Injuries to the lower back are one of the most common golf related problems. The incidence of lower back pain in the male golfer is between 25% to 36% and between 22% to 27 % in females. It has been reported to account for up to 52% of all injuries in recreational golfers and 24% of injuries in professional golfers. The injury mechanism of nearly half of all lower back injuries in golf is due to the swing.

The modern golf swing has been shown to produce large forces on the lower back, which change directions rapidly during the swing. Because golf is played in a slightly forward flexed position, along with the asymmetrical, rotational nature of the swing, the forces the joints in the lower back are subject to are quite high. The compression force on the spine during the swing has been shown to be up to eight times body weight.

How to prevent getting back pain. Maintenance of good mobility in the hips and thoracic and lumbar spine is important. This may require a regular exercise programme at home along with a good warm up before you play, whilst using proper technique when lifting your bag and bending through the knees when retrieving the ball.

If you already have lower back pain consider slowing your back swing down. Make sure your weight properly shifts to your back foot and your hips rotate during the back swing. Also, avoid placing your feet too far apart during the address phase as this limits hip rotation later in the swing and increases stresses on the lower back.

For the fitness of you
Linda Reilly

One of Australia’s most famed and accurate psychic mediums will be in Parkes next Friday. Deb Webber, Woman’s Day columnist and TV star, is bringing her acclaimed live show to the Parkes Leagues Club on Friday, 15th June.

Deb is one of Australia’s most famed and accurate psychic mediums. She features on Australia and New Zealand’s channel 10 and Gem’s award-winning series Sensing Murder. She is also a decade long columnist for the Woman’s Day magazine in both countries. Originally from Melbourne, single mother of two, Deb Webber has been relaying messages from spirits since she was a young child.

Deb will bring her insight and gift to Parkes to showcase her incredible accuracy and connection to the spirit world.
She will walk through the audience giving spontaneous readings and connecting the lucky chosen people to their loved ones in spirit. Sometimes they are cheeky, sometimes sad, sometimes humorous but they are always inspiring and insightful for those receiving the reading and for those who get to witness the extraordinary detail that Deb can bring.

Following the live show, Deb will host a Q & A session, and a Tibetan crystal bowl meditation at the end to send everyone home calm, safe and with the right spirits. Doors at the Parkes Leagues Club open at 7pm for the show at 7:30pm. Tickets are from $48.00 on sale at www.debwebber.com.au or phone 0427 799 611. Also see our competition to win two tickets to the show in Parkes on this page.

How To Get Your Dream Honeymoon
Wouldn’t you rather go on a perfect honeymoon than receive a 4-slice toaster or a rubber-backed tartan travel rug? With the Helloworld Travel Bridal Registry, your family and friends can contribute towards the cost of your honeymoon, as their wedding gift to you. Helloworld Travel will help you choose your dream location and take care of all your travel needs. Your wedding guests then make contributions in your honour towards your honeymoon. We even supply cards to go out with your wedding invitations. It is this easy to turn your honeymoon dream into a reality.

Wedding Away is another great service that Helloworld Travel Forbes offers. The friendly staff at Helloworld Travel Forbes can organise your wedding in a special location and take care of all the travel and accommodation for your entire wedding party and guests. Talk to one of the professional consultants and start planning today.

A Special Day With A Civil Celebrant
Why not use a civil marriage celebrant to make your day special? Narelle Page Civil Celebrant is based in Parkes. Narelle specialises in all weddings, commitment ceremonies, renewal of vows and baby naming ceremonies. Narelle brings a strong sense of individualism to your special day to create a comfortable, interpersonal and memorable occasion for yourself and your guests. Why not choose to start your perfect day with a special ceremony by Narelle Page, Authorised Celebrant. For Bookings or any enquiries, contact Narelle on 0429 177 747 or email narellepagecelebrant@gmail.com

Unique And Contemporary Reception
The Parkes Services Club is proud to offer a unique and contemporary wedding reception venue for couples in the Central West of NSW. The club’s wedding packages are designed to make each wedding a memorable one and can be tailored to suit the bride and groom. A dedicated team is on hand to ensure everything runs to plan, not only on the day but in the lead up to the event. It is incredibly important for the bride and groom to feel confident knowing their wedding reception is in excellent hands. Call the club today to discuss your options.

