Spring continues to bring colour and beauty into our lives every day. You have only two weeks left to send us your favourite photos to enter our Spring Photo Competition and stand a chance to win a $50 gift certificate from Ivey Lane Photography. Enter on Facebook or email to editor@parkesphoenix.com.au Sharon Woods sent us this entry.
Parkes hockey player and three times Olympian Stephen Davies at the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games scoring a goal for the bronze medal. Right: Stephen looks the part on the hockey field as a four-year-old in Parkes. (Photos: History Parkes)
Going to the Olympics is a dream come true for athletes, and being able to take part in your home country is the ultimate.
It was his third Games, but the 2000 Sydney Olympics stands out for Parkes hockey star Stephen Davies as the absolute highlight of his career.
“It was a completely different feel to compete in your home country,” Stephen told The Parkes Phoenix from Perth. “To have the people I grew up with and the people who helped me in my career come to the Games was just stunning.”
The phenomenal experience started in Parkes about a month before the Games with the torch relay through town when Stephen led the parade in a chariot. “The support from the people in Parkes lining the streets and at Pioneer Oval was the most memorable part. The community spirit really shone through. It meant so much to me.” (The local support for Stephen was already on show eight years earlier when crowds gathered on 19th September 1992 for a street parade and civic reception for the first Olympian from Parkes in nearly 40 years.)
He said to have so many Parkes supporters at the Games, the biggest sporting event ever held in Australia, was just incredible. “When we did our warm-up on the field before a match, people would yell out and I had time to spot family and friends in the crowd.” He said there was usually a small window of opportunity after cool down for a quick catch-up too.
It was the only Games Stephen’s parents were able to attend, which made it even more special. “I was able to show them the athlete’s village.”
For Stephen, who became known as the Maradona of hockey having scored 140 goals in more than 274 games in green and gold, the memories of playing hockey at Cheney Park are still very vivid.
“I clearly remember Saturday mornings and the fields filled with people, the whistles blowing, announcements being made, parents supporting their kids… we would go home for lunch and go back in the afternoon to watch the seniors play. The friendships you made were the best.” (When Stephen grew up in Parkes all the hockey fields were grass only. The first turf field was unveiled on the eve of Stephen’s announcement as Parkes’s first ever hockey Olympian. The field was later named Stephen Davies Field.)
While Stephen no longer plays hockey having retired after the Sydney Olympics, he will probably never ‘escape’ it. He has since gone into serious coaching and went to the Rio and London Olympics with the women’s hockey team, he is the West Australian men’s senior coach, coaches at club level and also runs his own academy.
He is very keen to return to Parkes to do some coaching. “I would love to do it. We just have to wait for travel restrictions to be lifted.” In the mean time he stays in touch with two other Parkes hockey stars, Mariah Williams and Kurt Lovett, who are both based in Perth at the moment.
With both his kids playing hockey, Stephen still enjoys going to practise days, to watch the first-grade matches and to catch up with hockey friends.
“No matter whether you chase your dreams or whether you just want to play, the most important part is to never forget you play to have fun. “When you play community sport you are part of a club and a community and part of something bigger than yourself, and that is what it is all about.”
By Maggi Barnard
Alan Robinson with the two books he wrote and illustrated.
In our world dominated by technology it can be hard sharing farm life experiences with young children.
Alan Robinson has created a children’s book series of a city boy called Matt who visits his Grandpa’s farm in school holidays. A Spring Day deals with sheep shearing and A Summer’s Day describes the work of grain harvesting and the threat of bush fire.
Alan grew up on a farm near Young and after working the farm with his father for six years, moved to the city. Alan’s wife Sharyn is originally from Parkes.
One reviewer, who grew up on a farm, said: “A Spring Day brought back memories of the smell of lanoline, dust and grease and the angry buzz of the shears and the clatter of sheep’s hooves on the board.”
The books are written in verse and the illustrations are from scenes in the Young, Parkes and Orange regions.
Alan and Sharyn live in Orange in retirement but frequently visit family members in Parkes.
Books three and four: Grandpa’s Farm: An Autumn Day and Grandpa’s Farm; A Winters Day will be available early in 2021 to complete the series.
