Philippines-born Jimmy and son Jyane will pledge their allegiance to their new country, but Jimmy’s wife Geneveive will have to bide her time before officially changing her nationality.
The family now lives in Kyabram, having come to Australia from an agricultural region of the Philippines.
Jimmy arrived in Queensland on August 26, 2016 — his wife’s birthday — forced to miss the celebration due to the scheduling that had been made for him by government officials.
He worked in on a feedlot producing wagyu beef for three years, spending a month every year back in the Philippines with his family, before relocating to Kyabram in July 2020 when Jyane (11-years-old at the time) joined him in Australia.
Jyane started at Kyabram P-12 in Year 5, given a head start by the English focus of his Philippines education.
Genevieve, his wife of 14 years, had to remain in Philippines to complete government work commitments as a soil science researcher.
Since arriving in Australia, in December 2021, she has studied aged care and only this year started work with Warramunda.
She said while the Philippines offered a very simple life, Australia presented the chance for the family to “live large’’ — their home double the size of their house in Philippines.
“Our home was 150 square metres in Philippines and the block we live on now is something like 780 square metres.
“Apart from that we feel really blessed to be given this opportunity,” Genevieve said.
And the influx of family and friends is not yet over, the aged-care worker saying one of her best friends and her younger sister, along with Genevieve’s niece all wanted to come to Australia.
“Since COVID it is a little more complicated now to come to Australia, so they may have to be patient,” she said.
The family’s long-tem separation was part of its transition into Australian life, their Kyabram connection strengthened by the fact Genevieve’s sister, Goan Solilap and husband Ray, have lived here for many years.
Since arriving in Kyabram Jimmy has been working on a dairy farm, continuing his long-time association with agriculture.
“Jimmy studied plant breeding in college, which is where we met,” Genevieve said.
She described the time the family had spent apart as, “a bit of a sacrifice’’, but worthwhile for the lifestyle they now enjoy.
There are 24 people from more than a dozen countries involved in the ceremony on Thursday, January 26 — from Egypt, New Zealand, the UK, Vietnam, France, India, Ireland, Fiji, South Africa, Zimbabwe and Taiwan.
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