The touching story of boys saved from falling through the cracks and the revolutionary program that helped them avoid jail time reached many hearts on Saturday.
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Over 300 people were enthralled by a screening of BackTrack Boys at the Inverell Racecourse, raising $4500 to fund BackTrack working crews to assist with the Tingha Plateau bush fire clean up and recovery.
"Best night I've had in 10 years," Andrew Simpson said.
"Exceptional example of village and company coming together."
BackTrack Youth Works, led by Armidale jackaroo Bernie Shakeshaft, pairs troubled young people with dogs that they develop deep bonds with and train for various dog jumping competitions. Boasting an impressive 87 per cent success rate of participants leaving with full time education, training or employment, it has helped over 1000 youth at risk.
The film followed three BackTrack boys on their journeys, exploring their difficult backgrounds and their discovery and pursuit of their dreams through the program.
"I think everybody should watch it, absolutely fabulous," Jane Marshall said.
Linda Tighe was inspired by how the boys responded to the dogs' "unconditional love", and Nick Barton said the program deserved more funding.
One Armidale local said they felt "enlightened" by the documentary, and better understood the difficulties many faced in their upbringing.
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"You don't realise the cards you have been dealt with. We have nothing to whinge or moan about," Pam McGilvray said.
Attendees were also treated to dog handling display from the BackTrack Dog Jump Crew, commentated by BackTrack mentor Paul Dawson.
Farmer Glenn Morris was inspired by Paul and Bernie's efforts.
"This good organisation has grown to become a great organisation only because of the good people and the growing team," he said.
"You can see in the film Bernie’s amazing connection with the boys and how he is able to connect to the boys at their level. Bernie’s connection with the boys may be the first gentle connection these boys have had. It helps them to realise they don’t need to be so tough." He said the dogs were key to helping the boys develop their sensitive side, and gave "everything" to them.
Rowan and Jane O'Brien, who organised the event as a thank you to BackTrack for helping their son Paddy find his path, were humbled by the community's support.
"We were especially honoured to be able to expose such an eclectic crowd from all walks of life to what Backtrack Youth Works are doing for those who are often written off or fall through the cracks," they said in a joint statement. They thanked the generosity of several organisations and individuals who helped get the event off the ground.
Anyone who saw the film but did not complete an evaluation form is invited to help measure and evaluate the impact of the film by completing the online survey, available here.
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