General Interest Archives - Page 42 of 351

Meals On Wheels Community Luncheon

March 20, 2025 By Roxane Manley

Carolyn, Roel and Marja enjoying the Parkes Meals On Wheels Luncheon.

Last week, Meals on Wheels (MOW) hosted their regular Community Luncheons, where their volunteers, clients, board and staff all came together for a casual luncheon. This month, the luncheon was held at the Parkes Service Club.

Every Meals on Wheels service across Australia prides itself on offering ‘More than Just a Meal’. Our Parkes Meals on Wheels service offers support and wellness checks to every valuable client, and peace of mind to family and friends that their loved ones are being cared for by this wonderful service.

It is not uncommon for the Meals on Wheels volunteers to be the the only person their clients will see for that day.

Having a caring volunteer bring a freshly cooked meal, engage in a daily conversation, asking that person if they are ok, and simply caring about that person and their well being, is what Meals on Wheels has always been about.

MOW luncheons and community events are another way of helping to decrease social isolation within our community. Everyone who attended had a terrific time, enjoyed a delicious meal and tested their brains over a game of trivia.

The next community event will be held on the 9 April at the Peak Hill Bowling Club.

This event will be a community luncheon and information event, showcasing the wonderful service that Meals on Wheels offers to Peak Hill residents. If you would like to attend, please contact the office on 02 6862 6189 or simply turn up on the day.

To discover more about Meals on Wheels services in Parkes, Peak Hill, Trundle and Tullamore, please contact the office or visit one of the team at 23 Forbes Road, Parkes.

Twelve Local Fighters Ready To Step In The Ring For Fight Night

March 20, 2025 By Roxane Manley

Local amateur boxers at Tommy’s Backyard Boxing Gym: Ace Hancock, Xaiver Ward, Linkin Anderson, Oliver Hayes, Riley Pizzi, Leon Michel and Lane Jones. Absent: Shellie McKiernan and Orin McDermott.

The much-anticipated ‘Boxing In Parkes’ fight night presented by Mayhem Fight Series is set to take place tomorrow night, Saturday 22 March at the Parkes Leagues Club.

This event is an Amateur boxing showcase, which will feature many local fighters from Parkes and the surrounding area. Mayhem Fight Series have previously hosted hugely successful fight nights in Parkes, and this weekend’s event will be no exception, so don’t miss out – grab some tickets or book a table now.

Ace Hancock

Ace Hancock from Tommy Ward Back Yard Boxing will face-off against Jake Doyle from Gulgong Boxing Club. Ace is new to the sport of boxing and at just 14 years of age he just made the cut, as that is the minimum age to start competing. After only five weeks of training Ace had his first fight in Dubbo, which ended with a split decision and he lost by only one point. He is confident coming into his second fight, saying that losing his first fight “was good” because it has given him the motivation to “step it up”.

Ollie Hayes

Olliver Hayes from Tommy Ward Back Yard Boxing will face-off against Jordan Smart from Fighting Arts Belmont. Sixteen year old Oliver is fighting a rematch against an opponent from Orange that he beat in their previous encounter. That fight was a split decision and was a close fight, Ollie said: “It’s a good match-up”. This will be Ollie’s first fight this year but he had 10 fights last year and two the year before, for nine wins and three loses. Ollie has been working on stepping up the pace since his last fight against Jordan.

Linkin Anderson

Linkin Anderson from Tommy Ward Back Yard Boxing will face-off against Lucas Millemaggi from Narrandera Boxing. Linkin is fresh off a fight last week in Sydney and is “feeling really confident” in the lead up to his fight against Lucas in Parkes. Linkin has been working on a lot of footwork and power punches on the bag, as well as doing a lot of sparring over at Orange, claiming he is the fittest he’s ever felt.

Shellie McKiernan

One of the women stepping in the ring this Saturday night is Shellie who has been boxing for approximately three years. Shellie likes the discipline and physical conditioning that she gets from boxing, claiming: “Boxing has helped me in my personal life, as well as allowing me to achieve a physical challenge. I also enjoy the camaraderie of Tommy’s Backyard Boxing.”

The doors open at 4pm and fights start at 5pm. For VIP tables and sponsor opportunities call John on 0411 648 890. There will be tickets available for purchase on the night at the door, but to avoid any disappointment and to be guaranteed a seat, please purchase your tickets beforehand. Tickets available through 123Tix at https://www.123tix.com.au/events/47343/mayhem-fight-series-presents-boxing-in-parkes

Inland Rail Closing In On Stockinbingal To Parkes Completion

March 20, 2025 By Roxane Manley

The Stockinbingal to Parkes section of the Inland Rail project will move further towards completion thanks to the work taking place during the March 2025 possession.

