The $10 billion Melbourne to Brisbane Inland Rail project is gaining momentum at Parkes where Pacific National’s logistics terminal is expected to be in operation later this year.

Pacific National owns 365-hectares, located in the Parkes Shire Council’s National Logistics Hub, where the logistics terminal is currently under major construction.

“Once fully operational, Pacific National’s Parkes Logistics Terminal will consolidate more than 450,000 cargo containers each year; many to be hauled on the Inland Rail between the ports of Melbourne and Brisbane,” said Pacific National CEO Dean Dalla Valle.

“In the future, Parkes will be akin to the major freight and logistics hub of Memphis in the interior of the United States.” Dean said 1,800 metre freight trains double-stacked with cargo containers were expected to be hauling from the Parkes Logistics Terminal to Perth later this year.

Pacific National, Australia’s largest rail freight operator, congratulated Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC) for moving ahead with construction to connect the north-south Inland Rail and east-west Transcontinental Railway via the company’s Parkes Logistics Terminal.

“Connecting Inland Rail to the Transcontinental Railway via Pacific National’s Parkes Logistics Terminal is imperative to help shift freight volumes from road to rail.

“Australians want real trains, not road trains hauling big volumes of freight,” he said. As the infrastructure manager for both Inland Rail and the Transcontinental Railway, ARTC has engaged Martinus Rail to construct the connections (called turnouts).

Weather permitting, the turnouts to the Parkes Logistics Terminal will be completed by the end of August this year.

The Transcontinental Railway runs to Port Augusta in South Australia, where it joins the Trans-Australian Railway stretching across the vast Nullarbor Plain to Kalgoorlie in Western Australia.

“Australia’s rail freight industry will only grow and prosper if below-rail managers like ARTC and above-rail operators like Pacific National work together to help shift more container and bulk volumes from road to rail,” said Dean.

Hauling containers and bulk commodities like grain and steel by rail over long distances is safe, green and efficient – rail freight is on the right side of every debate.

“For every tonne of freight hauled a kilometre, road freight produces 16 times more carbon pollution and 14 times greater accident costs than rail freight.

“A single 1,800-metre freight train hauling containers is equivalent to removing 70 B-double trucks or 50 B-triple trucks from our roads,” said Dean.
Parkes Logistics Terminal:
• $35 million to develop the Parkes Logistics Terminal.
• Terminal construction is generating about 40 jobs; the future logistics terminal will have a workforce of 100 people.
• Parkes Logistics Terminal will act as a future facility to consolidate hundreds of thousands of cargo containers, including boxes filled with regional commodities destined for overseas markets, to be hauled by rail across the length and breadth of Australia.
• Construction commenced in October 2018. Freight trains 1,800-metres in length are expected to be hauling from the terminal to Perth later this year.

Anzac Day is about mateship, respect, loyalty and freedom and the acknowledgement that war is terrible, but our way of life is worth fighting for.

Parkes Services Club is reminding Parkes Shire residents to reflect and remember on Anzac Day next Thursday, 25th April.

“Respect the day, celebrate our freedoms, remember their sacrifice, honour our traditions and look after your mates,” said Club President Terry Knowles.

“We’re not saying don’t have a drink and a punt. We’re saying enjoy the day, the atmosphere, your mates. But do it in a respectful manner, after all mateship is one of our proudest Australian values.”

“We want to attract greater numbers to services and marches, and we want positive behaviour by younger people, treating veterans with respect,” said Terry. “It’s a day to celebrate everything that unites us as a nation, and to remember all of those who fought so hard to preserve and protect all that we hold dear.”

The Parkes Services Club will host the Anzac Day breakfast from 6:30am for all who attended the Memorial Hill Dawn Service. The Anzac Day Luncheon at 12 noon is for serving and ex-service men and women and invited guests, while the traditional Anzac Day Two Up will be held in the bistro section from 12 noon to 5pm with proceeds going to Parkes Legacy.

It is not only the biggest one so far, but has also been described as the best. The 15th annual Sims Metal Waste to Art
and Design Community Art Exhibition attracted a record number of 64 entries.

“We have some amazing talent in this community,” said Mayor Ken Keith to a packed audience at the opening in the
Parkes Library last Thursday.

