General Interest Archives - Page 115 of 352

A Wonderful Celebration For Lindsay

October 28, 2022 By Ellen Tom

The Parkes Shire Concert Band with regional musicians at the concert in celebration of Lindsay Morehouse on Sunday. (photo: Caroline Chapman)

A wonderful celebration of music to honour Lindsay Morehouse and what he contributed to the Parkes Shire for 40 years was held on Sunday.

The Spring Fling Festival event saw 150 people and musicians enjoy an afternoon of music at the Parkes Services Club. Many of the musicians had played with Lindsay in the Parkes Orchestra, and some in the audience were taught by him, while others enjoyed the concerts he had organised over all those years.

The concert achieved our expectations of a wonderful afternoon of music to celebrate Lindsay. It was a showcase of musicians who are playing in the Parkes Shire Concert Band, and also the Forbes Town & District Band.

“It was a great event and Dad would be so pleased that everyone was still enjoying music,” said Caroline Chapman, Lindsay’s daughter who attended the concert with her husband Steve and their son Patrick.

They also put up a wonderful display of memorabilia for everyone to reminisce about. The timeline depicted Lindsay’s career of years working in radio, teaching and conducting music in Parkes.

Thank you to our wonderful musicians, we all collaborated and supported each other. The stirring sounds the didgeridoo created with Welcome to Country. Thank you to Charlie and Tyrone… it was a memorable day for Lindsay.

Lindsay came to Parkes in 1973 as a radio engineer and violin and piano teacher who became a trailblazer for promoting and sustaining music in the Parkes community.

By Ellen Tom

Christmas Parade Is Back!

October 28, 2022 By Maggi Barnard

The festive season is fast approaching, and the good news for the Parkes community is that the Christmas Parade and Carnival will be back on Friday, 2nd December!

It’s been a long two years without the Christmas Parade, which makes this year’s event extra exciting and special. The parade kicks off the festive cheer in the shire and sets the tone for the rest of the celebrations.

Organised by the Action Club Parkes, the Parkes Shire Council has agreed to fund the cost of road closures and putting up the barricades to keep everyone safe.

So, it is time to start planning your float for the parade or a stall for the carnival, and make a date with your friends and family to come and enjoy the school choirs and entertainment.

There will be plenty of activities for everyone and lots of food and local gift stalls to start your local Christmas shopping.

See you at Cooke Park on 2nd December!

Mamma Mia What A Great Night!

October 21, 2022 By Maggi Barnard

The world’s number one ABBA tribute band Björn Again had fans on their feet all night on Saturday at the Parkes Leagues Club. The band played in Parkes after the Trundle ABBA Festival had to be cancelled because of the unfortunate weather situation the region is currently experiencing.

Donna Shaw celebrated her birthday at the show with Steve Ridley.

Parkes Shire Council’s Visitor Economy & Major Events Specialist Cathy Treasure (left) and Trundle ABBA Festival Manager Hayley Roach (second right) with the Björn Again band members.

ABBA fanatic Wendy Boschetti and her friend Margi Smith had a great night out.

Support Trundle Pink Ribbon

October 21, 2022 By Maggi Barnard

Following the cancellation of the Trundle ABBA Festival, the popular Trundle Pink Ribbon event has been postponed to Friday, 28th October.

The event raises money for the NSW Cancer Council by organising a massive raffle with loads of prizes, and an auction at the Trundle Services & Citizens Club from 6pm.

Local Legend Inspires Whole Country!

October 21, 2022 By Maggi Barnard

HISTORY MADE… Nedd Brockmann (23) from Forbes grabbed the headlines this week when he finished an incred-ible feat running 3,952km in 47 days to raise money for homelessness. Thousands welcomed him at Bondi Beach on Monday. (photo: Sky News Australia)

It is the story we were all longing to hear, and the fact that the hero is a sparkie from Forbes made it so much more inspirational.

Nedd Brockman took our spirit on his superhuman challenge and we soared above the daily grind of floods and rising costs to believe in kindness, generosity and perseverance again as he battled through almost 100km per day for 47 days.

He grabbed the attention of the whole country as he made his way from Cottesloe Beach in Perth to the finish at Bondi Beach in Sydney on Monday where thousands of supporters gave him a rapturous welcome breaking the tape after 3,952km and raising over $1.8 million for homelessness.

