Eighty former Parkes High School students and their partners will be returning this weekend 11-13 September to celebrate 50 years since completing Year 10. The students attended Parkes High School between the years 1973 (Yr 7), 1976 (Yr 10 – 50 yrs) and 1978 (Yr 12).

Ex-students will be travelling from interstate and locally to attend. Some students travelling over 1,000 km from Mackay, Qld and Somerset, Tasmania to renew old friendships. Memories of those “good old school days” will no doubt be recalled.

The reunion is being organised by locals Rodney and Jennie Barnes, Kym Hodges, Tony Jackson, Debbie Miles and Doug Miller.

Social drinks and an informal get together will take place from 5:30pm Friday night at the Railway Hotel. The main function will be held at the Parkes Bowling and Sports Club from 5pm on Saturday evening. A roll call will occur at 6pm. There will be a memorabilia display with photos, old school uniforms and music from the 70’s and 80’s. A brunch and farewell will follow at Parkes Bowling & Sports Club from 10am on the Sunday.

Reunion gatherings have previously been held on six occasions, coinciding with 1983 Parkes Centenary celebrations for whole of school, 2006 75th Anniversary of Education at the current site, 2011 Parkes High School 80th birthday, along with era specific reunions in 1999 and 2016.

Historical Facts:

• 1973 saw a record Year 7 intake of 204 students.

• School Leaders in 1978 were Captains: Debbie Gosper (Miles) & Stephen Reilly. Vice Captains were Mark Chew, Peter Umbers & Sue Fryer (Thomas).

• Dux of the School 1978 was Joy Onley.

• Principals during the time were Mr John Byrom 1973-1976 and Mr Mervyn Eyles 1977-1978

There’s something special about a community coming together to celebrate the people, produce and passion that make it unique.

This spring, Dirty Gloves Nursery invites you to experience exactly that at its Harvest & Handmade event on Sunday, 6 September, from 10am to 3pm at 54 Corcoran Road, Parkes.

Harvest & Handmade is a celebration of local creativity and country hospitality. Wander through the nursery and discover an incredible collection of exhibitors, including Capped Cakes, 100% Pallets, C&S Stockfeeds, Posh Knots, Micki Moo, Westview Chickens & Eggs, and many more, offering everything from handmade gifts and home décor to delicious treats and fresh local produce.

The Corcoran Road Kidz Corner will be buzzing with activities, alongside a jumping castle to keep little adventurers entertained.

Food lovers can learn the art of breadmaking at the Sourdough with Kath Workshop, while gardening enthusiasts won’t want to miss Gardening 101 with local legends Faye Blackstock and Jade Wright, sharing practical tips to help every garden thrive.

Adding to the community spirit, the Wingz4Kids Fundraising BBQ offers the perfect opportunity to enjoy a classic barbecue while supporting a wonderful local cause.

Support local, make memories, and celebrate the season with Dirty Gloves Nursery.

Parents, carers and grandparents of young children are invited to attend one of two free online workshops being held next week to provide important safety information about child car seats.

The workshops are being conducted by Parkes, Forbes and Lachlan Shire Councils in partnership with Transport for NSW. They will be held online via Microsoft Teams, on Tuesday 8 September at 11am and again at 7pm, and will run for about an hour.

The Council’s Road Safety and Injury Prevention Officer, Melanie Suitor, said the correct selection, installation and adjustment of child car seats is vital to ensure children’s safety when travelling in vehicles.

“The workshop will cover the National Child Restraint Laws, types of child car seats available, correct installation and adjustment, when to move to the next car seat, accessories, tips for secondhand car seats and much more.

“It will be a great refresher for grandparents, as child car seats and the rules have changed a lot since they had their children, but also for parents and carers as they are navigating their way through their child or children’s growth.

“Local checking day events show that around 80% of the child car seats we checked were incorrectly installed. Transport for NSW research shows that children who are not restrained correctly are seven times more likely to sustain life-threatening injuries in a crash than those who are properly secured” said Ms Suitor.

To book your place, use this link: https://bit.ly/WkshopRego visit the event listing on the Council’s Facebook pages or call Ms Suitor on (02) 6861 2364.

Sr Florence Kinsela, or “Flo” as she is affectionately known, recently celebrated her 103rd birthday with a lovely afternoon tea surrounded by friends and family at the Southern Cross Village in Parkes on 28 August.

Born in Parkes, or possibly Manildra, Flo has called Parkes home her whole life and she says “I’ve got a good family here.”

Very fond of her family, Flo is said to have had a great relationship with her sisters. Nephew David White spoke of being the eldest nephew of around 18 nieces and nephews, some of whom had travelled up from Sydney, the South Coast and even as far as Melbourne to help celebrate with Flo.

Flo left school and helped out at the convent until becoming a nun at the age of 17 and has dedicated her entire life to helping others since then. In fact, Sister Florence Kinsela is the oldest living nun from the Sisters of Mercy College.

By all accounts, Flo is well travelled and is a fantastic cook, spending a lot of time in Broken Hill, Wilcannia and Sans Souci, where her main duties were cooking and ordering food for the boarding students that they looked after. Her favorite place is said to be Wilcannia, where she spent a lot of time and developed a great relationship to the indigenous people. When Flo celebrated her 100th birthday her pride of joy on the day was a card that she received from the people of Wilcannia that she was so fond of.

Flo is an amazing lady and still keeps herself as busy as can be even at 103.