March

Lawnmower fire

Smoke blankets a portion of Rouse Street when a ride-on lawn mower sparks a blaze in Clifton Street. Over half a dozen firefighters attend the scene when the mower cathches alight and threatens at least one house as the blaze spreads.

Trucks must go

Federal Member for New England Tony Windsor initiates the latest round of calls for a Tenterfield heavy-vehicle bypass when he addresses Federal Parliament on the issue and calls for a study on the feasibility. The bypass debate surfaces many times throughout the remainder of the year.

Close call under awning

Two morning walkers on Rouse Street receive an unpleasant shock when a truck crashes into the Sing Wah Chinese Restaurant and Flanagans awnings while they are beneath it.

Frances Thomas and Di Rhodes are walking at 6.30am when they hear a loud bang as the truck hits the buildings. Pedestrians were diverted around the precariously hanging awnings in fear that they may come down.

Easter hats on parade

There is colour and dancing aplenty at the annual Sir Henry Parkes Memorial Public School Easter hat parade.

People’s choice

Tenterfield and the Northern Districts wins the champion district exhibit and people’s choice award at the Royal Sydney Show. The exhibit encompasses an array of local produce and features a moving emu, kangaroo and frilled-neck lizard.

April< /b>

Horses back in action

Better late than never, horses are back in action at the Tenterfield Show campdraft after seven months of confinement in the effort to stop the spread of equine influenza.

Record photo grips town

A photograph of the record breaking jump by ‘Lookout’ in 1926 at the Tenterfield Show had the town talking and searching their vaulted photos: how high was it? After reports that the horse cleared almost 10 feet, the show society confirmed the record at seven foot ten and a half inches.

Fight night

Lincoln Cutmore beats his opponent in the 51kg Flyweight bout during Tenterfield’s first fight night. Three local fighters participate in the night, held in the Memorial Hall.

May

Hospital disgrace

Tenterfield’s PAM Hospital comes under fire after three children are forced to wait for hours for treatment and pain relief in a space of two weeks. In each case the children are given only Panadol and their mother’s arms for comfort.

Hunter New England Health defends the hospital’s actions, explaining that each of the children had attended the emergency ward after hours and when there were more critical patients present. The Health Service later appoints locum doctors.

Olympic torch bearer

Deepwater resident Judith Cox is chosen as one of 80 runners to carry the 2008 Beijing Olympic torch through Canberra during its Australian leg.

Still impacting the Australian political landscape

Former Tenterfield Intermediate High School student Quentin Bryce is the first woman to be elected as Governor General.

Officially a wine region

The New England region is officially recognised as a wine region of Australia. It is one of the nation’s largest at 27,000 square kilometres and is home to 42 vineyards.

Jun e

Players of the century

Three Tenterfield football legends are nominated for the Group 19 team of the century: William 'Billy' Moore, Tony Hickey and Keith Lewis.

Mail misery

Delivery problems plague the post in Tenterfield, though many letters to the editor manage to find their way to the Star reminiscing the days of old when a letter sent from anywhere addressed to ‘Bill Smith, Tenterfield’ would be delivered.

Fears of 2 Ten FM closure

Community radio station 2 Ten FM appeals to the shire council for help with debt amid fears the station will have to cease operations.

July< /big>

$Half billion drug haul

A former Tenterfield man and his son are remanded in custody on charges relating to what is possibly Australia’s biggest cannabis bust when police discover up to $500million of cannabis on their property at Warroo, near Inglewood.

Aug ust

Princip al of the year

The prestigious award of primary school Principal of the Year is awarded to the Mingoola Public School’s Tanya Worling, leaving her to feel over the moon at the accreditation.

World skipping

Tenterfield pair Jess Lockwood and Jasmine Duffield travel to Cape Town, South Africa for the skipping world championships. They return as the sixth placed skippers in the world.

Evacuation

A gas leak in a refrigerator at Bi-Lo in the Sir Henry Parkes Plaza causes shoppers and staff throughout the entire plaza to be evacuated.

RLBP under administrator

Assault charges are laid when a decade of tensions between directors on the Northern New England RLPB erupts and causes the collapse of the board. An administrator is called in to take over and the role of board directors is reduced to a singular function before all are permanently banned after they come to blows.

Septemb er

Stars shine

Local faces learn to tango in an effort to raise money for the Cancer Support Group of Tenterfield when Dancing with the Stars, Tenterfield Style, returns for its sophomore effort.

Star connection

German pilgrim Sophia Rothweiler finds her grandmother’s primary school friend, Tenterfield’s Claire Pieper, after reading an article on the Tenterfield Star website. It had been more than 50 years since Mrs Pieper had seen or heard from her German primary school friend.

Election excitement

As votes are counted in Tenterfield’s local government elections, the race gets too close to call. Peter Petty gets in on preferential votes after initially being ruled out in the primary.

Record breaking day out

The Drake Hotel Motel hosts the Drake Big Day Out in spectacular fashion, raising $28,000 for the Westpac Life Saver Rescue Helicopter.

Deputy out of a jug

The race for deputy mayor is a tight one and when votes return with an equal amount for both nominees, Shire Council General Manager Don Ramsland is forced to pull a name out of a hat - or, in this case, a jug. Nick DeStefani is the name out of the jug.

October

Council caught in global meltdown

Tenterfield Shire Council feels the sting of the global economic crisis when thousands of dollars of investment capital is tied up in Lehman’s Brothers firm at its collapse.

Heart-safe community

Tenterfield becomes one of the best places in Australia to have a heart attack as five portable and very user-friendly defibrillators are placed in community locations and clubs about town.

November

Crazy hair day

Students, parents, teachers and staff at the Sir Henry Parkes Memorial Public School colour, cut, clip and comb their hair to raise money for a friend in need, collecting $2,400 for Brady Thrift and the Leukaemia Foundation.

THS in state play-off

The Tenterfield High School under-15s basketball team wins the regional title and hosts the Menai High School from Sydney at the Memorial Hall in the state quarter finals.

Warwick Rodeo success

Local rider Anna Hudson places second in the Canning Downs campdraft at the prestigious Warwick Rodeo in a close play-off with the eventual winner.

Mini budget blues

In a cost-cutting and hard-hitting mini-budget, the NSW government announces it will scrap the petrol subsidy in northern NSW. Tenterfield learns that fuel prices in the area will rise by more than eight cents per litre plus GST.

Tenterfield turns out its pockets for Brady

A tremendous show of community spirit at the Brady Thrift monster auction organised by Shaun Bird raises $24,215 to help the Thrift family in 12 year old Brady’s fight against leukaemia.

St Jo’s opens the doors to the future

St Joseph’s Primary School officially opens the doors to its state of the art extensions that include a new library, administration centre in the former convent and classrooms with interactive whiteboards.

Dece mber

Seeing stars

Tenterfield is seeing stars when two iconic Australian comedians and entertainers pass through town with a film crew. Paul Hogan and Shane Jacobson (aka Crocodile Dundee and Kenny) visit the Famous Pie Shop for two of its fictional world famous thickshakes. Expect to see the pie shop on the big screen in September this year.

How to spend $412,000

Villages and localities are the big winners in Rudd’s economy saving community infrastructure fund. Council had a hard time in trying to fairly divide the nearly half million dollars set aside for the shire.

Push for bypass

As the year winds down, Mayor Toby Smith steps up his campaign for a bypass. He personally raises the issue with senators, federal members of parliament, and Prime Minister Kevin Rudd.