SOUTHERN Downs Mayor Peter Blundell has awarded Australian Citizenship to 13 residents of the region.

The ceremony took place at council headquarters where the newly crowned cit

izens were presented with a tree to plant and a certificate, after singing the Australian national anthem.

South African-born Danie Louw was one of the new citizens, after moving over from Cape Town almost five years ago.

"It was a pretty proud moment," Mr Louw said.

"It feels right to take out Australian Citizenship and become part of the community. It makes us feel closer to the community."

While there was plenty of debate around the citizenship test when it was introduced, Mr Louw said it did not trouble him or his family.

"It was pretty good," he said.

"There were not any particularly tough questions on the test and they give you a bit of information prior to you sitting it."

Mr Louw said the Australian culture and way of life was one of the primary reasons he and his family decided to take out their citizenship.

"I love the way Australians help and care for each other," Mr Louw said.

"That's not something that we're really used to."

Mr Louw said Warwick, the only place in Australia he has lived, was also a factor in his decision.

"Warwick is just where we landed and we like it very much here," he said.

"Everything is nice and close and it's not that busy compared to Cape Town."

Southern Downs Regional Council Mayor Peter Blundell said it was a good feeling to hand out the certificates.

"To me it's one of the highlights in terms of the activities we carry out at council," Cr Blundell said.

"It was great to see the enthusiasm from everybody involved."

Councillor Neil Meiklejohn echoed the mayor's thoughts.

"It was nice to see the smile on some of their faces when they were singing the national anthem and throughout the ceremony," Cr Meiklejohn said.

"It does instill real pride and you can see they value their citizenship, which is a privilege and a right not just for them, but everybody."

Quick quiz

Could you pass the citizenship test?

Which of these is a responsibility of Australian citizens aged 18 and over?

•  To carry a passport at all times;
•  To serve on a jury if called to do so;
•  To do local community service.