World Refugee Day will hold special significance for nine Darwin locals who will become Australian citizens at a special ceremony hosted as part of World Refugee Day celebrations.

The conferees came to Australia from Liberia, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo under the Australian Government’s humanitarian program. They include Liberian-born Eve Autridge who arrived in Darwin in 2007 with her three children after spending 11 years in a refugee camp in Ghana.

Ms Autridge said life in a refugee camp was incredibly hard and she was very thankful for the freedom and opportunities she and her children now enjoyed in Australia.

“I don’t know how I can ever thank Australia for the new lives we have been given but I tell everybody that this is the best country in the world to live in and for my children to grow up in,” Ms Autridge said.

The special citizenship ceremony will take place during Darwin’s Refugee Week celebration at Holzerland Park in Malak from 4pm tomorrow.

Hundreds of people are expected to enjoy the music, dance and cultural displays hosted by the Melaleuca Refugee Centre and supported by DIAC and the Multicultural Council of the Northern Territory.

“World Refugee Day and Refugee Week provide an opportunity for Australians to focus on our humanitarian commitment and the incredible contributions refugees make to their new home communities,” a DIAC spokesman said.

So far this program year, more than 100 people have settled in the Northern Territory under the humanitarian program.

“Australia provides comprehensive support systems for refugees and others in humanitarian need and consistently ranks among the world’s top three resettlement countries, along with the United States and Canada,” the spokesman said.

The celebrations will start at 4pm and continue until 10pm, with the citizenship ceremony to start at 5.30pm. For interviews with the conferees, please contact the Department of Immigration and Citizenship.

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