Ocean Grove intensive care nurse Amanda McGrath treated patients on life support at University Hospital Geelong after they contracted COVID-19.
On Tuesday, she and dozens of new Australians celebrated becoming citizens in Geelong and the Surf Coast.
“I’m just really proud to be an Australian citizen and I’m very much in love with Australia,” the mother-of-three and Canadian expat said.
Amanda and husband Neville Hickey came from opposite sides of the world before they met and fell in love in Royal Melbourne Hospital’s intensive care unit.
Amanda initially travelled from Vancouver on a working visa but decided to finish her nursing degree in Australia.
She met her English husband on a placement at the unit in 2009 and they started dating in 2011 when she got a job there, bonding over their shared love of triathlon.
“We fell in love and thought, ‘this is a country where we want to raise our family’.”
The couple moved to Ocean Grove four years ago after Neville was awarded citizenship in 2015.
Amanda now works for Barwon Health, while Neville works in Epworth Geelong’s emergency department.
She said her new citizenship had strengthened her ties to Australia and she was thrilled the COVID-19 situation allowed her to attend Geelong’s first in-person citizenship ceremony in almost 11 months.
“I could not be more proud of this country and what it’s achieved with COVID.”
Amanda was one of 20 new Australians celebrated in Geelong on Tuesday, while the Surf Coast Shire welcomed another 13.
Geelong council has held 25 online citizenship ceremonies during the pandemic.
