Several Parkes residents have received phone calls about tax debt in recent weeks. The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) has confirmed it is a phone scam telling people they have a tax debt and that if they don’t pay it straight away they will be arrested.

“These scammers will often request payment through unusual methods, such as cryptocurrency, pre-paid credit cards or gift cards, and will try to keep people on the line until they have paid,” according to the ATO website.

If you receive a phone call, text message or voicemail like this, don’t send payment or provide any personal information. Hang up and delete the message.

“We will never threaten you with immediate arrest or demand payment through unusual means. If you’re not sure if it’s the ATO contacting you, phone us on 1800 008 540 to check.”

You can help stop scammers in their tracks by warning your friends and family to stay alert.

Students of the Active Citizen Program at the Rotary Peace Precinct (L-R) Trudy Richardson (Parkes), Ty Jones (Forbes), Baiden Forster (Forbes), Kiara Harris (Condobolin), Jayden Pope (Parkes), Charlie Oraha (Parkes), Kevin Read (Aboriginal liaison officer), Billie O’Bryan (Condobolin), Kaiden Atkinson (Condobolin), Senior Constable Daniel Greef (Youth Officer), Jake Smith (Forbes) and Sarah Williams (Forbes Shire Council youth officer).

A morning of spring planting saw 150 native plants added to the Rotary Peace Precinct in Parkes last Thursday.

The eager planters included nine indigenous students who are part of this year’s Active Citizen Program run by the NSW Police Force’s Central West District. They were assisted by Parkes Shire Council employees and guided by Ken Engsmyr of the Parkes Rotary Club.

“Today is about working with Rotary, learning about ways in which people can give back to the community,” said Senior Constable Daniel Greef. “What they did here is a practical example and the precinct links in well with reconciliation, and its link with Wiradjuri culture.”

For Parkes student Trudy Richardson it was an amazing experience. “It was a great opportunity to find out what Rotary does for the Parkes community. I will always be reminded of today, every time I come to this park.”

Ken talked to the students about the Wiradjuri art on display in the park, situated on the corner of Bushman and East streets. The three indigenous artists involved in the project were Sean Cassidy, Sauce Towney and Scott Turnbull.

The students, who are from Parkes, Forbes and Condobolin, were treated to a traditional Rotary sausage sandwich lunch after their hard work.

By Maggi Barnard

CUC Parkes Chair, Tracie Robertson with newly appointed CUC Centre Manager Jacob Cass outside the newly renovated Parkes Library where the CUC will be located.

The Country Universities Centre (CUC) in Parkes has reached a significant milestone with the appointment of a centre manager earlier this month.

Jacob Cass was appointed by the board from more than 50 expressions of interest in the position.

CUC Parkes Chair, Tracie Robertson, said that the board was overwhelmed with interest in the advertised position and very happy with the outcome.

“There was no shortage of outstanding candidates. Jacob’s experience working as a business development manager and career transition assistance coordinator for OCTEC Training Services, which includes career guidance, teaching basic digital literacy and helping individuals choose and transition to employment or higher education, was a great fit and will prove extremely valuable in the role.”

Jacob said a significant motivator in applying for the position was the chance to give back to the community. “I pride myself on helping people realise and achieve their goals. I am excited by the prospect of help- ing community members succeed in higher education.”

Jacob is passionate about increasing the participation of students in higher education.“We think he will be an excellent fit, supporting students considering studying for the first time and working with high achieving students too,” said Tracie.

She added that Jacob also had a rich marketing background and experience in counselling which he hoped to assist students through stressful periods of study.

The CUC Parkes will be part of the newly renovated Parkes Library, which opened its doors last week. “We are excited to be a part of the precinct and expect to open the CUC Parkes’s doors to students before the end of the year. We’ll certainly be ready for semester one next year!”

Any students thinking about studying online next year can reach out and contact the CUC Parkes for assistance. Any interested students can speak to Jacob Cass at Jacob.Cass@cucparkes.edu.au

Parkes is looking particularly green at the moment and it is not just because of good rains.

With the completion of the Parkes Shire Council’s new Recycled Water Scheme (RWS) irrigated open spaces around Parkes have been connected with high quality recycled water.

The RWS not only strengthens the town’s water security by providing an additional source of water for non-potable (non-drinking) use, but also addresses recurring water shortages and builds drought resilience.

“The RWS reclaims 250ML of wastewater a year, avoiding the release of the same volume of effluent to the environment, and saving 185ML drinking water that would otherwise be used for municipal irrigation,” said Parkes Shire Council’s Director of Infrastructure Andrew Francis.

“By implementing the RWS, Council is ensuring public greenspaces can be maintained in prime condition – including during dry times – preserving amenity for residents and visitors.”

The RWS now comprises 16 end user sites, 12km of pipeline, three pump stations, a reservoir and is fed by a resource-efficient, fit-for-purpose water recycling facility. A full list of connected sites can be seen on Council’s website.

“While recycled water is safe for irrigation, it is not suitable for human consumption and residents are advised to avoid direct contact with sprinkler sprays,” said Andrew.

A good COVID-safe crowd gathered for the first event in the newly renovated Parkes Library by best selling author Heather Morris last Thursday.

“My journey began because I love to be a storyteller.”

Thursday, 17th October was a wonderful author’s night at the Parkes Library with a full COVID safe audience of 20.

New Zealand born author Heather Norris told us of how she began her writing career four years ago with her debut historical fiction novel The Tattooist of Auschwitz via a video link. Her debut became one of the bestselling books of the 21st century.

“I am passionate about survival, which is the basis of my books,” she said introducing her third book, a non-fiction collection of stories of survival and hope called ‘Stories of Hope’.

“Listen to people’s stories – your children, the elderly and yourself. What does your heart/head say? Use as an end, an object or photo. Pick it up and ask: ‘what is this, where did this come from, is it a family treasure or heirloom? A good way to begin a story is by listening.”

“My mantra is a quote by the Dalai Lama: ‘When you talk, you are only repeating what you already know. But if you listen, you may learn something new.’”

A compelling and lively question and answer session followed Heather’s talk.

By Heather Veal

Glossy Black Cockatoo

Community volunteers are needed to become “cockatoo counters” as part of the second Great Inland Glossy Count on 21 November. The count is organised by NSW Saving our Species program and anyone can be part of it. “Bird lovers, citizen scientists or anyone with an interest in this beautiful threatened species, are needed to survey Glossy Black Cockatoo populations at three key sites that includes Goobang National Park and surrounds,” said National Parks and Wildlife Service Senior Project Officer Adam Fawcett. The other two sites are Pilliga Forests and Goonoo National Park. “Listed as vulnerable in NSW, glossies are easily spotted with their distinctive red markings and this cockatoo count will help our scientists understand more about this threatened bird.”

This is the second year the Great Inland Glossy Count has occurred. In 2019 seventy volunteers participated and counted over 700 Glossy Black Cockatoos across inland NSW. “We are hoping to get 100 volunteers this year.” Volunteers will need to pre-register using the Department of Planning Industry and Environment’s

Volunteer Portal and will be required to follow COVID guidelines. “The only requirements are the ability to make your way to a dam allocated by the Saving our Species team and to bring a pair of binoculars, a comfy chair and a notepad.”

“It is a pretty amazing thing to see a threatened species in the wild and we love that we are able to give people this opportunity to get involved in threatened species conservation,” Adam said.