Inland Rail will use the upcoming rail possession from 22 March 22 to 24 March to apply some of the finishing touches to the Stockinbingal to Parkes (S2P) section of the project, with Inland Rail on course to finish S2P on schedule in mid-2025.

The rail possession, where the Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC) line from Forbes to Goobang Junction is closed, will permit our contractor Martinus Rail to carry out works on sites in the S2P section which would be hazardous if trains were still running. At the Lachlan River Bridge, plant and equipment will be delivered using heavy vehicles, after which there will be paint stripping, drilling existing beams to enable the addition of new strengthening plates, as well as the installation of new strengthening plates on the underside of the bridge.

Further south at Wirrinya, plant and equipment will be delivered using heavy vehicles, after which there will be drainage works, track tamping and track alignment.

Other sites on S2P such as the Daroobalgie Crossing Loop and Wyndham Avenue track lower will continue to undergo finishing work to access roads, landscaping and drainage during normal hours, meaning there will be no night work.

The rail possession will start at 6am on Saturday, 22 March and finish 60 hours later at 6pm on Monday, 24 March.

Malcolm Clark, Inland Rail Project Director, Stockinbingal to Parkes, said “The tight teamwork and integration of Inland Rail and contractor Martinus Rail has enabled us to make great strides towards completion of the Stockinbingal to Parkes section of Inland Rail.

“The lion’s share of the work has been completed and the March 2025 possession will help us perform tasks which require closure of the rail line to carry out safely.

For more information on the works, you can visit our works notifications page at inlandrail.com.au/where-we-go/projects/stockinbingal-to-parkes/works-notifications/

Council Funding For Local Events

March 13, 2025 By Roxane Manley

Back L-R Jolie O’Shannessy (PSC Events Trainee), Fiona Glasheen (Parkes Picnic Races), Kelly Spedding (Parkes Picnic Races), Mayor Neil Westcott, Tricia Trim (Parkes Picnic Races), Rhonda Redenback (Australia Day Committee), Alex Prout (Parkes Jockey Club), Kellie Thomas (Trundle Pastoral & Agricultural Society). Front L-R Megan Morrison (PSC Events Officer), Harry Turner (NSW Corvette Club), Megan Mortimer (Tullamore P A & H Association)

Parkes Shire Council is pleased to announce the recipients of Round 2 of the Events Financial Assistance Program (EFAP). Council has allocated $50,310 in funding to seven community events and one destination event throughout the shire.

The EFAP is designed to support both new and existing events that contribute positively to the Parkes community while striving for event sustainability.

The event funding was awarded to the following: Australia Day Committee 2025 Parkes Shire Australia Day Activities $10,000, Parkes Jockey Club Parkes Cup $9,100, Adavale Lane Community Centre Inc Bushdance and Dinner $1,110, Trundle Pastoral & Agricultural Society Inc. Trundle Back in Time $8,600, Tullamore P&A Association Inc Tullamore Show Ball $6,880, Life Education NSW/ACT 2025 Healthy Harold Parkes Festival of Health $7,270, Parkes Coradgery & Diggers Amateur Race Club Inc. Parkes Picnic Races $2,350, NSW Corvette Club National Corvette Convention $5,000.

Mayor of Parkes Shire, Cr Neil Westcott, said: “The Events Financial Assistance Program continues to deliver important support to a diverse range of events that bring our community together and showcase the vibrancy of our region. From major sporting events to beloved local traditions, these initiatives enrich our social and cultural offerings while also providing economic benefits to businesses and tourism”.

Further details and application forms can be found on Parkes Shire Council’s website: www.parkes.nsw.gov.au/Community/Grants-and-funding/Councils-Grants-Programs

2025/26 Regional Event Fund Now Open

March 13, 2025 By Roxane Manley

Event organisers from Parkes, Forbes and surrounds are invited to apply for funding to help stage events in regional NSW that enrich the state’s diverse calendar of event experiences, drive increased overnight visitation and boost local economies.

Managed by Destination NSW, the fund provides support to regional events via three streams: Incubator Event Stream, Flagship Event Stream and the Event Development Stream.

