Macksville prepares for Hughes' final homecoming

As you enter the New South Wales town of Macksville, halfway between Sydney and Brisbane, you will see a welcome board that says "Population: 7000". That's not true, though. Those who are from around here will tell you that 7000 is the population of the whole "locality"; the town is barely 3000 strong. Come Wednesday, though, and they might have about twice the size of their population visiting the town for the funeral of Phillip Hughes.

Channel Nine, Fox and ABC will broadcast the funeral live. Media from all over Australia, and even a few cricket journalists from India, will descend. Hughes' death has been an incident big enough to have pushed back the SCG's New Year's Test by three days.

Norma, who works at Macksville Primary School and who went to high school with Hughes' mother Virginia, says the town is getting way too much attention for their liking. The next few days are going to be tough for everyone in the town, she says. Macksville is most known for the Taylors Arm hotel, widely believed to be the subject of the Slim Dusty song, "Pub With No Beer", ranked No. 5 by the Australasian Performing Rights Association on the list of the best Australian songs of all time. The town hasn't been in such focus since the death of another Australian hero, Frank Partridge VC, a decorated solider from World War II, in 1964. High-profile visitors, though, have already started streaming in.

On Monday evening, the Star Hotel by the Nambucca River had among its patrons Australia captain Michael Clarke, former Test legspinner Stuart MacGill and Hughes' father, Greg. Over the last few days Clarke has made it clear that his priority is helping the Hughes family come to terms with the loss. It is not yet clear if he will be available for even the rescheduled first Test of the series, starting on December 9 in Adelaide. Clarke, MacGill and Greg Hughes down a quiet beer at the Star Hotel, and the other visitors just let them be. It's possible they wouldn't have drawn attention anyway: quite a few of the regulars here haven't ever been out of town.

Hughes has left imprints all over this small town. Everybody knew him here. Star Hotel's chef was a good mate of his. Just up the road, Macksville Ex-Serviceman Club is busy preparing for the funeral. When almost every adult in the town had been worn out bowling to Hughes, this club had arranged a fund-raiser to buy a bowling machine for him. His first school, Macksville Primary, has a tribute message outside, and Macksville High is getting ready for the funeral on Wednesday.

Further down from Macksville High, on Boundary Street, the Hughes home is still receiving flowers. It is a lane of elegant houses with a huge open field and no partitions in the back. That is ample space for a kid to knock about with a ball and learn any sport. A game of front-yard cricket is going on a few blocks from his house. What looks like the big brother is telling the little kid he has reached 50 and he can retire, and the young one says, "I haven't yet reached Phillip's score."

You approach Taylors Arm, making a right at the water tank, and you see the farm Hughes recently bought. It is named 408, after the number of his baggy green cap. You look at these green open spaces and friendly people, and are instantly reminded of Hughes' answer to the question of where he liked to be while not playing cricket. He said he loved to get back to the farm, with his family, his home. You can see why. On Wednesday Phillip Hughes will come back home.