“I am absolutely blown away,” he said. “I don’t think I can explain the depths I’ve had to go to. To have all this support is absolutely mind-blowing. I am speechless,” he said before doing a celebratory shoey.

His incredible run has been named one of the greatest athletic feats in Australian history, and many call for Nedd to be named Australian of the Year.

In Forbes Nedd has gained a huge fan base with several fundraising efforts in the community to support him. His former primary school, Bedgerabong Public School, followed him every step of the way and raised $770. On Monday students at St Laurence’s Parish School held a Hats for Homelessness fundraiser and raised $522.20, while the Forbes Community Hub came together last Friday and sold egg and bacon rolls raising $2,620, to name but some of the local support.

The good news for local fans is that a welcome is being planned for the local hero with details to be announced soon.

Spring Fling Community Fun Day Postponed To 19th November

October 21, 2022 By Roxanne Gallacher

Parkes Community Arts committee members Helen Standen, Deb Jones and Kelly McGirr helped to decorate the town with more than 1,000 handmade flowers and colourful signs for the Spring Fling Festival.

The Community Arts Spring Fling Festival is well underway in Parkes and has been a rousing success so far.

If you have been in the Parkes CDB recently the Spring Fling vibe is hard to miss with over 1,000 handmade flowers adorning the main street and Cooke Park, and colourful signs and banners.

“We have been thrilled with the community response,” said Parkes Community Arts secretary Kerryn Jones. Baz Luhrmann’s ‘Elvis’ movie last Friday was sold out, while the creative workshops in art, drumming and flower arrangement were also sold out. The upcoming Lindsay Morehouse memorial concert on Sunday at 2pm in the Starlight Lounge of Parkes Services Club is filling up fast.

The main event, the Cooke Park Community Fun Day, has fallen victim to La Niña and will be postponed to the new date of Saturday, 19th November from 10am to 2pm. “Though disappointed, we are grateful that most vendors and performers are able to be flexible in this uncertain weather, though some clashes have been inevitable”, said Kerryn.

Community members need not worry, the 19th is looking to be sunny and warmer for the free event with lots of activities, food and music performances.

Quentin Park Alpacas will be ready to meet and greet people from 10am. There will also be artisan market stalls inside the Cooke Park Pavilion by local artists and creatives.

The Best in Show art exhibition in the Coventry Room of Parkes Shire Library and Cultural Centre, funded by the CMOC Northparkes Community Investment Program, will be extended to 19th November. “This exhibition has been particularly special,” said curators Deb Jones and Helen Standen “with the most artworks ever submitted to a single exhibition here. We had over 400 artworks entered and there are a huge range of ages and mediums on display.”

Visit www.facebook.com/PCAFestival for updates and infomation.

By Roxanne Gallacher

Help To Count Our Feathered Friends

October 21, 2022 By Maggi Barnard

Become a citizen scientist and take part in the Aussie Bird Count.

It is National Bird Week and residents can still make a difference for bird conservation by participating in the 2022 Aussie Bird Count until Sunday.

All you need to do is pick a spot outside and count birds for at least 20 minutes to help researchers create a snapshot of Australia’s urban and more common bird species. Data collected is submitted through the Aussie Bird Count app or through an online web form.

“The annual Aussie Bird Count is a great way for residents to enjoy the outdoors and learn about birds in our shire,” said Parkes Shire Council’s Environment and Sustainability Officer, Michael Chambers.

“Last year 112 residents took part, and we would love to see even greater participation this year.”

Starting in 2014, the Aussie Bird Count has become one of the largest citizen science projects in Australia. The 2021 Aussie Bird Count saw more than 100,000 Australians take to their local green spaces to count nearly 5 million individual birds. Across the Parkes Shire, residents recorded a total of 5,013 individual birds across 86 species. The most recorded species in the Parkes Shire was the Galah, followed by Crested Pigeons, House Sparrows, Apostlebirds and Australian Magpies. Several species listed as ‘vulnerable’ under federal legislation were also sighted, including Major Mitchell’s Cockatoo (Pink Cockatoo), Grey-Crowned Babbler, Brown Treecreeper, Dusky Wood Swallow, Superb Parrot and the Speckled Warbler.

Data obtained from annual Aussie Bird Counts helps Council increase environmental engagement among residents, informs land management decisions and can indicate the impacts of tree planting efforts across the Shire.

