Maggi Barnard

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

Put Some Christmas Joy In A Shoebox

September 1, 2016 By Maggi Barnard

It feels too early to be thinking about Christmas already, but you can make a child very happy this year by packing a shoebox with gifts. Samaritan’s Purse has developed a program called Operation Christmas Child that encourages the general public to pack a shoebox and drop it off at a collection point before Shoebox Sunday on 30th October.

Parkes residents are encouraged to take part in this program as Alice Milne at the Pink Orchid Café Florist is a drop off point for boxes this year. “We collected about 300 last year, and aim to get 500 this year,” said Alice. All you need to do is collect a box from Alice, it up with gifts, donate $9 to cover the project costs and take it back to Alice before 30th October. You will get instructions and a list of gift suggestions and prohibited items. Some of the gift suggestions include something to wear (t-shirt), something to love (soft toy), something special (bangles, stickers etc), something for school (pencils), something to play with (skipping rope) and something for personal hygiene (face washer).

You can also register or donate online and follow your box to see where it goes!

A.A.Blatch Cultivates Relationships With Farmers

September 1, 2016 By Maggi Barnard

A.A.Blatch in Parkes, founded by Allan A Blatch (senior) in 1952, was recently taken over by Allan A Blatch (junior) and Susie to keep the business in the family for a third generation. Allan and Susie bought out Allan’s parents, Warren and Nancye Blatch, in 2015 after moving to Parkes from England. “Our business is different to many others as we are not just here for a quick sale, but to build relationships with farmers over generations. Many people remember coming here with their grandparents in the 1950s – so we have fifth generation customers,” said Allan.

A.A.Blatch is a one-stop shop for bearings and power transmission, and automotive and agricultural spare parts. “Whether it’s a clutch for a header, a diesel engine rebuild kit for a truck, a suspension lift-kit for a Landcruiser or the world’s finest triple-lip bearings for your prized machinery; A.A.Blatch has you covered.” In addition it is an exclusive distributor for Black Bearings by NTN Japan, and Tsubaki chains, as well as an official distributor for premium bearing brands including NTN, Timken-Fafnir and NSK. It is also an official distributor for Gates belts, Fleetguard filtration, Drivetech 4X4, All States Trailer spares, Kerrick Pressure Cleaners, Exedy Clutch, Engine Australia, Neil’s Parts, Bareco, Narva and many more.

“At A.A.Blatch we try and minimise customer’s downtime. We have three daily deliveries to Forbes, Peak Hill and Dubbo, two daily deliveries to Condobolin, and a daily plane delivery to Lake Cargelligo. “We have won over many far-flung customers by getting a parcel collected at 8am in Parkes and delivered by 11.30 to Lake Cargelligo on the plane,” said Allan. “We use overnight freight to just about anywhere in Australia!”

Allan and his team are looking forward to the business’ 65th anniversary next year and serving the farming community well into the future.

Best Spring In A Decade

September 1, 2016 By Maggi Barnard

With the best spring forecast in nearly a decade, the big question is what will happen to our markets. Whether it be cattle, lamb or rural property, they are all affected by weather and price. The lamb market has seen a correction in the last month with prices dropping below $6.00/kg/dw for the first time in many months, but are still historically good. This is due to several factors: the main one being an influx at the tail end of last season’s lambs which in many cases are lacking quality or finish. The other end of the scale is the increase in numbers of new season suckers that, after a tough start, have finished well.

The new season suckers have been affected by the rain with many having the weight, but lacking bloom due to the rain. New season lamb numbers have a tendency to fluctuate with price spikes. In many cases the weeks we see a correction is due to vendors pushing in the lighter end, which can be deceptively light to catch the high values.

This might be the year to take a punt and shear them before we see the inevitable seed problems that come with a good spring. The trade weight lambs will still be the weights to aim for. Old Sheep are still selling well on limited supply. Restockers have yet to hit the market for the best 1st cross ewes. Most of the completion remains on the light end that can been grown out on the abundant feed for either a late spring or autumn joining. Merino restocker competition also remains slow unless they are scanned in lamb, giving a quicker return.

