Why do you garden?
Norma Garment: Putting your fingers in the earth calms you. I love to paint pictures with flowers.
Joyce Cole: I love gardening. I like the colours, I like the garden looking pretty. It’s relaxing. The Garden Club is good.
Anne Carr: I just love it. I grew up in my Mum’s beautiful garden and it’s in my blood.
What do you like to do in the school holidays?
Reuben Bondareff: I like making YouTube videos because I like to connect between friends and other gamers.
Ethan Bondareff: I like to play real-time multiplayer computer games as I get to connect with my friends.
Matilda Wilson: I like to spend time with family. These holidays we’ll be going to Nelson’s Bay.
What is your favourite animal and why?
Aimee Ross: A pig, cause they are so cute when they’re babies.
Chloe Mudiman: Cats, because they’re cute.
Jack Jeffery: Dogs, because they make you happy when you pat them.
What has been the best invention yet, and why?
Jan Tanswell: The water and sewage systems, because we need it!
Deborah Wren: Aeroplanes, because they have made the world smaller.
Paul Murray: Computers, because they have changed the world.
What do you like about Easter?
Mary Gray (5) and Eleanor Wyllie (5): Mary: I love finding eggs in my forest in Maquire Road.
Eleanor: I just love chocolate and getting Easter eggs.
Walter Smeaton (9): I like waking up early and going on a big adventure to look for Easter Eggs inside and outside my home.
Elizabeth Smeaton (7) and Ella Jablonskis (10):
Elizabeth: I love seeing the Easter Bunny at school and getting Easter eggs.
Ella: Getting heaps of chocolate and waking up to find Easter eggs in my room.
What Little Athletics event do you like the most?
Ruby Field: I like running
Ruby Wilson: The 70m run is my favourite, but I’m too old for that now, so the 100m run.
Xander Lasserre: Running is my favourite.
Ella-Rose McDonald: Running.
What do you do to minimise waste at home?
Bruce Prior: By using the pre-existing bins I’ve got. I use the green bin a lot.
Jill Crisp: Recycling by using Council bins. We re-use plastic bags. We make our own juices and drinks so we don’t have to buy them.
Ken McGrath: We recycle heaps. Having the green bins is unbelievable. The Return and Earn collection scheme will be good too, the kids will get into it.
What do you think of the Local Government Touch Football Carnival?
Ivette Delgado with Daughter Nathalia Menday from Canada Bay Council: It is a great opportunity to play touch football with other councils. Parkes put on a very good competition every year. I’ve been here three years, and my team has come for ten years. We just love it, it is a fun weekend!
Grant Anstiss from Willoughby Council: It is a pretty good show put on by Parkes and great event for making new friends. We’ve been here for six years and enjoy getting out of the city. Parkes does a great job with our accommodation and dinner venues too.
Kiara Webb, Rachel Geddes and Karla Pearson from Cabonne Council (Molong): It is our first time playing for the Cabonne team and it is exciting to be here. We would not mind if we win and get to go to Darwin!
What do you think of the Little Bang Discovery Club at the Parkes Library?
Teegan Rodgers with Poppy (4) and Elkie (2):
Teegan: It is a great start for kids to learn about science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
Poppy: I enjoyed collecting different things from the environment. I found feathers, seeds, rocks and shells. It was fun!
Carmen Gould with Elliott (3):
Carmen: It is fantastic and a good way to get kids interested in these subjects.
Elliott: I like using the timer to time lots of things, like how long it takes my brothers to do their homework.
Jessica Denmead with Ella (3):
Jessica: It is a good idea and the kids get to do things they would not usually do, like learning about magnets or using a looking glass.
Ella: I like my note book and it was fun collecting things in the park that we brought today.
Do you know your heritage?
Kerry Buerckner: My mother’s parents were from Ireland and she was born in New Zealand. My father’s parents were from England, but I think he was born in Australia. I was born in Parkes.
Bernie Mitchell: My mother was born in Newcastle upon Tyne in England and moved here with her mum when she was four after her father was killed in the 1918 war. My father’s parents were from Sri Lanka. My grandfather was in the merchant navy and came to Australia. I was born in Parkes, one of ten children. My parents had a saddlery here.
Mandie Byrne: On my father’s side the family were protestants from Northern Ireland and they came to Australia four generations ago. My great great grandmother on my mother’s side was German. My great grandfather came here after the war and selected a block on the Murray.