Last Thursday marked the fifth anniversary of The Armidale Club fire and both the owner of the business and the police officer who was in charge of the investigation spoke to us about it.

On September 16, 2016, a journalist from the Express went to the scene and recorded an interview where it was first indicated the cause of the fire was suspicious.

In the five years since then there has been plenty of speculation, along with two coronial inquests and a Senate estimates review following a second police investigation. But still no answers.

Fast forward to today, and another question I'm sure we'd all like to know the answer to is when will life get back to normal.

In recent days we have seen COVID-19 traces recorded in sewage testing at Uralla, while on Friday Glen Innes went into a snap seven-day lockdown following a positive case there.

Despite the rising number of people being vaccinated, it is a reminder that the pandemic will still create uncertainty in our lives until the state reaches at least 70 per cent double-dose vaccination levels.

Lastly, here's some good news.

The 2021 Clubs NSW Perfect Plate Awards were announced via a virtual ceremony last week, and Armidale Servies was a winner. Congratulations to CEO Scott Sullivan and everyone in the hospitality team!

Thanks for reading and I hope you have a great week!

Laurie Bullock

Group Editor