The Parkes Solar Farm stopped work on Tuesday to join approximately 50,000 Bouygues Construction employees, temporary workers and subcontractors around the world for the company’s annual health and safety day.

Guest speaker Nigel Smith, representing icare and the Australian Paralympic Committee, related his story of when he worked in Newcastle and got caught in a chain con- veyor at the age of 25 and lost a leg as a result.

It brought a dramatic change in his life – as a very active and keen sportsperson before the accident, he became angry and felt sorry for himself after the accident.

He eventually started playing social volleyball and in 2000 he represented Australia at the Paralympics in Australia. “Words don’t come easy to express what I felt. It was one of the proudest moments of my life repre- senting my country in my country. It was just the most phenomenal experience.”

Nigel’s message was that workers should always be looking out for each other, as the impact of a major injury on your own life and others around you, is very hard to deal with. He said even someone who had just witnessed an accident could be severely affected.

Wiradjuri elder Rob Clegg who did the welcome to country, had the same message for the 70 odd workers saying family always comes first, and “at work your fellow workers are your family”.

“In the Wiradjuri culture we take care of self and others, we have been here for thou- sands of years and we are still healthy.”

More than ten Parkes members of the Mitchell Conservatorium’s Lachlan Regional Orchestra embarked on a musical adventure with the Sydney Youth Orchestra (SYO) in Dubbo recenlty. It was an adventure designed to encourage, challenge and grow the local musicians.

Members attended workshops with the Peter Seymour Orchestra and the Sydney Youth Orchestra Wind Ensemble, which are two branches of the SYO over two days. They worked on performance pieces with the SYO members. The end result was a combined concert with the SYO to treat the audience with a performance that was excit- ing and filled with enjoyment – both for the audience and the orchestras.

This event was not just valuable for the chance it provided for participants to perform with SYO kids, but more importantly, it was a wonderful opportunity to grow in the skills necessary for playing together with other musicians.

Playing in groups such as the Lachlan Regional Orchestra, the Parkes Shire Band and the Forbes Shire Band gives young musicians the chance to develop maturity in areas such as:

Lateral ligament sprains of the ankle are one of the most common sports injuries and because they are so common they are often managed too casually and many go untreated. From a clinical point of view the problem with a lateral ligament sprain of the ankle is that they have a very high inci- dence of recurrence. Gribble et al, 2016, Attenborough et al, 2015 and Tanen et al, 2014 (references can be supplied upon request), found 30-50% of the athletic population and 20% of the general population will go on to suffer from chronic ankle symptoms. These symptoms are often referred to as chronic ankle instability and include pain, swelling, laxity and instability.

The contributing factors to the development of chronic ankle instability include; Not seeking medical attention for the pri- mary lateral ankle sprain and return to sport when pain has decreased but function has not been fully restored. The absence of pain does not mean that you are ready to return to sport. Decreases in strength, range of movement, proprioception and balance need to be restored. Doherty et al, 2016 found that exercise therapy when performed in high doses (5 x 30 mins per week for 6 weeks) reduced the chances of recurrent lateral ligament sprains in the an- kle by 42% and bracing/taping reduced the risk by 62%. It is currently recommended that you brace or tape your ankle for every game and training session for at least 6 weeks.

The decision to return to sport after a lateral ligament sprain should be based on strength, balance and hop tests rather than time or absence of pain.

For the fitness of you

Linda Reilly

All he ever wanted to be was a train driver, but at 54 he has become the unofficial ambassador for the Australian railway.

Parkes resident Bernie Baker is not only the star of Australian Railroad, the highest rating local series in the Discovery Channel’s history, but also can’t keep up with the Facebook friend requests streaming in.

“It is hard work being popular,” said Bernie who had over 800 requests since the second series went on air four weeks ago.

Bernie has taken me to his favourite loco-motive, a 1951 Streamliner, and standing in the crisp winter sun he is quick to point out “I just take it all in my stride. It is quite surreal at times,” he says having a giggle about some of the ‘requests’ he gets from women.

“I used to live a nomadic lifestyle working all over the country and loving parties, but I met my wife in Parkes and we have three kids – it’s the best thing that has ever happened to me.”

The same passion for the railway that has made him such a popular character in the first series, drives him and his devotion to Parkes. “I love the town so much I want to be the Mayor.”

But Bernie nearly did not make it into the railway. Growing up “down south in Mexico”, all he ever wanted to do was to follow in his father’s footsteps. “I could not get through school quick enough, but they did not want me at first because I was wearing glasses. So I joined the army.”

He did realise his dream and Bernie remembers his starting date on 28th December 1982 very clearly. “Who starts a new job between Christmas and New Year?” When a friend showed him 34 years later they were looking for volunteer train drivers for the Railroad Australia program, his love of trains was still pumping strongly in his blood.

According to Kermit the frog it’s not easy being green, but for the participants of the Green Army it certainly is rewarding.

The latest Green Army crew had a graduation ceremony at the Central West Lachlan Landcare (CWLL) office in Parkes on Tuesday. The hardworking participants have spent the last 20 weeks working on biodiversity projects in the Parkes and Forbes Shires, including the Gum Swamp Painted Snipe Project and the Central West Livestock Exchange.

Green Army graduate Kyasha Palmer loved the experience. “I really liked the team environment, and also getting out there and helping the actual environment.”

Green Army Supervisor Guy Bennet said the participants had developed some valuable skills during the program. “We do a lot for the environment, but it’s more about what they get out of it, where they improve and what they’ve come from,” he said.

Mayor Graeme Miller congratulated the graduates for their efforts. “It’s great to see young people being given this opportunity. I wish them all well in their endeavours in the workforce.”

The CWLL team are looking for local land-holders who have projects that would be suitable for the next Green Army program. Contact Marg Applebee on 68624914 for more information.

By Raen Fraser

Visitors from all over the state will converge on Parkes this weekend for the social event of the year – the annual Parkes Coragdery and Diggers Picnic Races.

With catered marquees, live music from One Non Blond, full bar and TAB facilities and good weather, it promises to be a great day at the Parkes Racecourse on Eugowra Road.

New floodlighting has been installed at Jock Colley Field at Pioneer Oval to increase the use of the field for night time matches.

The oval is part of Parkes’ largest sporting precinct, including Northparkes and Spicer Ovals, and is home to Rugby League. The club has 75 senior and 150 junior players, and it is hoped the new lighting would enable the sport to continue to grow and attract larger competitions, carnivals and professional grade games to Parkes.

The new lighting has replaced second- hand lights from Parramatta Stadium in- stalled over ten years ago. The venue will now also be available for other sports that require the use of floodlit grounds.

The Department of Industry Lands and Forestry contributed $29,000 towards the $70,000 project under the Public Reserves Management Fund Program.

Minister for Lands and Forestry Paul Toole said at the official launch on Monday: “This facility is so important not just to the Parkes community, but to regional NSW as well, and it’s great to see the commitment of the community and the Government enhancing and preserving Jock Colley Field.”