A photograph taken at this year’s Elvis Festival in Parkes is a finalist in the Australian Life competition. Elvis Has Left The Building, an action shot taken by Kris Baum, has been chosen as one of 22 finalists from hundreds of photographers for one Australia’s most prestigious photography competitions.

Images by well-known and upcoming photographers portray many facets of life in Australia from diverse cultures to suburbia and the beach.
Some of the other finalists include:
• The Lambs: a family of sheep taking shade under a verandah in country Victoria
• Boy On Bike: a young boy takes his bike through barren landscape in Coober Pedy
• The Secret Handshake: siblings mourn the death of their Lebanese father
• Heaven: a spectacular birthday celebration in a Pakistani restaurant in Rockdale.

The Australian Life finalists will be exhibited in a large-scale exhibition along the St James walkway of Hyde Park from 15th September to 9th October. The winner of the $10,000 Australian Life prize – one of the biggest photography prizes in the country – will be announced at the opening of the exhibition on 15th September.

Parkes Mensland has been outfitting men since 1956! Parkes Mensland is your one–stop shop for all your menswear and accessories from shoes to hats, belts to cufflinks, ties to a watch, a tailored suit to staff and corporate uniforms, and of course school uniforms for the kids. They stock a wide variety of menswear and accessories. They also offer onsite embroidery and vinyl heat press machines for all your corporate, sport and school uniform requirements.

To complete your shopping experience Parkes Mensland can also supply all your trophy and engraving needs. To give customers the convenience they deserve, Parkes Mensland partners with vendors to supply a large range of trophies and designs. For a complete shopping experience visit Parkes Mensland to spoil Dad this coming Father’s Day! Parkes Mensland for Personal Service.

 

If you really want to spoil Dad this Father’s Day, Nangar Gems might just have what you are looking for. R.M. Williams watches, the R.M. Ranger and Town & Country, are on special for only $125, plus you receive a leather bracelet valued at $85 for free. The watches are 100m water resistant, stainless steel, have a day and date indicator and have a screw down crown and back. The total package is valued up to $210.

Father’s Day in Australia is celebrated on the first Sunday in September every year, which coincides with the first Sunday of Spring. It is a celebration honouring fathers and celebrating fatherhood, paternal bonds, and the influence of fathers in society.

Jack Gatto, winner of the Parkes preliminary round of the Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artist Contest, competed in Memphis, US last week for his chance to be crowned the world’s best Elvis tribute artist. Jack represented the Parkes Elvis Festival and competed against 19 other semifinalists from all over the world.

Unfortunately Jack did not make it to the final round, which saw Dwight Icenhower winning the title. He represented the Branson Elvis Festival and received a contract to perform with Legends in Concert, “Elvis Presley – The Album Collection” 60-CD Box Set and a cash prize of US$20, 000. Jack is from Victoria, Australia and started
listening to Elvis because his father played Elvis music around the house. Jack believes it’s important to keep his tribute respectful and entertaining. It is a dream come true to be considered one of the top Elvis Tribute Artists in the world. His favorite Elvis song is “We Can Make the Morning.” Jack won the inaugural Parkes preliminary round of the Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artist Contest in January, where 17 contestants from Australia and New Zealand performed backed by the dynamic eightpiece Elvis In Concert band.

Parkes Elvis Festival Director, Cathy Treasure, said: “We’re excited for Jack and happy that he represented Parkes Elvis Festival in Memphis. This will strengthen the Festival’s US connection and further raise our profile on the International stage.” The worldwide annual search for the Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artist began in 2007 when Elvis Presley Enterprises Inc. announced they were looking for the “best representation of the legacy of Elvis Presley”. Registrations will open soon for the 2017 Parkes preliminary round of the Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artist Contest to be held on 13th January and 14th January at the Parkes Leagues Club. For further details go to www.parkeselvisfestival.com.au.

By Maggi Barnard

Over 500 year 10 students from the Parkes, Forbes and Lachlan Shire Council areas were invited to attend the annual Mock Crash at Parkes PCYC yesterday. The event began with a short film showing the moments leading up to an accident; a car full of teens driving home the morning after a party, the driver misjudged a bend and hit a tree.

The curtains then pulled back to reveal the car wreck, and the students watched as live actors dealt with the aftermath. The driver was the least hurt, and was able to call 000. Ambulance, police and rescue services arrived on the scene. There was one fatality and the surviving passengers suffered life-changing injuries. Video testimonials detailed the impact the accident has had on the survivors, their families and the emergency response crew.

