The pair, standing alongside 17 other newly-formed Australian citizens, marked the milestone with the support of their families who joined the crowd in Victoria Park. 

Talica said she felt mixed emotions during the ceremony but is excited to become an Australian citizen after nearly six years of living in the land down under.

“It’s an unreal feeling,” she said.

Talica and her husband, Ilisoni, made the move to Australia from their home in Fiji in March 2011. 

The pair resided in Wollongong for three short months before Ilisoni secured a position with the Dubbo CYMS Rugby League Club. 

The club showed invaluable support to the family during the process, so much so the Vonomateiratus named their first son after club president, Kevin Walkom.

“My husband signed a contract with the Dubbo CYMS and they’ve helped us settle in, get our permanent residency and now our citizenship,” she said.

Talica said her favourite thing about Australia is its people and environment, and the future it offers to their growing family.

“We came here with no kids and in the span of five years we now have four beautiful children,” she said.

“There’s lots of opportunities here in Australia for them with education and sport.

“Australia Day has opened up a whole new future and world for us.”

Talica extended a big thank you to her family, in particular her husband and to the Dubbo CYMS Rugby League Club.

Sharing the life-changing day with the Vonomateiratu family were newly-formed citizens Shakib Abdullah, Jacqueline Bassingthwaigthe, Xante Clarke, Gurpreet Singh, Thi Minh Chau Le, Peyvand Nick Housh, Andrew Pluck, Sanjib Shrestha, Deependra Sapkota, Di Zhou, Sangeetha Shaskikanth, Shashikanth Umakanthan, Jyotsna Shash, Shiv Shashikanth, Md Naymul Islam, Fahmida Satter and Arcadie Moscaliov.