Maggi Barnard

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

Our Bloke

April 20, 2017 By Maggi Barnard

Andrew Francis

How long have you lived in Parkes and what do you like about living here?
Since 2005. Parkes has a very friendly and active community, with a number of key services and opportunities that other towns of similar size don’t have. Moving to Parkes from Sydney was a delight with a short commute, quiet, friendly neighbourhoods and a very progressive Council.

Where do you work and what do you enjoy about your work?
Parkes Shire Council. I have always been an active member of the community in which I live and working at Council and specifically in a service delivery role, it allows me to affect positive change and work directly with groups and individuals to get positive outcomes.

What do you do to unwind after work or on weekends?
Exercise, music, Netflix, meditation and the odd drink get me wound down and ready to play all weekend with the kids.

What are you really good at?
I can whistle with my mouth closed.

If you could have a super power, what would it be?
Since as long as I can remember I’ve wanted to have the ability to fly, but as an adult a better power may be to be able to read people’s minds…

What is your pet hate?
Cats, hmmm, no, they’re a pet that I hate. I mean, cold showers.

Tell us about your best holiday ever.

Tour of Canada and Europe, wonderful sites, wonderful people, wonderful food and a proposal at the Eiffel Tower to boot.

Snippets…

April 20, 2017 By Maggi Barnard

Visual arts program: A series of eight small workshops will run in the Central West, in- cluding Parkes from April to June. Arts Out- West has set up the workshops, in close consultation with mental health and disabil- ity support services, on behalf of House with No Steps, who provided the funding.

Each of the programs specifically targets particular groups. Some of the programs are for existing groups, while others are open to the public. The program in Parkes will be a visual arts workshop running over 10 weeks from May to June. Sign-ups for the Parkes program will be announced soon.

Telstra Business Women’s Awards: Member for Orange, Philip Donato is en- couraging people in his electorate to cele- brate the achievements of exceptional busi- ness women by nominating them for the 2017 Telstra Business Women’s Awards. Donato said the awards, now in its 23rd- year, seeked to raise the profile of women in business by recognising and rewarding their courage, leadership and creativity.

Entries open on 26th April until 15th June across five award categories. State and Territory winners will be announced later this year, with the national awards in Syd- ney on 1st December. To nominate or enter go to https://www.telstrabusinesswomen- sawards.com/nominate/ or call Telstra on 1800 817 536.

St George’s Day: This Sunday St George’s Anglican Church is celebrating the Pa- tronal Festival, St George’s Day. This festi- val is to honour Saint George, after whom the church was named. The service will be at 9:00am, followed by morning tea in the hall. Reverand Dr Ian Coutts will be speak- ing at the service.

According to legend, St George was a Roman soldier born in what is now mod- ern-day Turkey around 280AD and died around 303. Emperor Diocletian, as part of a crackdown on the growing influence of the Christian community, ordered that all Christian soldiers in the army should be expelled and all Roman soldiers be forced to make the traditional pagan sacrifice. St George refused and denounced the edict in front of his fellow soldiers, declaring he was a Christian. Diocletian initially tried to convert him with offers of wealth and land, but he refused and was beheaded on 23 April 303.

Trundle, Tullamore, Tottenham and Bogan Gate News: Send us your news, photos and snippets to editor@parkespho- enix.com.au.

Mayoral Notes

April 20, 2017 By Maggi Barnard

Congratulations to the Tullamore Irish Music Festival committee for delivering another successful event over Easter. Tullamore welcomed 1,300 visitors and I must commend the community for providing the friendly atmosphere and for their continued support of this tremendous event.

Parkes Shire residents are invited to attend the ANZAC Day commemorative services across the region on Tuesday. The Parkes Shire RSL Sub-Branches, in combination with Parkes Shire Council, have planned special services in each of the townships to pay tribute to our veterans and current defence personnel. The full Parkes Shire 2017 ANZAC Day program is available on Council’s website, www.parkes.nsw.gov.au or can be collected from Council’s Adminis- trative Building on Monday.

Council’s Roads and Footpath crew have constructed a new footpath at Memorial Hill to significantly improve pedestrian access to the site.

Free handmade paper poppies are available for free from the Parkes Visitor Infor- mation Centre to write a message of com- memoration on the back. The poppies will go on display at the VIC until ANZAC Day.

