I've been always calling myself Aussie, even though I didn't have any citizenship yet.
- Lisa Boland
Sunday's citizenship ceremony meant a lot to Lisa Boland.
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As she stood on the Cowra Civic Centre stage next to her fellow newest citizens - Julia Moore, Lucy Zhang and Jie Zhang - Lisa tried to hold back the tears.
But you'd probably be overwhelmed too if being made an Aussie was your dream for more than 40 years.
"Australia means to me a lot, this country, I have all my friends here and my job," she said after the ceremony.
"I've been always calling myself Aussie, even though I didn't have any citizenship yet."
Lisa, who will turn 50 this December, came to Australia from New Zealand with her parents when she was five years old.
"My mum and dad, we all came here, in that time no passport, no visa, nothing," she said.
Lisa and her family moved to Wollongong and she started work when she turned 18.
She married, had three boys and one girl before Lisa and husband Bob decided to purchase a house in Wyangala in 2014.
She now works at Yalbillinga Boori Day Care.
"I thought I want to teach the kids the cultures, like my culture and the Australian cultures," Lisa said.
"I teach my kids how to sing Australian songs."
When asked how long she has wanted to be an Australian citizen, Lisa replied, "Forever!".
"When I went through the test, I couldn't stop crying cause it was hard, it was very hard," she said.
"I went through 95 per cent and the lady said, 'why are you crying?'"
"I said, you know how this means to me [sic]"
Despite her New Zealand heritage, Lisa said her new citizenship means she will be cheering even louder for Australian sides in sport.
"I love Australia, I love Aussie... I never go for the All Blacks, I always go for the Wallabies, all the time," she said.
"Even in cricket, because I played cricket in New Zealand, when NZ was playing against Australia, I'd go, "Come on Aussie!", I'd put my flag up there, I'm Aussie!
"My kids say "mum, you're not Australian, you're New Zealand", I don't care."
She said she enjoys her life in Australia - so much so that the idea of going on a holiday isn't very appealing.
"I wanted to come back straight away because I miss my friends here, they are very lovely people," Lisa said.
"I miss my friends in Wollongong but we still talking on the phone.
"They are very good people, very good neighbours... we just have a barbecue, have drinks, happy, no problems.
"I'm so happy, I say thank you Lord, Aussie is my country forever."
