General Interest Archives - Page 135 of 352

Craig Is Our First Tradie Of The Month!

May 6, 2022 By Maggi Barnard

Tradie of the Month winner Craig Gould receives his prize from TWW’s Shann Kriedemann.

Craig Gould was picked as the first winner of the Tradie of the Month competition sponsored by Totally Work Wear. Craig works at Brian Collins Smash repairs and is also on call 24-7 for the Rural Fire Brigade. Congratulations Craig and we hope you enjoy your prize!

WHO IS YOUR FAVOURITE TRADIE?

We are looking for new nominations for May’s competition sponsored by Totally Work Wear. For another five months we will pick a Tradie of the Month and the public is invited to nominate a tradie every month.

The winner each month will win a prize from TWW. “We would love to see male and female tradies being nominated,” said TWW Manager Laura O’Shannessy.

Simply send your nomination to us by email: editor@parkesphoenix.com.au stating the tradie’s name and workplace, or drop your nomination in at TWW. The closing date for this month’s nominations is Friday, 27th May.

Flowers For Mother’s Day

May 6, 2022 By Maggi Barnard

Show your love and appreciation for your mother and support a local initiative to raise funds for a charity.

Parkes resident Marion Unger will be selling flowers from her garden on the front lawn of the Lutheran Church in Currajong Street (opposite Parkes Public School) from 8:30am tomorrow, Saturday. Her bunches start from $5 for the smallest size. The bunches of chrysanthemums, the traditional Mother’s Day flower, come mostly from Marion’s garden. She will be donating the money to a children’s ministry in Cambodia. She has attached a small card with information about the ministry to every bunch. Contact Marion on 0447 165 229 for more information.

Taylor Appreciates Elvis Fans In Parkes

May 6, 2022 By Maggi Barnard

Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artist Champion and Feature Artists at the Parkes Elvis Festival Taylor Rodriguez at one of his shows in Parkes.

He first dressed up as Elvis for Halloween when he was nine, and in 2019 he reached the pinnacle of his career at only 21 when he became the ‘world champion’ of Elvis Tribute Artists.

Taylor Rodriguez swept the crowds off their feet with his high energy shows at this year’s Elvis Festival, but it was the humble kangaroo and koala that crept very deep into his heart on his first visit to Australia. “To be able to take pictures with a koala and kangaroo, is a definite highlight,” he said.

He also rated the people he met in Parkes very highly. “I will always remember the people of Parkes. I want to come back to Parkes every year!”

If it was not for his aunt Diane who played Elvis records and movies when she babysat him, Taylor would never have discovered his passion. “I just fell in love with Elvis’ music. “For Halloween I wanted to be Elvis and I had a jumpsuit made and I started shaking my leg and started practising and going to competitions, and it got me where I am today.”

Coming to Parkes introduced him to a completely new type of festival and fan. He said the Parkes Elvis Festival was quite similar to the Tupelo Elvis Festival where Elvis was born, “but on another level”. He said Parkes was definitely the Elvis festival he would tell everyone to attend.

He found the Australian audience very different to the rowdy US crowds. “Australian people enjoy the concert more and really listen to you. The fans are totally different here. Australian people have love and respect for Elvis, maybe because he never performed here.”

$4 Million For Remote Rural Road

May 6, 2022 By Maggi Barnard

At the announcement of a $4 million upgrade for Bogan Road last Friday were Parkes Shire Deputy Mayor Neil Westcott, Federal Member for Riverina Michael McCormack and Parkes Shire Mayor Ken Keith OAM.

The Parkes Shire’s Bogan Road is getting a nearly $4 million upgrade to improve safety for users and the freight of stock and grain.

The project involves extending the bitumen seal by four kilometres, upgrading three causeways to improve freight efficiency and higher mass limits (HML) vehicle access and the resheeting of 16 kilometres of unsealed road to improve drainage, alignment and pavement.