With one week of school holidays remaining, motorists are reminded to take advantage of the Free Cuppa for the Driver cam- paign. When drivers travel more than 100 kilometres from the town on their drivers licence, they are eligible for a free cuppa at any of the 90 participating businesses. Par- ticipating businesses can be located on the Free Cuppa website www.freecuppa.com.au Facebook page or by downloading the Free Cuppa App. Have a fantastic week.

Yours Faithfully, Cr Ken Keith OAM Mayor of Parkes Shire

What’s On @ The Library

April 20, 2017 By Maggi Barnard

ANNUAL BOOK SALE
Parkes Library is holding its annual book sale in May. Starts on Saturday, 6th May at 9am and concludes on Saturday, 12th May at 1pm. Get in early to pick up a bargain.

OUR SOLAR SYSTEM
What have we learnt about our solar sys- tem and how has it changed over time? This talk, by John Sarkissian, OAM, Opera- tions Scientist at the CSIRO Parkes Radio Observatory, will include a discussion of new planetary systems discovered around other stars and the Parkes Telescope’s contribution to our advancement in knowledge. The talk will also touch on the lat- est search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI) research at Parkes. Thursday, 27th April at 10am, Parkes Library (morning tea included) Please RSVP by 26 April on 6861 2309.

LAW WEEK EVENT – CYBER SAFETY
Law Week, a nationwide initiative to promote community awareness and understanding of the law, is being held from 15-21 May. Parkes Library is hosting a Legal Aid NSW event: Cyber safety for older people. This presentation outlines common on-line scams, how to identify them and provides practical tips on protecting yourself online. It also covers how to report scams to au- thorities. Thursday, 18th May, at 10.30am, Parkes Library. Please RSVP for catering purposes – 6861 2309.

RANDOM WEAVING WORKSHOP Artist Lanny Mackenzie is returning to Parkes to hold her Random Weaving/Free Flow workshop. The versatile weaving method can be used to make a variety of forms ranging from small delicate vessels to bigger baskets. Natural and recycled materials are used. Saturday, 10th June from 10am – 3pm, Parkes Library. Very lim- ited spaces. Please book on 6861 2309.

9 Sports Groups Share In Funding Pie

April 20, 2017 By Maggi Barnard

A total of $15,000 in grants was announced by CMOC-Northparkes Mines and the Parkes Sports Council from the first round of the Sports Grants Funding Program for this year.

“We received some fantastic submissions and would like to congratulate the successful groups and organisations,” said Sports Grants Committee Chairman, Alan Gersbach.

The next round of grants will open in June with a total of $15,000 available to be distributed.

The successful applicants were: Parkes PCYC – $3,169 for an airfloor and 3 fei-roll mats; Peak Hill Bowling Club – $2,000 for petrol bowling green mower; Peak Hill Golf Club – $2,331 for 150m of poly water pipe and replace using volunteer labour; Parkes College for Seniors – $527 for a headset microphone to be used with the existing PA system at the pool; Parkes & District Amateur Soccer Association – $1,500 for goal nets; Parkes Kennel Club – $1,500 for dog agility training jumps; Parkes Spacemen Rugby League – $1,500 for 120 sub- limated training shirts; Parkes Tennis Club – $1,500 for 28 shirts, jackets and caps for representative and development players and Parkes Golf Club – $973 for 40 uniforms for Pennants team.

District Golf Championships On Sunday

April 20, 2017 By Maggi Barnard

The annual Lachlan Valley District Golf As- sociation’s Championships and Pennants will be played at the Forbes Golf Club on Sunday.

The Parkes Golf Club has named a strong A Division Pennant team of Justin Sutton, Mitch McGlashan, Robert Hey, Peter Dixon, John Green and Steve Edmonds. The club will also field three B Division sides. The Parkes Veteran golfers will field two teams in that division. The club hopes it will con- tinue to dominate winning 18 of the past 19 years. The No 1 team consists of Robert Hey, Peter Dixon and Ian Phipps.

In the A Division Pennant a close tussle is expected between the district’s two heavy- weight clubs Forbes and Parkes, while the Condobolin and West Wyalong teams will be watched with interest.

In the individual championships played in conjunction, major interest will centre around the Betland brothers John and Ste- ve from Forbes and the Parkes duo of Mitch McGlashan and reigning Parkes champion Justin Sutton.

The championships will also be played in B and C Grade sections, as well as veterans and juniors.

By Paul Thomas

What’s New At Ikon?

April 20, 2017 By Maggi Barnard

If you are into food and cocktails, you don’t have to go very far to find quality dishes and drinks. The Ikon restaurant at Hotel Grace- lands has a few surprises for you this season.

