Spring is a vibrant time and the Parkes Shire Council is celebrating the new season with the launch of its Colour Parkes campaign. The aim is to encourage visitors to explore the region at a time when the bright yellow canola crops, the lush green fields of wheat and expansive blue skies make it an enjoyable experience.

The campaign was launched last Friday and will be promoted via television, billboards, social media and digital advertising until the end of October, and will be directed at visitors within a five-hour driving radius, specifically the Canberra region.

Council’s Brand & Marketing Manager, Katrina Dwyer said visitors could access special offers at local attractions, shopping outlets, accommodation and cafes, by downloading a Colour Pass from www.visitparkes.com.au

“The pass features 10 colour deals supplied by local tourism partners to entice visitors to extend their stay and spend longer in the Parkes region.” Visitors can also win a return visit to Parkes for an exclusive tour inside The Dish by sharing photos of their visit on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter. Use the hashtag #ColourParkes and tag @VisitParkesRegion to stand a chance to win the prize, including one night’s accommodation and meals for up to four people.

Encourage visiting friends, relatives or customers to join the social campaign. Images will be chosen based on the best representation of spring colour fun in the Parkes Region. The winner will be notified by 1st December.

Industrial Law…Payslips
Is your employer complying with the Fair Work Act and its regulations in providing payslips with the correct information.
Payslips are required to disclose:
• the employer’s name and ABN;
• the employee’s name;
• the date of payment and pay period;
• the gross and net amount of payment;
• any loadings, monetary allowances, bonuses, incentive based payments, penalty rates, or other separately identifiable entitlement paid;
• If the employee is paid an hourly pay rate, the ordinary hourly pay rate and the number of hours worked at that rate and the amount of payment made at that rate;
• If the employee is paid an annual rate of pay (salary), the rate as at the last day in the pay period;
• Any deductions made, including the name, or the name and number, of the fund or the account of each deduction including superannuation contributions for the benefit of the employee and the name and number of the fund.

Payslips maybe sent electronically to the employee provided it complies with the above and the employee agrees to such electronic posting. Employers are also required to keep records of this information for at least seven years and a Fair Work Inspector has the right to inspect such records without any search warrant.

It is an offence not to comply with these requirements and an employee may be able to recover not only any back pay but may with the court’s approval recover the fine from the employer in some circumstances.

If you have questions on Industrial Law or anything else, please contact any of our solicitors at Matthews Williams.

The Henrys Parkes Business Awards closed last Wednesday with a last minute dash by businesses submitting their online entries. With over 35 entries, the Parkes Chamber of Commerce is ecstatic with the response received. The diversity is a good representation of the broad spectrum of businesses in the community.

The Parkes Chamber of Commerce is excited to have so many entries in the ‘Best Business under 2 years’ and ‘Young Entrepreneur’ categories as this is really encouraging for the town to have so many young entrepreneurs. “It is invigorating to see that business people genuinely see the potential in the future development and prosperity of Parkes,” said Belinda McCorkell of the Chamber of Commerce.

The judging phase has begun with judges independently reviewing the submissions overseen by the NSW Business Chamber. Tickets for the gala presentation dinner on 20th October at the Parkes Services Club are on sale and can be obtained through the Henrys Parkes Business Awards Facebook page, the Parkes Chamber of Commerce website or the Parkes Services Club website. Limited tickets available so hurry on and get yours in time!

If the walls of the 137-year-old St Elmo shearing shed outside Parkes could talk, it would have piles of yarns to spin.
The very first anecdote would go back to the 1880’s when the Job family selected their land from the old East Billabong Station squatter run, and the original centre part of the shed was built.

It was constructed with local timber consisting of unmilled cypress pine frame, grey box slab walls, which can still be seen inside the shed, and debarked pine sampling as grating. It was originally a blade shearing shed.

In 1906 the shed was extended, again using timber milled on the site. It was a fivestand shed powered by a belt and pulley system from a large steam engine tractor positioned outside the shed.