First time entrant Ann Olson’s colourful arrangement of flowers made with baling twine, called Drought Flowers, won the Yearly Theme prize, as well as the Open 3D category. “I did not expect this,” said Ann.

Helen Standen won the Yearly Scrap Metal prize with her entry Old Keys Won’t Open New Doors, as well as the Building/Sculpture 2D category with her work called Tools Down.

Andrea Lovell, acting Cultural, Education and Library Services Manager, said the level of entries kept on getting higher making the task of the judges very difficult to pick the 17 winners.

The annual event was the brain child of Steven Campbell, Director Planning and Environment of the Parkes Shire Council, who will be retiring soon. The Mayor paid tribute to Steven for his initiative and the hard work to turn it into a regional event comprising 17 councils in the Netwaste region.

The exhibition will be at the Parkes Library until the end of the month when the winning entries will move to Oberon for the regional exhibition.

By Maggi Barnard

Tiffany Steel is back home where it all started in 1993. As the Parkes Elvis Festival’s newly appointed Sponsorship and Marketing Coordinator the wheel has turned full circle for Tiffany who helped to coordinate the early Elvis festivals and served 20 years on the Elvis committee.

“I remember that first street parade,” she laughs, “Mum and I wearing vests waving our arms to stop the traffic, a couple of sad floats in the rain – and ours fell apart – and the singers, dancing in the drenching rain on the back. Oh, but those early nights at Gracelands were just awesome.”

It was there in those early days that Tiffany fell in love with organising events – a talent that came naturally.

“Dad (Bob Steel) was working the bar, while Mum (Anne Steel) was cooking, so she said to my brother and me ‘you host it’, and we did.”

Tiffany enjoyed growing up here and has always loved Parkes. Since her marriage ended five years ago, she has thought about coming back with her 11-year-old daughter, Ruby.

“I knew I’d need a great job if I were to come back,” said Tiffany. “When this position came up, friends said ‘look it’s got your name written on it’ and I had to agree.” Along with her enthusiasm and great new ideas, Tiffany brings a wealth of experience in event organising.

She has organised conferences and events around the world. She worked in local government in a tourism and marketing role in Port Macquarie Hastings; for the Westpac Rescue Helicopter Service in Newcastle; and managed events and fundraising for children’s charity Variety in Brisbane – all stemming from her roots of being the first paid coordinator of the Elvis Festival in 2007.

Tiffany also brings a personal passion to the Elvis Festival, and it quickly shines through her bright personality when speaking with her. She is full of great ideas and is working on a really big one at the moment – to be kept under wraps for now.

She would like to see the number of festival days extended, and an increase in international visitors, currently measured at 1%. She has a very high regard for the volunteers and would like that community spirit to continue.

“Everyone is friendly, helpful and having a good time and that is something that you just don’t get in the city.”

She also feels the festival can be enjoyed by everyone with about 80% of the 200 events this year being free. “I’d like to see even more. It’s fabulous for families to enjoy free entertainment in the park.”

While Tiffany is grateful to be back home with her family and have the opportunity to work on the Elvis Festival, Parkes should feel very lucky the wheel has turned to bring Tiffany back to where she belongs.

By Beth Thomas

While gold was discovered in Parkes more than 150 years ago, one resident is on a serious search to discover the new gold of our Shire.

“Gold is our history, it is precious once you find it, but it is not a matter of just scratching the surface. You have to dig deeper,” says Local and Family History Officer of the Parkes Shire Library, Dan Fredericks.

“My job is to do the digging, to do the research, and try and find the stories and truth behind stories and to make them presentable and accessible.”

Dan started the library’s history blog (https://historyparkes.org/) in April 2015 after discovering some very rich story veins. “I have an incredibly interesting job, it is fascinating,” says Dan, who is also a passionate writer who loves turning his discoveries into interactive and well researched stories.

Dan’s mining efforts are causing a new gold rush with views on the blog increasing from just over 3,000 in 2015 to almost 10,000 last year.

“The blog highlights another part of our Shire, and while Parkes Elvis Festival is our most international event, the blog draws readers from all over the world. We have amazing stories, and unless we preserve and promote them, people will forget.” The history blog first started with war stories as it was the centenary of Anzac and Gallipoli, but he soon found many more veins of stories and credits the Facebook page ‘Parkes in photos of years gone past’ as a good source of inspiration.

