The mouse plague has not only been devastating for farmers and households, but the pesticides are sadly starting to take its toll on wildlife.

More than 100 galahs have been found dead at the Parkes cemetery where a large flock roosts in the trees, while over 200 dead birds have been reported in Forbes over the past month.

WIRES volunteer in Parkes, Kelly Lacey said it was not only galahs, but also cockatoos and corellas affected by mouse bait. Parkes vet Daryl Elphick said he has had to treat numerous household cats and dogs since the outbreak of the plague.

“I have looked after hundreds of injured birds over the past five years through my work with WIRES, and the current situation is very hard for me. It is just devastating,” said Kelly.

The bird deaths lead to an investigation by the NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) around Forbes, Parkes, Dubbo, Narromine, Condobolin and the Riverina. Toxicology results have confirmed some of the bird deaths were caused by baits.

“The EPA understands regional communities are facing a difficult situation and that everyone needs to keep their families, community and the environment safe, and that the need to control these mice to protect homes, families, pets, properties and wildlife is paramount,” said EPA Executive Director Regulatory Operations Carmen Dwyer.

She did call on the community though to use pesticides very carefully. “To keep the families, community, wildlife and the environment safe, registered pesticides should only be used according to directions on the label.

“The safe baiting of mice is an important step in reducing mice numbers and pesticide users must make sure they handle baits safely and are careful to always follow the directions on the label to protect their family, neighbours, domestic animals, wildlife and the environment from harm.”

Carmen said mixing and blending pesticides could seriously impact health, family and pets. “Please only use pesticides as directed on the label.”

“Grain eating birds can be impacted after eating the pesticide coated grain,” Carmen said. The Parkes vet said he had to treat a dog two weeks ago who had eaten a dead swan that had eaten pesticide covered grain.

“Our advice is to think carefully about where the bait is being placed, and only use the recommended amount of bait,” Carmen said.

Kelly said when the birds eat the poisoned grain, they started to bleed internally and there was not much that could be done for them. She cautioned the community to not touch sick or dead wildlife. “They produce a toxic gas in the stomach that is poisonous to humans too.”

Kelly is very concerned about the NSW government’s announcement of the distribution of 10,000 litres of bromadiolone as part of a $50 million mouse control package. “If the bromadiolone is approved by the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority, it will kill a lot more wildlife, including all reptiles.”

If there are more than five dead animals of the same species, please make a report to the EPA’s 24-hour Environment Line.

If you suspect a family member has been affected by a pesticide product, call the Poisons Information Centre on 13 11 26.

Anyone with a concern, knowledge of an incident involving pesticide misuse or seeking further information can contact the EPA’s Environment Line on 131 555.

The 47 entries into this year’s Waste to Art competition and exhibition have not only given the three judges a very tough task to pick the winners, but also look particularly well on display in a gallery setup in the newly refurbished Coventry Room.

Deputy Mayor Barbara Newton opened the exhibition on Monday night and told the packed venue the imagination of the entrants had astounded her. “The thought that has gone into each piece, and the physical making of it, is just wonderful.”

She said feedback from the three judges, Bill Jayet, Margot Jolly and Michael Chambers, was that the quality of entries had given them a headache in deciding on the winners. “They also commented on the artistry and talent of the entrants, and how well the pieces had been displayed in the exhibition.”

The theme for this year was steel and aluminium cans, and the winner of the yearly theme prize is Meredith Barber for her piece called Patio Flowers. She also won the Community 3D category with this piece.

The Special Category – Scrap Metal prize went to Helen Standen for Bloody Linen Dresses. She also won the Open 3D category with this entry.

Other category winners are: Middleton Public School (Building Sculpture 2D – Barugil); Rex Veal (Building Sculpture 3D – Chook RV); Ballantyne Family (Community 2D – Alice’s Garden); Ian Rowe (Communi-ty Functional – Shower of Enlightenment); Elsie Mahon (Open 2D – My Old Cot Quilt); Deb Jones (Open Functional – Scrap Bin Lamp); Blake McMahon (High School 3D – Jeff); Trundle Central School to Work (High School Functional – Time in Chain); Amarni Reidy (Primary 2D – Rainbow Magazine); Elijah Cole (Primary 3D – Viking Ship); and Kelsey Finnegan (Primary Functional – Fruitilicious).

