The Country Universities Centre (CUC) in Parkes not only celebrated its first anniversary last Friday but also saw eight students graduate after a year of many challenges.

“It was a match made in heaven,” said Madeline Swan, one of the eight graduates, who thought she was always going to be a university drop out.

“My learning journey was probably more chaotic than the typical path of students here,” Madeline told the students and guests at the celebration. When she found herself living five hours away from home to study at university at the age of 17, she was not prepared for all the challenges of big city living. “I had never driven in busy city traffic, I had never paid a bill, and all my hopes of completing university were dashed when I decided to move back home for mental health reasons.”

Madeline is one of the more than 46 students who enrolled at the CUC in its first year. “We hope to reach triple digits for next year,” said Tracie Robertson, chair of the board of directors.

Parkes Shire Mayor Ken Keith said it was great to see the success of a dream of a university presence in the community come to fruition after the first attempt failed about ten years ago when Charles Sturt University did not renew an agreement with Council and TAFE .

“The need for skilled and educated people is really high in our community.”

Those of us with a green thumb and gardening ambitions have all tapped from the perennial stream of local flora knowledge Don and Jenny Jewell of the Greenparkes Nursery has offered in abundance to clients over the past 21 years.

After surviving several droughts, COVID and various other challenges over 43 years in business, the recent sale of their business property will test their ability to really wind down and relax in retirement at their home near Mandagery.

Their business career began in Lithgow in September 1978 with the purchase of a BP service station. The hours were long, starting at 5am and finishing at 11pm each day, seven days a week.

In 1980 they bought the BP Telescope service station to fulfill Jenny’s wish to return to Parkes to be with her family, Dorothy and Ernie Green.

For the next 29 years they operated a number of service stations, culminating in the rebuild and operation of the BP Truckstop into a highly successful business.

In 2000 when multi-site franchising became the new norm, Don decided it was time for a change as he would never “go in debt for an oil company”. As he loved landscaping and plants, the Jewells opted for a more leisurely, “smell the roses” pace at the Greenparkes Garden Centre.

They made a major investment to develop the current site on Forbes Road, and it was ready just in time for the millennial drought. “The town virtually ran out of water,” said Don. “Profit margins disappeared, interest in gardening waned, and we had to branch out and specialise in order to survive.”

Jenny had to close the coffee shop after seven years to help out in the nursery. “I was learning on the run.” Together they became a formidable team with a passion to find the best suited plants for the Parkes climate and to educate clients about gardening. “We were lucky to have had Jenny Drady for the past 13 years with her extensive knowledge.”

While their business was in the retail and supply of plants, Jenny said her best memories would always be of the more than 200 people they had employed over the years, especially the young people they had started in their first job.

Don’s best memories are of all the challenges that came across their path and how they had always found a way out.

“Our family kept us going,” said Jenny. “We have three lovely kids, and five beautiful grandkids, and there were times we had to go without seeing them very much, but they were always in our hearts.”

By Maggi Barnard

 

 

The King may have left the building for a short while, but on Monday excitement for the return of the Parkes Elvis Festival in April next year was palpable as ticket sales went crazy on the first day.

Not only did the tickets for the Elvis Express train from Sydney sold out in the first 12 minutes, but by Tuesday record ticket sales had been recorded.

Adding to the elation on Monday was the launch of the festival at the brand-new Cooke Park Pavilion with three politicians and the Parkes Mayor festively dressed in Elvis jumpsuits, wigs and sunglasses.

But it was the Ford MKI GT40, one of only five of its kind in Australia, getting all the attention. Add in owner and Parkes resident Dusty Powter, dressed in a matching racing suit and shoes, to set the tone for the Speedway theme of next year’s festival. The 1968 musical action film starring Elvis Presley as a race car driver, will not only provide plenty of ideas to dress in theme, but will also be a must visit for car enthusiasts.

The festival organisers have been able to plan extra events around the theme, thanks to a $160,000 grant from the NSW Government, that includes a Speedway precinct where visitors will be able to see collector cars not seen anywhere else in Australia, and meet special guests from the racing industry.