Member for Riverina Michael McCormack was in Parkes last Friday to announce the $3,986,000 upgrade of Bogan Road through the Remote Roads Upgrade Program (RRUP).

He said the upgrade would help rural and regional Australians get home sooner and safer, and getting stock and grain to market and thereby increasing productivity.

“Parkes Shire Council has identified Bogan Road as a route which would benefit the community with an upgrade which will make it safer and, in turn, more productive for commercial users,” said Michael.

“It does not matter where you live – you deserve the best road possible.”

This upgrade is part of the government’s $120 billion 10-year infrastructure investment program for regional roads. The $150 million RRUP targets unsealed roads and safety works including resurfacing, removing dangerous corners and managing vegetation.

Fantastic Fundraiser For Prostate Cancer

May 6, 2022 By George Bradley

Parkes Bowling & Sports Club hosted a charity day in support of the Prostate Cancer Council of Australia on Sunday with 56 bowlers playing two games of pairs, each of 15 ends, with a break between games for a barbeque lunch.

Thanks to the generosity of our local businesses, there were a lots of prizes with the winners drawn ‘out of a hat’ rather than on results. Big thanks to our 45 sponsors with the major ones Steve Magill Earthmoving, Forbes Central Butchery, French Taste Bakery and White Bridge Communications.

Everyone did a great job to make the day a success with a donation of over $2,000 to the Prostate Cancer Council.

Club Championships – Major Pairs Championship: Warwick Parker and Tom Furey played Martin Tighe and Jo Simpson on Saturday. Martin and Jo were in the match up to the 16th end but then Warwick and Tom took control and ran out winners 31 – 11.

Major Triples Championship: In what was a closer game than the scores may indicate Dave Reilly, Nathan Reynolds and Gary McPhee took the early lead against Guy Ellery, Wilbur Harris and Steve Turner and never gave up the lead before winning the match 23-17.

Social Bowls: The wet weather meant no social bowls were played on Thursday and on Saturday only one match was played. Tony Riordan, Bob Freeman and Rob Irving had the better of the early ends to lead John Ward, Trevor Harvey and Mike Simpson 19 – 6 after 14 ends. The next five ends were won by Team Ward and with two ends to play the lead had been cut to 19-18. However, Team Ward could not sustain their run and went down 19-20.

By George Bradley

250 Rally Cars Overnight In Trundle

May 6, 2022 By Maggi Barnard

A total of 250 cars worth less than $1,000 will take part in this year’s Shitbox Rally covering 3,600km and passing through Forbes tomorrow afternoon.

The Central West will see the 250 cars taking part in this year’s Shitbox Rally tomorrow when the 500 participants will pass through Forbes in the afternoon on their way to Trundle where they will overnight.

The teams of two will leave Wollongong on Saturday, 7th May in cars worth less than $1,000 (aka shitboxes) and travel 3,600km to cross the finish line seven days later in Mackay, Queensland. The rally is the largest independent fundraiser for the Cancer Council with over $30 million raised since the rallies began. The $2 million target for this rally is well in sight with current fundraising totals at over $1.7 million.

James Freeman who founded Box Rallies (Shitbox and Mystery Box Rally) after losing both of his parents to cancer within 12 months of each other said: “Shitbox Rally is not a race, but a reward for fundraising efforts. This is a chance to explore Australia, drawing teams from around the country to help achieve the extraordinary. Autumn 2022 will be another incredible rally starting for the first time in Wollongong and finishing in Mackay. As with all rallies though, the route will be on the roads less travelled as we make our way into the Outback.

The impact of COVID in 2020 and 2021 has made it particularly difficult for teams to fundraise and Box Rallies has seen its expected fundraising total for the period, cut by as much as $7.2 million from Cancer Research. Rallies are the reward for raising vital funds for cancer research but when the reward is unable to take place, the fundraising slows considerably.

The rally cars are expected to go through Forbes from around 4pm and can be spread out over two to three hours. Arrival time in Trundle is from 5pm.

