General Interest Archives - Page 32 of 351

Creating A Welcoming Space At Buddy Boy Kitchen Parkes

July 31, 2025 By Roxane Manley

At Buddy Boy Kitchen Parkes, we believe that dining is about more than just food—it’s about the experience. Since our opening in April 2025, we’ve been dedicated to providing a space where locals and visitors alike can gather, connect, and enjoy a meal in a relaxed setting.

Our restaurant offers a warm and inviting atmosphere, with soft lighting and comfortable seating that encourages conversation and camaraderie. Whether you’re meeting friends for a casual dinner or enjoying a quiet breakfast alone, we strive to make everyone feel at home.

“We wanted to create a place where people feel welcome,” says CEO Liam Kelly. “It’s important to us that our guests, whether they are locals or outof-towners, can try new flavours whilst relaxing and enjoying their time here.”

Open for breakfast from 6:30am and dinner from 5:30pm, Monday to Saturday, Buddy Boy Kitchen Parkes is here to offer a pleasant dining experience for all. We look forward to welcoming you soon. To make a reservation, visit buddyboykitchen.com.au or call (02) 6862 5222.

Push For Inquiry Into Energy From Waste Projects

July 31, 2025 By Roxane Manley

The Mayor of Parkes Shire, Neil Westcott, has expressed strong support for the NSW Nationals’ push to establish another Parliamentary inquiry into Energy-from-Waste.

The previous 2017 inquiry, which included participation from the current Environment Minister Hon. Penny Sharpe MLC along with representatives from the Greens and Liberals, led to several recommendations. One of the recommendations was for the Chief Scientist and Engineer to ensure that international best practices were followed in Energy-from-Waste initiatives, which was addressed in the subsequent Chief Scientists report. However, many of these recommendations appear to remain unaddressed.

The Mayor said; “While the 2017 inquiry provided a foundation, there remains important questions that are yet to be fully addressed. A renewed Parliamentary inquiry could help clarify these issues and provide the transparency our community is seeking.”

Mayor Westcott has raised the question about the rationale behind the proposed location of Energy-from-Waste facilities and that it needs to be clearly explained to the community. Further, Mayor Westcott applauded Geoff Rice’s call for respectful debate which was timely and necessary. “Whether someone holds a different opinion on EfW or simply is not ready to form a view at this stage, that position deserves to be respected. People should feel safe to ask questions, seek information and take the time they need to understand the issue without fear of judgement or pressure.”

To view all correspondence with the State Government on the concerns of Parkes Shire Council regarding this development, please visit https://www.parkes.nsw.gov.au/Council/News-mediaand-projects/Projects-and-works/Energy-From-Waste-Facility and refer to the State Liaison section.

Parkes Clean Future Alliance Community Information Night

July 24, 2025 By Roxane Manley

The Parkes Clean Future Alliance (PCFA) is a local, community-led group that formed in April 2025 in response to the proposed (EfW) incinerator in the Parkes Special Activation Precinct which plans to incinerate 600,000 tonnes of red bin waste from Sydney per year right here in Parkes.

The Parkes Clean Future Alliance consists of farmers, business owners, professionals and residents, who are all concerned about the long-term health, environmental, agricultural and economic impacts of the proposed Energy-from-Waste project. Their goal as a committee is to inform the community, demand transparency, and advocate for better, safer alternatives.

The PCFA are hosting a free Community Information Night to be held at the Parkes Leagues Club on Saturday 26 July. Doors will open at 5:45pm and the event is for anyone who wants to try and understand what the Energy-from-Waste proposal really means for Parkes, our farms, environment, health and future.

Guest speakers on the night will include qualified professionals in health, science, agriculture, and policy who understand the risks of incineration. Dr Amanda Cohn MLC and Chris Hanson, a Chemical Engineer, will provide key insights, along with local farmer Geoff Rice and regenerative agriculture specialist Bruce Maynard.

Community presence will send a powerful message, and everyone is encouraged to attend. This is your chance to get the facts, ask questions, and stand together.

”We need to be the voice for the future of Parkes” said event organiser Ben Stead.

Complacency Is One Of Agriculture’s Most Dangerous Habits

July 24, 2025 By Roxane Manley

We’ve all heard it. We’ve all said it. “It’s fine, I’ve done it a hundred times before.” As National Farm Safety Week continues, Farmsafe Australia is turning its attention to one of the most stubborn, and underestimated, risks in agriculture: complacency.

Farmsafe Chair Felicity Richards says complacency often doesn’t look like a risk at all because it wears the mask of routine, experience, and efficiency.

“Complacency isn’t about being careless,” says Richards. “It’s about being too comfortable. Too familiar. Too confident that things will go as they always have. And that’s when the cracks start to show.”

This year’s Safer Farms Report shows the confronting truth: despite new tech, better gear and more awareness, serious injuries and near misses are not going down.

