Nominations are now open for the 2023 Parkes Shire Council Community, Cultural, Environmental and Sports Awards, and the Ron Harrison Sports Bursary.

“This has been hard for everyone in many ways, not least with the recent flood disaster. The amazing response shown has proved just how many local heroes are in our community,” said Parkes Shire Mayor Cr Ken Keith OAM.

The annual Australia Day Awards are designed to publicly acknowledge and reward the marvellous contributions citizens and groups make on a local level and encourage others to follow their lead. The awards cover the 2022 calendar year to date and will be announced at the Australia Day Awards ceremony in January 2023. 

This year, all nominations must be made online via Council’s website. If you need any assistance with completing the nomination form, please visit the team at the Parkes Library & Culture Centre. Entries close on 5th December.

This year the Cultural Award categories have changed to encourage a wider variety of recipients eligible for nomination, and will include the following categories: Performance Award, Literacy Award, Visual Arts Award and Cultural Lifetime Achievement Award.

The Community Awards recognise outstanding community contribution in three categories: Adult Citizen; Young Citizen; Individuals or a Community Group for an event. 

The Environmental Award recognises an individual or group contributing to our environmental preservation or advancing environmental awareness within the Shire.

The Sports Awards recognise outstanding sporting groups and individuals in the Parkes Shire in eight categories.

Parkes Shire Council was overwhelmed with the number of photos entered for the inaugural Biodiversity in Focus photography competition.

A broad range of fauna and flora were included in the total of 57 images submitted by students across the Infants, Primary and Secondary categories.

To select winners in each division, local naturalists Peter Cannon and Martin Bell from the Lachlan Valley Branch of the National Parks Association of NSW, were asked to judge the entries. 

“We were impressed with the quality of photography and the selection of interesting and diverse subject matter,” said Martin.

“We understand that, unfortunately, there can only be one winner from each division. Nevertheless, all the entrants should be congratulated on some fine photography.”

Winners: Infants: “Bluey the Blue Tongue” by Flynn Davis. Flynn said: “It was crossing the road to the football field, and we wanted to make sure it got across safely. It had a really beautiful light blue tongue.” Primary: “Hang in there” by Peggy Swift. Peggy said: “This Peron’s Tree Frog (Litoria peronii) is a native frog to the Parkes area. It’s also known as the Laughing Tree Frog. It has cross-shaped eyes, emerald spots and yellow armpits.” Secondary: “A Curious Owl” by Cooper Holloway. Cooper said: “This Eastern Barn Owl was perched up in a Kurrajong tree on our farm.”

Runners-up: Infants: “Broken Heart Tree surrounded by Yellow Paperdaisy” by Jayda Francis; Primary: “Yellow Paper Daisy with a Bull Ant” by Chase Francis; Secondary: “Land of the Shrooms” by Adam Barnard.

Honourable mentions: Brydee Flavel, Flynn Davis, Joey Hazelton, Saige Jelbart, Alexis Lewis, Bradley Lewis, Charlotte Ballantyne, Emma Hando, Jenson Howard, Rosie Parkin, Samara Wood, Peggy Swift, Cooper Holloway, Haylee Lewis and Lilia Howard.

Budding photographers are encouraged to keep their eyes peeled for interesting plants, fungi and animals to enter in next year’s competition.

Parkes Shire students undertaking their first year of full-time university studies next year are encouraged to apply for a Jack Scoble Scholarship.

Supported by the Parkes Shire Council, the scholarship offers local students funding for their tertiary studies. 

“Receiving a financial boost can help make university education more accessible for regional young people to help ease the financial pressures of tertiary studies,” said Council’s Manager Cultural Education & Library Services Kerryn Jones. “I also strongly encourage students who will be registering with the Parkes Country Universities Centre are also eligible to apply.” 

The late Jack Scoble MBE, OAM was Mayor of Parkes from 1966 to 1979.

Applicants must be: Residents of Parkes Shire who have completed the Higher School Certificate at either a school in the shire, or outside of the shire as non-boarding students; Entering their first year of full-time university studies either immediately after graduating high school, or after a gap period of no longer than 24 months; Undertaking a course of study that will offer a benefit to the rural community.

Guidelines and application forms are available at www.parkes.nsw.gov.au/living-here/your-community/education/scholarships/ 

Applications close on 20th January 2023 at 10am. 

The Trees are out. Each participating business will have a wonderful timber Christmas Tree out the front of their business or close to their front door. 

“We are so pleased to be able to offer $20 000 in prizes this year,” said Aaron Acheson of the Forbes Business Chamber. “It has been a tough year so the Forbes Business Chamber is delighted to have kept the draws to encourage local shopping.”

Due to the floods and businesses needing to clean up, the draws will begin on Thursday, 1st December with the first $500 being electronically drawn. Please make sure that your electronic entry is filled out correctly. All you need to do is scan the QR Code and fill in the details. There are 7 x $500 up until Christmas Eve and then 10 X $500, 1 x $1500, 2 x $2500 and 1 x $5000 which will be drawn on 24th December. 

