Karen Curnow is one of 11 Macedon Ranges residents who will be sworn in as Australian citizens at Kyneton Town Hall tonight.
The new citizens range from 4-56 years of age and come from the Phillipines, United Kingdom, England and New Zealand.
While Ms Curnow is about to officially become an Australian citizen, she is not a newcomer to Australia.
Ms Curnow moved from England to Australia in 1996 to marry an Australian man and she has lived in Australia for the almost 22 years since.
She first came to the Macedon Ranges in 2009 after her St Andrews home was burnt down in the Black Saturday fires.
Ms Curnow said she was still in her house when it caught fire.
“I got out with the clothes I was wearing, the contents of my handbag and one dog,” she said.
Ms Curnow then moved to a “safer spot” in the countryside in Romsey, and on to Gisborne in 2014.
She said she loved the scenery and the “horsey” culture in the Macedon Ranges.
“I like the small town-feel of Gisborne, and that there’s something different in each town in the area.”
