General Interest Archives - Page 116 of 352

Rural Aid For Livestock, Crops Lost To Floods

October 21, 2022 By Maggi Barnard

Australia’s trusted rural charity, Rural Aid, has stepped up to help farmers across NSW, Victoria and Tasmania as they face devastating, widespread flooding.

The team of counsellors are also conducting welfare checks on Rural Aid’s registered farmers and has counsellors on the ground in Forbes.

Rural Aid CEO John Warlters said farmers with crops nearing harvest were increasingly anxious as flood water and continuing rain caused costly downgrading.

“Months of hard work and investment has now been written off, alongside people’s homes, fences, sheds and machinery,” he said.

Registered primary producers are also being offered financial assistance as they deal with the devastating effects of the flood.

More than 70 local government areas (LGAs) across the three states are directly affected, impacting thousands of families.

Rural Aid counsellors are expecting an increase in calls to its new, dedicated 1300 175 594 counselling line, as the extent of the current flooding situation becomes more apparent.

Farmers registered with Rural Aid can access counselling support and request financial assistance and fodder for livestock.

Producers that aren’t registered are encouraged to do so immediately via www.ruralaid.org.au or by calling 1300 327 624.

Treasures At Parkes Vinnies To Celebrate 100 Years!

October 21, 2022 By Maggi Barnard

The volunteers at Parkes Vinnies are excited about the golden tagged treasures to be discovered in the shop from Mon-day. They are (L-R) Gary Hussey, Jan Hussey, Debbie Nelson, Trish Davies, Greg Cregan, Liz Jones, Tanya Godden (Vinnies NSW Regional Retail Manager), Elaine Charlton, Sue Hennessy and Betty Ackroyd.

There will be ten rare golden tagged treasures hidden in the Parkes Vinnies shop from Monday to be discovered by clients as part of St Vincent de Paul Society’s 100th anniversary celebrations.

As Vinnies shops across NSW have been the home of treasure for 100 years and raise vital funds to support people in need, 100 feature items will be placed in select Vinnies shops.

Parkes is one of the select shops and the treasures include clothing, accessories, and homewares from famous brands including Bassike, Blanca, Double Rainbouu, Dylan Kain, Ellery, Furla, Henne, Jac + Jack, Jets, Kathmandu and more.

There are also extra special prizes to be won, and every transaction made at Vinnies during the campaign, running from 24th October to 6th November, will be eligible to go into the draw to win. Simply scan the QR code at the point of sale once you’ve made a purchase.

“Vinnies Shops are an institution in Australia where people can discover a treasure and give it a second life,” said Jack de Groot, St Vincent de Paul Society NSW CEO.

“Our shops play an important role in making our services sustainable, along with reducing the amount of waste that ends up in landfill.

“We have Vinnies Shops in 225 locations in NSW which rely strongly on the generosity and goodwill of volunteers who give of their time to support the community.

“A lot has changed over the past 100 years but the core of Vinnies Shops remains the same in giving items a second life and using the sales to help people who fall on hard times.”

Sales from items sold in Vinnies shops are used to enable services run by the St Vincent de Paul Society which supports people experiencing hardship with food, clothing, household bills, crisis accommodation, healthcare, educational programs and much more.

Helen Smith from Vinnies in Forbes said the need in the community had become acute over the past three months with homelessness a real concern. She said the cost of living and high rental rates were the main contributors to the increased need for assistance.

St Vincent de Paul Society NSW President Paul Burton echoed this concern saying: “We’re seeing a real demand for assistance at the moment due to the high cost of living, so it’s very important that our shops remain viable in order to continue meeting the needs of people who reach out in times of hardship.”

If you would like to donate to Vinnies, remember if it’s good enough to give to a friend, it’s good enough to give to Vinnies. Only 4% of all donations received at Vinnies are sellable. The more money Vinnies raise, the more people they are able to help.

So don’t miss the Parkes Vinnies golden window display and an opportunity to discover a golden tagged treasure!

