But what Ballarat – and more so its residents – should really be proud of is its ability to rally when the chips are down.

Whether it’s rolling up their sleeves to pitch in to help flood and fire victims, or putting on their running shoes to raise money for a good cause, the people of Ballarat are there for others in need.

And they don’t just stop at one good cause ... they just keep on giving and then they’ll give some more.

While Ballarat has a population of some 100,000 and growing, the city and its surrounds still have that country town feel.  It feels like you’re either related to someone, went to school with someone or played footy or tennis against them.

But it doesn’t matter if Ballarat people don’t know them at all; if they see someone in trouble, struggling, there is always someone there with an outstretched hand.

The latest outpouring of goodwill came this week after The Courier published the heartbreaking story of a young Ballarat mum’s dying wish to have her backyard renovations finished for her husband and children.

Just three weeks ago, Belinda Scott, 28, was told by doctors she had two months to live after being diagnosed with stage-four bowel and liver cancer a year ago.

Her husband Ben has taken unpaid leave to be by Belinda’s side and to look after their two boys, Harvey, 8, and Archie, 4.

While the brave young mum is determined to fight the cancer, her dying wish is to have the alfresco area finished at the family’s home in Ballarat North.

After her best friend turned to social media to find people to help finish the job and the story was published in print, online and aired on local radio, the family has been inundated with offers to help ... many of them from complete strangers.

In just a few short hours, thousands of dollars in cash, electrical goods, plants, paint and in-kind work flooded in for the Scott family.

Many of these offers have come  from people who have never met the family but felt compelled to help.

Good on you, Ballarat, and keep up the fantastic work.