Maggi Barnard

Maggi Barnard has been with the Parkes Phoenix since it was established in March 2016 and loves writing about her community.

Snippets…

May 21, 2021 By Maggi Barnard

The Dish was lit up in orange on Wednesday for Wear Orange Wednesday (WOW) Day in support of NSW SES volunteers as part of National Volunteer Week. The ob-servatory’s Visitors Centre gates were open for the night to the public for photo opportunities.

Christmas Parade Is Back: The Parkes Action Club is busy planning the 2021 Christmas Parade and Carnival on Friday, 3rd December. It will be done in a COVID-safe way and promises to be as good as it was in 2019. There will be prizes for the best floats in the parade, and many stalls to shop for Christmas presents. Local entertainment groups will be able to perform on the new stage in Cooke Park. Put the date in your diary – contact Peter Guppy on 0448 166 016 for more information.

How Good Is Your ‘Hood’? The largest social research project in Australian history is underway with the 2021 Australian Liveability Census. After a year where local neighbourhoods were more important than ever, it is the perfect time to understand what would make them better. The census aims to capture what really matters to communities and how our cities, towns and neighbourhoods are performing today. “We encourage you to take just 15 minutes to sit down and share what the most important thing to you is and include our community’s perspective in a national forum,” said Parkes Shire Councillor George Pratt. From open green spaces, to better footpaths, a buzzing nightlife or play equipment. What is your idea, big or small to make your neighbourhood more livable? “Council can also use the data to inform the next Parkes Shire Community Strategic Plan, as well as targeted service planning.” Find the link on Council’s website at www.parkes.nsw.gov.au.

Rock The Flock: Retrovibe, a popular Central Coast cover band is set to ‘rock the flock’ at St George’s Anglican Church tomorrow performing a free gig from 5:30 pm. There will be a free sausage sizzle and face painting for the kids. The four-piece professional band has been together for over 12 years. The band’s lead guitarist, Kevin Simington, is also an Anglican minister who is currently conducting an eight-week ministry at St George’s Anglican Church. The other members are John Hed-ley (bass guitar and vocals), Adam Bradford (drums and vocals) and Karen Durand (lead vocals). Karen is relatively new to the group and currently has a solo album that is charting very well nationally. Karen will be coming back to Parkes for a solo concert at St George’s Anglican on Saturday, 19th June. Retrovibe will also be playing at the church service on Sunday morning, leading worship and performing an item. It is not every day that a top cover band offers a free gig in Parkes! Make sure to get there.

The Parkes Croquet Club held its second match last Satruday. These are some of players who braved the cold wind (L-R) Julie Dearden, Ruth Unger, Ingrid Stephenson, Helen McQuie, Suzie McNamara, Gidge Copping, Sue and John Maddison.

Classic Triples Attract A Crowd

May 21, 2021 By Maggi Barnard

Wintery conditions prevailed last weekend as 14 teams rolled out to contest the Minnie Riordan Parkes Classic Triples. A successful two days of bowls, camaraderie, close match-ups, with visitors from far and wide.

Overall winners were the Dubbo team of Bev Cross/Marg Rich/Aileen Beecroft, with Parkes taking second (Robyn Morgan/Leisa Burton/Maree Grant) and fourth place (Chris Curteis/Carol Reed/Rose Mitchell). Third place went to Laurie Keane/Cheryl McConnell/Nada Kurta.

Next week, the regional finals will be held at the Parkes Bowling and Sport Club with two Parkes teams in the mix!

Social bowls last Tuesday saw over 30 ladies coming to vote on the unification of men’s/ladies bowls into one organisational body, with 22 venturing onto the green.

By Lea Orr

Parkes/Forbes Dragon Boat Team Among Best In Nowra

May 21, 2021 By Maggi Barnard

NEIGHBOURS… The Lachlan and Endeavour Dragons combined to form a formidable team for the Nowra regatta last weekend.

The Parkes and Forbes Dragon Boat Clubs combined for the first time for the Nowra Waterdragons Fire Recovery Regatta last weekend, and came home with a very good result.

The Shoalhaven river’s weather made it a memorable and challenging event, but the Endeavour and Lachlan Dragons proved to be a force to be reckoned with finishing sixth out of a total of 21 teams that included some of the top teams from around NSW.

