The illegal dumping problem in the forested area behind the Parkes Hospital was addressed at the Parkes Shire Council meeting last week. Eric Lensson was extremely pleased by the decision to fence off the area and to clean up rubbish sites like this one.

The beautiful forested area behind the Parkes Hospital will be cleaned and fenced off to protect it from illegal dumping following a resolution by the Parkes Shire Council last week.

Council recognised the ongoing environmental issues of illegal dumping, burning out of cars and weed infestation in the precinct. It was resolved to spend $25,000 to erect a fence of rural nature with two top lengths of barbed wire to restrict vehicle access, but include a number of pedestrian access points.

Councillor Ken McGrath also proposed that a clean-up of the area be undertaken and suggested to make it the focus of next year’s Clean Up Australia Day.

“I’m happy to coordinate it, and have already spoken to some contractors to volunteer their equipment to help with the clean-up effort.”

The Mayor said he had also received several complaints from people who enjoy walking there about the dumping problem.

Erik Lensson, whose property borders on the area, had written to council and Member for Orange Phil Donato about the issue. He was following the Council meeting online last week and was extremely pleased with the decision to go ahead with the fencing, as well as the additional motion by Cr Ken McGrath of clearing up the forest rubbish.

“There are not many such readily accessible forested areas around Parkes Shire and the town itself. The forest behind the hospital is a great exercise track for walking the dog, riding mountain bikes and enjoying wildlife like kangaroos and the odd blue tongue or bearded dragon,” he said.

“I would like to extend my appreciation to the council staff, the council, the Mayor Ken Keith and especially Cr McGrath and the Member for Orange, Phil Donato, MP.”

Council noted the positive contribution from surrounding landowners who carried out mowing and general maintenance in and around the site.

‘Lyell’ worth his world record price. ((Photo: Australian Poll Dorset Association)

When you’re wanting to buy one of the best rams, you anticipate paying the best price. However, the simple idea of boosting stock was what led to Kinellar Stud paying the world record price for a ram.

Victoria Patterson and family from Kinellar Stud, Canowindra (75%) and James and Rosemary Corcoran from Gooramma Poll Dorset Stud, Galong (25%) paid a record-breaking $41,000 for a Poll Dorset ram last Monday.

They bought the ram ‘Lyell’ (formerlly known as Valma 200040) from Valma stud in Whitemore, Tasmania via an online auction hosted by AuctionsPlus.

“We weren’t setting out for a world record. We just wanted a ram for our pad-dock,” said Lachlan Patterson.

He said ‘Lyell’ is one of the country’s best rams. “The ram is probably in the top five per cent in growth and top five per cent for muscle,” said Lachlan.

“He’s also got good eating quality with good marbling and quite tender meat.”

Heading into the auction, their budget was $40,000. They were expecting a price in the mid-20,000s, keeping in mind that good rams go for prices in the 30,000s.

The auction bidding was hot, with blind timing keeping everyone on the edge. “We didn’t expect this kind of competition,” he said.

The family are supremely content with their purchase. “By 2023 we will have bred great lambs by him, will win a lot of shows and sell a lot of rams by him,” Lachlan said.

They also want to ensure the customer has the best eating experience.

Following on from last week’s windmill photo, Barry Green sent us this impressive collection of windmills at Penong in South Australia. Penong is on the Nullarbor Plain in the far west of South Australia located about 616 km north-west of Adelaide. (If you have an iconic or local image for Closing Shot send it to the editor@parkesphoenix.com.au.)

Construction on the Parkes Special Activation Precinct has started with the upgrade of Brolgan Road to incorporate a roundabout, two bridges over the railway lines and a new 30MVa sub station.

Construction on the Parkes Special Activation Precinct has started and locals will see this huge development starting to take shape over coming months.

“The Parkes Special Activation Precinct has been in the pipeline for a number of years, so it is really exciting to be able to mark the start of construction on this transformational investment,” said the Deputy Premier and Minister for Regional NSW John Barilaro.

“The precinct will focus on sustainability and aims to become Australia’s first UNI-DO Eco Industrial Park where businesses will work together to create a true circular economy, where one corporation’s waste becomes another’s material for production.”

Mayor of Parkes Shire Cr Ken Keith OAM said it was a significant milestone for the Parkes Special Activation Precinct. “With construction commencing, job opportunities will be created for not only Parkes but for the region. This announcement means that we are one step closer to realising the benefits of the Parkes Special Activation Precinct, which will attract and grow businesses, drive agriculture value-adding, facilitate modern manufacturing, stimulate the local economy, and provide more local employment opportunities.”

Early works include the upgrade of Brol-gan Road to incorporate a roundabout for the future Coopers Road realignment, two bridges over the existing railway lines, and a new 30MVa sub station, as well as all as-sociated utilities. These works are expected to be completed in the first half of 2023.

Construction company Fulton Hogan will deliver the construction work, which is expected to require up to 125 construction jobs throughout the build.

“The early works will open around 1,500 hectares for development by local and international investors, who will work with us to create more economic opportunities for Parkes and the wider Central West region,” the Deputy Premier said.

Special Activation Precincts are being delivered by the Regional Growth NSW Development Corporation and funded by the $4.2 billion Snowy Hydro Legacy Fund. To follow the project’s progress go to www.rgdc.nsw.gov.au/precincts/parkes.