Members from the Rotary Club of Bowral-Mittagong catered for a weekend retreat for the Australian First Responders Foundation (AFRF) in Penrose last week.

There were 16 first responder volunteers from the State Emergency Services (SES), Rural Fire Service (RFS), St John's Ambulance and Marine Rescue NSW at the retreat from November 4 to 6.

Rotary Club of Bowral-Mittagong fundraising director Brian Ritson said it was good to be back in the community.

"It feels great, that is what Rotary's all about, is working with the community and just assisting wherever we can," he said.

Related: COVID-19 won't stop a Southern Highlands Rotary Club from helping the community

"We had a full list of volunteers who travelled out there every day on 22 shifts, and we ended up doing 122 hours in total over the weekend."

The retreat was scheduled for August but got moved due to lockdown.

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"All of these people have had exposure in front line jobs to challenging events like the 2019 - 2020 fires, flash floods at Port Macquarie and just everyday work to be honest," said AFRF director and chair of the board Wade Norrie.

The educational retreat is the "first of its kind in Australia" and gives first responders the opportunity to "reconnect, reframe and reset" through different activities.

"It went fantastically well, it met our expectations and more," Mr Norrie said.

"Having Rotary support us the way they did was outstanding."

Rotarians will also provide catering for the retreat this weekend.

Other businesses in the Highlands also made a contribution and helped the club put on the catering.

Samuel Gee Pies in Braemar donated all the cakes and desserts, pizzas were supplied by Doughboy Pizzas from Randwick, Woolworths Mittagong provided a discount on groceries and food was also cooked at the Mittagong RSL.

"The community's coming together to help these people because they've certainly done a lot for our community," Mr Ritson said.

"So it's a bit of a way to help them out and make a smile on their face."

The AFRF was founded in the Illawarra in 2019 with the goal to reduce mental health issues and support first responders across Australia.

The not-for-profit organisation's founder and director Louise Murphy analysed how peer support programs could help first responders as part of her fellowship with The Winston Churchill Memorial of Trust.

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