Roxane Manley

After an exceptional 29 years at Northparkes Mines, Rob Cunningham, Manager of Mining – Underground and Surface and Statutory ticket holder, announced his retirement in January 2023.

Rob started at Northparkes Mines on 27th January 1994 as an Ore Processing Operator, among the original intake of workers. 

During his significant 29 years at Northparkes, he has held a number of operational and management roles, including: Underground Team Leader, Underground Superintendent, Open Cut Superintendent, Open Cut Manager, Tunnel Boring Systems and Major Projects Manager, Health, Safety, Environment and Farms Manager, Underground Mining Manager and Operations Manager.

During Rob’s time at Northparkes, which reads much like the timeline of site itself, he has seen how the mine has grown and played an instrumental role in the development and success of our operations. Rob has modelled passion and commitment for Zero Harm Operations and has made an incredibly noteworthy contribution to our operation and the mining industry. 

In 2018, Rob was awarded the NSW Minerals Council ‘Outstanding Contribution to NSW Mining’, which is a prestigious award and highlights his accomplished career.

Upon reflecting on his time at Northparkes, Rob said, “I am lucky to have held so many great roles at one Mining business, all backed by the support of my beautiful wife and two great kids. I am also grateful to achieve all that I have in my mining career in my hometown – the place where I was born and in a community that I love.”

Managing Director Jianjun Tian said, “As we congratulate Rob on his many achievements, and thank him for his countless contributions to Northparkes, I would also like to extend my best wishes and gratitude towards Rob’s family for their support throughout the years. As Rob moves into retirement, we wish him and his family all the best for the next chapter of life.”

About CMOC-Northparkes Mines

Northparkes is a copper and gold mine located 27 kilometres north-west of Parkes, in the Central West of New South Wales. Since 1993 Northparkes has been celebrated for high-quality copper deposits, low cost operations and loyal, committed people. Northparkes is a joint venture between China Molybdenum Co., Ltd (CMOC) (80%) and the Sumitomo Groups (20%).

On Monday, 23rd January the Peak Hill Local Aboriginal Land Council (LALC), community members and representatives from the Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC) Inland Rail, spent the day visiting sites across Peak Hill to return more than 150 stone artefacts found during construction of the Parkes to Narromine section of Inland Rail. 

The artefacts, including a complete hand-axe and fragments that could be used for cutting tools, were discovered during a site survey in 2019. On discovery, and in line with the project’s Cultural Heritage Management Plan, ARTC, the relevant Aboriginal party and their specialist technical advisers have been working closely together to develop a solution that is appropriate to the significance of the site. 

Judy Bell, Board Director of the Peak Hill Local Aboriginal Land Council, said: “As a Wiradjuri woman from the Upper Bogan River people of Peak Hill, on behalf of the Peak Hill LALC and our community, we appreciate ARTC Inland Rail’s commitment to working closely with our people and respecting our culture and heritage in a culturally responsive way. 

“We are very pleased with the process, and for us Peak Hill Traditional Custodians, returning artefacts in a culturally safe way back to country is necessary for our local cultural history and is central for us as a people. Each object is unique and has a connection to its place of origin and tells a story that plays a vital part in a shared history.” 

Frances Robinson, Chairperson of the Peak Hill Local Aboriginal Land Council, said: “It is important for our current and future generations to see the return of their ancestorial objects and cultural material, back home to country in Peak Hill, to the place where our old people, our ancestors left their footprint on our traditional land’.” 

Rebecca Pickering, ARTC Inland Rail Interim Chief Executive, said: “We acknowledge that Inland Rail will be built and operated on the traditional lands of many Aboriginal communities. 

“We value our relationships with Aboriginal communities and recognise their inherent connection to their traditional lands and their continuing responsibility of stewardship and caring for country and culture. 

“We will continue to consult with Aboriginal leaders at every opportunity to ensure progress on the Inland Rail program is carried out in cooperation with those Aboriginal communities. 

“Inland Rail offers a unique opportunity to survey and explore areas previously untouched by cultural heritage investigation. Potential discoveries will add to the wider community’s knowledge of and respect for Aboriginal people’s use of the land and Australia’s shared cultural heritage.” 

For more information on our work with Indigenous communities, including the Inland Rail Indigenous Participation Plan, please visit Working with Aboriginal communities – Inland Rail (artc.com.au), phone 1800 732 761 or email irculturalheritage@artc.com.au. 

