LEETON'S Ambassador Quest entrants may not have received the public celebration of their hard work they deserved, but the real reason behind their efforts is being rewarded.
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The coronavirus pandemic meant the official crowning of the Highest Fundraising Ambassador and Ambassador had to be done over a zoom meeting instead of the traditional public event on Easter Saturday.
While disappointing, the entrants have said they were never taking part for the recognition, rather to help their community.
With that in mind, it was an exciting day recently for quest entrant Belinda Mahalm when she presented her charity - the Leeton RSL Sub-branch - with a cheque for close to $10,000.
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"It feels great to be able to hand the money over ... it's an awesome feeling," she said.
"I didn't really set a fundraising target, so I thought whatever I could do would be appreciated.
"It was a lot of hard work by not just me, but my committee and the sub-branch members."
The money will be used by the sub-branch to help Leeton shire's returned servicemen and women.
"We'll be able to provide a lot more welfare-based activities ... it's also for the members too," she said.
"It's going to help veterans and the community a lot."
While the money was certainly a welcome boost, there was another benefit of having Mrs Mahalm get involved.
Mrs Mahalm's husband, Luke, is a veteran and Leeton RSL Sub-branch president Peter Williams said the pair had injected new life into the organisation.
Mr Mahalm is now part of the organisation's executive and Mrs Mahalm said it had been an honour to help fundraise for such an important cause.
"They've really helped our members become motivated again and to get out there a bit more," Mr Williams said.
"It's been a really great time for everyone."
