Mayor Leo Hauville welcomed the 16 residents during his opening speech at the Kempsey Shire Council's Australia Day ceremony.

"Today we are all heroes, we are all different, and we are all one community of proud Australians," Cr Hauville said.

The 16 new citizens hail from a number of different countries including the United Kingdom, Cambodia, Canada and the Philippines.

In her speech, Member for Oxley, Melinda Pavey said it was a great day for the Shire.

"It is a wonderful day to be inclusive, to be respectful, and to celebrate the wonderful people who make this community tick, and I tell you, it is one of the most generous, thoughtful and kind communities in Australia," Ms Pavey said.

"I encourage our new citizens to be a part of many groups across the Valley, the ones that make this place keep going, and are its heart and soul."

Australia Day Ambassador and Slim Dusty's son, David Kirkpatrick formally welcomed the new citizens in his speech and shared his own families immigration story.

"My family connection to the Macleay goes back to the 1890's when my great great grandmother left Northern Ireland with her two young sons David and George," Mr Kirkpatrick said.

"She came up here by herself, and then she established the first hospital for women in NSW outside of Sydney, up here in Kempsey in 1904."

After each individual was presented with their citizenship the whole centre erupted in applause.

Welcome and congratulations to our newest citizens in the Kempsey Shire: