Maggi Barnard

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

Snippets…

August 3, 2017 By Maggi Barnard

Knit and Natter: More than 40 people attended the 10th Knit and Natter Morning Tea at Craft Corner last Thursday. A group of 18 travelled from Orange for the event and took back 15 big bags of finished rugs and squares. Irene Lally from the Peak Hill Knitters Group brought nine rugs. Craft Corner members would like to thank everyone who donated 8ply yarn and knitted squares for this year’s Wrap with Love project. In its 25th year, the non-profit organisation provides wraps to ward off hypothermia for millions of people during winter in 75 countries.

Science, Art & Children’s Literature: Parkes Library has something for everyone during August. On 17th August at 6pm you can learn about Wildlife Spotter and help save threatened species and preserve Australia’s wildlife! The application is used as part of the National Science Week celebrations. Parkes Library is also hosting a special Australian Museum travelling mini-exhibition for National Science Week, 14th – 20th August. Museum2You looks at the impact of how we live on our planet’s future. On 24th August at 10am a Library Officer Dan Fredericks will demonstrate how to surf the internet, use email and apps in safety. RSVP by 22nd August on 6861 2309 or library@parkes.nsw.gov.au. Come dressed as your favourite book, nursery rhyme or super hero character for Storytime and Rhyme Time to celebrate Book Week. Storytime: 23rd August at 10.30am; Rhyme Time: 22nd August at 10.15am and 25th August at 11am.

Love our locals: Parkes Shire Council launched the Love Our Locals campaign last week. It features the success stories of local business operators and why it all adds up in Parkes for business. The aim is to raise the profile of the Parkes region with diverse business opportunities and showcasing the range of innovative and progressive businesses operating across the shire, their owners and what they bring to the community. In partnership with the Parkes Chamber of Commerce, the campaign centres around online and social platforms and profiles over 80 local businesses of which seven are showcased through video content. Residents and visitors are encouraged to show some love for our local businesses by liking, sharing and commenting on the campaign by using the hashtag #loveourlocals. For details visit visitparkes.com.au

Parkes Hockey Sticks With State Title Third Time

August 3, 2017 By Maggi Barnard

Parkes and hockey almost became synonyms last weekend at the Women’s Masters Southern State Hockey Championships. Bringing 61 teams with over 1,000 players to town, it was time for Parkes to shine. And sparkle we did – not only was the event hailed as a huge success, two teams were crowned as state champions, and it was a
very special occasion for a Parkes mum and her three daughters.

Parkes 1 became state champions for a third consecutive year after defeating Newcastle 1-0 in the final on Sunday afternoon. Parkes 3 was named joint champions with Goulburn 2 after a 0-0 draw in the final. For Fran Dixon and her three daughters, Kylie Butler, Deanna Dollery and Tracy Hambridge it was a very special occasion. All four played for Parkes 2 for the second year at the tournament. “This year is more special because it is at home,” said Fran.

The three daughters had travelled from Port Macquarie, Orange and Canberra respectively to play with Mum. “It is a fantastic opportunity for us to do this,” said Kylie Fran said although the state tournaments were usually very competitive, she loved the camaraderie and meeting up with friends every year. “It is also great to see all the junior girls I used to coach now playing in this tournament.

With another milestone coming up next year when she turns 70, Fran was not daunted by the fact she had to play six games over the three days of the tournament.

Our Gal – Denise Gersbach

August 3, 2017 By Maggi Barnard

Denise Gersbach

How long have you lived in Parkes and what do you like about living here? I have lived in Parkes for the majority of my life except for when I attended university in Canberra for four years and a short two and a half year stint in Sydney.

Where do you work and what do you enjoy about your work? I am the principal of Holy Family School. I love working at this great school. It is a wonderful community with great students, staff and parents. I am very fortunate to see children doing amazing things on a daily basis.

What do you do to unwind after work or on weekends? Hockey is a passion of mine and I enjoy training and playing games with my team-mates. It is a great way to unwind. I also love doing dog agility with my two border terriers, Vesper and Pinky. It is quite challenging and is a new hobby that I have begun in the past two years.

What are you really good at? Organising things! I like to see things done well. I like to plan and be well organised for things well in advance.

If you could have a super power, what would it be? To fly.

What is your pet hate? I hate anyone being cruel to animals.

Tell us about your best holiday ever. A five week trip to Italy and Greece last year was amazing.

