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Parkes Show A Cut Above

July 20, 2017 By Maggi Barnard

The Parkes Show has a long and proud history of providing a fantastic entertainment package which has resulted in many memorable moments for its patrons over the years. This year is no different and sees the return of one of the more interesting events held at the Show in recent times. Lawn mower racing makes its return as part of an action packed programme. The mower races are open to anyone over the age of 18 to enter and 2 classes of mower can compete, stock mowers and modified.

Further information and the full list of rules is available from the www.parkesshow.org.au or call the show office on 6862 2580.

Wedding Guide

July 20, 2017 By Maggi Barnard

Happily Ever After: Make Your Wedding A Day To Remember

Ultimately, your wedding day is about celebrating the love between you and the person you’re about to marry, but it’s important to remember your wedding unites not just the two of you, but your families as well. While it’s important to plan for your guests you don’t have to go bankrupt trying to throw the biggest and best wedding; remember it is the little things that count.

Make it Personal
Everyone loves a wedding, but it is more than being picture perfect. Work with your celebrant to create a meaningful ceremony that injects your personalities and your love story into the service. Some of your nearest and dearest will already know a lot of the details, but there will be extended family and friends who would be touched by the
opportunity to get to know the happy couple better through participating in this intimate and emotional moment.

Local marriage celebrant Laurel Hull has 14 years of experience, and offers customised services for every bride and groom. Let her help you shape your ceremony into a romantic and memorable event you will treasure for the
rest of your lives.

Say it with flowers
Flowers are a wonderful way to enhance the aesthetics of your day, and blooms can reflect your style and personality. Some brides might choose their favourite flower, or one that is meaningful to the relationship, whereas others select flowers to match the colour scheme. A bouquet doesn’t need to be big to be beautiful, an understated bouquet can be elegant in its simplicity. A single bloom can be used as a table decoration, or make a thoughtful alternative to
wedding favours. Be mindful of what will be in season during your wedding. The Pink Orchard’s florist will happily discuss your options and help you plan a breathtaking bouquet for any budget.

Get Professional
Planning a wedding shouldn’t be stressful, but it often is. Acacia Events is launching an exciting new service to give couples a wedding day that will be memorable for all the right reasons. Acacia Events offers a range of packages, from entry level involving on the day coordination to full service planning for your entire event. Hiring a wedding planner can actually save you money, with industry connections, knowledge and access to local vendors. Let someone else take care of the stress, allowing you and your partner to enjoy your special day and watch the magic unfold.

Location, location, location.
While destination weddings are all the rage, local weddings have their own charm. Not only do you save your guests
the expense and hassle of travelling to an exotic location, you also save yourself a lot of stress. Hosting your wedding at a hometown venue has some huge benefits, making it much easier to get everything right, and avoid any nasty surprises on the day.

The Parkes Services Club have dedicated staff to help you make your reception a memorable event. They can seat up to 300 guests, and their chef has created a diverse selection of menus for you to choose and can cater for all dietary needs. A complimentary tasting is available for the bride and groom, so you’re not leaving anything up to chance.

The Hart Bar provides an alternative venue choice for a more intimate reception. With its romantic name, stylish décor, and contemporary menu it’s an ideal option for a bespoke-style wedding without the stress of DIY.

Create a Well-Planned Seating Chart
It doesn’t matter if your reception dinner will be a buffet, plated meal, or family-style servings: a smart seating chart is vital to ensuring your guests have a good time. Try to group people together with similar backgrounds and interests, so they’ll have something to talk about even if they’ve never met before. While traditionally the bride and groom is seated with members of the bridal party, some couples opt to sit on an ‘orphans’ table. By sitting with single guests who don’t know any other guests the bride and groom can ensure no one feels alone at their wedding.

Consider the kids
Some couples opt for a child-free event while others see a wedding as an opportunity to bring the whole family together – young and old. An adult-only wedding is desirable to some who want to be free of the distractions that children can create, but for guests with children – particularly for those who have to travel with them, not being able to bring children along could be difficult, and might even mean they are unable to attend. An inter-generational guest list can bring an extra bit of zest to the reception. Throw in a few age appropriate pop songs, and watch the dance-floor come to life! Most venues will have a different pricing for children, so there’s added value. It’s a good
idea to cater for young guests in other ways too. Activity books and pencils keep little people occupied during the boring bits, such as speeches or ceremonies. You can use an RSVP to suggest appropriate behaviour guidelines or request a children’s curfew for the event.