The Nowra Waterdragons’ two-day flag-staff event included a 9km paddle around Pig Island, but the event was called off halfway through when the weather deteriorated creating dangerous conditions. The Parkes/Forbes took part in the 2km replacement event early on Sunday morning.

The team also competed in the 200m races and moved up the ranks in the three heats with a third, second and first place in the last one in a very competitive time of 48.77 giving them a spot in the major final with the other top seven teams on the day.

After a wobbly start in the final, the team recovered to finish sixth overall. “The team of Forbes and Parkes paddlers combined well to form a very competitive outfit who went onto perform extremely well in the challenging conditions on the Shoalhaven River,” said the Lachlan Dragons coach, Chris Favell.

“It was an excellent effort by the team to make the major final in such a competitive event against a range of very strong clubs from across the south coast, Canberra and Sydney regions of NSW.”

Endeavour Dragons coach Deb Abela said she was very proud to see both teams combine so easily both on and off the water. “We compared well to the other clubs and achieved some of our best times ever.”

Janine Hando, who supported the crew, said it was great to see the team work together to achieve a fantastic result. “Fun, friendship and determination were what I saw.”

The Parkes Dragon Boat Club is looking forward to hosting its very first regatta at Lake Endeavour on 30th May as part of its third anniversary celebrations. Teams from the Central West and possibly further afield will be competing in a 2km turn race, 200m races and tribe, while new comers will be able to try out too.

Parkes Croquet Is Underway

May 21, 2021 By Maggi Barnard

The Parkes Croquet Club has enjoyed a successful start with its first two Saturday afternoon games and is generating a lot of interest. Fun and laughter are sounding across the Parkes Bowling and Sports Club futsal courts as new players learn the skills and the rules in a friendly, social atmosphere. Last Saturday’s icy winds didn’t stop the people from coming.

“It’s great fun,” said new player, Sue Maddison. “John and I really enjoyed it and we will definitely be back next week.”

Come along on Saturdays at 2:30pm to see what it’s all about. Call Beth 0418 253 045 or Ingrid 0419 018 163 for more information.

By Beth Thomas

Snippets…

May 14, 2021 By Maggi Barnard

Melanie Suitor from Parkes Shire Council with the yellow ribbons to be handed out for free to members of the public in celebration of National Road Safety Week 2021.

Get Your Yellow Ribbon: Next week Parkes, Forbes and Lachlan Shire Councils will be getting behind National Road Safety Week 2021 with a range of activities. The Week honours the memory of the 1,200 lives lost, and more than 44,000 seriously injured on Australia’s roads each year, and the councils’ fleet vehicles and staff will proudly display yellow ribbons. Staff email signatures will display the National Road Safety Week artwork for the week, while the monument on Memorial Hill and the Sir Henry Parkes statue in Parkes will be lit yellow. Parkes residents are encouraged to pick up a vehicle sticker and/or lapel ribbon for free from Council’s administration offices.

Skilled Migration Sessions: Regional Development Australia Central West (RDA Central West) has partnered with the Department of Home Affairs to deliver a series of free information sessions on visa options for employing workers in regional Australia. The information sessions will be held in Orange (9 – 11am) and Cowra (2 – 4pm) on Thursday, 27th May with Condobolin (9 – 11am) and Forbes (1 – 3pm) to host information sessions on Friday, 28th May. The sessions are a great opportunity for local businesses to learn more about skilled migration visa options. The sessions are free, however registration is essential. For more information, visit www.homeaffairs.gov.au/working-in-australia or www.rdacentralwest.org.au

Mouse Control Workshops: The NSW Government has expanded its series of on-farm mouse management workshops to give farmers the best tools and information available to manage mice.There will be 16 extra workshops with Australia’s leading mice expert, Steve Henry from the CSRIO helping farmers. He has more than 25 years’ experience. More information and tickets free of charge can be found via the NSW DPI website, www.dpi.nsw.gov. au/mice.

Michael Mccormack Pre-Selected: The NSW Nationals has announced that Federal Leader, Deputy Prime Minister and Member for Riverina Michael McCormack has been pre-selected to be The Nationals’ candidate for the Electoral Division of Riverina at the next federal election. He was chosen to be The Nationals’ representative at the party’s pre-selection meeting on Sunday at Cowra. “I am deeply humbled to have served this wonderful electorate for more than 10 years. I have lived my whole life, worked in and raised a family in the Riverina electorate and I am proud to have done so,” Michael said.