He says sometimes urban myths surface, such as the origin of the name Rosedurnate. There were various theories, and while researching it, Warwick Tom came in one day to do his own research and Dan discovered the true story resulting in another blog post. An international event like the Olympics was the instigator of another exciting story
discovery for Dan. When Scott Westcott was still waiting for his qualification for the marathon in the 2016 Olympic Games, someone mentioned that Scott would be the third one from his class to go to the Olympics.

That was the spark to get Dan’s interest and the digging started resulting in an exciting project with a deadline on the eight Olympians to have come from the Parkes Shire. “Each one of them was an amazing story in itself – some very happy and some quite sad.”

With over 50 blogs already written, Dan feels he has not even scratched the surface. “I’m in the job for life – there is so much more to research, dig up and discover.”

With a steady stream of locals and visitors using the library for research, he is never short on new ideas. “It’s like finding treasure.” And every story seems to blow him away, as the one he is currently working on about the RAAF pilot Rawdon Middleton.

Dan aims to post a new blog per month, and tries to promote new blogs as much as possible. “The more people know about it, the more ideas come through.”

“My history teacher said if we don’t learn from our mistakes in the past, we will just make them again. Apart from the historical stories, there are also some fascinating tales, while others are just joyful things, like Parkes getting snow about every ten years.”

With so much passion and dedication, Dan will remain ‘a miner for a heart of gold’, as Neil Young sings, to keep on digging up all the fascinating stories of our shire.

By Maggi Barnard

 

For over 50 years rural communities in the Parkes Shire have been asking for it and last Friday the upgrade and sealing of the Middle Trundle Road was officially opened.

“It is a terrific day,” said Deputy Mayor Barbara Newton, who travels up to 1,000km per week between Tullamore and Parkes. “What a difference it makes to all of us.”

Member for Riverina, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development Michael McCormack said good roads were vital to ensure productivity and efficiencies, and to ensure people get to their destinations sooner and safer.

Middle Trundle Road is not only the most direct link from the Parkes Shire area to the Newell Highway, Mugincoble Silos and Central West Livestock Exchange, but it also provides Trundle and Tullamore more direct access to the Parkes urban centre.

For safety reasons, heavy vehicles often had to bypass Middle Trundle Road and instead pass through the village of Bogan Gate, adding 8km to each trip.

The sealing of Middle Trundle Road cuts travel time by about 10 minutes in each direction, which will boost productivity and save transport costs for local businesses.

Trundle resident Andrew Rawsthorne said the upgrade was very popular among residents. “It also means residents can now easily travel to Parkes for work instead of moving there. With all the new development projects in the shire and improved roads, people can now choose where they want to live.”

By Maggi Barnard

The spotlight was on the Little Theatre in Parkes on Monday for the official opening of the venue’s completed upgrades and renovations.

One year ago Parliamentary Secretary for Western NSW Rick Colless announced a grant of $162,000 from the Stronger Country Communities Fund, and on Monday Rick and Nationals candidate for Orange, Kate Hazelton, witnessed the realisation of this major revamp. The project included 170 new seats, a beautifully refurbished
foyer, larger access doors and a fully repainted interior.

“The foyer sets the scene,” said Rick, “and when you walk in you get an appreciation of the results of how this money has delivered.”

“There is a true sense of ‘coming to the theatre’, of coming somewhere that is special,” said Deputy Mayor Barbara Newton, who was impressed with the comfort and the view of the stage from every seat in the house.

Barbara reiterated a point made by Parkes Musical & Dramatic Society member Christa Radley, that many regional centres import directors, designers and choreographers, but in Parkes this is all drawn from local talent, and so the talent here is being nurtured.

President of the Parkes M & D, Lyn Townsend, thanked Rick Colless, the Parkes Council, all previous presidents
and workers of the theatre saying: “We are continually striving to raise the bar.” Guests were treated to performances by Neil Westcott, James Whalan, and a quartet of children, before the official plaque was unveiled.

Parkes resident Betty Somers has been named the 2019 Orange Electorate Woman of the Year for her outstanding services to the community. She received the award in the presence of more than 30 family members and friends at the Parkes Shire Council last week as part of the NSW Women of the Year Awards.

“Betty Somers is a woman who has impressed myself and many others with her exceptional level of dedication to her community, volunteering in various roles virtually every day of the week for many years,” said Member for Orange Phil Donato.

