When the army trucks rolled into town on Tuesday, they caused a few curious looks among the people of Robertson.
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On board were 18 members of the 7RAR regiment from RAAF Base Edinburgh in Adelaide, ready and willing to help clean up after the bush fires.
And thanks to an old connection between one of the soldiers and the town butcher, Daryl Veivers, they ended up ensconced in the old Scout Hall (now the headquarters of the Diggers Motorcycle Club) in the middle of town, and fed by grateful locals.
"We didn't expect anything that we've got - everyone's been fantastic," said Private Jimmy Frier, who was previously a butcher and spent six months working with Daryl.
When his regiment was deployed to help Wingecarribee Council with the clean up, he got in touch with Daryl to find a spot to bunk down at night.
But the town had better to offer, with an outpouring of generosity prompted by their thanks.
The Robertson Public House opened their doors for a free feed on the first night, then the Robertson Bowling Club took a turn on Wednesday.
Thursday night was a community barbecue, with meat supplied by Daryl, of course, and other food brought along by people in the town.
Moonacres Cafe has been pumping them full of fresh coffee each morning, while a member of the Robertson RFS, Ange Clarke, turned up with a full cooked breakfast.
"They're doing a wonderful job supporting our towns," said Ange, who only joined the RFS herself in the last few weeks as a response to the bush fire crisis. "We're just so glad they're here."
The soldiers themselves were very keen to get involved. Having been deployed originally to Nowra's HMAS Albatross, they found themselves at a loose end.
"We are a quick response team, helping with evacuations and so on, and things had quietened down," said Private Frier. "So for us to get up here and get stuck in has been great."