Mr Hodge moved to the city in the middle of 2021 to take up a role as director of Canobolas Rural Technology High School's Clontarf Foundation, which looks to improve the education, discipline, life skills, self-esteem and employment prospects of young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children.

"We did a lot of stuff with the primary schools in town where we took our boys down there and helped run some activities," he said of his work at Canobolas.

"It was a chance for our boys to develop some leadership skills, give back to the community and a chance for those primary school kids to engage with our program and have a bit of fun.

"The boys that we worked with (at Canobolas), it was pretty awesome see the impact that we had and the impact you can make when you show that you do care about them and about the town."

Now, Mr Hodge has moved back home to Cairns where he will be in charge of shaping the lives of nearly 200 Indigenous children as a director within Clontarf.

"I grew up (in Cairns) and most of my mates were Indigenous boys. It was kind of sad growing up as less and less were staying towards the backend of school. I just know that if we had these kinds of programs when I was going to school, a lot of my mates would be doing a lot better now," he said.

"We run a lot of good programs to help them stay engaged in school. To see how excited they get and the responses we get from families as well, to get that feeling while at work is unreal."

But it won't just be his work in schools that will have him remembered.

As a member of the Orange City Rugby Club, Mr Hodge may not have enjoyed the success on the field that he would have liked, but the bonds he formed certainly left a mark.

"I moved down to Orange not knowing anyone and not even really knowing where Orange was," he said.

"Joining a footy club was one of the first things on my list to do. I went down to a training session and everyone got around me. I had some of the ladies asking if I had enough cutlery for my kitchen, whether I had enough linen and that kind of stuff.

"It was only 18 months, but it was pretty overwhelming to see how in such a short time, the way that the school community, the rugby club and community in general wrapped themselves around me. It felt like I'd been there for years. Leaving was a lot tougher than I expected it to be."

The city might not have seen the last of him yet though, with Mr Hodge indicating he'd do everything in his power to make a return in 2023 to help celebrate Orange City's 50^th year celebrations.