Use a Wedding App or Hashtag
There are many great wedding apps to choose from for your big day. Some interactive apps allow guests to upload wedding photos into one curated place, while others keep your friends and family up on any wedding-related news. Want something even easier? Create a clever hashtag and ask guests to tag all of their photos using it. That way you get to see your wedding from different perspectives and your guests can capture candid moments that your photographer might have missed.

The morning after
Post-wedding breakfasts are a wonderful opportunity to spend more time with those who have travelled to be with you on your special day, and it’s a very personal way to say thanks. Plus, you get to relive the excitement and magic of your wedding one last time. Be sure to include details on your invitation or RSVP slip so your guests don’t make other plans.

Massage Is More Than Just A Treat

July 20, 2017 By Maggi Barnard

While it might seem like a luxurious indulgence that most of us only pamper ourselves with on those special occasions when someone gifts us a voucher, massage is not only a therapeutic treatment, it is one of the oldest healing traditions. Many ancient cultures used massage to treat a range of disorders, and developed massage
practice or styles to take advantage of its therapeutic qualities.

Massage manipulates the body’s soft tissue to reduce muscle tension, maintain flexibility and improve circulation. One of the most obvious benefits is the reduction of self-sustaining pain postures. For instance, tension headaches can be caused by tight muscles, and the pain increases the tension, creating a self-sustaining pain loop. In these cases neck and shoulder massage provides an obvious benefit, reducing muscle tension and breaking the cycle.

Current research has shown massage can treat a variety of conditions, ranging from soft-tissue injuries, to anxiety, insomnia, and even arthritis. Relaxation is one of the most popular reasons people use massage, and there is a reason that people find a good massage so relaxing. Massage prompts the release of endorphins, the neurotransmitters that produce feelings of wellbeing, while simultaneously reducing the levels of stress hormones, such as adrenalin and cortisol.

But it is important to note that there are different types of massage. These can range from therapeutic massage, which is focussed on relaxation, to more rigorous remedial styles that encourage healing of injured soft-tissue. Myotherapy treats pain and reduced joint movement, and is used for musculoskeletal conditions and occupational injuries. Reflexology, shiatsu and aromatherapy each use wholistic concepts of wellness to promote health and
recovery, and sports massage might use a blend of techniques to enhance performance or to encourage a faster recovery for overworked muscles.

But it’s not just elite athletes who benefit from massage. Desk workers are prone to a range of postural complaints caused by prolonged periods of sitting, with the more advanced forms of postural stress manifesting as pain or weakness in the lower back and gluteals, or tension in the neck and shoulders. Regular massage can help to counteract all that sitting, giving you improved posture, and less physical tension and stress.

In Australia massage practitioners undergo comprehensive training, where they not only learn different practical techniques, but also study physiology so they understand musculoskeletal structure, lymphatic and nervous systems. A qualified masseuse offers more than a relaxing pamper session, they are a trained health professional and can work with you to reduce or eliminate a range of ailments.

Qualified masseuse Leanne Vazzoler is available for appointments in Parkes on Fridays from 9am to 6pm and Saturdays from 9am til 4pm.

Exam Time For Twinkle Toes!

July 20, 2017 By Maggi Barnard

It is almost time for ballet exams at Twinkle Toes! Our ballet students have been working incredibly hard to perfect their technique, memorise their dances and polish their exercises. Twinkle Toes dancers have had the honour of being taught ballet by amazing guest teachers such as Emma Milgate and Madeliene Bird to help prepare them for exams.

Miss Bre has completed her Certificate in Ballet Teaching Studies and is a registered teacher with the Royal
Academy of Dance. As such, Twinkle Toes is fortunate to hold exams in their studio. Twinkle Toes offers classes from Primary to the Advanced vocational levels, there is a grade for every level of ability!

Parkes Gives Renewable Energy The Green Light

July 20, 2017 By Maggi Barnard

Think global, act local; this is the ethos that saw Parkes join with a coalition of 35 councils from around Australia to sign on the Cities Power Partnership this week. The Climate Council created the program as a grass-roots approach to achieving a sustainable future. Councils and cities pledge to reduce carbon emissions and are encouraged to adopt a new approach to areas such as renewable energy, energy efficiency, and transport. Advocacy is also a feature of the initiative, with local governments sharing resources and ideas to achieve greener, more efficient communities.

