The Parkes Rotary Club celebrated the completion of the toiletry kits with a special function last week. At the event were(L-R) Glen Westcott (Parkes Christian School principal), Mark Ritchie (Parkes Rotary Club president), Jenny Jewel (Parkes Rotary), Marie Noakes (Parkes Christian School student), Michael Milston (guest speaker) and Donna Payne (Holy Family School teacher).

Australia is the only developed country in the world with trachoma and the Parkes Rotary Club is actively helping to prevent its spread.

With the input of community members, the Rotary Club has made up 50 toiletry kits that will be send to a school in the Northern Territory.

“Our club was allocated the Yulara School, a coeducational combined school about 450km south west of Alice Springs,” said Jenny Jewel, who was in charge of the project.

Jenny is very grateful to all the community members who contributed to the project. The youngest was 13-year-old Parkes Christian School student Marnie Noakes who played a major part in the sewing of the bags. “When Marnie heard about the project, she offered her help and ended up sewing 50 bags,” said Jenny. She also encouraged her class mates to write pen pal letters to the children at the Yulara School.

Donna Payne, who teaches at Holy Family School, also organised letters from her students that were included in all the bags.

Jenny said she also had involvement from Eileen Newport of the Indigenous Language Group, while Rotary members Deb Hoarder, Judith Shore and Barbara Thompson helped out too.

Apart from sewing cotton bags, the Rotary Club also filled them with toiletry supplies for the students to use to ensure better hygiene.

Trachoma, an eye infection that can lead to blindness, is easily transmitted between children. The End Trachoma campaign focuses on teaching children good hygiene

Parkes Services Club has registered for the dine vouchers. The other businesses registered so far are Cooke Park Café, Bent Food & Wine, Fu Yuan Chinese Restaurant, Parkes Hotel, Parkes McDonalds, Roasted Kombi, Railway Hotel, Hong Long Chinese and Wholesome Blend.

The NSW Government’s Dine & Discover program can potentially inject almost $16 million into the Central West according to Business NSW.

The program consists of four $25 vouchers for every NSW resident aged 18 and over to spend in participating businesses.

Vouchers have started to become available across regional NSW from last week with the rollout to be completed by the end of the month. While Parkes Shire residents have not yet been able to claim their vouchers, local businesses have been encouraged to start registering for the program.

By Tuesday ten Parkes businesses had already registered for the dine vouchers. Some reported that tourists in town had started to use their vouchers.

NSW Minister for Customer Service, Vic-tor Dominello told business owners at a recent webinar that on average, residents were spending around $42 when utilising one of their vouchers.

The four vouchers are divided into two categories to be used for eating in at restaurants, cafes, bars, pubs and clubs from Monday to Thursday, excluding public holidays. The two discover vouchers can be used for entertainment and recreation, including cultural institutions, live music, and arts venues, available seven days a week, excluding public holidays.

Earlier this week no businesses in Parkes had so far registered for the discover vouchers.

“No one needs extra encouragement to have a meal out or enjoy some downtime after the past year, so I encourage Western NSW businesses to register now so they can reap the rewards when the program opens here soon,” said Vicki Seccombe of Business NSW. “In particular, we are encouraging our entertainment and recreation businesses in the region to get involved as we are seeing less of these businesses currently registered.”

Kim Chambers puts the finishing touches to his painting for the exhibition next month.

Members of the Parkes Painting Group are getting ready for their annual art exhibition that will run from 16th April to 1st May in the Conventry Room at the Cultural Centre.

“We are all looking forward to it, especially after we had to cancel last year’s exhibition and could not meet as a group for three months,” said President Kim Chambers.

“People are really keen to get out and about and see what is happening in the community,” said Secretary Annette Witherow.

Kim said most members had a good selection of paintings to choose from for the exhibition. “We hope that each of our 22 members would have two to three paintings to show.”

New member Usha Reddy works on her piece.

The opening on Friday, 16th April at 7pm will be done by Roxanne Gallacher, Creative Learning Programs Coordinator of the Parkes Library and Cultural Centre.

Proceeds from the sale of the art works, the gold coin donation entry, $10 cover charge on the opening night and raffle will be donated to a local charity, as has been the custom for the group celebrating its 20th anniversary this year.

The exhibition will be open from Monday to Friday 10am to 4pm and Saturday from 9:10am to 12pm.

For more details contact Kim Chambers on 0418 314 066.

