Four cultural groups from across the Parkes Shire have been successful in their application in the 2017 Parkes Shire Council Cultural Grant Program.

The objectives of the Program are to stimulate community cultural activity, encourage creative and innovative cultural activity, as- sist in the development of skills and abilities and enhance cultural facilities and commu- nity awareness of the importance of culture.

Eight applications to the 2017 program were received reports Shellie Buckle, Man- ager Cultural, Education & Library Services.

“The Parkes Shire Education, Cultural and Library Services Committee received a variety of applications from across the Shire. The total funding pool for the grants is $9,800. A total of $21,632 was applied for” said Shellie. The Grant Program recipients were announced at the Parkes Shire Coun- cil meeting 27 June 2017.
• Peak Hill Leisure Art and Craft Council Inc – Tutoring for Art Group – $2,000
• Parkes Action Club Inc – St Elmo Shearing Shed Art Exhibition – $2,110
• Trundle Film Society – Being on High Ground (video production) – $3,690
• Parkes/Forbes Branch Cake Decora- tors Guild of NSW Inc. – Cake decorating and sugar art seminar – $2,000 Education, Cultural and Library Services Committee Chair, Deputy Mayor Councillor Barbara Newton, said selecting the successful applicants was a difficult task.

“The Committee are thrilled to be funding a range of cultural endeavours this year. The St Elmo Shearing Shed art exhibition and Being on Higher Ground social history video production at Trundle are exciting new projects for the Shire, while the cake decorating and painting workshops will continue to add to the skills of local artists. Congratulations to the successful applicants” said

Deputy Mayor Newton.

If you have ever wondered what being a Girl Guide is all about, then come along to the Guide Hall in Cecile St on the 15th July between 10am and 2.00pm and we will hopefully provide you with such interesting information that your daughters will want to join us.

Guiding has been a tradition in Parkes for nearly 75 years, and has provided both young girls and women with the skills and knowledge that has seen them achieve success in many fields of their everyday lives, as well as giving life-long friendships filled with fun along the way.

Guiding has moved with the times, and while knot tying and camping skills are still relevant today, there are many new and exciting avenues to explore such as geo- caching, abseiling, and canoeing, to name a few. And of course, there are the Jam- borees to look forward to, as well as doing community events throughout the town.

The “Drop in and Try” at the hall will have outdoor cooking, craft work, an obstacle course, games and many more things on offer.

Girls between the ages of five and eighteen can be a Girl Guide. Adults aren’t being left out either, as there is always room for leaders and helpers, no matter how much or how little time you can give. Even if you live in Forbes you are most welcome to join the Parkes girls in their weekly meetings.

Come along, have a peek at what the Guides do, and who knows, maybe you’ll like us enough to join – we hope so!

By Sue Stibbard

Parkes had its very own Block Party at Furniture One on Saturday when a few hundred people turned up to meet celebrities from the popular TV program.

“We are big fans and watched every episode with Jess and Ayden Hogan,” said 11-year-old Toby Field who came with his mum.

Jess and Ayden from the Gold Coast, who were on the program two years ago, were in store to meet people. “It’s been very suc- cessful today with lots of people coming to say hi, and we even helped to sell some furniture,” said Jess.

The couple said most people asked them about their experience on The Block. They said apart from being an incredible experience, it gave them a huge financial boost. They were not very keen to take part, but were convinced by Ayden’s mother to go for it with a promise she would look after their two young children.

Today, apart from doing their day time jobs, they are also ambassadors for several brands which involves travelling to many different places, and they do a lot of charity events. Jess works in sales and marketing for her family’s woodturning business, and Ayden is working for a building company.

They are very excited to have just about completed building their own home and hope to have moved in by the end of the year.

He’s done it again! Forbes butcher Shannon Bermingham’s hot and spicy sausages took out the top prize in the continental category at the regional Sausage King competition last week.

Shannon, well known to locals, also placed third in the continental category with German bratwurst, and third in the Traditional Australian Beef category with his Aussie beef snags.

Shannon has been a butcher for 23 years. “The Sausage King competition is great for small business to showcase our produce. We are very proud of our success in the event over the past several years,” he said.

The judges described Shannon’s hot and spicy sausages as having great taste and appearance. The good news is that they are available at Forbes Central Butchery for people to buy and try themselves!

Drop in and see Shannon and his team between 7.30am and 5pm Monday to Friday.

Parkes Shire Council would like to remind residents that even in the middle of winter, cutting back on water use not only saves water but also saves energy, money and the environment.

To help Parkes Shire residents learn more about how they can be water wise all year round, Council has joined the Smart Water Advice website service. “These resources have been compiled by industry professionals and are an excellent place to start when look- ing for ways to save water in and around your home, garden and at work,” said Andrew Francis, Council’s Director Infrastructure.

“Small every day actions around the home and work place add up to big water savings overall, and will go a long way to help ensure our water supply is preserved coming into the warmer months,” Andrew said.

The Smart Water Advice website has a number of resources that can be used and downloaded by Council staff, businesses and resi- dents. It can be accessed via Councils website.

Regional Express passengers arriving at Parkes Regional Airport were recently met with the full suite of emergency service personnel busy with a training exercise.

Forty members of the Parkes Shire Emergency Services were on deck at the airport terminal building for ‘Dusty”. The drill examined the emergency response procedures, their application and asset recovery operations relating to an incident occurring at the airport.

Members of the NSW Police Service, Fire & Rescue NSW, Rural Fire Service, Parkes SES Unit, Ambulance, the Regional Emer- gency Management Officer and Parkes Shire Council’s Airport staff worked together in the mock crash simulation, to effectively respond to and manage the situation.

With the valuable assistance from Parkes Aero Club member, Wade McConnell, the exercise was a simulation of a crop dusting plane loaded with chemicals, which had sustained damage causing the chemicals to leak. After lifting off, wind sheer affected the operation of the plane and it crashed in the vicinity of the runway. The pilot was injured within the plane and required extraction. The participants had to secure the site, command, control and co-ordinate the situ- ation, manage the weather conditions, contain the hazardous chemicals, and treat the casualty.