The Parkes Shire community is benefitting from donations of furniture and water tanks as the construction of the Parkes to Narromine leg of Inland Rail is coming to an end.

Fulton Hogan and BMD Constructions will donate furniture, purchased for staff homes in Parkes, to Can Assist.

“We have started to demobilise our work sites, and our staff are starting to leave the project and Parkes. They leave behind all their household furniture that was bought new over the last year,” said Project Director Gerard O’Connor.

“Fulton Hogan and BMD Constructions (INLink Joint Venture) wanted to give back to the community and will donate approximately 12 households worth of furniture to Can Assist in Parkes.”

The contractors also donated several 25,000 litre water tanks that were used across the 103km building site. “We wanted to show appreciation to the local community, who were and continue to be very understanding during the works, by donating them to impacted residents and the local councils.”

“We have donated 20 water tanks to residents between Parkes and Narromine, two to Narromine Shire Council and four to Parkes Shire Council,” said Gerard.

Two tanks have been delivered to Council’s Works Depot in Parkes, and the other two at the new depot in Peak Hill.

A lot has been happening in the Parkes CBD of late, and last week the Deputy Prime Minister received a special tour to inspect progress made so far of the $8.5 million revitalisation projects.

Mayor Ken Keith showed Michael McCormack, who is also the member for Riverina, and Sam Farraway, Member of the Legislative Council (MLC), the Cooke Park Multipurpose Centre and expansion of the Parkes Shire Library.

The tour was going to include the upgrades to Lower Clarinda Street, but daylight ran out as Michael also visited new projects in Forbes on his first visit to the Central West since the outbreak of the Coronavirus pandemic.

“I am very impressed with all of it,” he said afterwards. “I’m just blown away by the size of the Cooke Park Multipurpose Centre. The Elvis Festival will now take up the added area and have so much more scope. I can’t wait to perform a duet with the Mayor there – Suspicious Minds or Love Me Tender,” he said with a big smile.

The Deputy Prime Minister had only praise for the Parkes Shire Council singling it out as a “real can do council”.

The library and Cooke Park projects are both being built by Matthew Steventon from Cabonne Constructions in Molong after his company won both tenders.

A 12-year-old Parkes photographer has made sure to add some local flavour to the prestigious David Malin Awards for astrophotography.

Ella Harbidge took out the Photo Editor’s Pick award in the junior category for her picture titled, “Always Look Up”, while Mark Polsen from Eaglehawk, Victoria was named the overall winner during last Saturday’s special online presentation of the Central West Astronomical Society’s annual event.

The first-time overall winner’s evocative nightscape image is titled “Tranquillity Base” and has it all according to world renowned astrophotographer Dr David Malin, who judged the entries. “A perfect setting, under a beautiful sky with the moon and Venus peeping through the trees,” said David of the image that Mark took 30 minutes after sunset.

“I am just blown away by everything I saw and love everyone’s work.Thank you so much for the acknowledgement of my work,” said Mark.

“The competition gets harder to judge every year, as the entrants polish their skills to reveal more and more of the universe around us, with beautiful, scientifically informative images,” said David.

The 253 entries received from every state and territory is above average for the 17th anniversary of the competition. “The high quality of the images is a testament to the outstanding skills and talents of Australian astrophotographers”, said AstroFest organiser John Sarkissian.

He was very excited that the winners this year included the first ever category win for a woman. Belinda Wickens won the Animation – Aesthetic category, and also com- posed and sang the music for her stop motion video.

At the official opening of the newly refurbished Cheney Park amenities block on Wednesday, Parkes received the good news that the community would receive a further $1.6 million in NSW Government funding for other projects in the Shire.

Deputy Premier John Barilaro joined Parkes Mayor Ken Keith OAM and Sam Farraway MLC at the multi-purpose amenities block at Cheney Oval for a ribbon cutting ceremony when he made the announcement.

“Today I can announce another $1.6 million, through the NSW Government’s Resources for Regions Fund, to build and upgrade many more projects across Parkes.” He said Parkes would not have to compete for the money, and it would be allocated on an annual basis.

Nationals NSW Upper House MP, Sam Farraway said the funding was a result of the NSW Government’s revamped Resources for Regions program giving local towns and communities embedded in the mining industry a guaranteed fairer share of funding. Parkes is one of 24 eligible Local Government Areas to benefit from the fund.

The refurbishment of the Cheney Park amenities block was jointly funded with $200,000 from the Regional Growth Fund, matched by $200,00 from Parkes Shire Council and a $20,000 contribution from the Parkes Touch Football Association.