They are busy working on a new food menu and cocktail menu to offer their patrons something different going into winter.

If you are into fresh ingredients and home made food, so much more reason to book a special meal at the restaurant. The Ikon house makes everything with fresh ingredients. This not only makes for beautiful food, but also ensure the restaurant is allergy friendly all round.

The chefs can tell you everything that goes into each delicious meal. The jus, sauces, aioli, ice creams and desserts are all house made too!

For quality food, book your table at 6862 6236.

Pairs And Singles Champs In Parkes

April 20, 2017 By Maggi Barnard

Rhona Went and Liz Byrne are the new Parkes Women’s Bowling Club pairs cham- pions after defeating Maree Grant and Elaine Miller in the final on Tuesday.

In the CWD singles played last week the winner was Pat Cooney who defeated Col- leen Crump from Canowindra in a nail biting final. Pat now goes on to play the other dis- tricts in Blayney.

In the second tier Gwynneth Rice Trophy, another great final was played between Gwen Haydon from Canowindra and Robyn Morgan from Parkes. Gwen took home the Gwynneth Rice trophy, presented by grand- daughter Emma Rice and great grand- daughter Clara Rice.

Rhona Went and Liz Byrne (right) beat Elaine Miller and Maree Grant in the bowling pairs final on Tuesday.

Two games of triples were played with Maureen Miller, Marja Iffland and Rose- mary Mitchell defeating Di Greenhalgh, Frances Charlton and Audrey Jones.

Kate Keogh, Hilda McPherson and Flo Riseborough defeated Valmai Westcott, Ei- leen Bradley and Minnie Riordan.

The Minor Singles are open until 2nd May. A Mother’s Day competition will be held on 2nd May, please put your name on the board to play and wear something pink.

CWD Pairs will be played 8th-10th May at Parkes Railway. CWD Triples will be played 5th – 7th June at Forbes and close May 12th.

By Rosemary Mitchell

Vintage Nintendo Still A Hit For Greenlight

April 20, 2017 By Maggi Barnard

As the saying goes ‘everything old is new again’, and surprisingly video games are no exception. Retro games have had a huge surge in popularity in recent years, with Nintendo titles at the forefront of demand.

Classic games, such as Super Mario Bros and Donkey Kong, are not only popular with the adults who loved them as children, but are also finding a new generation of players. It’s a surprising trend in a market that is literally all about the newest technology.

Nintendo recently released the NES Classic Mini, a console loaded with 30 classic games. The unit sold out almost instantly. The consumer-frenzy over the limited-edition console demonstrates a strong demand for the type of gameplay that retro games provide.

Greenlight Collectables has been refurbishing and selling vintage consoles, games and associated collectables for some time. Owner Brendan Allen believes that a great game is timeless.

“We’ve been selling retro games for a few years now, and the demand for quality titles has only increased,” Brendan said. “People are chasing the consoles and games they had as children, as well the ones they’d always wanted but never had.”

“Nintendo and Sega were huge hits in Australia, and we’re always chasing new stock to meet demand,” he said.

It just goes to show that old school is the new cool.

Is Knee Cracking Ok?

April 20, 2017 By Maggi Barnard

Many people experience a painless cracking, grating or popping sensation when bending the knee. The medical term for this is crepitus. A study by McCoy et al looked at 250 normal knees and found that 99% had patellofemoral crepitus. One must then ask; what causes joint crepitus and does it really matter?

Whilst knee crepitus is often a symptom of patellofemoral pain syndrome and osteoarthritis, no research to date has shown a causal link between the crepitation noise and actual joint pathology.

Most people experience one of four types of crepitus. The first occurs when a tendon snaps over a bone. It can be palpated and is often described as a hollow clunk.

The second occurs inside the joint when the two joint surfaces separate. A vacuum is created forming gas bubbles in the joint fluid. When these pop a loud crack is of- ten heard. One study showed no signs of joint arthritis after years of habitual knuckle cracking.

The third cause is when patellofemoral movement is not smooth. This can cause a fine crunching noise and can be measured with vibration arthrography. Vibrations are decreased or lost in joints with osteoarthri- tis probably due to decreased joint lubrication. The fourth occurs when joint fluid is pushed behind a slightly rough patella surface as the knee bends.

It is good to distinguish what type of cracking your knee makes. If it is not painful and falls into one of the above categories we should see crepitus not as a sign of joint pathology but as a sign that our joints are mobile and well lubricated.

For the fitness of you.

Linda Reilly

Maggi Barnard

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