Kelly and Dane Hendry of Parkes are thrilled to announce the birth of their third child, a daughter, Gloria Lucy
Hendry. Gloria was born at Parkes Hospital on Thursday, 25th February 2016, weighing 3900g (8lb 9oz) and measuring 56cm. She is a little sister for Oscar (4) and George (2). Gloria is the sixth grandchild for Tony and Wendy Atkinson of Smithfield, the third grandchild for Tony and Wendy Hendry of Parkes, and the twelfth great grandchild for Lloyd and Noelene Hendry of Parkes.

The annual celebration of NSW Seniors Week is the perfect time for the seniors in the Parkes Shire to shine! To acknowledge and celebrate seniors, Parkes Library is hosting an exhibition of artworks created by residents of Southern Cross from 18th March to 8th April. The art works were created during regular workshops held by Parkes Quota Club at Southern Cross where the residents get to explore their creative side. The art works they create
are displayed at the Village, brightening the rooms.

The workshops were made possible in part thanks to the Northparkes Community Investment Program. “Parkes Library is proud to host community art exhibitions and Seniors Week is the appropriate time of the year to show the wonderful talents of some of our seniors and highlight the amazing work Quota does in our community”, said Shellie Buckle, Manager Cultural Education & Library Services. This week also sees new librarian, Gillian Hunt beginning her career in Parkes after a move from Sydney. Gillian is being shown the ropes by Library Officer Maureen, who is retiring after almost 30 years of service. A morning tea is being held at the Parkes Library on 7th April for the community to raise a cuppa in recognition of the important role seniors play in the community. If you would like to attend, please contact the library on 6861 2309 or email library@parkes.nsw.gov.au

More than 2000 children in Calare will benefit from the Coalition Government’s National Partnership Agreement on Universal Access to Early Childhood Education. Federal Member for Calare, the Hon John Cobb said $840 million in federal funding will be available for quality preschool programmes across the country, and that these benefits would be felt across Calare. “The agreement guarantees funding for 600 hours of quality preschool in the year before school, and includes a focus on lifting participation rates for children from vulnerable and disadvantaged backgrounds,” Mr Cobb said.

All states and territories including New South Wales have signed up to the National Partnership Agreement seeing the funding flow into local preschools. Mr Cobb said,” this funding will help the 2128 preschool children aged between four and five who are enrolled at local preschools in Calare get the best start in life.” The National Partnership funding is just one aspect of the Federal Government’s commitment to early childhood education.

The Coalition Government has committed to reforms worth $40 billion for early childhood education and care over the next four years, including more than $3 billion to ensure the system is more accessible, affordable and fairer for families. The funding is the single largest investment in early learning and child care that this country has ever seen, and guarantees support for 15 hours of quality preschool education a week for children in the year before school,”. Director of Parkes Bluebird Early Learning Centre, Rachel Westcott, said

“We are really excited for this funding as it will help us to continue to grow our preschool programmes and resources. Our aim is to provide a great foundation for our pre-schoolers who are going off to school next year.”

Last Friday the biennial Parkes Field Day event attracted 17 exhibitors and over 200 visitors from Parkes and out of town. The day, which is organised by the Chamber of Commerce, is purely for local businesses. James Haddin of the Parkes Chamber of Commerce and Manager of Bosmac said he experienced a higher enquiry rate from visitors and high sales. “It’s a day for all of us to come together in one place and saves people from driving all over town to
make enquiries,” he said; “Exhibitors generally feel it is worth taking part.”

James displayed the auger mate, which makes moving an auger around much easier, plus other rural equipment. Another farmer-focused exhibitor was Guy Webb, an Agronomist working with AgriWest. He had developed a product called Grainmaker which is a nutrition supplement for crops resulting in an increased yield and an improvement in soil health, particularly under a variety of climatic conditions. Guy, who spent ten years designing the product, encourages farmers to use it as part of their annual fertilization program.

Steve Beuzeville, Manager of Parkes Top Town Traders, displayed a range of generators, welders, air compressors and pumps for use on farms. He has been in Parkes for over ten years, and services any machinery he sells. Vance Unger, salesperson at Kinsela, was happy to show off a variety of quad bikes, bikes, farm bikes, ride-on mowers, push mowers, hedge trimmers and many more.

Another exhibitor was the 45-year-old business Parkes Décor which is the ideal place for lovers of renovation shows. Brooke Soeder and Alison Tatton, who were representing Parkes Décor, said these shows had been very good for business. Moving away from decorating on towards the outdoors, The Central West Lachlan Landcare and Parkes Shire Council exhibit focused on the newly constructed wetland area at PAC Park. Organisers were pleased with the attendance on the day and hope businesses who presented got some new interest.

By Maggi Barnard

Over 150 people turned up to the second Can Assist garage sale of the year to hunt for bargains. The Pavilions at the Parkes Showground were filled with furniture, household items, books and toys donated by locals. The ever popular lamingtons, 120 dozen baked by a local bakery, were snapped up quickly by hungry shoppers. Treasurer of Can Assist and organiser of the event, Adrianne Brown, said the sales of the day totalled $4500, which is a great boost for the fundraising efforts of the Parkes Branch.

The first garage sale of the year raised more than $6 000. Bev Walker, Publicity Officer of Can Assist, said the biggest rush was usually when the doors open at 8am with good pieces of furniture selling very well. Other popular items are books, household items like microwaves and toys. “You can fill a bag of toys for $2,” said Bev. “This is popular among grandparents who like having some toys for when the grandkids come to visit.” Another popular item is crockery which people who have a penchant for craft
hobbies, like mosaics, look for.

The garage sales, normally held during autumn and spring, form part of the Parkes branch’s ongoing fundraising efforts throughout the year. The money is used to help cancer patients and families with financial support
towards medication, travelling and accommodation expenses when they need to consult with specialists or receive chemotherapy or radiotherapy in Orange or Sydney.

The Parkes branch pays out up to $100,000 per year. Can Assist relies heavily on volunteer members for fundraising, “we always welcome new members,” said Bev. If you would like to get involved there is a meeting every second Tuesday of the month at the Neighbourhood Centre. Can Assist has over 50 branches in country NSW and provides direct support to local communities affected by cancer.

By Maggi Barnard