General Interest Archives - Page 57 of 351

Lower Speed Limit On Eugowra Road In Parkes To Boost Safety For All

September 12, 2024 By Roxane Manley

The speed limit on Eugowra Road leaving Parkes will be reduced to create a safer environment for all road users. Transport for NSW conducted a speed zone review of an 80 km/h section of Eugowra Road following a request from Parkes Shire Council over concerns about increasing roadside development, property access and traffic.

Transport for NSW Regional Director West Alistair Lunn said the review assessed a number of factors including location, crash history, road environment, the number of access points, road usage, traffic mix and traffic volumes. “Eugowra Road is a regional road which joins the Henry Parkes Way at Parkes to The Escort Way just outside Eugowra, and one that has seen a significant amount of development within the 80 km/h section in recent years,” Mr Lunn said.

“The review area includes more than 20 regularly used access points and also a causeway, about three metres deep, that obscures visibility of a nearby intersection for several seconds and poses a hazard for drivers.

“There are also a number of roadside trees standing within the 5.5 metre clear zone recommended for an 80 km/h section of road and soccer fields and a racecourse that attract large numbers of roadside parking and pedestrian activity when in use.”As a result of the speed zone review, the entire 80 km/h section of Eugowra Road (1915 metres) will be reduced to 70 km/h, extending for 235 metres into the existing 100 km/h zone.

The new speed limit came into effect on Thursday the 12th of September and there will be new signage installed to advise both motorists and pedestrians of the changes.

Your Vote Matters This Saturday

September 12, 2024 By Roxane Manley

The NSW Electoral Commission will be conducting local council elections on Saturday, 14th of September 2024, for the election of Councillors. If you are an Australian citizen aged 18 years or more, you are required to enrol and vote. If you do not vote, you may receive a penalty notice.

The NSW Local Government Elections are held every four years. Voting in this election is an opportunity to determine nine representatives who form the elected body In this election there are 10 individual candiates running for the nine available positions on Forbes Shire Council. The election in Parkes will be hotly contested with a massive line up of two groups and 18 individual candidates running for election.

If you can’t make it to a polling place on Election Day due to other commitments, pre-polling is open until 6pm Friday, 13th September at Forbes Town Hall, Harold Street, Forbes or The Coventry Room, Parkes Shire Library & Cultural Centre, 25 Bogan Street, Parkes. .

Whether you’re a returning voter or its your first time, head over to the NSW Electoral Commission website to find out more information: https://elections.nsw.gov.au

Inland Rail To Push Forward During Construction Blitz

September 12, 2024 By Roxane Manley

A 100-hour work blitz starting on Friday 13 September will see huge progress being made on the Stockinbingal to Parkes section of the Inland Rail project.

A major construction blitz starting today (13th September) will see the Inland Rail project push forward with day-and-night works on the section between Stockinbingal and Parkes.

The 100-hour track possession will close the Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC) line from Forbes to Goobang Junction from 6am on Saturday 14 September to 10am Wednesday 18 September.

The track closure opportunity will permit rail infrastructure contractor Martinus Rail to carry out works on several sites across the Stockinbingal to Parkes section to prepare the line for future double-stacked freight trains.

Some out-of-hours works related to the track possession will start earlier, at 6pm on Friday 13 September, finishing at 7am on Thursday 19 September.

At Daroobalgie, north of Forbes, new turnouts will be installed at the new crossing loop, preparations for which include earthworks, drainage and ballast installation.

At Wyndham Avenue, Forbes the existing track under the road bridge will be lowered by 1.5 metres and new stormwater drainage installed.

At Forbes Station the track will be slewed laterally half a metre and the station awning trimmed back 300mm, while scaffolding will be installed on the Lachlan River Bridge ahead of bridge modifications that will take place after the possession.

Due to the nature of the work at the Lachlan River Bridge, a 30-metre exclusion zone will be enforced, and environmental controls installed to protect the waterway and riverbanks.

Since July last year:

• Inland Rail has spent more than $6.5 million with 85 local businesses on the project between Albury and Parkes.

• On the same section, Inland Rail has employed a total of 404 people.

• 127 of the total are local residents, and 36 of the total are women.

• 39 of the total are First Nations people.

• Of the 127 local residents, 24 are First Nations people.

James Kennedy, Delivery Director, Albury to Parkes (A2P), Inland Rail, said “The September 100-hour possession gives us an opportunity to make great strides forward on the Stockinbingal to Parkes section of Inland Rail.

“We are committed to delivering Inland Rail South of Parkes by 2027 and this possession gives us the opportunity to safely complete a significant amount of scope as we work towards this goal.

“We are thankful for the cooperation and understanding of the communities in which we are working, and we would like to acknowledge the residents, business owners and road users for their patience during this period.”