Mayoral Notes…

August 3, 2017 By Maggi Barnard

Thank you to the wonderful volunteers who dug deep for National Tree Day 2017 on Sunday 30 July. Over 40 participants planted 350 trees at the northern end of Danilenko Street in Parkes, a tremendous effort by all involved.
This week, residents are invited to learn more about the programs, services and activities Council provides to the community as part of Local Government Week 2017, held 31 July until 6 August. Check out the diverse range of projects Council is planning and delivering on our website which include major infrastructure projects including
the Water and Sewage Treatment Plants, Advanced Water Recycling Facility, Parkes and Peak Hill Waste Facility upgrades, and the Parkes Regional Airport Business Park, as well as the ongoing upgrades and maintenance of our road and footpath assets. To find out more about Council’s works, services and activities, head to www.parkes.nsw.gov.au.

In only its first week, the Love Our Locals campaign has seen tremendous traction on social media thanks to the support of our local community. The campaign, launched last Thursday, will see around 80 local businesses profiled across the Visit Parkes social media platforms with the aim of raising the profile of the Parkes region by showcasing the diverse business opportunities, the range of innovative and progressive local businesses, their respective owners and what they each bring to the community. I encourage everyone to share the love by getting behind the campaign on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram using the hashtag #LoveOurLocals.

Council invites local tourism and business operators to come along to a Visitor Economy Workshop on Monday, 7th August at the Astro Dish Motor Inn. The workshop will incorporate an update on the current state of the tourism industry and opportunities for local business. For workshop details, head to visitparkes.com.au or phone 6862 6000.

Have an enjoyable weekend.
Yours Faithfully,
Cr Ken Keith OAM
Mayor of Parkes Shire

How Did Grandma Do Her Washing?

August 3, 2017 By Maggi Barnard

The household of the previous century was a vastly different place compared to our modern kitchens with all its amenities and gadgets. The Parkes Historical Society has been offering local and out of town students a peek back in time with a fascinating display of more than 200 different household items.

Through the society’s education programme with Australian Charities and Notfor- profits Commission (ACNC) status, students are able to visit the Henry Parkes Museum. This year the focus is on grandma’s daily chores. The first school to visit was Holy Family Primary School who spent a day discovering the many treasures at the museum with staff.

“They walked to the museum via Bushmans Hill,” said Yvonne Hutton, President of the Parkes Historical Society.
Students visited the machinery area where they could run around, climb on and sit in the driver’s seat of the old tractors and trucks, while the Silver City Comet carriage and Big Four were very popular too.

After lunch they sat down to learn more about the households of yester year. “Many of the objects shown were a complete mystery to them, while some objects they remembered grandma having one of them,” said Yvonne. “In those days there were no stoves or washing machines, let alone microwave ovens.”

“It was a very happy and enjoyable day for the museum staff, teachers and students.” Following on the success of the Holy Family day, the next visit came all the way from St Raphael’s School Cowra. According to Yvonne the next group due to visit is Parkes Public School with the other primary schools to hopefully follow.

The museum’s education program also caters for two Parkes High Year 12 students who visit once per week to help out.

To Green Habits And A Greener Environment

August 3, 2017 By Maggi Barnard

Over 60 students from Parkes and Forbes celebrated Schools Tree Day at Eco Day 2017 last week. Through Eco Day, Central West Lachlan Landcare (CWLL) offers workshops and bus travel to year 5 and 6 students for a day of environmental and rural activities.

The workshops included creating Net- Waste worm farms, plant care and propagation with Bunnings, soils with Local Land Services, Parkes Shire Council weeds demonstration and talk, lantern making with recycled products with Ro Burns and a saleyards tour with Cooper Byrnes from Langlands Hanlon. The lanterns will be used at the Forbes River Arts Festival in September.

The day finished with workshops from Paul Kirk, The Snake Man, and an interactive workshop with Chris Dart from Netwaste on how to reduce waste to landfill. Paul Kirk allowed the kids to get up close with reptiles. He talked about snake safety and how to handle non-venomous snakes.

The students also learned what to do if they were bitten. “I loved how the Snake Man just gave us the snakes to hold,” said Ava Hayes from Parkes Public School. “We want the kids to go away thinking about what they can do in their own homes and schools that can make a difference and prevent needless wastage. We hope that students leave the day with a wider perspective of the connection between humans and the environment that we live in,” said Margot Jolly, CWLL Chairperson.

