Carols in the Park has been a well-established tradition in the Parkes community for a long time, and this year it is getting a makeover!

The popular event will still have all the hallmarks of Carols in the Park as you know and love it, but it was time to step outside the box and bring an increasingly engaging, entertaining and inclusive event to the community.

This Sunday, Carols in the Park will have a big screen with song words and video content, free souvenir programs and an extended event. The most exciting addition is the two-hour preshow from 4:30pm called Carols in the Arvo featuring local musical acts performing Christmas songs in their own style.

Four unique and eclectic acts will be performing including the Doug Richards Trio jazz band, the Lachlan Regional Orchestra and gospel-soul singer Belinda Boland. In addition, alt-country singer songwriter Raechel Whitchurch will be joining the preshow stage from 6pm.

Raechel and her husband, Ben, will be performing favourite Christmas songs in their signature chilled-out Americana style. “Parkes is an incredibly special place to me,” said Raechel. It is my husband’s hometown, it is where my family and I settled after years of travelling Australia, and it is where I feel most at home. Ben and I feel so lucky to have been asked to come home and perform some songs at this year’s event!”

Carols in the Park will begin at 4:30pm for the Carols in the Arvo preshow, Parkes Shire Concert Band will perform from 6:30pm and the Community Carols will start at 7:30pm. BBQ food, snow cones, barista coffee and baked goods will be on sale until 7:30pm.

Parkes Carols in the Park is sponsored by BDN Kitchens & Joinery and presented in partnership with Parkes Shire Council.

By Emma Brown

Shop Parkes has your Christmas all wrapped up this year, with the highly anticipated annual retail campaign launching this week.

Parkes Shire Council and Parkes Chamber of Commerce have joined forces again to deliver the annual Shop Parkes this Christmas retail campaign, which aims to drive spend into the local economy over the festive season. The theme this year is to ‘give a gift to the community’ by shopping locally.

Parkes Chamber of Commerce President, Geoff Rice said: “This year we are encouraging shoppers to support the local business operators who support our community.”

“For each dollar spent at a local business, 45 cents is reinvested back into our community. Being a drought-affected community, it is especially important to help keep the money flowing throughout our region where possible.”

According to Parkes Council’s Economic & Business Development Manager, Anna Wyllie it’s been made simple, more accessible and affordable for businesses to participate in order to maximise the strength of the campaign and appeal of Parkes as a place to shop this Christmas.

“Shoppers are encouraged to take advantage of 12 Days of Christmas special offers  throughout the festive season from 29th November, that can be unwrapped and accessed via the Shop Parkes Facebook and Instagram pages, or the Visit Parkes website.”

“We are opening Christmas Central in the CBD for the first time where shoppers can have their gifts wrapped for free and complete an online survey to go into the draw to win a $500 Shop Parkes Region Gift Card.” For your chance to win, simply shop at any Parkes Shire retail outlet and complete the survey online via visitparkes.com.au or drop into Christmas Central. The lucky winner will be announced on Friday, 4th January 2019.

Christmas Central at 203 Clarinda Street Opening Hours: Thursdays 4pm – 7pm Saturdays 10am – 2pm.

The iconic line-up of Australian greats at the Band Together Farmers concert in Parkes on Saturday delivered a rare experience for the 2,500 strong crowd and left them in high spirits by the end of the night. The crowd in the mosh pit was really living in the moment by the time Mark Seymour and the Undertow followed by the Hoodoo Gurus came on stage with people dancing and singing with passion and conviction.

The fundraising event for the Centre for Rural and Remote Mental Health was also meant to be a day off from all drought worries and concerns. With comments like “the best day ever” and “fantastic event” it seemed to have hit the right spot.

“It was just phenomenal and everyone had such a good time,” said Darren Jones, event director. The artists also loved Parkes and had a ball. “Although it was a hot and dusty day, it highlighted the reality of the drought, and all the comments have only been positive,” said Darren. A highlight for the artists was getting a private tour of The Dish on Saturday morning “which they all raved about”. The other important result of the event was that so much awareness had been raised about mental health. “There were loads of people who spoke to the girls of the digital mental health service Reach Out in the marquee at the concert. Even during the build-up the mental health message was getting a lot of attention,” said Darren.