Our Indigenous Participation Plan 

The Inland Rail Indigenous Participation Plan sets out our commitment to working in partnership with Indigenous communities to create meaningful opportunities that deliver lasting benefits for individuals, families and communities. 

The Parkes Elvis Festival sadly lost one of its most dedicated volunteer photographers when Cathy McPherson passed away on 28th August last year.

Cathy joined the photography team of the Parkes Camera Club when they were invited to join the media team in 2014 at the festival. She enjoyed the atmosphere of the festival and the people. “She loved catching all the characters in her photos, and it gave her great joy watching everyone enjoy themselves,” said her close friend and fellow photographer Maree Tanswell. 

“Her favourite events to photograph included the street parade, gospel service and the Wall of Fame concerts.”

While Cathy had fun taking photos at the festival, she took her nature photography more seriously. She loved taking landscapes, flowers, sunrises and sunsets and especially birds. She would spend hours watching and waiting for the right time to catch a bird in her lens.

It was also her love of birds that led to some of her images ending up as giant artworks at the Manildra Flour Mills. The mural artist Jimmy Dvate used her images of a king parrot and grass parrot for his first mural on a tank near the Mandagery Creek Bridge.

Cathy said she was thrilled he used her photos, but sadly she never got to see the mural in real life.

She was only two years old when Elvis died on 16th August 1977, her mum’s birthday.

She was 5 when her parents Bob and Anne Steel opened Gracelands. (Named after Elvis’s home, but they applied to use the ‘s’ at the end.)

She was 17 when the first Parkes Elvis Festival took place and she literally had to become her mum’s right hand.

“I was at boarding school in Orange and home for the holidays when mum broke both her wrists and nose when a ladder collapsed,” said Tiffany Steel.

“Mum was basically running the show, so my brother and I and dad had to become her arms. She gave us instructions of what to do and I ended up being MC and hosting the night.”

Tiffany enjoyed the experience so much that is set her up for her career. “I caught the event bug at that first festival and spent the next 30 years in events. I worked on big conferences, trade exhibitions, and for major charities here and all over Europe, and lived in London.”

Even though she had moved away from Parkes, she continued to help Anne with all her scheduling and run sheets on the computer, and then returned for the festival to help out with main stage events and launching new events.

She did not stop even stop when her daughter Ruby was born. “In 2007 I put up my hand to become the temporary festival coordinator when Ruby was only four months old. She came with me to all the sponsorship meetings. That was also the year we launched Miss Priscilla, the Poet’s Breakfast, Elvis Golf Day, formalised the volunteer program and launched the first paid program. It was crazy!”

After that eventful year, she kept on helping her mum and when she was back in Parkes for the 2019 festival a friend said there was a job advertised with her name all over it. “I was working on the Gold Coast at the time in a contract role, and I thought it would be good to bring Ruby to Parkes.

Tiffany became the sponsorship and marketing coordinator in March 2019 and loved it so much that by December 2021 she took on the role as director of the Parkes Elvis Festival. “I never imagined it would turn out this way for me. Mum was always set on making it a big festival.

“My parents were absolutely thrilled when I arrived at their house with a bottle of champagne to tell them I had become director.

“I love the fact that I get to work with Mum and Dad as they are still heavily involved and still portfolio holders, and to work with the other committee members who have been here since the start and continue the work they’ve done for so many years. It is very special.

Tiffany said she realised just how special the Parkes Elvis Festival was when she was always asked about it at job interviews. “Even if it had nothing to do with the role I’d apply for, they always wanted to hear all about it.”

Tiffany says there are enough new fans to keep the festival going. “People who came to the early festivals, their kids grew up with it and now they are coming. It’s great to see all these generations. The demand is there, if only we had double the accommodation.”

She feels the Parkes Elvis Festival can’t be replicated. “Others have popped up, but they’ve been very different to the whole Parkes experience. I really love how our town’s people and shop owners have embraced the event, the friendships made and all the wonderful things that have happened because of the festival. It is a really happy event. We don’t have any problems and everyone is having a good time.”

She recalls standing in the main street just before street parade in 2022 and thinking how amazing it was. “The vibe, the happiness, it gives me the biggest kick.”