With the devastation bushfires have caused throughout the Lithgow area, the community has rallied together in a time of need.
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Amanda Dulhunty was one of many residents in the Clarence/Dargan area who lost her home to the Gospers Mountain bushfire which roared through the Lithgow LGA just days before Christmas.
Not knowing what was going to happen to her and her family, it was a stressful time.
"I didn't know what was going to happen and most of us who lost, had to pay our own way," she said.
But fortunately for Amanda, members of the Lithgow community and out of town, were happy to help.
Lithgow resident Hippy Curran recently took a trip to the fire-affected community of Willawarrin as part of the Lithgow Ute Fire Relief Fundraising Rally.
The Willawarrin area was hit extremely hard on November 8, with 57 homes lost and one death.
A woman who wished to remain anonymous, lives West of Willawarrin and said the support from the Ute rally was amazing.
"I was personally hit quite hard and the Ute rally turned up one night just with stuff from everywhere, stuff that was needed," she said.
She said it was nice to know that someone cared in a time where she felt "so isolated".
"I'd come home to everything black and stare around and think what the hell am I going to do?
"To have these people come in, it made a huge difference," she said.
The woman received some insurance money for sentimental items she lost in the fire and wanted to help someone else, because she knew how hard and devastating it could be.
"When I saw what was happening in Lithgow I contacted Hippy.
"I just decided that giving it [the money] to someone that lost everything might just give them that little bit of hope that we'd been given as a community when people came.
"So I told Hippy to pick a family that's lost everything. It might not be a lot of money but that's what I wanted to do with it," she said.
A total of $500 was donated to Amanda and her family.
Hippy said she had known Amanda for quite awhile and it was an easy decision.
"When I heard the news of her family losing what they did and knowing Amanda's daughter has a son and it was right on Christmas.. I didn't even think twice.
"They deserved it, they're a great family," she said.
The donation helped with motel costs and other bits and pieces for Amanda.
"I didn't know what was going to happen, this donation definitely made a difference," Amanda said.
"It was lovely, a lovely surprise in a stressful time."
Amanda said people had been so generous and almost everything had been given to her and her family to help them get back on their feet.
"It's amazing, and I'm truly touched.
"Thank you to every person who has given things away and showed their support," she said.
Hippy said to be able to pass something on from an anonymous person who she helped a few months prior, was a humbling feeling.
"It felt good to be able to do that for someone in our hometown from someone in another town.. Karma at her best," she said.
Amanda and her family now have a house and are starting to get back on their feet, according to Hippy.
"That's one family that's been able to be fixed up, now to find another another family.
"At the end of the day this all started back with the Uteclub. They're the ones that started their charity runs," Hippy said.
"It's been like living in a movie. You watch it unfold in front of you, it's very surreal. I get very emotional with it. I don't know why but I do. But, to be able to help instead of sitting around going 'oh my god I wish I could do something', well we got out there and we did something."
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