Parkes already has a few success stories to share. While the Parkes Shire is soon to host a commercial solar farm, Parkes council boasts a range of renewable energy projects of its own. In 2011 the council’s Distributed Energy Plan was developed in response to both potential climate change impacts and rises in power costs. Shortly after the plan was released council installed 200kW of solar panels across its assets, and in 2013 council coordinated the Parkes Shire Solar Communities program, which saw more than 300 private households install rooftop solar.

In recent weeks Parkes has once again made headlines with the installation of a further 200kW solar systems installed across the Parkes Water Treatment Plant and the Sewage Treatment Plant allowing them to be powered by renewable energy.

Mayor Ken Keith travelled to Canberra for the official launch of the Cities Power Partnership on Wednesday. “Parkes Shire Council strives to be a leader in sustainability by developing initiatives and implementing measures into our operations that reduce our carbon footprint and impact on the environment,” he said.

Legal Eagle…

July 20, 2017 By Maggi Barnard

Why Are Minutes Of Your Meeting Essential?
The answer is that they are required by Section 50 the Associations Incorporation Act, 2009 and must be kept by the Secretary. Similarly, corporations are required to keep minutes of meetings too. Members may at all reasonable times inspect the minutes, although shareholders of corporations have only limited ability to view minutes of Directors’ meetings.

There are no absolute rules about how minutes of meetings should be set out, other than they need to be in English and be reasonably understood. We suggest that minutes should include; a list of attendance, apologies, correspondence (including electronic) and a Treasurer’s report. The meeting date and location should be recorded, along with the meeting’s start and finish times.

Motions need to be accurately set out by the Secretary in the minutes and he or she should indicate if they were carried, lost, or amended and carried. The Chairperson might ask for a show of hands or may pass the motion on the voices. Too often the Chairperson fails to declare the motion as passed and that can lead to controversy. Some laws or rules require motions to have secret ballots, and these must be strictly observed.

There should always be a motion to confirm the previous minutes with or without amendments. The Chairperson should sign and date the minutes to certify they are correct. Circulating minutes via email eliminates the need to read out minutes at subsequent meetings, saving time.

All Chairpersons, the Executive, and members should read articles on the internet about meeting procedure. If you have questions on Minutes, Meeting Procedure or anything else, please contact any of our Solicitors at Matthews Williams.

Local Artist Is Making A Mark On The Art World

July 13, 2017 By Maggi Barnard

You might not be familiar with Scott ‘Sauce’ Towney, but chances are you would be familiar with his work. The Wiradjuri man from Peak Hill is one of our shire’s most prolific working artists. In the past few weeks Sauce has been involved in several public projects – and has plenty more already on display.

Wiradjuri Murriyang – or Wiradjuri Sky World – was his most recent exhibition. It forms part of the Big Skies Collaboration and was part of the Skywriter’s Big Gig last weekend. The works are based on his inter- pretation of the Wiradjuri constellations. The artworks have been loaded into the astrono- my software Stellarium, which positions the constellation images against the night sky.

Last Friday also saw the public installation of his work on the Parkes Community Wall. That work comes from a collaboration with

other local indigenous and non-indigenous artists, and was originally displayed in the Erratic Symbiosis exhibition that was host- ed in the Parkes Shire Library last month. This all comes just weeks after the rededication of the Peace Precinct, a totemic sculptural garden that also features his work. Sauce also has numerous national and international projects in the pipelines.

Sauce says that pyrography portraits are his favourite work. “There’s something re- ally special about burning a picture with a hot tool,” he said.

“A lot of my work is based on traditional ceremonial tree iconography. The marks are used in ceremony, so I contemporise it, to preserve the Wiradjuri patterns.”

By Raen Fraser

The Sky’s The Limit For Central West Creatives

July 13, 2017 By Maggi Barnard

It might come as a surprise to learn that most people on the earth have never seen the milky way. Whilst they will have seen some of the stars that belong to the galaxy, the faint wisps of white that streak across our night sky are almost completely obscured by light pollution in the planet’s more populous areas.

Inland rural Australia is blessed with both pristine skies, and an enviable view of the milky way – it sits almost directly overhead for those in the Southern Hemisphere. It’s little wonder that this magnificent starscape has become the muse for a collaborative project between artists, writers and astronomers.