The stellar cast of seven bands performing from 1:30pm on Saturday saw fans travelling from as far as Queensland, Newcastle, Sydney and all over the Central West. The addition of the RAAF Roulettes had the whole town excited as their spectacular aerial show could be seen all over.

“Thanks for an amazing show, worth the trip from Shellharbour,” said one person. “What a great day,” said another. “We never get anything like that here, and for such a worthy cause. Thank you so much to the organisers and bands for making it possible.

Everywhere I looked, everyone was having a great time! It was the best day I’ve ever had in Parkes.”

Councillor Neil Westcott opened the concert saying what a wonderful event it was for the farmers and the community, while elder Robert Clegg urged people to give farmers a friendly wave when they see them on their land, when he did the welcome to country.

Parkes was also the centre of attention on Saturday and Sunday morning when ABC Radio did a live broadcast from Cooke Park with ABC Radio Sydney presenter, Simon Marnie. ABC New England North West’s Anna Moulder and ABC Illawarra’s Drive Presenter and music legend, Lindsay ‘The Doctor’ McDougall.

By Maggi Barnard

The awards cabinet for Parkes Shire Council’s new water infrastructure project is filling up fast with three more added to the collection last week. Parkes walked away with the Project Management award at the 2018 Institute
of Public Works Engineering Australia conference, and was recognised for environmental and community benefits at the Tidy Towns Sustainable Communities Awards in Orange.

Parkes Shire Director of Infrastructure, Andrew Francis said: “Infrastructure delivery doesn’t come easy – especially when it involves a major overhaul of a town’s entire water cycle infrastructure. We wanted to ensure the projects not only delivered water resource improvements, but also maximise economic benefits to residents and ratepayers.”

In Orange last weekend Parkes was presented with the Community Spirit and Inclusion Award for the Water and Sewage Treatment Plant Community Open Days, as well as the Renewable Energy Award for the integration of solar systems at the new facilities.

The open days gave residents the opportunity to visit the new facilities and learn about treatment processes and the infrastructure’s sustainable features. With over 500 residents participating in the initial open day in March, the April open day was expanded to include ‘encore’ tours of the Sewage Treatment Plant.

The new Water Treatment Plant boasts a 107kW solar PV system to offset power consumption, and a further 298kW was installed at the Sewage Treatment Plant and the Advanced Water Plant.

The combined 405kW solar systems saved $88,866 on grid electricity in the first year of operation.

By Maggi Barnard

It is not often that women in Parkes can attend a fashion show, purchase the garments straight after and help further a very worthy cause. Last Saturday about 140 women enjoyed a wonderful afternoon at Anglicare’s Fashion Affair at the Parkes Golf Club and raised around $5,000 for the very important service Georgie’s Pantry perform in our community.

A total of 990 garments were donated after the closing down of the Somerset Lane stores in Eugowra and Molong. Around 300 garments were sold on the day with the remaining stock now available at Georgie’s Boutique in the main street.

“It was an overwhelming success and we really appreciate the support of the community,” said the Manager of Anglicare in Parkes, Natalie Quince. “The event has been of incredible benefit to our community as it allows us to continue to operate the pantry.”

She said Georgie’s Pantry, a sustainable food relief agency, experienced a 100% increase in the use of its service this year from 800 to 1,600 customers. The pantry sells a basket of pantry food and/or a tray of meat for only $25. Customers also receive fresh fruit, vegetables and bread free of charge bringing the estimated retail value of the food to approximately $200. The pantry also offers free food for farmers every Friday.

According to Natalie the pantry receives 12 tonnes of donated food from Aldi and Woolworths annually. In addition, the pantry spent $40,000 last year on purchasing items from local supermarkets, a local butcher and from Foodbank in Sydney.

There are according to the Foodbank 2018 Hunger Report 4.5 million Australians who went hungry over the last year
of which 1.5 million are in rural and remote Australia. If you would like to support this vital service in our community with a donation, visit Georgie’s Hub on Facebook or contact 0411 763 448.

