The Federal Budget tabled on Tuesday night focused on supporting businesses according to Business NSW, the state’s peak business organisation.

The budget will help businesses to hire new staff, and put money back into the pockets of business owners, to turbo charge the economy as it recovers from the ravages of COVID-19. Treasurer Josh Frydenberg announced an underlying deficit of $213.7 billion, with this expected to improve over the forward estimates to a $66.9 billion deficit.

“This budget will be warmly supported by the business community as we look forward to a more optimistic operating environment in coming months,” said Vicki Seccombe, Regional Manager – Western NSW, Business NSW.

“A suite of job creation and investment measures have been announced. These include investment incentives, an apprentice and trainee subsidy, a wage rebate for employers hiring young people, business tax concessions and ongoing financial support until the unemployment rate reaches six per cent.”

“The focus on job creation and investment is the right one for these times and the government should be commended for listening to the legitimate concerns of the business community when preparing this financial blueprint.”

“The circumstances around this budget are unlike any other since WWII. It’s also easy to forget the huge impact of drought and bushfires which had a jarring impact on our local economy long before the pandemic took hold,” Vicki said.

After the long wait, we will reopen in our newly refurbished premises on Bogan Street on Monday, 12th October. We are looking forward to welcoming you back! Due to COVID-19 restrictions we are un- able to hold an opening party, but we invite you to come in and see what is new! There will be free showbags for the first 100 visitors and all members who borrow will go into the draw to win a fabulous prize.

DURING OUR FIRST WEEK

• join us for a tour of the new space (including behind the scenes)
• visit our information showcases of library programs and services  and unravel the mysteries of our history!
New Parkes Library Hours: 9:30am to 5:30pm Monday to Friday and 9:30 to noon on Saturdays.

HEATHER MORRIS AUTHOR TALK

Thursday, 15th October, 6pm
As part of our opening celebrations we are proud to present an author talk with Heather Morris, bestselling author of ‘The Tattooist of Auschwitz’, ‘Cilka’s Journey’ and most recently ‘Stories of Hope’. Heather is a fascinating storyteller so come along and hear the stories behind her bestselling novels. Limited spaces, bookings required. You can also join in from home, ask library staff for more information. RSVP: 6861 2309, library@parkes.nsw.gov.au

SCHOOL HOLIDAY ACTIVITIES

Join in our fun activities this school holiday:
• BINGO! Get to know My Online Library with eLibrary Family Bingo. A fun game for the whole family! Download from the Library website https://www.parkes.nsw.gov.au/things-to-do/parkes-shire-libraries/whats-happening
• WORD WOK! What do words and a wok have in common? Join us on our Facebook page to find out. All you need is your imagination!

My husband arrived home one day with a tiny speckled wild pig, its legs taped together with electrical tape. He was released into the house yard and a couple of days later, when Ian tried to catch him, he had other ideas.

All of six inches tall, as Ian closed in on him in the corner of the yard, the pig charged at him, teeth bared and snarling viciously. Ian jumped in the air, all 193cm of him and let the pig go. After he’d been caught, de-loused, put in a small cage and fed for a few days, he was easy to handle. We called him Smedley and he became a family pet.

He thought he was a dog and spent time sitting on the back step, waiting for me to come out so he could follow me to the fowl yard to help the chooks eat their tucker, or down the back yard to the long drop toilet. The day I walked into the laundry to find him, for the second time that day, rolling around in a basket of what had been clean wet nappies, he could consider himself a very lucky pig because all I did was yell at him.

As a full-grown pig he was great company and no risk to anyone, but he presented a problem when we were to leave that place. We couldn’t release him into the wild as he wouldn’t have survived, so we took him to Sydney as hams and bacon, much to the disgust of our children. I didn’t know what else to do, and once he was dead he was just meat, wasn’t he? The hams and bacon surely stood us in good stead through some tough times and no-one complained.

By Margaret Irwin

The Parkes Aquatic Centre will open its doors tomorrow with the Mayor asking the community to respect the changes in place to comply with COVID-19 restrictions.

“We are excited that the pools are reopening however please expect some changes and strict guidelines to be put in place as a result of the current COVID-19 pandemic,” said Parkes Shire Mayor Cr Ken Keith OAM.

“We ask that our community and visitors please respect these changes as staff are doing their best to keep the facility a safe place for everyone to enjoy.”

The changes include:
• From Monday to Friday the Parkes Pool will be closed to the public between 1 to 3pm for cleaning sanitisation.
• All visitors will be required to fill out a COVID registration form upon entry.
• Physical distancing measures including restrictions in change rooms and the number of swimmers per lane.
• Throughout the school term, the general public will not be permitted to access the pool when school swimming lessons are taking place.

A weekly timetable and what’s on will be available to ensure the community can stay up to date with changed access hours.

The Learn to Swim program will start on 26th October with registrations now on Council’s website.

Season tickets for the 2020-21 season can be purchased from the Parkes Pool kiosk which will be open from 12noon to 6pm today.

Admission fees will apply in Parkes again this season, while the Peak Hill, Trundle and Tullamore swimming pools will be free. The township pools will open in November with more details and dates to be decided at the next Council meeting.

For additional information, please contact Parkes Aquatic Centre on 6862 6001 or visit Parkes Shire Council website.

The new farming partners Tim and Greg Wright with Matthew Burkitt from Northparkes Mines.

For the past 20 years the CMOC-Northparkes Mines have successfully managed a farming operation built on innovation.

Northparkes has not only received recognition for being a progressive farmer, but is also a reputed leader in innovation in mining.

“Our farming operations are a significant contributor to Northparkes’ positive public perception and social licence to operate,” said Northparkes Managing Director Hubert Lehman in a press release.

“In 2019, we opted to place our farming operations into long fallow for the 2019 winter cropping season. This decision was based on the onset of the drought conditions and the poor rainfall outlook for the year ahead. Following this decision, we conducted an analysis of our current farming arrangements model to identify other opportunities,” said Hubert.

As a result, Northparkes made the decision to pursue a share farming model that would allow them to focus their resources on core business, including the execution of key major capital projects, while still maintaining a farming presence in the community and continuing sustainable farming practices.

Last year also saw the end of the Goodsell Group’s long-term association with Northparkes as their contract concluded in December 2019. Goodsell’s have provided an exceptional service to the Northparkes farming operations since its inception in 1997.

This 23-year partnership saw the introduction of many new farming techniques to the district. “I would like to take this opportunity to publicly acknowledge Scott, Janelle and their team and wish them well with their future endeavours,” said Hubert.

Earlier this year, an Expression of Interest was distributed requesting a proposal. Interested parties were asked to submit a proposed farming plan and commercial framework as part of their Expression of Interest. “Our commercial team conducted a competitive tendering process that included both technical and commercial analysis to identify a suitably skilled and equipped farmer to operate our farming operations.

“I am pleased to announce that the Wright Family Partnership has officially signed a contract to enter into a share farm arrangement with us,” Hubert said. The contract includes the continuation of conservation farming techniques that Northparkes have been modelling their farming enterprise on. The contract will run for two years with the option of a third year. “We are really looking forward to working with the Wright Family Partnership to ensure we are able to continue being a proud miner and farmer,” Hubert said.