Maggi Barnard

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

Play, Chill, Create, Learn During Youthweek

April 9, 2021 By Maggi Barnard

Roxanne Gallacher in the Parkes Library foyer where the program is displayed for Youthweek.

Youthweek in Parkes this year will see a full program of events from 16th to 24th April.

The Shire’s 12 to 25-year-old young people can look forward to banner making, illustration and skills for youth workshops, a chill-out zone, a games day, and going backstage at the new Parkes Musical and Dramatic Society’s production of Wicked.

“We have put together a program to involve the young people in our shire and use the Makerspace venue at the new library,” said organiser Roxanne Gallacher, Parkes Library and Cultural Centre’s Creative Learning Programs Coordinator.

The banner-making workshops are a repeat of the very popular workshops at the Arts Revival Festival last year.

“We have organised with the high schools that students can attend the illustration workshops of author Alan Robinson.”

The backstage @ Wicked event will offer students a glimpse into the world behind the scenes of a production that includes lighting and sound.

A team from Games n More in Orange will be at the games day with 30 board games and various other games with the help of the Parkes Games Group, while the Railway Hotel has sponsored pizza for the lunch.

YOUTH WEEK: 16-24 April Bookings must be made prior to attending by calling Roxanne on 6862 9101.

16 Apr – Banner making workshop with Deb Jones @ Peak Hill Leisure Centre from 10am-1pm.

17 Apr – Banner making workshop with Deb Jones @ The Parkes Library Makerspace from 10am-1pm.

17 Apr – Chill out zone with Gracey Jones and DJ Jabba @ The Parkes Library from 9:30am-12pm and outdoor games, bean bags and relaxed atmosphere to chill out with friends.

18 Apr – Banner making workshop with Deb Jones @ Trundle Branch Library from 9:30am-12:30pm.

19 Apr – Skills for Youth Workshop @ Parkes Library Makerspace from 4pm-6pm.

21 Apr – Illustration Workshop with Alan Robinson (local author/illustrator) @ Parkes Library Makerspace from 2pm-3pm; Author talk with Alan Robinson “Writing a Children’s Picture Book” from 6pm-9pm.

22 Apr – Illustration Workshop with Alan Robinson (Local author/illustrator) @ Parkes Library Makerspace from 11:30am-12:30pm.

23 Apr – Backstage @ Wicked – a behind the scenes look at the Parkes Musical and Dramatic Society’s current production, plus a Q&A with the director @ The Parkes Little Theatre from 6pm-8pm.

24 Apr – Games Day (Boardgames, Tabletop Gaming Demonstrations, chill out) @ Parkes Library Makerspace from 9:30-4pm.

Bridge Banter

April 9, 2021 By Maggi Barnard

Working out what to finesse are (L-R) Val Worthington, Jenny Freeman, Laurie Keane and Barbara Hughes.

To finesse or not to finesse… that is the question. Finessing is a great technique by which you can make an extra trick if a high card is held in the right opponent’s hand. Some say never to try a finesse unless you must have that extra trick in order to make your contract. A statistician will tell you that a finesse will work 50% of the time (unless a clue in the bidding suggests otherwise). A bridge player, however, will invariably tell you that their finesses almost never work.

Last week’s smart players, who knew when to and when not to finesse were:

Tuesday, 30th March – Jenny Freeman and Jill Peterson.

Thursday, 1st April – Louise Payne and Peter Quin for north/south; Jennifer Calvert and Dawn Phipps for east/west.

If you want to learn about the art of finessing come along to the Parkes Bridge Club on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 1pm and Mondays at 6:30pm at the Lutheran Church Hall in Currajong Street. See our page https://www.parkes.bridge-club.org or call Greig Ball 0429621712 or Bev Laing 0418114826 for more information.

By Beth Thomas

Snippets…

April 9, 2021 By Maggi Barnard

New born Matthew with his parents Erin and Alex Blunden.

Stork News: Matthew Joseph Blunden came into this world on 11th January 2021 at the Forbes Hospital weighing – 2,620 g (5.7 pounds) and 48cm tall. His parents are Erin and Alex Blunden from Parkes; grandparents Les and Heather Cheney from Parkes (first grandchild), and Lorraine and David Powter from Orange (fifth grandchild); great grandparents Doug and Lucy Allen from Parkes (16th great grandchild), the late Frank and Janet Cheney from Parkes (3rd great grandchild); the late Arthur and Noela Rawson from Bogan Gate, and Robin Blunden from Trundle.

