Maggi Barnard

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

The Drought

August 20, 2021 By Maggi Barnard

This photograph of Forbes farmer David Kalisch in a dust storm has won the National Photographic Portrait Prize. It was taken by Joel B Pratley.

Dreams are dashed

Ambition thwarted

Plans that were made are now aborted.

The scorching sun bakes the landscape bare.

Animals starve – want everywhere.

They search for grass but there’s nothing there.

New born lambs so weak they fall –

Their mothers have left them –

They’ve no milk at all.

The swirling dust blots out the light,

It fills our eyes and blinds our sight.

As creeks and dams begin to dry,

I see it all – and wonder – why?

Nature sometimes makes us cry.

Misfortune seems to plague this land.

We’ve always got some strife at hand!

But farmers know – one day it will rain,

And when it does, they’ll rejoice again.

By Warren Tanner

Golden Wattle Seeds Return From Space

August 20, 2021 By Maggi Barnard

Some well-travelled Golden Wattle seeds that went all the way to the International Space Station and back will be distributed to schools across Australia for the inaugural Australian ‘Seeds in Space’ educational program.

An extra-terrestrial parcel of Australian Golden wattle seeds has returned safely to earth and is undergoing biosecurity screening following its journey into space.

The seeds travelled all the way to the International Space Station and back following a Memorandum of Understanding between Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and the Australian Space Agency. The seeds were collected by CSIRO from a wild population in Victoria, and are held in the National Research Collections Australia at CSIRO as part of a unique resource alongside representative seeds of other Australian plant species.

“This is one small step for Golden wattle but one giant leap for biosecurity science and innovation,” said Minister for Agriculture David Littleproud.

“Biosecurity officers will now inspect the well-travelled Golden Wattle seeds to ensure that they meet biosecurity requirements and have not picked up any exotic pests and diseases on their journey.”

Once the seeds have received biosecurity clearance, they will be released to the One Giant Leap Australia Foundation to distribute to schools across Australia for the inaugural Australian ‘Seeds in Space’ educational program. The aim is to see what effects the space journey has had on their germination as a fun and exciting project to engage the next generation in STEM.

The Australian Ambassador to Japan, Jan Adams AO PSM, will be presented with some of the returned seeds from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency in a ceremony at the Australian Embassy in Tokyo. The space seeds will be planted in the embassy garden as a symbol of the growing relationship in this area.

The One Giant Leap Australia Foundation is supported by the Australian Space Agency on this project, in collaboration with Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s Kibo Research Module on the International Space Station, which facilitates space-related educational projects.

For more details about One Giant Leap Australia Foundation visit https://onegiantleapaustralia.com/

Livestock Sales Continue Through COVID

August 20, 2021 By Maggi Barnard

The Central West Livestock Exchange

The Central West Livestock Exchange (CWLE) in Forbes will be holding its monthly Store Cattle Sale today, 20th August amidst the COVID-19 outbreak in Central West NSW with strict safety rules in place.

“We have taken advice from the relevant authorities regarding the cattle sale and the staff are confident the sale can go ahead despite the current stay-at-home orders in place,” said Forbes Shire Council General Manager Steve Loane. “The utmost diligence has been taken to ensure buyers, freight operators and our staff can carry out their vital work for the commercial livestock industry.

Only essential workers are to attend the sale and this includes agents, registered buyers and council staff. Family mem-bers can watch the sale online through the StockLive online auction.

“All transportors must remain in their vehicles whilst the sale is being conducted, and vendors delivering stock should leave immediately after delivery of cattle,” said Steve.

CWLE Manager Cassi Walmsley said the sale was shaping up to be good one with 1,800 cattle. This week saw 27,000 sheep through the yards and 1,100 cattle. This is a vast improvement on previous months and the prices are high and the quality very good.

Police Joins COVID Campaign

August 20, 2021 By Maggi Barnard

Traffic and Highway Patrol officers have been on key arterial and back roads across regional NSW as part of the COVID lockdown.

You might have noticed police patrols on the main roads into Parkes over the past week.

A total of 1,400 officers attached to Traffic and Highway Patrol Command have been on key arterial and back roads across regional NSW, checking vehicles travelling without a reasonable excuse.

Chief Inspector Scott Rayner of the Parkes Police said a lot more police officers would be seen in high visibility uniforms on patrol to ensure COVID compliance. “They will be very strongly enforcing the COVID rules,” he warned.

As many as 166 Police Information Notice (PINs) were handed out in a 24-hour period in regional NSW over the past week as part of Operation Stay-At-Home that started on Saturday at 5pm.

Australian Defence Force troops were also deployed to assist with compliance checks and patrols, while five teams were sent to the Central West on Wednesday to help with the vaccination drive in vulnerable communities.

In addition, penalties have significantly increased and the following fines are in place for Public Health Order breaches:

• $5,000 for breaching self-isolation rules.
• $5,000 for lying on a permit.
• $5,000 for lying to a contact tracer.
• $3,000 for breaching the two-person outdoor exercise/recreation rule.
• $3,000 for breaching rules around entry into regional NSW.

At the time of going to press it was not yet clear whether the lockdown might be extended past Sunday, but in the mean time it is vital to stay at home unless you need to leave for an essential reason. If you must leave home, stay within your local area. For more information, visit www.nsw.gov.au/covid-19/rules

Let’s Celebrate Poetry Month

August 20, 2021 By Maggi Barnard

August is Poetry Month and aims to celebrate Australian poetry, poets and publishers.

Dorothea Mackellar’s has penned one of Austalia’s most iconic poems “My Country” and it has been immortalized on a maize mill in Gunnedah.