“The special Speedway show starring Mark Anthony, has never been performed anywhere else in Australia and promises to be something not to be missed,” said Parkes Elvis Festival Director, Cathy Treasure.

She said at least 20,000 people were expected to attend with a big increase in caravaners and campers as it would be cooler weather in April.

“We’ve faced so many challenges over the past two years, but the biggest challenge is going to choose what to see at the festival.”

Taylor Rodriguez, one of the youngest and best tribute artists, will be making his Australian debut with four action-packed shows. Another incredible feat for the festival is getting Charles Stone to come. He worked with Elvis as tour producer in the 1970s.

The inductee to the Wall of Fame will be Australian music legend Brian Cadd, while Australia’s most decorated country artist Adam Harvey will perform a tribute to Elvis’s many country music hits.

“This is what it’s all about – having fun and getting back together,” said Member for Riverina Michael McCormack on Monday. “COVID has been so tough, and it is time to let loose. I love it when people can come together as communities to celebrate all that is great about regional Australia.”

Deputy Premier of NSW Paul Toole said the Parkes Elvis Festival was critical to get communities up and running again, and driving the local economy. “Parkes is one of first events to be back. People want to get out of Sydney and metro areas. They’ve been living in that concrete jungle for a long time and they want to get out and explore regional NSW, and what better opportunity to do that.”

For programming and ticketing information, visit www.parkeselvisfestival.com.au

By Maggi Barnard

For the past 43 years they’ve ingrained themselves in the community, so it’s no wonder it is the interaction and banter with clients they are going to miss the most.

Peter and Janine Boschman made themselves redundant at Cunningham’s IGA last week as they handed over the reigns to the new manager. A Sydney-based group called Vic’s Fresh is the new owner and Tyrel Knott will be managing the shop.

Like guardian angels, they will be keeping watch from above for a while longer until they’ve made plans for new accommodation. They have lived upstairs from the store from the day they accepted the partnership from Janine’s parents Brian and Vivienne Cunningham in 1978.

“We have signed a 12-month lease to give us time to decide whether to buy or build a home in Parkes,” said Peter.

It will also give Janine time to process a life time of memories starting from her childhood when the lolly counter was her favourite place in the store her parents had started as a fruit and veg outlet 54 years ago.

Still a sweet tooth, she jokingly said not having easy access to chocolates was going to be the worst part of retirement!

The best memories for Janine would be all the people she had met over the years. “I always made a point to remember everyone’s names. I loved seeing a baby being born and next minute they were in Year 12.”

She also made special friendships with the casual girls who started when they were 15 years old and stayed for three years until they finished school.

Looking back the highlight for Peter was when they won two categories at the very first Henrys Business Awards. “It was not something we set out to do, but it was bestowed upon us.”

Running a business seven days a week was tough, but set them apart, “until the big boys decided to steal our thunder”! The coming of Franklins, Coles and then Aldi meant they had their ups and downs. “We came down and did what we had to do. Picking up ideas from other people kept us going.”

While their loyal customer base also ebbed and flowed through droughts and other bad times, Peter said people kept faith in them that they could deliver what they had to.

“At least we are able to go out on a high – COVID has helped us immensely. The demographic of our customers is more elderly and they felt safer in a smaller and quieter environment.”

For Peter and Janine the time has also come to slow down and enjoy the luxury of having more time on their hands. Peter has plans to become a regular on the golf course, while Janine looks forward to visiting the kids and grandkids in Canberra without having to rush back to run the business.

By Maggi Barnard

It’s a transformation that will make you wish you could be a child again!

“We absolutely love our new venue, it is just breathtaking what it has become,” said Central West Childcare Services Coordinator Ann-Marie Winter of the complete metamorphosis of the unused and vandalised old community health building located within the old Parkes Hospital precinct.

The building now serves at the new Central West Childcare Services base and houses an integrated early childhood education centre, services for school-aged children, and family services for children from birth to 12 years all conveniently located under the same roof.

The transformation was made possible with a $1.3 million investment by the NSW Government and was officially opened last Friday by Parliamentary Secretary to the Deputy Premier Sam Farraway MLC with Parkes Shire Mayor Cr Ken Keith, councillors, staff and community members.