The books are available at Parkes Visitors and Information Centre and Parkes News and Gifts.
Staff of Parkes Early Childhood Centre with one of the banners made for Lindy Farrant.
The Parkes community united in love last Thursday morning to form a colourful guard of honour for Lindy Farrant at the lower end of Orange Street.
Lindy (64) passed away in the early hours of Friday, 25th September with her husband Bill Jayet and her children Hannah and Drew by her side following her battle with cancer.
The much-loved Director of the Parkes Early Childhood Centre for 33 years touched the lives of thousands of children during her career with her passion and commitment. The ripple effect of her love and compassion was clearly felt last week when a few hundred children, parents, friends and supporters dressed up in rainbow colours to remember her and support her family in a very poignant and special way.
People lined Orange Street holding colourful umbrellas, banners with messages of love, balloons, rainbow flags and even a painting created specially for the occasion.
People remarked on what a special and extraordinary way it was to celebrate someone so beloved in the community during a time of COVID regulations. “It was an amazing morning for lovely Lindy,” said one. “Such a beautiful gesture,” said another on Facebook.
A display of Cheree Stokes’s art work in her new Ngurambang Birrang Gallery in Trundle’s main street.
The Parkes Shire art scene was boosted immensely with the opening of an Aboriginal art gallery in Trundle last Thursday.
The Ngurambang Birrang Gallery in the main street was opened by full-time artist Cheree Stokes.
Cheree, who lived in Trundle some years ago, returned home as her gallery name translates to ‘travelling to country or home’.
The idea of opening a gallery was born after she was a resident artist at Uluru for a month last year. “So many people asked if they could visit my gallery to see my work.”
She said the Trundle community had been very welcoming and supportive of her idea. “I’ve been unofficially open for about a month and have been very happy with the sales so far. People are coming to Trundle specifically to visit the gallery.”
Cheree gave the honour of cutting the ribbon to officially open her gallery to 93-year- old Janette Williams. “She has helped me a lot to get this place.”
Cheree plans to open up her gallery to other artists for special occasions, like the ABBA Festival and Bush Tucker Day.
She has also started art lessons for children and adults, and will display their work at the end of each unit.
“At the moment the gallery is filled with my art – aboriginal art pieces, which is my passion. I also have some works done by my grandchildren.”
By Maggi Barnard
There is so much beauty around us at the moment with spring putting on an extra special show this year! You have only three weeks left to send us your favourite photos to enter our Spring Photo Competition and stand a chance to win a $50 gift certificate from Ivey Lane Photography. This entry of the bee on a lavender flower was sent in by Maree Tanswell.
Identifying children’s developmental issues before they start school can change their developmental path, and improve outcomes for the children, their families and communities.
The free Project Sprouts developmental screening program coming to Parkes, Peak Hill, Trundle and Tullamore for children aged 3-5 years old, will help to identify lifestyle, development or illness-related issues.
It includes fine and gross motor skills assessment, speech and language assessment, hearing and a dental check.
A speech pathologist will check if the children have any difficulties with speech, language, swallowing, fluency or voice, and an occupational therapist will check if children have difficulties with their motor skills, sensory processing, behaviour or regulation.
Children requiring further assessment will be referred to appropriate local services, and those with complex needs may be referred to Royal Far West’s Paediatric Developmental Program.
Screenings will be held in Peak Hill, Parkes, Tullamore and Trundle from 19 to 23 October. Go to www.royalfarwest.org.au/programs/clinicians-in-community/ to see the times and locations, and to register.
Children must be registered to attend. All children must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. For more information please call Grace on 8966 8557.
Warren Edwards (third left) with some of his supporters who walked with him on Saturday mornings.
Warren (Waz) Edwards surprised himself and was overwhelmed by the community support helping him to smash both his targets taking part in The Long Run.
The fund raising and awareness event for the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia (PCFA) went for the duration of September and Warren ended up raising over $6,200 and walking just over 400km.