By Maggi Barnard

Parkes is taking the next step in recycling with the first sod turned for Phase 2 of the Parkes Recycled Water Scheme on Monday. The ground-breaking ceremony marks the start of construction for the Recycled Water Rising Main, a purpose-built pipeline for high-quality recycled water to irrigate selected public greenspaces around Parkes.

“We are incredibly proud to be delivering such a visionary project that will strengthen our water supply and reduce demand on stressed natural water sources,” said Parkes Shire Mayor, Councillor Ken Keith OAM.

“NSW is currently suffering through what has been called the worst drought in living memory, and water security is a key issue facing many communities. Parkes has the additional challenge of being remote from natural water sources. This scheme provides Parkes with an entirely new and local drought-proof water source by saving water and giving us a second use for the same water, which in turn reduces the pressure on our drinking water supplies.”

Mayor Ken Keith said that it was not only cheaper to produce recycled water, but utilising solar systems to power the network meant the new scheme significantly reduced the operational costs of maintaining parks and gardens.

The project will reduce the need to pump water 25 km from Lake Endeavour Dam, and 30 km from the Lachlan River and Lachlan Borefields, saving money and providing substantial energy savings for the Parkes community.

Construction will progress around Parkes in staged works, and will take approximately 12 months to complete.

It was literally raining awards over the Parkes Shire last week with local business super stars recognised at a gala event on Friday, while the Parkes Shire Mayor was honoured in Kiama.

More than 250 people in their best evening attire attended The Henrys gala presentation hosted by the Chamber of Commerce at the Parkes Services Club to support the nominees in 16 award categories.

The coveted Parkes Business of the Year award went to Regos Plus Tyre & Mechanical – one of four awards the business was presented with during the ceremony. Owner Patrick Lenehan said: “We couldn’t do it without our team and dedicated customers.”

He also accepted the Excellence in Manufacturing, Agribusiness, Mining, Industrial & Trade award, the Excellence in Small Business award and the Young Entrepreneur award.

The other award winners were: Station Motel – Excellence in Hospitality and Tourism Services award; Betta Home Living – Excellence in Retail; Safe Tasks – Excellence in Professional Services and Excellence in Business; La Bella Medispa – Excellence in Personal and Lifestyle Services; Parkes Shire Food Service – Excellence in Social Enterprise; Ray White – Excellence in Innovation; See Solar – Start-up Superstar; Kerin Physio Co – Highly Commended Start-up Superstar; Ashley Goulthorpe, Pink Orchid Florist – Outstanding Young Employee; Tracie Robertson, Ray White Parkes, Forbes, Condobolin – Business Leader; Rebecca Miller, La Bella Medispa – Highly Commended Business Leader; The Ken Birch Memorial Trophy was awarded to long time business owner Greg Peterson.

Meanwhile in Kiama Mayor Ken Keith OAM was honoured with the Cities Power Partnership (CPP) Ambassador Award at the inaugural CPP Awards. The Mayor was recognised for his commitment to renewable energy and his enthusiastic advocacy for solar power systems.

“I am overwhelmed to have been honoured with this award. Parkes was one of the founding member councils of the CPP, and I am delighted to see that it is going from strength to strength.”

The award was presented by Californian climate champion Rex Parris, who is the Mayor of Lancaster – the world’s first zero net energy city.

The CPP, an initiative of the Climate Council, was established to help Australian towns and cities make the change to clean energy. The awards celebrate the outstanding work of local governments in the fields of renewable energy, energy efficiency, sustainable transport and community advocacy. More than 100 councils from across the country have signed up to the CPP.

Since 2011, Parkes Shire Council has installed 610kW solar systems across Council assets to reduce the organisation’s greenhouse gas emissions and mitigate rises in Council’s power expenses.

By Maggi Barnard

Thousands of people from all over NSW descended on Dubbo on Wednesday for the Royal visit, but it was a spontaneous hug and torrential rain that will remain as lasting impressions for many.