Following on from Eco Day, National Tree Day on Sunday saw more than 40 people in Parkes planting 350 trees in the picturesque setting just off Danilenko Street. The portion of land will provide screening for residents near the new Water Treatment Plant (WTP) and extend the wildlife corridor from existing bushland in the area,
with native eucalypts and wattles being planted on the day.

CWLL Co-ordinator, Marg Applebee said: “We are thrilled to have over 40 people volunteering for National Tree Day.” The Skillset Green Army Team will continue planting work on the site over the next few weeks.

Chamber Chatter

August 3, 2017 By Maggi Barnard

Last week’s Parkes Chamber of Commerce meeting saw a great turnout for the consultation with RMS concerning the Parkes bypass. Consultants from WPS facilitated discussions that addressed business concerns and gathered information to look at all the potential impacts. An RMS survey has been posted on the Chamber website and we encourage everyone to complete it.

After the RMS meeting, the Chamber held its annual AGM. All positions were declared vacant. Geoff Rice was returned unopposed to the position of President and John Kennedy as Vice-President. James Haddin was elected as Secretary and Belinda McCorkell as Treasurer. Peter Martin is the Public Officer and Kasie Ferguson is the Publicity Officer.

The Chamber has been busy behind the scenes to relaunch bigger and better this financial year. Our facebook profile is growing with 437 likes, while our RMS bypass post reached over 4,000 people – our toprated post for the year!

The most exciting news is that The Henrys Business Awards will become an annual event. We are looking forward to our premiere event on Friday, 20th October. With the invaluable assistance of the NSW Business Chamber the nomination process will be completely online and judged, so there is no community voting.

Over 130 packages have been delivered to businesses in the past week and the response has been positive. If you have not received one yet, please contact us. It includes information on the awards, membership and subscription, as well as upcoming shire events.

Please feel free to come to any of our meetings. Contact us on email at chamber@parkeschamber.com.au or through
our facebook page.

By Belinda McCorkell

Bred Well Fed Well Workshop In Alectown

August 3, 2017 By Maggi Barnard

Quality Wool hosted a Bred Well Fed Well workshop in Alectown for farmers last week. Hosted by Bernard and Elizabeth Dwyer, 18 participants attended the intensive oneday workshop. Facilitated by Dr Jason Trompf from JT
Agri-Source, the day combined presentations as well as hands-on practical sessions, designed to equip producers with practical tools to optimise reproduction and profitability in their ewe flocks.

Producers got to try their hand at included condition scoring, feed budgeting, ram rankings and ram selection, with follow-up courses in these areas offered for those wishing to further develop skills in breeding and nutritional management. A number of attendees indicated they’d like to participate in the Ewe Lifetime Management
program going forward.

A joint initiative between Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA) and Australian Wool Innovation (AWI), Bred Well Fed Well workshops aim to help commercial producers, stock agents and many others to advance their skills in ram selection using Australian Sheep Breeding Values (ASBVs).

Restoration Project Starts For Peak Hill’s History

August 3, 2017 By Maggi Barnard

The Peak Hill history machine was set in motion in recently when the community recently welcomed back four restored historical photographs. This signalled the beginning of the Peak Hill history restoration project run by the Peak Hill Consultative Committee.

The original Peak Hill Municipal Council building, now the Peak Hill Leisure Centre, contains a collection of historical photographs depicting past Peak Hill community life. The aim of the Peak Hill Consultative Committee is to restore, conserve and digitise these photographs.

The first set of four framed photographs that have been restored are images of the Peak Hill Municipal Council of 1897, 1939, 1953 and 1968. Members of the Peak Hill Consultative Committee, Peak Hill Leisure Art and Craft Council and Councillor Louise O’Leary were very pleased to welcome back the photographs. “This is the beginning for Peak Hill. Our heritage and stories will be restored and shared, and be available for everyone long into the future,” said Louise.

“The restored photographs are wonderful,” said Dick Baxter. Before being re-installed in their original locations in the Peak Hill Leisure Centre, the photographs will be on display at the Peak Hill show on Wednesday, 23rd August 2017.

This project has been assisted by funds allocated to the Royal Australian Historical Society through the Heritage Branch of the NSW Office of the Environment and Heritage.

Question of the Week?

August 3, 2017 By Maggi Barnard

Sunday was National Tree Planting Day. Why did you decide to come and plant trees today?

Anna Woodlands, Isobell Moss, Charlie Moss and Annette Moss: Isobell: Trees and plants give us oxygen. Anna: I come every year with my dad. I like planting trees.

Maggi Barnard

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