General Interest Archives - Page 79 of 352

Danielle McDonald – 2023 Australian Off Road Champion X3

October 19, 2023 By Roxane Manley

Danielle McDonald is a three time Australian Off Road Champion, Australian MX Champion, and four time Hattah Desert Race Champion.

Local Parkes girl Danielle McDonald has just secured her third Australian Off Road Championship. What a way for Danielle to finish off her impressive racing career in the junior ranks.

Danielle said, “My very last junior race, I’m sad to say my junior years have come to an end. I have learnt and achieved a lot throughout juniors but I am overall excited to start a new chapter in my racing journey in the women’s class!

“A massive thanks to my family, team, sponsors and everyone in my corner wouldn’t be where I am without any of you”.

Endruo GP In Portugal

Earlier in October Danielle got her first taste racing in the senior women division in her first endruo GP in Portugal, experiencing some very hot and dry conditions.

Danielle reported, “The trials and tests were gnarly! Definitely one to remember. I raced my first supertest on Friday night. I was the first rider on track and opened alone, I had nerves I have never experienced before. I ended the night with a P6 leading into the next day.

“Race day nerves were just as high but pushed through. The other three tests I really enjoyed and started to pull some pretty good results. Coming top three in most and even winning a couple of them.

“Sunday was a better day for me. I was running third all day, then unfortunately a mechanical issue in the sand test caused me to lose all back brake, and a heap of time. Still really happy to come away with 4th overallfor the day.

Now To Get Ready For The ISDE 6 Days

Danielle is now preparing to race the International Six-Day Endruo which runs from 6th to 11th November in San Juan, Argentina, South America. The ISDE is one of the most prestigious events on the offroad calendar in motorcycle racing. The Team Aus women have won 6x World ISDE titles. Representing Australia will be Tayla Jones and Jessica Gardiner, who have both been part of the previous six wins, but the newest member of the Australian Women’s Team is Danielle McDonald who dominated the Junior motocross and offroad racing for years.

Help Support Danielle Compete In Europe

Danielle and the Australian Women’s team need your support. They are raising money to fund their trip to race the ISDE in November.

Make a donation: You can show yoursupport by donating to their Gofundmepage. https://gofund.me/5e80e56f

Become a Major Sponsor: The teamare still seeking a major sponsor, contact Jess Gardener at jessgardiner77@gmail.com

Purchase from the MXStore: This yearBallard’s and MXstore are proud to besponsoring Team Australia to help themget to Argentina for the 2023 ISDE, donating 20% of all sales every Ballard’sproduct purchased from Tuesday 17th tomidnight the 22nd October.

Danielle stepping up to race with the seniors in her first endruo GP in Portugal.

Danielle had a great weekend when she raced the first ever @gncc_racing_aus Coming away with the win.

Danielle thanks her family, team, sponsors and everyone in her corner, whom she credits for helping her where she is today.

Danielle competing in and winning her first ever Austral-ian Junior MX Championship title.

The Competition Is Heating Up For The National BBQ Championships

October 19, 2023 By Roxane Manley

Celebrity chef Hayden Quinn has graced our television screens with his show Taste of Australia airing on Channel 10 and of course made his debut on Masterchef in 2012.

The National BBQ Championships are just around the corner, being held at Grinsted Oval, Forbes, on Saturday 28th October 12 noon – 8pm.

Celebrity guest chef Hayden Quinn will be accompanied by three local judges in deciding who is the best on the barbecue!

Forbes’ BBQ Championships promise something for everyone with a range of entertainment by local favourites Em, Jo and Cler and Georgia Sideris, along with market stalls, children’s entertainment and bar.

“The competition is the real focus of this event and judges will be looking for winners in four cooking sections – beef, pork, chicken and lamb, as well as the best dressed team, tent, and best team name,” Forbes Mayor Phyllis Miller OAM said.

“This event is about food, but it is also about having fun – make a day of it, dress up, come up with a great name – put all your culinary and creative skills to the test!” Mayor Miller said.

