General Interest Archives - Page 97 of 352

Residents Feel Let Down By Closure Of Parkes ANZ Bank Branch

April 28, 2023 By Roxane Manley

The Parkes branch of the ANZ Bank closed its doors for the last time on 19th April.

The Finance Sector Union (FSU) is calling on the major banks to stop closing bank branches in metropolitan and regional areas while a Senate Inquiry into Regional Branch Closures is underway.

ANZ recently closed its Parkes branch which services both Parkes and Forbes residents. The bank has also notified the FSU it will close Clarkson in WA, Patterson Lakes in Victoria and Lane Cove in NSW with the loss of 15 jobs in June.

Additionally, the CBA has notified the FSU it will close branches at Bull Creek in WA and Aspley, Qld in June with the loss of 12 jobs.

Both the CBA and ANZ have committed to pausing regional closures while the Inquiry continues.

“The major banks are making massive profits and yet they continue to shut down branches and they don’t care about customers and businesses who are impacted by these closures,” Ms Angrisano said.

“The morale of bank workers is at rock bottom as they wait to hear if their branch and their job is on the hit list.”

NAB refuses to acknowledge community concerns and has announced branches at Jeparit and Inverloch in Victoria will close. Branches at Boonah, Qld and Queanbeyan, NSW will also be shut down. Each NAB branch will close in July.

“The NAB’s behaviour is outrageous, completely out of step with community expectations and in breach of its social license,” Ms Angrisano said.

“The FSU believes the banks should be compelled to pause all closures, in metropolitan and regional areas, while the Senate Inquiry is underway.”

“Australians deserve to have access to the full range of financial services no matter where they live.”

Major Power Maintenance For Parkes Area

April 28, 2023 By Roxane Manley

Essential Energy will commence work next week on a major maintenance program on the electricity network that supplies power to Parkes, Lake Cargelligo, and the surrounding areas.

Operations Manager Central, Andrew Hinchcliffe, said that the major works would see more than 130 tasks completed across the area over five consecutive days. “Crews will be replacing 30 power poles, 18 pole crossarms, upgrading and refurbishing 14 transformers and replacing various other network components that have reached end of life,” Andrew said.

A series of planned power outages will be necessary for the works to be completed safely, and these have been scheduled to occur daily from Monday, 1 May to Friday, 5 May 2023. Customers will receive Essential Energy’s standard outage notifications, advising the dates and times of outages affecting them.

“We are bringing in additional crews and equipment from Condobolin, Forbes, Griffith, Lake Cargelligo, Leeton and West Wyalong depots to work with our local Parkes crews to help complete this large program of works,” Andrew said.

“Significant planning has been undertaken to complete the large program of works as quickly and safely as possible, with a significant amount of work being completed in a relatively short time across the area, to reduce the overall inconvenience on affected communities.”

The scheduled works are reliant on suitable weather conditions and may be postponed if the conditions are unfavourable or any unforeseen circumstances arise.

“We appreciate that planned power outages may cause inconvenience for some customers, but they are vital to ensure a safe and reliable power network for these communities,” Andrew said.

Changed Traffic Conditions For Anzac Day On Great Western Highway

April 21, 2023 By Roxane Manley

Motorists are advised of changed traffic conditions on Tuesday, 25 April, on the Great Western Highway through the Blue Mountains for Anzac Day services.

Glenbrook: There will be no access to Hare Street from Great Western Highway between 5:15am and 11:45am. There will be no access to Ross Street from Great Western Highway between 10:00am and 10:50am. Great Western Highway will be closed in both directions between Hare Street and Ross Street for up to 15 minutes between 10:35am and 10:50am.

Lawson: The westbound left turn lane from the Great Western Highway will be closed into Honour Avenue between 4:30am and 12:30pm.

Blackheath: There will be no access to Govetts Leap Road from Great Western Highway between 9:30am and 11:00am.

Motorists are advised to take extra care, drive to the conditions and follow the directions of signs and traffic control.

Transport for NSW thanks motorists for their patience. For all the latest traffic updates download the Live Traffic NSW App, visit livetraffic.com or call 132 701.

Parkes Painting Group Annual Exhibition

April 21, 2023 By Roxane Manley

This Painting by local artist Margaret Marshall will be raffled at the Parkes Painting Group Art Exhibition opening on he 21st April in the Coventry Room

The Parkes Painting Group 2023 Annual Art Exhibition will be officially opened this evening, Friday 21st April by Parkes Mayor, Ken Keith OAM, at 6.30pm in the Coventry Room of the Parkes Shire Library and Cultural Centre.

