He’s extremely grateful to the friends who’ve rallied around his partner, Gloria, helping her finalise the last-minute details ahead of Friday’s official opening of Hooper’s Homestead.

Last Tuesday, while cutting steel posts for a marquee, the angle grinder got away from Mr Hooper, slicing halfway through a tendon on his lower right leg, missing a major artery by mere millimetres. He was rushed to Tamworth hospital by ambulance where he was operated on, and then airlifted to Royal North Shore Hospital the following day for a skin graft.

Today, his doctors will assess how the skin graft is taking before making the decision on releasing their impatient patient, who’s champing at the bit to get back to Tamworth for the festival.

It had been a dream of Mr Hooper’s to create his own venue in Tamworth, having come to Tamworth for countless years to entertain fans at the festival.

When his partner’s son bought the Manilla Rd, Hallsville property two years ago as an investment, Mr Hooper and his partner moved in and started transforming the homestead into a venue.

“We’re going to have shows out there from 10am to 2pm each day, from this coming Friday to the following Friday,” he said.

“Hopefully, it won’t take too much away from the night-time shows people are doing in town. We think it will add to it, giving people another option of a great country venue.”

Hooper’s Homestead is 6.5km along Manilla Rd, just past Oxley’s Anchor, and will be officially opened by Tamworth MP Kevin Anderson at 10am on Friday.