By Maggi Barnard

Recycle Problem Waste For Free At New Centre

October 14, 2022 By Maggi Barnard

The new Community Recycling Centre at the Parkes Waste Facility was opened by Parkes Shire Mayor Ken Keith (middle). On his right is manager of the waste facility Noel Smede with Parkes Shire Councillors and Parkes Shire staff members.

Disposing of problem waste will be much easier in Parkes with the opening of the first Community Recycling Centre at the Parkes Waste Facility.

The centre, established with the support of a $150,000 grant from the Environmental Trust, can be used free of charge where residents can drop off paints, oils, gas bottles, fluoro lights, smoke detectors, batteries and other items.

The Parkes Recycling Centre joins a network of 97 other facilities across NSW that have to date collected more than 17 thousand tonnes of problem waste.

“We know this centre will play an important role in reducing pollution and protecting the beautiful environment of Parkes and its surrounds,” said NSW EPA’s Director Circular Economy Programs, Kathy Giunta.

“Most of the items accepted at community recycling centres can be reused or recycled, helping to save water, energy and other resources.

“Lead acid batteries, for example, are sent to recyclers where the lead, acid and plastic are recovered and recycled. Gas bottles are put back into circulation and used oils can be processed to become lubricants.

Parkes Shire Mayor Ken Keith OAM said the new facility offered a permanent, free drop-off solution that will make problem waste disposal a lot easier for all Parkes Shire residents.

The Parkes Community Recycling Centre at Parkes Waste Facility at 104 Brolgan Rd is for residential customers only, and is open 8:30am – 4:30pm Tuesday to Friday, and 10am – 4:30pm Saturday and Sunday, with last entry at 4:15pm on all days.

The Centre accepts household quantities (20kg or 20L) of the following problem wastes for free: water-based and oil-based paints; used motor oils and other oils; lead-acid and hand-held batteries; gas cylinders and fire extinguishers; conventional tube and compact fluorescent lamps; smoke detectors and aerosols.

For more information visit: http://www.epa.nsw.gov.au/wastegrants/index.htm

A Concert In Celebration Of Lindsay Morehouse

October 14, 2022 By Ellen Tom

Musical family Lindsay, Caroline and Janice Morehouse.

The Spring Fling Festival includes a performance by Parkes Shire Concert Band on 23rd October in celebration of Lindsay Morehouse featuring local and regional musicians.

Lindsay Morehouse (1930-2022) was an accomplished musician playing in youth orchestras in his teens. He came to Parkes in 1973 as a radio engineer for 2PK and violin/ piano teacher. In 1974 he formed Sinfonia of the West and continued to conduct and play in community orchestras until he left Parkes in 2015. Lindsay established the music store and was a record label producer.

In Lindsay’s eulogy, his daughter Caroline Chapman, said: “Dad soon gathered a group of musicians and formed the Sinfonia of the West in 1974. He never wasted any time in getting orchestras going where ever he went in Australia. In the 1970s the orchestra accompanied the M & D productions. The Sinfonia continued for around five years.

“Dad was always on hand for providing PA systems for events and set up a new records label called ‘Strad Records’. The Strad came from a magazine name that they subscribed to and is of course short for Stradivarius. One of the records that dad recorded and produced was by a local band called Acid. I had a young man track me down around five years back wanting to know if I had any copies as they now sold for over $300 on eBay. Dad was amazed at this.

“When the 35th Jazz Convention came to Forbes in 1980 he undertook the sound recording for the event. In the late 1970s we spent many happy afternoons at the Lachlan Vintage Village while Dad was installing the push button audio system which told you a story about every building.

“With 2PK being sold and part of a network, Dad could see the writing on the wall, and as we had started our music shop in the old 2PK building the previous year, he decided to retire from 2PK and work full time in the shop.