“It looks super impressive after seeing the old building when I was here for the sod turning in October last year,” said Sam.

“The NSW Government is pleased to support this much needed childcare facility in Parkes. The centre will provide quality care for babies, to school-age students within family daycare, preschool as well as vital before and after school care and vacation care for families with older children.”

With 43 educators and over 400 children enrolled in Central West Family Day Care, the service had outgrown its facility next to the Parkes pool. “It has been a lengthy process of almost ten years,” said Ann-Marie. “We know how important early childhood care is for our community and how high the demand is. This facility has come at the perfect time to function in cohesion with all the other providers in town.”

Mayor Ken Keith said with the major developments happening in Parkes the delivery of a quality educational facility, would ensure Parkes could meet the needs of those new families and businesses relocating to the region over the next decade.

The additional space this facility provides will enable complementary services to utilise the rooms for consultation purposes, such as occupational therapists, speech pathologists, dental checks, auditory services, as well as support meetings, parenting classes, child assessments, mothers’ groups meetings and play groups, conferences and the support of early childhood courses.

The Central West Childcare Services staff have over the years started buying and collecting very special toys, furniture and decorations that add to the spectacular atmosphere and impressive attention to detail from the moment you cross the threshold.

The outside play area, set against a steep slope, has been creatively redesigned into a childhood paradise of pathways, bridges, sand pits, play equipment and lots more detail to discover.

In a nod to the building’s heritage the original “helicopter arriving” sign has been given a special place next to the main climbing feature shaped like a helicopter.

Enrollments have opened for next year for the preschool, out of hours care, school holiday care and family day care. Call 6862 3111. To learn more about the services provided, visit www.parkes.nsw.gov.au.

Some big stars are coming to Parkes to perform under the stars at the first major event to be staged at the new Cooke Park Pavilion in a celebration of musical theatre and operetta in April next year.

Called Overture, the event will be headlined by Lucy Durack and Josh Piterman. Lucy is one of Australia’s leading stars of the stage and screen and played Glinda in the Australian production of Wicked. Josh has graced the stage in lead roles in both Australia and the West End, and he is starring as The Phantom in the upcoming Op-era Australia production of The Phantom of the Opera at the Sydney Opera House.

Lucy and Josh will be supported by two secondary headline performers, to be announced soon, along with local and regional talent as they perform well known songs the audience can sing along to. The program will be similar to the famous BBC Last Night of the Proms events.

There will be some very exciting opportunities for local soloists, and auditions will be announced shortly for primary and high school students to audition online.

“We are thrilled to be hosting such a prestigious event under the beautiful night sky of Parkes at the brand-new Cooke Park Pavilion,” said Parkes Shire Deputy Mayor Cr Barbara Newton.
Overture will not only bring some of the best voices in Australia to regional NSW, but it will also give local chorists and school students the opportunity to work and perform alongside them.

Music Director Nicholas Gentile will be conducting a 40-piece orchestra made up of professional and student musicians, and a mass choir of 150 choristers, featuring public school choirs and adult choirs from across the Central West, including the Parkes Community Choir.

UpStage Australia, a not-for-profit organisation that seeks to create links between metropolitan and regional young artists, have partnered with Parkes Shire Council to deliver the concert, as well as bring a series of workshops, classes and seminars.

“In the lead up to Overture, we will bring out some of the country’s top tutors and professionals in singing, drama, music and dance to facilitate classes and workshops,” said UpStage Australia Director Jessica Westcott. “We encourage anyone who has a creative bone in their body to use this as an opportunity to upskill, discover and be inspired.

“We’re so thrilled to be creating an opportunity to showcase some of the Central West’s incredible young talent as often there are fewer opportunities for regional children to get the kind of experiences their Sydney peers might have. Overture is an exciting opportunity for regional youth and musicians to appear on stage with the likes of Lucy Durack and Josh Piterman,” said Jessica.

Event proceeds will support a number of community initiatives, including the McGrath Foundation and UpStage Australia to foster continuing arts development.

Overture tickets will be on sale in November. For more information and to purchase tickets, head to www.visitparkes.com.au.

