Local businessman Umesh Dayah and his family were some of the 86 residents who received their citizenship at the Bundaberg Multiplex this morning.
The citizenship ceremony was attended by Bundaberg Regional Council’s newly elected councillors and Mayor Helen Blackburn.
As owner of Jim’s Cleaning Bundaberg and Coast for the past eight years, Umesh said he was honoured to be part of the community and contribute to the region.
“We are very, very proud,” Umesh said.
“It feels now like we are fully part of Australia and from this day on, we’ll make it our home forever.”
Umesh was born in South Africa but moved to New Zealand with his family in 1999, where they lived for 12 years before migrating to Bundaberg.
“My wife (Jignasha) is a pharmacist and I was in business for 38 years between New Zealand and South Africa,” Umesh said
“I worked at Autobarn but very quickly decided that that I was going to use my skill and take it further.
“That being said, today we employ 25 people and we do really well in our business.
“We are looking at employing at least another six people by the end of this year.”
Umesh said the family enjoyed the relaxing coastal lifestyle at their home in Bargara as well as the quality of the local schools, with his son son Kiyaash currently in Grade 10.
“We have good schools and that was important to us because we came here for our children's education and for them to prosper,” he said.
“We love the place.
“The tranquillity, the peace and the calmness.
“But more important I think it's the people.
“I’m very proud when people call me up and say ‘I know you’ because I’ve contributed my family and I’ve contributed only positively in our community and it’s great to see the results come back.”