In 2024, 72 people lost their lives on Australian farms which is more than double the year before, and the highest fatality figure in over two decades.

Many of those incidents involved common, everyday jobs; moving vehicles and equipment, operating tractors, handling stock. “These aren’t extreme, one-in-a-million scenarios,” says Richards. “They’re ordinary jobs. The kind we do all the time. And that’s exactly what makes them dangerous.”

Toy Themed Exhibition Sparks Creativity

July 24, 2025 By Roxane Manley

Parkes Shire’s annual Waste 2 Art Exhibition and Competition officially opened on Saturday 28 June at the Parkes Library and Cultural Centre, with over 100 attendees joining Mayor Cr Neil Westcott to celebrate 79 imaginative entries from across the region.

Waste 2 Art is open to all residents of the NetWaste region and showcases creative works made from reused waste materials.

The aim is to challenge peoples’ perceptions about ‘rubbish’ and to celebrate the reuse and recycling of waste through arts and crafts.

Waste 2 Art provides an innovative approach to waste education, and invites individuals, schools, and community groups to take up the challenge to create a new life for materials that would otherwise have been thrown away or considered useless.

This year’s theme – Toys – encouraged participants to explore how discarded or pre-loved toys can be reinvented, repaired, or repurposed into powerful visual statements. Many works delivered strong environmental messages, highlighting the role we can each play in reducing landfill by repairing, reusing, and sharing.

The exhibition will remain on display until Thursday 31 July, after which winning works will progress to the Waste 2 Art Regional Showcase in Dubbo.

“To everyone who contributed, congratulations,” said Mayor Neil Westcott. “This exhibition is a wonderful celebration of creativity, talent, and commitment to sustainability in our community.”

We thank all artists, schools, and community groups who participated in this year’s competition. Your creativity and passion are helping to raise awareness about sustainability and the importance of giving waste a second life. We encourage everyone to get involved again next year.

The W2A theme for 2026 will be officially announced at the Regional Waste 2 Art opening which will be on Saturday 27 September at the Western Plains Cultural Centre, Dubbo – and everyone is invited to attend.

Vampire Aircraft On Display At HARS Parkes Aviation Museum

July 24, 2025 By Roxane Manley

A de Havilland Vampire dual seat version on display at the HARS Parkes Aviation Museum.

The Forbes Vampire, ‘the aircraft on a pole by the lake’ is a much loved icon for Forbes and attracts aviation enthusiasts travelling the Newell Highway, to see the aircraft.

The aircraft has recently been refurbished and restored to its former glory by Forbes Council and volunteers from the town.

Now, there is a de Havilland Vampire dual seat version on display at the HARS Parkes Aviation Museum, that you can get up close to and learn about the history and development of this unique aircraft.

The Vampire flew at the end of WW2 and adopted the design influence of the de Havilland Mosquito the ‘Wooden Wonder’ that the fuselage pod is constructed of timber.

This design was enormously strong but it was not destined to survive for so long outside. This feature was the subject of the restoration of the Forbes Vampire.

The Museum has over 15 aircraft on display that range from a 4 engine Orion surveillance aircraft that took part in the search for MH370 to a replica of the Red Baron WW1 German fighter and aircraft engines from early jet trainers to a Boeing 747.

Should you have an interest in aviation, preserving history, hands on restorations or tour guiding and would like to volunteer, you can call the museum or speak to any one of our volunteers on duty about the opportunity.

The HARS Parkes Aviation Museum is open from 9.30am to 3.30pm on Thursdays and Sundays. Admission is only $30 for a family of 4, adults $15, children under 16 $5. Eftpos is also available. For more information call Mike on 0418 473 175.

Continued Development Of New Wetlands Site

July 24, 2025 By Roxane Manley

Parkes Shire Council is progressing with plans to transform Parkes’ former wastewater treatment ponds into a biodiverse, naturalistic landscape that will provide recreational, environmental, and cultural value to our community.

Jointly funded by Council and the Commonwealth Government, this exciting project will result in an aquatic boardwalk, two purpose-built bird hides, public art installations, interpretive signage, extensive revegetation, and engineered habitats to promote ecological diversity.

These upgrades will build on significant earlier works, which included reshaping the former ponds into a hydrologically diverse wetland system and creating a 2.5-kilometre walking track around the site. Subject to further funding, Council plans to connect this track with Parkes’ existing walkway network, eventually linking it to the track that terminates at Billabong Creek on Eugowra Road.

While the site remains closed to the public until the completion, residents can visit the wetlands on National Tree Day, Sunday 27 July. This annual event, jointly hosted by Parkes Shire Council and Central West Lachlan Landcare, has been held at the wetlands site and surrounding land since 2018.

