DOT Compt swings her two year old granddaughter onto her hip for a cuddle. It is the right of every doting grandmother but this is a miracle for Dot and it would never have happened without the extraordinary generosity of the people of Molong, the tiny central tablelands town 300 kilometres west of Sydney.

Without the deep pockets and big hearts of the 2000 townsfolk, Mrs Compt would be in a nursing home by now: speechless, unable to eat and ‘locked in’ by central line tremor, a Parkinson’s-like affliction.

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“It was shutting me down, I couldn’t talk. I would have ended up in a nursing home and I would have known everything but I would have been locked in,” the 64-year-old said.

media_camera Local Molong residents have raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for those in need of medical help. Rozzi Smith, Michelle Gianisis, Mark Van Fossen, Kim Ramsey and Paula Rudd are just some of the locals helping out.

Instead, the townsfolk held a ‘Dotty Day’ at the footy field with music and raffles and produced a CD called Music For Dotty, $15 a pop — and they raised $27,000 to send Mrs Compt to Melbourne for a nine-hour operation involving deep brain stimulation, a treatment some Molong residents had seen on a 60 Minutes story.

“It worked instantly,” Mrs Compt said. “(The next morning) I was sitting in my hospital bed holding a cup of tea waiting for my family to walk in and see me.

“I wouldn’t have been able to nurse my grandchild and now I can,” she said.

Molong has raised more than $1 million in the past decade for anyone in the town who falls ill.

The town looks average: a top pub, a bottom pub and a Chinese restaurant that sells steak and chips.

But for families like the Fulwoods, it is anything but ordinary.

media_camera Katie Fulwood beat leukaemia after also benefitting from Molong fundraising in her honour.

The same week Molong father Jed Fulwood lost his job, his four-year-old daughter Katie was diagnosed with leukaemia.

Katie and her mother Nic left immediately for the Children’s Hospital at Westmead, leaving Mr Fulwood at home with three older daughters — and then Molong got busy.

Kate McCumstie, who works at the newsagent, staged a fundraiser at the bowls club, with auctions, jumping castles and chocolate wheels. Local lady Paula Rudd even shaved her head for Katie — and they raised $30,000 to help the Fulwoods get through Katie’s three months of chemotherapy and two years of follow-up treatment before she got the all-clear. .

“It was just amazing, we had no expectations so for the town to do that and help us out, it paid our mortgage and the travel that we had to do for two years after back to Sydney every week,” Mrs Fulwood, 40, said.

media_camera Molong... where that traditional country town spirit lives on.

“It was the difference between putting the house up for sale, which we would have done, or not,” Mr Fulwood, 43, said.

Mrs Fulwood was so inspired by the nurses she met during Katie’s treatment that she has become a nurse herself. Mr Fulwood got other work but then he got a lucrative job offer in Dunedoo which they had to knock back.

“How could we leave? We owe this town so much,” Mrs Fulwood said. “After Katie got well, we still had $10,000 left in the account so we donated to Ronald McDonald house from the people of Molong.”

By far Molong’s most spectacular fundraising achievement saved the life of Elle Middleton. At age 20, Elle was told her inoperable brain tumour was going to kill her.

media_camera Vicki Middleton pictured with her 25-year-old daughter Elle, who was rendered completely disabled after a brain tumor removal five years ago. She now needs around the clock care from her mum.

Neurosurgeon Charlie Teo said he could do surgery, but it risked leaving Elle in a wheelchair, and would cost $80,000.

Elle wanted to go ahead, and the fundraising began: local real estate agent Kim Ramsey shaved her long dark locks off.

“I said I’ll raise $10,000 by the end of the day, then I shaved my head and had $30,000 by day’s end and then it just went out of control, we closed the street, had bands, the two pulled together and after six weeks we raised $160,000,” Ms Ramsey said

It was enough for the operation, modifications to the family home and a car to carry Elle’s wheelchair.

media_camera Molong doctor Robin Williams has seen first-hand what the locals can do when they set their minds to helping someone in need.

On the car’s bumper is a ‘thank you’ sign.

“You don’t want handouts,” said Elle’s mum Vicky, “but we would never have been able to survive without it. How do you say thank you for that? There is just really good people out here.”

Now it’s Rebecca Treacy’s turn. The 23 year old is currently in Sydney with her mum Lyn battling leukaemia. The town has raised $12,500 so far to help out. Rebecca’s father Mark van Fossen is humbled.

“I was too proud to ask for help, but I didn’t have to,” Mr van Fossen said.