Treaven Martinus, Martinus Rail CEO and founder, said “We are honoured to play such a pivotal role in the Inland Rail project, a cornerstone of Australia’s future regional infrastructure.

“This super possession represents a key opportunity for us to apply our expertise in complex brownfield railway works. Across multiple locations, our plant and equipment will be hard at work, excavating for track lowering, installing drainage lines and reconstructing track formations.

“We’re committed to driving progress efficiently and safely as we work to deliver this transformative rail link.”

Keep The Sheep Celebrates Historic Day

September 12, 2024 By Roxane Manley

Keep the Sheep campaigners and supporters have sent a strong message to the Albanese Government, amassing thousands of supporters to the lawn at Parliament House in Canberra to protest the government’s ban on live sheep exports.

The campaign celebrated people joining the rally from across Australia, coming from as far afield as Darwin, Broome, North Queensland and Adelaide to show their frustration.

Armed with a 50 strong convoy of trucks and vehicles that converged from Yass and Goulburn, Keep the Sheep spokesman Ben Sutherland celebrated the excellent turn out. “People feel so strongly about the government ruining our livelihoods, they came out in force today.”

Mr Sutherland said that neither the Prime Minister nor the Agriculture Minister, Julie Collins came out to address the crowd.

“People are hurting already as a result of this policy and no Government representatives turned up to listen to their concerns” he said.

With approximately 2,000 people in attendance, the rally demonstrated the frustration that farmers have felt about the government’s anti-farming policies and added to the nearly 100,000 signature petition.

We Will Remember Them, We Will Honour Them, We Will Fight For Them

September 5, 2024 By Roxane Manley

Mandy kicked off her Remember September PanKind Walk in Mudgee on Sunday and walked 6kms

This September, local Parkes woman Mandy Tulloch is walking 100km for the 71 Australians who die from pancreatic cancer each week and in memory of her brother Michael (Dick) who lost his short battle with this hideous illness earlier this year.

Mandy will be joined by her husband Simon , her sister Maree , and her late brothers children Hayden and Deanna (who reside in Sydney) to walk together when they can and also virtually as a team. The team name being, Rider in the Dust from Fernhill.

As a family, Mandy explained “We have personally been touched, with three generations being affected by this disease.

Mandy’s grandfather Edward Welsh who died in 1978, her late brother Michael, and her father, Graham Welsh, who has recently been diagnosed.

Pancreatic cancer is now the fourth biggest cancer killer in Australia, and because early-stage pancreatic cancer rarely causes symptoms, the survival rates are devastating.

If you are diagnosed with pancreatic cancer tomorrow, there is only a 12.5% chance you’ll be alive in 5 years. But research can change this. Your support will fund lifesaving pancreatic cancer research and improve survival rates.

Mandy has challenged herself with a personal goal to get up, get moving and walk 100km to fight this terrible disease. You can follow the link for more information about Remember September or to make a donation in support of Mandy https://www.rememberseptember.org.au/s/13197/15107

See Ewe Next Tuesday, Albo

September 5, 2024 By Roxane Manley

With momentum growing for the national agriculture rally to be held in Canberra next Tuesday 10th of Sept, co-organisers, Keep the Sheep, are encouraging as many people as possible to attend to give the Government a clear message: support agriculture or face the ramifications at the ballot box.

Coinciding with news that the new Agriculture Minister’s Department advised her that, “the policy is now settled and will not be revisited”, spokesperson Ben Sutherland said that the choice was now clear, and that farmers, agricultural workers, truckies and regional people were now only left with a single choice, to campaign against bad policy at election time.

“This policy is far from settled. If the Government thinks it can dispose of our livelihoods and then declare it all done and dusted, they are very wrong,”“If the Government prefers to listen to activists or bureaucrats instead of the real people that their policy will hurt, then they will see us and hear us next week,” he said.

The national agriculture rally will be held on the lawns at Parliament House on Tuesday 10 September from 11:00 and participants can register online.

Miss Peg’s Final Act Of Kindness

September 5, 2024 By Roxane Manley

Miss Peg pictured during the big chop, assisted by local hairdressers Adele and Janice. Doug Pout was on hand to help Peg watch her grandson Aiden Lynch, via video call, also shave his head to raise money for the Cancer Council in honour of his grandmother.

On Saturday, 31st August, adored local Peg Lynch, affectionately known as ‘Miss Peg’, who has been diagnosed with terminal cancer, donated her hair to a charity that makes wigs for kids and at the same time helped raise some funds to assist Parkes CanAssist.

Peg was surrounded by close friends and family at her home, and with the assistance of Janice, from Janice Hair Salon, and Adele from Adele’s Hair Salon, when she braved the big chop.

Janice from Janice Cassidy’s Hair Salon, who is a long time friend, and lives just up the road from Peg also talked to the crowd about “The Wig Library” which is a free service offered in Parkes for cancer patients.

