The numbers were swelled by two family groups - the Ridges and the Hulls - both of whom arrived in Australia from the the United Kingdom about five years ago.

Mike Ridge, the Rector of the Anglican Church in Dorrigo, said it was "the wonders of the internet" that brought him and his family here in 2014.

Having decided to emigrate from Liverpool and looking for his first parish, he found the Dorrigo vacancy via the website 'Anglicans Online'.

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His wife Stephanie is a nurse in the Palliative Care ward at Bellingen Hospital and their children, Sophie and Ben, are at Dorrigo High School.

"We've become citizens because we wanted to be part of this country and share its values," Mike said.

Liz and Gavin Hull came to Australia from Oxford five years ago.

Gavin is a waste and resource management consultant, Liz's work is in procurement and their three-year-old daughter Darcy was born here.

"We're joining her," Gavin said, nodding at the little native citizen.

Charlene Kellett came to Australia from Canada in 2008.

"I met my partner Ben six weeks after arriving in Australia, he brought me to Kalang and I've never left!" she said.

Victoria Broadhurst from New Zealand met her husband in Melbourne in 2006, and they moved to Bellingen two years ago.

Dakandra Tomlinson, originally from Thailand, met her husband Aaron Murphy five years ago in Urunga. They live in Mylestom with their little daughter Lilah.

Logan Thomas, now a furniture maker in Dorrigo, wins the prize for the longest time between arrival in Australia and becoming a citizen, having come here from the United States in 1986.

Our final new Australian, Touifik Allaoui, escaped the morning tea without being quizzed.

Each new citizen of our shire took home a certificate and a native plant from Boggy Creek Nursery.