Maggi Barnard

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

Liz Bowls Her Name Onto Champions Roll

March 9, 2017 By Maggi Barnard

Rhona Went won the Parkes Women’s Bowling Club Singles this week. She played Liz Byrne in the final in a magnificently played game all the way with 24 -24 on the last end.

In other club news Parkes played Forbes this week in the No2 Pennants and won 37 – 30. The decider was played yesterday to determine the winner.

In a game of social triples, Flo Riseborough, Chris Cox, and Chris Curteis defeated Di Greenhalgh, Frances Charlton and Minnie Riordan.

Nominations for club championship pairs will close 21st March at 12pm. Nominations for CWD pairs will close on 7th April.

Next week Tuesday we will play a Scroungers competition with prizes to be won. The next Trading Table and Bring a Friend Day will be on 21st March. New players and visitors always welcome to play Tuesday mornings.

By Rosemary Mitchell

Year 6 Leadership Day

March 9, 2017 By Maggi Barnard

Year 6 students at Holy Family School recently participated in a lead- ership training day.

The students completed various activities in groups to demonstrate teamwork and leadership capabilities. The activities were hands on and thought provoking.

The students listened to guest speakers who spoke about their leadership roles and experiences.

Holy Family School is very proud of the Year 6 group and are looking forward to a successful year ahead.

Doubles To Rodgers And Stait

March 9, 2017 By Maggi Barnard

The Telescope Tyres & Batteries March Monthly Medal was contested in ideal conditions last Saturday. Excellent scores were turned out with Mitch McGlashan firing a brilliant 3 under par round of 68 to take the A grade scratch by seven shots. In the handicap section Robert Cheney showed his potential with a blistering 66 nett.

In the minor grades Dub Rodgers recorded a double in taking out the B grade scratch and handicap after firing an impres- sive 82 for a 67 nett. In the C grade Dale Stait recorded a blistering 86 for an equally impressive 67 nett.

In other awards Paul Thomas fired a solid 68 nett to take out the veterans division while Denis Howard required just 24 putts in winning the Griffins Leading Edge putting competition.

Ball winners from Saturday’s competition went to 68 Mitch McGlashan & Paul Thom- as, 70 Peter Picker, Luke Clarke, Richard Hutchison and Tim Burke, 71 Reg Davi- son, Brent Timmins, Sam Turner, Brian L. Hogan, Peter Bristol, Wayne Powter and John Pearce and surviving the countback on 72 were Lachlan Buesnell, Tony Evans, Troy Thomson and Mark Job.

Nearest the Pin awards: Matthew Ste- phenson 544cm – Idlerite Tyrepower 1st hole; Michael Dellaca 306cm – Griffins Leading Edge 4th hole, Robert Cheney 67cm – Dirt Doctor Landscaping 6th hole, Tim Burke 174cm – Harvey Norman 11th hole, Lachlan Buesnell 16cm – Westlime 15th hole, Peter Bristol 113cm – Parkes Ready Mixed Concrete 9th hole and Mi- chael Smith 128cm – PJL Group18th hole. Saturday’s 18 hole Stableford event also saw the first round of the Ethel Kenyon on a countback.

Just a Short Drive to Cowra

March 9, 2017 By Maggi Barnard

Enjoy A Meal In The Only English Manorial Village In Australia

CIRCA 1935 is located in the former Bank of NSW building in Greenethorpe, a pur- pose-built village. It was established in 1908 to house share farmers who worked on Iandra, the nearby pastoral estate owned by George Henry Greene. The vil- lage was based on the English manorial system, and is the only known settlement of its kind in Australia.

CIRCA 1935 is listed in the National In- stitute of Architects’ register of significant buildings in Australia. It was purchased by the present owner in late 2015 and has been lovingly restored to its former glory. It features high ceilings, cedar doors, archi- traves and picture rails, original fireplaces and mantels, and mostly original light fittings.

It now houses the local post office, an up-market café and a small guest house with three rooms plus shared bathroom, sitting/ TV room, tea and coffee making facilities and a bar fridge.

The café seats up to 24 people inside and a further 24 in the attached courtyard. The menu is seasonal and contains old favourites, mediterranean and Asian influ- ences. Larger groups can be catered for in the nearby Soldiers’ Memorial Hall, by prior arrangement. History talks and walks in the village can also be arranged, as well as group bookings to visit nearby Iandra Castle. At CIRCA 1935 stepping back in time never tasted so good.

All You Need In A Hop, Skip And Jump

Hippity Hop Kids is a family owned kids and women’s boutique and online store in Cow- ra. It was first created by Christine Hamer in 1997 as a small shop in Macquarie Street. It quickly outgrew the quaint setting and moved to the top of Kendal Street where business thrived.