The exhibition is open until 26th June and the winners will go through to the Regional Exhibition hosted by the Coonamble Shire Council.

 

 

Why can’t you strike after school? Why don’t you care about your education?

These are some of the questions Year 12 student Elizabeth Hoyle faced from community members when she started organising the very first School Strike 4 Climate event for Parkes last Friday.

She told the almost 100 people in Cooke Park, including the Parkes Mayor: “The truth is, I do care. I’m doing my HSC this year, of course I care about my education. But I’m 17. I can’t vote. My generation will be the most impacted by climate change, and yet we have no say in climate policies.

“I’ve come face to face with the false narrative that country people are against climate action. It’s going to take all of us – individuals, businesses and governments to solve the climate crisis. Actions like these are a way to show we all care.”

She said the school strike event was an example of students “using their education to speak up about things that matter”.

Year 4 student Oscar Hendry, who organised his very own climate strike earlier this year and helped with Friday’s event, showed how no one is too young or too old to try and make a difference.

He said: “I feel we need to take action, and we need to take action now. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed by this crisis and how you, as a kid or family in Parkes, can make a difference to a global catastrophe like this.”

He said putting it into the too hard basket and doing nothing was not an option, and would only make our future even more bleak.

Continuing the theme of how humanity could no longer afford to ignore the signs of climate change, Neil Westcott said: “As individuals, communities and local councils we need to be realistic about what we are up against, but doing nothing should not be our way now, and it should not be our future.

“Will somebody please tell me what is the downside of pursuing a greener, healthier and more sustainable world? What scares politicians and shock-jocks alike about turning towards a future that does carry with it the benefit of a healthy environment, and a world that can sustain all life?”

Neil said at the start of his speech that as a Councillor he was not speaking on Council’s behalf “(though they are a wonderful and progressive group of people), likewise because I am a farmer, I do not represent the views of all farmers…

“I am an individual, 61 times around the sun, that shares your frustration at the lack of urgency in solving climate crisis that is unfolding – and lack of empathy for the generation of young people who will eventually do all the heavy lifting in the years to come… by many who have the power to make a difference right now.

“Young People, you are on the right side of history, continue to speak with passion, continue to move in larger and larger groups and one day you can vote with collective wisdom. I wish you all well, and all power to you,” said Neil.

The Parkes event attracted people from the region, including students from Red Bend Catholic College in Forbes, and sup-porters from Dubbo. It was a national day of action for the School Strike 4 Climate movement and the first since the COVID pandemic with thousands of people protesting all over the country.

By Maggi Barnard

It took one woman to run nine marathons on nine consecutive days and almost 400 supporters to raise over $100,000 for four charities to help terminally ill children and their families.

A month after completing this titanic challenge, Parkes business woman Rebecca Miller is still hurting from the physical exertion, but she is also glowing from the ripple effect of the kindness bestowed on her from so many people.

“It is an amazing feeling,” she said this week after her fundraising page had gone beyond the 100k target by over $4,000.

“It is the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life and every single muscle in my body was hurting, but there were so many magical moments and the money raised for the charities will be life changing.”

Rebecca called her challenge The Ripple of Kindness Project and said the compassion shown by all her supporters were just phenomenal. “From our clients who came in with an envelope with $20 inside, the kids who donated all their savings, to the business group I am part of who boosted the effort with a massive $42,000 in one go last week.”

Rebecca was motivated to chase a big target after she raised $25,000 in 2017 shaving her head. “I’ve always liked a big challenge and decided to shoot for the stars, and if I was to land in the clouds it would not matter.” She described reaching the target as one of the biggest highlights of her life, and praised the love, support and countless messages that kept coming from all corners.

There were some pretty low moments too during her nine-day challenge, especially days three and five. “I knew I was mentally very strong, but my body was suffering.” Rebecca described how she had to dig very deep on these days doing a lot of self-talk. “I kept on reminding myself how I was just running and my situation was nothing compared to what sick children were experiencing.”

It was children like little Lilly Wyburn from Parkes who kept her going. Rebecca dedicated her run to Lily, who fought Leukaemia from the age of two and sadly lost her battle in November 2017 when she was eight and a half years old.

