- by Hub staff
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| Chris MacDougald pipes in the procession. |
This evening Canadians saluted their own. Those who received their citizenship during the pandemic, over Zoom, gathered with family, friends and community supporters to celebrate together.
Organized by Grey Bruce Settlement and Language Services, the celebration began with the new Canadians being piped to their seats, an acknowledgement of the peoples of the traditional territories on which we live, and O Canada.
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| MP Alex Ruff greets new Canadians with their citizenship certificates. |
Words of welcome, congratulations and gratitude were shared from the community represented by the City of Owen Sound, YMCA, Settlement Services and Welcoming Communities. Member of Parliament Alex Ruff presented each new Canadian with a certificate to commemorate this celebration of their citizenship.
Four of the new citizens were warmly applauded as they shared their stories of coming to Canada, settling in Grey-Bruce and accepting the challenges, joys and responsibilities of becoming a Canadian.
Like all great celebrations – a song – and a cake! Congratulations to all!
Please join us in celebrating our new citizens:
Laila Abuhakmah
Jafer Al Masri
Amer Al Masri
Naini Chatragadda
Sumayya Abdo Hammo
Isam Al Aboud
Rimes Al Aboud
Reyan Al Aboud
Khalid Al Aboud
Khadija El Ismail
Ali Abedallah
Khalil Abedallah
Mohamad Abedallah
Dearborne Jarbah
Amina Al Aboud
Yaser Al Ibrahim
Salma Al Ibrahim
Divya Jebaraj
Paul Inbaraj Ezhil Henry
Amina Motorwala
Khaled Al Ali
Sara Sultani
Yusuf Khan
Noor Shaba
Unable to attend:
Patcria Cummings
Sahar Awij
Ouday Shekh-Sleyman
Waed Shekh-Sleyman
Shahed Shekh-Sleyman
Abdul Rahman Shekh-Sleyman
Mouhamad Shekh-Sleyman
Hanan Awij
Rajab Othman Al Sheayer
Aline Rajab Al Sheayer
Safa Rajab Al Sheayer
Banin Rajab Al Sheayer
Othman Rajab Al Sheayer
Muna Shrestha
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| Accompanied by Paul Inbaraj Ezhil Henry, Divya Jebaraj sings This Land Is Your Land. |
This Land Is Your Land –
song by Woodrow Wilson Guthrie
Canadian lyrics by The Travellers
This land is your land,
This land is my land,
From Bonavista
To Vancouver Island,
From the Arctic Circle,
To the Great Lake waters,
This land was made for you and me.
As I was walking,
That ribbon of highway,
I saw above me
That endless skyway,
I saw below me
That golden valley.
This land was made for you and me.
I've roamed and rambled
And I've followed my footsteps
To the sparkling sands of her diamond deserts
And all around me a voice was sounding
This land was made for you and me.
The sun comes shining
As I was strolling
The wheat fields waving
And the dust clouds rolling
The fog was lifting a voice come chanting
This land was made for you and me.
As I was walkin'
I saw a sign there
And that sign said no tress-passin'
But on the other side
It didn't say nothin'!
Now that side was made for you and me!
In the squares of the city
In the shadow of the steeple
Near the relief office
I see my people
And some are grumblin'
And some are wonderin'
If this land's still made for you and me.
Nobody living can ever stop me
As I go walking
That freedom highway
Nobody living can make me turn back
This land was made for you and me.
Photographs by Hub staff
David Galway
