‘Powerful’ is one word that comes to mind when reflecting on the stellar performance of the Les Misérables cast at Parkes Little Theatre.

Directors Lyn Townsend and Neil Westcott outdid themselves in producing this epic Boublil & Schönberg’s musical based on the work of Victor Hugo. The challenge, which in 2014 was seemingly impossible, of presenting this massive musical on the small stage of the Little Theatre only met with the already-proven determination of the two directors who, in their own words, ‘don’t do ordinary.’

“Technically, Les Mis has been a massive challenge and caused a few sleepless nights,” said stage director Lyn. “However, we recognise our responsibility to keep on raising the bar.”

Musical director Neil Westcott agreed that this challenge could not be understated, adding “but neither could the absolute commitment of our cast, band and crew.

This has been a journey of joy and discovery, of seeking a new level of musical and technical excellence, way above anything we have attempted before.”

Every actor played an incredible and convincing role filled with raw emotion. Aaron Kingham’s intense performance as Jean Valjean shone throughout the entire show. Shevaun Brown brought passion and real tears in her courageous performance of Fantine.

Andrew Francis was a very convincing Javert, his spectacular front-on fall from the bridge was perfect. Kimberley Ryan was an outstanding Eponine, commanding the stage in every appearance. Rachael Westcott was a beautiful Cosette, Keola Aho met the challenge of playing Enjolras and James Whalan gave an impressive and genuine performance as Marius.

Greg Ballantyne and Christa Radley added the comical relief of the Thenardiers absolutely brilliantly. They were a joy to watch.

This was a stage loaded with mind-blowing acting and musical talent including 17 members who had never been on stage before. But Aaron was the rock of the entire production performing in almost every scene from start to finish, sweeping up the audience and taking them to another place and time.

Aaron said it was a challenge, a pleasure and a lot of hard work. “A real rollercoaster of emotions.”

“Pure joy,” said Shevaun of her role as Fantine.

Other great achievements of this production include a praiseworthy green tick with 80% of the costumes made out of recycled doona and quilt covers, bed sheets and curtains.

It is also the first time in decades that men outnumber the women in the cast with 22 men and 21 women.

Les Misérables is still showing at the Little Theatre until Sunday, 6th October. Book your tickets at www.parkesmandd.com.au or buy your tickets at Regional Business Supplies.

By Beth Thomas

 

There was an air of excitement in Parkes this week as a passionate group of 25 high school students managed to set a new world record building a BushCat aircraft in less than a week.

The grand finale of the first ever youth aviation engagement program put on by AirVenture Australia at the Parkes Airport will end in a grand finale on Sunday when the aircraft takes its maiden flight at the airshow.

“It is a great program and the kids’ enthusiasm has just blown me away,” said Errol van Rensburg, who supplied the aircraft kit.

“It is a fantastic career building program and has so much to offer.” Errol said he would love to see schools taking it up by buying a plane for students to build.

For technical consultant Darren Barnfield, who was also responsible for signing the plane off and licencing it, it had been an exciting week. “The aircraft kit is really just like a Meccano set that needs to be assembled following a manual. The kids have been brilliant to deal with.”

Ten of the 25 students selected from all over Australia are from Parkes. Ella Ross, the only girl in the team, said it was a great new experience. “I wanted to be part of it as I am learning to fly, and am very excited to see the BushCat fly on Sunday.”

For Scott Green it was a pretty good experience as he was learning a lot.

AirVenture’s Event Director David Young, who has brought the event to Parkes for the first time, said the interest in the program was huge from all over Australia. “We could have filled it twice with the amount of applications we received. It is an outstanding addition to our program, and we would definitely continue with it.”

David is very happy to make Parkes the new home of the annual event that is expected to attract hundreds of aircraft and thousands of visitors this weekend. “The Parkes Shire Council has been fantastic to work with. They’ve made it seamless and worked very hard for us.”

Parkes Shire Councillor and Chair of Economic Development – Airport Sub Committee Alan Ward said he was proud that the Parkes Regional Airport was chosen to host AirVenture.

“Hosting major events such as AirVenture in Parkes all adds up to building a robust and diverse visitor economy for the Shire.”

Sunday’s airshow has a full line of high energy aircraft supported by The Airplane Company and the RAAF including an FA18 Hornet. Find the full AirVenture program at www.visitparkes.com.au  To avoid long queues and go in the draw to win a Bushcat, make sure to buy your tickets online at www.airventureaustralia.com.au

The 2020 Parkes Elvis Festival is on course to be the biggest yet with some shows already sold out just days after ticket sales opened on Monday when the 28th celebration of the King of Rock ‘n Roll was launched at the Parkes Motor Museum.

With the theme the 1966 riverboat gambler movie Frankie and Johnny, a wave of up to 30,000 people in colourful and fun costumes are expected to flood the streets
of Parkes from 8th to 12th January.