A few months ago a series of skywriter’s groups were launched throughout the Central West, strategically seeded alongside an array of telescopes and observatories, with the intention to inspire sky-centred work. Last weekend the Big Gig brought together dozens of these writers and astronomers, who gathered in Parkes for the first skywrit- er’s event.

The gig kicked off with a passionate discus- sion by a panel of astronomers, who shared their personal connection to the night sky. Mayor Ken Keith, Merrill Findlay and the guest astronomers discussed the potential for further developing astro-tourism in the region, and sparked ideas for harnessing the untapped resource that twinkles above us as we sleep.

The attendees were also given an insight into Indigenous astronomy. Scott ‘Sauce’ Towney shared an exhibition of his constel- lation art, and Ellie Gilbert screened her fea- ture length film, Star Stories of The Dream- ing.

But the weekend was about words as much as it was about wonder. A series of panel sessions featuring some of the sky- writers explored different literary themes and mediums, and offered practical skills. Astronomers, bloggers, journalists, storytellers and poets took advantage of the chance to exchange ideas, share their work, and form networks.

By Raen Fraser

Musicians Strike A Chord In Parkes Hospital

July 13, 2017 By Maggi Barnard

Patients at Parkes Hospital were treated to a musical accompaniment last month. Six people from across the region were trained as specialised Musicians in Hospitals for an Arts OutWest project.

Three local musicians, Drew Farrant-Jay- et, Leah O’Rourke, and Stephan de Wit van der Merwe, were selected for the two-day training program. They covered topics such as ethics, appropriate repertoire, and work- ing with health professionals. The practical sessions took the musicians to various hos- pital settings, including rehabilitation, pallia- tive care, and general wards.

For Drew, a social work student, the pro- gram was an opportunity to combine two of his passions; music and finding different ways to help people.

“It was very insightful, learning about the therapeutic benefits of music,” Drew said. “But the practical side of the course was the real privilege, being able to play for vulner- able people.”

Stephan described the experience as profound. “It was a very emotional experience,”

he explained, “to see the impact on the community and to bring the gift of music to patients and their families.”

Stephan said the most inspiring aspect of the program was the focus on the pa- tient’s wellness. “Medicine and treatment tends to be based on the ‘sick’ part of the person, but as a musician in hospital you get to treat the ‘healthy’ part of the patient,” he said.

Like the other practitioners Leah agreed that playing in the palliative ward was an exceptionally powerful moment, but for her there was an additional connection. “It was such a privilege to be able to play for my friend’s father in the final moments of his life,” she said.

“It was thoroughly rewarding to be able to use my gifts and talents for people in need,” Leah said. “I think the staff benefit as equally as the patients. Music creates a calm, positive environment, and the ben- efits flow out to the whole community.”

By Raen Fraser

Dark Skies A Drawcard For AstroFest

July 13, 2017 By Maggi Barnard

Because of our relatively remote location and low light pollution, the Central West boasts some of the darkest skies in the world – making it a fantastic place to appreciate the wonders of the night sky. A week after attracting writers and astronomers for the Skywriter’s big gig, Parkes will be host- ing another gathering of celestial lovers, this time astronomers and astrophotographers.

AstroFest is a two-day festival of astron- omy that brings world-renowned astronomers and astrophysicists to Parkes. It is organised by the Central West Astronomical Society and is now in its 13th year. Perhaps its biggest drawcard is the widely regarded astrophotography competition, dubbed the David Malin Awards. It has become a stand- out feature of the festival – and is considered to be the premier event of its kind in Australia.

Aspiring and accomplished astrophotographers from all over Australia enter the photography competition – not only for the prestige, but for a chance of winning prizes to the value of $10,000.

This year’s competition had eight categories, and were judged by world-renowned astrophotographer – and competition name- sake – Dr David Malin. It was not just techni- cal skill that is assessed – prizes are awarded to pictures that capture the beauty of the sky and the intrinsic interest of astronomy in an aesthetically pleasing manner.

“This year’s pictures maintained the high standards we have come to expect from the Australian community,” David said. “There are some splendid examples of modern astrophotography among the finalists.”

The finalists’ photos will be exhibited at the CSIRO Parkes Observatory’s Visitors Centre from July 16 for 12 months. A second touring exhibition, organised by the Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences, will travel to selected venues across Australia. Last year’s exhibition was viewed by 110,000 people.

The David Malin Awards will be presented during the AstroFest conference dinner tomorrow night.

By Raen Frase

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