Leo Sayer was Cessnock’s Australia Day ambassador, and Abermain Hotel publicans Roger and Emma Neville were named citizens of the year for their efforts in helping the community during the June 2007 flood emergency.

Tragedy rocked the vineyards on January 17, when an explosion at Drayton’s winery killed two men and seriously injured another.

Father Tony Potts was welcomed as the new priest at St Joseph’s Catholic Church, Cessnock; and the Kurri Kurri Aquatic Centre celebrated its fifth anniversary.

The most-read books at Cessnock Library for the previous year included Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult (adult fiction); The Weathermakers by Tim Flannery (adult non-fiction/biographies), and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J. K. Rowling (junior fiction).