Celebrating the official opening, volunteers from the Parkes SES Unit were joined by members of the SES Facilities team who worked to bring the building project to fruition.

Emergency management is being bolstered in the Central West as the Parkes communi­ty celebrated the official opening of the new $4.8 million NSW State Emergency Service (SES) Unit headquarters.

Local volunteers, dignitaries and commu­nity members gathered at the new Boyd Cir­cuit facility for an official opening ceremony on Saturday 23 May, recognising both the future of emergency response in Parkes and the volunteers who have served the re­gion for generations.

During the opening, three specialist emer­gency response vehicles were also handed over to the Gooloogong and Forbes Units which will strengthen operational capability across the region. The new assets included a Community First Responder Vehicle, an Inflatable Rescue Boat and a Light Flood Rescue Vehicle.

Inspector Kim Palmer, Parkes SES Unit Commander said “Our old unit regularly flooded during heavy downpours and as the unit membership has grown more recently finding space for training has become more difficult.”

“Facilities like this do not happen over­ night and this building is the result of many years of local efforts, volunteer and service advocacy, council partnerships, Federal and State government support, and the count­less hours of quiet work behind the scenes.”

This amazing new headquarters means that our local Parkes volunteers will be bet­ter equipped and resourced to protect and support the community during future emer­gencies.

The NSW SES Parkes Unit currently has 43 members and is encouraging more lo­cals to volunteer in both operational and support roles, particularly flood rescue and road crash rescue. Members receive all necessary training to ensure they are well prepared for their roles. For information on how to volunteer, visit https://www.ses.nsw.gov.au/volunteer or contact volunteer sup­port on 1800 201 000.

Parkes Shire Council is calling on residents to help conserve bio­diversity by preserving dead wood found in parks, reserves and along roadsides. Council would like to remind residents that col­lecting firewood from public land, including national parks, state parks, natural reserves and roadsides within the Parkes Shire, is prohibited under the Local Government Act 1993 and can carry fines of up to $2,200.

While many residents rely on firewood as a low-cost heating source, the removal of dead wood, including standing dead trees and fallen timber, contributes to the decline of local ecosystems and has been identified as a significant factor in Australia’s biodi­versity loss.

Deputy Mayor of Parkes Shire, Cr Marg Applebee, said dead trees and fallen timber play an essential role in maintaining healthy ecosystems. Council is reminding residents that dead wood is not a sign of an unhealthy environment. In fact, it is a natural and vital part of healthy bushland ecosystems, helping store carbon, stabi­lise soils and support countless native species.

Illegal firewood collection can also pose serious safety risks, par­ticularly through improper chainsaw use and the danger of falling trunks and branches. The forests and woodlands of the Western Slopes and Tablelands have been particularly impacted by fire­wood collection due to the presence of popular firewood species.

Council is concerned this activity may be adversely impacting a number of native species found across the Parkes Shire, includ­ing the swift parrot, superb parrot, squirrel glider, crimson rosella, rainbow lorikeet and sacred kingfisher.

Report evidence of illegal firewood collection to Council coun­cil@parkes.nsw.gov.au

This is a call out to all story lovers to join Parkes Shire Library for National Simulta­neous Storytime 2026 (NSS) as we come together to read Luna Roo the Kangaroo Baller on Wednesday, 27 May 2026 at 12pm.

Parkes Shire Library is proud to be part of this much-loved national tradition for its 26th year, hosting a free event featuring a live performance of this year’s chosen book, Luna Roo the Kangaroo Baller.

Written by football veterans Adam Jack­son and Adrian Lloyd, and illustrated by Jake Minton, the story follows rookie cap­tain Luna Roo as she leaves nothing on the pitch while leading FC Outback in a thrilling face-off against Bush United. Faced with a spider goalkeeper, snakes in attack and bubbling nerves, Luna must trust her skills and her teammates to soar to victory. Luna Roo theKangaroo Baller captures the ex­citement of the game while sharing a heart­warming message about courage, team­work and determination.

“Come and cheer for Luna Roo as she finds her inner strength on the field in this energetic underdog story,” said Parkes Shire Council’s Cultural, Education and Li­brary Services Manager, Kerryn Jones.

