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PROUD MOMENT: Derna Taylor receives her citizenship from Whyalla Mayor Clare McLaughlin
Whyalla’s Derna Taylor became an official Aussie this month just 67 years after migrating from Wales.
Derna was three-years-old when she came to Australia from Bridgend in Wales with her parents Glyndwr and Anne Herbert. Bridgend is a town in Bridgend County Borough in Wales, about 28km west of the capital Cardiff.
Her father was a bricklayer and brought the family out to Adelaide when he heard there was plenty of building work in South Australia. Settling in Klemzig, Derna did all of her schooling in Adelaide before meeting her now late husband Graham and moving to Whyalla when he got a job as a computer programmer with BHP just over 30 years ago.
Derna has always considered herself an Aussie but felt the time was right to make it official.
“I might want to go on holiday so it was a good time to take out citizenship,” Derna said.
She has no regrets on the move from the city to Whyalla and lists the people as the best part of Whyalla.
“Whyalla has that community feel that you don’t necessarily get in Adelaide,” Derna said.
“The people here are so friendly.”
Derna’s citizenship was timely on January 14 as we come up to Australia Day on January 26. Another group of Whyalla residents will be taking their citizenship oaths at the Whyalla Australia Day celebrations at Ada Ryan Gardens on Saturday.