North West News

A series of Rural Crime Prevention meetings have been held across the region with the last scheduled for Mungindi next Tuesday. But local police say landholders can come to them at any time as reports of rural crime increase.

The state government has announced a $1.5-million grant for the Gunnedah Showgrounds with almost half the funding to be used to construct an equine precinct to draw more events to the town. “It’s a game changer. By the time they put in new amenities, toilets, showers, a lot of rodeo facilities, new lighting – it’s what people are calling for,” Member for Tamworth, Kevin Anderson. The upgrade will also include a replacement grandstand and shaded picnic shelters. NOTE: AUDIO IN PARTS ONLY

$86,000 has been announced for new light towers at the North Companions home ground. It’s a welcome boost that will see training spread across more fields as membership grows. “We had a two percent increase this year across the region which is significant, in Tamworth alone we had a ten-percent increase on our numbers which was huge and we’re well over the 6000 mark in our region,” Phil Davis, Northern Inland Football. Spectators haven’t been forgotten either with Tamworth Regional Council chipping in more than $400,000 for a nearby project. “Council’s also going to start work here next Monday on a footpath which will link this precinct to the North Tamworth oval precinct and on the back of that we’ll construct here at North Companions site which will house 90 vehicles,” Peter Resch, Director of Regional Services Tamworth Regional Council. NOTE: …

In a case of slow and steady wins the race, today saw the annual Dungowan Village Fair Tractor Trek hit the road.. Participants came from all over the state to show off their prized possessions.

A cultural extravaganza will take over Tamworth on Saturday night, for the fifth annual Fiesta La Peel. Food, entertainment and shopping are all on the agenda with 46 nationalities represented this year – more than double the offering just two years ago. The event will move to a new home this year in the Fitzroy Street Mall and Bicentennial Park, to accommodate for the ever-increasing turnout and growing numbers of stalls. The Fiesta gets underway from 4pm tomorrow. NOTE: VISION ONLY

Police are asking anyone with information to come forward, after a 24-year-old man was shot in the leg at Armidale. It’s understood the man was approached by two other men on Niagara Street at around 2 o’clock on Thursday morning, when he was shot in the thigh. He was taken to Armidale hospital, where he remains in a stable condition. Anyone with information should contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

There’s a sever weather warning in place for the North West and Northern Tablelands. Heavy rail fall and large hail stones are expected in the Gunnedah, Moree, Narrabri, Walgett, Dubbo and Coonamble areas. Flash flooding and damaging winds are expected on Thursday afternoon and evening.

Tamworth’s ‘Hay Mate, Buy A Bale’ Concert is fast approaching. Event organiser Glenn Wheatley flew in for a visit today – getting a bird’s eye view of just how bad the drought conditions are across New South Wales.

Mental health issues can pose a challenge in almost every aspect of our lives, including in the workplace. Today, businessmen and women took part in a workshop, teaching them how to improve their employees’ workplace experiences. “The New England and Tamworth region of New South Wales is actually the third highest region outside of Sydney in terms of mental illness and psychological injury claims in the workers insurance scheme,” David Huxley, Relationship Manager iCare. Armidale’s own Dean Widders, works in the mental health sector with the NRL. He’s now sharing his experiences at a local level. “How you can look after each other, the language that you can use to ask those questions and have those important conversations, a lot of the different protocols around wellbeing and mental health. You know, there’s some stigmas attached to it and I think …

Tamworth Regional Council has wrapped its sales to recoup more than $750-thousand in unpaid rates. The final auction was held in Tamworth overnight – it was a buyer’s market though, with prices topping out at $60,500.