General Interest Archives - Page 209 of 352

Time To Do Something Kind For Your Health

July 10, 2020 By Maggi Barnard

A happy group of bowlers at the return of social bowls on Tuesday.

After four months of isolation, lockdown, following the rules, baking pies and growing broader (anything but flattening our curves!), it was time at last, for our own OUTBREAK!

As our hands have seen more alcohol than our favourite wine glasses lately, it was time to down the wipes, shake the wrinkles out of our uniforms, and do something kind to our health.

On Tuesday social bowls returned at the Parkes Bowling and Sports Club with the semi-finals of the Club Championship Singles: Maree Grant vs Rhona Went and Liz Byrne vs Betsy Johnstone in action.

“It is so good to be back,” said Rhona Went. “We just sat and ate and drank for four months.”

Brenda Davies and Marja Iffland said they missed the company the most. “Seeing everyone and socialising. That is the main thing.”

Club Manager Paul Henry is also very happy to have the bowlers back who supports the club so much. He said they were able to accommodate up to 90 people under current regulations. “We can do events and weddings, but just not big crowds.” The club is open every day from 3pm and on Friday nights Dev’s Kitchen is also back.

The greenkeepers, gardeners, painters and assorted helpers worked hard to ensure the club looks spectacular! Huge thank you to all our volunteers!

By Lea Orr and Maggi Barnard

Tuesday also saw the semi-finals of the Club Champion- ship Singles played by (L-R) Betsy Johnstone, Maree Grant, Liz Byrne and Rhona Went.

We’re All Going On A Trike Adventure

July 10, 2020 By Maggi Barnard

Azalia Brown sits with her Pop, Michael Brown at the back, and Harleigh in front.

School holidays are a time to do something out of the ordinary as two Parkes kids experienced this week.

Azalia and Harleigh Brown treated their Pop, Michael Brown from Newcastle, for an exhilarating hour-long trike ride around Parkes on a motor trike ride.

“There were lots of screams of joy during the outing,” said Peter Judd from Trike Adventures in Dubbo who was the ‘chauffeur’.

Harleigh said it sounded amazing when the trike made a lot of vroom-vroom noise at the Coles carpark. It was a very enjoyable ride for Michael, but he said the best part was the smiles on the kids’ faces. Azalea was not so sure what to make of it, but her Pop said he could see her enjoying it.

Peter took them all around Parkes including the look-out and out on the Forbes road. It was a beautiful sunny day, and although a bit chilly, the excitement and adrenaline quickly warmed them up again.

Peter is a well-known face in Parkes as he offers trike rides every year at the Elvis Festival. He said it was no problem coming here to give the family a fun holiday experience.

With COVID-19 restrictions lifted, there are more opportunities this holiday for families to enjoy the parks and other activities.

Grains Industry Critical For Regional Jobs

July 3, 2020 By Maggi Barnard

A new report has revealed a strong correlation between Australian grains production and jobs in regional areas – about one job for every 1,000 tonnes of grain produced.

The Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) report outlines research conducted by the Regional Australia Institute. GRDC head of industry and government relations, Justin Crosby, says grains comprise about a quarter of the value of Australia’s agricultural industry.

“This report clearly shows that grain growers are the backbone of many of Australia’s regional economies and demonstrates the critical importance of ensuring that they continue to be profitable.”

“The number of grain production jobs – people involved in the growing of grain, which may be in combination with the production of other crops and livestock – increases with raw grain tonnage and gross value,” he said.

“For every 100,000 tonnes of grain produced there are, on average, 87 grain production jobs in Queensland and NSW; 121 in Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania; and 54 in Western Australia.

There were 34,745 direct grain production jobs at the time of the last census, with the bulk in NSW (29%).

While the grains industry continued to be a significant source of Australian employment, the number of grain production jobs fell from 50,707 jobs in the 2006 census to 34,745 grain production jobs in 2016.

“In the face of tight labour markets in regional Australia, grain growers have been able to adapt through adopting improved technologies and achieving increased efficiencies,” Justin said.

“Regions with a high proportion of grain production jobs, compared with the national average, have a specialisation in grain production and are more dependent on the success of the grains industry for economic outcomes,” he said.

“These ‘specialised regions’ are strongly concentrated in the WA wheatbelt, the Yorke and Eyre peninsulas in SA, the Grampians region in Victoria, central NSW and inland southwest Queensland.”

Northparkes Reaches 400 Shipments Milestone

July 3, 2020 By Maggi Barnard

CMOC-Northparkes Mines reached a major milestone last week of its 400th shipment.

“In just over 25 years, we have produced 1.168 million tonnes of copper and 1.464 million ounces of gold,” said Northparkes Managing Director, Hubert Lehman.

“To all the people who work here today and to those that have come and gone, each and every single one of you has played an integral role in contributing to the milestone. I would like to take this opportunity to publicly thank you for your hard work and dedication to our operations.”

