Walk in solidarity with the 1 in 5 Australians experiencing mental illness each year.

The Black Dog Institute is calling on Australians to take a stand in solidarity for the 1 in 5 Australians experiencing symptoms of mental illness each year by participating in One Foot Forward – a national virtual challenge taking place in October – Mental Health Month.

The challenge is to walk, run, or roll 40km, 60km, 100km, 150km, or a distance that suits them throughout October, to show people experiencing symptoms of mental illness that they are not alone and to raise funds for Black Dog Institute’s crucial mental health research and support services in Australia. One in five Australians experience a mental illness each year which means around 5 million people are personally affected.

One Foot Forward can be a great way to take a positive step forward for your own mental health and show Australians impacted by mental illness that they’re not alone. You can take part solo, with a team or with your colleagues.

With mental illness costing Australian businesses $39 billion in lost revenue each year, Black Dog Institute is calling on corporate groups and businesses to join in.

This national virtual event is a great team building exercise for colleagues, can increase staff morale and help promote mental wellbeing in the workplace.

In 2022, over 28,000 participants walked, ran and rolled over 2,286,105km during Mental Health Month and joined in on the fun, got active, and raised funds to help Black Dog Institute. 

Funds raised by One Foot Forward participants this year can assist in the research and development of digital mental health tools and apps for adults and children, support novel and innovative suicide prevention programs, and help community presenters reach school students to talk about mental health in schools and how to get support.

Register online today at www.onefootforward.org.au 

Head along today to the official opening of the new Meals On Wheels location at the corner of Forbes Road and Callaghan Street.

This week saw a big week of celebrations for the Parkes Meals On Wheels (MOW) branch with National Meals On Wheels Day on Wednesday and their 60th anniversary celebrations being held today, Friday 1st September.

Chair of Meals on Wheels Australia, Paul Sadler says the 70-year milestone is something to be truly proud of, as well as the many ways that Meals on Wheels supports communities, far beyond delivering food.

“One thing that has remained clear over Meals on Wheels’ 70 years is that the service we provide with the support of committed volunteers, is vital,” said Paul.

The Parkes Meals On Wheels branch has been operational since 6th January 1963 and they currently service 120 clients. In order to service those clients, MOW have around 180 volunteers covering the Parkes Shire including Parkes Peak Hill, Trundle and Tullamore.

The lease on their previous location was coming to an end, and they wanted to be able to be more self-substantial and return to the grassroots of cooking nutritional meals for their clients, delivered hot and fresh daily.

The new MOW premises, located at the corner of Forbes Road and Callaghan Street will allow for the reintroduction of a production kitchen for the fist time in over 30 years.

A MOW spokesperson said, “The open day is a chance to celebrate our 60th birthday. It is a great leap forward to deliver to the people of Parkes hot nutritional meals every day as well as a welfare check. We are more than just a meal.”

The Meals On Wheels open day will kick off at 12pm with The Mayor, councilors, Phil Donato MP and MOW volunteers in attendance. Phil Donato will also hand out certificates to some of the long serving volunteers. A BBQ and cake will be provided.

Tiny Dancers (3-5year olds) Wendy Kingham, Halle Hutchings, Ruby Elliott, Grace Westcott, Miss Sharyn Constable, Savannah Sole, Abigail Smee, Phoebe Paude.

Last weekend, teachers and students at Parkes School of Dance Inc were thrilled to host guest teacher and Royal Academy of Dance examiner, Miss Sharyn Constable at their May Street Studio for a weekend of winter workshops.

The weekend workshops were proudly supported by Northparkes Mines and the Parkes Shire Council 2023 Sports Grant. Parkes School of Dance Inc is thrilled to be recognised by the arts and sport. Without their support, these workshops wouldn’t be such a huge success.

The two big days of ballet and dance workshops saw 24 dancers, between the ages of 18 months and adult, and three teachers, participate in coaching across 14 hours of dance workshops. Many dancers had their first experience of dancing, three hours of ballet across two days with a highly regarded guest teacher.

“Thank you so much for inviting me out to Parkes. It was such a joy to see, and finally meet everyone in person. Both the students and teachers were so delightful,” said Miss Sharyn. 

“I look forward to a time when we might have the chance to do it all again.”

Parkes School of Dance students are in the midst of working towards their Royal Academy of Dance Ballet exams, coming up in early September.

“The opportunity to learn from different teachers does not happen often, let alone with a Royal Academy of Dance Examiner! Miss Sharyn inspired our dancers and teachers to think like ballerinas,”

Parkes School of Dance RAD teacher said, “Welcoming Miss Sharyn to our studio was such a wonderful experience for dancers of all ages and our teachers. As a teacher, I am always trying to find ways to improve my teaching. Miss Sharyn’s generosity of knowledge is invaluable!”