He has been blown away by the support and generosity of his supporters ranking him in the top 10 fundraisers across Australia. “I wanted to make a real difference, the support was awesome and I was determined to go the distance for this important cause,” he said thanking everyone who contributed with a special mention to his past work colleagues, members of the dragon boat community, the Parkes Action Club and the Parkes Prostate Cancer Support and Awareness Group.
From aiming to raise $500 and conquering 150km, Warren’s final results were beyond expectation. “I wanted to walk from Parkes to Parramatta where I worked for many years of my career. I ended up walk- ing to Bondi and then some so I am very pleased with the result.”
Donations can still be made until mid-October. www.thelongrun.org.au/fundraisers/warrenedwards
Did you know? Hay fever effects nearly 4.5 million people, making it the most common allergic disorder in Australia.
Crops are flourishing and spirits are high, however it does come with an increase in pollen and unfortunately, hay fever. While some people experience symptoms now and again; for others they are persistent and severe. It can have a significant impact on sleep, concentration, learning and daily function.
The most common symptoms for hay fever are sneezing, runny or stuffy nose, itchy throat and watery eyes. Symptoms are triggered when pollen grains get trapped in the lining of the nose or eye and release their allergens, causing irritation and an increased production of mucus or tears. There are lots of things you can do to manage hayfever:
• Stay indoors until after midday, particularly on windy days and avoid going out during and after thunderstorms.
• Monitor daily pollen counts and forecasts at www.pollenforecast.com.au
• Wear sunglasses, carry tissues, shower when you arrive home and rinse your eyes regularly with cold water to flush away pollen.
• Keep windows closed at home and in the car and use recirculating air conditioning in the car.
• Avoid activities known to cause exposure to pollen, like mowing the lawn. If it’s not possible to avoid these activities take preventive measures to reduce impact.
There are also many treatment options available at Parkes Pharmacy. These include nasal sprays, non-sedating antihistamines and eye drops.
Speak to our friendly staff at Parkes Pharmacy and we will help you determine the best treatment for you!
Mal Westcott wearing his Sydney Olympics shirt he had to wear as a bus driver, his accreditation around his neck and his cap with lots of different pins given to him by athletes.
While many Parkes residents attended the 2000 Sydney Olympics as spectators, Mal Westcott went there to work and came home with very memorable experiences.
He not only ended up with a bronze Olympic medal around his neck, but also had a long conversation with an elite athlete he picked up from the airport.
Mal was one of about eight bus drivers from Parkes who were recruited by Peter Harris to go with his buses to Sydney. He was the only one who went for six weeks, and that meant he was there two weeks before the Games started.
“I was fortunate to be chosen to transport athletes and that involved picking them up from the airport as they arrived before the start of the event.”
Mal said the main highlight of his six weeks came when he was waiting in the common room at the airport to be called out. When his turn came, he only had three passengers: Roger Federer and his chiro, plus an archer from somewhere in Europe.
He took the three in his 50-seater bus with Roger sitting in the front seat chatting to him all the way to the athlete’s village. “He’s been my hero ever since! I’ve been following his tennis career very closely.”
The other highlight for Mal was his association with the German women’s soccer team. He first picked them up for a training session, and they asked if he could be their driver again for their match against Norway.
“They were the favourites for the gold medal, and were not too concerned about playing Norway.”
“They asked me to tell them when we were 25 minutes from the Sydney Football Stadium at Moore Park so they can start listening to their motivational tapes.”
The Germans had a horror match scoring an own goal and loosing.
They ended up playing for the bronze medal and again asked Mal to pick them up. The only event Mal ever saw of the Olympics was the medal ceremony with Germany getting the bronze.
“They were very happy and did not want to go home. They asked me to take them to the ‘German House’ where they wanted to celebrate. They included me in the celebrations and put one of the medals around my neck. That felt pretty special to have a bronze Olympic medal on.”
Although the six weeks away from home became very long, and the days of ten or more hours of work very tiring, Mal said he really enjoyed his interaction with the athletes. He remembers picking up the Australian basketball team, which was also a special highlight.
“I am very happy I did it. It was an eye opener in many ways. It was such a big event and so much involved logistically just in organising transport, let alone everything else. It was really well organised. We did see some overkill, but that is probably why it was so successful.”
By Maggi Barnard