What’s good in your hood? The largest social research project in Australian history is underway with the 2021 Australian Liveability Census. More parks or parking? Bike lanes or better footpaths? Playgrounds or nightlife? Parkes residents are encouraged to take just 15 minutes to complete this online survey before 30th June.

A Great Show From Start To Finish

May 14, 2021 By Maggi Barnard

Fiyero (Matt Prow) is Elphaba’s (Hannah Symonds) love interest in Wicked. Here they share a tender moment on stage during Parkes Musical and Dramatic Society’s production of the Broadway musical.

Last Sunday Mary and I attended the matinee performance of Wicked not really knowing what to expect.

As in the past Lyn Townsend has thrown her body and soul into this production which was first cast in March 2019 and put on hold till now because of the COVID epidemic.

This time lapse gave Lyn the opportunity to put her own interpretation on Wicked, plus its design and so many magnificent costumes. Directing this show provided a massive challenge which Lyn has carried off with her usual determination and flare.

The show opened with a series of flash-backs to the society’s Wizard of Oz which connected the two productions. Then the curtain rose and we were enveloped in a mass of colour, dancing and sound for the first part of act one, leading to the main story of the conflict between Elphaba (Hannah Symonds), the green witch, and Galinda (Shannon Toole), the good witch, with Fiyero (Matt Prow), the dashing young captain adding to the dilemma.

Wicked would not be spectacular without the continued support from its amazing band. These talented musicians hold the production together, and are always ready when any mistakes happen on stage.

The final resolution came in the last act with the appearance and guidance from the Wizard (Bill Jayet). To achieve such a high level of dancing and singing just doesn’t happen, but with Kate and Gracie Townsend on the choreography and Gail Smith with Carolyn Butler as vocal coach-es, it had to succeed.

I was particularly impressed by Elphaba and Galinda who were exceptional for the way they played off each other and sang while the Wizard, Mr Wonderful, is like a good wine, better with age. All this couldn’t happen without the very strong cast made up of the young, the mature and very talented members of the Parkes Musical and Dramatic Society, many who played huge supportive roles both on stage and in production.

The 10-member band, many of whom are regulars, gave up weeks practising under the baton of Neil Westcott to provide great music of such a varied repertoire, but of course we have come to expect such a very high standard from Neil as musical director. The orchestra pit came into its own this show, though a little crowded, it really blended in with the stage setting and has been a great asset for the theatre. This brings me to the four-member back stage crew led by Brian Townsend who have spent weeks setting up such a decorative and workable set of scene changes with lights to give such a terrific effect.

As usual lighting and sound were of a very high standard, made possible by our expert team and excellent equipment. A great show from start to finish.

By Warwick Tom

CDS Claims Trophy At 40th Anniversary

May 14, 2021 By Maggi Barnard

Currajong’s Chris Spicer, Thomas Davis, Jye Jeffrey and Mark Madden marching at the 40th anniversary of the OCTEC Forbes Special Sports Day last week.

Currajong Disability Services (CDS) participants joined NDIS providers from across the region at the 40th annual OCTEC Forbes Special Sports Day last week, and came home with a trophy.

The day started with all participants marching in their sports colours to the playing of bagpipes and the Red Bend drummers. CDS claimed the coveted anniversary Forbes Advocate trophy for their proud marching behind their banner.

The event, founded by Dianne Decker AM, is held annually at the Red Bend Catholic College with the students assisting in all aspects of the day. To mark the anniversary this year, participants received a special medal provided by OCTEC.

Starting in 1981, the sports day involved wheelchair sports held at the Forbes Showground. A few years later many participants were involved in the Paralympics which led to the sports day evolving into a day for intellectually disabled participants to be included. Many schools and groups from Canberra, Sydney and the Central West became involved at this time and students were able to compete in events such as swimming and athletics races.

Now 40 years on, the Special Sports Day is held at Red Bend College giving students an opportunity to be involved in organising the races, calling the races and supporting all the visitors.

“The day is about inclusiveness, having fun and participating in different
sports events with others from around NSW,” said Dianne Decker.

“This day could not operate each year without the ongoing support of OCTEC, Molly Nelson running the cafe and the Red Bend College and its students,” said Dianne.

Thomas Davis of CDS had fun at the event saying: “It’s a great day to catch up with friends especially since COVID stopped last year’s event.”

Teammate Neil Hamilton also commented on how much all the participants loved the day out. “They all enjoyed it and are already planning for next year!”

