The event was held in the Inverell RSM auditorium and Victoria Park, where lunch, fruit, water and entertainment were available, along with giveaways. 

Marketing and events manager for Tackling Smoking and Healthy Lifestyles Geoffrey Du Toit said the health promotion was a state-wide initiative.

“We inform the community of the harmful effects of smoking, how to combat it and how to engage in harm minimisation immediately,” Mr Du Toit said. 

“We show smokers about changing their thinking, that by altering a few things and that they can improve their health and if they keep improving on what they set out to do they can finally make a decision to quit, when the cravings are much less.”

Mr Du Toit said education stopped people being naive about the dangers of smoking.

“Sometimes it takes days, sometimes it takes weeks before they take ownership and decide they must do something about it,” he said. 

He said tobacco smoking in the general population had dropped from 30 per cent to 17 per cent for men and 16 per cent for women. 

“Aboriginal populations have dropped; it has dropped from about 52 per cent to 47 per cent, but we’re still so far away from where we want to be,” Mr Du Toit said.

“One in five Aboriginal people still die from smoking related diseases. 

“This is what we’re trying to address, we see it as a major killer in Australia today.”

On Wednesday the event moved on to Walgett and was back to Dubbo on Friday.