POLICE are investigating an incident in which a renowned opera singer was hit with a bottle thrown from a car at Dubbo.
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Grace Bawden, a former Australia's Got Talent contestant, was attacked on Friday night while staying in the city as part of a tour with Adelaide-based Co-Opera.
She told the Daily Liberal it happened as she walked home from dinner with two fellow cast members about 9.30pm.
"We'd just been out for an amazing dinner at the Westbury Thai restaurant and were walking along the bridge back to where we were staying at the Cattleman's motel when a white Commodore came past and a full bottle of beer with its lid off was thrown from the car and hit me in the head," she said.
"It bounced back and sprayed over my friends. I was in shock, the vehicle had high beams on and I can just recall the people inside shouting all sorts of things at us, yelling out "slut" and "bitch".
"We couldn't understand it. And I'm surprised that, for a bottle thrown out of a car at 60km/h, it didn't smash. It bounced and went over the railing and I'm just glad it wasn't someone elderly or a child this happened to. I must have had a guardian angel looking over me."
Co-Opera had performed at the Dubbo Regional Theatre on Wednesday then Ms Bawden joined them as they prepared to travel to Gunnedah for a performance on Sunday afternoon.
Ms Bawden said she and her friends had noticed other cars beeping at them earlier that afternoon and thought it might have been some kind of Dubbo tradition to beep horns at people walking along the side of the road.
"As soon as it (the attack) happened we rang the guys from Co-Opera and they just ran there to help and stay with us while we waited for the police to come," she said.
The terror did not end there, as Ms Bawden said the vehicle appeared to return.
"I was crouched down, dizzy, I couldn't lift my head, and not long after I recognised this car was back because its hotted-up engine had this distinctive sound that I remembered from when it came past before," she said.
"I just said to the others, 'They're back', and as it passed Hungry Jack's on the corner I shouted at a colleague to get the licence plate number."
Ms Bawden was taken to hospital and released and, even though she had a bump on her head she was preparing to take part in Sunday's performance in Gunnedah.
Despite the unpleasant experience, Ms Bawden said she did not think badly of Dubbo.
"I was here last year as the lead in Madama Butterfly at the Dubbo Regional Theatre and it's such a nice venue," she said.
"Back then I went jogging at night and there was no problem at all. I'll be a bit cautious from now on but I do still love Dubbo.
"The police who I spoke to were lovely. I just hope they're able to catch who did this."
