The Parkes Elvis Festival has won many awards, but entered new territory last Thursday at the 2018 NSW Tourism Awards at Luna Park in Sydney. It was named best festival in the State for the third consecutive year and inducted into the NSW Tourism Hall of Fame.

“To be inducted into the Hall of Fame is the icing on the cake for what has been the most successful year to-date for the Parkes Elvis Festival,” said Festival Director Cathy Treasure.

“It is also recognition of all the hard work and dedication of our fantastic volunteers, supporters and staff who have made the Festival what it is today.”

Parkes Elvis Festival was one of six finalists in the Festivals and Events category, taking home the title ahead of the Australian Celtic Festival, Canowindra International Balloon Challenge, Deni Ute Muster, Eat the Street Lismore and Woolgoolga Curryfest.

Parkes Shire Mayor, Councillor Ken Keith OAM said it was a stellar achievement for a community generated event that had significant economic impacts for Parkes and the wider Central NSW region.

The 2018 Festival attracted more than 25,000 visitors, had a global media reach of 200 million and injected $13 million into the regional economy. Parkes Elvis Festival has progressed to the national level at the QANTAS Australian Tourism Awards in Launceston on 1st March next year.

Mines has opened a new office in Parkes for the Flemington Mining project near Fifield. The new office at 6/344-348 Clarinda Street, Parkes (formerly Video Ezy) opened in October, and will become the base for the Australian Mines team working on the Flemington project.

The local community is invited to drop in to the office between 9am and 12pm on Tuesday, 4th December to learn more about Australian Mines and the Fifield project. Exploration Manager Stuart Peterson and Community Engagement Officer Cindy Nutley will be on hand to discuss the project, including the short-term activities and long-term goals.

Australian Mines was formed in 2001 with nickel exploration and production as the initial focus. Now, Australian Mines is committed to becoming a significant producer of essential technology metals by bringing its cobalt-scandium-nickel ore bodies into production in the shortest possible time frame. These high value commodities are sought after by a range of technology manufacturing sectors, including the battery and transport industries.

The Flemington project near Fifield is in its early stages and is a direct continuation of the world-class Sunrise project being developed by CleanTeq, with the two projects separated only by a tenement boundary. Australian Mines has acquired 100% ownership of the exploration tenements and a mining lease application has been submitted. The project benefits from a secured, permanent water allocation to support a future mining operation.

The new office in Parkes has been established to support field operations ahead of the pre-feasibility study on the project, and reiterates the company’s recruitment principles of preferentially employing from the local community.

Call in any time during business hours if you are interested in the project and can’t make the drop-in session on Tuesday. Drop-in sessions are also planned at Trundle and Condobolin soon, with dates to be advised.

As the rain was falling outside a festive spirit reigned inside the Parkes Services Club for the annual volunteer/client Christmas party of Parkes Meals on Wheels on Wednesday. A total of 160 people, including 110 volunteers, attended the lunch with entertainment by the Holy Family Primary School choir and John and Michelle Jelbart.

Manager Gill Kinsela and Deputy Mayor Barbara Newton handed out awards to Tom Ricter, Di Howell and Annika Bannister for exceptional volunteering spirit during 2018. Adrienne Bradley received a special award for her services as chairperson for the past nine years and 26 years as a volunteer.

By Maggi Barnard

Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack said Parkes Council was one of the most pro-active councils in Australia when he was in town last week to get an update on progress made with two major projects. “We want more businesses to decentralise  here, not just government agencies, but also private entities.”

The Deputy Prime Minister, who is also Federal Member for Riverina, first inspected the $3 million airport upgrade project where work is underway on extending the apron and taxi way expected to be completed by February next year.

“We want to make sure the 46% of international tourists who go to regional areas put Parkes on their bucket list as there are plenty of reasons for them to come here.” Michael McCormack also visited the site of Phase 2 of the Parkes Recycled Water Scheme in Nash Street. He said the new plant would have many flow-on benefits for the community.

“This scheme will result in a number of positive environmental outcomes, enabling 100% reuse of water waste.”
“Through the delivery of recycled water to sports grounds and public spaces, residents and visitors to Parkes will be able to enjoy lush drought-proof parks and gardens.”

By Maggi Barnard

The Parkes Red Cross branch has come to the rescue of parents and carers with a new and much needed initiative.
The Red Cross officially opened its brand new parents/carers room at its Church Street premises on Wednesday offering a safe and welcoming environment for changing nappies, feeding or just some quiet from the business outside.

The room is the idea of committee member Alison Dixon and the very first of its kind among Red Cross branches. “It is a fantastic idea and great for the community and families,” said Megan Norton, Senior Administration Officer of the greater western region who had come from Wagga for the opening.

President Norma Oliver said the idea would not have become a reality without the help and donations of the community. They were able to convert a junk room into the beautiful facility with a basin with hot water, a fridge, couch, carpeted floor, toys, nappies and other items. There is also an outside play area.

Donations were received by Northparkes Mines ($2,000 for the plumbing), Terry Brothers (carpet), Philip Dixon (laying of carpet), Paul Woods (manual labour), Ian Rowe (electrical work) and several Red Cross members who made donations.

“It is amazing to see this facility and that the money was used to benefit locals,” said Michelle Wetherell from Northparkes Mines. “As a mother of a three-year-old I know how much this will mean to parents.” Councillor Pat Smith said it’s been needed for a long time. “It is just amazing and great that the Red Cross has done this for our community.”