President of the Parkes Painting Group, Kerry Davis said it is expected to be a fantastic evening for all who attend.

“The Mayor will be there on the night to give a speech and other Councillors are also attending. There will be a pianist from Peak Hill playing classical music throughout the evening,” said Kerry.

Tickets cost $20 and include wine, finger food, tea, coffee and sweets. Bookings can be made on Humantix or paid at the door.

The exhibition will run for two weeks from Saturday, 22nd April to Saturday, 6th May and it is a free exhibition to the public. Be sure to check out the range of local artistic talent on display.

Fuel Standards Could Increase Costs For Farmers

April 21, 2023 By Roxane Manley

NSW Farmers has warned the federal government against hiking costs to operate trucks and tractors in the proposed Fuel Efficiency Standard.

Energy Minister Chris Bowen and Transport Minister Catherine King announced a Fuel Efficiency Standard would be introduced as part of Australia’s first National Electric Vehicle Strategy, aimed at driving cleaner, cheaper to run vehicles.The ministers said Australians households and businesses are missing out on more efficient vehicles, which could save motorists $519 per year in fuel costs.

Farmers were fearful, however, that the fuel standards could make it more expensive to run the diesel vehicles that form the backbone of Australia’s farm sector and transport fleet, in turn increasing the cost of food and goods for consumers.

NSW Farmers Energy Transition Working Group chair Reg Kidd said there were no commercial alternatives to diesel-powered trucks and tractors, and Australia’s large size meant electric vehicles were still not an option to keep the country running.

“There’s a lot of promise in electric vehicles, but the farm and transport sectors are a long way from broad-scale adoption, the technology’s just not there yet,” Mr Kidd said.

“People can choose to drive an electric car to get around town, but you still can’t drive from Dubbo to Broken Hill in one – the distances between charging stations are too great.

“We want people in rural, remote and regional communities to be involved in this discussion, not sidelined as a consequence of a narrow thinking.”

“Genuine engagement and consultation is critical here, because what works even in a large center like Orange doesn’t work further out at West Wyalong,” Mr Kidd said.

“Good intentions alone just won’t cut it, people are keen to do their bit in reducing pollution, but we need to be careful we don’t also reduce our ability to feed ourselves.”

Helping Build Strong, Resilient Communities In The Wake Of Disaster

April 21, 2023 By Roxane Manley

Guest speakers Tracey Spicer AM – author, journalist and broadcaster, Shane Fitzsimmons AO AFSM.

There is a stellar line up of guest speakers at next week’s Disaster Resilience – Australian Local Government Women’s annual conference which is being held in Forbes.

Starting on Thursday 27th April, city and regional council representatives will be travelling to Forbes to enjoy discovering our town. Guests will participate in tours and morning walks around the lake before settling in to share and learn about building stronger and more resilient communities in the wake of disaster.

On Friday, key speakers will be Tracey Spicer AM – author, journalist and broadcaster, Shane Fitzsimmons AO AFSM, Jo Beadle – GIVIT National Manager, Major Matina Jewell CSP and Elizabeth Rushbrook, Disaster Relief Australia.

On Saturday, guest speakers will include Heidi Stratford – NSW Reconstruction Authority and ANU’s Prfessor Tanya Jakimow.

Local speakers are Eugowra resident Jess Eijkman, Bailee Harrison and Paul Faulkiner who will share their first hand accounts, experiences and recovery from the 2022 central west floods. Rebecca Miller and Louise Bernardi will also be empowering conference guests with presentations.

There will be a Gala Dinner on Saturday night and everyone is welcome to attend – tickets are available for purchase at 2023 ALGWA NSW Branch Annual Conference Tickets (123tix.com.au).

Limited sponsored tickets are available for Forbes businesses and individuals impacted by the flood to attend the main addresses on Friday and Saturday. Please contact Briony Ferguson on 6850 2300 to discuss and make arrangements to attend or for more information regarding the event.

Marnie’s Great German Adventure

April 21, 2023 By Marnie

Marnie Noakes is enjoying her third month abroad in Germany as an exchange student.

It’s Marnie, and here is another update from Germany. Wow! Three months already, and what an amazing three months it has been. I have done so many amazing things and have made so many amazing memories. Here are just some of them.