Applications to the 2025/26 Event Development stream will remain open until 31 December 2025, or until funds are exhausted, whichever comes first. All applications must be for eligible events that will be staged between 1 July 2025 and 30 June 2026.

For more information on the Regional Event Fund, you can visit the Destination NSW website or contact the Grants Administration team via email grants.admin@dnsw.com.au

Please note, Destination Central West cannot provide a letter of support for your application, however our team can provide advice on eligibility requirements and alignment with the Central West NSW Destination Management Plan.

Get in touch with your local Industry Development Manager Kate Catterson kate.catterson@dncw.com.au

Australian Rural Leadership Foundation Two Day Workshop

March 13, 2025 By Roxane Manley

Are you ready to embrace the courage, collective spirit, and hope of changemaking? If so, register now for a two-day Changemaker Workshop, on March 17-18 at the Parkes International, to create a positive, lasting impact on your community.

Join a network of changemakers across rural, regional & remote Australia: As a collective, delve into your region’s readiness for change, explore how change happens, practise how to adapt to change and how to overcome resistance, become a changemaker, adapt your skills to enable your involvement in creating new and exciting things, managing setbacks and work collectively and purposefully with others.

Take part in diverse community conversations: Understand the local ecosystem; undertake purposeful and inclusive engagement; step into informed and authentic conversations, learn how to have those conversations, suspend judgement and assumptions, and build trust and transparency for connection and diverse relationships.

Contribute to and inspire your community’s future: Explore ideas to shape the future you would like to see for your community, understand the importance of language and the power of storytelling in motivating and mobilising others, learn what makes a good story and how to connect with the hearts and minds of others.

Included is morning tea and lunch on both days, qualified, engaging, and supportive facilitators to guide you along your changemaker journey, all required stationery and participant resources and the opportunity to immerse yourself in a local network of driven, community minded individuals.

This workshop is fully subsidised with thanks to the Australian Government’s Future Drought Fund. It is delivered by the Australian Rural Leadership Foundation, as part of the Helping Regional Communities Prepare for Drought Initiative.

Registrations close either when fully booked or 7 days before the workshop. For information and to register, visit rural-leaders.org.au or info@rural-leaders.org.au

Students Learn Lifesaving Rail Safety Lessons

March 13, 2025 By Roxane Manley

Students learn lifesaving rail safety lessons.

The state’s regional passenger rail provider NSW TrainLink and rail safety charity TrackSAFE are joining forces in a new push to encourage educators to take advantage of free lesson resources on railway safety this school year.

TrackSAFE provides curriculum-aligned online resources while NSW TrainLink is supporting this through hands on opportunities for schools to visit and learn about rail safety at their local railway station in regional NSW.

TrackSAFE’s website offers the interactive and age-appropriate lessons including a Thomas and Friends module for preschoolers, a primary school kit featuring animated characters like ‘Safety Line and the ‘Safety Crew’, and a high school pack that encourages students to be safe and responsible around the rail network.

Additionally, an at-home guide is available to help parents and carers continue rai safety discussions beyond the classroom.

Alongside this collaboration with TrackSAFE, NSW TrainLink regularly visits schools, and hosts excursions to railway stations where students learn about safe behaviour at platforms, level crossings and on-board trains as well as the dangers of trespassing in the rail corridor.

The kit provides teachers with lesson plans that make learning about rail safety simple and fun. These engaging resources are a great way to reinforce essential safety awareness for students.

TrackSAFE is Australia’s only harm prevention charity focused on reducing deaths, injuries and near hits on the rail network and improving the wellbeing of rail employees.

Pre-schools, schools and other educators can access the TrackSAFE curriculum materials at https://tracksafefoundation.com.au/school-education/

Search Is On For Next Gen Leaders

March 13, 2025 By Roxane Manley

A statewide search is underway for five young rural leaders as NSW Farmers opens applications for its 2025 Tertiary Scholarships.

Each worth $4,000 annually, the NSW Farmers 2025 Tertiary Scholarships will be awarded to members or their children in their second year of study for a university degree or vocational qualification, in a field relevant to regional and rural Australia.

NSW Young Farmers Chair Martin Murray said the scholarship program aimed to build the farm communities of the future by offering five young leaders the opportunity to excel in their field.

“We want to open doors and possibilities in the regions, and the future success of these communities truly relies on the talented younger generation we have coming through. Investing in skill development and building capacity is essential if we want these future leaders to find their passion and get the head start they need to achieve their goals.”

Applications close on 11 May 2025.

