![Entertainment Venues Manager Peter Ross says it's unfair that "one little thing" like a fight in Woolies can go viral and spoil Tamworth's reputation. Picture by Gareth Gardner Entertainment Venues Manager Peter Ross says it's unfair that "one little thing" like a fight in Woolies can go viral and spoil Tamworth's reputation. Picture by Gareth Gardner](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/200003594/45db2aa8-46cf-4d09-8393-34ffbc865869.jpg/r0_0_4239_2901_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
It's difficult to change a city's reputation, especially when the city catches national attention for fights in Woolworths.
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That's according to Peter Ross, who manages Tamworth Regional Council's entertainment venues including the Capitol Theatre, Tamworth Town Hall, and TRECC.
"The brawl the other day doesn't help. We've also been known as the obese capital of NSW, that's been another negative that's hard to shake off," Mr Ross said.
The six-person scuffle, which saw a baby handed off (twice) caught national headlines and put Tamworth on the sh*t list, literally.
Comedy Facebook page "Sht Towns of Australia" chose Tamworth for the number one spot on its "Sh*t Town Power Rankings" last week.
"It's not fair we have that reputation, and the trouble is you work so hard in changing it and one little thing can set you back very quickly," he said.
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West Tamworth was identified as the most overweight and obese suburb in Australia in 2017 and again in 2019, and data from the NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research shows Tamworth is also struggling with youth crime and vehicle thefts.
But Mr Ross says the region should be known for far more than stolen cars, fast food, and fights in Woolies.
He said Tamworth should instead be known as the country capital of NSW, a place for "country music, country spirit, and country culture."
"If you drill down hard enough we're known for AELEC and the equestrian side of things, there's a lot of sporting groups around NSW and Southeast Queensland know us for our sporting facilities, we're known in a lot of different ways," Mr Ross said.
![Mr Ross wants to build Tamworth's reputation for music and the arts. Picture by Gareth Gardner Mr Ross wants to build Tamworth's reputation for music and the arts. Picture by Gareth Gardner](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/200003594/232490f5-70ef-4805-9ae3-002ffa5fa510.jpg/r0_0_4262_2925_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
He also pointed to the vibrant music and arts culture which feeds into Tamworth's reputation as the country music capital.
"We've got a fantastic [music] conservatorium here in Tamworth, another great one in Gunnedah and another in Armidale. Classical, formal-type music is very strong throughout the whole region," Mr Ross said.
He also said more credit should be given to the region's clarinet choir, choral societies, dance academies, and performing arts societies.
"The musical society is actually the oldest continuously-running society in Australia, 1888 it was formed," Mr Ross said.
"We've also got the Gomeroi Dance Company, which tie us back to the oldest stories in the world."
"These are things that have always been there feeding the cultural fabric of the city but they don't get enough attention."
Mr Ross said the main challenge is in getting more people to come and see for themselves what Tamworth has to offer, and that he's confident people will leave with a different impression of the region once they visit.
"It's hard to change people's perceptions until you get them here and they can see how different it is. I've been here 15 years now and I've seen Tamworth grow so much in that time," he said.
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