Many hands make light work.
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In April, when a man drove a tractor around the Dunedoo Golf Course ploughing up the ground underneath, some in the community were moved to tears.
But now, less than two months later, the ground has been restored thanks to a dedicated community and a lot of hard work.
This week, hundreds of volunteers helped roll out nearly 40,000 square metres of turf at the club. From go to whoa, the restoration took about a week, with the actual laying of turf taking place over three long days.
"It was a massive task. And everyone in the community that helped was was all part of it. And yeah, it was great to see," Dunedoo Golf Club president Mark Gallagher said.
The turf was donated by Western Sydney business, Dad and Dave's Turf owned by Graeme Colless.
"He [Graeme] came forward and organised it all. Organised all the turf farms like red turf, all from Western Sydney. And we had four or six b-doubles out of Brisbane, where there was 40,000 square miles, the turf laid by volunteers," Mark said.
"I just want to thank everyone, just on behalf of the sports club, really. The job they done to put our golf course back together. It's - I don't know - it was a very overwhelming experience for myself. And everyone really.
"To see everyone just get in and get the job done with the weather we had and what not. It was wonderful."
The man with the turf
Graeme Colless is no stranger to the area. Having grown up in Come By Chance near Walgett and spending time in Dunedoo before, he said he heard the news on the radio one afternoon and knew he had to do something.
After a few phone calls with mate Ray Hadley and a bit of organising with other turf providers, the grass was on its way. "We went out there and we had the time of our lives. It was unbelievable," Graeme said.
"I can't speak highly enough of Mark Gallagher and... the whole crew there, they made us feel like we're one of them. The hospitality just blew everyone away.
"We had Jess Holland singing one Thursday night. There were a few sore heads on Friday morning but we got another 6,000 metres laid."
Graeme said he knows the power of a community in the bush. "It's a good [thing] for the community - that's what the bush is lacking. Coming from the bush I know how hard it was growing up," he said.
"That's what I said to the boys, I said 'out of a negative came a positive'. We're good mates and we got it all done - probably better than what it was and we're all gonna go back for that Tunes on the Grass. We had such a good time out there with them."
Mark said the course should be good to play on again after the winter, so punters shouldn't have to wait too long to hit the links.
The man who caused the destruction is still before the courts.
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