The room will be open on Wednesdays and Thursdays from 10am to 3pm and on Fridays from 9am to 3pm. “We would love to have it open every day, but do not have enough volunteers at the moment for that,” said Secretary Allison Woods.

By Maggi Barnard

The RAAF Roulettes were in Parkes on Saturday for the Band Together Farmers concert. It was their second time
in Parkes this year. The Parkes Aero Club (PAC) presented the Roulettes a signed photo of “The Dish” flypast of the
first visit in April for the Parkes Aero Spectacular. Pictured (L-R) are FLTLT Des Hales (R5), FLTLT Owen Rose (R3), SQNLDR Jay Tuffley (R1, Roulettes Aerobatic Team Leader), FLTLT Daniel Price (R2), Wade McConnell (new PAC President) and FLTLT Dan Armstrong (R7).

With the weather warming up swimming is an ideal way to get a full body workout. Overuse injuries in the shoulder and neck are common though, due to the repetitive nature of swimming.

The shoulder is a ball and socket joint with a ring of cartilage around the socket to make the joint more stable. Around this is a loose joint capsule that is reinforced with ligaments and muscles. Because the shoulder is a very mobile joint it relies on the action of these muscles and ligaments to maintain stability. These muscles are called the rotator cuff and consist of four muscles that work together to keep your shoulder centred in its socket.

So, if swimming strengthens the shoulder muscles why do so many swimmers have shoulder problems?

The simple answer is due to the repetitive nature of swimming. The more complex answer lies in the fact that many swimmers don’t have good stroke technique and those that do can still have problems because the swim stroke (in particular freestyle), mainly strengthens the shoulder internal rotators and adductors. This causes muscle imbalance,
leaving the scapular stabilisers and external rotators relatively weak and joint laxity increases. The rotator cuff then must work harder to keep the shoulder centred in the socket. When the already relatively weakened external rotators fatigue, the ball of the shoulder joint moves forward and the tendon of the rotator cuff muscles is pinched between the bones as the hand is raised above shoulder height.

Next column I will cover some practical ways to prevent this happening and what to do if you already have impingement problems.

For the fitness of you.
Linda Reilly

Parkes has a brand new and very unique world champion. Northparkes Mines employee Michael Thomas was crowned the World Cob Loaf Champion in Wellington last weekend at the Cob Loaf Festival – World Championships.

Michael scored a massive 476 out of 500 for his salmon creation. The 24-year-old said he wanted to offer the judges something different and focused on the taste.

Michael is a Wellington local, but moved to Parkes earlier this year after accepting the position of Northparkes Graduate Environmental Advisor.

Six clubs in the Parkes Shire will share in over $300,000 of funding announced by Member for Orange Phil Donato MP last week for a total of 20 projects. Phil announced $326,309 of State Government funds to deliver much needed improvements to local facilities from the NSW Government’s 2018 Community Building Partnership Program. This funding will allow local organisations to bring important projects to life.

“This is fantastic for the Orange electorate; this funding will directly help our community by enabling positive social, recreational and economic outcomes,” Phil said.

“I congratulate all organisations that were successful in their application and look forward to seeing these projects come to fruition. “These projects will make a real impact for community groups in our area, which creates benefits that flow to everyone. I am very proud to have put my support behind these projects.”

The projects in Parkes are: Parkes Dragon Boat Club Inc for Delivering Dragon Boating to Parkes $6,500; Police Citizens Youth Clubs NSW Ltd for PCYC Parkes Foyer Renovation $28,050; Parkes Aero Club Training Group Inc for a new awning for Parkes Aero Club Clubhouse $20,000; Bogan Gate Community Memorial Hall Inc for partial roof refurbishment of Bogan Gate Community Memorial Hall $13,536; Bogan Gate Golf Club Co-operative Ltd for a kitchen refurbishment for Bogan Gate Golf Club $7,000; Parkes Golf Club Co-operative Ltd for heating and air conditioning replacement for clubhouse $15,285.

Is Workplace Surveillance Lawful?
The Workplace Surveillance Act 2005 (NSW) provides for dedicated workplace surveillance legislation in NSW.
Generally, an employee must consent, either expressly or impliedly, to the surveillance of private activities or private conversations.

The Telecommunications (Interceptions and Access) Act 1979 (Cth) also places limitations on the recording of telephone conversations. The legislation relating to surveillance devices specifies what constitutes a “private
activity” or “private conversation”. Private activities or conversations may occur in any workplace, whether a corporate office or a public space, such as a retail store.

Use of surveillance as evidence can ensure employees are not engaging in misconduct, however surveillance must be properly obtained by an employer to enable it to rely on the surveillance in disciplinary action or court proceedings. The recent Federal Court decision of Chappell vs Griffin Coal Mining Pty Ltd [2016] FCA 1248 is a sound reminder of this.

In the case of Chapell vs Griffin Coal Mining Pty Ltd, an employee was caught making adverse comments about the employer to an external person on a video surveillance device worn by a security guard hired by the employer. When the employer sought to rely on the surveillance as evidence of misconduct, the employee argued that the evidence was improperly obtained – it was a private conversation that he did not consent to being recorded. The court agreed
and the surveillance could not be used as evidence.

Where employers intend to undertake surveillance in the workplace, they should inform employees in writing and how the surveillance will be undertaken. Best practice is draw up a workplace surveillance policy that is easily accessible by employees, and provided to all new employees.