Parkes Phoenix

New Design And Technology Building For Parkes Christian School

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Deputy Prime Minister and Member for Riverina Michael McCormack with Parkes Christian School Principal Glen Westcott.

Parkes Christian School received a Federal Government grant of $800,000 that will go towards the construction of a new design and technology building.

The $1.3 million project will include a new workshop, learning areas, a storeroom and student and staff amenities.

Parkes Christian School Principal Glen Westcott said the new learning spaces would provide a raft of new opportunities for students. “Our current facilities are too small for what we need. The school has a heavy focus on the industrial arts with plenty of students looking to pursue hands-on projects as part of their senior studies.

“Having a facility where the students have a purpose-built space and equipment to undertake subjects such as engineering, timber and metals and automotive studies, will be a real benefit.

“It has been a long time in the planning and we are absolutely thrilled with this announcement.”

Deputy Prime Minister and Member for Riverina Michael McCormack said the funding, delivered through the Capital Grants Program, would go towards the refurbishment of a science classroom into a science lab.

“This wonderful school community will be further enhanced by these improvements.

The funding announcement is one of 158 projects approved for funding under the Capital Grants Program to begin in 2021.

Excitement Builds For Arts Revival Festival

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Emily Webb, Hamish Sanderson and Jess Morgan during a rehearsal of The Proposal.

The Arts Revival Festival from 14th to 19th December aims to end a year of no creative stimulation and revive, celebrate and foster artistic activity in the Parkes Shire community.

The festival, organised by the Parkes Shire Arts Advisory Council and Parkes M&D Society, has a full program of a variety of workshops, three one-act plays, an art exhibition, a craft market and various musical performances.

“As there was hardly any creative stimulation during this year of the pandemic, the festival aims to help people have something to work towards,” said spokesperson Lisa Ramsay.

“We hope to make it an annual event and introduce new facets of artistic endeavours into our community. That is why we have included the improvisation workshops for instance for kids and adults.”

Improvisation, a collaborative method of creating live spontaneous theatre that is funny, often touching and frequently poignant, would broaden participants’ skills in how they react and be more authentic on stage, according to Lisa.

“It opens up a different avenue on stage, as musicals might not be for everyone.”

If there is enough interest after the workshops, Lisa is keen to start an improvisation group meeting on a monthly basis to inspire continuous engagement in new artistic endeavours. The workshops will run on 18th and 19th December.

Lisa is also very excited about the three one-act plays to be performed at the festival. “The M&D have not done a play for more than seven years, and we should attract a different audience.” The plays are The Proposal and The Wedding, adapted from Chekhov’s original plays to a farming landscape in 80s Australia, and a junior play Mother Duck and the Golden Goose.

The Arts Revival Festival is a wonderful way to end this tough year on a cheerful note. See the full program of events on the Parkes Shire Council’s website. Tickets for the shows are available online.

Floods And Some Fires This Summer

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Australia can expect a wetter than normal summer, but bush and grass fires cannot be ruled out completely, according to the Bureau of Meteorology’s Summer Climate Outlook.

The outlook for summer has been issued as Australia continues to experience an active La Niña event which is expected to remain until at least the start of autumn.

The Bureau’s Head of Operational Climate Services Dr Andrew Watkins said this meant large parts of eastern Australia had an increased risk of flooding.

“Our climate outlook is the opposite of what we experienced last year in Australia. This summer, New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland are expected to see above average rainfall, meaning we face an increased risk of widespread floods.”

Andrew said that while the risk of bushfires was not as high as last summer, fires would occur. “There’s a great chance of grass fires in some areas as recent rain and warm weather have led to vigorous vegetation growth.”

He said the outlook was also a reminder for communities to be prepared for heatwaves over the coming months. “This summer heatwaves may not reach the extreme temperatures of recent years, but may be longer duration and more humid.”

Northern Australia remains on track for an average to slightly above-average cyclone season.

Happy Birthday Parkes!

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Parkes turned 147 years on Tuesday! The township was officially named Parkes on 1st December 1873 in honour of the then premier of the colony of NSW, Sir Henry Parkes. Parkes Shire Councillors joined in a cutting of a birthday cake in the Council Chambers, while the staff at the Henry Parkes Museum (above) also celebrated. They are (L-R) Bruce Prior, Dorothea Tom OAM, Rosemary Prior, Rose Jones and Bruce Hall.

Catching And Fielding Equipment

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The Parkes District Cricket Association received $4,500 of funding through the 2019/20 Local Sport Grant Program to purchase training equipment for the local representative and senior teams. Member for Orange Phil Donato MP (right) was in Parkes on Wednesday to hand over the funding to Luke Nash, Daniel Gordon and Paul Dunford of the Parkes District Cricket Association.

Snowy Contract Big Boost For Local Jobs And Economy

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PARKES MADE… The team at Midland Industries in Parkes who are building 42 trailers for the Snowy Hydro 2.0 project. Sales Manager Roy Trimmer is standing on the far right.

A family business in Parkes is playing a major role in the largest renewable energy project in Australia.

Midland Industries landed a contract in May this year to design and build delivery trucks for the massive Snowy 2.0 pumped-hydro project.

The contract to build 14 sets of custom-made trailers totalling 42 trailers presented a massive challenge to the specialist truck trailer manufacturer in Parkes.

“It is a pretty unique story and we have come up with an innovative design that is a first for Australia,” said Sales Manager Roy Trimmer at a media event on Tuesday. “This is record-breaking stuff,” said Snowy 2.0 Relations Manager Dean Lynch of the project that is a first in the world to build a 27km tunnel of 11m in diameter. “Parkes helped solve the problem of transporting 130,500 concrete segments to the two sites.” He said it would’ve taken 45,000 loads on a semi-trailer, but the Midland unique trailer design reduced it to just un- der 15,000 loads.