“We have the best line-up ever with a huge combination of 65 ticketed and 200 free events,” said Festival Director Cathy Treasure.

“With the drought continuing its grip, we want people to come out and enjoy good entertainment without any worries.”

The stage in Cooke Park is the focus of the free entertainment program and festival goers can look forward to seeing Mark Andrews performing his first ever free concert, Greg Page and the John Field Band with Brendan Chase among others.

True blue Elvis fans can look forward to Dean Z, next year’s feature artist and winner of the Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artist in 2013.

The amazing performer has dedicated his life to honouring the legacy of Elvis.

Other legends to look out for is the Wall of Fame inductee Joe Camillero of the Black Sorrows, and Adam Harvey who will do a tribute to Elvis’s country albums.

Festival goers can expect more activity areas, more shuttles, the first ever sleeper trains and a revitalised Rock ‘n Roll dancing program. Go to https://www.parkeselvisfestival.com.au/ for more.

By Maggi Barnard

A dull and grey concrete wall has been turned into a beautiful and bright interactive mural at the Parkes Hospital’s Paediatric Unit with the talent and generosity of two artists.

The Parkes Paediatric Mural was created by Christine Holmes of Redgum Signwriting and Helen Rowbotham, Occupational Therapist and artist.

The mural has a fun, attractive presence and is expected to bring joy to all who experience it, especially therapists who could use it as part of their treatment.

Christine ran a competition on Facebook in 2017 to raise money for a friend’s organisation, # Love 40 Foundation. Helen won the competition, which was a mural to the value of $300, and decided to donate it to the hospital instead. It soon evolved into an
interactive mural that therapists could use in their treatment.

Christine designed the mural in conjunction with Helen and a speech pathologist, and painting started at the end of last year.

“Helen added ‘movement’ in the bee wings and blended colours together in the butterfly wings to give them grace and beauty,” said Christine.

“Together we created insect and mini beast characters that are bright and appealing to children and large sunflowers with bright yellow petals and chalkboard centres, all set in amongst giant size grasses in varying hues of green to make it fun
and attractive.”

Christine said it was a tremendously rewarding project to work on, while the Hospital staff are very grateful for Christine’s generosity and time in creating a fantastic mural.

The Parkes Show fireworks lighting up the sky on Tuesday night was symbolic of how our community keeps on shining despite tough times brought about by the current drought.

“I am very happy with the 139th show,” said President Peter Unger. “I was concerned about the influence the drought would have
and that people would stay away, but the entries have been good with some areas filled up to capacity.”

Peter said his greatest wish for the community was that people would just enjoy the company of friends at the show. “I would be satisfied if people had come to the show to get away from their daily routine and had a good time.”

Parkes Show Vice-President Bridget Lee was very happy with this year’s five finalists in the Parkes Showgirl competition. “The judges said they had a really hard choice to make and they were very impressed with the contestants’ knowledge of the community.”

As people streamed through the gates on the half day public holiday on Tuesday, Rebeckah Auld became the 2019 Parkes Showgirl. Rebeckah is studying online through Deacon University for a Bachelors of Communications.

In her outgoing speech 2018 Parkes Showgirl, Amelia Tanswell said she loved being part of a rural community, and congratulated this year’s contestants for stepping up and having a go.

The Miss Parkes Teenager winner is Parkes High School student Melaney Smede.

By Maggi Barnard

There is a lot of joy at the Parkes Toy Library with the opening of its brand new room filled with fun toys to help kids develop fine and gross motor skills.

The new room aptly named Go Active Kids! was made possible with a $3,000 grant from Northparkes Mines.

“Toys are very expensive, especially toys for children with special needs,” said Kate Anderson, a co-ordinator at the library. “You never know whether these specialised toys are going to work with your child.”

With the help of Angela Wilson of the Central West Autism & Special Needs Awareness Group and an occupational therapist at the Parkes Hospital, they were able to buy a wide range of toys including wobble chairs, scooterboards, speech cards, timers, exercise balls, stepping stones, tunnels and many more.

Like the rest of the library, the toys can be borrowed by all children for a period of two weeks.

“So far the kids love the new toys,” said Kate as four kids jump away in an impromptu sack race. The main idea is to get kids moving, to play outside and get them away from the screens,” said Kate.

For Mel Ingram, who also helps out at the library, the toys are perfect for kids who are always on the go. Cheryl Thompson of the Parish Council said the new room would not have been possible without the grant from the mine.

“We are excited to bring this service to the community.”

By Maggi Barnard

CMOC-Northparkes Mines officially celebrated 25 years of operation on Thursday, 15th August.

Onsite celebrations were held with employees, Northparkes’ owner and operator, China Molybdenum Co, Ltd (CMOC), and joint venture partners, Sumitomo Mining Metal Oceania and Sumitomo CorporationMineral Resources – who have been part  of the Northparkes Joint Venture since its inception.