People interested in participating in National Tree Day are asked to register at www.treeday.planetark.org/

Local Residents Take The Plungeto Fight MND

July 24, 2025 By Roxane Manley

For a decade now, Parkes local Kristy Berry and her extended group of friends and family have been raising funds and awareness for MND through The Big Freeze. For the last nine years the group have taken to Kristy’s family pool, with the family donating for each person brave enough to take the plunge.

Kristy’s grandfather, great grandmother and a cousin all passed away from MND.

Kristy said “I have very vivid memories of what this beast actually puts sufferers through.”

“I mainly wanted to help not only raise money but awareness of MND. Prior to Neale Denier and the AFL starting the Big Freeze 11 years ago, there wasn’t much awareness around MND”.This year Kristy wanted to up the ante, so she spoke to Terri and Tony from The Coachman Hotel and both were on board to get involved, and make a night of it.

“Then we approached Bella Thomson and Sammy Dwyer from the Parkes Spacemen to see if they would take to the ice water, and neither hesitated. We auctioned off a 2025 signed Spacemen Jersey and a framed Saint George photo collage.

The Parkes Spacemen Old Boys held their meat raffles and donated the takings on the night,” said Kristy.

There evening was well supported by the Parkes Spacemen, family, friends and the community. Bella, Sam, John and Tony all took to the iced pool and freezing water was poured over them. It was topped off with the band Hope Held Hostage. An impressive $2,750 was raised and plans are already in place for a bigger event in 2026.

If you want to help you can still donate to the cause by following the link https://support.fightmnd.org.au/s/5655/6228.

John, Tony and Krisy on Friday 11 July at The Coachman Hotel. Tony and John both put their hands up and braved the ice cold.

VRA Rescue NSW Are Recruiting For Volunteers

July 17, 2025 By Roxane Manley

The VRA Rescue NSW is currently recruiting across western NSW in an effort to recruit Volunteers for Squads in the western area as well as a State Rescue Group.

The State Rescue Group will consist of multi-skilled Volunteers from communities across NSW western area.

VRA Rescue NSW, formerly known as the NSW Volunteer Rescue Association, is a volunteer-based organization that provides emergency rescue services across New South Wales, Australia. They are dedicated to community safety and play a vital role in emergency management and response. VRA Rescue NSW affiliates include various rescue squads specializing in different areas like motor vehicle rescue, maritime search and rescue, and wilderness rescue.

VRA Rescue NSW is composed of volunteer members who dedicate their time and skills to assist the community in times of need. They offer a diverse range of rescue services, including motor vehicle accidents, maritime incidents, wilderness and cave searches, and more.

Full training will be provided and no experience is needed. People of ages 18+ are welcome.

VRA Rescue NSW covers Road Crash Rescue, Land Search, Flood Rescue, Vertical Rescue and much more. Whether you are keen to get hands on or want to help behind the scenes, there’s a role for you!

If you live in the western area and you are interested in finding out about becoming a volunteer then you can place an expression of interest by visiting the VRA website www.rescue.org.au

Parkes Artist Wins 2025 Aboriginal Art Prize

July 17, 2025 By Roxane Manley

A painting about domestic violence and a painting about families and western NSW have jointly won the 2025 CatholicCare Wilcannia-Forbes Aboriginal Art Competition. The works of artists Maddison Hull of Parkes and Beverley Moore of Bourke equally impressed the judges, and both entrants have been awarded a $2,000 first prize.

The competition was judged during NAIDOC Week by Bishop Columba MacbethGreen, CatholicCare Wilcannia-Forbes chief executive officer Anne-Marie Mioche and CatholicCare Wilcannia-Forbes director cultural engagement Jane Kemp.

Ms Mioche said the two winning artworks were powerful creative works.

In the artwork More Than Meets The Eye, Maddison Hull’s subject is domestic violence. “The intricate work features an eye, a red handprint and a tree,” Ms Mioche said.

“Writing about her artwork, Ms Hull says the handprint is either lives lost to domestic violence, or to show someone putting up their hand to no longer silence the violence, while the tree is to show the old connection to food, shelter and markers for stories, which survivors rely on to escape safely.

“Ms Hull says when looking at people, we never really know what’s going on until someone either speaks up or it’s too late, and the artwork’s eye shape is to give us an insight into a story we may not see or understand.”

The judges also awarded second prize to two paintings – Corroboree by Sheldon Smith of Bourke, and Connecting to Country, also by Maddison Hull, and they will each receive a $1,500 second prize. Third prize of $500 was won by Mark Curry of Wilcannia with Frog Ponds.

Running for its fourth time, the CatholicCare Wilcannia-Forbes Aboriginal Art Competition attracted 14 entries from across western NSW in 2025.

The social support organisation established the competition in 2019 to generate opportunities and recognition for emerging Aboriginal artists and encourage more entries in 2026

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