THE road from Damascus to Lake Macquarie is not a short one, but Buthaina Al Tawil says it has led her and her children to a better life.
Mrs Al Tawil was in the Syrian capital in 2013, farewelling her children in a city where bombs regularly rained down.
She said her farewell to her children each morning could have proven their last goodbye.
"It was very hard - it was never safe," she said. "I would be at home very worried. Sometimes the bombs would fall on the school, and I would run fast to get them and take them home."
Eight years later, Mrs Al Tawil and her daughter Alyssa, 15, are among Lake Macquarie's newest citizens welcomed in ceremonies held on Friday.
They join Mrs Al Tawil's son Yanal, 17, who became a citizen earlier this year.
The Rathmines ceremonies, Lake Macquarie's first in person since COVID lockdowns, formally welcomed 85 people from 33 nations.
"We are happy to be here," Mrs Al Tawil said. "We have found a better future. People are all so helpful. You go out and they will say: 'Good morning', and things like that. They'll talk to you and help you find things."
Lake Macquarie mayor Kay Fraser said citizenship ceremonies were always an enriching experience filled with stories about why people had decided to officially become Australians.
"It also demonstrates how much our new citizens contribute to our society - through their history, their culture, their skills and their ambition," Cr Fraser said.
Mrs Al Tawil hopes to enter childcare when her English studies are complete, while Yanal plans to join the army after he sits the HSC in 2022. Extra ceremonies are also planned for next year.
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