Former Parkes resident Douglas Keith has shown he’s a chip off the old block, carving out success early in his career. The son of Sue and Ken Keith is the recent recipient of two awards for his craftsmanship in fine furniture making.
Douglas moved from the family home in Parkes all the way to Tharwa, an historic village outside of Canberra, in order to pursue his passion for making fine timber furniture.

He was fortunate enough to secure a fouryear apprenticeship with well-respected furniture designer Myles Gostelow. Myles is a master-craftsman specialising in creating beautiful yet functional furniture from Australian hardwood. Myles has had work commissioned by the ACT government and various private clients. His pieces range from chapel furniture, to presentation boxes, to artfully crafted walking sticks.

Douglas is currently in the third year of his apprenticeship with Myles, and was recently named the 2016 NSW/ACT Apprentice of the Year by the Furnishing Industry Association of Australia (FIAA). Aside from the accolades, the Apprentice of the Year is also awarded a $500 cash prize. The apprentices had to provide an example of their recent work as part for the judging process. Douglas submitted a bedside cabinet he had handcrafted from Tasmanian
Blackwood and celery top pine. The cabinet had a smoothly curved door and drawer front, and was made with hand-cut dovetails and mortise and tenons. Recognising his talent, FIAA stated that Douglas demonstrated exceptional skills and that his knowledge of his trade and his commitment for woodwork is clearly evident throughout his project.

Not long after his first win Douglas scored another victory, and was named a recipient of the 2016 John Tiddy Memorial Award. The award was presented at the 2016 Australian Woodworking Industry Suppliers Association (AWISA) Exhibition, which was held in Melbourne in July. The prize included an all-expenses paid trip to the exhibition, plus $2,000 towards his training course fees.
By Raen Fraser

The Forbes Dragon Boat Club (FDBC) has a superb new shed to house its new racing boats. It is no easy feat acquiring a mammoth $28,000 shed when you are a small club with very little funds, but President Bill Thomas has vowed: “While I am president we will build a boat shed!”

Many members took Bill’s promise seriously and helped him to work towards this goal. It was largely thanks to a very dedicated committee and many hours given by Bill Thomas and Claire Davis that the club was able to reach the goal. The first donation of $2,500 came from the Forbes Rugby Club, and once on a roll there was no stopping the FDBC. Claire spent long hours looking for every possible opportunity until MP Andrew Gee came forward with $10,000 through the Community Building Partnership Grant.

Bill approached the Forbes Sports & Recreation Club and it was generously agreed by their board that the shed could be built on land belonging to their club. More money was needed, and the club raised more funds by organising a corporate day and a merchandise stall at the Camel Races to reach the target. It was not the end of the good news when the Forbes Shire Council was looking for a place to store their pedal-boats. In exchange for a spot in the FDBC shed they offered to provide a concrete slab for the building as a wonderful bonus.

The Lachlan Dragons would like to extend our sincere thanks to all those who helped to make this goal a reality. The club would like welcome new members on Sunday at 8:15am and Thursdays at 5:45pm. Our Shed is along the walking track behind the Sport and Recreation Club in Lachlan Street.
By Beth Thomas

Parkes High School students have again achieved great results in the 2016 academic competitions. The elective exams see the children testing their knowledge in a selection of different subjects, such as science, mathematics, writing and technology. Thousands of students participate in the exams across Australia and twenty other countries.

Forty Parkes students participated this year, some in only one, and others in up to six competitions. All students who participate should be congratulated, even if they didn’t win an award. Parkes High received three High Distinctions:
Christopher Cox, Tynan Matthews and Janelle Richards. 16 distinctions: Julia Williams, Janelle Richards, Trefor Robinson, Chris Cox, Madison Bland, Tynan Matthews, Alex Williams, Libby Hoyle, Alley Gaut. 43 credits: Janelle Maranon, Simon Ostler, Julia Williams, Janelle Richards, Meaghan Bedggood, Kaitlyn Leigo, Trefor Robinson, Ethan Pay, Madison Bland, Tynan Matthews, Archie Lickess, Calvin Matthews, Alley Gaut, Bridget Mrak, Libby
Hoyle, Rachel Ostler, Zara Marshall, Chris Cox, Kyah Turnbull.

Employees of CMOC-Northparkes Mines have reached 1,000 hours of volunteering in the community. Northparkes designed its volunteer leave program in 2013 on the principle that the best contribution to the community could be made by its people. Northparkes Manager People, Safety and Environment Angus Wyllie said: “Northparkes
employees have taken ownership of the program; it’s great to see people proactively organising their own volunteer
projects and giving back to the community in which they live and work.”