The $10,000 prize pool is just as enticing as the aroma of a good steak on the chargrill, including Why Leave Town Cards, a Weber and so much more lined up for the day’s winners.

Registration forms, information and rules can be found on Council’s website; www.forbes.nsw.gov.au/events. Spectator tickets are free but must be booked online at 123tix.com.au. This event is proudly funded by the NSW Government via the Reconnecting Regional Communities Event Funding.

Champs Decided

October 19, 2023 By Short Putt

Liam Fraser retrieving his ball with support from his group – Jenny Fletcher, Debbie Tilly and Veronica Rebellato.

The Forbes golfers enjoyed good conditions for the final rounds of the Forbes Mens Individual Championships, sponsored by Lachlan Commodities.

After three rounds there were clear leaders in three of the grades of the Scratch champs, with the B-Grade a tight contest between Brett Thomas and Peter Barnes when only two shots separated them.

At the end of the final round the Scratch Champions were: A-Grade: J Betland; A- Reserve: J Brett; B-Grade: B Thomas and C-Grade: L Alley. In the Handicap, a countback was needed to decide the winner in the A-Grade, with J Betland getting the nod ahead of D Bayley. In the other grades, B-Grade went to B Thomas and C-Grade to Liam Fraser, who was helped by a hole-in-one on the 9th .

The Results for the Daily comp run in conjunction with the Championships, sponsored by Pool Magic, are:

Saturday : Div 1: J Dobell (70 nett) from J Betland (71 on c/b); Div 2: P Barnes (68), T Morgan (70); Div 3: L Fraser (73), L Alley (74 on c/b). The ball sweep went to 76 nett on c/b. The NTP’s were: 9th T Toohey; 18th J Brett.

Sunday: Div 1: P Cowhan (71), T West (72); Div 2: F Melisi (71), B Thomas (74); Div 3: L Fraser (71), L Alley (72 on c/b). The ball sweep went to 76 nett on c/b. The NTP’s were: 9th – L Fraser, 18th – S Grant.

The Superpin on both days had different stories. On Saturday Tim West grabbed the money with a shot to 1.3 metres, while Sunday’s success went to Sally Crosby with a shot to 7.4 metres.

Congratulations to all winners and especially to Liam Fraser with his hole-in-one.

By Short Putt

Apply Now: Agrifutures Rural Women’s Award

October 19, 2023 By Roxane Manley

Time is running out to apply for the 2024 AgriFutures Rural Women’s Award, a program celebrating and empowering the inclusive and courageous leadership of women in Australia’s rural and emerging industries, businesses, and communities. Applications will close on Wednesday, 25th October 2023, at 11.59 pm AEDT.

The Award acts as a springboard, inspiring and nurturing Australian women to harness their skills, while simultaneously unlocking doors to crucial funding opportunities for existing projects and businesses.

State and territory winners are awarded a $15,000 grant generously sponsored by Westpac

AgriFutures also runs a program called the AgriFutures Rural Women’s Acceleration grant. While this runs separately, it compliments the AgriFutures Rural Women’s Award.

Each year, seven Australian women will be granted with a learning and development bursary of up to $7,000 for professional development to enable them to bring their idea, cause, or vision to life.

For more information and to apply for the AgriFutures Rural Women’s Award, visit our website at https://agrifutures.com.au/opportunities/rural-womens-award/.

For more information on the AgriFutures Rural Women’s Acceleration Grant visit http://agrifutures.com.au/opportunities/acceleration-grant/

Country Women Design Their Destiny

October 19, 2023 By Roxane Manley

A new project funded by the state government will give women in agriculture the chance to develop their own small business and skills training. The innovative Empowering Women in Farming Businesses project, delivered by NSW Farmers, does away with the ‘one size fits all’ approach and instead gives local women a hand in designing their own development opportunities.

