Born in Zimbabwe and coming to Gisborne via South Africa and Sydney, Cecelia Roode tells Matt Crossman she’s glad to call the Macedon Ranges home. The administration worker, husband Jacobus and 10 others will become Australian citizens at Kyneton on Tuesday.
Can you tell us how you came to be in Australia?
We were born in Zimbabwe and emigrated from South Africa in August 2010 after my husband was offered a job in Sydney. We spent three years there before he was transferred to Melbourne.
What was it about Gisborne that appealed to you?
We spent six months at Docklands and used to drive around to different areas to see what they were like and try the traffic. Gisborne just had a lovely feel about it. We also love Mount Macedon. It’s just about the prettiest place we’ve seen. We’re living on about 10 acres … we just couldn’t ask for anything better. It’s so very safe here and everything works.
How do you like to spend your spare time?
We’re pretty busy with our little property, in the garden and so on. We do a lot of travelling around Australia and we like to play a bit of golf. My husband also has an off-road bike that he likes to get around on.
The decision to take citizenship, was that just a natural progression?
It was just a matter of waiting out the time to become eligible. It was always our intention when we got here. It’s been five years building up to this; we’re really looking forward to it.
