Well, what a week!
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From country music festival preps, to rolling out the red carpet for the stars and the visitors, and the heat – it sure was one that had people talking.
The pollies including the water minister flocked to the dry and baron Keepit Dam, which sits at just 0.5 per cent to announce aerators were to be installed in the wake of mass fish kills across the state.
It came after local fishermen did laps in their tinnies on the weekend to put air in the water to keep the fish alive.
By the week’s end, the aerator had been installed and will keep running until there is some relief from mother nature.
Air conditioners were running flat out as the mercury hovered around the high 30s and hit 40 in Tamworth when swimmers and those looking to escape the heat were dealt a double whammy with both of the city’s pools out of action.
A malfunction with a pump of sorts forced the closure of the Tamworth City Pool while Scully was hit by thieves who tried to steal a safe and then torched an office.
Crews and police were on scene and luckily, for locals, the pools re-opened by midday as the temperatures went skyward.
Festival preparations had our journalists here, there and everywhere. The roads were closed a day early, the CMAA Acadamy was in full swing and artists and campers trickled into town ahead of the opening concert on Friday night.
That same night, a horror shooting of two police officers in Glen Innes sent shockwaves across the New England.
Tamworth-based detectives were deployed to the scene to investigate after Senior Constable Helen McMurtrie and Sergeant Mark Johnston – both long-term local officers – were shot after being called to a violent domestic. One man died at the scene after turning the gun on himself.
Both officers have been flown to hospital as police rally around their injured colleagues and families.
A police legacy appeal has been set up in the wake of the shooting which is now the subject of a critical incident investigation.
The festival will continue to ramp up now, especially as Keith Urban prepares to rock the city but hopefully the weather cools to allow crowds to enjoy it.
Editor Fiona Ferguson has been on a well-earned break for a few weeks but returns to the chair on Monday.
So from me, I’d like to thank you for continuing to support your local news and I hope you enjoy the festival – stay cool and keep an eye out for the cracker pics and yarns from the talented team.
Breanna Chillingworth
Acting Editor