A fleet of NRMA mechanics are soon to roll into Lightning Ridge, offering their free services to local farmers with a long list of jobs on their chore list. 

As part of the Outback Links program, bush charity Frontier Services and NRMA volunteers are taking their second trip to Lightning Ridge to lighten the load.

“On a lot of properties we find there’s such an overwhelming list of things to do, and not really ever enough time to get through them,” Frontier Services spokesperson Justin Ackland said. 

Mr Ackland said that while there isn’t a lack of local, quality mechanics, the volunteer service is about helping farmers get to the jobs that are always pushed to the end of the list. 

“It’s also just the psychological element of having to go out and organise it.”

“When you go to somebody’s door and offer the assistance and basically sort out everything for them, it just removes that barrier,” Mr Ackland said. 

After Frontier Bush Chaplain Noel Williams identified a potential need for the service, the Frontier Services team originally set out to Walgett to scope what assistance they could offer.. 

“There were residents in Lightning Ridge who were very receptive to receiving support again from the NRMA…that was particularly due to the positive experience of similar support at the height of the drought back in 2016,” Mr Ackman said.

On 30 October, up to 16 volunteers will make the trip to Lightning Ridge to offer their services to recipients they identified on the first trip, where they prepared a ‘to-do’ lists of tasks they can assist with.

The services are also designed to provide companionship for people in isolated areas. (Supplied)

In addition to mechanical services, the trip is aimed at being a ‘launch pad’ for further assistance to people in isolated areas.

“People need that support for different reasons.”

“It might be for just addressing the overwhelming pile of practical tasks that there is, or it might just be having the presence of people there when they’re enduring pretty prolonged isolation.”

Frontier’s Paul Deverell said that despite their services, local mechanics shouldn’t be alarmed about a loss of business. 

“Some of the vehicles aren’t road-worthy and the farmer would be unable to get that vehicle into a mechanical workshop,” Mr Deverell said. 

“We are generally going to be offering Mechanical support for jobs that are needed and to be completed but lower down the priority list for that particular farmer.”

While the to-do list is already set for the upcoming trip, Frontier is encouraging locals and people further afield who require assistance to reach out to their services for other forms of support.