The prime and feeder cattle markets have seen corrections of between 5 – 20cents/ kg/lw with quality falling in some cases. The best grain fed cattle, both steers and heifers, have been grossing over $2000/ hd. Vendors are still in a very strong position with numbers being historically low. The restocker market for cattle can only be described as red hot with prices well over $1000/hd for weaner steers. There are still cattle purchasing options that allow you to make money. It is a matter of not necessarily looking for the top priced pen of Angus steers. Rural Property is still a sought after commodity to purchase or lease. Even with predicted lower grain prices, the old saying of “what goes down must come up” applies as with our current livestock markets.

The long-term outlook for agriculture is bright and so are land values. For any further details, contact Langlands Hanlon or visit www.langlandshanlon.com.au

By Geoff Rice
Langlands Hanlon

Ostini Wool Shears

September 1, 2016 By Maggi Barnard

Ostini Wool Shears has been held at the Parkes Show on Tuesday each year for the past 20 years. It is a great opportunity for shearers at all levels to showcase their shearing skills and receive recognition in three different categories: learner shearers, intermediate shearers and open division for all shearers. The shearers are required to shear two sheep, and they are timed on how long it takes them to do this, as well as the neatness of the sheep at the completion of each shear.

Following the heats, the shearers are graded into the final and compete to win on the same basis as the heats. The winners this year were Learners: Josh Myllett, Alectown; Intermediate: Andrew Potts, Parkes and in the Open division: Andrew Calton, Parkes. Mal Rodgers of Parkes won a trophy donated by the Frame family in memory of local shearer Matt Frame, for the neatest sheep.

Ostini Wool would like to thank the Townsend family of Alectown who send in their sheep for the competition, Mark Longhurst the carrier, and various wool growers and local businesses who contribute to the prize pool. A big thank you to the shearers who take time off from shearing to make this event possible, as well as the timekeepers and judges.

Snippets…

August 25, 2016 By Maggi Barnard

Mens Shed fired up for another year:
The Parkes Men’s Shed recently elected a new committee at its AGM. The new president is Bernie Crowe with George Pratt as vice president, Trevor Gilbert as secretary, Les Aherne as treasurer and committee members Trevor Rowney, Michael Pettit, Don McIntire, Alex Mill, Tom Kearney, Peter Guppy, John Banham, Ben Lam and Rowley Pengilly. The aims of the Men’s Shed are to promote self-worth, work ethics and health and companionship among men, while developing and sharing skills. Tools are available to members for woodwork and metal work, as well as the opportunity to have a chat over a cuppa on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. There is a guest speaker on the first Wednesday of the month, and once the swimming pool reopens members have exclusive use of the pool for one hour from 9 am on Tuesday mornings. Membership is only $15 per year.

Candle light vigil at Bushman’s Dam:
A vigil will be held in Parkes on Saturday, 10th September at 5:30pm to remember those who have been lost to suicide and to support those who have been affected by the loss of a loved one. The event is organised by the recently established Lachlan Area Suicide Prevention Network as a first function. Everybody is welcome.

Chemical clean up: Parkes Shire residents are encouraged to dispose of unwanted chemicals when Chemclear visits the region in October. Local farmers and agvet chemical users will be able to dispose of any old or unwanted chemicals for free during a state-wide operation. Collection will be free for chemicals with a readable product label, not mixed with any other product and within two years of the expiry date or deregistration. A quote will be provided upon registration for any chemicals that do not meet the free eligibility requirements. Waste holders must take an inventory and register with the program before 2nd September to be included in the October collection. To register call the hotline on 1800 008 182 or visit www.chemclear.com.au.

Best Selling Australian Author in Parkes: Parkes Shire Library invites the community to join them for lunch and a talk with bestselling Australian author Karen Viggers on 6th September at 12pm. Her talk is titled Finding Stories in Australian Landscapes. Call 6861 2309 to register.

Tony Secures Parkes Position

August 25, 2016 By Maggi Barnard

Well known Parkes resident Tony Ross is now making Parkes a safer place. Having recently completed extensive security training Tony is taking up a role with Macquarie Alarms & Security. Macquarie Alarms has been operating in Parkes for over five years and is a family owned business that has been built up on strong community and local connections combined with good old fashioned service.

Macquarie Alarms management are excited to have Tony representing the brand in Parkes as he has a caring and can do attitude that fits perfectly with their way of doing business. Being local, Tony understands the Parkes area, its people and their security concerns. Living in the town Tony will provide customers with quick access to a security professional when needed. Call Tony on 0438 628 665.

