Courtney Adams has been welcomed into the professional team of stylists at Charisma Hair Design. She has relocated from Sydney to Parkes to fulfil her dream of living in the country and contributing to the community. Courtney, who comes to Parkes with a wealth of experience, commenced her career in Illawarra in a large well-known salon, Total Bliss Hair and Body Spa, before moving to Bondi Hair in Sydney. At Bondi Hair she had the
opportunity to train with the highly credentialed and award winning Toni & Guy educators to further develop her skills before then moving on to styling hair for people in the entertainment industry.

Courtney prides herself in using the latest colour and styling techniques from the wonderful world of haircare. “I’m looking forward to meeting new people and clients that come into the salon” she said. Charisma Hair Design, owned by Nicole Rosser, has been keeping Parkes styled, curled and coloured for over 13 years. Nicole, who has worked in the UK and attended national and international training opportunities, is passionate about upskilling her staff in the latest techniques and hair fashion. “Charisma has five senior and highly educated stylists as part of our staff with the addition of Courtney” says Nicole;

“Our staff now comprise of Amber Allen, Kayla Tulloch, Courtney Adams, myself and Bree Hunter.” Charisma Hair Design offers precision cutting for men and women in the latest techniques, the latest colour fashions as well as red carpet up styles including debutant fashion styles. If you fancy a change of hair style, want a new colour or just want your hair made beautiful for the day come in and see the team at 253 Clarinda Street or give them a call to book your appointment on 6862 3798.

By Maggi Barnard

The ‘Free Cuppa for the Driver’ scheme for motorists travelling through the western and south western regions of NSW has been launched thanks to 18 councils. The initiative, which aims to combat driver fatigue, has also enlisted the help of 62 participating businesses who will offer a free hot drink to drivers in Bathurst, Blayney, Cabonne, Forbes, Orange, Parkes and more. Charlie Pecenka,

Manager of Parkes Coffee Pot, also spoke at the launch; “We’re involved because of the goodwill it promote for our business and the build-up of our customer base. Really, what is the cost of a cuppa if it saves someone’s life?” Fatigue crashes accountfor over 12% of crashes in the council areas over the last 5 years. Since its inception in 2010, more than 3,500 free cuppas have been given away in over 50 cities. For more information please contact Parkes, Forbes and Lachlan Shire Councils’ Road Safety and Injury Prevention Officer, Melanie Suitor on 6861 2364.

Two roles have been advertised in Parkes to help deliver the state’s biggest ever roads infrastructure programme.
Member for Orange Andrew Gee said the NSW Government is creating more than 200 jobs, including the two roles in Parkes. “This is a fabulous opportunity for suitably qualified people in the local community to play a role in delivering significant infrastructure projects” Mr Gee said.

The two roles available in Parkes are for a project manager/engineer and a project officer and are based on a ‘programme office delivery model’, which has been successfully used to deliver upgrades to the Pacific and Hume highways in the past 20 years.

Jewellery has been worn for thousands of years as means to enhance appearance and show status. Like humans, jewellery has evolved through time, from crude necklaces made from natural elements such as wood and iron to precious metals and gemstones used to adorn royalty. Jewellery can be something as simple as silver stud earrings or as extravagant as a tiara dripping in emeralds. Each piece of jewellery can work towards complementing particular features, for example large, statement jewellery pieces tend to work better on fuller figured people as they can swamp petite figures.

When choosing rings, consider the shape of your hand and fingers. Are they long or on the shorter side, thin or broad? For short fingers rings with oval settings work well whereas for long fingers round settings and wide bands can look fantastic. The most important thing to remember when choosing jewellery is to choose what you love! A beautiful smile when you’re feeling good will complement any outfit.

