Journey from pen pal to NZ citizenship

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Stephen Scandrett joins his wife, Lyudmila, and her children, Yulia Kiseleva and Valentin Kiselev, of Russia, following a citizenship ceremony at the Dunedin Public Art Gallery yesterday. Photo by Linda Robertson.

And thanks to a mutual friend in between, Stephen Scandrett and Lyudmila Kiseleva were introduced.

The couple began a long friendship, writing letters to each other on opposite sides of the globe.

"We were basically pen pals," Mr Scandrett said.

Inevitably, they decided it was time to meet.

They first laid eyes on each other in a Russian airport, and the rest was history.

The pair were married in Moscow and became Mr and Mrs Scandrett.

Together, with Mrs Scandrett's two children Yulia and Valentin, they moved to Dunedin and this week the Russian trio were among 32 people who became New Zealanders at a citizenship ceremony at the Dunedin Public Art Gallery.

The new New Zealand citizens are. -Mr Dan Constantin Amza (Romanian); Miss Renelle Yvas Angeles (Filipino); Mrs Cecily Margaret Crack (American); Mrs Debra Ann Handcock (British); Mrs Idah Rusununguko Koudayah (Zimbabwean); Mr Seungseup Lim, Miss Jihyun Lim (Korean); Mr Jose Eleutherius Pinto (British); Mrs Lyudmila Scandrett, Mr Valentin Kiselev, Miss Yulia Kiseleva (Russian); Mr David Johannes Schoeman, Mrs Lee Schoeman, Miss Storm Lurline Marian Schoeman, Master Ruarri Patrick Daniel Schoeman (South African); Mr Albert Yates (British); Mrs Margaret Rose Brockwell (British); Mrs Sylvia Julia Carter (British); Ms Joan Elizabeth Eriksson (Australian); Miss Katrina Ellen Lamont (Australian British); Miss Stephanie Helen Goff (British); Miss Ara Ko (American); Mrs Gunrup Kanwal Kocher, Miss Jasleen Kocher, Miss Jessica Kocher (Indian); Mr Alexei Robert William McDowell (Russian); Mr Garry Edward Gerard McLennan (British); Ms Deanna Marie Pielak-Jones (Canadian); Ms Fung Lin Granly Sam (British Overseas National); Mr Pak Hang Poon, Mr Cheuk Hang Poon (British); Mr Richard Van Der Plas (Dutch).