Maggi Barnard

If you would like to experience first-hand what it’s like to stay on a mission and learn about Aboriginal culture and history, as well as see a top class Maori performing arts group, circle the weekend of the 4th June on your calendar.

The Peak Hill Aboriginal Working Party and Central West Lachlan Landcare are excited to announce a free community event, ‘Back to Bulgandramine Cultural Gathering’ in celebration of National Reconciliation Week 2016.

This event, held at the Bulgandramine Mission, will showcase some of Wiradjuri finest Aboriginal artists, dancers and performers, as well as special guests from Sydney and New Zealand’s top Maori performing arts group ‘Te Raranga Whannui’ with their ground shaking performances followed by a traditional Maori Hangi Dinner.

For the star gazers, Dark Skies Down Under will teach you about astronomy on Saturday night, while a special church service will take place on Sunday morning. Bulgandramine Mission, located 22kms on the western side of Peak Hill, will come alive again through performances, food, art, storytelling and dance. There will be ample of activities for kids including crafts, weaving and face painting. The day is provided free of charge with a bus service running from Parkes with regular trips between Parkes, Peak Hill and Bulgandramine.

The National Reconciliation Week (NRW) theme for 2016 is ‘Our History, Our Story, Our Future’. This theme is derived from the State of Reconciliation in Australia report, which asks all Australians to reflect on our national identity and the place of Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islander histories, cultures and rights in our nation’s story. NRW is a chance for all of us to take make a change in our schools, workplaces and communities, no matter how big or small they are.

For further information or to book your seat, contact Karryn Keed on 0407 162 799.

The 36th Annual Floral Fair was an explosion of smells and colours as all types of flowers, petals, blooms and stems were put up for scrutiny. Overall the event was hailed as an outstanding success, with 45 entries and entertaining ‘Ready Steady Flowers’ demonstrations. Ann Crasti, new President of the Parkes Floral Art Society, and Kim Baillee, Secretary of NSW Floral Art Association from Newcastle kept the audience enthralled with their floral based demonstrations and tips last Saturday and Sunday.

Judging took place on Saturday by Elsie Mahon, with Marie Rushby winning both the Kay Maxwell Perpetual Trophy and Betty & Aleks Muxycxuk Memorial Award. Life Member and past President Shirley Hunter OAM won the Most Successful Exhibitor Award taking out the Royal Horticulture Medal and Barbara Magill won the Favourite Design as voted by the audience.

According to Colleen Cusack, Publicity Officer, the exhibitors were delighted to receive the comments from the judge on the finer points of their design. “This will enable competitors to improve in futures shows” she said. Various prizes won during the event went to Elsie Mahon (Dunford Pharmacy donation); Jennifer Calvert (Lucky Door Prize
Saturday); Joy Freebrain (Raffle of box fruit); and Colleen Cusack (Lucky Door Prize Sunday).

Parkes Mayor, Cr Ken Keith has welcomed the Federal Government’s commitment to the Inland Rail Project in the budget with the announcement of $594 million in equity for land acquisition for the corridor, due diligence and further pre-construction works. “I want to congratulate the Federal Government for their strong commitment to the Inland Rail, with the Treasurer last night committing the government to the next step of realising an integrated Inland Rail connecting Melbourne to Brisbane” Cr Keith said.

“I would like to echo the Treasurer’s comments regarding the importance of the Inland Rail for agriculture. Aside from improving the nation’s competitiveness, a highly efficient inland railway is a game changer for regional Australia and particularly agriculture.

Efficient rail access opens a range of opportunities for the regions, and would increase competitiveness of agriculture and opening up our export markets to the world.” Cr Keith went on to say; “Over the last 10 years we have been lobbying the Government for a commitment to the Inland Rail to provide assurance for investment, especially for the Parkes National Logistics Hub. On Tuesday the Australian Government committed to build the Inland Rail project through the Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC) to provide a direct, high-performance freight rail corridor between Melbourne and Brisbane as well as creating a new freight corridor between Brisbane and Perth via Parkes – this is fabulous news, especially for our community!”

“With interest rates at record lows, and the prediction that freight volumes will double over the next twenty years, the opening up of international markets and production in regionals areas set to grow significantly by 2031, now is the perfect time for Investment in this nation building project”, concluded Cr Keith.

Life with a large family on a farming property has left 87-year-old Margaret Dwyer with a treasure trove of memories and scenarios to help inspire her third book to be released on 14th May. “I’d like to call it factual fiction,” said Margaret, a mother of seven who dedicated ‘A Chain Of Dreams’ to her husband and children for providing her with the inspiration to write her first work of fiction.

Proudly holding the finished product in her hand, Margaret’s eyes light up when she recalls how she has always enjoyed writing. She was busy dusting in her father’s office once day when he opened his iron safe and took out a little exercise book of hers from third grade. Inside was a conversation she had written between a Mater lorry and a draught horse. In the tale Mrs Horse met Mater lorry and said she had not been very well lately as she had given birth to a little foal, to which Mater lorry replied he had given birth to a baby Austen.

“I suppose I’ve always had a little streak of it in me” says Margaret. However it was many years before Margaret published a book, releasing the autobiography ‘With a Song in my Heart’ at the age of 82. “I was always just too busy with seven children and cooking for shearers on the farm.” The serious writing began five years ago
when she and husband Frank moved to Parkes and Margaret had to nurse him through his illness. “I would put my husband to bed at night and start writing until two in the morning, often waking him to check a fact or date.”

In 2014 her second book ‘Jewels Along The Newell’ was released focusing on funny, tragic and inspiring stories of the people who have made their home along the Newell Highway over the past 100 years. It took Margaret only 12 months to complete her third book, but a very long time to find a publisher, which she accomplished mostly by herself.

‘A Chain Of Dreams’ is the story of an ordinary Australian farming family told through protagonist, Tish O’Reagan, who accepts a scholarship to study at the Trinity College of Music in Dublin where she moves to with her parents and spirited sister Louise. “I have become very fond of this family, and would love to write a sequel,” said Margaret, who already has the beginning formulated in her head. She is quick to admit that she loosely based some of the family members on the characters in her favourite book ‘Little Women’. ‘A Chain Of Dreams’ is available to purchase in softcover or as an e-book via Balboa Press.

The PCYC was on the receiving end of the kindness of the Parkes Men’s Shed recently when the centre received its very first table tennis kit. The table tennis was bought at SportsPower, who in turn donated the accessories including bats, net and balls. “We wanted to give kids something else to do during school holidays,” said Ron Fewings, President of the Men’s Shed.

Treasurer Trevor Gilbert explained that their organisation received some income from community jobs, including furniture repairs, bird boxes made for Northparkes Mine and cleaning out pipefittings for the mine. He said this enabled them to donate something back to the community.

Up to 46 children attend vacation care per day at the PCYC, while about 18 come to after school care during the week, according to Amanda Sutton, Manager of the PCYC. She said the PCYC was always looking for new activities to make it more attractive for the community, especially teenagers. The centre was established in 1984 and offers a wide range of activities for both adults and children.