“She possesses that rare quality of an endless capacity to reach out to help people in her community; whether it be to
provide bereavement support through her training in pastoral care, or by delivering meals as part of the Meals on Wheels program for the past 33 years.”

Betty also visits frail and elderly residents, and regularly performs pastoral care services at the Southern Cross aged care facility.

Parkes Mayor Ken Keith, who has known Betty since childhood, said he could not think of a more worthy recipient in Parkes. Betty, in her true humble demeanour, said she was left speechless with the recognition. “I am very overcome by the award.”

She thanked everyone who has supported her on her journey of faith since early childhood. Betty’s daughter-in-law Lindy Tanswell said it was a very fitting award for a person who feels like her own mum. “I am very honoured to be part of the family.”

By Maggi Barnard

If you are after some thrill and excitement this weekend, the third Steve Magill Earthmoving Parkes Rodeo Stampede at the Parkes Showgrounds is on a trajectory to provide even more knock out performances than before.

In March 2017 the event produced one of the greatest wrecks in International Rodeo Clown Matt Darmody’s 15-year career when the veteran bullfighter was flung in the air by one of the meanest bulls on the rodeo circuit. Last year the explosive performance of “Walter Whip and the Flames” lit up the arena in a fire cracking spectacular.

For tomorrow night’s spectacular Zac Maher has warmed up the feature bull “ONSLAUT” from the L and M Rodeo Company and is on fire coming to Parkes. Troy Cross is another star on the comeback trail and has pocketed almost $10,000 since Christmas making him arguably the hottest bull rider on the circuit at the moment.

He will be hungry for another win. The committee has worked on improving the event with more food, better seating
and extra entertainment. Bring your camera to catch the Trick Riders from Tamworth. The event is the last rodeo in the Southern Zone before the finals, and set to be a huge draw card for the top cowboys and cowgirls chasing championship points and will include: Saddle Bronc Riding, the original rodeo event; Bareback Bronc riding the suicide event of rodeo; Bull Riding, the only event a cowboy can earn over one million dollars a year; and Ladies Barrel Racing, introducing the ladies of the professional rodeo.

Parkes will be home to a new and game changing initiative as the Parkes Special Activation Precinct moves forward to the community consultation and on-the-ground studies phase.

This progress from concept to detailed land-use studies and community consultation will be part of a master plan for the precinct. NSW Deputy Premier and Minister for Regional NSW John Barilaro visited Pacific National’s $35 million development at the Parkes National Logistics Hub to celebrate the progress on the state’s very first Special
Activation Precinct.

“In just a few months since we announced this initiative, we have developed a strong strategic business case and invested millions for enabling infrastructure that will support the continued development of Parkes as an inland freight port,” said the Deputy Premier.

“With the Inland Rail coming, we have to seize the opportunity to grow smart businesses in freight and logistics, agriculture and agricultural products, manufacturing and services.”

Parkes Shire Councillor Alan Ward said the Parkes Special Activation Precinct and inland port would attract further major employers, driving the regional economy and creating jobs across the Central West and neighbouring regions.

“It opens up the opportunity for the Central West to access higher value markets, enabling farmers to be price makers, not price takers, which is especially important during challenging times such as the current drought.”

He encouraged the local community and landholders to be part of the next phase’s  community consultation which will include face to face meetings and public information sessions in coming weeks.

Pacific National Director of Corporate Affairs Andrew Huckel welcomed the announcement saying Parkes might be known as the Elvis capital of Australia, but in the future it would also be known in freight circles as the Memphis Down Under.

“Companies like Pacific National will have the added investment confidence to help create the largest freight and logistics precinct in inland regional Australia; akin to the major freight hub of Memphis in the interior of the United States of America.”

He said the precinct was a ‘tripling down’ of great ideas. “The first was Parkes Shire Council’s concept of a National Logistics Hub; the second great idea was the Australian Government’s $10 billion Melbourne to Brisbane Inland Rail project; and the third was the NSW Government’s Special Activation Precinct.”

The Parkes Special Activation Precinct will be funded as part of the $4.2 billion Snowy Hydro Legacy Fund, which the NSW Government established with funding received from the sale of the Snowy Hydro Scheme to the Commonwealth.