THE Tewantin State School student choir entertained the crowds singing Give Me a Home Among the Gumtrees, with the audience joining in the performance and dancing along.
Noosa politicians and locals welcomed families such as the Mander family who travelled 16,000 kilometres from “swampy, chilly old England” to live near the “warm and sunny beaches of Noosa”.
The Mander family began their journey from England when registered nurse and mum, Louise Mander, became ill with pneumonia and spent her days recovering watching travel shows to Australia.
Louise fell in love.
After talking to her husband, Matthew, and three children, Jacob, Hope and Ben, the family decided to make the move to Noosa in 2010.
The family scoured the Sunshine Coast looking for their next family home and knew where they wanted to settle when they went to the “beautiful country town” of Cooroy.
The family has settled into their new life with Jacob and Hope attending the University of the Sunshine Coast, while Jacob also coaches the Under 13 soccer team for Cooroy and competes in the Cooroy men’s team. Ben attends Noosa District High School in Year 11 and has just qualified to run in the Queensland State Finals for Cross Country representing both the Sunshine Coast and Noosa District High School.
The Manders family were proud to receive their official citizenship on 16 June and to be able to finally call themselves true Aussies.
And what’s better than being able to live in paradise? For Jacob, it’s being able to finally cheer for a decent cricket team and for Louise and Matthew, it’s being able to say “we are not on holiday, we live here!”