Stallholders Wanted: The Parkes Show Society is calling all local stallholders who would like to take part in the Parkes show-ground monthly markets commencing Saturday, 24th April from 8am to 1pm. The markets will be run in conjunction with the CanAssist monthly sale. The Show Society is also looking for a community group, such as Scouts, Rotary, CWA, or Girl Guides to run a food stall (sausage sizzle and more) on a rostered basis. Open and undercover sites available at $30 per stall and must have current public liability insurance. Please call Liz on 6862 2580 to register.

Drugs And Driving: Senior students from local schools have learned about the effects of alcohol, drugs and distractions on driving. Students from Trundle and Tullamore Central Schools and Parkes Christian School participated in training on a driving simulator provided by the Rotary Club of Young in collaboration with Parkes Rotary and Neighbourhood Central. The ‘impaired driving’ module first gives a participant about five minutes to experience normal driving conditions. The simulator screens then blur a little, and delays are inserted into braking and steering response, and the participant drives again for about five minutes. The difference between normal and impaired driving is compared by means of a statistical report. The experience provides a powerful demonstration of the effects of drugs and alcohol on driving ability. “Neighbourhood Central and the Rotary Club of Parkes have formed a partnership to pursue purchasing a simulator to be based in Parkes and available to schools within a radius of about 100km,” said secretary of the Rotary Club of Parkes, Ken Engsmyr. One student’s feedback on the experience says it all: “Driving under the influence is not only illegal, it’s very difficult.”

Parkes students doing a training model on the driving simulator recently.

Support The Funky Crowd’s Great Shave!

April 9, 2021 By Maggi Barnard

What do you call six nurses who have stepped up to brave the shave for Leukaemia?

The Funky Crowd of course! And tomorrow Helen Nash, Sharon O’Brien, Jenni McGee, Tania Elsley, Susan Cornish and Wendy Baigent will send a powerful message of hope at the Coachman Hotel from 6:30pm. Sharon and Tania will be colouring their hair and the rest will have their hair shaved by the barber from Inkredible Experience.

It will be a very special big-hearted act of bravery for Helen who has not cut her hair for over 40 years! There is a competition on to see how long her hair is going to be.

The Funky Crowd was formed to support Wendy who lost her husband seven years ago to Leukaemia. “The Leukaemia Foundation supported my husband and my family with accommodation in Sydney and with counselling, for what we were about to go through,” said Wendy. “My colleagues and friends from work have also been touched by cancer of some sort and are very kindly supporting me.

To support The Funky Crowd and donate to the Leukaemia Foundation, go to the World’s Greatest Shave website and look up their names or the team name. You can also join the action at the Coachman Ho-tel tomorrow from 6:30pm that includes an auction of a bloke’s pack and a ladies pack and a lucky door prize.

Lots More Space At Balloon Glow For Food Vendors

April 9, 2021 By Maggi Barnard

The Cabonne Community Glow is back this year and promises to be an amazing spectacle with balloons lighting up the night sky in Canowindra. This experience includes night markets with food and wine stalls, entertainment and the highlight of the evening, the Cabonne Community Glow – a magical experience where you’ll see hot air balloons lighting up their burners synced to all new mu-sic under the beautiful evening skies in the Central West.

With the dark COVID cloud still lurking in the background, food vendors and stallholders have been slow to sign up. The organisers are looking for more food vendors and stallholders to help make it a real celebration and attract more visitors to the region.

Tickets for the event are on sale at $10 for adults (18 and above) and $2 for children under 18 plus booking fees and can be purchased from www.canowindrachallenge.org.au Attendees can also now book their campsites by visiting www.canowindrachallenge.org.au

Lovers Become Library Ambassadors

April 9, 2021 By Maggi Barnard

New Parkes Library Ambassadors for 2021 were announced last week. At the back are Cr Pat Smith, Emma Brown and Debbie Gould. Middle row: Molly Clohessy (Parkes Christian School), Evelyn Greef (Parkes Public), Anna Orr (Parkes Public) and Grace McGirr (Middleton). In front are Knox Lamont (Parkes Christian school), Toby Fliedner (Middleton) and John-Tian Waters (Parkes East).

Seven Parkes Library Ambassadors for 2021 received their badges at a special ceremony last week.

The Year 5 students represent four of the five primary schools in Parkes: Parkes Christian School, Parkes Public, Parkes East and Middleton. Debbie Gould, who runs the children and youth services team with Emma Brown, said it was very exciting to have the ambassador program running again this year.

“It was very difficult to choose from the 26 applications received as everyone did a wonderful job telling us why they wanted to be a library ambassador.”

