TWENTY years ago Bruno Efoti left his Tongan village of Lotofoa and came to Dubbo where he has become and iconic player with the Rhinos rugby club as well as a respected member of the community.

But Efoti recently had to make an emotional return to his home after Hurricane Ian destroyed the majority of the village.

Lotofoa, a village of just over 400 people, was left decimated with half of the houses, churches and halls destroyed while the rest were all damaged.

The pain in the village goes deeper than just nowhere to live as most of the crops grown by the villagers were wiped out, meaning all residents must rely on aid until new crops mature, which can take up to three months.

Efoti, a builder by trade, and Rhinos teammate Sam Mcleod, also a builder, as well another friend of theirs who is a welder, made the trip to initially rebuild Bruno's parents' home and then help out other members of the village during the month they plan to stay there.

Hurricane Ian struck the Tongan islands on January 12 with a force rarely seen before and all four islands were affected.

The Royal New Zealand Airforce initially provided medical kits and urgent supplies while the Dubbo Rhinos have been doing fundraising of their own in order to help Efoti buy building supplies and ship supplies from the main island to Lotofoa.

Efoti originally flew to Tonga shortly after the hurricane struck to assess the damage and returned to Dubbo to show locals here photos of the devastation.

While the effects of the disaster may be small by global standards, its effects will continue to be felt by the villagers for months to come.

The Rhinos are continuing fundraising to assist the Efoti family and the people of Lotofoa and anyone willing to help out can donate to the account P and J Efoti, Westpac Bank, BSB 032646, account number 399547.

Everyone at the Rhinos and the wider Dubbo community wish Bruno, Sam and the people of Lotofoa all the very best.