Midland had to come up with a design to transport nine concrete segments at a time weighing 6.5 tonnes each from the factory in Cooma to the building sites navigating public roads and roundabouts, harsh weather conditions, very steep roads while reducing noise, ensuring no cracking and no failure on the trailers.

“We started with a design used in Iceland and did over 60 simulations with GPS coordinates to eventually come up with this unique design of three axles on each trailer carrying a total load of 91 tonnes,” said Roy. The weight had to be distributed over the axles to lessen the impact on the road surface. A completed truck and set of trailers are 27m long, 2.5m wide and has 46 wheels.

The first six completed trailers were on display this week to the media. Three more are in fit-out stage, while another 33 are yet to be built.

Midland has employed an additional eight people for the project to bring the team to a total of 28, “but we need many more employees,” said Roy. The contract, which has secured jobs for employees during COVID, is said to inject $9 million into the local economy. “It is great for our company, but it is also about the flow-on effect to everyone else,” said Troy.

Dean said the CEO of Snowy 2.0 was very big on getting Australian manufacturers involved in the project.

“It is just so exciting to be out here in Parkes and see design innovation and manufacturing expertise in regional NSW. It is awesome that we can support a business like this. They are not just making trailers, there is so much more to it.”

By Maggi Barnard

Check On Charities’ Credentials

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The Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC) is urging the public to do a quick online check on a charity’s credentials before donating this festive season.

“It takes a minute to check the ACNC online Charity Register to see if an organisation you would like to support is a legitimate charity,” said ACNC Commissioner Dr Gary Johns

“Unfortunately, fraudsters masquerade as charities, exploiting goodwill — scams are on the rise. It is crucial to do at least a quick online check before giving to be confident your donation is going to an organisation that genuinely does good work.

If you get a call from someone claiming to be from a charity, ask to call them back. Search the Charity Register and call back using the phone number published there.

Don’t click on links in unsolicited emails and social media posts. It is safer to visit a charity’s website, to avoid clicking a link to an imitation website.

Don’t give out your credit card and bank account details on social media and be cautious when doing so online.

Always ask for identification from door-to-door and street fundraising collectors.

Mayor Takes Lead At CMA

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Parkes Shire Mayor Cr Ken Keith OAM was elected chair of the Country Mayors Association of NSW (CMA) representing almost 70 rural and coastal councils across NSW. “It is a wonderful privilege and I look forward to carrying on the good work of the previous chair Katrina Humphries, Mayor of Moree Council. I am proud to be working with other driven country mayors and to be a part of a group that supports each other and our communities.” Some of the key priorities for the CMA is looking at converting waste to energy, improving roads, attracting country doctors and investing in new technologies.

Helium Balloons A Threat To Wildlife

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Helium balloons can travel long distances creating litter hundreds of kilometres from the release site and pose a potential threat to wildlife.

Council resolved at its monthly meeting to educate the community about the environmental risks and controls associated with releasing helium filled balloons outside.

“It is in fact an offence to release 20 or more gas-filled balloons in the open air under the Protection of the Environment Operations Act (200,” said Council’s Director Planning & Environment Brendan Hayes.

“It is important that the community is aware of the environmental impact caused by balloons and the legislation regarding their release,” Brendan said.

Chair of Council’s Waste Committee, Councillor Alan Ward said releases often happened at times of difficulty or celebration. “Council is aiming to encourage residents to consider alternate ways to better commemorate these events.”

“There are more environmentally friendly options such as bubbles, lighting candles, scattering flower petals or planting native trees for those wishing to commemorate the passing of a loved one or celebrating an occasion or event.”

For more information about the impact and controls around releasing helium filled balloons visit https://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/questions/release-helium-balloons

What’s on @ The Library

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ARTS REVIVAL FESTIVAL 14-19 DECEMBER 2020

Book into one of our ART WORKSHOPS in the new Makerspace Studio. Only $25 per workshop with limited places. Book in person at Parkes Library.
Monday 14: Lovin’ Lino Printing with Helen Gray
Tuesday 15: Painting with Acrylics with Karen Ritchie
Wednesday 16: Assemblaarrge using found objects with Pol Cruz
Thursday 17: Medicine Basket-Mindfulness with Jo Laurie
Friday 18: Banners from Recycled Materials with Deb Jones

REVIVAL ART EXHIBITION
14 Dec-26 Jan @ The Coventry Room. Come and experience what the idea of ‘Revival’ means to artists in the Parkes Shire.

POP-UP ART & CRAFT STALLS
Selling locally made items just in time for Christmas! Saturday, 19th December 9:30- 1pm @ The Makerspace Studio

SUMMER HOLIDAY ACTIVITIES

Join in our fun summer school holiday activities!
• Reading Challenge (all ages) 21 December – 23 January
• Ugly Box Animals (Kinder to year 2) Wednesday, 6th January
• Animal Magazine Art (Years 3 to 6) Wednesday, 13th January
• Fancy Fish World (Kinder to Year 6) Wednesday, 20th January

Limited spaces with bookings essential (in person @ the library) with a cost of $2. You must be a library member to book in, it’s FREE to join. Bookings open 7 December.

LIBRARY CLOSURE DURING THE FESTIVE SEASON

The Parkes Shire Library will be closed from 25th December and we will resume our normal hours on Monday, 4th January 2021. From all the staff at Parkes Shire Library we wish you all a very happy and safe festive season!

CONTACT THE PHOENIX

Head Office Phone: (02) 6344 1846

Postal Address PO Box 203 Canowindra NSW 2804  

Editorial – Maggi Barnard Phone 0403 080 085 editor@parkesphoenix.com.au

Sales – Rochelle Frame Phone 0490 517 590 sales@parkesphoenix.com.au  

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