I went to a town called Rothenburg for the day with my first host parents. There is a wall surrounding the town and we walked through part of it, which was really cool. We also went to the Christmas museum.

I attended a Rotary meeting which was the three clubs in my town combined. It was a great evening and I met lots of people.

I also met a man and his wife who have lived in Australia, they were very nice and they invited me over for an evening. One evening we went to a castle about 10 minutes out of Würzburg and then went back to their home for dinner.

Easter is a lot bigger here in Germany, it is very common for family to travel and meet up like we would for Christmas. I did two egg hunts, which is quite common and very fun. Another traditional German celebration I took part in was eating my brightly coloured boiled eggs.

I went to a Roman museum in Osterburken with my current (second) host family and we also went to Stuttgart to see a museum with special architecture.

I have just arrived back from Berlin, the capital of Germany. We went there for four days and it was amazing. My host mum and I saw and did so many things, just two of them being the remains of the Berlin Wall and an Egyptian museum with the very famous bust of Nefertiti.

I’m having an amazing time, and I hope you enjoyed my update!

Marnie

Free Online Child Car Seat Safety Workshops

April 21, 2023 By Roxane Manley

Parents, carers and grandparents of young children are invited to attend one of two free online workshops being held next week to provide important safety information about child car seats.

Workshops are being conducted by Parkes, Forbes and Lachlan Shire Councils in partnership with Transport for NSW West Region. The workshops will be held via MS Teams, on Tuesday 2 May at 10am and on Wednesday 3 May at 7pm, and will run for about an hour.

Councils Road Safety and Injury Prevention Officer, Melanie Suitor, said the correct selection, installation and adjustment of child car seats is vital in ensuring children’s safety when travelling in vehicles. “The workshop will cover the National Child Restraint Laws, types of child car seats available, correct installation and adjustment, when to move to the next car seat, accessories, tips for secondhand car seats and much more.”

“It will be a great refresher for grandparents, as child car seats and the rules have changed a lot since they had their children, but also for parents and carers as they are navigating their way through their child or children’s growth.”

“Local checking day events show that around 80% of the child car seats we checked were incorrectly installed. Transport for NSW research shows that children who are not restrained correctly are seven times more likely to sustain life-threatening injuries in a crash than those who are properly secured. It is so important to ensure your precious cargo is safe,” said Ms Suitor.

To book your place, visit the event listing on the Councils Facebook pages or call Ms Suitor on (02) 6861 2364.

Head To Eugowra This Anzac Day

April 21, 2023 By Roxane Manley

The Mates4Harness Flood Relief Anzac Day Race meet will bring the community together to celebrate the Anzac spirit while supporting local flood victims.

A family focused event, the race day will have something for everyone from live music, auctions, free kids amusements, mobile rides, mini trots, ice-cream, free facepainting and of course harness racing action and a drivers invitational race.

Anzac day will also be commemorated with a parade at the course and 2 Up, where punters can try their luck off the track as well.

The day will kick off at 12.15pm at the Eugowra Showground Paceway.

It is great to see the Eugowra community bounce back after the 2022 floods. The huge community and Council effort to get the infrastructure of Eugowra back in shape to host such events is commendable.

If you are looking for something different to do with the family this Anzac Day, head on over to Eugowra to support the community In their recovery efforts.

For more information on the Mates4Harness Flood Relief Harness Race Day, head on over to www.eugowraharnessracing.com or check out Eugowra Harness Racing Club Facebook Page.

Share Our Air

April 14, 2023 By Roxane Manley

Balloons gracing our autumn skies, ready for the Canowindra International Balloon Challenge. Image courtesy of Farmpix Photography.

The annual Canowindra International Balloon Challenge kicked off on Wednesday, 12th April, with balloons gracing the skies at both sunrise and sunset over the rolling hills of Canowindra.

Canowindra’s biggest festival brings the community together to welcome thousands of visitors, who trek from across the country to celebrate all things ballooning.

There is so much more than just ballooning on offer. Kick off the weekend with the street parade from 10am on Saturday, 15th April.

The main event, the Canowindra Balloon Glow will start at 3pm with plenty on offer for everyone. A true family friendly event, with live music, food, drink and market stalls. It will be an evening not to be missed with Golden Guitar winners, Darlinghurst Band performing alongside local artists.

Festival updates will be posted on the Canowindra International Balloon Challenge facebook page. Get your tickets at 123tix.com.au

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