I am 87 years old and within my lifetime a marvellous thing has happened to my country. It has become a multicultural nation. The migrant people who have come to my country, many of them refugees escaping pain beyond my experience or comprehension, have brought with them the gifts and talents they needed to make new lives in a foreign country. Soon it was no longer a foreign country. It was their home, their country, a place where they were welcome and secure. They became its citizens in a ceremony which affirmed their welcome. They adopted, sometimes easily and quickly, sometimes with difficulty and slowly, the lifestyle of their new country. They enriched it by their culture and willingness to work towards a future filled with hope and happiness. They built strong bonds with us and helped us to reshape the values not only of our nation but of our common humanity.
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