About 80 volunteers all the way from Sydney descended upon Echuca on Monday, July 7 as part of the Big Lift program.
The annual program provides University of Technology Sydney students, and a few other students from other universities, the chance to give back to regional communities who need a helping hand.
Over the nine-day trip, the students will stop in one town per day, arriving in each town just before dinner time to eat and rest before spending their mornings doing volunteer work.
This year, the Big Lift group is stopping in towns such as Echuca on their way down to Melbourne, to help community groups such as the Crossenvale Community House.
TBL crew leader Amelia Kraszewski said they had been doing a range of different jobs, depending on what each community needs.
“This is my second year doing it... there's nothing like it. Everyone is just so welcoming, and just so keen to give back,” she said.
“(We do) any sort of unskilled labour... like gardening, painting, sometimes it's cleaning mud off walls or like weeding and tree planting.
“Yesterday, we were out of town, we planted like 800 trees on like a farm. It’s just really whatever the community needs.”
In Echuca, TBL helped the Crossenvale Community House relocate their garden and do some painting.
Crossenvale house manager Rob Foran said the help from the students felt like a dream come true.
“I couldn't believe it when Amelia sent me the email... You know, it's a bit of a dream really,” he said.
“They've been such hard workers and anything that's gone wrong this morning, they've been able to fix quickly.
“They’re the most grateful young group of people.”
While the extra hands lessened the workload for Crossenvale, participants were just as grateful for the opportunity.
Another crew leader, Madhav Iyer said participating in TBL for the first time last year was a life-changing experience.
“I think the last trip was the most life-changing moment in my whole life,” he said.
“(I’ve had) chats with townspeople, where I was like, ‘I'm about to bawl my eyes out’ because of how special and how amazing and how welcoming they make you feel... simply because you've travelled a little bit to do a little bit of work.
“That feeling of community, that most of these guys lack in the city, in the suburbs... it's just so inspiring.”
After volunteering with the Crossenvale Community House in the morning, the students packed up and set off to their next location.