Early work has started on the Parkes bypass to enable the construction of the bypass, which will realign the Newell Highway two kilometres west of Parkes.

The early works include upgrading Nock Road to a bitumen surface and closing the road from direct access to the Newell Highway by making it a cul-de-sac. A number of utility relocations will also be completed, including upgrading water mains along the length of the footprint of the bypass.

“The bypass will reduce travel time by up to 10 minutes and increase safety by removing more than 1,200 trucks a day from the town of Parkes,” said Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development, Michael McCormack.

NSW for Regional Transport and Roads Paul Toole said the early work would be delivered by Parkes Shire Council and supported 20 council and contractor jobs.

Further work will involve:
• construction of a new bitumen road between Thomas Street and Mitchell Street;
• construction of a new bitumen road between Condobolin Road and Back Trundle Road to replace Moulden Street; and
• construction of a new section of road between Brolgan Road and Hartigan

For more information visit https://www.rms.nsw.gov.au/projects/newell-highway/parkes/index.html

Rural Aid is asking school students to lift the spirits of farmers around the nation by creating homemade cards with a special and personal message.

CEO of Rural Aid, John Walters said that in addition to the anguish caused by the COVID pandemic, farmers have endured years of record-breaking droughts, devastating floods and catastrophic bushfires. “After such a difficult year, we want to put a smile on the faces of Aussie farmers. Students can make this possible by getting their school involved in our Christmas Cards 4 Farmers initiative.”

“The reality is that if you eat food or wear clothes, you’re a partner in Australian farming. From fruit and vegetables to bread, meat, cotton and wool, our farmers are central to our everyday life.” John said the Christmas Cards 4 Farmers campaign had been influential in previous years. “In the past, the letters that school children have written to our farmers have had an incredible impact on the farmers’ mental health. In one special case, a schoolgirl named Matilda wrote a letter to a farmer in need which helped save his life.”

Help Rural Aid continue this tradition by creating your homemade card and sending it in before 19th November. Place all cards in a bigger envelope and mail them to Rural Aid at PO Box 1342, Sunnybank Hills QLD 4109. Rural Aid will put the card in envelopes and send them to Aussie farmers. Visit: www.ruralaid.org.au/christmascards4farmers/

Several Parkes residents have received phone calls about tax debt in recent weeks. The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) has confirmed it is a phone scam telling people they have a tax debt and that if they don’t pay it straight away they will be arrested.

“These scammers will often request payment through unusual methods, such as cryptocurrency, pre-paid credit cards or gift cards, and will try to keep people on the line until they have paid,” according to the ATO website.

If you receive a phone call, text message or voicemail like this, don’t send payment or provide any personal information. Hang up and delete the message.

“We will never threaten you with immediate arrest or demand payment through unusual means. If you’re not sure if it’s the ATO contacting you, phone us on 1800 008 540 to check.”

You can help stop scammers in their tracks by warning your friends and family to stay alert.

Students of the Active Citizen Program at the Rotary Peace Precinct (L-R) Trudy Richardson (Parkes), Ty Jones (Forbes), Baiden Forster (Forbes), Kiara Harris (Condobolin), Jayden Pope (Parkes), Charlie Oraha (Parkes), Kevin Read (Aboriginal liaison officer), Billie O’Bryan (Condobolin), Kaiden Atkinson (Condobolin), Senior Constable Daniel Greef (Youth Officer), Jake Smith (Forbes) and Sarah Williams (Forbes Shire Council youth officer).

A morning of spring planting saw 150 native plants added to the Rotary Peace Precinct in Parkes last Thursday.

The eager planters included nine indigenous students who are part of this year’s Active Citizen Program run by the NSW Police Force’s Central West District. They were assisted by Parkes Shire Council employees and guided by Ken Engsmyr of the Parkes Rotary Club.

“Today is about working with Rotary, learning about ways in which people can give back to the community,” said Senior Constable Daniel Greef. “What they did here is a practical example and the precinct links in well with reconciliation, and its link with Wiradjuri culture.”

For Parkes student Trudy Richardson it was an amazing experience. “It was a great opportunity to find out what Rotary does for the Parkes community. I will always be reminded of today, every time I come to this park.”

Ken talked to the students about the Wiradjuri art on display in the park, situated on the corner of Bushman and East streets. The three indigenous artists involved in the project were Sean Cassidy, Sauce Towney and Scott Turnbull.

The students, who are from Parkes, Forbes and Condobolin, were treated to a traditional Rotary sausage sandwich lunch after their hard work.

By Maggi Barnard

CUC Parkes Chair, Tracie Robertson with newly appointed CUC Centre Manager Jacob Cass outside the newly renovated Parkes Library where the CUC will be located.

The Country Universities Centre (CUC) in Parkes has reached a significant milestone with the appointment of a centre manager earlier this month.

Jacob Cass was appointed by the board from more than 50 expressions of interest in the position.

CUC Parkes Chair, Tracie Robertson, said that the board was overwhelmed with interest in the advertised position and very happy with the outcome.

“There was no shortage of outstanding candidates. Jacob’s experience working as a business development manager and career transition assistance coordinator for OCTEC Training Services, which includes career guidance, teaching basic digital literacy and helping individuals choose and transition to employment or higher education, was a great fit and will prove extremely valuable in the role.”

Jacob said a significant motivator in applying for the position was the chance to give back to the community. “I pride myself on helping people realise and achieve their goals. I am excited by the prospect of help- ing community members succeed in higher education.”

Jacob is passionate about increasing the participation of students in higher education.“We think he will be an excellent fit, supporting students considering studying for the first time and working with high achieving students too,” said Tracie.

She added that Jacob also had a rich marketing background and experience in counselling which he hoped to assist students through stressful periods of study.

The CUC Parkes will be part of the newly renovated Parkes Library, which opened its doors last week. “We are excited to be a part of the precinct and expect to open the CUC Parkes’s doors to students before the end of the year. We’ll certainly be ready for semester one next year!”

Any students thinking about studying online next year can reach out and contact the CUC Parkes for assistance. Any interested students can speak to Jacob Cass at Jacob.Cass@cucparkes.edu.au