Hubert spoke of the support and encouragement of the community, and the role they have played in the success of the operation. “I would like to formally extend my thanks to both the local communities of Parkes and Forbes for their continued support enabling us to achieve this milestone.”

Northparkes has been operating for over 25 years. The operation is made up of an underground block cave mine, a sub-level cave and an ore processing plant which produces copper concentrate for export.

The ore is processed onsite to produce a high-grade copper concentrate which is then transported by road train to the Goonumbla rail siding, located approximately 13km from the mine. The containers are then placed onto a train and transported to Port Kembla, south of Wollongong for shipping to customers primarily in China and Japan.

During the past five years, Northparkes has contributed $409.7 million to the Central West through salaries, sponsorships, government dues and payments to local businesses.

Sowing The Seeds Of Creativity

July 3, 2020 By Maggi Barnard

Scott Turnbull with the clay impression made by Lope Bosaing in The Philippines of his wood carving.

Young people in the Parkes Shire have less than a month left to enter ‘The Art of Resilience’ competition using music, poetry, photography and art to express their emotions.

The competition is open for students aged 6 to 18 to create works using the theme resilience in the face of drought, and also the bushfires and COVID-19.

Ub Ubbo Exchange is one of the three organising partners of the competition together with Parkes Shire Council and Neighbourhood Central. Parkes artist Scott Turnbull is a founding member of Ub Ubbo Exchange and is very excited about this opportunity for all young artists to show their skills and talent. “They will not only be supported by experienced artists, but it will give them great exposure.”

Fellow founding member and competition organiser, Sean James Cassidy said the competition tied in beautifully with the Ub Ubbo Exchange philosophy of coming together and sharing, and passing it on to the next generation.

“We are delighted that we were approached by Parkes Shire Drought Officer Roger Kitson. This competition will be sowing the seeds of creativity, growing the next crop of artistic talent and harvesting the works of a youthful endeavour.”

Ub Ubbo Exchange was founded in 2007 as a cultural exchange program between Australia and The Philippines to help artists travel between the two countries to share stories and art.

As inspiration for the young artists in the Parkes Shire, Sean wanted to highlight a re- cent collaboration between Scott and Lope Bosaing from The Philippines on a work called Growing with the Grain. Scott made wood carvings of Wiradjuri iconography and sent it to Lope who pressed the carvings into clay he had prepared from his farm.

While Ub Ubbo Exchange aims to draw on the immediate and natural environment in the production of art, Sean said the Shire’s young artists could use any inspiration to create works for the competition.

The competition categories include photography, song writing, poetry, drawing and painting. Entry forms can be found on the Art of Resilience Facebook group or downloaded from Council’s website at www.parkes.nsw.gov.au.

Submissions close Friday, 31st July, and the winners will be announced on Friday, 14th August. Winners will be selected from Parkes, Peak Hill, Trundle and Tullamore, and will be showcased as part of The Art of Resilience exhibition to take place on Friday, 16th October (subject to the latest COVID-19 restrictions and advice).

Winners of the song writing and poetry categories will have their work professionally produced into a collaborative CD, while winners of the painting/drawing and photography categories will have their work professionally published in a digital style format.

By Maggi Barnard

Dancing Queens To Hang Up Platform Shoes This Year

July 3, 2020 By Maggi Barnard

More than 6,000 ABBA fans from around the country will not be able to dust off their platform heels and sequined outfits as this year’s festival at Trundle was cancelled.

The iconic event was initially postponed from May to October after the COVID-19 regulations were announced, but at a public meeting last week it was decided not to go ahead this year.

The decision was made in consultation with the community and their wishes for the health and safety of Trundle residents and visitors to the region was of paramount importance for the organisers, Executive Event Solutions.

“To all our supporters and ticket holders we would like to first of all thank everyone for your cooperation and support as we’ve navigated these uncertain times together,” the organisers posted on the festival’s Facebook page.

“We understand this decision strikes a second blow for everyone, especially our loyal revellers. It is incredibly sad for us here at Executive Event Solutions as we have proudly taken the helm as festival organiser for the last two years.”

Executive Event Solutions said all festival tickets would be automatically refunded through their ticketing partner 123 Tix. The process may take up to 14 days.

The ABBA Festival is not only the busiest weekend of the year for the Trundle community, but it also has a huge economic and social impact in the region.

Supporters and fans were very disappointed and sad about the cancellation, but said they understood why it had to be done. One fan offered to donate her refund to the community. “I can’t speak for others but one of the main reasons why I come to Trundle is to support the local community and I would be happy to donate any refund I receive back to the Trundle community,” she commented on the Facebook post.

Bingo Arms

July 3, 2020 By Maggi Barnard

Not among our list of charms, are the cursed things called bingo arms

One of the things that slowly sag, are the underarm droopy bags

I used to wave with super speed, now a gentle move is all I need

For speed sets up a rolling motion, resembles a rough and moving ocean

I lift my arm to do my hair, utter a cry of deep despair, life’s so cruel it isn’t fair

Where have they gone, the wonderful days, when I could wear my clothes in dif- ferent ways

Now everything must have a sleeve, it stops the staring I believe

I keep away from my favourite shops, for all they stock are sleeveless tops

Children can be a great delight, not after a comment on Friday night

Nanna she said, with a very deep frown “what are those floppy things hanging down?”

