The tables were again laden with the community's generosity, the Ooshies charity auction had been a huge hit, and our "guardian angels" from Berowra were again offering up their courier services to drive the load over to Tamworth.

And then Friday came like a wrecking ball.

Our own 'salt of the earth', who'd given openly to the cause without a second thought were now the ones in need...homeless, possessionless, even shoeless in some cases.

So the decision was made that all donations would be kept in the Valley for our own.

"Charity starts at home," RSL CEO Wendy Mills said.

Within hours of the Club publishing a callout for help over Facebook, over 130,000 people had responded, many with offers of donations.

There were donations piled up on the doorstop from 7.10am the very next morning. And the number of willing volunteers made it impossible to walk through the foyer.

People were bringing in trays of home-baked goodies, and armfuls of clothes from their wardrobes.

Local businesses, too, answered the call: Woolworths and IGA donated water and crates of fruit; Nambucca Care and Wear donated food packs; Nambucca Plaza Bakery and Nambucca Hot Bake have been donating fresh bread, cakes and sausage rolls daily.

The volunteers, led by our trusty Lions, assembled the goodies into snack packs to take out to the South Arm base camp for all our hard-working emergency services crews, and to the Bowra Evacuation Centre.

Our local producers - North Arm Farms and Nambucca Valley Aquaponics - donated produce and spent hours preparing hundreds of hot meals to take out to those in need.

Food, drink, ice and fuel for the generators were also sent posthaste to Taylors Arm once the community heard about their situation.

And Mid Coast Trucks helped deliver 50-odd mattresses and cots from the Stuarts Point Convention Centre which are on stand-by at the RSL to accommodate anyone in need of a place to rest their head.

"Even if people don't want to stay, we're always open for a cup of tea, a kind ear and a hug," Wendy said.

Plus Sue Ellen Wilkin from 'Doing It For Our Farmers' in Tamworth heard about the Valley's plight and arranged for one of the country's largest food distributors to donate a semi-trailer load of food to arrive in the next few days.

"One good turn deserves another. She said 'well you guys have done so much for us, we wanted to do something for you'," Wendy said.

Over the past few days so many donated items have come into the RSL, that they've now needed to house some of them in the NRMA building opposite.

And residents have been coming in to offer their spare rooms to anyone who'd like a home away from home. A register of names and phone numbers has been collated at the Club.

And the goodwill is being very gratefully received.

The RSL is holding their charity golf day this Sunday, November 17.

The event is a 4-person Ambrose with a team registration fee of $100 which includes a sausage sizzle lunch.

Tee off is at 9am, but the Nambucca Lions will be whipping up some of their famous bacon and egg rolls for brekky from 8am.

There'll be plenty of course prizes to be won and there'll also be a mega raffle drawn on the day.

One hundred per cent of the money raised from the team registration fee, and the raffles will go towards those in our Valley who need help to rebuild their lives.

It's not too late to enter a team - tickets can be purchased from the front reception of the RSL Club, or by calling 6568 - 6288.

More sponsors are also welcome with different packages available.

And if you're not a golfer, feel free to be part of the day by heading on down for a bacon and egg roll, or a sausage sarnie for a donation, and buy a raffle ticket while you're at it.

Kian Rd fire back to Watch and Act

World Rally cancelled