This is the famous second verse.
I love a sunburnt country,
A land of sweeping plains,
Of ragged mountain ranges,
Of droughts and flooding rains.
I love her far horizons,
I love her jewel-sea,
Her beauty and her terror
The wide brown land for me!

NOTE: Readers are welcome to submit creative writing for publication (preferably less than 500 words). Send contributions to editor@parkesphoenix.com.au.

Where Flowers Bloom, So Does Hope

August 20, 2021 By Maggi Barnard

Be Seen

August 20, 2021 By Maggi Barnard

Winner of the 2020 Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artist contest, Toki Toyokazu, represented Parkes Elvis Festival at the semi-final round during Elvis week in Memphis last week. Unfortunately, he didn’t make the final, but he was a wonderful representative at the international event.

After tickets sold out super fast in July, Grazing Down the Lachlan in Forbes had to be cancelled for 2021 due to COVID-19.

COVID Grip Tightens In Central West

August 20, 2021 By Maggi Barnard

SUPER STAFF… This is the team at the Parkes Showground testing clinic who have been working hard to keep the community of Parkes safe. The team would love to see everyone come forward for testing to ensure it’s not out there in the community. They are at the Parkes showground from 10am to 3pm. (Photos: Western NSW Local Health District)

While NSW recorded another record-breaking day with 633 new COVID cases on Wednesday, Parkes was still holding out with no positive cases at the time of going to press.

“What the data is telling us in the last few days is that we haven’t seen the worst of it,” Premier Gladys Berejiklian warned on Wednesday.

Parkes remains on high alert during the state wide lockdown currently in place as two sewage tests returned positive fragments during the week.

Parkes Shire Mayor Ken Keith has urged the community to be extremely vigilant. “I would urge anyone who has any symptoms at all no matter how mild to get tested immediately. This includes children who are of particular concern as they often present with much milder symptoms to adults. So please if you are being tested take your family members along with you”.

The case numbers in Western NSW kept on growing over the week with the total standing at 142 on Wednesday spread over eight towns. The majority of cases are in Dubbo.

According to the Premier every person who has the virus is spreading it to at least more than one person.

The main message remains that people should stay at home, book for a vaccination and follow all the COVID regulations of wearing a mask in public and keeping social distances.

The Mayor asked the community to look out for one another, and thanked the essential workers and health workers for their hard work.

By Maggi Barnard

What is the best about learning from home and what is the worst?

August 20, 2021 By Maggi Barnard

Oscar Hendry (Year 4):
Best: Every now and then you can have a break and get some fresh air outside in this beautiful weather. Worst: You can’t go out and see your friends.

George Hendry (Year 2):
Best: You can work at your own pace, so if you finish your school book quickly, you can spend time doing other things. Worst: If you have a little brother or sister, it’s hard to do your work. My little sister is a big distraction! It’s also tempting to play games and not do work when Mum and Dad are busy working… so it takes a lot of concentration to do my school work. Oh and I had to spend my birthday in lock-down on Wednesday…

Gloria Hendry (Pre-School):
Best: Staying at home with my family. Worst: I miss my friends at PECC. My brothers are busy doing school work and don’t have time to play with me, and Mum and Dad are busy working.

Parkes Triplets Turn 40!

August 20, 2021 By Maggi Barnard

The triplets at birth. Mum Maree is holding Megan and Julie and Dad Tony is holding Laura and 16-month-old Mandy.

At 29 weeks she was told for the first time she was expecting twins…

Seven weeks later on 16th August 1981 Maree Tanswell caused a scramble in the Parkes Hospital.

Megan was born at 12:01am, Julie gave her first scream at 12:06 and then Maree said: “I think there is a third one!” She was told it’s only the afterbirth, but a mum is always right, and at 12:08 Laura was born!

They became the first triplets to be born in Parkes, and to make it even more special they were identical, which is very rare for triplets.

“It was very scary as there were not enough medical staff at the time,” said Maree. “If we knew I was expecting triplets I would’ve gone to Sydney for the birth. That is why they are the only triplets ever to have been born in Parkes!”

This week on Monday the triplets celebrated their 40th birthday – separately – as COVID sadly has no respect for special celebrations. “They had big plans for their combined 120th celebrations and had organised a couple of trips, but had to cancel it all,” said Maree. “But they are already planning their 123rd celebration for next year!”

That is just how they’ve lived their lives – always adventurous. Maree said they had to keep the hospital bracelets on them until they could make their own just to be able to tell them apart.

At three years: Laura is standing, Julie is on the left and Megan right.

“It took a lot to get my head around caring for three babies all of a sudden. I was always going to breastfeed the twins. I tried the three for one day and then went straight to bottle feeding.”

As the triplets had caused quite a stir in Parkes, Maree soon learned to leave them with family when she wanted to go to town for shopping. “It became and all day event with so many people wanting to see them.” She also discovered it was easier going to Forbes as people did not know her there.

Once she and husband Tony settled into their new life, they still had to contend with many new challenges. One memory that stands out very clearly is the 60 cloth nappies on the line every day!

Maree did get some help through home care who sent teenage girls to help out Monday to Friday on the farm at Gunning-bland, as she had four kids at the time.

Mandy, their older sister was only 16 months old when the triplets were born, and after them came Nicole and then Adam. “It was always hectic at our house with only seven years difference between the oldest and the youngest!”

At least the triplets were best friends 99% of the time. “They got on extremely well, and they are still very close.” Laura and Julie now live in Newcastle, while Megan is in Canberra.

“It was really hard work at the time, but when you look back you think it was not bad after all, we survived! We were extremely lucky that they were very healthy and we never had any medical problems, and they were strong academically too. They have always been very independent and strong-willed girls.”

By Maggi Barnard

All grown up: Julie, Megan and Laura.

Maggi Barnard

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