Recent volunteer work included employees helping to prepare the Parkes and Forbes showgrounds ahead of the annual agricultural shows. Donna Shaw, who coordinated the Parkes showground cleanup, said: “There are a lot of not-for-profit organisations that need help. It makes me feel proud to know I have helped out in some way.”
Eighteen employees and six family members volunteered at the Trundle Bush Tucker day recently. Coordinator Cathy O’Grady said: “I especially like volunteering at Trundle Bush Tucker Day as this is the community that I grew up in; I feel I am giving back to this wonderful little town.”

A group of Northparkes volunteers also helped with sandbagging ahead of the Forbes floods. The mine plans to provide a group of volunteers to assist with the cleanup too. For more information about the Program or to request volunteer support, visit the Northparkes website or Facebook page, or call 6861 3621.

Dozens of residents took advantage of free hearing checks last Friday when the Australian Hearing bus made a stop in Parkes. Australian Hearing now has three busses in their fleet, delivering free hearing checks to remote and regional areas across the country. The tests take just a few minutes, and involve listening to a range of beeps and
whistles and indicating when you can hear them. The softest sounds you can hear are marked on your audiogram.

Hearing impairment is a surprisingly common condition. Hearing naturally deteriorates as we age, but because it is a
gradual change many people don’t realise their hearing is declining. Hearing loss affects 60% of people over the age of 60, and 85% of people who experience hearing difficulties don’t do anything about it. But while hearing health is often overlooked, it is a very important part of life.

While hearing damage is usually permanent, there are a range of aids and products that can help. If you missed the bus, Australian Hearing are running free screenings on the 4th October at Parkes Pharmacy and the 5th of October at Ron Dunford Chemist.

Horses being trucked through town are a fairly common sight in Parkes, but last Friday lunch time some lucky residents caught a glimpse of a steel steed rocking down Clarinda Street en route to Forbes. The sculpture, titled “Balance”, is by Oberon artist Harrie Fasher and is her latest entry into the Forbes Sculpture competition Somewhere Down The Lachlan.

The artwork is a double-ended horse on a rocking base; one end rearing, whilst the opposite end is quietly observing the world. It is constructed from steel rod, and looks like a three-dimensional metal line drawing, which has become Harrie’s signature style. She says the piece examines the divisions of a creative existence. The transportation from Bathurst to Forbes was something of a major operation, Harrie borrowed a large truck from Metaland, a metal fabrication company who supplies her raw materials, and encountered detours due to flooding and road closures. In the end Balance was delivered safely to Forbes, where it awaits judging.

Somewhere Down The Lachlan was launched in 2014, and is a sculpture trail that continues around the lake and along the Lachlan River between Forbes and Condobolin. It is complementary to other large attractions in the Central West including Parkes’ CSIRO Radio Telescope – The Dish, Taronga Western Plains Zoo, ‘Utes in the Paddock’ at Ootha and the Eugowra murals.

Harrie won the 2015 Forbes Sculpture competition with her metal sculpture titled “The Bird and I”, which has become part of the permanent collection in the Forbes sculpture garden. The 2014 Winner was Ingrid V Morley with a sculptural tribute to the former Albion Hotel, which tragically burnt down in 2009.

Unfortunately the official opening of Somewhere Down the Lachlan sculpture trail competition has been postponed as a result of the major flooding in Forbes.

By Raen Fraser

Despite lengthy road detours due to floodwater, more than 90 former Parkes High School students and their partners made the trek back to Parkes last weekend for the 2016 Parkes High School reunion. The former students had attended Parkes High between 1973 and 1978, which is a stretch of some 40 years – give or take a few.

The ex-students came from far and wide to attend the weekend-long event. Some had travelled from as far as Amsterdam, Brisbane, the Gold Coast, Sydney and Canberra to catch up with the many locals who gathered to renew old friendships and reminisce about their school days. The weekend event kicked off with social drinks last Friday night at the Royal Hotel.

The main function was held last Saturday night at the Parkes Sportsman’s Club, where the guests were treated to a trip down memory lane. The room was adorned with memorabilia – including class photos, extracts from the Currajong School Magazines, and school uniforms. A memorial paying tribute to passed students was also on display.

The evening commenced with a roll-call of the 1973 Year 7 class groups. Local Rodney Barnes, a 1978 Prefect, wearing his old school jumper and badge performed the Master of Ceremonies duties. Parkes Town Crier, Mr Tim Keith performed the Welcome to Parkes. Speeches were made by School Captains Debbie Miles (nee Gosper) and
Stephen Reilly. Special fun presentations were also made to the ex students in attendance.

The weekend’s festivities concluded with a family brunch on Sunday morning which was relocated to the Royal Hotel’s beer garden due to weather conditions. The weekend was deemed a great success by all that attended. Many are looking forward to the next reunion, planned for another 5 years time.