Five-year-old Luke Vincent stole the show when he not only gave Prince Harry a hug, but also started stroking his ginger beard upon welcoming the Duke and Duchess of Sussex on their arrival at the Dubbo Airport.

Luke was part of a group of school children waving Australian flags and jumping with excitement as the royal couple stepped onto the tarmac. Despite running behind schedule, the Royal couple took their time greeting the eager students. Little Luke also got the attention of Meghan when he handed her a bunch of flowers followed by one of his now famous hugs.

Meanwhile thousands of people, with many dressed in all sorts of Royal paraphernalia, had gathered at Victoria Park
for the community picnic. Spirits were running high, despite many arriving as early as 4am to secure a good spot, while others reminisced about attending the Queen’s visit in 1954.

As the Duke started his speech, the heavens opened up. Meghan stood next to her husband holding an umbrella, as the Prince said: “The best part about visiting country Australia is the people. You are the salt of the earth. That resilience, sense of humour and commitment to the land are the qualities that make you unique, you are the backbone of the country.” He ended his address saying: “The rain is a gift!”

The large crowd stood fast in the rain, with many hoping to get another glimpse, photo or even a handshake. The couple said they wanted most of all to meet people on their visit.

While a mother and daughter from near Narromine did not get a chance to hand over their bouquet, they were very happy to see the Royal couple again after they had gone to England earlier in the year for the Royal wedding. “It was very special to see them here in Australia,” said Jo.

The Duke and Duchess also also met a local family on their property Mountain View Farm, about 25km from the Dubbo, to see and hear the hardships people in the area were facing due to drought. Meghan baked banana bread for the family, which she prepared the previous evening at Sydney’s Admiralty House.

The time has come to give yourself some goosebumps!

The Parkes Musical & Dramatic Society’s home has been transformed into a state-of- the art theatre and they are ready to celebrate with a gala concert that showcases memorable moments from musicals and concerts over the past 18 years – since the last refurbishment in 2000.

“The amount of talent we have for Goosebumps is astounding,” said Society President and Director of Goosebumps, Lyn Townsend. “There will be plenty of memorable moments. The cast and crew have been working really hard and I believe this will be one of the most outstanding shows we have seen at the Little Theatre. It’s an exceptional production that befits our beautiful new facility.”

Over $500,000 was spent on lush new theatre seats, tiered flooring and modern interior design. It is only fitting that a hugely talented cast, band and crew of over 60 members, who had all been involved in previous productions, will make Goosebumps a memorable show. It will feature well-known songs, such as Hard Knock Life, Pick a Pocket, Climb Every Mountain, Beauty and the Beast, I Don’t Know How To Love Him, Somewhere Over The Rainbow, Timewarp, Supercalla, and medleys from Grease and Les Miserables.

There are only six performances on 19th, 20th, 21st, 26th, 27th and 28th October.  Get in quick as tickets are nearly half sold out.

Mobility impaired patrons need to book in rows A, B or C. If you are in a wheelchair, please call 0429 623 829.

More than 200 people helped Parkes residents Ian and Marion Unger to raise $7,000 when they opened their hearts and garden over the long weekend to assist farming families stressed by drought.

People came from as far as Albert, Dubbo, Cowra and Coonabarabran to the amazing haven of trees, plants and shrubs dotted with inspiring signs and sayings of Avarest garden in Reymond Street.

The garden, with a panoramic view across town, has been kept beautiful by Ian and Marion in spite of the drought. “It’s important to try to save stock and crops from drought,” said Ian, “but the most important thing is to get people through it.”

All money raised from entry, auction and sale of nick-nacks will go towards helping stressed farmers to get away for a break. Ian said help from the local Parkes community was invaluable. “So many businesses, even those we knew were struggling, donated goods when asked. Not one of them knocked me back.”

The open garden fundraiser was supported by Lachlan Area Suicide Prevention Network and BlazeAid. Bob Fenwick of BlazeAid has already received seven sealed envelopes, but it is not too late to nominate if anyone knows a farmer who needs time away. He said farmers would often not ask for help.

For those who could not make it over the long weekend, Avarest will again be open for viewing this Sunday from 2 to 5pm.

By Beth Thomas