Councillor Pat Smith handed each ambassador a Parkes Shire Library badge that they would be able to wear at school. “It is an amazing program for such a lovely library,” said Pat. “The program offer a great learning curve for the children.”

Year 5 students could apply for the role to promote and communicate what is happening at the Parkes Library with their respective school communities. The ambassadors will be invited to events at the library and write book reviews of new books. Debbie said they were also role models to Year 4 students who would like to apply for next year’s program.

The program was started in 2019 after a trial was run in 2018 and it was found that when students heard something from their peers it had more value.

As a bonus the ambassadors will be allowed to attend school holiday programs run at the library for free.

The school holiday activities for Kind-er to Year 6 will be still run next week on Wednesday and Friday morning at 10:30am with some space-themed fun and movies on the big screen. The Wednesday activity is $2 per child, and the Friday Flicks are free of charge.

Read more about the Youth Week activities on this page on offer from 16 – 24 April.

Our Young Gal – Katie Galvin

April 9, 2021 By Maggi Barnard

Vice Captain Holy Family Primary School

How old are you? 11

Where do you go to school? Holy Family Primary School

What is your favourite after school activity? Art and sport

What is your favourite food, movie and music? Food: gelato; Movie: Airplane mode; Music: Rock – Pop.

What do you want to do when you grow up? A singer

If you could have a superpower what would it be? Teleportation

What makes you laugh the most? My friends.

If you were the ruler of your own country, what would be the first law you would introduce? Everyday you can get gelato for free!

Tell us an interesting fact about yourself. My middle name is Louise.

Mousecapades In The Bush – Part 2

April 9, 2021 By Maggi Barnard

“I can see the funny side of it. It’s the only thing which has kept me going through all this.”

I hear a plastic bag rattling in the dining room. Found a mouse trapped in a ziplock bag. Zipped it and gently applied pressure. No more mouse. After brekkie more party food put behind TV. All eaten within two hours – amazing! Refill with larger amount. Didn’t expect it to disappear so quickly. Second pile of party food is eaten in two nights.

The verandah has a few partially missing boards in it so I load party food into the spaces. Also, a rat bait container (I had to put a piece of wood on it as rats had moved it away from where it was supposed to be) and a knot hole in one of the boards have food put in them as well. I check these each day and replenish as needed. I’m very careful to make sure the animals can’t access the bait or dead mice. Those furry party go-ers sure love their food! I worry about the electrical wires being chewed through and a fire starting. Where, oh where, is the Pied Piper of Hamelin?

I’m really sleep deprived by now and desperate. So deprived, that one morning when the alarm goes off, I get the clock and try every way I can to turn the darn alarm off but it won’t stop. Then I see my phone, pick it up and that was the thing making all the noise.

Just as well there was no one else in the house. They would have been cursing me.

I try the car for two nights. First night, laying across the back seat. Car needs to be another half metre wider. The cat discovers me and walks over the car a couple of times. Later I hear it telling me it has a mouse for me but I lay there and pretend I don’t know it. So, a very uncomfortable night. Feel like half my brain has dissolved I’m so tired. Next night I sleep in the front of the car. Pretend I’m on an overseas flight. After little sleep, I give up at 4am, taking the doona with me and fall into my bed.

Surprise! There are no mice, absolutely no mice in my bedroom! I sleep for two hours before I need to get up. The mice have partied too long and too hard. The next day I sleep during the morning, that afternoon and sleep again that night.

Postscript. I pick up three dead mice from the verandah. The cat has brought me some furry gifts. I let the chooks out for the afternoon, head back to the verandah only to see, too late, a chook scoffing a mouse down in one go! She was still part of the count when I locked them up that night!

By Bush-Tales

Be Seen

April 9, 2021 By Maggi Barnard

Agnus Jones is a very excited lucky draw winner of our Easter Colouring Competition. He picked up his prize from the Idler’s Den.

Zarna Gould and her dog Brewster dressed up for the Northparkes Oval Parkrun over the Easter weekend.

Alex and Marty Sammut-Paul had a great morning out at their first Northparkes Oval Parkrun last Saturday.

Why did you want to be a Library Ambassador?

April 9, 2021 By Maggi Barnard

Toby Fliedner (Middleton Public School): I wanted to do something for the school, and I like books and reading.

Evelyn Greef (Parkes Public School): I wanted to get used to speak in front of lots of people as I am always a little scared at church to stand up and speak. I also love reading!

John-Tian Waters (Parkes East Public School): I hope it will help me to become a better student and to learn something new. I also love reading and books.

Maggi Barnard

YOUTH WEEK: 16-24 April Bookings must be made prior to attending by calling Roxanne on 6862 9101.

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