The steam engine tractor was replaced with a Lister petrol motor to drive the overhead sunbeam shearing gear in the first half of the 20th century. Electricity was connected in 1984 and the Lister engine was replaced by an electric motor, which now power the overhead gear, as it is still a working shearing shed.

On the 16th of September the shed will have a brand new story to tell when the Parkes Action Club will be using the space for an exceptional art exhibition called Ducks on the Pond showcasing eight local and regional artists.

Limited tickets are available at $25 prepaid or $30 on the night and includes food by The Dish Café, wine by Twisted River Wines and entertainment by The String Family from Sydney. For more details go to visitparkes.com.au. All the money raised will go towards the Action Club’s community programs.

St Elmo Shearing Shed is 12km from Parkes on the Renshaw McGirr Way (Wellington Road) and 2km down Job Lane. No high heels are recommended for the event.

Re-awaken your sense of wonder….Let curiosity lead your life.

LEIGH HOBBS – AUTHOR TALK
Wednesday, 13th September – 6pm
Leigh Hobbs is the bestselling author of more than 20 books which include the iconic Old Tom, Mr Chicken Goes to Paris and Horrible Harriet. Parkes Library is hosting Leigh to present a free session for parents and interested adults. Leigh has a subversive humour that delights children and adults alike. He has committed his two-year term as Australian Children’s Laureate “to champion creative opportunities for children, and to highlight the essential role libraries play in nurturing our creative lives.” Please come and enjoy this amazing author and illustrator. Bookings are essential on 6861 2309 or library@parkes.nsw.gov.au.

CAKE DECORATING WORKSHOP
Sunday, 17th September – 10am
Parkes local “Kylie’s Cakes” will share her tips and tricks in creating the perfect birthday cake for your kids. This is a 2-3 hour hands on free class. Bookings are essential on 6861 2309 or library@parkes.nsw.gov.au.

PARKES FUN PALACE
Saturday, 23rd September
Fizzics Education is coming to Fun Palace with their robotics workshops! 9:30am – Big Science Big Fun Show – See
gigantic bubbles, flying toilet paper, hairraising electricity experiments, fire balls, coloured shadows, a flame equalizer and much more! This is an event for the whole family!
• 11:00am Beebots – Beginner robotics (Kinder, year 1 and 2)*
• 12:30pm Lego Robotics – Lego robots “Mindstorms” (year 3-6)*
• 1:45pm Lego Robotics – Programming robots (year 7-10)*
*Limited places. Cost $2. Bookings in person at Parkes Library.

Recent research by the Australian Physiotherapy Association (APA) shows that many of the major Australian health funds have not substantially increased their rebate for seeing some physiotherapists in more than a decade. The APA has said that this is “inequitable and unfairly pressures patients into the health insurer’s selection of physiotherapist, despite choice being a core tenet of the Australian private health system.” Preferred provider schemes limit your freedom to choose the physiotherapist that is best able to treat their specific injury or condition.

The APA advises that when looking for a health fund that is right for you, you should look for one that not only meets your needs and provides good rebates for the services that you need but one that offers flexibility and allows you to see the physiotherapist that you want to see should you require their services.

The preferred provider schemes offered by health funds make no distinction between the level of experience or qualifications of your treating practitioner. The rebate you receive per consultation is the same whether you were treated by a new graduate on their first day of work, or by someone like myself with an APA Sports Physio title, Masters degree and over 20 years of private practice experience. I am not part of any preferred provider scheme because I believe that, to achieve the best health outcomes, insurers should provide higher rebates for more experienced and qualified physiotherapists and they should allow you your choice of physiotherapist without you being financially disadvantaged.

For the fitness of you.
Linda Reilly

Do you fancy tasting crocodile, kangaroo, emu, buffalo or camel? This is but one of the many rare and unusual experiences a record crowd of over 2, 000 people had at the 31st Trundle Bush Tucker Day last Saturday. People came from all over Australia to sample bush tucker, compete in the bush tucker cooking competition, take part in bush games and displays, attend camp over cooking guru Ranger Nick’s demonstrations or enjoy the live music provided by Beccy Cole and others.