CMOC Executive Chairman Steele Li said: “When CMOC had the opportunity to purchase Northparkes in 2013, they recognised the potential in not only the business and its future, but the people. We are excited to watch Northparkes continue to grow and develop, as it plays a pivotal role in our strong and long-term presence in Australia and as an internationally renowned mining company. The quality and excellence of the people at Northparkes, ultimately contribute to the success and reputation of our operation.”

Northparkes also celebrated eight employees who reached 25 years of service: Ian Cowle, Rob Cunningham, Dave Little, Tony Melhuish, Ian Rowe, Brad Mill, Alan Macdonald and Geoff Tilley. “This is an incredible milestone that needs to be recognised – we are extremely grateful to have these people as part of our team,” said Managing Director Hubert Lehman.

“We know the exploration potential of Northparkes and we believe we will discover more copper and gold deposits to take us even further into the future,” said Hubert. “We will continue to focus on our commitment towards our local communities as we strive towards achieving our vision of a century of mining together.”

As part of its celebrations, the mine has a shopfront at 203 Clarinda Street until 24th August where the public can view its history and buy some merchandise.

If you have missed out on all or some of the significant celebrations for the 50th anniversary of the moon landing last month, don’t fear as the Henry Parkes Museum’s special exhibition is still ongoing.

One of the Parkes & District Historical Society’s members, Rosemary Prior, put in alot of work and care into correlating lots of information into an amazing story. “We are all amateurs and volunteers doing the best we can,” said Rosemary. The feature piece of the exhibit are two items on loan from Dorothy MacDonald. Her parents, Jean and George Stanford from Peak Hill, both worked at the telescope during construction and the moon landing. They received a NASA certificate signed by all three astronauts for their support of the first lunar landing. The second item is a signed framed photo of George with his dog at his tractor looking at the telescope being built. Five times more visitors than usual streamed to the museum over the anniversary weekend from all over Australia and overseas. “People enjoyed our display, especially our feature on how the radio telescope was build,” said Rosemary.

She remembers driving out to the construction site on Sundays as a child to look over the fence, and watching the moon landing at school. “My husband, Bruce, lived opposite the site and grew up with it.”

Rosemary said it was very special compiling the exhibit as it is so much part of the history of Parkes. “It put Parkes on the map!”

By Maggi Barnard

A Year 6 Parkes Public student started her week with an act of bravery to help a friend diagnosed with brain cancer.

On Monday morning 11-year-old Araluen Fraser stood up in front of her school assembly as Parkes Mayor Ken Keith cut each of her six braids measuring up to 60cm long.

A beautiful smile lit up Araluen’s face as Parkes Public Principal Coral O’Neill collected the plaits to resounding applause by the students, knowing she was doing something extraordinary.

This was her first proper hair cut ever apart from a few trims, and she did it all for the charity Cure Brain Cancer Foundation.

She said it was a difficult decision to cut her hair as she has always had long hair, but when she found out about her 14-yearold friend’s diagnosis she really wanted to do something to help.

Araluen aimed to raise $3,000 and by Monday morning she had already reached that target.

The Mayor, who said he felt privileged to cut her hair during the NRL Beanie for Brain Cancer Week, pledged $100 from the Parkes Shire Council. Donations can be made at https://www.mycause.com.au/page/207693/cutting-4-a-cure

Araluen’s beautiful long plaits will also not go to waste as she will donate them to Variety Kids to be made into a wig for children with long-term medical needs. “She will be making someone else very happy,” said mum Raen Fraser.

Araluen said it felt very weird not having long hair, but she was already planning to grow her hair and cut it again for charity.

By Maggi Barnard

Almost 20,000 people visited the famous Parkes Dish for the 50th anniversary of the historic moon landing last weekend.

The Parkes Radio Telescope’s pivotal role in relaying high quality television images around the world was celebrated by a huge array of activities from guided inside tours, ground tours and astronomy talks, to space-themed face painting. The screening of the movie The Dish on Saturday night was introduced by actor Roy Billing, who played the part of the Parkes Mayor.

“It was a wonderful weekend and a huge success,” said Tricia Trim of the CSIRO Visitor’s Centre.

Perfect weather added to the happy atmosphere, while Australian-born NASA astronaut Andy Thomas enthralled the large crowd on Sunday talking about day-to-day life in space, the effects of zero gravity and keeping fit in space.

“The view from up there was spectacular,” said Andy when he talked about his personal experience of looking at earth through space. “I can show you the view as we had helmet cameras,” he said showing a video. A massive collective ‘wow’ erupted from the captivated listeners.

CSIRO partnered with ABC Radio for live broadcast coverage over the two days with the official ceremony on Sunday broadcasting the Moon landing as it happened in 1969.

“While it was NASA’s moment, it was Australia’s too: sending astronauts to the Moon and sharing the momentous occasion couldn’t have happened without the pivotal role Australia played,” said the CSIRO in a statement.

By Beth Thomas