After 14 years the shop was sold in June 2011 to Skye Muddle. She moved Hippity Hop Kids to the fresh and funky location she created at 7 Kendal Street. With the com- mitments of a growing family Skye sold Hip- pity Hop Kids to Sam Edwards in December 2013.

Thanks to the inspiration and hard work of these women Cowra has a unique store that attracts many people from near and far offering special children’s items – not only for them to wear and look absolutely divine in, but also to offer a range of accessories, toys and fabulous decor items for their rooms. The shop also stocks the very popular Eb & Ive range (one size fits all) of clothing and accessories for women. With the introduction of the new webstore, all Facebook ‘likers’ have access to readily available INSTOCK products as well.

Sam says she takes pride in personally selected products and friendly service, and hopes to make it easier for clients where they can shop for all their favourite brands in the one spot. “So grab a coffee, put your feet up and enjoy a leisurely tour of our store.”

Be Seen

March 9, 2017 By Maggi Barnard

Parkes High School students Amy Tanswell, Denver Leongson (left) and Sheridyn Bicket (right) were great in assisting with site co-ordination, registration set-up, allocation of sites and bags and running the barbeque at the Clean Up Australia Day event on Sunday. They are with Michelle Bicket (back left), organiser of the day, and Callum Bicket who helped too.

Bev Bokeyar has been volunteering on Clean Up Australia Day with her husband Bob for more than 20 years.

Students from the Parkes Public School primary choir performed for the Seniors Festival morning tea and sing-along on Monday.

Cr Ken McGrath pitched in his help to clean up Parkes on Sunday.

Bronte Warren, Melissa Matthews and Lynda Sny- man grabbed a complimentary cuppa before work for International Women’s Day.

Quota ladies at the Northparkes International Women’s Day event at Cooke Park on Wednesday were (L-R) Miriam Luyt, Jill Crisp, Valda Woods, Kay Craft and Raelene Rout.

Members of the Parkes Men’s Shed enjoyed morning tea and a chat on Wednesday. L-R are Doug Allen, Michael Pettit, Les Ahearne, Tom Forrester, Row-
ley Pengilly, Ron Fewings, Brian Drabsch and Dan McIntyre.

Parkes GP Expands Services

March 9, 2017 By Maggi Barnard

Parkes General Practice has exciting news on the expansion of its services to include three new practitioners.

“We would like to warmly welcome our new GP Dr Madhukar Kumar, our new di- etitian Emma Gardiner and our osteopath Tom Cheeseman,” said Marcia Scally, practice manager.

Dr Kumar is an experienced GP from Queensland, with interests in all aspects of medicine. “Dr Kumar has an amazing bed- side manner and together with his experi- ence we are fortunate to have him join our team,” said Marcia.

Emma is an expert in the use of food and nutrition to promote health and manage disease. Emma is a Parkes local who will see private and care planned patients.

“Tom is all about finding the cause of your problem rather than just treating the symptoms alone. He uses an extremely effective form of manual medicine aiming to restore the body’s musculoskeletal system to a state of balance, with the emphasis on the structural integrity of the body to treat many disorders that result in pain and dysfunction.”

Osteopathy can assist a wide range of muscular skeletal ailments. Neck, shoulder and low back problems, hand, hip knee and feet aches and pains, headaches and arthritis are the complaints that are treated most frequently in his practice.

To book an appointment with any of the new services or other practitioners call Parkes GP on 6862 6668 or to go to www. parkesgp.com.au/

Mayoral Notes

March 9, 2017 By Maggi Barnard

It’s official – Parkes will welcome the Queen’s Baton ahead of the 2018 Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast. Parkes has been announced as one of the stops along the longest relay in history, travelling 230,000 km in 388 days. Parkes Shire residents are encouraged to nominate locals that inspire them to become a baton bearer. Nominations are open until 15th May via gc2018.com/qbr.

I have recently returned from Toowoomba where I attended the 2017 Transport and Logistics Symposium. I was given the op- portunity to speak about the progress of the Melbourne to Brisbane Inland Rail Project, and promote the importance of this project for regional areas, including the Parkes Shire. The symposium has been developed to create a conversation around inland rail and the importance of infrastructure, identify opportunities for local industry and en- courage further investment in the transport and logistics sector.

Thank you to the wonderful volunteers who helped clean up, fix up and conserve our local environment for Clean Up Australia Day on Sunday. Council staff were joined by a number of residents, local school students and members of the Parkes Rural Fire Service to fill two trailers with rubbish collected from various locations across Parkes and Peak Hill.

The last of the Parkes 2030 community workshops were held this week, with Council staff visiting Bogan Gate and Cookamidgera to hear from residents. Thank you to those residents who attended the workshops or completed the survey online. Your input all adds up in helping us develop the projects that we will deliver over the next term of Council and beyond.

