sport, local-sport,

He might be based a long way from home these days but on Tuesday Ned Hanigan joined his NSW Waratahs teammates to show the bush is not far from everyone's mind. Hanigan, some of his Super Rugby teammates, and staff from the Macquarie Group donned their cowboy hats and delighted commuters by performing a morning boot scoot during a busy Sydney morning. It was all part of the Dance for the Drought, a campaign which has collected $100,000 for mental health education in the bush. Coonamble product Hanigan, who has just finished up a National Rugby Championship campaign with the NSW Country Eagles, was all too happy to help out. "The main thing is to let blokes out in the bush know that we know they are still out there doing it tough, we're not forgetting about them," Hanigan said. "I've just come home from a week there and it's a bit dry but they're purging on regardless. "This sort of stuff is just something that gets a bit of awareness out there and makes them feel as though we're not getting lost in the riff raff." Money raised from Dance For The Drought will support the work of the NSW Positive Rugby Foundation and youth mental health organisation batyr, which have joined together to deliver the 'Get Talkin' Tour' - an initiative that provides drought-affected communities with tools and skills to look out for their own wellbeing and that of their mates. A number of high-profile players took part in last year's 'Get Talkin' Tour' and Dubbo was one of the stops.

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