Maggi Barnard

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

Break Away From The Pack!

June 1, 2017 By Maggi Barnard

Do something different this June long weekend and experience real Australian bush hospitality at the famous Parkes Picnic Races.

Spend the weekend in 4 star luxury with a package that includes your own picnic hamper and fully licensed private race marquee, as well as transport to and from the track on race day.

You’ll also receive a complimentary continental breakfast with fresh locally grown fruits each morning you’re with us.

So, if dressing up and and spending the day socialising in the fresh country air sounds good to you, why not come and stay with us?

This is a limited time offer – rooms will fill quickly so make sure you book soon to avoid disappointment.

Call the Station Motel on 6862 0444 to book. Price: $490 for two nights twin share on Friday, 9th June to Sunday, 11th June in- cludes daily continental breakfast and race entry.

Held since Landcare’s inception, the Landcare Awards acknowledge and celebrate local Landcare achievements at state, territory and national levels across Australia. Nine diverse categories showcase the achievements and history of Landcare and Coastcare, and above all recognise the in- valuable contribution of tireless volunteers to both initiatives.

Nominations invited from Landcarers across the country with awards events tak- ing place in each state and territory later this year. Winners from the nine national categories will go on as finalists in the 2018 National Landcare Awards.

Subscribe to the monthly Landlink enewsletter for all Landcare Awards updates.

The Role Of Art In Dementia And Palliative Care

June 1, 2017 By Maggi Barnard

Dementia and Palliative Care will be the focus of information sessions run by Arts OutWest in Parkes on 21st June.

Arts and health coordinator Christine McMillan will be a guest speaker at the Little Theatre for two sessions from 11am to 1pm and 5:30 to 7:30pm.

She will talk about Art Connections, an art and dementia program coordinated by Arts OutWest at Jemalong Residential Village in Forbes.

The Dementia and Palliative Care ‘Getting it Together’ sessions provide insights into the management of dementia as a palliative illness and will be of great value to clinicians, health care workers, carers of people with dementia and members of the general public with in an interest in dementia.

The sessions will be held in conjunction with Western NSW LHD Palliative Care Service.

The principal presenter, Dr Jane Tolman, is a geriatrician based in Tasmania and an associate professor of aged care at the Wicking Dementia Research and Education Centre at the University of Tasmania where she is involved in both education and research. Jane’s talk will be highlighted by carer stories read by two actors, Kate Smith and Vince Melton from the Central West.

Jane has developed a new staging system for dementia, and it has gained wide- spread traction among carers, families and health professionals for its emphasis on dignity and the importance of palliation.

The sessions are free to attend but book- ings are requested. Register online via
http://profile.eventarc.com/profile/PEPAN- SW.

For further information contact Program of Experience in the Palliative Approach (PEPA) NSW project manager Janeen Foffani on (02) 9515 6424 or 0428 970 012 or PEPANSW@sswahs.nsw.gov.au

Grants for Ten Groups

June 1, 2017 By Maggi Barnard

Ten community and volunteer groups in the Parkes Shire will receive more than $20,000 in grants recently announced by the Australian Government.

The four groups in Parkes are Parkes Memorial Hill Rejuvenation ($5,000), Parkes Shire Concert Band ($4,800), Parkes Shire Food Service ($5,000) and the Parkes Tennis Club ($2,398).

The Peak Hill Art Gallery received $5,000, the Bogan Gate Community Memorial Hall $1,086 and $3,157 for the Central West Astronomical Society.

In Trundle the Abba Festival received $2,500, the Men’s Shed got $2,900 and the Trundle War Memorial School of Arts $4,000.

Hey Diddle Diddle Storytime Is A Fun Riddle

May 25, 2017 By Maggi Barnard

The leaping, high-flying cow had the record-breaking young audience in stitches on Wednesday at the Parkes Shire Library’s performance for Simultaneous Storytime.

The library joined the rest of the country for the annual event with all the pre-schools in Parkes attending, as well as the regular sto- ry timers and other members of the public.

