When the region woke yesterday to find lawns and driveways blanketed by the heaviest snowfall in memory, it was always going to be a memorable day in Bathurst.

Driving around town as the sun came up, there were hundreds of families out playing in the snow and dozens of snowmen popping up in the front yards of local homes.

Thousands of images were shared on social media and even the inconvenience of road closures stopping people getting to work and school could not dent Bathurstians’ new-found enthusiasm for winter.

In short, it was a morning that memories are made of.

But the joy of the winter wonderland soon fell flat as news spread of a double fatality at Kelso.

And sadness quickly became shock as it became known the couple were cafe owner Elie Issa and his partner, Bathurst Real Estate sales consultant Nadia Cameron.

The popular couple were well-known around Bathurst business and social circles and thousands of locals are feeling their loss this morning.

It remains up to a coroner to determine what happened inside that Kelso home in the late hours of Thursday night and early hours of yesterday and the community would do well to refrain from idle speculation.

Two families are grieving this morning and the rest of the community needs to stand beside them in support, not gossip behind them with judgment.

Yesterday was a day of contrasts: a day of wonder, a day of laughter, a day of shock and a day of tears.

It was a day that thrilled our community and tested our community.

It was a day none of us will forget.