NSW Farmers Projects Manager Georgia Campbell said the aim was to establish formal networking and learning programs to connect women in small business – or who were looking to start a small business – specifically related to agricultural sectors.

“We know that no two country communities are alike, and what works in Moree may not be needed in Leeton, so it’s about partnering with locals and developing something that will deliver the biggest benefit,” Ms Campbell said.

“Women make an immense contribution to the agriculture sector, and we want to provide regional, rural and remote women with business-focused networking and skill development opportunities to further develop their confidence and support systems.

“We will be delivering between eight and 10 events next year, and we’re looking for interested communities/groups/prominent women to put their hands up to be involved and help shape these events.”

Options available will include skill-based workshops, networking events, and farm or business tours in their local region, which NSW Farmers would then organise and facilitate for the community.

“By offering communities a choice of events, we believe they will be able to gain maximum benefit by selecting the option which most develops their targeted skills or networks,” Ms Campbell said.

Register For The 2023 Aussie Bird Count

October 19, 2023 By Roxane Manley

Last year, 81 people across the Parkes Shire participated in the event, recording 2750 individual birds and 86 species. The Crested Pigeon was the most recorded species, followed by Apostlebirds and Galahs.

Parkes Shire Council is encouraging the Shire’s residents to get involved in Australia’s largest citizen science project by participating in the 2023 Aussie Bird Count, running from 16 to 22 October 2023.

To complete the Aussie Bird Count, participants are required to spend 20 minutes in their backyards recording and counting the birds and species they observe. Observations are submitted through the Aussie Bird Count app or online web form.

Parkes Shire Council’s Environment and Sustainability Officer, Michael Chambers, said that the Aussie Backyard Bird Count is a fun and safe activity that can be enjoyed by all ages and experience levels.

“This is a great opportunity for residents to explore the outdoors, whether it be on their own property or local, state, and national parks, and learn about the birds local to the Parkes Shire. Parkes Shire residents have embraced this event in past years, and we would love this trend to continue in 2023,” said Mr Chambers.

The 2022 Aussie Bird Count saw more than 77,000 Aussies take to their backyards and local green spaces to count more than 3.9 million birds from 620 species. Across New South Wales, the most recorded species, for the ninth year in a row, was the rainbow lorikeet, followed by Noisy Miners and Sulphur Crested Cockatoos.

Data obtained from the annual Aussie Bird Count will be provided in a report to Council, which will help increase environmental engagement among residents, inform land management decisions, and monitor the success of tree planting efforts across the Shire.

QUE Open Gardens ‘N’ Markets Success

October 12, 2023 By Lynn Rogers

The Que Club joined “Pink up Parkes” by inviting Di Green, our local McGrath Breast Care Nurse to have a pink stall on the day. Dianne with the support of her daughter, Tarlia (pictured) and husband Rowan were
selling both McGrath merchandise and Breast Cancer Network of Australia (BCNA) merchandise.

Sunday was a spectacular day and the community came out to support us.

Close to 400 people came through the gates at the Parkes Racecourse to enjoy the 22 market stalls, our morning teas and lunches. The venue looked fabulous and four different bands played and sang throughout the day, the upbeat music added to the atmosphere. The bands were Parkes Fijian Band, Tapestry, Parkes Ukulele Group, and the Parkes Town Band.

The raffle raised over $2,000 and the winners were Jeanette Lyneham, Ida McIntyre and Margaret Jones. The five garden owners were kept busy all day.

By Lynn Rogers

More Farmers Seeking Mental Health Support

October 12, 2023 By Roxane Manley

Australian farmers are seeking mental health support at almost twice the rate they were seeking assistance last year, according to trusted rural charity, Rural Aid.

In the past two months, Rural Aid counsellors have conducted 277 counselling sessions, a 95 per cent increase compared to the same period last year.

Rural Aid’s counselling helpline is currently fielding an average of 13 calls each day from primary producers.

Rural Aid’s Manager of Mental Health and Wellbeing, Myf Pitcher, said the range of topics that farmers are worried about has also recently widened.

