THE new head of Aussie Helpers plans to tour the region in October for a true picture of the drought's impact, after having taken on the role in July.
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But in the meantime, Natasha Kocks said, locals needing drought help could be assured it was there to stay.
The Gunnedah shopfront is now permanently staffed by Peter Fanning, formerly a volunteer, and he's been travelling the region distributing supplies to landholders.
In recent months, Aussie Helpers' former chief executive Brian Egan was hospitalised for several weeks, reportedly suffering from brain seizures.
That has forced him and wife Nerida to retire from the rural charity.
Ms Kocks, Mr Egan's daughter, received the board's vote in July to take on the role, picking up where he had left off.
"It's been challenging, obviously, but I'm just trying to continue doing the great work that Dad had set up over 17 years," she said.
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"We will introduce new initiatives and update our processes, but we don't want to lose the personal touch we've always had with the rural community; we want to keep that on board ...
"I plan on being back in October ... it just gives you a better idea of what's happening on the ground.
"Someone can tell you what's happening but, unless you see it, you don't really understand."
Mr Fanning has been based in Gunnedah for almost a year and said the area was hanging in there through the big dry.
He was trying to "spread [him]self around a bit" to provide help to places that were in more trouble.
On Wednesday morning he was in Barraba, giving out 40 shuttles of Suplabase, a protein source for cattle described as molasses without the sugar; plus a small amount of groceries and even some Akubra hats.
"I'll have two road trains going to Narrabri, which I'm hoping will be next week, with hay from Echuca in Victoria," he said.
Mr Fanning said some of the currently hardest-hit places included Barraba and Bingara - "It's just dirt up there" - but any reprieve was on a knife's edge.
"You drive around here and the dams are full, and it seems like they're going to survive OK - but then again, in a month's time if it gets hot, it's just going to turn terrible as well."