Now known as Frank and living in Bonnells Bay, the 66-year-old has considered himself dinky-di for the best part of 45 years, but it was not until last week that he obtained the piece of paper to make it official.

Frank was among 61 new citizens celebrated at Lake Macquarie's annual Australia Day ceremony at Speers Point Park.

"It was about time that I got my citizenship," he said.

"I had always wanted to do it but I never had any time [before]."

A retired fitter and turner who spent many years working in remote West Australian mines, Frank journeyed to Australia in 1965.

He had escaped East Germany with his family two years before the Berlin Wall's construction trapped a generation of his compatriots behind the Iron Curtain.

"It was difficult. There was no free speech," Frank said of life under communism.

"We just got out before they built the wall," he recalled. "We caught a train from East Berlin to West Berlin. We had a passport and ID, so we just needed to have a return ticket."

Once across the border they never looked back.

Keen to see the world, Frank was prompted to move Down Under by a chance encounter with an advertising sign.

"There was a map of Australia with a smiley face in the middle that said, 'Emigrate to Australia', and I thought I'd give that a go," he said.

Frank gained permanent residency and decided to stay, except for occasional trips back to Europe and overseas holidays with his wife Rosalind, whom he met at a party in Sydney in 1967.

The couple bought a waterfront home in Bonnells Bay in 1986 and retired there in 2000.

Growing up where he did then travelling to other nations, Frank says his experiences have allowed him to fully appreciate the rights and freedoms that many Australians may take for granted.

"It really is one of the best places to live in the world," he said.

"I've done a lot of comparisons with other countries and whenever I arrive back in Australia, I always say 'thank god'."