Maggi Barnard

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

Valid Win For ‘The Questionables’

July 27, 2017 By Maggi Barnard

There was nothing suspicious about ‘The Questionables’ performance on the tennis court in the Autumn-Winter competition. The team of Julian Fyfe, Jaco Barnard and Christian Martin proved too consistent for the rest and claimed the top position.

The three keen players are certainly students of the game and love their tennis. When they have their regular practice sessions they can be heard in fruitful conversation about technique, tactics and all things tennis related. This proved the difference during the competition with their team combining a mix of power, strategy and guile to go through undefeated. The next competition will start on 10th October.

Footy Tipping Results Round 20

July 26, 2017 By Maggi Barnard

Photographic Talent That Is Out Of This World

July 20, 2017 By Maggi Barnard

Skill, imagination, vision, and patience; these are essential qualities for an astrophotographer – especially patience. The photographic subgenre combines scientific precision with an artist’s eye, capturing the wonder of the universe in images that are dazzlingly beautiful and deceptively complex. Each year the Central West Astronomical Society hosts the David Malin Awards for Astrophotography in conjunction with the annual AstroFest. The prestigious competition attracts the best astrophotographers from around Australia. There were eight categories this year, each with their own challenges and stunning aesthetics. Solar System and Deep Space invited us onto the surface of the sun, or into distant nebulas, whereas Airglow and Nightscapes produced images that were simultaneously familiar and other worldly; auroras glowed along a horizon, or the sky was illuminated with the twinkling curve of the Milky Way.

Seventeen year-old Baillie Farley was the winner of the Junior category. It took a lot of work to achieve the stunning landscape featuring the emu constellation. “You have to plan the shot – it’s not just the location and accessibility,” he said. “You have to watch the weather, the moon phases, and the position of the Milky Way. You’ll never get a good photo instantly.”

Phil Hart’s Witch’s Head Nebula was the winner of both Deep Sky and the overall winner. The photograph is a result of more than 40 hours of exposure and three months of imaging. Phil said he’s always trying to create something that’s unique in some aspect. “It’s not just recording what you can see, but what the eye can’t see,” Phil said. “You have to anticipate what’s going to be there. That’s where the fascination comes from.”

Along with the very generous prizes from Cannon, the overall winner is presented with a specially crafted statute; a bust of Galileo looking up into the heavens.

By Raen Fraser

Mayoral Notes…

July 20, 2017 By Maggi Barnard

Parkes Shire Council has teamed up with 35 other local councils to take a national pledge to tackling climate change, as part of the Climate Council’s Cities Power Partnership (CPP). This week I attended the launch of the CPP in Canberra, joining Climate Council members, ACT Environment Minister Shane Rattenbury, and other mayors and council representatives. We’re excited to collaborate with other regional and metropolitan councils as part of the Cities Power Partnership, to share resources and ideas about how we can accelerate emission reduction and become a greener, more efficient and resilient community.

Council invites local tourism and business operators to come along to a Visitor Economy Workshop on Monday 7 August at the Aastro 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 the Parkes
Visitor Information Centre on 02 6862 6000. Only one week to go until National Tree Day, the largest community tree-planting and nature care event. This year, we’ll be planting at the northern end of Danilenko Street and I encourage residents and visitors to come along on Sunday 30 July at 11am and do something positive for our local environment.

Register your attendance via visitparkes.com.au A reminder that Council contractors, Clearflow are continuing the cleaning of water mains throughout Parkes, with flushing of the mains in the Parkes CBD scheduled for Sunday 23 July. Residents and business operators will be notified of scheduled works and supply interruptions in your area 24 hours prior to works taking place. To remove any residual discolouration after the works are carried out, consumers should run a backyard tap until the water returns to normal. For more details visit parkes.nsw.gov.au

Enjoy your weekend.
Yours Faithfully,
Cr Ken Keith OAM
Mayor of Parkes Shire

Our Gal – Tricia Trim

July 20, 2017 By Maggi Barnard

Tricia Trim

How long have you lived in Parkes? I grew up in Parkes, but after finishing school here I moved to Sydney where I met my husband. We then moved back to Parkes with our children and have been here now for 14 years.

Where do you work and what do you enjoy about your work? I work at the Parkes Radio Telescope Visitor’s Centre as the Visitor Centre Coordinator. I have worked there for 14 years and the best part of my role is I get to meet so many visitors who are amazed at seeing our beautiful “Dish”. The best part of my job is the staff I work with.

What are you really good at? Talking. I love to talk to people and enjoy hearing about how everyone is.

If you could have a superpower what would it be? To clean my house super quick so I alway have a nice, clean home and then get to spend more time with my family and friends.

What is your pet hate? Being disorganised. I hate it when things are all muddled up.

Tell us about your best holiday ever. All of them!!! I love holidays with my husband and 3 children. A few of my best holidays have been going to my husband’s parents home in Tuross Heads when my kids were little we used to go there in January with some special friends and I have lovely memories of all those times together.

National Tree Day

July 20, 2017 By Maggi Barnard

Central West Lachlan Landcare (CWLL), Parkes Shire Council, Planet Ark and Toyota are inviting Parkes residents to take part in a local National Tree Day event on Sunday 30 July. National Tree Day is Australia’s largest
tree-planting and nature care event. Each year over 300,000 people take part in National Tree Day events at 3,000 sites. Since Planet Ark launched National Tree Day in 1996, more than three million participants have planted 21 million native trees, shrubs and grasses.

“National Tree Day is a timely opportunity to connect with the community, reflect on what’s been achieved through previous plantings and continue to care for our local environment,” said CWLL Chairperson, Margot Jolly.

