Maggi Barnard

If the walls of the 137-year-old St Elmo shearing shed outside Parkes could talk, it would have piles of yarns to spin.
The very first anecdote would go back to the 1880’s when the Job family selected their land from the old East Billabong Station squatter run, and the original centre part of the shed was built.

It was constructed with local timber consisting of unmilled cypress pine frame, grey box slab walls, which can still be seen inside the shed, and debarked pine sampling as grating. It was originally a blade shearing shed.

In 1906 the shed was extended, again using timber milled on the site. It was a fivestand shed powered by a belt and pulley system from a large steam engine tractor positioned outside the shed.

The steam engine tractor was replaced with a Lister petrol motor to drive the overhead sunbeam shearing gear in the first half of the 20th century. Electricity was connected in 1984 and the Lister engine was replaced by an electric motor, which now power the overhead gear, as it is still a working shearing shed.

On the 16th of September the shed will have a brand new story to tell when the Parkes Action Club will be using the space for an exceptional art exhibition called Ducks on the Pond showcasing eight local and regional artists.

Limited tickets are available at $25 prepaid or $30 on the night and includes food by The Dish Café, wine by Twisted River Wines and entertainment by The String Family from Sydney. For more details go to visitparkes.com.au. All the money raised will go towards the Action Club’s community programs.

St Elmo Shearing Shed is 12km from Parkes on the Renshaw McGirr Way (Wellington Road) and 2km down Job Lane. No high heels are recommended for the event.

Re-awaken your sense of wonder….Let curiosity lead your life.

LEIGH HOBBS – AUTHOR TALK
Wednesday, 13th September – 6pm
Leigh Hobbs is the bestselling author of more than 20 books which include the iconic Old Tom, Mr Chicken Goes to Paris and Horrible Harriet. Parkes Library is hosting Leigh to present a free session for parents and interested adults. Leigh has a subversive humour that delights children and adults alike. He has committed his two-year term as Australian Children’s Laureate “to champion creative opportunities for children, and to highlight the essential role libraries play in nurturing our creative lives.” Please come and enjoy this amazing author and illustrator. Bookings are essential on 6861 2309 or library@parkes.nsw.gov.au.

CAKE DECORATING WORKSHOP
Sunday, 17th September – 10am
Parkes local “Kylie’s Cakes” will share her tips and tricks in creating the perfect birthday cake for your kids. This is a 2-3 hour hands on free class. Bookings are essential on 6861 2309 or library@parkes.nsw.gov.au.

PARKES FUN PALACE
Saturday, 23rd September
Fizzics Education is coming to Fun Palace with their robotics workshops! 9:30am – Big Science Big Fun Show – See
gigantic bubbles, flying toilet paper, hairraising electricity experiments, fire balls, coloured shadows, a flame equalizer and much more! This is an event for the whole family!
• 11:00am Beebots – Beginner robotics (Kinder, year 1 and 2)*
• 12:30pm Lego Robotics – Lego robots “Mindstorms” (year 3-6)*
• 1:45pm Lego Robotics – Programming robots (year 7-10)*
*Limited places. Cost $2. Bookings in person at Parkes Library.

Recent research by the Australian Physiotherapy Association (APA) shows that many of the major Australian health funds have not substantially increased their rebate for seeing some physiotherapists in more than a decade. The APA has said that this is “inequitable and unfairly pressures patients into the health insurer’s selection of physiotherapist, despite choice being a core tenet of the Australian private health system.” Preferred provider schemes limit your freedom to choose the physiotherapist that is best able to treat their specific injury or condition.

The APA advises that when looking for a health fund that is right for you, you should look for one that not only meets your needs and provides good rebates for the services that you need but one that offers flexibility and allows you to see the physiotherapist that you want to see should you require their services.

The preferred provider schemes offered by health funds make no distinction between the level of experience or qualifications of your treating practitioner. The rebate you receive per consultation is the same whether you were treated by a new graduate on their first day of work, or by someone like myself with an APA Sports Physio title, Masters degree and over 20 years of private practice experience. I am not part of any preferred provider scheme because I believe that, to achieve the best health outcomes, insurers should provide higher rebates for more experienced and qualified physiotherapists and they should allow you your choice of physiotherapist without you being financially disadvantaged.

For the fitness of you.
Linda Reilly

Do you fancy tasting crocodile, kangaroo, emu, buffalo or camel? This is but one of the many rare and unusual experiences a record crowd of over 2, 000 people had at the 31st Trundle Bush Tucker Day last Saturday. People came from all over Australia to sample bush tucker, compete in the bush tucker cooking competition, take part in bush games and displays, attend camp over cooking guru Ranger Nick’s demonstrations or enjoy the live music provided by Beccy Cole and others.

As usual a team of more than 20 volunteers from the Northparkes Mines provided a selection of tasty treats, cooked in the traditional way, to sample for free. The bush games included bushies and junior relays, sheep shearing, billy boiling, whip cracking and dog jumping. This year’s event was well attended after widespread flooding last year that prevented many from attending. Many people commented on how well organised it was and that they would definitely return next year.