“It is our best one yet,” said Sandie Ward who directed and narrated the performance of The Cow Tripped Over the Moon. “We seem to be getting bigger each year and might have to think of doing two shows next year to fit everyone in.”

The book by Tony Wilson is a story about friendship and perseverance. It is also a sto- ry about cows smacking into meteorites and hot air balloons and sand dunes.

Simultaneous Storytime not only promotes the value of reading and literacy, but also the fun of books and celebrates an Australian writer and publisher.

Members of the Library Council of NSW were also in the audience and were very impressed with the performance and the other services offered by the library. They visited Parkes Library for the first time in more than ten years to see how the library operates.

Shellie Buckle, Manager Cultural, Education and Library Services presented plans for expansion to the team and said she hoped for the best in the next round of grants opening in September.

Young Female Winner For 5km Fun Run

May 25, 2017 By Maggi Barnard

Youth proved to be a winner at the fourth Rotary Fun Run on Sunday with young runners taking all the shine.

Fourteen-year-old Monique Morgan was the overall winner of the 5km race, while two more young runners took up the sec- ond and third sports in the men’s 5km event. Another 14-year-old Liam Tory came second and Philip Howard, only ten years old, surprised with the third spot.

With last year’s record breaking Olympian winner Scott Westcott not competing, the field was wide open and Monique became the first female to be the overall winner. Her time of 22:03 was well off Scott’s record of 15:10.50 he set last year.

The 10km event was won by Gavin Stephenson in 41:42 for the men and Ursula Wilson won the women’s race in 44:25.

The kids 2km race once again proved popular, although entries were down from last year. Spencer Draper and Sam Airey were first of the 72 entrants to finish with Isaac White and Paddy Williams in sec- ond and third respectively. The first girl over the finish line was Sharlia White fol- lowed by Tia Dunn and Ruby Smith.

A total of 187 athletes took part in the three events in beautiful autumn weather.

By Maggi Barnard

Fire Station Open Day Highlights Safety

May 25, 2017 By Maggi Barnard

More than 50 families flocked to the Parkes Fire Station for the annual open day last Saturday.

Deputy Captain Cody Venaglia said the event was hugely popular. While the kids got to check out the equipment, sit in the truck and even spray the hose, the parents were targeted to make them aware of fire safety.

Cody estimated that Parkes fire crews attend around 160 fires each year. While fire fighting is their most obvious activity, they also have specialty training in HAZMAT chemical spills, and rescue services for road accidents.

Cody admits they’ve even rescued cats from trees. “Once we arrived to rescue a cat from a tree, but when we got next to it, the cat jumped over to the tree next to it and ran down the trunk.”

He said they also rescued a Dalmatian puppy once, it had got its head stuck in a recliner. “That one was pretty memorable because of the association Dalmatian’s have with fire stations.”

The open days are scheduled to coincide with winter approaching and a lot of heating-related fires. “Fires start because of chimneys getting too dirty, or people putting a clothes horse in front of the heater,” Cody said.

His strongest words of advice was to “keep looking when you’re cooking, and don’t leave food unattended on the stove.”

By Raen Fraser

Running Star Honoured

May 25, 2017 By Maggi Barnard

Olympian marathon athlete Scott Westcott received a big surprise on Sunday morning when Mayor Ken Keith presented him with a Star of Parkes at the start of the Fun Run.

Scott, who ran in last year’s marathon at the Olympic Games, said he was overwhelmed and speechless by the gesture. “I did not even know you could name stars after people.”

The Mayor handed Scott his Star Name Deed certificate stating the star’s exact astronomically verified position. The Star of Parkes is a symbolic honour, inspired by the tradition of presenting the Key to the City.

The stars are reflective of the Parkes Shire –our starry skies, the iconic CSIRO Radio Telescope and the Shire’s shining future.

Scott, who grew up in the Shire and regularly returns for the Fun Run, waited more than 20 years to claim his place on an Australian OIympic team.