Looking at the trails of insects on wood was one of the ways nature was invited into the Marramarra Makerspace Studio last week when first nation artists worked with facilitators on the development of a permanent Wiradjuri exhibition at the Parkes Library and Cultural Centre.

The Wiradjuri Ngurambang Exhibition project will establish a permanent exhibition in the foyer of the centre to educate the Parkes Shire community and visitors about the Wiradjuri history of the area.

Professional curator Margot Jolly is guiding the development of the exhibition, and artists Sean James Cassidy and Scott ‘Sauce’ Towney co-facilitated the workshop designed by Sean. The curatorium of four artists included Glenn Sloane, Geoffrey Anderson, Ronda Sharpe and Irene Ridge-way, while Robert Clegg was involved in the initiation of the process.

Using the concepts of ephemeral art and the philosophy of tribal consciousness, the group created patterns using natural materials to help bring words to life in the exhibition. The different mediums used to create the ephemeral art included clay, sand, crystal rock and wood.

Each of the artists took turns adding to patterns using the mediums. Sean said the natural materials helped to evoke imagery that would be used in the graphic design of the exhibition. As the ephemeral art created with the natural materials was not permanent, it was photographed to record it.

Sean, through Ub Ubbo Exchange, and Jacqui Clarke will use the patterns to create graphic designs for the exhibition.

“It was a really good day, and the different mediums brought out different emotions. I think I’ve found a new love for words,” said Sean, who has done a lot of work with different groups on presenting traditional designs and art through Ub Ubbo Exchange.

“This is such an exciting project,” said Margot. She explained that the exhibition also included an audio-visual component to add another layer to it that would speak about parts of culture that are not represented by 3D objects. “It will help people to hear and see language,” said Margot.

The exhibition has been approved by the Parkes Elders and Aboriginal Advisory Committee.

The Henry Parkes Museum is contributing objects to the exhibition, which will display a number of artefacts and interpretation panels. The artefacts will include hunting and sustainable agriculture objects, food gathering objects, ceremonial objects and cultural and language examples.

The exhibition is expected to be completed by the end of the year, while the audio-visual component will take a bit longer.

The exhibition has received $35,000 of funding under the NSW Government’s Local Roads and Community Infrastructure Program, while the Wiradjuri Digital Project received $13,000 under the Museum and Galleries of NSW Let’s Get Digital Grant.

By Maggi Barnard

Bird enthusiasts and nature lovers in the Parkes Shire are invited to become citizen scientist and participate in next week’s 2021 Aussie Backyard Bird Count.

The annual event runs from 18th to 24th October and requires participants to spend 20 minutes in their backyards, local parks or favourite nature spots recording and counting bird species present. Observations are submitted either through the Aus-sie Bird Count app or through an online web form.

“This is a great opportunity for residents to get out in nature, observe and potentially learn more about the bird species that call the Parkes Shire home. Parkes Shire residents came out in force last year, and we would love to see similar or even higher numbers of participation this year,” said Parkes Shire Council’s Environment and Sustainability Coordinator Michael Chambers.

Last year the Aussie Bird Count saw over 100,000 Aussies count more than 4.6 million birds. Involvement across the Parkes Shire was significantly up from previous years, increasing from 30 participants in 2019 to 231 in 2020 counting a total of 4,232 individual birds across 94 species.

Consistent with previous years, the most recorded species across the Parkes Shire was the iconic galah, followed by magpies, house sparrows, crested pigeons and magpie-larks. Residents also managed to record several vulnerable species, including the superb parrot, grey-crowned babbler and Major Mitchell’s cockatoo.

Encouragingly, of the 94 species recorded in 2020, only six were introduced species. Across Australia, the most commonly re-corded species was the rainbow lorikeet, with more than half a million counted in 2020.

“This species has finished on top every year, reflecting the changes in Aussie backyards over the past half century. The replacement of European-style cottage gardens with native backyards containing eucalypts, grevilleas and bottle brush is ideal for species like the rainbow lorikeet,” said Michael.

Data obtained from the annual Aussie Backyard Bird Count will enable Parkes Shire Council to increase environmental engagement among residents, inform land management decisions and monitor the success of tree planting efforts across the Shire.