“Selling musical instruments and sheet music in Parkes was always going to be a challenge. Luckily video movie rental became popular and Dad bought 60 movies; 30 for Strad Music Centre and 30 for our store in Forbes, Hawkes Music Centre which we had recently purchased. People had an insatiable appetite for watching movies at home and our library grew to 2,000 movies and we had 20 outlets around the Central West.

“Mum and Dad were not as active in the music world over this busy time, but Dad would soon gravitate back to what he loved after Mum’s untimely death starting up an orchestra once again in the Parkes Symphony. He travelled to Orange to rehearse and play in their orchestra and spent his time helping out with community pursuits such as the Lachlan Valley Community Radio station. He also started teaching violin again. His passion was to see music and the arts grow in the region.”

Lindsay encouraged everyone to enjoy music, learn or pick up the instrument again. He organised for many other orchestras and choirs to play in Parkes.

Lindsay was a trailblazer with great tenacity for promoting and sustaining music in our community. With respect, we honour him in a free community concert on Sunday, 23rd October at the Starlight Lounge at the Parkes Services Club.

Afternoon tea and coffee will be provided. Book online to RSVP at https://events.humanitix.com/spring-fling-festival-lindsay-morehouse-memorial-concert

By Ellen Tom

Home Host For Elvis

October 14, 2022 By Maggi Barnard

Gail Richardson is in charge of home hosting for the Parkes Elvis Festival and Teagan Massurit has really enjoyed the experience of opening up her home to guests.

As excitement is mounting for the Parkes Elvis Festival, a call has gone out to residents in Parkes and Forbes to consider opening up their homes to festival goers to help ease the shortage of accommodation.

“We really need more people to come aboard with home hosting,” said Gail Richardson from Ray White. She has been managing home hosting for more than six years and said in the time no homes had been damaged and nothing had been stolen.

Gail assists homeowners every step of the way from giving them a checklist to marrying up the right guests with the right hosts.

She said at the moment she had a waiting list of over 200 people still looking for a place to stay. “I can understand people are still hesitant after COVID, but we had no issues this year.”

Teagan Massurit, who had done home hosting for a couple of years, said she would recommend it to anyone. “I’ve always had lovely people and they really got me involved in the festival. I never used to go to any events, but my guests asked me out with them. It is just great hearing their stories and they are so happy that it makes you happy too.”

Gail said the recommended price to charge is $90 per person per night, of which $72 goes to the howe owner. The $18 balance goes to the booking system. “Ray White has never made money and considers it a community service.”

If you would like to find out more about home hosting, contact Gail at Ray White in Parkes.

Great Results For Wethers Trial

October 14, 2022 By Liz Brown

Local volunteer shearer Andrew Calton and volunteer roustabout Karen Ross at the shearing of the PA & H wethers in June.

The Parkes PA&H trial wethers continue to be in a fantastic condition and produced massive fleeces when they were shorn in June.

They are currently running on the Neoen Solar Farm at Parkes with assistance from Matt Synett from ENcome.

Shearing went off well and many thanks to the volunteers who helped make it happen including local volunteer shearers, Kathryn Egerton-Warburton from DPI, the team from AWN Langlands Hanlon and Ostini Wool, as well as all the farmers who came on the day to help roustabout and see their teams of sheep being shorn.

A special thank you to Ken Keith and Peter Guppy who take good care of the wethers year-round, and to the Australian Wool Testing Authority (AWTA), who assisted with their free fibre testing.

Congratulations to the top three placings being the Keith, Carty and Orange families. The trial runs for one more year and will have its final shearing in May/June next year. For any enquiries, contact Graeme Ostini on 0428 650 191.

By Liz Brown

Lachlan’s Water Strategy On Public Display

October 14, 2022 By Maggi Barnard

IMAGE CREDIT: https://www.dpie.nsw.gov.au/water/plans-and-programs/regional-water-strategies/public-exhibition/lachlan-regional-water-strategy

The community is invited to have their say on the draft Lachlan Regional Water Strategy. The plan aims to deliver a reliable, sustainable and resilient water supply for towns and communities including Forbes, Parkes, Cowra and Young, and the industries that support the region’s economy, over the next two decades and beyond.