Now I too have a frown, I will not take this lying down, I have a money-making plan

There’s advertising I could place, on this now productive space

Out with the computer, on to the net, to find the most lucrative bet

So many products to explore, some for the rich some for the poor

So many options I have found, in for a penny in for a pound

Now when I raise my bingo arms, it sure does set off loud alarms

On my right for all to see, buy Toyota the rego’s free

On the left smiling with glee is Ronald Macdonald, come to Maccas for tea.

By Freda Harvey

Country Living Beats City Lifestyle

July 3, 2020 By Maggi Barnard

Parkes residents often create their own entertainment with lots of community support, like a few years ago when a new world record was set in the main street when 772 people bounced balls on tennis racquets. (Photo: Tennis Australia)

Country living is making a come back with more people moving to regional Australia from capital cities than the other way around.

A total of 65,000 more people chose to move to country towns according to a new Regional Australia Institute (RAI) report tracking population movements between 2011 and 2016.

Parkes has also seen many city dwellers become residents over recent years. For Marie Wyatt, who has lived in Singapore and Sydney, the move to Parkes has given her a totally new understanding of a sense of community. “It is huge out here. There is no sense of community in a city, while in Parkes people are always willing to help out, especially during hard times.”

Marie said when she first arrived it felt like she had landed on another planet. “People here have known each other for generations.” She has come to love how relaxed the lifestyle is and what a great place it is to raise a family.

Cerith Frame made the move with his family from Townsville less than a year ago. “We were extremely excited to start afresh in a new place.”

He is loving his new life being able to see his family every day doing a residential job. “Parkes is a lot smaller and people here are very friendly and welcoming. It’s easier to get to know people and recognise faces on the street.”

He said while there were less laid out activities on offer compared to cities, it was more enjoyable to find your own entertainment and go off exploring.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development Michael McCormack said: “If the COVID-19 pandemic has proven anything, it’s that you can work from regional Australia and do any job. The jobs that were once only attainable if you lived in a capital city can now be done from anywhere.”

Financial And Taxation Needs

July 3, 2020 By Maggi Barnard

David Bicket CPA is your local go to business for all taxation, accounting, financial and business issues. The firm also specialises in succession, retirement and estate planning matters.

Since 2002, David and his staff have been servicing the needs of a diverse client base with their knowledge and expertise well recognised. With an understanding that no two businesses are the same and requires different levels of support, the firm can be relied upon for prompt, proactive and accurate advice delivered in a friendly and personal manner.

The staff members include Toni Hall, Lisa Bicket and Michael Reilly. Toni has been with the firm for over 13 years and specialises in all small business accounting software packages. Since 2002 Lisa has been the backbone of the business as office administrator/allrounder. Michael brings a wealth of professional, practical and commercial experience to the practice. Michael, a born and bred Parkes local, is a qualified Chartered Accountant and spent time in Sydney before returning where he was part of a major Forbes-based accounting practice in the 1990s.

Call today and make an appointment for your financial and taxation needs.

Take The Lead

July 3, 2020 By Maggi Barnard

Councillor Bill Jayet encourages pet owners to make use of the free waste bags provided at key locations around town to pick up after their dogs.

Owning a pet is a very rewarding experience, but it also comes with responsibilities.

Parkes Shire Council launched the ‘Take The Lead’ Responsible Dog Ownership campaign two years ago to proactively raise awareness about the roles and responsibilities of pet ownership including: ensuring your dog is kept safely within your property; ensuring your dog is effectively controlled in public places; ensuring you pick up after your pet; microchipping, registration and identification; vaccination, worming and desexing; using off-leash areas in Parkes; and Council’s ranger services.

In an effort to educate pet owners of their obligations and encourage them to pick up after their pets, Council installed a number of dispensers with free biodegradable waste bags at key locations throughout Parkes, including the dog park at Kelly Reserve, the off leash area at Spicer Park, and along the walking track at Lions Park and Harrison Oval.

“Our public parks, sporting grounds and recreation spaces should be there for everyone to enjoy safely,” said Parkes Shire Councillor, Cr Bill Jayet. “Dog waste carries disease-causing bacteria and parasites which can stay in the soil for years. By not picking up after your dog, you’re putting other people and animals at risk.”

He said there had been a significant improvement over the last two years, however there were still people not doing the right thing when out walking their dog.

Under the Local Government Act, it is an offence to not immediately remove and properly dispose of dog waste and can incur a penalty infringement notice of $275 where Rangers observe the offence.

It is also an offence to take your dog onto a public area under the control of Council that has signage restricting the access of dogs. This can incur a penalty infringement notice of $110 where Rangers observe the offence.

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