Major sponsors and participants: Forbes Shire Council and Forbes Business Chamber. Gold Sponsor – Bernardis, Silver Sponsors -Terry Bros Carpet Court and the Forbes Phoenix. Bronze Sponsors – Flannery’s Pharmacy, Gunn’s Menswear and Embroidery, MD Steel, Steele Technology, Walkers Ag N Vet and WA Knights. “All the sponsors will have a QR code for you to scan when you shop in their business.” For those people who don’t have a phone, there will be a sign-on-sheet. Your details will be entered manually prior to each drawer.

Participating businesses: All of the above plus Acheson’s Mite 10, Allure On Main, Blue Sky Outdoors, Betta Home Living, Blush Organics, Bowns Sports Power, Brons Hair Design, ChapterTwo, Forbes Automotive Services, Forbes Central Butchery, Forbes Small Engines, HelloWorld, Hozpots Garden Centre, Isabel’s Place, Jessica’s Beauty, Life Pharmacy, Little Extra’s Lifestyle, Loomzys Fish n Fix, Made Of Fridays, McMillian Industries, News On Rankin, Phillip Wells Optometrist, Robbs Jewellers, The Bakehouse, The Book Dispensary, Turners Furniture One and Undercover Sleepwear and Lingerie.

“We hope the Find It In Forbes Christmas Promotion and Christmas Carnival will bring some fun and happiness to all,” said Aaron.

Forbes Christmas Carnival on 9th December from 5 – 9pm.

 

Parkes has been turned into base camp as emergency services in NSW are facing the largest flood operation in the state’s history. 

By Wednesday over 200 people had been rescued from floodwater and the State Emergency Service received more than 900 calls for help. 

In addition to emergency services, the ADF has been based in town for about two weeks, while international volunteers arrived this week to assist with a flood rescue for the first time. A team of 12 from Fire and Emergency New Zealand arrived in Parkes on Tuesday, while another team of 12 from Singapore arrived yesterday. 

Pioneer Oval is now a basecamp for the emergency services with a capacity of 100 personnel and includes a decontamination centre where crews can decontaminate upon return from the field. Northparkes Oval is being used as a temporary helicopter landing pad. 

Ken Murphy, SES Senior Manager Capability and Incident Controller for the Lachlan Valley, said the base camp had a capacity to expand to 150 people, and would stay as long as the emergency services were operational in the area. 

He said the New Zealand team had specialist skills around logistics management, resource management, planning and intel, while the Singapore team specialised in swift water rescue. A US team with specialist capability is also expected to join the operation. 

Acting Prime Minister Richard Marles toured the flood affected Central West on Wednesday and met the New Zealand team at the SES office in Parkes. “We are really grateful for your assistance. My defence counterpart in NZ sent me a text message. Your government is very proud of the service you are providing to us.” 

Ken said it was amazing how the team had hit the ground running not knowing the systems. He said the international teams would be staying for as long as they were needed. “We have ongoing arrangements to roll them over. This would allow us really good opportunities to share ideas and to look at policies and procedures and evaluate equipment, and help us with fatigue management for our crews.” 

Following the flood event in Parkes on Monday, Ken said the rapid damage assessment teams were still busy getting to all the affected homes and would become part of moving towards the recovery phase. 

The main focus was on Forbes, Condobolin and areas downstream in preparing for the flood and responding and working with the community. 

“Our biggest message to the public is to comply with evacuation warnings, to be prepared when an evacuation order was issued, to have an evacuation kit ready with all the essential items, to consider pets and neighbours.” He also said people should under no circumstance enter flood water. 

It is probably the worst start to a Monday you can imagine, but for many Parkes the nightmare became reality when they woke in the morning with water running through their homes.

“We had ten minutes to get out as the house was filling up so fast,” said David Thompson, who lives in Billabong Crescent.

His mum Bev said she heard the dog barking incessantly but tried to ignore it. “David eventually got up and found the back veranda covered in water.” Although they can see the creek from their home, Bev said it had never ever even reached a bank more than 10m from the house.

“When I opened my bedroom door, water was coming in. I only had time to grab a clean pair of pants and a top as I was still in my nighty.” She said by the time they left the house the water was already knee deep.

Residents gathered at the top of Military Road where there was a dry patch until the water started receding later in the morning.

On Tuesday morning her house was a beehive of activity as the ‘volunteer army of angels’ and the Parkes Fire & Rescue 417 team had come to help clean up. Every piece of furniture, clothing and household item were stacked outside on the lawn as volunteers started washing mud and debris from the house.

Still reeling from the shock of the previous day, Bev was extremely grateful for the love and kindness shown by the community.

A few blocks away in Kelly Road the destruction was even worse with one house in particular that appeared to have been hit by the ‘eye’ of the flood.

Paul Lovett said when he woke up and looked outside he saw water coming to his house. “I tried to push back on my front door from the inside but could not hold it for very long. It was like a torrent running right through the house, eight bricks deep.”

On Tuesday the volunteer army under the leadership of Dooley Thomson carted off truckloads of furniture and household items that had been damaged. 

“The worst of all is we had absolutely no warning,” said Paul looking out over his mud covered garden and brown pool. “I don’t even have flood insurance because this area has never been classified as a flood zone.”

Dooley, who lives nearby in Military Road, said he started getting calls from people for help on Monday. He could not believe what had happened and put out a call on social media for volunteers to help with the clean-up from Tuesday.

On Wednesday he had again gathered an ‘army’ and headed off to Eugowra where the flood destruction was a much bigger disaster.