Most recent case numbers, June 28: Sydney cluster grows

Newcastle Herald reporter Gabriel Fowler was in Lambton Park on Sunday to speak with locals about the current public health orders.

Suzanne Ozturk, and her 2yo son, Abelafy Ozturk, of North Lambton, arrived at Lambton Park expecting to find stall holders and entertainment:

"I was really looking forward to it (the 150th Lambton anniversary event) I had it written in my diary from way back. It's hard for the organisers. I wasn't really up-to-date with the COVID restrictions, I knew there was a lockdown in Sydney, but I didn't know it had spread to Newcastle. But I got asked to wear a mask at the shops yesterday and I was just completely unaware and then I've come up here, and a bloke at the shop showed me the rules, and I thought this being outdoors, it would still be on."

Frances Osborne, of Belmont, with two old school friends, was expecting the event would be going ahead:

"We wondered where everything was ... we went to school here. Gladys only made the announcement at six last night, but we thought it was going to be on. I went shopping, through the night I was thinking I better stock up with a few things. It's a real worry, my husband is in a nursing home, he is high-care, we have been going every couple of days but we won't be able to do that. I wonder if Sydney-siders are still going to be coming to Belmont to be on the Lake with their children. We have all been a bit blase, because we haven't had any cases for so long."

Elicia Grant and Drew Calabria, of New Lambton, were was expecting to host between 25-30 people at home for their daughter, Ivy's, sixth birthday party. Elicia:

"I had a meltdown yesterday. My girlfriend texted me and said have you seen the update. I wrote back a four-letter word ... and I found we could still do stuff outside, and even though we could have done it at home outside, I didn't want to upset the neighbours, and have them thinking we had too many kids at home, or too many people, so we just decided to have it at the park. Unfortunately the 'Love Lambton Festival' was cancelled but that made it easier for us. It was pretty easy to do a re-shuffle."

Drew, a fitness instructor and coach:

"We can still continue working we just have to wear masks. About half of my people have had their trip cancelled because they were meant to be over in Perth next week for basketball championships and they can't go anymore. I have a lot of junior basketballers, they were the ones who were heading over but I also have triathletes and soccer players, but it's the basketballers who are affected at the moment because they (NSW Country) were meant to be heading over for the national championships. "

losing thousands of dollars worth of stock, having to close their doors, lots of these people are family businesses, running pubs and clubs and things like that.

Sharyn Jennings, of New Lambton:

"I walked around and it was like a ghost town and it was one of the cafe owners who told me what was happening. I came along for the food and the atmosphere and the music, and I wore a mask, but I noticed that no one else is really wearing a mask. We were supposed to be at Winterfest on the Hawkesbury, but it was postponed, so we decided to come here."

Glen Fredericks, of Adamstown Heights:

"I was looking forward to having a day in Newcastle because Winterfest was not happening at the Hawkesbury. I thought I'd keep it local, because I couldn't go anywhere else, and then turn up to find there are not so many people here, and I thought damn, I should have brought my dinosaur costume, because that's what I do ... for fun."

Jordan Bird, of New Lambton:

"We knew it was cancelled but we still came down. W were very much looking forward to it. My grandma, mum's mum, has a big history with Lambton, all of her ancestry is here, because they owned the old pump station here on the corner of Elder Street just opposite the library so we were really hoping to bring her down because she's 95, and we were going to wheel her down, it would have been a nice little outing, she hates leaving the house. That was a bit of a shame."

Lyn Bird, of Lambton:

"I live across the road, and I walk the dog every day, and stall holders are usually out spotting their areas, and setting their carts up and everything, but there was not a soul in the park ... they're normally down setting up, and when I went into the newsagency ... and they told me that it was cancelled last night at 6 o'clock. I bumped into another guy in the park and he was on the phone to his friend who works in radio so that they could announce it, and then when I came back down again, Councillor Andrea Rufo was telling people because obviously they were going to be coming in ... but maybe they did find out beforehand. I didn't hear about it, I just sussed it."

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