Maggi Barnard

Prevent Ticks And Fleas
Autumn is the time to prepare your pets for the winter season. Although fleas and ticks are mostly found right through the year in Australia, there are particular challenges that need to be met during autumn.

Even though autumn is cooler, household warmth can keep undetectable flea’s larvae and pupae alive for several months. It is therefore important to use preventive treatments.

There are lots of monthly flea preventives that come in both topical and oral form. Tablets and spot-on treatments can prevent not only fleas but also heartworm disease and intestinal worms in pets.

To prevent fleas from affecting your pets, it is important to wash beds, carpets and other areas where the pet goes. Each and every pet in the house should be given flea preventive treatment so that they are free from any irritation caused by these nasty pests.

You can try Nexgard Chewables which are available at the Parkes Pet Barn. Some ticks go into feeding period of hibernation in autumn, but adult stage deer ticks are at their peak in autumn. In fact, they can cause Lyme disease in pets. The most prevalent tick is the brown dog tick that is found in the Northern Territory. This tick has the ability to utilise three hosts to complete its lifecycle. It requires a blood meal before reaching the next level. Each female brown dog tick can lay around 4,000 eggs. There are different sprays and spot-on treatments for ticks.

If you find fleas and ticks on your pets, talk to Sean at the Parkes Pet Barn or consult a veterinarian about the best possible preventive treatment for fleas and ticks on your pets.

(additional source: www.vetsupply.com.au)

In a month’s time Trundle will be transformed into a colourful flares and sequins paradise when 5,000 ABBA fans descend on the small town to say ‘Thank You for the Music’!

The eighth festival on Saturday, 4th May, has once again secured the most successful tribute act of all time, Björn Again, as the feature act and they will be performing their 30th Anniversary Tour celebrating 7,000 shows in over 100 countries.

The main stage at Berryman Oval will be rocking all day with support acts like Parkes’ very own Amitie, rocker Ben Ransom, soulful vocalist Ingrid Mae.

The day also features Fashions of the Festival, Dancing with the Stars with Alana Patience and Tristan McManus, DiscodTours (silent discos), face painting and markets.

The ABBA Express will again be running a return service from Sydney, Parkes and Forbes, while there will be buses from Parkes, Forbes and Canberra.

If you are planning to stay over, there are still unpowered camping sites and glamping tents available at the Racecourse. Bookings can be made via www.123tix.com. Tickets to the festival can be pre-purchased via www.trundleabbafestival.com.au. Enter our competition on page 6 to win a double pass to the ABBA Festival.

Three months ago Donna Monkerud took on the immense challenge started by Ellie Hetherington eight years ago of selling plants for charity.

“I love everything about growing and selling plants,” said Donna. “We need more gardens and trees. I feel that I’m helping with that, and at the same time I’m helping Can Assist.”

Donna has an impressive set-up of greenhouses, vegetable gardens and propagation enclosures at the corner of Kelly and Military Roads where she works mostly on her own. But she does welcome help from friends.

“Ellie and her friend Marg still help me out with propagating, Fay Blackstock gives me lots of cuttings and roots, and I have wonderful support from my next door neighbours, Cathy and Peter McPherson.

“I could not have done this without Colin my husband – he built the green house and lots of other things – and my daughter Emma and son-in-law James, who collects milk bottles in town and shovels lots of horse manure and dirt!”

Donna has around 4,000 plants for sale, and lots of trees going for $5. There are plenty of hedge plants, lots of salvia and she expects new arrivals of native grevilleas and bottlebrushes late April. Can Assist receives 100% of sales from the plants, apart from some of Donna’s expenses.

If you’d like to help out, Donna is always in need of 2L and 3L milk and juice containers, which can be dropped in a cage at the back past the greenhouses. Seeds and cuttings are also very welcome, and can be dropped in a bag over the fence. Donna says a label of what’s in the bag would be helpful.

If you’d like to support Donna’s nursery, she’s open on weekends, and if she’s around during the week she’s more than happy to help you. If you want to call her on 0418 258 617 she’s happy to find a time for you.

By Beth Thomas

The Parkes Library Ambassadors for 2019 were appointed last week from three primary schools in town. Year 5 students could apply for the role to promote and communicate what is happening at the Parkes Library with their respective school communities.

Debbie Gould, who runs the program with Sandie Ward, said they had learned from a trial run last year that when students heard something from their peers it had more value.

The ambassadors from Parkes Public, Middleton Public and the Parkes Christian School will learn about responsibility and leadership while sharing news about new books, holiday programs and other events at the library.

Each week, K-2 students at the Middleton Public School get the opportunity to spend time gardening. Last week Kindergarten students planted leek, radish and Brussels sprouts. They also harvested beans and a strawberry.