“Our farmers have moved from states of stress to states of desperation,” Myf said.

Sheep and cattle farmer Ron Dooley said the Rural Aid counselling service helped him get through a difficult time after the Black Summer bushfires.

“I had a bit of a mishap when I was fighting the front of the fire. I couldn’t see where I was going and I ran into a dam wall and stalled the tractor with the flames coming through the bottom of the tractor,” Ron said.

“After talking with Darren from Rural Aid, he [helped me to make] some decisions on what to do when feeling like that, and it did help,” Ron said.

Rural Aid counsellors catch up with their farmers where they’re most comfortable; whether it’s on farm, in town, or over the phone.

Contact Rural Aid’s counselling intake line on 1300 175 594.

New Career Development Program For Regional Young Creatives

October 12, 2023 By Roxane Manley

Young people living in regional NSW who are looking for a career in the arts and creative industries are invited to apply for Horizons, a new state-wide project of mentorships and career development.

The project will run over 18 months and will support 75 young people from across regional NSW wanting to pursue a career in the creative industries.

Regional arts development organisation Arts OutWest is one of the 15 regional organisations offering the program across the state.

“Arts OutWest is excited to provide this opportunity to regional young people aged between 16 and 27 years,” said Arts OutWest executive director Kylie Shead.

“Whether they have prior experience in the creative industries or are just starting their journey, their dedication and passion is what we’ll be looking for,” Ms Shead said.

Participants will be paired with experienced mentors from their chosen field to address the needs and interests of each individual. The mentors will support them to connect into a network of peers and build strong state-wide networks early in their careers.

“Our aim is to provide participants with new pathways to explore work and study pathways in the creative industries,” Ms Shead said.

Expressions of interest are now open and close Friday 10 November 2023.

“If you are ready to embark on an inspiring journey of personal growth and learning we are thrilled to invite you to participate in this dynamic and transformative youth project,” Ms Shead said. To apply visit Arts OutWest website https://artsoutwest.org.au/pf/horizons/ or call them for more information: 02 6338 4657.

Mama Mia, Here We Go Again – Trundle ABBA Festival

October 12, 2023 By Roxane Manley

It’s a much-anticipated comeback for the Trundle ABBA Festival following the heart breaking, yet sensible decision, to cancel last year’s event due to the flooding and adverse weather conditions the region was suffering late last year.

ABBA fans from all over the world are set to pack their dancing shoes, sparkly outfits and head to the worlds one and only ABBA Festival in Trundle this Saturday, 14th October 2023.

We hope you’re in the mood for a dance, as returning to headline the festival is the world’s number one ABBA tribute band, Bjorn Again. These super troupers put on a fantastic show at the Parkes Leagues Club last year following the cancellation of the festival and we’re keen to see them have the time of their lives as they perform on this year’s festival stage.

Three fabulous bands will support Bjorn Again and ensure Trundle’s Berryman Oval is full of Dancing Queens throughout the day. The hottest live disco show on the circuit, Disco Revolution is set to have the crowd dancing to classic hits from the 70’s and 80’s.

For those who prefer to shake their tailfeather, the fun-loving Blues Brothers Re-Booted will entertain with their soul, rhythm and blues set.

Trundle ABBA Festival also continues to showcase local talent, with Parkes trio, Amitie, back by popular demand to harmonise with sweet sounds from the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s.

Mayor of Parkes Shire, Councillor Niel Westcott, said “We are delighted to finally be hosting the Trundle ABBA Festival again this year. We have secured some of the best acts in live music and are thrilled to have Bjorn Again headlining.”

“Trundle is the home of the ABBA Festival, and we can’t wait to light up the streets with music and glitter once again,” he added.

It’s time to dance and jive and have the time of your lives at the Trundle ABBA Festival. Tickets go on sale Monday 3rd July, with youth and group discounts available. For more information, visit www.trundleabbafestival.com.au

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