Light Horseman’s Journey

May 6, 2022 By Maggi Barnard

John Bogie with his horse Kookaburra.

Light Horseman John Bogie on his horse Kookaburra attracted a lot of attention at the Anzac Day commemoration in Parkes last week. John said the boots he tied backwards on the horse were to remember the fallen.

John, who is from Tichborne, and previously from Narromine, was dressed in full World War I gear, which he received in 2007. He went to Turkey and Israel for the 90th anniversary of the Battle of Beersheba of 1917 wearing the heavy woollen period uniform, slouch hat adorned with emu feathers, and a World War I issue rifle. John was part of the re-enactment of the famous charge of the Light Horse Regiments in the Battle of Beersheba, which is today the Isreali city of Be’er Sheva on the edge of the Negev Desert.

The Australian Light Horse Brigade, whose last-ditch, seemingly near-suicidal charge against the Turks on 31st October 1917 was a turning point in World War I and helped pave the way for the creation of the state of Israel.

Buy Regional For Mum This Mother’s Day

May 6, 2022 By Maggi Barnard

There’s no better way to spoil mum this year than to buy Mother’s Day gifts from the NSW Government’s Buy Regional web page, directly supporting businesses in regional towns.

Deputy Premier and Minister for Regional NSW Paul Toole said Buy Regional features more than 800 businesses with thousands of ideas for mum. “Mother’s Day is a chance to shower mum with love, so why not discover a new regional business and find the perfect gift for Sunday.

“This is also an opportunity to support small businesses in the Northern Rivers region that are recovering from the devastating effects of the recent floods. The Buy Regional website lists over 100 Northern Rivers businesses that are ready to take your Mother’s Day orders.”

Natasha Davies owns Pebbly Path rocky road in Mudgee. She prides herself on only using locally sourced ingredients in her handcrafted treats, which she says are perfect to satisfy a sweet tooth this Mother’s Day. “Pebbly Path rocky road is made with local ingredients such as honey and nuts from Oberon,” Natasha said.

Based at Woy Woy, Homeground founders Deiniol and Dallas Berridge deliver hampers bursting with local produce ranging from pre-mixed cocktails to home-made sweets and pamper packs to your door. “We pride ourselves on our high quality hampers full of locally made goodies. We have pamper hampers, food hampers, pre-mixed cocktail hampers, and each and every item is sourced from small and medium sized Central Coast businesses,” Dallas said.

To find the perfect Mother’s Day gift, view the map, or to register your regional NSW business on the site for free, go to: www.nsw.gov.au/buyregional.

How To Solve The Problems Of The World

May 6, 2022 By Maggi Barnard

‘PHANTASTIC’ PHYSICS… Kerrie Peden and Sean James Cassidy are very excited to have their article and art featured as the cover story in the latest edition of Australian Physics. A copy of the magazine is available at the Parkes Library for anyone wishing to read the published article.

Hours and hours of research and discussions have paid off for a Parkes artist and an educator with their work included as the cover feature article in a prestigious science magazine.

The first edition of Australian Physics of 2022 features Sean James Cassidy’s artwork Two Goannas/Bula Gugaa on the front cover and a seven-page article written by Sean and Kerrie Peden of Ub Ubbo Exchange.

“This is a big deal for us,” said the excited pair after receiving the printed copies of the magazine.

The commission for the article flowed from a previous connection with Australian Physics when Sean’s artwork called Radio Telescope, which is on permanent display on the Woolworths wall, was featured on the front cover in October 2020.

“They asked us to do an article exploring the space between art, science, indigenous culture and connection to the land,” said Sean.

“We are very happy that they are so keen to get science out there and were willing to take a risk of publishing our work which is very different to the standard type of article printed in the magazine.”

The editors David Hoxley and Peter Kappen wrote in their editorial: “The article highlights how learning can happen in different ways. The connection to physics is perhaps more subtle here – it may lie in the ‘negative space’ about what we don’t teach.”