How To Decorate For Winter

May 25, 2017 By Maggi Barnard

In winter your home becomes your retreat from the outside world.

As the temperature drops we are drawn to stay inside, cook comfort food such as hearty soups and casseroles, and hibernate. It is a time for reading and relaxing with your loved ones.

So now is the perfect opportunity to create a cosy haven to enjoy the cold winter months ahead.

How do we create this atmosphere? Well it’s easy just by adding a few key elements.

Here’s my top 5 ways to ready your home for winter:

1. Move your furniture around. As summer decorating is all about simplifying to welcome the outside in, winter decorating is all about creating warmth and cosiness. Move your lounge or single armchairs closer together to create a feeling of inti- macy and position them around your heat- ing source to encourage long conversa- tions on cold winter nights.

2. Decorate the room with warm throws and scatter cushions in rich fabrics. Warm, deep colours as well as a variety of tex- tures in the cushions and throws will give the room instant warmth, cosiness and an injection of colour to brighten dull winter days.

3. Invest in a new rug. A rug instantly brings a room together and creates a defined zone to your family room. This is when a shag rug is my favourite choice. The textures and different layers of materials in a shag rug can give an instant and dramatic effect to the space. Shag rugs are available in an enormous range of styles and colours ranging from deep chocolates to vibrant ruby reds or simple neutral tones.

This season features many new variations to the styles of shags on offer. Carved and patterned shags as well as extremely textural shags made from combining a va- riety of silks, wool and fabrics.

4. Buy a lamp and turn it on. Everything feels better when a room is lit, while subtle lighting will set the mood.

5. Update your bedding and buy yourself that new quilt cover set. In winter we need more layers to our bedding to keep us cosy and warm. By changing your bedding sea- sonally it allows your room to be instantly transformed into a warm, luxurious retreat ready for serious snuggling through the cold nights. Heavier quilts will give you added warmth while throws and comforters complete the layering effect.

By Karen Creith

What To Wear To The Races

May 25, 2017 By Maggi Barnard

Have you got your outfit ready for the social highlight of the year, the Parkes Picnic Races on 10th June?

Dressing for the races in winter is challenging as you want to look your stylish best, but also need to keep warm. Here are some suggestions:

Materials and Fabrics: A wool blend/ tweed has a warm, wintery feel. Leather trims can look great or be brave and wear a whole leather garment, like a pencil skirt. Faux fur trims bring a cosy, yet stylish, touch to an outfit.

Shapes and Silhouettes: Be flexible with sleeve lengths because you can al- ways cover up with a jacket or shawl. Play around with different shapes of sleeves.

Winter Colours: Rich jewel tones are favourites in winter, such as navy, maroon, deep purple, copper, emerald green, mus- tard, oranges, tan and the classic black, white and grey. Metallic accessories are fun to play around with too.

Capes and Jackets: A fun addition to an outfit is to wear a cape over the top. Capes come in many different colours and pat- terns and look very on trend.

Gloves: People love to wear gloves in winter. They can be made of leather, suede or wool and come in a variety of different col- ours and lengths ranging from half palm to full length. This can add in an extra colour.

Millinery: Millinery of the season is often made of felt, wool, leather and silks and is adorned with trims such as feathers, leath- er flowers, lace and veiling. Metal crowns

and headpieces are trending too.

Accessories: Metallic accessories are popular and can be a great way to vamp up a dull dress. Think gold, silver, bronze and chrome, as well as stones and jewels.

Shoes: Put away your strappy summer heels and snuggle into enclosed shoes.

(Source: www.milanoimai.com)

Years Of Experience At Janice

At Janice Cassidy’s Hair Salon clients will experience a positive atmosphere and friendly staff. With over 90 years combined experience, the salon offers expertise in all aspects of hairdressing, including style cutting, razoring, colouring foiling and ba- layage, perming and body waves, as well as styling for formal occasions.

On Wednesday you will receive 20% discount on all hairdressing services.

Janice wants to thank her long-term clients and welcomes new patrons.