Queanbeyan family celebrate citizenship

But he began to warm to Australia after a while - with its strange foods, foreign language and variety of sports. And next Monday Mr Vaz, his wife Maria and son David will be one of the many locals to be given their Australian Citizenship.

"Queanbeyan was the first place I came to in Australia. They were looking for workers, carpenters for a local company. The boss of it, he's my neighbour in Portugal so it was work that brought me here," Mr Vaz said.

"The life here is very different. Viseu, it's a big city but it's quiet here. It's a very nice place to live.

"The thing I thought about is that it was a better life. A good life for my family, for me, for my wife and my son."

The family initially struggled with the language barrier. David, then seven-years-old, remembers thinking Australia was a strange place because he couldn't understand anyone.

"It was difficult for us, we didn't speak English," Mr Vaz, said. "The company I work for was Portugese so there wasn't any need, no need or push for me to speak English. But I enrolled in TAFE and tried to learn."

Although Mr Vaz still often visits the mother land, he said Australia is now home. A decision he cemented when he purchased a home in Queanbeyan West about four years ago.

"Everything is here in Queanbeyan. It's a good place, relaxed; but still close to everything like shopping," he said.

As well as providing a nice place to live and work, the thing that Mr Vaz enjoys most about Australia is the array of sports on offer.

"My number one sport is soccer, it's very big in Portugal but when I came to Australia, now I love cricket, rugby. I'm crazy into the sport," he said.