It is the second time the strategy is on public exhibition, and the community can provide feedback on the shortlisted options before 1 November.

“We worked closely with Aboriginal groups, local governments, residents, businesses, and all stakeholders to understand the Lachlan’s water challenges and needs during the first round of consultation in 2020,” said Kaia Hodge, Executive Director Water Strategy and Policy for the NSW Department of Planning and Environment.

“Their feedback helped refine the strategy and narrow down the options to a shortlist that will best support communities, industry and the environment and deliver a more secure water future for the Lachlan.

“The Strategy is being developed alongside two major infrastructure business cases in the region, the Wyangala Dam Wall Raising Project and the Belubula Water Security Project.

Kaia said water planning needed to support all water users, including Aboriginal communities, towns, industries and the environment, especially as we faced a drier and more variable climate and a higher demand on water resources.

“This is a strategy for the whole Lachlan which is why we want to hear your views to help finalise it.”

Due to flooding in the area public meetings have been postponed until further notice – visit the website for the most up to date information: https://www.dpie.nsw.gov.au/lachlan-regional-water-strategy

Bali Bombings Display At Australian War Memorial

October 14, 2022 By Maggi Barnard

People attending the memorial service held in Forbes on Wednesday. (All photos on this page taken by Kate Howarth.)

A new photographic display detailing the Australian response to the Bali terrorist attack will be on show at the Australian War Memorial.

“The Bali bombings will be remembered as the date that terrorism hit home,” Australian War Memorial Director Matt Anderson said.

The Royal Australian Air Force evacuated critically injured people out of Indonesia as part of Operation Bali Assist – the largest Australian aeromedical evacuation since the Vietnam War.

The Australian Federal Police were invited to assist the Indonesian National Police and played a key role in investigation breakthroughs that led to the arrest, trial and execution of some of the perpetrators.

A display detailing the aftermath, co-curated with the Australian Federal Police Museum, is dedicated to the victims of the 2002 Bali bombings and the government agencies, including the Australian Defence Force and Consular Officers who put themselves in harm’s way in the immediate aftermath of the bombing, and the Australian Federal Police, who sought justice for victims and their families.

The exhibition includes images taken by AFP members in the aftermath of the attack, including a photograph of former Prime Minister John Howard inspecting the site of the bombing.

Images taken inside Paddy’s Bar show where Australian Federal Police investigators were able to source several pieces of tartan fabric and other matter that made up the explosive vest used in the first detonation.

Visitors will need a free ticket to the Australian War Memorial to see this display, which will be on show until 20 November 2022.

Forbes Remembers Tragic Event 20 Years Ago

October 14, 2022 By Maggi Barnard

The memorial service on Wednesday was attended by 19 of the survivors, whose names are also on a plaque at the club. Mathew Dent, Mathew Grant and Anthony Wallace were not able to make it.

The 20th anniversary of the Bali bombings was commemorated on Wednesday in Bali, Australia and in Forbes.

The Forbes Rugby Club organised a memorial service to remember the three members who did not return and to stand with the survivors, their families and friends.

The service, lead by Chris Sweeney, was held at the Bali Memorial Stone erected at the club to commemorate the three players, Paul Cronin, Greg Sanderson and Brad Ridley, who tragically lost their lives in the 2002 Bali bombings, and for the survivors of the club.

Three bouquets were laid at the memorial stone as people gathered for the service. The service was attended by 19 of the survivors, whose names are also on a plaque at the club. Mathew Dent, Mathew Grant and Anthony Wallace were not able to attend the memorial service in Forbes.

They were all part of the 25-member team of the Forbes Platypi who travelled to Bali after winning their first premiership for an end-of-season celebration. They were at a club in Bali’s Kuta district when the bombs went off.

