WE’D been told it was coming for the past two weeks, but after months of relentlessly clear skies and a few false starts many were sceptical the rain would arrive.
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But come it did, and while not everyone got the widespread few inches that were forecast, it’s been enough to put a smile on the face of many farmers – at least in the short term.
Something similar in the not-too-distant-future would be the icing on the cake.
For Agquip, which starts today, a bit of mud is just what the doctor ordered – rain equals optimism equals a greater likelihood of spending money.
It’s a winning formula for the southern hemisphere’s largest agricultural field days event, and the flow-on effect to the region can’t be ignored either.
With 100,000-plus visitors and hundreds of exhibitors, the money injected into Gunnedah from the event is calculated at about $10 million, with another $5 million into surrounding areas.
It’s grown again this year, too, in terms of exhibitor numbers and its importance on the regional event calendar cannot be underestimated.
While the rain has been an important injection into our agricultural fortunes, its hasn’t had the same impact on our plummeting water storages.
The weekend rain didn’t have much impact on the level in Chaffey Dam, which still sits below 36 per cent and as of yesterday was just 0.8 per cent off triggering harsher Level 3 restrictions around the Tamworth area.
So, we can’t let the rain fool us
city-dwellers. With the warmer months not far off, we are still in a precarious position in terms of our water supply and can’t let an inch or two of rain distract us from the water-saving techniques we should all be using.
Soon it may be buckets only on our lawns and gardens, but a little way down the track that could be the least of our worries.
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NEWS of an upgrade to the parking at Tamworth airport is good news for a city that wants to grow and prosper in the next decade and beyond.
The parking for airport users has been an issue for some time and anyone who’s tried to find a spot, particularly at peak times, will welcome more space.
The introduction of paid parking is an inevitability that airport users must accept.
Many users will be there to drop off or pick up, enabling them to take advantage of the “first hour free” proposal, and after that fees will, and should, apply.
It’s the only way to ensure parking is available for everyone.