Kerrie and Sean based their work on the premise that if you can develop both parts of the brain, you’d be able to look at things in a clinical way and a creative way, and that would mean you are more likely to solve problems the world is facing.

They wrote: “Art and Science can be seen to be similar in the spark and drive of the inquiring mind and in the necessity for keen powers of observation. Where they differ is that Science is the quest for facts and Art seeks to explore the imagination and satisfy the need for human expression. Generally, artists and scientists have been thought to view things differently but is there a greater benefit for the brain to cultivate and enhance the neural pathways so these two views can coalesce?”

The article continues to explore how both art and science were created from a deep connection to the land; the use of negative space and how Australian aborigines identified the big emu in the sky that was a seasonal indicator; and the concept of Yindyamarra.

Yindyamarra is a powerful Wiradjuri word of deep meaning that encompasses a whole view of respectful listening to, understanding of and sensitivity towards the thinking about, learning from and living with Nature. It is the knowledge that everything interacts and is connected.

This way of thinking promotes a different mindset and therefore a different approach to absorbing information, and is in part explained through the Eight Aboriginal Ways of Learning that employs a holistic view of interconnected ways to engage all the senses.

Sean and Kerrie further explore the importance of imagination and how collaborations have occurred between artists and scientists throughout history, and whether the two disciplines are really different or mutually exclusive.

They conclude by asking: “Could more open acceptance of different mindsets enable the creative intersection of knowledge bringing the possibility of the development of a universal language through which we will all be able to understand each other?”

Top Cat

May 6, 2022 By Catherine Pratt

It didn’t occur to me I was different from other cats until my boy, Joe, began to read a story about a dog who taught himself to read and talk. I learned by mimicking Joe’s voice.

Joe kept my secret, and when he reached adulthood, we moved to study law. After graduation we ran a one-man practice, me his secret partner. He did the face-to-face, and I did the research and some of the calls.

We were at the height of our game when the pandemic hit. Joe was among the first to fall ill. I begged him to let me call someone, but Joe said he’d spent his life protecting my secret and since that meant isolation, there wasn’t anyone to call. I lay on his chest reading to him until his chest rose no more.

You may think cats unfeeling, and, after reading this you still might, but I tell you it hurt. I’d lost my friend, familiar, colleague… but I needed to survive. If his body was found I’d be taken to a shelter. I’d worked too hard to end like that.

As I looked down at his ashen face my spirit roused. I idly batted the virtual reality gaming device we’d often played in, forming an idea. I could use his body scan to create an avatar, like a phone filter, and use that to conduct conference calls from home. Normal practice, thanks to the pandemic and it worked.

During a call, I noticed the faces on the screen twist in shock and confusion. I peered at the tiny box that showed my video feed. Instead of Joe’s (my avatar’s) face, my own peered back at me. I pounced on the power button.

Once my avatar was reinstated, I called again: “Sorry about the last call. My phone does this cat filter… A malfunction or something. Then I knocked coffee on my keyboard…”

“Didn’t you just say you were on your phone?”

“I…”

“I’ve organised for the Police to see you’re alright.”

I maintained my poker face until the call ended. When the knock on the door came, I panicked and scrambled into the garbage shoot. I was spat out just another stray.

Months later I sat watching a young girl holding a bewildered puppy by the cheeks.

“C’mon! Speak! I won’t tell!”

She gave up and resumed reading a book. I’d recognise that cover anywhere. This was my chance!

“Hello.” I rubbed up against her.

“You talk?”

“You can’t tell anyone, or they’ll do nasty experiments on me.”

She glanced at the book about the talking dog that would confirm my fears. “I won’t.”

“Even to your parents?”

“They died, and Grandma’s old.” She sobbed. “Social Services say I won’t be able to stay if she can’t remember to answer the phone and pay the bills.”

“I can help with that.” I purred.

It turns out being part of a family wasn’t a bad way to spend your days, after all.

By Catherine Pratt

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