A Unique Fathers Day Spent On The Barricade Between NSW and QLD

Who would have thought the most popular place to spend Father’s Day in regional NSW was going to be a plastic barricade in the middle of a Coolangatta backstreet!

So popular in fact, families struggled to find a spot to set up for yesterday's most unique celebration of Fathers Day.

Families desperate to reunite with their dads, grandpas and uncles flanked the barrier, creating tear-jerking scenes.

Tweed Mayor Chris Cherry told Nine it was very difficult to watch so many families torn apart. 

“Nobody with a heart could look at what happened yesterday and not think that something has to be done and urgently because these are our families lives that are being affected by this,” she said.

Acting Chief Superintendent Rhys Wildman said police were focused on compassion more so than compliance, acknowledging that the circumstances made this year’s Father’s Day even more emotional. 

"It was very much around trying to encourage people to socially distance and to work with individuals and family groups to make sure they try to do that, fully understanding it is quite difficult under the circumstances," he said.

Meanwhile, QLD Premier Anastacia Palaszkcuk says she’s trying hard to reach an agreement with the NSW Premier over the border situation. 

“Look, I’m trying so hard. We have been really reaching out to the New South Wales government to be able to have that border bubble, to be able to move that checkpoint. We’re going to continue those discussions,” she said.

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