Flowers Tailored To Your Taste
Organising your wedding flowers should be a wonderful and exciting experience. The flowers chosen show your style and personality. This could be anything from a classic floral design of round crisp roses, to a natural loose organic design of natives. Or why not make a statement and choose something outside the box with bright colourful flowers. At Ivy Lane, owner Jade will sit down and discuss all your wedding flower requirements with you and work with you
every step of the way to ensure your flowers are exactly what you want. Options available are bouquets, buttonholes/boutonnieres, corsages, flower crowns, ceremony arrangements, reception arrangements
and table centres.

For The Love Of Flowers
Are you looking for the perfect Florist? Alice and her team at the Pink Orchid in Parkes happily service the entire Central West of NSW. The Pink Orchid team loves creating original and personalised arrangements for every occasion, including weddings!

Choose Hart Bar
“It brings us so much joy to be able to hold special functions like weddings in such a special space,” says Kasie of the Hart Bar. “We enjoy working closely with the bride and groom to ensure that we tailor the perfect celebration for them and their family and friends to remember forever.” Hart Bar offers the perfect mix of seating and standing for a canapé function of up to 180 guests with the use of the stunning veranda. For a more intimate reception there is the option of up to 70 guests for a two or three course meal seated style reception. If you have a special function coming up get in contact so Kasie can help plan your perfect celebration!

Vintage Inspired Mobile Bar
Vintage and rustic are definitely on trend for weddings and events and what better addition to your event could there be than Joan, the 1950’s inspired vintage mobile bar! AuRevoir Vintage Van adds an extra special element to your wedding or event. For the ultimate bar service, visit www.aurevoirvintagevan.com.au.

A young Parkes woman was endorsed as the Nationals candidate for the 2019 election. A meeting of local party members in the Orange Electorate endorsed Yvette Quinn on Sunday.

“I look forward to working hard to win the trust of the Orange Electorate,” the mental health support worker said.
Yvette has been an advisor to the Multicultural NSW Regional Advisory Council, and was previously on the NSW Youth Advisory Council. She has been heavily involved with the Orange Headspace Group, providing mental health support to young people.

Leader of The Nationals and Deputy Premier, John Barilaro said Yvette was a fresh face and would inject energy into the campaign to take back the Central West.

The community of Parkes was plunged into shock last week with the sudden death of one of its most famous ‘sons’ best known for his legendary guitar skills. Phil Emmanuel suddenly died in Parkes last Thursday at age 65 after an asthma attack. He was visiting his brother Darcy at the time and planning to do some shows. Phil and his brother Tommy were inducted into the Wall of Fame at this year’s Parkes Elvis Festival, and Phil gave a sold-out concert
at the festival.

The Nationals’ Member for Riverina and Deputy Prime Minister, Michael McCormack, will open an electorate office in Parkes on Monday, 4th June. “The northern part of the Riverina electorate, which includes Parkes, Forbes, Peak
Hill, Trundle, Tullamore and Cowra, is a vibrant region and deserves an accessible office to provide the best representation possible,” Michael said.

“I am in this part of the electorate frequently and the office will allow me to meet constituents in a private and comfortable environment.”

“Having an office with a full-time staff member in the region will also provide a face-to-face service for constituents.”
The Parkes office will be located at 207A Clarinda Street and will have one full-time staff member. The office telephone number will be 6862 4560. “I am really delighted to have created a full-time job in Parkes and to have supported local trades in the outfitting of the building,” Michael said.

An official opening of the office will be held today at 5pm.