These days, there are hundreds of styles, ranges and brands to choose from and the team at Nangar Gems are here to help you on your quest for the best. Stocking brands such as Pandora, Najo and Thomas Sabo, Nangar Gems will soon be introducing their own line, ‘Diamonds By Nangar’ into the mix which will focus on diamond engagement, wedding and dress rings and will have finance available. The team offer services while you wait such as watch batteries, CAD design and on site jewellery repairs. Nangar Gems specialise in custom made jewellery,
meaning each piece is individual to you.

The Silver City Comet Carriage, which is now a fascinating feature of the Henry Parkes Museum, was relocated from the railway 20 years ago. The carriage was given to the people of Parkes Shire by State Rail to recognise the history of the Silver City Comet, which ran from Parkes to Broken Hill and back from 1937 until 1989. The
carriage was restored and painted in 2014 by PDHSI and took 12 hours to be transported from the Railway Station to the Antique Machinery Site!

This was made possible by cranes and heavy transport vehicles. During the relocation workmen warned that it
would not be possible to move again due to the poor condition of the carriage so it looks like the Henry Parkes Centre will be its final resting place. People who helped move the carriage include Railway Loco and Diesel Staff, McPhersons, Cunninghams, police, County Council, PDHSI volunteers, Parkes Shire Council staff and the SES.

The carriage has unfortunately been vandalised several times including spilled drinks and blocked toilets although the interior of the carriage has now been restored including windows, seats and blinds. The exterior has been totally restored and repainted at a cost of over $8,000 and a roof cover has been built over the carriage. The PDHSI are
currently in the process of having the Silver City Comet Carriage put on the Railway Heritage Register listing because of its uniqueness and place in Parkes history.

Currently Parkes Car Club wish to plan extensions to their building which would involve moving the carriage however the Historical Society have fears that moving this large piece of history might cause it to be damaged beyond repair and lost forever.

Parkes was a popular place for charity cyclists last Thursday when two separate groups of cyclists made a stopover in our town. The first group of 21 athletes, the C3 Cyclists, were halfway through their five day mission to travel over 725km from Bourke to Belconnen in Canberra.

Parkes resident, Dot Bradley organized for the group to enjoy morning tea at the Pink Orchid Café. “My daughter belonged to the C3 Church in Sydney, and they asked me to assist with their stopover here” she said. It is the sixth year that the C3 Cyclists have undertaken a major fundraising ride to help purchase important pieces of hospital equipment through the Humpty Dumpty Foundation or to help find cures for childhood cancers through The Kid’s Cancer Project, with every cyclist setting a target of raising around $2,000. “We have already
hit our target of $40,000,” said Stephen Dunstall, one of the organisers. Pastor Arne Olander said; “The money this year will go to the hospitals at Peak Hill, Bourke and Queanbeyan and the extra money we have raised means we can also support a fourth hospital this year.”

Pastor Olander also said they had already raised more than $100,000 in total over seven years.The second group of
49 cyclists who enjoyed lunch at KFC in Parkes took part in the 577km Mill2Mill ride from Gunnedah to Manildra. They had already raised $106,000 for beyondblue, small schools the ride visits along the route, and the Manildra community. Two Parkes residents taking part in the ride, Tina Jones and Rodney Coleman, said it had been very good. “The support we received was fantastic, lots of people were stopping along the way to give cash donations” said Tina.

Kelly and Dane Hendry of Parkes are thrilled to announce the birth of their third child, a daughter, Gloria Lucy
Hendry. Gloria was born at Parkes Hospital on Thursday, 25th February 2016, weighing 3900g (8lb 9oz) and measuring 56cm. She is a little sister for Oscar (4) and George (2). Gloria is the sixth grandchild for Tony and Wendy Atkinson of Smithfield, the third grandchild for Tony and Wendy Hendry of Parkes, and the twelfth great grandchild for Lloyd and Noelene Hendry of Parkes.

The annual celebration of NSW Seniors Week is the perfect time for the seniors in the Parkes Shire to shine! To acknowledge and celebrate seniors, Parkes Library is hosting an exhibition of artworks created by residents of Southern Cross from 18th March to 8th April. The art works were created during regular workshops held by Parkes Quota Club at Southern Cross where the residents get to explore their creative side. The art works they create
are displayed at the Village, brightening the rooms.