Kerry Davies at the Parkes Painting Group Wednesday morning session.

Parkes Show Society President Tim O’Brien, Deputy Mayor Cr Barbara Newton and Sam Farraway MLC at the announcement of the funding for the Parkes Showground.

More than $900,000 in funding was announced for a range of local improvement projects for Crown land reserves and community facilities in the Parkes region.

Nationals Upper House MP, Sam Farraway said the funding was provided by the NSW Government under its Crown Reserves Improvement Fund. “This funding will see infrastructure upgrades to reserves, sportsgrounds, showgrounds and the racecourse, as well as the maintenance of reserves through noxious weed control.”

Local projects being funded include: $373,700 to upgrade fire safety at Parkes Showground. Work will include installation of a fire main for water supply to fire hydrants and hose reels; sprinkler systems for the function room and grandstand; emergency lighting and exit lighting for pavilions; and outward swinging emergency exit doors for pavilions; $308,570 to install a new fibreglass skin, tile and paint and remediate concrete on the concourse to renew Trundle Pool; $286,000 to construct a new clubhouse, including wheelchair access at the Parkes Guns Club; $171,000 to resurface six tennis courts with synthetic grass at Woodward Park; $41,016 to upgrade drainage across the Northparkes, Pioneer and Spicer Ovals precinct to protect assets including a sport equipment storage shed and pathways which are being impacted during storms; $29,590 to replace a section of the boundary fence of the Parkes Racecourse; $28,222 to provide a new water main from Bogan Gate township to Bogan Gate Showground, Racecourse Reserve and Bogan Gate Golf Club.

Melanie Suitor (middle) with Kayla O’Brien and Ben Howard from SafeT360 at Parkes High School.

Year 11 Parkes High students got into the driver seat of a truck on Tuesday using virtual reality technology.

An immersive road safety exhibition, presented by SafeT360, made Parkes its first stopover on a state wide tour to educate young road users how they can share the road safely with trucks.

“Our goal is to save lives,” said Marketing and Engagement Coordinator Kayla O’Brien. “Statistics show the 16 to 25-year-old age group is the most overrepresented group of drivers involved in crashes.”

Developed by the Australian Trucking Association, SafeT360 is an interactive custom-built road safety exhibition that uses virtual reality and interactive messaging all packed into a real travelling truck and trailer. The exciting exhibition came to Parkes and Forbes on the request of Melanie Suitor, Road Safety and Injury Prevention Officer at Parkes Shire Council. Melanie feels there is a real gap in driver education about trucks, and wanted students to learn from the exhibition.

“I learned new things about trucks and the four blind spots,” said Year 11 student Tyler Cole. “It was a cool experience to put on the virtual reality goggles.”

Nathan Eric was impressed with the exhibition. “There is a lot of information about trucks to ensure the drivers of cars do not end up in really bad accidents.”

By Maggi Barnard

Justin Byshimo, who was a teacher in the Congo, visited The Dish with his family recently. The Byshimo family has settled in Cowra.

The Rotary Australia World Community Service (RAWCS) recently brought a family from Congo, Africa to Parkes for a visit.

The Byshimo family recently settled in Australia, and found their way to Cowra with nine other families. They wanted to have a look at Parkes, and were especially excited to visit the iconic Parkes Telescope.

The Congolese families have become a success story in Cowra with most of the young people attending school or working, while several adults have found jobs, and attending TAFE classes to learn English. One family is in the process of purchasing a house.

The families were connected to Cowra by Emmanuel Musoni, Executive Manager of the Great Lakes Agency for Peace and Development (GLAPD), with help from organisations like Rotary, local churches and Cowra’s Neighbourhood Centre.

Emmanuel was a refugee, raised in a camp in Uganda until he was 16 years old. This has led him to be strongly committed and passionate about advocating for better settlement and integration of refugees and migrants who are yearning to call rural and regional Australia home.

Many African people are looking to rural areas of Australia to resettle. They can offer a wide range of vocational skills in aged care, childcare, engineering, trades such as metal fabrication, and agriculture.

The ABC recently aired an Australian Story, called A Field of Dreams, about the Mingoola community on the NSW-Queensland border who encouraged and welcomed Africans. The community has been invigorated by their presence.

Rotary Australia World Community Service (RAWCS) was formed to enable Australian Rotarians, Rotary Districts and Rotary Clubs to assist disadvantaged communities and individuals through humanitarian aid projects.