Have an enjoyable weekend.
Yours Faithfully,

Cr Ken Keith OAM Mayor of Parkes Shire

Take The Shot!

March 9, 2017 By Maggi Barnard

Parkes Pharmacy will once again be administering the flu vaccination via our trusted and accredited pharmacists this year. These will be conducted in a safe and professional environment in our EasyClinic consultation room. And get this – you don’t need a script!

Why should you get a flu shot?

The flu causes about 3,500 deaths and 18,000 hospitalisations yearly in Australia. It is responsible for around 10 per cent of workplace sick days taken. The more people who get the flu shot, the less it can be spread through our community. The single most effective way to prevent the flu is to get vaccinated between March and May.

Who’s eligible?

Anyone above the age 18 years. If you are over the age of 65years,or pregnant,you are eligible to receive a free flu vaccination but you must see your GP to get it.

So how does it work?

All you have to do is call to make an appointment or come into store at a time most convenient to you. There is a consent form to fill out and a short waiting time, and once you’ve been jabbed, it is recommended that you stay in store and browse for 10 minutes in case of an allergic reaction. While you wait and browse around, you’ll receive a Double Dollars LifeClub voucher to use in store.

So don’t delay!

The waiting list has begun. The vaccinations will arrive at Parkes Pharmacy within the next month and keep an eye out for our special clinic days. Updates will be loaded via our Facebook page. See you soon for your flu shot!

Keith Remembers The Summer Of ‘39

March 9, 2017 By Maggi Barnard

With the summer’s heat waves still fresh in our minds, a 94-year-old resident of Narromine clearly remembers the summer of 1939.

“It was 47.5 Celsius (118 Fahrenheit) for days on end and we did not have air conditioning, let alone electricity,” said Keith Hayden, who responded to a request for stories about the 1939 heat wave.

“I was 17 years old and lived with my fa- ther on our farm outside Narromine. I was working outside in the heat every day as I had to clear a 180 acre paddock of Bathurst burs before Christmas,” recalls Keith. “I can remember it pretty well.”

Keith said green parrots were dropping out of the trees dying of the heat, and the poultry had their wings out and beaks open trying to cool down. “We just had to bear the heat during the day and at night took a cold shower hoping to fall asleep… but the mosquitoes were pretty bad.”

According to Keith it was not a drought. “There were plenty of water and the dams were full. It was just hot.”

Keith served in the air force for more than four years and was based in Parkes before he was posted overseas to several locations. He remembers his time in Parkes fondly.

Glittering History Secures Future For Many

March 9, 2017 By Maggi Barnard

Gold has played a significant role in the history of Australia starting in 1851 with the Bathurst gold rush.

More than 150 years later, the Cowal gold mine near West Wyalong announced a modern day “gold rush” last month with its board approving an investment of approxi- mately $270 million to increase production and extend the life of mine by eight years to 2032.

Rated among the top five biggest gold mines in Australia, total production is set to increase to 1.2 million ounces.

Just as all the discoveries of gold all over Australia has boosted the economy, lead to the development of foreign trade, trans- portation, communication and many inland towns, an immediate benefit of the Cowal mine expansion, is an increase in employees with 48 new operators in the open pit and the plant.

Community Relations Officer at the mine,Tony Glasgow said interviews for the new positions had already started this week.

The mine currently employs about 400 staff and contractors from the Forbes, Bland and Lachlan Shires, with 64 residents making the bus journey from Forbes.

The new investment will deliver two major projects over the next four years: the E42 stage H cutback and the dual leach project. The E42 stage H cutback will widen and deepen the existing open pit by at least 80m. The pit is currently 340m deep. This has been made possible by a 145% or 2.28 million gold ounces increase in Cowal’s Ore Reserves since Evolution acquired the operation in 2015.

The Dual Leach project will add an ad- ditional leaching circuit to the processing plant to target a four to six per cent in- crease in gold recoveries. This would result in gold production increasing by an estimated 10,000 to 14,000 ounces per year.

Situated on the banks of the largest in- land lake in NSW, Lake Cowal, the mine site has natural beauty not easily found at mines. Hundreds of emus, locally known as bush chooks, roam freely, as well as walla- bies, kangaroos, 277 bird species and two of Australia’s deadliest snakes, tiger and brown snakes.

The environmental sensitivity of the mine site has not been without controversy, but according to Tony the mine operates to very high environmental standards to ensure the least possible impact. Cowal has received ISO14001 certification for mining and ore processing operations and support services for gold and silver production.

Evolution Mining bought the Cowal gold mine from Barrick Gold in July 2015 and described it as one of the most attractive gold assets in Australia. Cowal is the big- gest operation of the six mines in the Evolution group.

Maggi Barnard

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