October 4: Motor racing legend Dick Johnson and current Shell V-Power Racing drivers Scott McLaughlin, Fabian Coulthard, Alex Premat and Tony D’Alberto pumped fuel for 17 cents a litre in Bathurst. Motorists queued along three streets for the chance at cheap fuel. The offer lasted just one hour and was in celebration of Johnson’s 50-year relationship with Shell.
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October 5: A woman died and two people were injured after a two-car crash on the Mitchell Highway. Emergency services were called to the Mitchell Highway, about 20km east of Orange, following reports that a Holden Astra and a Toyota Hilux collided. The driver of the Holden, a 20-year-old woman, died at the scene. The 32-year-old man driving the Toyota was taken to Orange Health Service in a serious but stable condition, while his 63-year-old male passenger was airlifted to Liverpool Hospital in a serious condition.
October 5: Eglinton men Harold Colley, Ian Hooper and Jeremy Kensit prepared to let their hair undergo the sheep shears as a fundraiser for the Daffodil Cottage wig library. Mr Hooper said “You don’t really realise how important things like wigs are when you’re sick [with cancer]”.
October 6: Thirteen former drivers were inducted into Legends Lane at Mount Panorama. The permanent tribute, a joint initiative between Supercars and Bathurst Regional Council, was introduced in 2017 to honour drivers that have had success in the support.
October 8: Drivers David Reynolds and Luke Youlden had their first Bathurst 1000 victory. Their win for Team Erebus followed a grueling battle on Mount Panorama in rainy conditions that claimed a number of cars throughout the day. Scott Pye and Warren Luff placed second, while Fabian Coulthard and Tony D’Alberto recovered from a poor start to the day to take third.
October 12: A mother who murdered her three-year-old son because he “looked like his father” was jailed for 44 years, with a non-parole period of 33 years. The woman’s partner was handed a 40-year sentence [30 years non-parole] for his role in the murder.The little boy, identified only as Joseph, died on August 6, 2014 after spending just 51 days living with his mother and stepfather in Oberon. He died from horrific injuries to his head and body after being subjected to ongoing violent abuse.
October 14: Bathurst Regional Art Gallery successfully opened its groundbreaking exhibition, The Unflinching Gaze. It featured over 200 photographs and video works by 62 artists, both Australian and international, that deals with how the male figure has been represented in photo media over the past 140 years.
October 15: Residents were excited to hear that rock legend Jimmy Barnes would be visiting Bathurst in 2018 as part of his new national tour.
October 16: A teenager was caught “red-handed” after allegedly using red paint to scrawl graffiti on areas in Kelso. Police were interviewing a young person they already had in custody for other matters when they noticed he had red paint all over his hands. They questioned him about the vandalism and he was charged.
October 23: A Kelso man has had his driver’s licence suspended after being clocked at 114km/h on Mount Panorama. The 22-year-old was issued a penalty notice for exceeding the speed limit by more than 45km/h, was fined $2384 and issued six demerit points.
October 23: A second person died after the October 4 crash on the Mitchell Highway, which had claimed the life of a 20-year-old woman. The second victim died in hospital several weeks after the accident and was a 63-year-old man, who was the passenger in a Toyota Hilux.
October 26: Bathurst carpenter Dale Harrison offered a $500 reward to catch the offenders who slashed the tyres on his work ute. The ute was parked on Graham Drive, in Kelso, when the tyres were slashed, causing around $900 in damage.
October 27: The NRMA acquired Bathurst’s only holiday park, promising to invest $2 million into the site. NRMA Holiday Parks and Australian Tourist Park Management (ATPM) chief executive officer Paul Davies said the location of the park made it an ideal facility to add to its growing list of holiday parks.
October 29: On the day that the first stage of flood mitigation works at Perthville were to be complete, the southern approach to Perthville Bridge was missing and a large pool of water had collected in its place. Businesses in Perthville were suffering from a lack of customers due to the diversions.
October 31: McBrien Drive resident John Eccles and a group of concerned residents presented a petition with 176 signatures to Bathurst Regional Council in a bid to save pine trees from being chopped down. Around 20 trees at the former Sunnybright Orchard site were proposed for removal in a development application for a 153-lot housing subdivision.
October 31: Bathurst couple Mick and Stacey Whittaker were gearing up for the Melbourne Cup. The pair own shares in Tiberian, a French horse who was due to race his maiden Melbourne Cup.