Landcare Co-ordinator, Marg Applebee explained “previous National Tree Day projects are flourishing and we look forward to continuing the fantastic work that has already been achieved through these community planting days. We encourage people who are planning to attend to register at the Planet Ark website.”

Findings of independent research commissioned by Planet Ark over the last five years has found that contact with nature provides a range of happiness, health and wellbeing benefits, but our outdoor time is being eroded by increased screen time, longer working hours and shrinking backyards. “Our research shows that you can grow
happier by getting outside and connecting with nature,” says National Tree Day Manager Debbie Agnew. “Nature has the ability to influence happiness because it has direct and positive effects on the brain, so National Tree Day is a free and easy way to boost these feelings.”

The National Tree Day event will be held at the northern end of Danilenko Street in Parkes. Activities start from 11am and will conclude with a sausage sizzle at 1pm. To register for National Tree Day, please visit treeday.planetark.org

Deputy Premier Joins Parkes For Sunshine And Stars

July 20, 2017 By Maggi Barnard

The stars were shining on Sunday, as members of the Central West Astronomical Society calibrated their telescopes for a day-time astronomy event. They were joined by some of the stars of the political firmament, with a special visit by the Deputy Premier, John Barilaro and the Parliamentary Secretary for Western NSW Rick Colless.

Their visit just happened to coincide with AstroFest, which provided a dazzling backdrop for Parkes part of the electorate-wide tour. Mayor Ken Keith, Deputy Mayor Barbara Newton joined locals in welcoming the state politicians at an informal lunch at the Dish Café. Not only did the ministers get to see the opening of the David Malin Astrophotography Awards, they were treated to a special tour of the dish by expert guide, CSIRO’s John Sarkissian.

It was the perfect opportunity to showcase the strengths of our town, and perfectly complemented the Deputy Premier’s tour, promoting the government’s Regional Growth Fund. “The government’s in a really good position financially,” John Barilaro said. “There’s a lot of money available in our Regional Growth fund, especially for councils to build local amenity – it might be sporting infrastructure, cultural infrastructure or playgrounds,” he said.

“Right now, we’ve actually got a real opportunity to make a difference in rural New South Wales and leave a legacy of opportunity,” John said. “I want to make sure our kids in regional NSW can grow up here, study here, and remain here.” “One of our core businesses should be about opportunities for young people,” he said.

By Raen Fraser

Question of the Week?

July 20, 2017 By Maggi Barnard

What do you love about astronomy?

Bernadette Aiken: I really like seeing deep sky objects through the telescope. The Jewel Box is my favourite thing to look at, it’s really colourful and looks just like a box of jewels.

Gillian Hunt: I like hearing about the different probes. Juno is orbiting Jupiter, and you can choose what you want it to observe. The public can tell NASA what they want to see – it’s really user-based. Saturn is my favourite thing to look at, when you get a good enough telescope you can see a gap between the two rings.

Peter Cannon: There’s always something more to find, there’s always another target. I think my personal favourite thing to observe is the moon. It’s the thing you can spend the most time on, there’s so much detail, it changes every night, and it’s so easy to find.

Snippets…

July 20, 2017 By Maggi Barnard

AstroFest reaches for the stars: It was another stellar turnout for the Central West Astronomical Society’s annual conference. CWAS President Christine Spears said that the event was extremely well attended, and attracted around 100 astronomers and enthusiasts from all over the country. She credits the ongoing success with the calibre of the speakers, many of whom are excited to participate in the event as it is connected to a world class facility.

Winners are grinners: Congratulations to Kerry Roach, the lucky winner of our Taronga Western Plains Zoo Package!

The Henry’s are back and better than ever: The Henry Business Awards have had a make-over. This week the Parkes Chamber of Commerce announced a new and improved award categories, which will be judged online by external judges – with the exception of the Ken Birch Memorial award. But perhaps the biggest news is that the awards are now annual, so there are more opportunities for local businesses to shine! Nominations for the 2017 awards will be opening soon. Hosted by the Parkes Chamber of Commerce, The Henrys Gala Presentation will be held in October. Go to parkeschamber.com.au/awards for more information.

Council welcomes new Rotary district governor to town: Parkes Shire Council has officially welcomed the newly elected Rotary District Governor to the Parkes Shire at a civic reception held on Monday. Parkes is the second town Mr George Weston and his wife Carol, from Leeton, has visited as part of his first tour of the Rotary District 9700, which comprises 40 clubs across regional New South Wales. Parkes Shire Mayor, Cr Ken Keith said
“Rotary play an integral role in our community – making positive, lasting change not
only in Parkes but the wider region.”

Focus on Farm Safety 17 -23 July: National Farm Safety Week aims to raise awareness of farm safety issues in rural communities across Australia. This year’s theme for Farm Safety Week is “Creating a resilient, safe and healthy ag community”, and seeks to focus on the practical issues that farmers can take to improve safety for themselves, their workers, family members and farm visitors. This in turn leads to better productivity and improved returns for
the farm business – “Safety doesn’t cost, it pays”. For further information contact Farmsafe on 02 6269 5622 or via email info@farmsafe.org.au

Parkes Show A Cut Above

July 20, 2017 By Maggi Barnard

The Parkes Show has a long and proud history of providing a fantastic entertainment package which has resulted in many memorable moments for its patrons over the years. This year is no different and sees the return of one of the more interesting events held at the Show in recent times. Lawn mower racing makes its return as part of an action packed programme. The mower races are open to anyone over the age of 18 to enter and 2 classes of mower can compete, stock mowers and modified.

Further information and the full list of rules is available from the www.parkesshow.org.au or call the show office on 6862 2580.

Maggi Barnard

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