As usual a team of more than 20 volunteers from the Northparkes Mines provided a selection of tasty treats, cooked in the traditional way, to sample for free. The bush games included bushies and junior relays, sheep shearing, billy boiling, whip cracking and dog jumping. This year’s event was well attended after widespread flooding last year that prevented many from attending. Many people commented on how well organised it was and that they would definitely return next year.

More than 500 high school students were emotionally challenged with the realities of what happens in a serious car crash during the staging of a mock crash at the PCYC Parkes last week. “I am still shaken by it,” said Kian Schembri,
a Year 10 student from Parkes Christian School of the annual event staged for the ninth time this year.

The aim of the confronting mock crash is to bring home the message of drinking and driving. The demonstration by the Parkes, Forbes and Lachlan Shire Councils is the corner stone of the NOT A STATISTIC! Youth Driver Education Program.

Four youth actors, Krystle-Lee McMurray and Maddison Collits from Forbes and Jack McGrath and Faith Hanstock from Parkes, took the audience on a moving, tragic and at times upsetting ride from a care free birthday party to the horrors of a car crash and its long-term after effects. “It is a really good way to teach us a lesson,” said Wally Campbell from Forbes High School, one of seven high schools attending.

“It will remain with me as a reminder not to drink and drive, and to think before getting into a car with someone who’s been drinking.” For Ella Richards from Parkes Christian School it was “really good and very confronting” as she has friends who had been in a crash. “I will definitely not drink and drive.” Melanie Suitor, Parkes, Forbes and Lachlan Shire Councils’ Road Safety and Injury Prevention Officer, said it was hard to gauge the effect of the annual event, but in the Central West 25% of accidents involved young people, while the state average was 32%.

Local young drivers were involved in 207 crashes across the Parkes, Forbes and Lachlan Shire Council areas over four years from 2011, resulting in three fatalities and 228 injuries.

By Maggi Barnard

Not many 23-year-olds have a facility named after them, but last Saturday the privilege befell Parkes’ international hockey star Mariah Williams when the second synthetic hockey turf was named in her honour. “I could not think of anyone more worthy,” said Parkes Hockey Inc Executive Director, Aaron Huppatz.

NSW Minister for Racing Paul Toole congratulated the club and Parkes Shire Council on the fantastic facility and the number of tournaments it had already attracted that support the local economy. “Mariah is an incredibly talented young woman. She is a product of this region and every time she plays Parkes and the whole Central West follow her.”

For the Parkes Mayor the naming of the field signified a great day for the community and for hockey. “We are standing on the shoulders of giants here today with many life members also in attendance. Mariah is an inspiration to all junior players who might be dreaming of being an Olympian one day too.”

Mariah responded to all the accolades saying she was very honoured. “There is a lot of history here as I grew up only 100m away from the fields and spent so much time here.” She said although she had lived in many different places, she would always call Parkes home.

The synthetic turf was jointly funded by the NSW Government’s ClubGrants Program, Parkes Shire Council and Parkes Hockey Inc totalling over $1.5M. The international standard surfaces available in Parkes had attracted three major hockey tournaments so far this year, with another three big events booked for next year.

By Maggi Barnard

CMOC-Northparkes Mine and the Parkes Sports Council have announced the successful applicants from the last round of the current Sports Grants Funding Program. A total of $15,000 were granted to the following successful applicants: Parkes Gun Club $3,050; Parkes Railway Bowling Club $3,110; Parkes Rugby Union Club $1,500; Parkes Australian Rules Football Club $437.60; Parkes Hockey Inc. $2,049; Parkes PCYC $2,853.40.

This was the last round under the current funding agreement which has distributed $150,000 over the past five years. A new agreement is currently under negotiation and an announcement will be made soon.