Our Gal – Khazima Riaz

August 25, 2016 By Maggi Barnard

Khazima Riaz

How long have you lived in Parkes? I moved here from Sydney in April 2014.

Where do you work? Richardson Dental Surgery.

What do you enjoy most about your job? Helping patients achieve their desired outcome in a relaxed environment.

What do you enjoy doing in your spare time? Spending time with family and friends.

How do you like your coffee? Weak cappuccino.

What makes your day? Seeing my boys!

What is your favourite food? Thai food

If you could go on holiday anywhere in the world, where would you go? Europe! I would love to travel by train through Europe seeing all the colourful cities and the quaint countryside.

Question of the Week?

August 25, 2016 By Maggi Barnard

What do you love about Op Shops?

Beryl Watson & Carol Schmidt: We like finding good clothing, sometimes a little bit of china. It’s affordable and you never know what you’ll find.

Dianne Stuart: The clothes are affordable, and you can usually find what you want. It’s especially great for things like book week at school, where you need to find something a bit different.

Brett Lamb: I work at the Salvo’s store because I really enjoy being able to help people out. There’s no competition between the local op shops, they’re all really supportive of each other.

Netball News

August 25, 2016 By Maggi Barnard

Last week we had our last round game for the season, finishing off with a round robin for final places in the competition. This week is the start of finals for the division 1 and 2 teams. Final games were played for our net-set-go and super 8s players. The final mixed netball registration night is on Monday, 29th September from 5.30 to 6.30pm. Team cost is $300. You have to be registered for 2016 – go online and complete your registration; cost is seniors $76 and juniors $58. Contact Sarah Smith on 0416878300 or email benandsar@hotmail.com. The competition starts on 6th September.

Please complete the online umpiring course before the competition starts due to a lot of new rule changes by Netball NSW for 2016.

Results Round 12
Division 1
Dynamites 13 def Avenyers 8; Super Stars 7 def Vipers 6; Dynamites 11 def Vipers 2 U12s Rep Team 8 def Super Stars 3; Avenyers 8 def Super Stars 3; U12s Rep Team 7 def Vipers 5; Avenyers 7 def U12s Rep Team 0; Dynamites 9 def Super Stars 1 Dynamites 12 def U12s Rep Team 2; Avenyers 7 def Vipers 0.
Division 2
U11s Rep Team 7 def Rockettes 1; Sparkles 2 def Diamontes 1; U11s Rep Team 8 def Sparkles 0; Diamontes 4 def Rockettes 0; Sparkles 3 def Rockettes 0; Diamontes 4 def U11s Rep Team 2; U11s Rep Team 6 def Rockettes 1; Diamontes 3 def Sparkles 1
Semi Finals Draw
Division 1 – 9:30am
Court 2: Avenyers v U12s Rep Team (Umpires: Alana Ryan and Mikeely Bermingham)
Court 4: Dynamites v Super Stars (Umpires: Jordyn Chapple and Kaitlyn Macdonald)
Division 2 – 10:45am
Court 2: U11s Rep Team v Rockettes (Umpires: Alana Ryan and Brooke Norman)
Court 4: Diamontes v Sparkles (Umpires: Kaitlyn Macdonald and Jack McGrath)

By Lisa Nutley

Troy Cassar-Daley At Trundle Bush Tucker Day!

August 25, 2016 By Maggi Barnard

Country music legend Troy Cassar-Daley headlines the 30th Trundle Bush Tucker Day show on 3rd September. Over his brilliant 25 year career, Troy Cassar-Daley has won ARIA & APRA awards, 32 Golden Guitars, gold and platinum records, and toured all over Australia and the world.

In true Aussie style this fantastic food and entertainment festival started 30 years ago as a bet between two mates to see who could cook up the best tucker in a camp oven behind the pub. Thirty years later the Trundle Bush Tucker Day attracts thousands of people. The program includes Bush Tucker cooking, Master Bush Chef Competitions, free Bush Tucker Taste Testing, and hilarious traditional bush games: The Billy Boiling race, The Bushman’s Relay,
Dog Jumping, The Junior Bush Olympics as well as Whip Cracking and Sheep Shearing demonstrations.

Visit www.123tix.com.au for tickets. The entry fee includes entry into the cooking competitions, bush tucker taste testing, rides and activities, the free kids corner and live entertainment throughout the day and evening.

Maggi Barnard

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