The workshops were made possible in part thanks to the Northparkes Community Investment Program. “Parkes Library is proud to host community art exhibitions and Seniors Week is the appropriate time of the year to show the wonderful talents of some of our seniors and highlight the amazing work Quota does in our community”, said Shellie Buckle, Manager Cultural Education & Library Services. This week also sees new librarian, Gillian Hunt beginning her career in Parkes after a move from Sydney. Gillian is being shown the ropes by Library Officer Maureen, who is retiring after almost 30 years of service. A morning tea is being held at the Parkes Library on 7th April for the community to raise a cuppa in recognition of the important role seniors play in the community. If you would like to attend, please contact the library on 6861 2309 or email library@parkes.nsw.gov.au

More than 2000 children in Calare will benefit from the Coalition Government’s National Partnership Agreement on Universal Access to Early Childhood Education. Federal Member for Calare, the Hon John Cobb said $840 million in federal funding will be available for quality preschool programmes across the country, and that these benefits would be felt across Calare. “The agreement guarantees funding for 600 hours of quality preschool in the year before school, and includes a focus on lifting participation rates for children from vulnerable and disadvantaged backgrounds,” Mr Cobb said.

All states and territories including New South Wales have signed up to the National Partnership Agreement seeing the funding flow into local preschools. Mr Cobb said,” this funding will help the 2128 preschool children aged between four and five who are enrolled at local preschools in Calare get the best start in life.” The National Partnership funding is just one aspect of the Federal Government’s commitment to early childhood education.

The Coalition Government has committed to reforms worth $40 billion for early childhood education and care over the next four years, including more than $3 billion to ensure the system is more accessible, affordable and fairer for families. The funding is the single largest investment in early learning and child care that this country has ever seen, and guarantees support for 15 hours of quality preschool education a week for children in the year before school,”. Director of Parkes Bluebird Early Learning Centre, Rachel Westcott, said

“We are really excited for this funding as it will help us to continue to grow our preschool programmes and resources. Our aim is to provide a great foundation for our pre-schoolers who are going off to school next year.”

Last Friday the biennial Parkes Field Day event attracted 17 exhibitors and over 200 visitors from Parkes and out of town. The day, which is organised by the Chamber of Commerce, is purely for local businesses. James Haddin of the Parkes Chamber of Commerce and Manager of Bosmac said he experienced a higher enquiry rate from visitors and high sales. “It’s a day for all of us to come together in one place and saves people from driving all over town to
make enquiries,” he said; “Exhibitors generally feel it is worth taking part.”

James displayed the auger mate, which makes moving an auger around much easier, plus other rural equipment. Another farmer-focused exhibitor was Guy Webb, an Agronomist working with AgriWest. He had developed a product called Grainmaker which is a nutrition supplement for crops resulting in an increased yield and an improvement in soil health, particularly under a variety of climatic conditions. Guy, who spent ten years designing the product, encourages farmers to use it as part of their annual fertilization program.

Steve Beuzeville, Manager of Parkes Top Town Traders, displayed a range of generators, welders, air compressors and pumps for use on farms. He has been in Parkes for over ten years, and services any machinery he sells. Vance Unger, salesperson at Kinsela, was happy to show off a variety of quad bikes, bikes, farm bikes, ride-on mowers, push mowers, hedge trimmers and many more.

Another exhibitor was the 45-year-old business Parkes Décor which is the ideal place for lovers of renovation shows. Brooke Soeder and Alison Tatton, who were representing Parkes Décor, said these shows had been very good for business. Moving away from decorating on towards the outdoors, The Central West Lachlan Landcare and Parkes Shire Council exhibit focused on the newly constructed wetland area at PAC Park. Organisers were pleased with the attendance on the day and hope businesses who presented got some new interest.

By Maggi Barnard