For residents interested in attracting more wildlife to their gardens, Council will be giving away native shrubs and trees at the Spring Fling Market that has been postponed to Saturday, 19th November.

You can download the Aussie Bird Count app for free, or use the online form at https://aussiebirdcount.org.au/submit-a-count/

German Exchange Student Joins Parkes Band

October 21, 2022 By Maggi Barnard

German Rotary exchange student Flora Gahmig with PSCB music director Duncan Clement.

The Parkes Shire Concert Band (PSCB) has welcomed a new member from Germany. Flora Gahmig, a German Rotary youth exchange student, has come to Parkes on a one-year exchange and is staying with four host families. She is in Year 10 at Parkes High School. As she has been playing violin for ten years, she was keen to join the PSCB to continue making music.

She loves being part of the band and adding strings to the texture of the music of the band. It is also a great opportunity for her to make new friends.

As the band’s music director Duncan Clement plays and teaches the bagpipes, Flora has decided to take lessons to learn this unique instrument.

PSCB rehearsals are during school terms above pool complex 7-9pm on Tuesday. New members are always welcome.

Multifocal Contact Lenses – The Final Frontier!

October 21, 2022 By Maggi Barnard

Many people who wear multifocal glasses or only require glasses for reading, often don’t realise that they could be wearing contact lenses.

Just like multifocal glasses, multifocal contact lenses are designed to give you clear vision at all distances. If you find your multifocal glasses annoying or hard to adjust to, if you work in a job where you need to see clearly but your glasses get knocked around and scratched, or perhaps sometimes you would just like to take a little break from your multifocal or reading glasses while you socialise or play sport, then you may want to consider trying multifocal contact lenses.

There are various designs of multifocal contact lenses to suit your lifestyle and vision needs. While some emphasise near vision with a boost for distance, others emphasise distance vision with a boost for near. There is no distortion or motion sickness feeling that you might experience with multifocal glasses, particular early on.

In terms of getting used to multifocal contact lenses, your relationship with your contact lenses is a little like a burgeoning friendship. You might not initially love them, but with time as you adapt to them and understand how they work you will start to build trust with the multifocal contact lenses, enjoy their company with clear vision at most distances, and likely develop a good friendship over time. This can sometimes take several weeks so don’t give up and quit the game too early! Maybe you have been unsuccessful with contact lenses in the past because they were uncomfortable, however like most things, the technology of contact lenses is always improving, and today’s lenses are much more comfortable than in the past.

You are never too old to wear or try contact lenses. Patients have become happy multifocal contact lens wearers in their 70s. There is no cost involved in trialling contact lenses at Hansen Optometrists Parkes. If you would like to give it a try, book in today and become part of the growing number of happy multifocal contact lens wearers.

Prime Minister And Premier Visit Flooded Forbes

October 21, 2022 By Maggi Barnard

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese meets the Principal of Forbes Public School Meg Staples.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese visited Forbes on Monday a mere 11 months after his predecessor was in town to once again see first-hand the effects of the fifth flood in 12 years for this region.

He was accompanied by NSW Premier Dom Perrottet and other senior politicians meeting with the SES, flood affected residents, farmers, principals, community organisation representatives and councillors.

The raising of the Wyangala dam wall took prominence during question time with Member for Riverina Michael McCormack issuing a statement afterwards to reaffirm his support for the raising of the wall.

In his response, the PM said commitments and funding in the budget could only be made once the business case for the project was completed. He gave his assurance that infrastructure investments would continue under his government in NSW and the regions.

The PM acknowledged the impact of the flood on the community “as well as the ongoing impact it will have on infrastructure, including local roads, and the farming community who were expecting bumper crops and many have now been devastated and ruined. We are living in very dangerous times with more events forecast for the coming days and weeks.

“The work that will continue is beyond politics, and all levels of government will work together to get resources to people in need,” the PM said.

As for the loss of up to 60% of crops in some parts of the Forbes Shire, Agriculture and Emergency Management Minister Murray Watt said he was in discussion with the state governments about extra support for farmers.

The PM said all levels of government would work together to get resources to people in need.

You can find out more here if you’re eligible for a disaster relief payment and how you can claim it: https://www.servicesaustralia.gov.au/natural-disaster-events

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