The demonstration offers students a realistic insight into the consequences of a car crash, highlighting both the immediate outcomes and the long-term repercussions. It’s an emotional experience, giving students a unique opportunity to witness a full emergency response. Parkes, Forbes and Lachlan Shire Councils’ Road Safety and Injury Prevention Officer, Logan Dolbel, said the program aimed to improve the attitudes and behaviours of young drivers who were tragically over-represented in road accidents across the state. The Mock Crash is also teamed with a series of pre-lessons as part of the Not A Statistic Youth Driver Education Program. Now in its seventh year, the program has been making an impact since 2009.

By Raen Fraser

Parkes Shire Council is celebrating the Olympics, hosting a banner display to showcase the Shire’s home-grown Olympic heroes. This year we have two local athletes representing Australia in the 2016 Summer Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Mariah Williams (21 years), a former student of Middleton Public School and Parkes High School, competed in her first Olympics with the Hockeyroos. Not only is Mariah one of the youngest on the squad, but she has undergone surgery on both knees. Even though the Hockeyroos didn’t win the gold, Mariah has proved she is a champion.

This year 40-year-old father of three, Scott Westcott has gone from the Northparkes Rotary Fun Run all the way to Rio. Scott spent his childhood running around the family farm in Alectown, and is a former student of Parkes East Primary School and Parkes High School. Although he has put quite a few miles behind him in his marathon career, the 2016 games is his Olympic debut.

Their stories are just two of those featured on the banners in the Parkes Library. Dan Fredericks, the Parkes Library’s Local and Family History Researcher, turned his attention to our Shire’s impressive history of Olympic representation, researching our eight champions to create the Shire’s Olympians display. Our local Olympic history goes back some 64 years; Rex Aubrey was the first Parkes local to represent Australia, making a splash in the 1952 Summer Games in Helsinki, Finland. Nira Windeatt became the first female Olympian from the Parkes Shire when she qualified for the 1976 Games in Montreal, Canada.

The banners provide a glimpse into the athletes’ backgrounds and achievements and Dan hopes that other Parkes Shire residents will be inspired by their accomplishments and sacrifices, which are also detailed in an online blog, www.historyparkes.org.

You can come and see the display at the Parkes Library, where the banners will be for the remainder of the games. If you can’t make it in to Parkes, don’t worry. After the Olympics Games has finished, the display will travel to other locations around the Parkes Shire.

By Raen Fraser

Twenty candidates will be contesting for the ten Parkes Shire Councillor positions in the Local Government Election on Saturday, 10th September. Returning Officer, Geoff Lark, announced the candidates last week and their order on
the ballot for the Parkes Shire. The candidates are Alan Ward (Parkes), Terri Ann Baxter (Trundle), Rosanne Jones (Parkes), Neil Westcott (Alectown), Danny Blakemore (Parkes), Louise O’Leary (Peak Hill), John Sarikissian (Parkes), Barney Thompson (Parkes), Kenny McGrath (Parkes), Kim Ross (Parkes), George Pratt (Parkes), Craig Smith (Parkes), Bill Jayet (Parkes), Barbara Newton (Tullamore), Greg Peterson (Parkes), Conrad Mill (Parkes), Ken Keith (Parkes), Bob Haddin (Cookamidgera), Wally Biles (Parkes) and Patricia Smith (Parkes).

Of the 20 candidates, eight are current councillors. Michael Greenwood and Belinda McCorkell are not standing again. Candidates will spend the next three weeks campaigning to inform the community of the position they wish to present before the state-wide Local Council Elections on 10th September.

The elected councillors will vote for the Mayor and Deputy Mayor at the first Council meeting for the new term on 20th September. Voting is compulsory for all residents of the Parkes Shire who are registered on the electoral roll. Electors enrolled for federal and state elections are automatically enrolled for their local council area.

There is no absentee voting in local government elections. If you are unable to vote on election day, you can vote by either pre-poll or postal.

Voting on 10th September will be between 8am and 6pm with pollings stations at the Alectown Hall, Bogan Gate Public School, Peak Hill, Trundle and Tullamore Central Schools, and in Parkes at Middleton Public School, Assemblies of God Hall, Parkes East Public School, and the Little Theatre. The new council will serve for the next four years. Go to www.votensw.info for more information on the election.