Roxane Manley

Carer Gateway have partnered with Live Better to host a series of carers gatherings in Parkes that will provide a fantastic opportunity for carers to connect, share their experiences, and find support.

The gatherings aim to meet the important social needs of carers in our community and if participation increases, consideration is be­ing given to launching a peer support group.

Carer Gateway is an Australian Government program providing free services and support for carers. If you care for a family mem­ber or friend with disability, a medical condition, mental illness, or who is frail due to age, then Carer Gateway can help you.

The Australian Government works with a range of health and carer organisations across Australia, known as Carer Gateway service providers, to deliver services to carers no matter where they live in Australia.

Carer Gateway provides many services to support carers in their caring role, including: in-person and online peer support groups, tailored support packages to help with accessing planned respite, transport services, in-person and phone counselling, in-person and online self-guided coaching, online skills courses to support your wellbeing and your ability to understand access to emergency respite if you suddenly find you can’t provide care, for example if you become ill or injured.

Upcoming dates for carers gathering are Thursday 25 June, Thursday 27 August and Thursday 22 October 22 at Rose Street Community Centre, 16 Rose Street, Parkes from 11.30am -1pm.

RSVP by calling 1800 422 737 by close of business the day before the morning tea. Please inform of any dietary requirements when you RSVP.

For more information on Carer Gateway go to: www.carergate­way.gov.au/

Royal Far West supports Little Wings in its call for urgent, targeted funding support dur­ing the current fuel crisis, to ensure that they can continue supplying aeromedical trans­port services, especially to families in rural and remote communities.

Royal Far West partners with Little Wings through its Medical Wings program to de­liver specialist outreach clinics directly into regional communities several times each year. Little Wings also supports approxi­mately 40 per cent of all families travelling to Royal Far West’s Centre for Country Kids in Manly, with three to five families relying on the service every week.

The current aviation fuel crisis has cre­ated extraordinary and unsustainable pres­sure on Little Wings’ operating costs. With­out urgent intervention, there is a real risk that flights may need to be reduced or sus­pended.

“The past few months have been really heartbreaking. We are doing the best we can with the resources we have, but we’ve cut our capacity and will have to reduce our services even further if the avgas contin­ues to go up,” Clare Pearson, CEO of Little Wings, said.

“Little Wings eases the pressure on these families. The fuel crisis is tearing that lifeline to shreds, leaving them without a backup, and we need swift support to keep our op­erations running,” she added.

“The consequences for rural and remote families would have an immediate impact.

Delayed diagnoses, missed treatments, and reduced access to specialist services would widen existing inequities for children who al­ready face significant challenges accessing care.” said Dr Briony Scott, CEO of Royal Far West.

The partnership between Royal Far West and Little Wings is critical in ensuring coun­try children can access specialist care, re­gardless of where they live. Your support means country kids can connect with the care they need, when they need it. Donate today at www.royalfarwest.org.au/ways-to-give/

Over recent sitting weeks, I have continued advocating strongly for the Orange electorate and Central West in the NSW Parliament.

I raised concerns about the ongoing closure of the Great Western Highway at Victoria Pass, calling for greater support for affected businesses and communities, increased tourism recovery funding, and urgent repairs to restore this vital transport link.

I also spoke against proposed renewable energy legislation changes that could further fast-track major projects without adequate community consultation, and questioned the Government over a reported $422 million shortfall in Restart NSW funding intended for regional infrastructure.

In addition, I lodged a Notice of Motion seeking a dedicated funding program for mining-affected regional councils to help address the significant infrastructure and service demands these communities face.

I remain committed to fighting for fair funding, stronger services, better infrastructure and practical outcomes for our regional communities.

Men’s Mental Months

If there’s one thing I’ve learnt over the years, it’s that most blokes are pretty good at looking after everyone else before they look after themselves.

Whether it’s work, family, sport, the farm, the business or helping out in the community, many men put their own health and wellbeing at the bottom of the list. Too often we ignore that niggling health issue, put off the check-up, or keep our struggles to ourselves because we think we should just get on with it.

Men’s Health Month is a timely reminder that there’s nothing weak about asking for help, talking to a mate, booking a health check, or taking the time to look after your physical and mental wellbeing. In fact, it takes strength.

Across Orange and the Central West, I regularly hear from men facing challenges with their health, access to services, mental wellbeing, isolation and the pressures of everyday life. That’s why I’m passionate about supporting initiatives that encourage connection, conversation and healthier communities.

It was the driving force behind the Gettin’-A-Grip Men’s Health Event, to bring together local health professionals, community organisations and everyday people for a morning focused on mateship, wellbeing and breaking down the stigma that too often stops men from speaking up.

My message this Men’s Health Month is simple: check in with yourself, check in with your mates, and don’t put off looking after your health. A conversation, a check-up or reaching out for support could make all the difference.

Because looking after yourself isn’t just important for you – it’s important for the people who care about you too.

Emergency management is being bolstered in the Central West as the Parkes communi­ty celebrated the official opening of the new $4.8 million NSW State Emergency Service (SES) Unit headquarters.

Local volunteers, dignitaries and commu­nity members gathered at the new Boyd Cir­cuit facility for an official opening ceremony on Saturday 23 May, recognising both the future of emergency response in Parkes and the volunteers who have served the re­gion for generations.

During the opening, three specialist emer­gency response vehicles were also handed over to the Gooloogong and Forbes Units which will strengthen operational capability across the region. The new assets included a Community First Responder Vehicle, an Inflatable Rescue Boat and a Light Flood Rescue Vehicle.

Inspector Kim Palmer, Parkes SES Unit Commander said “Our old unit regularly flooded during heavy downpours and as the unit membership has grown more recently finding space for training has become more difficult.”

“Facilities like this do not happen over­ night and this building is the result of many years of local efforts, volunteer and service advocacy, council partnerships, Federal and State government support, and the count­less hours of quiet work behind the scenes.”

This amazing new headquarters means that our local Parkes volunteers will be bet­ter equipped and resourced to protect and support the community during future emer­gencies.

The NSW SES Parkes Unit currently has 43 members and is encouraging more lo­cals to volunteer in both operational and support roles, particularly flood rescue and road crash rescue. Members receive all necessary training to ensure they are well prepared for their roles. For information on how to volunteer, visit https://www.ses.nsw.gov.au/volunteer or contact volunteer sup­port on 1800 201 000.