“It’s just like borrowing a book,” said Janice.

After the big chop, a wide-eyed ‘Mr Peg’ could not stop complimenting his wife on her new hair style, saying: “I didn’t recognise her, I looked over there and I was like, who’s that?”It also appears Miss Peg’s generous nature and charity is inspiring others, as The Forbes & Parkes Phoenix received the following message from Paula Sutherland:

“We all work at Vinnies [with Peg] so we had a container and message on the morning tea table at Vinnies. Trish Davies’ grandson Jaycob was visiting with his grandmother and when she tried to give him money earned for helping her in the garden he said to her, “Please give it to someone in need.” He then put the $10 in the donation container for Peg’s hair trim for Canassist. We were all touched by this heartfelt gesture from a 12 year old boy.”

Peg’s initial fundraising target was $500 and she can not believe that the target has already surpassed $3,000.

You can still support Peg in her final act of kindness by making a donation at www.mycause.com.au/page/351308/pegs-fundraiser-for-can-assist?popup=1.

$3.3 Million For Local Flood Recovery Projects

September 5, 2024 By Roxane Manley

Parkes Shire is among the four Local Government Areas (LGAs) receiving support, with $3.3 million allocated for vital infrastructure projects damaged by the catastrophic flooding. The funded initiatives will focus on restoring essential community assets, ensuring they are better equipped to withstand future severe weather events.

Minister for Regional NSW, Tara Moriarty, outlined the importance of the program. “The Community Assets Program is not just building back for now – we’re building back better for the future by improving the resilience of these essential assets.”

Parkes Shire projects include:

• New facility for NSW SES Parkes Unit: $1,310,530

• Berryman Oval Flood Repair (Trundle): $636,300

• Bushman’s Dam Flood Repair: $668,252

• PAC Park Flood Damage Repair: $701,545

General Manager of Parkes Shire Council, Kent Boyd, welcomed the support from theAustralian and NSW Governments.

“This significant investment is important for Parkes Shire, allowing us to not only restore flood damaged infrastructure but also build resilience against future floods.

“We will be particularly delighted to see our dedicated SES volunteers move into a new, purpose-built facility, which they so richly deserve”, Mr Boyd said.

For more information on the Community Assets Program 2024 and a list of funded projects, visit: www.nsw.gov.au/communityassetsprogram2024

Your Vote Matters – Make It Count On 14th September

September 5, 2024 By Roxane Manley

You must vote at a venue in your enrolled council area (or ward if you live in a divided council area). You cannot vote at a venue in another area.

Parkes Mayor Neil Westcott said “I want to take a moment to talk about voting in this year’s election. You will, for the first time, be offered the choice of placing a vote above the line for two groups of men or taking an extra minute to number at least 1 to 5 – and preferably 1 to 10 – below the line for a diverse Council.

My hope is that the residents of Parkes Shire will recognise candidates on the Ballot paper who will give the next 4 years of their life to being a positive force on your behalf.

Parkes Shire right now needs stable and diverse leadership, I humbly ask that you keep Parkes Shire Independent and Community Driven.”Forbes Mayor Phyllis Miller said “I encourage you to find out about all the candidates before voting on election day. This is your opportunity to elect a Council that best represents you, our community. We are very lucky in Forbes as we only have ten excellent candidates, eight of whom were on the last Council and two new candidates.

I have full confidence the community will elect another great Council.”

‘Use It Or Lose It’

September 5, 2024 By Roxane Manley

My grandfather was the founder of a poultry farm. He loved chickens, the way they moved around, walking with a swagger, their jerky, almost nervous movements. I remember collecting the eggs with him as a child, watching his hands move quickly, with almost a flare of artistry, placing eggs gently but firmly into cartons as he pushed the trolley along through the sea of chickens.

In the last 10 years of his life, he battled Parkinson’s Disease. I once helped him from his car to the egg packing shed, a painstakingly slow process, every movement a neurological battle for his brain to connect with his muscles. His feet barely cleared the ground with short, shuffling motions, his hands shaking and his voice a whisper.

Twenty minutes into the 15 metre journey from car to shed door, I offered to get the wheelchair. He looked at me, smiled and said “My girl. If I don’t use it. I… lose .. it.” He was, of course, right.

A study about patients who are critically ill and find themselves in an ICU bed found that they lose nearly 2% of skeletal muscle per day during the first week of admission. A week in bed, motionless, well that’s almost 14% of your muscle lost. Yet we know on the flip side, it can take 6-8 weeks to build muscle up and build strength. Hardly seems fair does it?!

There are so many benefits to keeping active, across all stages of the life span, but especially as we age.

Interested in keeping strong & active? We have a new seniors exercise class at Kerin Health, run by our Physiotherapists. Find out more or secure your place in this program (places are limited) by calling us on 0437 749 746

Subscribe