NSS is held annually. Each year, a picture book written and illustrated by Australian creators is read simultaneously in librar­ies, schools, pre-schools, childcare centres, family homes, bookshops and many other locations across the nation.

To join the live performance at Parkes Shire Library, RSVP via events.humanitix.com/national-simultaneous-storytime-2026-parkes-library or contact the Library on 6861 2309. A reminder that the Peak Hill Library will celebrate National Simultaneous Storytime on Tuesday, 26 May at 11:30am with an extra special Storytime planned for local families.

Club President Raelene Rout, VP Susan Ball, pictured with new members Sarah Davies, Marianne Watson.

Parkes QUE Club members recently held their May business meeting where they learnt that Home Birthing is now available for women in our area. Guest speakers on the day were, midwives Hannah Dixon and Tanya Bayliss, captured the audience’s at­tention with updates on maternity and birth­ing services in Parkes.

Although birthing services have been transferred to Forbes, the maternity unit at the Parkes Hospital offers antenatal and postnatal midwifery care. Dedicated support from midwives is a vital necessity especially for our rural families.

Hannah Dixon, a midwife at Parkes Hos­pital, explained the MAPP program (Mater­nity Antenatal/Postnatal Program) where a midwife provides education and support for mums during antenatal and postnatal care of babies at home. Antenatal care from the same midwife, or local team of midwives, provides regular health checkups to monitor baby and mother, and then postnatal care, including breastfeeding assistance, new­born care as well as checkups and support to mothers is available for 2-6 weeks after birth.

Through her small business, “Beyond birthing Midwifery” Tanya is a privatelypractising Endorsed Midwife and Regis­tered Nurse offering midwifery care through pregnancy and postpartum in Parkes and surrounding areas.Que Club has been as­sociated with new-born babies for many years, providing the baby’s first book to every Parkes baby. The books are taken to Parkes District Hospital and distributed to all the new bubs by the Child and Family Health Nurses.

The club is busy gearing up for the June Coradgery picnic race meeting, where they will be trialling some new menu items. You’ll find Parkes QUE Club under the grandstand with lots of goodies including home-made slices. The annual open gardens and mar­kets which are scheduled for 11 October 2026, are already being planned. Save the date. You can contact the Club via our email which is: parkesqueclub@gmail.com

Midwives, Tanya Bayliss, Hannah Dison with Parkes Que Club President Raelene Rout.

Royal Far West riders took on their final leg – riding through Eugowra, with a special stop to connect with the local com­munity. Pictured with Eugowra Public School kids who are proud of their partnership with Royal Far West and we are appreciative of the support they provide.

Royal Far West’s Ride for Country Kids made its way from Parkes to Forbes, tak­ing 64 cyclists on a journey. They started in Parkes, and then traveled through Trundle and Eugowra, before finishing in Forbes.

At 12pm on Tuesday 19 May, on their 3rd and final day of riding, the cyclists vis­ited the Eugowra Community Hall to meet Raewyn Molloy and her team, and the local schools being supported by Royal Far West.

Raewyn Molloy knows all too well about needing the services of Royal Far West, as she herself required their assistance when she was just five years of age, after a grass seed shot into her ear and began to grow. An operation that followed caused her to lose the ability to speak clearly. The Sunshine Club at Parkes supported her to travel from Eugowra to Royal Far West in Manly for treatment, where she spent one year undertaking speech therapy. On her re­turn to Eugowra, she changed schools and repeated kindergarten and was well on her way to succeeding.

Royal Far West’s vision is to improve the health and wellbeing of children living in ru­ral and remote communities. In FY25, we supported 512 children, 302 parents and carers and 496 educators across 29 pri­mary schools and 5 early childhood centres in Western and Far West NSW – delivering services including speech pathology, oc­cupational therapy, psychology, and social work.

Each year, cyclists head out on a threeday ride across regional NSW as part of Royal Far West’s Ride for Country Kids. The annual event raises vital funds and aware­ness for developmental, behavioural and mental health services, to help transform the lives of Australia’s country children. For more information visit www.royalfarwest.org.au