“From about 4.30pm I will take a walk through the central business district and would love to catch up with as many people as possible for a quick hello.”

Parkes Mayor, Councillor Ken Keith, welcomed the decision to open the new office. “We are delighted the Federal Member has decided to locate his office in Parkes in the northern part of the electorate to make it easier and more convenient for his constituents to meet with him and to discuss their issues,” the Mayor said.

Next weekend is not only a long weekend, but also time for the social highlight on the Parkes calendar. On Saturday, 9th June the gates will open at 11:30am at the Parkes Racecourse for the annual Parkes Picnic Races. The first race of the five-race program will start at 12:30pm.

One of the Central West’s most prestigious Fashions on the Field competitions will take place once again with fantastic cash and prizes on offer. The guest judge this year is Julie Herbert of Julie Herbert Millinery Creations from Orange. The categories this year are Contemporary, Elegant Lady, Stylish Man and Millinery.

The Contemporary category is your chance to show your unique style with that race-day look for those who dare to be different. It’s a category for both men and women! The Elegant Lady category is the most prestigious of the day for those who showcase pure style and elegance.

The Stylish Man category is for gents who consider extra detail and stand out in the crowd. The Millinery category is  for ladies who turn heads with their headwear. Go the Parkes Picnic Races website or Facebook page for more details and requirements to be competing in the different categories.

The judging of Fashion on the Field will start at 3pm at the Picnic Stage. There will be loads of entertainment including live music provided by local band Gerholm Jonson. The racecourse provides full bar and betting facilities along with a range of catering services available on course throughout the day. A range of catered marquees will be on site offering packaged food and beverage tickets with seating available.

You are welcome to bring along your own food hampers and picnic on the grass, however the racecourse is a licensed venue so no alcohol is to be brought onto the grounds. “We are expecting a good crowd,” said Stafford Orange of the organising committee.

He said entry tickets were still available at the Cambridge, Parkes and Railway Hotels, as well as the Tourism Office, or at the gate on the day. Start planning your outfit, gather your group together for a great day out and possibly catching up with long lost friends.

Livestock branding is a common practise in a town like Parkes surrounded by cattle farmers, but have you ever seen burger branding? If you have not been to the Burger Hub at 263 Clarinda Street, you have missed out according to loads of accolades bestowed on this establishment as satisfied customers rave on its Facebook page.

“This is just what Parkes needs, something different, something top shelf gourmet food; Best food and best people; Food was so good and service was amazing.”

Only three weeks after opening, and owners Jason McGuire and Sophie Meek are still completely overwhelmed by the response of the public. “We returned to Parkes with the idea of starting a business. We decided on doing burgers on our way back from Canberra one day,” said Jason.

Over his 18 years of being a chef at the Parkes Services Club to the Whale Bone Wharf in Port Macquarie and a few others in between, Jason has gained valuable experience and ideas and these came to good use when creating the Burger Hub’s menu.

“We are more American style influenced and have special sauces, but most important for us is to make everything in house or source locally as far as possible. We are not a fast food restaurant, and make every single patty by hand, as well as all our sauces, while the bread rolls are baked locally.”

All tastes, diets and appetites are catered for with gluten free options available, a herbivore burger for vegetarians, and a double up option for everything between the two bread buns for only $6 extra.

The industrious couple has many plans up their sleeves to keep the Hub humming, but for the time being make sure to get in early from Tuesdays to Saturdays to lay your hands on one of those branded burgers as they are still selling out regularly.

BOOK SALE
Time again for Parkes Library’s annual book sale from 4 to 9 June 2018. Prices start at 50 cents. Many bargains!