As leukaemia and brain cancer in kids are the most common childhood cancers, she raised funds for four cancer-related foundations: Bandage Bear Foundation, Carrie’s Beanies for Brain Cancer, Leukaemia Foundation and Parkes CanAssist.

Rebecca said the four charities were blown away. “They were following my journey very closely and was super excited greeting me at Westmead Hospital at the end.”

The Ripple of Kindness Project page will still be open to donations for another week at https://au.gofundme.com/f/the-ripple-of-kindness-project

The beginning of a new era for Parkes is due to start next month after the awarding of a multi-million dollar construction contract for the design and build of the Parkes Special Activation Precinct (SAP).

Fulton Hogan was announced last week as the successful tenderer for the $126 million contract. The NSW Government’s five Special Activation Precincts, of which Parkes is the first one, have a vision of economic growth and jobs through the creation of innovative business hubs.

“These precincts are going to be a huge boon for the bush,” said Regional Growth NSW Development Corporation CEO Brendan Nelson. “This is just the start – with up to 125 construction jobs coming online with this contract and up to 3,000 jobs being created in total within the precinct.”

Parkes Shire General Manager Kent Boyd PSM said this was a significant milestone in seeing the Parkes Special Activation Precinct come to life. “Our strategic vision for expanding the Parkes National Logistics Hub and creating long term economic prosperity for our community has been realised. The Parkes Special Activation Precinct will be a hub of innovation and enterprise, creating thousands of jobs for our community.

He said Council would work closely with the lead contractors to connect them with local suppliers and businesses that can contribute services and supplies during the construction phase to ensure maximum economic benefits for the community.

Fulton Hogan’s contract for initial works comprises an upgrade to Brolgan Road to incorporate a roundabout with the new Coopers Road, two bridges over the railway lines, a new 30MVa sub-station and all supporting utilities including sewer and water, electricity and gas, telecommunications and more than 7km of new roads. Work is expected to begin next month and will be completed by March 2023.

Once complete, the new infrastructure will open around 1,500 hectares for development.

The Parkes SAP is located on 4,800 hectares of land earmarked for a range of uses including freight and logistics, processing of food such as plant-based proteins, warehousing, plastic and e-waste recycling and cold chain storage.

In December last year Australia’s national science agency, the CSIRO, announced the Parkes SAP was one the sites earmarked for the implementation of its Plas-tics Mission. The Parkes SAP is destined to become an eco-industrial park as an Australian first to end plastic waste by reinventing the way plastic is made, processed and recycled.

The vision of the Parkes Shire Council for over 20 years came to fruition in July last year when the NSW Government committed $185.4 million the Parkes Special Activation Precinct.

Special Activation Precincts are being delivered by the Regional Growth NSW Development Corporation and funded by the $4.2 billion Snowy Hydro Legacy Fund. To follow the progress of the Parkes Special Activation Precinct, go to https://www.rgdc.nsw.gov.au/precincts/parkes

Julie Freeman was announced as the winner of the RSL NSW Anzac Biscuit Cooking competition in Parkes at the 2021 Anzac Day Official Luncheon on Sunday.

The competition was divided into three levels and saw Julie take the lead in a very competitive field in the senior division, which also competed for the Keith Woodlands Perpetual Trophy as part of the Parkes RSL Sub-Branches local competition.

Julie said she had been cooking from an early age after learning the basics from her mother at the family property. “I loved making Anzac biscuits and sending them off to soldiers who were away serving our wonderful nation,” she said when accepting her prizes.

Julie will now proceed to the Western Districts level of the competition to be held in Dubbo during August. The winner of that section will go on to represent the Western area at the state final to be held in conjunction with the NSW RSL Annual State Conference in Newcastle during October.

The junior section for entrants 16 years and under saw another close competition with the three judges undecided on the result till the very last moment. The eventual winner was Joan Carolan, who edged out Ella Jablowski with Quinn Kriedemann receiving the encouragement award.

Both Julie and Joan congratulated the Parkes RSL Sub-Branch on running the competition and said they would be back to contest the competition next year.

Parkes RSL Sub-Branch President Keith Woodlands and Sub Branch secretary Paul Thomas congratulated and thanked all participants and said the Sub-Branch would continue to support the state body in the event in future years. They also thanked the three judges namely Anne Olsen, Bev Hawken and Nerissa Westgarth for their assistance and commitment to the task.