The event hit the close community of Forbes very hard. The memorial was erected to serve as a place where people can reflect and pray for the families of Paul Cronin, Greg Sanderson and Brad Ridley, and other victims of the bombing, and also for the surviving boys of the tragic event.

The 2002 Bali bombings occurred on 12 October 2002. The attack killed 202 people (including 88 Australians, 38 Indonesians, 27 Britons, 7 Americans, 6 Swedes and 3 Danes). A further 209 people were injured.

Various members of Jemaah Islamiyah, a violent Islamist group, were convicted in relation to the bombings, including three individuals who were sentenced to death.

The names of the victims and survivors of the Forbes Rugby Club.

FAMILIAR FACES

We are told never to lose sight of where we are going
At the expense of where we’ve been,
Then another senseless tragedy appears on our TV screens.

But this time the names are familiar,
With faces that we’ve known.
And that small town on the Lachlan
Once again becomes our home.

We may not be there to give comfort or reminisce over a beer,
But we have to tell you our hearts do ache,
And our eyes have shed a tear.

The boys will know you’ve rallied around,
As you do in time of strife,
And they’ll know today you’ll mourn their death,
But tomorrow celebrate their life.

Coz that’s the strength of our little town,
Give support to one and all
And combine our courage to fight the pain,
To emerge walking proud and tall.

Our names may now only ring a bell.
All of us who still call you home,
But I hope you’ll find some solace in the fact,
You’ll never mourn alone.

Phillip Parsons

(Phillip, who grew up in Forbes, wrote this poem 20 years ago as a reflection on the Bali tragedy.)

Elvis Movie Sets On Exhibit At 30th Anniversary Festival

October 14, 2022 By Maggi Barnard

This year’s winner of the Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artist competition Paul Fenech performed at the official launch of the 30th anniversary festival in 2023. He had three young supporters Reginald (8), Lottie (7) and Alfred (5) Dixon from Parkes.

It might be a good idea to get to see Baz Luhrman’s Elvis movie before the 30th anniversary of the Parkes Elvis Festival next year from 4th to 8th January.

The exciting news announced at the official launch of the festival last Wednesday was that the new exhibition at next year’s festival will feature a number of the movie sets, including the famous jungle room.

“Every year we try and get something new, and thanks to Warner Brothers and Baz Luhrman we’ve been gifted some of the movie sets,” said Festival Director Tiffany Steel. “You will actually get to see the full movie set of the jungle room, as well as the carnival house of mirrors, the world’s largest hound dog and some neon signs.

“We also have a number of items from the Bendigo Art Gallery Elvis exhibition.” These include the giant Elvis letters, the Elvis portico, and the giant neon sign that was at the front. “These items will all be on display with some of our own memorabilia of previous Elvis festivals.”

The other great announcement was the special concert to kick off the 30th anniversary celebrations on Wednesday, 4th January. The Elvis Wall of Fame event will take place at 10am with Ross Wilson as inductee. Ross will then join three previous inductees, Brian Cadd, Joe Camilleri and Russel Morris at 12:30pm for a fantastic opening concert.

Parkes Shire Mayor Ken Keith thanked all the volunteers who have been involved over the past 30 years for their hard work and contribution to the event. Also attending was Deputy Premier Paul Tool who said the festival had become a regional product and was a showcase for people to see what is great about living in regional NSW.

The festival has more than 350 events and tickets are available to purchase online at www.parkeselvisfestival.com.au. The festival also has a new website to make navigation of the five-day event easier.

The partnership between the Parkes Elvis Festival and the Forbes Shire Council is growing with another event put on in Forbes for next year, the Lakeside Luau: Hawaiian Fest with the Australian Beach Boys Show. The launch was attended by Forbes Mayor and Deputy Mayor last week. Also at the launch were (L-R) Al(vis) Gersbach, Anthony McGrath, Tiffany Steel, Paul Tool, Phyllis Miller, Ken Keith and Paul Fenech.

FAMILIAR FACES

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