Originating in 2014, the Aussie Backyard Bird Count provides an opportunity for anyone to become a citizen scientist. The event has become one of the largest citizen science projects in Australia, helping to fill critical knowledge gaps concerning common backyard bird species.

“With growing national and international concern for the welfare of Australian wildlife, results from the Aussie Backyard Bird Count can provide important insights into how native birds are faring. The data can also inform policies, species management decisions and provide advocacy for threatened species,” said Michael.

Registrations for the 2021 Aussie Backyard Bird Count can be done online at https://aussiebirdcount.org.au/.

When her four daughters and husband joined the Rural Fire Service ten years ago Vicki Williams did not want to miss out and followed them with no real desire to be active.

It did not take long for her to learn volunteering involved a lot more than just putting out fires, and at the beginning of October she became the first female Group Captain of the Mid Lachlan Valley Team.

“I was a little shocked to get a phone call to ask me if I’d like to do it. I did have a lot of questions, but in the end I thought it would be good to gain some experience just for the year and see how I go.”

A group captain is usually elected by the brigades within the group for a period of three years. Vicki was appointed by her district manager for the final year of the previous group captain, Scott Baker’s term, as he took up employment with the RFS and could not do both roles.

Although she has been a deputy captain and captain, she feels being the first woman in the top role puts extra pressure on her.

Vicki will be responsible for five brigades and aims to focus on the role of women in the RFS by giving them a bigger voice. “Sometimes people are stuck in their ways. Women are still in the minority at 20% in the Mid Lachlan Valley Team. I would like to get more women involved.”

Vicki feels many women probably think volunteering is not for them, “but there are many more roles than just firefighting. There is a role for everybody, and it could include communication, training, community engagement, catering and many more. You don’t have to go and fight fires.”

Vicki has chosen to do it all and can still clearly remember the first fire she attended. “It was a caravan fire, and I was put on the end of the hose. It was scary, but the training that I’ve had really helped in what I did.”

The most memorable fire she fought was on deployment to the State Mine fire in the Blue Mountains in 2013 for three days. “I had a strike team leader that was more involved in firefighting so I actually ran his job in a sense. That put me up a level, but I was still there to help out at the fires. We were on a cliff and the fire was coming straight up so I had to order a helicopter to come and help us out.”

When Vicki is not working her day time job at Parkes Pharmacy, or taking on a fire fighting role, she really enjoys working with the juniors doing their training, going to championships and doing school cadets.

Vicki would also like to encourage more women to join up. “We have a role for everyone, and there is always somebody to help you.” As for how much time volunteering required, Vicki said it depended on every individual on how much they wanted to put in.

The Parkes Headquarters Brigade trains every Tuesday night, and then there is the option to go away and do training to get qualifications.

After ten years in the service, Vicki can’t imagine her life without the RFS. She sees herself volunteering forever hoping to carry on as long as their oldest member at the moment who is 74.

“We are one big family group and we really love seeing everyone thrive.”

By Maggi Barnard

In a year when storms, plagues, demolitions and a pandemic hampered so much of the good work of Parkes CanAssist, this week will be remembered as a happy one of new beginnings.

A cheer went up from the waiting crowd outside 33 Court Street when President Sylvia Glendenning and Treasurer Adriennne Brown cut the ribbon before the grand opening of their new shop on Tuesday.

The new central location in town where Rascals used to be was cause for much excitement with people streaming through the doors.

After hours of hard work to move the thousands of items and set up a proper shop environment by the CanAssist volunteers, Sylvia said she really appreciated the spontaneous cheer that went up from the crowd. The cherry on top was one man who called out: “At last you’ve got your own shop!”

The new shop will be open five days a week from Tuesday to Saturday 9am to 1pm and run by about ten volunteers per day. “It will cost us a bit, so we had to do something to increase our income” said Adrienne of the decision to open five days per week. “We hope it will cover our expenses so we can continue to assist up to 100 people with cancer.”

Sylvia said once everything was sorted they planned to start up again with the box sales once per month. “We are very happy with our new space.”

The furniture sales are still open at the Parkes Showgrounds.

By Maggi Barnard