AFTER arriving in Dubbo on Monday morning, the NITV News team have been busily getting to know as many of the people and issues in and around Dubbo as possible, and they believe the stories they have to tell will resonate throughout Australia.
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NITV News presenters Natalie Ahmat and Kris Flanders, along with producer Chris Roe, have spent time with Riverbank Frank Doolan who gave them the lay of the land in Dubbo, along with other services like Mission Australia and Headspace Dubbo.
Ms Ahmat said it was great her and the team could come to Dubbo and spend the week here in the leadup to the 45th Annual NSW Aboriginal Knockout, which will be played at Caltex Park across four days from Friday and is the main purpose for their trip to the city.
"It's really important in our jobs that we can get out to regional towns and cities like Dubbo and hear from the people firsthand," she said.
"One of the biggest complaints we get as journos from people in the country is that they just fly in do the story and fly out that day.
"We try to get out as much and for as long as possible, so we can meet as many people and tell as many local stories as possible.
"The stories we have to tell from being here will be relatable for people wherever they are from, so it's been great we've been able to be here to cover them."
As they are getting so much content during their visit, Ms Ahmat believes Dubbo will be featuring on NITV this week and next week.
"We're going to Apollo House tomorrow (Wednesday) and they've got a NAIDOC event on and it will be great to see what a hub it is for the community," she said.
"We will be out at the Western Plains Zoo on Thursday and learning about some of the Indigenous programs they are running out there.
"There are a lot of great stories and it's great to give Dubbo the amount of exposure it will be getting over the next couple of weeks."
Mr Roe, who after a decade at Sky News has been with NITV for the past three years, grew up in Bourke before attending Dubbo South High School for Year 11 and 12, graduating in 1993.
"It brings back a lot of memories being in Dubbo, I really enjoyed finishing school here but I forgot how bad the hay fever was," he said.
"It has changed a lot since I finished school, it's a lot greener and the town has really come along. It is such a hub for the communities out west and it's great to see it doing well."