The NSW Blues coach joined NRL legends Danny Buderus, Steve Menzies and Nathan Hindmarsh who lent a hand in resurfacing a local football ground as part of the 2018 NSWRL Hogs For The Homeless tour.

The tour brought hundreds of community members of all ages and backgrounds together as they rallied to lay 13,500m2 of turf on the playing ground at Kennard Park. 

The Hogs crew were also assisted by the NSW Koori Under 16 side as part of a unique build-up to their Charity Shield curtain-raiser this weekend in Mudgee. 

The project involved dozens of local volunteers, four semi-trailers of turf and a number of council tipper trucks. Everything will be donated - including goal posts, grass and sprinklers – at no cost to the local clubs.

It was a mammoth effort by all involved as they worked to beat a record time of one hour, 27 minutes set in Walgett last year. 

They were assisted by the Evergreen team who guided the public as they laid the $80,000 worth of donated turf. 

Evergreen operations manager, Mark Warwick, said Evergreen employees have worked throughout the week to prepare the field for the day which involved removing the grass, laser leveling and organising turf.

He said assisting rural communities to supply quality playing fields through the Hogs for the Homeless initiative was one the company – headed by Graham Colless – is proud to be a part of.

Fittler said it was an awesome turnout, particularly from the younger community members who will benefit from the upgrades at the oval.

“It’s awesome, every kid out here is dirty, well most of them,” he said.

The tour takes the Hogs for the Homeless group to 16 regional towns over 10 days to raise funds for Father Chris Riley’s Youth off the Streets initiative.

Fr Riley said it is community support as displayed at Wellington on Thursday which keeps the Youth off the Streets program afloat. 

“That’s our bread and butter,” he said.

“We get very little government funding but keep remaining open because the community believe in what we do.”

Fr Riley said he is currently looking at Wellington to establish a permanent youth centre.

“I will commit $150,000 to set up a youth centre in Wellington if council and the state government do the same,” he said.

The 2018 Hogs for the Homeless tour includes clinics in Glen Innes, Lennox Head and Queanbeyan, attending tournaments in Uralla and Leeton, and a visit to a school for children with disabilities in Tumut .