From Brazil to Fingal Head: Eduardo Neme’s long road to Australian citizenship

WHEN Tweed Shire Council welcomed its newest Australians during a citizenship ceremony at Tweed Heads Civic Centre Auditorium earlier this month, Fingal Head resident Eduardo Neme was among them – marking the end point of a journey that began a decade earlier on the other side of the world.

For Neme, becoming an Australian citizen was a culmination of a long and often uncertain path that stretched from his home city Porto Alegre to the kitchens and coastlines of the Northern Rivers.

Neme said the idea of Australia first entered his mind through a family friend who had visited.

He said stories of the lifestyle, as well as the safety began to shape his appreciation of Australia.

“In Brazil, it’s not very safe all the time – mostly yes – but sometimes things can happen when you don’t expect it,” he said.

“A good friend of mine asked me if I wanted to come to Australia, and then I said yes straight away.”

To fund the journey, the pair launched a small business selling homemade protein bliss balls.

They called it Koala Haribo – a name that reflected their long-term goal.

After a year of saving, the pair made the move to Australia’s east coast, where Neme found himself shocked by the country’s beauty.

A trained chef, Neme worked at a number of venues in the Tweed Shire as he adapted to Australian life, including Farm & Co. Cafe, Jordy’s Pizza Casuarina and Barrels Pizza in Murwillumbah.

He found a sense of home and community in the small town of Fingal Head, and joy in sharing his culture with those around him.

“If you see Carnival, we are really passionate and we have a lot of energy to live life. We like being super happy and hugging people, and we are really warm” he said.

“I think everyone could feel this passion in life that we as Brazilians have.”

But he also faced a very demanding reality while navigating Australia’s migration system.

“You have all the pressure, and you have the dates of the visa expiring and you don’t know how it’s going to work out and then you haven’t taken holidays for two years and you’re just working constantly,” he said.

It took around nine years to secure citizenship, and he did not return to Brazil for eight years.

“I just had to put my head down and work hard and make all my work experience count,” he said.

Neme encourages others in similar situations to trust the process and persist through the doubt.

“The energy this country has is really powerful and I think when you really put yourself mentally where you want to be things come to you,” he said.

The citizenship ceremony brought a sense of closure.

“Working hard as a chef and getting through all the challenges… this special day made me feel like, OK, now I’m Brazilian but I’m Australian as well – I’m part of this,” he said.