Rebecca Takes Fundraising To A New Level

May 14, 2021 By Maggi Barnard

RUN REBECCA RUN… Rebecca Miller started her epic challenge at Northparkes Oval in April with many members of the Parkes community joining in. While she was running alone most of the time, she received good support from all the communities along the way. (Photo: Christine Little)

It took one woman to run nine marathons on nine consecutive days and almost 400 supporters to raise over $100,000 for four charities to help terminally ill children and their families.

A month after completing this titanic challenge, Parkes business woman Rebecca Miller is still hurting from the physical exertion, but she is also glowing from the ripple effect of the kindness bestowed on her from so many people.

“It is an amazing feeling,” she said this week after her fundraising page had gone beyond the 100k target by over $4,000.

“It is the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life and every single muscle in my body was hurting, but there were so many magical moments and the money raised for the charities will be life changing.”

Rebecca called her challenge The Ripple of Kindness Project and said the compassion shown by all her supporters were just phenomenal. “From our clients who came in with an envelope with $20 inside, the kids who donated all their savings, to the business group I am part of who boosted the effort with a massive $42,000 in one go last week.”

Rebecca was motivated to chase a big target after she raised $25,000 in 2017 shaving her head. “I’ve always liked a big challenge and decided to shoot for the stars, and if I was to land in the clouds it would not matter.” She described reaching the target as one of the biggest highlights of her life, and praised the love, support and countless messages that kept coming from all corners.

There were some pretty low moments too during her nine-day challenge, especially days three and five. “I knew I was mentally very strong, but my body was suffering.” Rebecca described how she had to dig very deep on these days doing a lot of self-talk. “I kept on reminding myself how I was just running and my situation was nothing compared to what sick children were experiencing.”

It was children like little Lilly Wyburn from Parkes who kept her going. Rebecca dedicated her run to Lily, who fought Leukaemia from the age of two and sadly lost her battle in November 2017 when she was eight and a half years old.

As leukaemia and brain cancer in kids are the most common childhood cancers, she raised funds for four cancer-related foundations: Bandage Bear Foundation, Carrie’s Beanies for Brain Cancer, Leukaemia Foundation and Parkes CanAssist.

Rebecca said the four charities were blown away. “They were following my journey very closely and was super excited greeting me at Westmead Hospital at the end.”

The Ripple of Kindness Project page will still be open to donations for another week at https://au.gofundme.com/f/the-ripple-of-kindness-project

Our Young Bloke – Riley Fernando

May 14, 2021 By Maggi Barnard

Parkes Public School Captain – Riley Fernando

How old are you? 12

Where do you go to school? Parkes Public

What is your favourite after school activity? Football.

What is your favourite food, movie and music? Food: steak; Movie: Godzilla vs Kong; Music: Ski Mask The Slump God.

What do you want to do when you grow up? I want to be in the military or be part of the service anywhere.

If you could have a super power what would it be? Invisibility, so I’m not seen all the time.

What makes you laugh the most? My baby brother.

If you were the ruler of your own country, what would be the first law you would introduce? No cars, people have to use motorbikes for transport.

Tell us an interesting fact about yourself. I’ve been riding bikes for around four years now. I love mountain bike riding and BMX.

End Of Road For Parkes Pavilions

May 14, 2021 By Maggi Barnard

Sad news this week came through that the main pavilion and five adjoining pavilions at the Parkes Showgrounds will have to be demolished.

The main pavilion and adjoining five pavilions at the Parkes Showgrounds will be demolished following structural damage caused by the super cell storm event in January.

The Parkes Showground Land Manager (PSLM), formally the Showground Trust, had to make the difficult decision this week. Chairman of the PSLM, Tim O’Brien said a certificate of safety was required to continue using the area. “In order to obtain this certificate, we would need to have an engineer’s report completed to ensure the safety of the building. The cost of this action is considered prohibitive and unlikely to be positive as the report would no doubt insist on certain repairs, limiting use of the pavilions while being done.”

Despite temporary repairs to the pavilion following the storm event, the Showground Board reached the decision to cease use and fast track the demolition with particular consideration to the health and safety of the current users and the general public. “The board is fully aware of the impact this has on the users of these facilities, including the Parkes PA & H Association and CanAssist, however the safety of the users is paramount.”

“We will continue to pursue opportunities to restore the event capabilities that these buildings provide for our community,” said Tim.

Maggi Barnard

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