Anne Olsen spoke on behalf of the judges and said the competition was extremely close. She said while the level of participation was not excessive, it was highly commendable. She made special mention of the exceptional commitment of the male competitors as they challenged one another.

Art and culture in our community is making a comeback after the inactivity of a COVID restricted year with more than 80 people attending the opening of the Parkes Painting Group Art Exhibition last Friday.

The 53 paintings on display by 30 members transformed the newly renovated Coventry Room at the Parkes Cultural Centre and Library into a beautiful gallery of local talent.

“The talent we have in our community is just wonderful,” said Mayor Ken Keith OAM. “We hope to see lots more of it.”

Ken congratulated the Parkes Painting Group on the work they do, and at the same time complimented Roxanne Gallacher who organised the event as part of her new role as Creative Learning Programs Coordinator of the Parkes Library and Cultural Centre.

Roxanne officially opened the exhibition welcoming everyone to the venue to witness the wonderful talent of the group. She thanked her team and members of the painting group who helped to set up the exhibition.

The beneficiary of the proceeds of the sale of the art works, cover charge on opening night and income from the raffle ticket sales this year is the Parkes Association for Christian Education (PACE). Jay Quince said they were absolutely delighted to have been selected. PACE helps to fund a scripture teacher at Parkes High School.

The art exhibition will run until 1st of May at the Coventry Room from 10am to 3pm, with a $2 entry at the door.

By Maggi Barnard

 

Some of the colourful paintings on exhibit at the Coventry Room.

She wears many hats in our community, but after 50 years in the profession Maureen Massey finally decided it was time to take off her teaching hat.

She retired from Parkes East Public School last Thursday just before her 70th birthday ending an association of 41 years with the school as a parent and teacher.

“The eldest of my three daughters started in 1980, and I’ve had six of my 12 grandkids in the school. It was pretty special to have that.”

Being a learning and support teacher for the past 20 years, Maureen has built up a special bond with many students. “I am going to miss the kids the most, but as soon as volunteers can go back to school, I’ll be there as a nan, and not a teacher.”

Teaching has been such a huge part of her life with lots of beautiful memories, but the school’s 50th anniversary and the mini relays for life are two that stand out for her. Combining two of her other loves in life, she made a huge mosaic for the 50th anniversary with every child in the school putting a tile on it, and had 40 kids doing a dancing routine.

She was also instrumental in starting a mini relay for life at Parkes East to give the students the opportunity to take part in the event.

“The community support was just unbelievable. We raised about $4,000 the first time we organised it.”

Having survived two bouts of breast cancer and a melanoma herself, fundraising for cancer is another of Maureen’s passions and the mini relays became an event very close to her heart.

“I’m not retiring because of my health, I just felt it was time to bring some flexibility into my life. I’m so grateful that I can retire in good health to enjoy more gardening, making mosaics and crafty things, photography, watching my grandkids play sport and spending time with my family. I just want to be Nanny Maudie.”

Being Nanny Maudie means you still play A grade and B grade hockey with your grandkids in the same team. Hockey has played a massive role in Maureen’s life from the day she started to play when she was about nine in Peak Hill.

She was back on the hockey field three weeks after the birth of her third child, and it was once again hockey that brought some normality into her life after her first diagnosis of breast cancer at age 37. “The tears just rolled down my cheeks the first time I hit that ball after my mastectomy.”

Maureen has gone on to be selected for the NSW Masters team ten times, and has represented Australia since 2012 having won two gold medals and a bronze at three World Cup events. While COVID has derailed some overseas tournaments, Maureen is all fired up to go to the NSW state selection in Newcastle in June. “The moment you stop is when you start wondering about your future.”

Another hat Maureen has been wearing with great success is managing the Parkes Boppers Dance Troupe. “We started with a group of six dancers and it has grown to 18 with them performing five 30-minute sessions at the Parkes Leagues Club at the last festival. We will have to see what happens next year, but I know the kids are still very keen.”

She has always given everything she’s done her best. “I’ve been very fortunate with a lot of things in my life,” says the busy lady who had the special honour of being part of the Olympic and Commonwealth torch relays in 2000 and 2018 respectively.

“What you put in, you get out. I’ve had a beautiful life.”

By Maggi Barnard