There has been a recent spike in opportunistic thefts and the Parkes Police are urging residents to lock their vehicles and secure their possessions. “Lock your vehicles,” is the simple message from the Officer in charge of Parkes Police, Chief Inspector Dave Cooper.

He said recent incidents had been very opportunistic in nature with offenders checking cars parked on the street or in driveways. “If they are unlocked, they enter the vehicles and will steal anything of value. If the cars are locked, they move on. The same principle applies with items left unattended in the front yard or veranda. If it’s easy to grab, these offenders may target it. If it’s locked away, they won’t get the chance.”

The Chief Inspector said that unfortunately the days of leaving cars and homes unlocked because of our laid-back country lifestyle were over. “We need to make it harder for offenders.”

The Police will be increasing proactive patrols in response, but they cannot be everywhere. “We are calling on our community to do their bit and lock up.”

If you’ve never picked up a paint brush it does not mean you cannot join the Parkes Painting Group.

After three months of lockdown, the group has been back at Northparkes Oval on Wednesdays from 10am for a day of painting and sharing.

“We are a happy, friendly group doing our own thing, but enjoying the company of others when painting,” said re-elected president, Kim Chambers.

Annette Witherow said the best part of being a member was learning from other painters and their experiences as they all used different mediums.

At its recent inaugural annual general meeting as a newly established incorporated club, all the outgoing office bearers were re-elected with the secretary position going to Annette Whitherow, treasurer to Di Hutchins and publicity to Helen Huntly.

The group became incorporated in order to be able to apply for grants, and they have already been successful with their first application from the Northparkes Community Investment Program.

“We will use the grant as prize money for an Elvis Art Exhibition in combination with the Parkes Camera Club annual exhibition at the festival,” said Kim.

The group had to cancel their annual exhibition because of COVID-19, and are hopeful the Elvis exhibition would be able to go ahead.

The Parkes Painting Group also organise workshops with well-known artists from out of town for members, but has not been able to this year so far. They are just happy to be able to be back as a group.

The condition of East Street where it crosses the railway line and creek has deteriorated vastly over recent years, but not for much longer. The Parkes Shire received a cash injection of over $3.5 million for the rehabilitation of East Street and to upgrade and seal Cookamidgera Road.

The scope of the East Street project of $2.2 million includes a new bridge and culvert structure, replacing failing units, formalising a drainage channel to improve flow conditions, kerbs and gutters to improve drainage, widening of the narrow pavement and rehabilitation, and relocation of four water mains and sewer main.

The Cookamidgera Road project, totalling $1.3 million involves the sealing of 1.3km of an existing unsealed road, improving safety on substandard bends and crest reconstruction. The project also includes a concrete causeway reconstruction through high volume waterway mitigating the damage caused by flooding.

“I know regional and rural residents rely on roads much more than our city counterparts, which is why I took our fight to the Cabinet table to deliver for residents in the Parkes Shire,” said Riverina MP, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development Michael McCormack.

“Parkes Council submitted a shortlist of projects which they deemed as shovel ready and from there I have worked tirelessly in my role as Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development along with NSW Minister for Regional Transport and Roads Paul Toole to ensure our regional roads receive the funding they deserve.”

NSW Nationals Upper House MP Sam Farraway said: “We’re turbocharging this funding to ensure we create jobs and create better journeys on the roads that really matter to local communities, in what has been a difficult period for all.”

As the COVID-19 pandemic has proved to us all how important kindness is, here is an opportunity to show some compassion for others.

Share the Dignity works to make a real difference in the lives of women and girls experiencing homelessness, fleeing domestic violence or doing it tough, through distributing sanitary items. A call has been made for the Parkes community to help out.

Share the Dignity is looking for more volunteers to help collect, count and distribute sanitary products to local charities to help combat period poverty with the upcoming August Dignity Drive.

Rochelle Courtney, Share the Dignity’s Founder says that with the increase in period poverty the charity needs help on the ground to bring the Dignity Drive to life.

“At Share the Dignity, our volunteers are called ‘Sheroes’ and ‘Heroes’; they are the heart and soul of our organisation. We simply couldn’t do it without them. They volunteer their time to help women and girls dealing with period poverty in their local communities, delivering the products such as pads, tampons and menstrual cups to local charities. Every woman in Australia deserves to be able to manage their period with dignity.”

For more information on how to become a volunteer, visit their website at www.sharethedignity.com.au