What could have been one of the worst weeks of Orange mother Monique Mann's life has instead been a reminder of the strength of the city's community.
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Days after her car was stolen from her driveway on Tuesday night and found burned out on Leeds Parade on Wednesday, Ms Mann's friends and football club have rallied around her.
On Tuesday night after getting home from football training with the Orange Tigers, she'd left her boots and gear in the car to put her two kids - aged six and 10 - to bed.
"At some point I heard a burnout, which I guess would have been my car but didn't think anything of it," she said.
When she came back outside after 10pm, she noticed her keys were gone and her dog Cleo was sniffing around like she'd smelt something - or someone.
"I had a sinking feeling," she said.
"I thought I better call Cleo, but she was in the shed, in-and-out and then she went pretty crazy and I thought 'oh god, where's my car?'."
She told police and put a status up on Facebook asking for anyone with information to help her get the car back, but admitted she knew with Orange's history of car fires it wasn't likely to return.
I can't believe how generous and thoughtful people can be.
- Monique Mann
"Then someone showed me a photo of my poor little car the next morning," she said.
"I cried ... the poor little car. It made me feel really sad, really sick - really angry once I had my little cry."
However, she didn't get to dwell on the fact her car had been torched along with cleaning supplies used in her business, a car seat, and - just days out from the first game of the season - her footy boots.
"I was really peeved about that because I'd just worn them in and they were feeling really good and they were feeling nice and flexible," she said of the boots.
However, at training for her son Darcy the next night, teammate Hannah Burrows spun her around and told her she had a surprise for her - new boots.
"I opened it up and I just cried, oh god, I can't believe how generous and thoughtful people can be," she said.
"It's absolutely the difference between a shit situation and a really awesome act of kindness.
"She didn't have to do that and neither did they, I can't thank her enough."
Ms Burrows said getting her a new pair of boots was the least she could have done, and thanked Sportspower for donating them.
"I saw Mon's status on Facebook and it hit home a bit, a week out from footy you can't not have footy boots and thought this can't be a reason for her not taking the field," she said.
"Sportspower Orange, they very kindly donated a pair of boots.
"It's just amazing local businesses are going through a lot at the moment and they're still coming to the forefront."
She said the past four months had been hard for everyone - herself included - and it was a way of 'paying it forward'.
"It was such a small thing in my mind," Ms Burrows said.
It's made all the difference to Ms Mann, too - while she and the Tigers didn't win on Saturday she was able to run out there in new boots, but not only that, it's made what could have been a hard week a reminder of the good still in Orange.
"It might have made me pissed off and angry but the influx of love and help and support and kindness has just totally outweighed the shitty thing that happened," Ms Mann said.
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