Mrs Mahalm is no stranger to the festival, but the quest itself is not something she has been involved in before.

It was a simple as a scroll through her social media feed to spark her interest.

"I was looking on Facebook and saw they were looking for ambassadors," Mrs Mahalm said.

"That's where I got the idea from to take part."

She then went to both her husband and her children to see if it would be something they would support her in and the answer was a resounding "yes" all round.

From there, Mrs Mahalm decided to throw herself into the quest and give it her best shot.

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She has chosen the Leeton RSL Sub-branch and her committee is Leeton Steel Retail, made up of owners Craig and Colleen Willis, who are no strangers to fundraising. Other community members also make up her team.

Mrs Mahalm's husband has spent 19 years serving with Australia's armed forces, firstly with the Army and then the Air Force.

She said she had seen first hand the toll it takes on someone who has been part of the military for a long time, so the RSL Sub-branch was the perfect fit when it came to choosing a charity.

"They do a lot of work to help veterans (of all ages) ... I just wanted to be able to give back to an organisation that has helped so many people, us included," Mrs Mahalm said.

"Giving back to the community is the whole idea behind taking part. I'm looking forward to the challenge of it."

Mrs Mahalm has been on the front foot with her fundraising, already hosting stalls at Light Up Leeton, the Leeton Farmers Markets and Yanco markets, as well as selling tickets for raffles and her "grand in the hand" initiative.

Her calendar is already filling up thanks to a ladies pamper day on January 11, charity bingo on January 16 and a show with hypnotist Greg Hudson on February 8.

"We've got other events in the works as well, such as a movie night at the town ovals, so hopefully everyone can support us where they can," Mrs Mahalm said.

Growing up in Leeton, the SunRice Festival is an integral part of being part of the community and Mrs Mahalm said that's what kept her coming back every second year.

"The parade, as everyone has said, is my favourite ... just seeing all of those people," she said.

"Now that I have kids of my own, it's great for them to be part of it too. I think it's just a great event that everyone can be involved in and enjoy."

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