AUTHOR VISIT
Julie Frank “Call Me Frank”
Tuesday 19 June, 10am, Parkes Library
Call me Frank is a collection of autobiographical stories of men over 50 telling it like it is at this stage of their lives. The stories are honest, sometimes confronting and always inspirational. It is a companion book to Feisty, Fabulous & 50+, a collection of 21 ‘warts and all’ autobiographical stories of women navigating their way through their 50s. Please RSVP to parkes.library@parkes.nsw.gov.au or on 6861 2309 by 17 June.

TOURING DISPLAY
May Gibbs
15 to 28 June, Parkes Library
Its 100 years since May Gibbs’ adorable characters found their way into the homes and hearts of Australians. We are celebrating with a display from the State Library of NSW featuring May Gibbs’ iconic artwork. May Gibbs was Australia’s first full-time, professionally trained children’s book author and illustrator, and the display features reproductions of some of her most beloved characters including the gumnut babies and the brothers Snugglepot and Cuddlepie.

PERFORMANCE
Sydney Symphony Orchestra
Thursday 21 June, 6pm, Parkes Library
In celebration of international Make Music Day, the Sydney Symphony Orchestra will share a global broadcast of its performance of Verdi’s Requiem live from the Sydney Opera House. With the support of Create NSW, ABC Classics, Sydney Opera House Creative Learning, Music Australia and the Australian Music Association. RSVP by 19 June on 6861 2309 or parkes.library@parkes.nsw.gov.au

A multilingual IT teacher who allows his students to go on fantastic adventures through building and programming Lego models might sound like a modern day version of Mary Poppins, but this is a real life movie playing every day at the Parkes Christian School (PCS).

It is recess time and the computer lab of Clarence Goh, or Mr Goh as the students call him, is packed with kids in their element. It feels more like a hands-on high tech toy shop, but as the only Google Certified Trainer and Innovator in the Central West, Clarence is helping PCS move towards more project-based learning in the IT and Robotics department.

“The best way to learn is through play,” says Clarence. “Students need to know, see and feel when they learn, only then will learning become tangible.” The biggest project so far is an automated city built with Lego by primary students, and programmed by the more senior students to make it work on voice commands.

The cinema, playing real movies, is programmed with the world’s smallest computer. It has been in the making
for about a year and involves over 100 students. This is the project Clarence will be taking to show in Sydney next week where he was asked to represent Google at Edu-TECH Australia 2018, the largest education exhibition in Asia-Pacific and the Southern Hemisphere.

As the students proudly display projects they have been working on, Clarence points out several that will be entered into the Young ICT Explorers Competition for Information and Communication Technology (ICT) related projects held in August. The Lego City will be entered, as well as the Rubik Cube Solver, built and programmed by Caleb Hill and Brayden Varcoe.

“It took us two months to build and then another year of problem solving to make it work properly,” said Caleb. “It was hard to build, and we had so many problems, but it felt so good to finish it,” said Brayden. While Alek Smith plays the Lego guitar he built and programmed, and Aaron O’Rourke demonstrates a Lego gear system he designed that can lift up to 100kg, Johnny the dancing robot shows off his gymnastic moves and Bellah Hewett fits a virtual reality device on her head to explore a new environment.

“I love coming here as I am learning so much about technology and other subjects,” says Bellah. In August Clarence will be taking hands-on learning outside with a very special project. “We will launch a robot, called a Raspberry Pi with a GPS, temperature and humidity sensor, into near space to an altitude of 50km using a high altitude balloon and broadcast live images to earth via telemetry.”

With his eyes glinting just talking about this space project, Clarence says: “It makes me very happy to see the students so engaged. It gives me a lot of job satisfaction.”

In addition, his lab is providing a challenge for students to prove themselves and this has brought about a significant reduction in anti-social behaviour and an improvement in other subjects too as students see the purpose of learning and attending school.

The computer lab, connected to wi fi, also doubles as a language classroom where Clarence teaches Japanese with the help of technology. At the mention of Japanese a student jumps up and asks Google: “How do you say supercalifragilisticexpialidocious in Japanese?” … every school needs a high tech ‘Mary Poppins’!