Scholarships will be awarded based on academic performance, commitment to agriculture and rural communities, and allround ability including leadership qualities and communication skills. To apply do to: www.nswfarmers.org.au/NSWFA/NSWFA/Content/Partners/Scholarships.aspx

Mayhem Fight Series Presents: Boxing In Parkes

March 13, 2025 By Roxane Manley

Two of the fighters from Tommy Wards Backyard Boxing in Parkes, Riley Pizzi (left) and Xavier Ward (right).

Mayhem Fight Series is hosting Boxing In Parkes on Saturday 22 March at the Parkes Leagues Club. This amateur boxing event which will feature many local fighters from Parkes and the surrounding area.

The Forbes & Parkes Phoenix caught up with Tommy, and a couple of the fighters preparing for the upcoming fight night, at Tommy Wards Backyard Boxing Gym.

For Tommy Ward it is just another fight night, and with 40 years in the game, he expects the same work rate week in week out from his fighters. “I teach them how fit they have to be, how they have to perform and where their skill set is,” said Tommy.

“They have all been working hard, but it’s not about winning or losing, it is about competing at your best and walking out of the ring happy.”

Xavier Ward vs Brodie Brown

Fourteen year old Xavier Ward, training under Tommy Ward Back Yard Boxing, will face off against Brodie Brown from Orange.

Xavier is actually Tommy Ward’s grandson and has been hitting the bag since he was just six years old. He has been patiently waiting to reach 14, which is the age you need to be to start fighting competitively.

Xavier has fought two exhibition matches before, but this will be his first real fight, and he says: “I am feeling confident, but also nervous to fight in front of my home crowd.” In the lead up to the fight Xavier has been working on a bit of fitness but mostly footwork.

Riley Pizzi vs Noah Savage

Fifteen year old Riley Pizzi, training under Tommy Ward Back Yard Boxing has been matched up against 17 year old Noah Savage from Steel City Boxing, Newcastle.

This is a big fight for Riley who is fighting on the night for the NSW Junior Middleweight title against the current belt holder, Noah Savage.

Riley started boxing training in early 2023 and stepped into the ring for his first fight in September 2023. He has definitely progressed rapidly in the sport, recently attending the NSW League Boxing Amateur Boxing Titles held in Gosford in November 2024, where Riley came second and walked away with a silver medal.

At training in the lead up to the title fight, Riley has been working on fitness, throwing combos and trying to read the opponent. His strengths in the ring are his power and his work rate.

We asked Riley what it is like to compete as an individual sportsman but be able to train in the team environment at Tommy’s Gym, and he said “It’s a good environment and so welcoming, Tommy gives you opportunities and makes time for you. You’re in the ring by yourself but you’re a team outside of the ring, helping each other train.”

Don’t miss out on the action of Boxing in Parkes. Doors open at 4pm and the first fight is scheduled for 5pm, book your tickets now at: www.123tix.com.au/events/47343/mayhem-fight-series-presents-boxing-inparkes

Pictured in the black headgear is Riley Pizzi, sparring one of his training partners.

Tracie Robertson Celebrates A Quarter Century With Ray White

March 6, 2025 By Roxane Manley

Tracie Robertson pictured with Ray White Rural CEO Stephen Nell who said that “Tracie is one of the most resilient people I have ever met. Her ability to never give up is something I deeply admire”.

Tracie Robertson has been part of the Ray White Rural business since 1999 and has grown the business to now have four agencies, over 30 staff and almost 1000 properties under management.

Tracie is being celebrated after 25 years with Ray White, from student to sales woman, from a pioneering young woman in a male-dominated industry to a respected leader and mentor.

“When I started, there were essentially no women in real estate sales in our area,” Tracie recalls. Studying real estate at TAFE by night, she was given an opportunity to help at the local Ray White agency in Parkes. “I filled in when a salesman went overseas, and I ended up selling 16 houses in my first month. It was a whirlwind start,” she said.

The early years were a steep learning curve and in 2006, Tracie took a bold step by purchasing Ray White Parkes. The road ahead was fraught with challenges. “After the GFC hit, I was juggling seven credit cards to pay my staff’s wages. I was close to selling our family home and moving into a flat above our office,” she said.

But Tracie’s grit and determination paid off. She expanded the business by venturing into rural markets and opening in 3 nearby towns, which propelled the business into new heights.

Ray White Rural CEO Stephen Nell said “You don’t stay in business for 25 years unless you possess something special, which Tracie does.”

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