sunshine state.

Vipul: I got my first job in January 2018 at Cook Medical Australia. In August 2018, my father was sick, and I had to go to India to look after him. In November 2018, he passed away. I came back on December 31, 2018. I resumed my duties at Cook Medical in the second week of January 2019 without any formalities. I was grateful to Cook and my former supervisor for approving such a long leave and for welcoming me back to work. This showed me the understanding and welcoming nature of all Australians which I have admired and wanted to be a part of.

What are you most looking forward to now that you are an Australian citizen?

Jenny: I’ve been here for so long, that it isn’t going to change much. I’m a dual citizen, so I haven’t given up my British citizenship. Both my kids have dual citizenships as well. But there is an added security of knowing that I can stay here without any doubt. This is my home and it makes things more official and makes me proud to be Australian.

Ruth: Being able to vote. I think now that we are Aussies it just means we don’t have to keep renewing visas every so often, so traveling in and out of the country will be super easy on an Australian passport.

Aristotle: As a proud Filipino-Australian, I am looking forward to being able to contribute to Australia’s multicultural community and to integrate to our social fabric. I have always believed that Australia provides migrants the chance to fully realize their opportunities, demonstrate and hone their capabilities, and excel in different fronts. This is also the reason why I am proud to be working for a company like Cook Australia, which embodies the Australian values of equal-opportunity, diversity, and respect, which enables migrants and new citizens to recognize and completely live up to their potentials.

Michelle: There won’t be a massive change. I will be a dual citizen, which means I’ll get an Australian passport, which will make traveling back to Australia easier. I am most looking forward to being able to vote in the next referendum or election. Living and working in Brisbane for almost seven years, it will be good to have a say.

Vipul: Being an Australian citizen was a way of accepting Australia as my forever home. While my roots still remain in the Gujarat, in India, Australia is where I am now and where I will be in the future. There is not much I look forward to, but being an Aussie is a nice feeling to have.

How does it feel to finally be an Australian citizen?

Aristotle: To finally call myself an “Australian” is both a culmination and a commencement of a long but fulfilling journey. A culmination of a tedious and lengthy process, from getting my qualifications assessed by Engineers Australia, trying to find a job, and proving myself in my field, as well as the everyday challenges and struggles, both trivial and complex, of being a new migrant. A commencement of a new life and building a future for myself, and my future descendants (whew! this is getting deep). It’s also a realization of a lifelong dream that I was privileged, humbled, and truly grateful to have achieved.

Tell us a bit about the citizenship ceremony.

Michelle: I had my citizenship ceremony on July 25 at Brisbane City Hall. There were 600 Brisbane residents who became citizens that evening. The ceremony was fantastic, and it really showed how welcoming Brisbane is. The ceremony started with a Welcome to Country and a fire lighting ceremony. We heard from the Lord Mayor of Brisbane, where he shared a personal story about his father migrating to Australia and becoming a citizen in the same hall as us. The Royal Australian Navy band and Australian Girls Choir provided entertainment throughout the evening. If you ever get the opportunity to attend a citizenship ceremony, I highly recommend it. I had four Aussie friends attend, and they thoroughly enjoyed the evening.

Vipul: I attended my citizenship ceremony on August 16, 2022. This was after almost an 11-month-wait from the day I passed the test in September 2021. I was very excited for the ceremony before, on the day it arrived, and even the moment I walked in. Being a part of the 2,600 new citizens of Australia in the very same hall as me, I felt joyfully honored. The ceremony was filled with music, colorful performances, and videos showing us the history of Australia. I felt very proud to be an Australian. “Aussie, Aussie, Aussie! Oi, oi, oi!”

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