Five days short of her 16th birthday Ella Ross earned her wings last Saturday after completing a gruelling one-hour test flight.

“I was very nervous the whole time,” said Ella, who knew she wanted to learn to fly after setting foot on a plane for the first time on her 12th birthday. She did her final test with Dale Redfern from Forbes, which included landing the plane with the power off.

“I was very excited after landing and knowing I did it.” Ella is eager to do her final five solo hours within the next two weeks so she can do her passenger exam and take her family out.

She hopes to receive a scholarship from the Recreational Aviation Authority to help her pay some of her flying costs, and would like to encourage more students to consider taking up flying. “Parkes Aero Club would love to welcome more students.”

The beautiful purple hue appearing in paddocks everywhere might remind you of the picturesque lavender fields of Provence in France. However, this local version must not be mistaken for such.

Echium Plantagineum, commonly known as Paterson’s Curse, Riverina Bluebell or Purple Viper’s-Bugloss, is an invasive weed that is extremely harmful to livestock. Rumoured to have been named after the Paterson family of Cumberoona, NSW who planted it in their garden in the 1880s.

The weed’s poisoning symptoms range from loss of appetite, abdominal swelling, weight loss, diarrhea, constipation and sleepiness to death due to liver damage.

While livestock tend to ignore Paterson’s Curse, contaminated hay bales or feed is more often to blame for the consumption of this toxic weed. In 1988 and 1994, the CSIRO released moths, root weevils, flea beetles and two more types of beetles in South Australia which is said to have significantly contributed to the decline in the abundance of the weed. In human’s the plant can cause skin irritation, so give this smiling assassin a wide-berth when you come across it.

By Alexandria Irvine

When the Parkes show was cancelled last month the lifestyle team at Southern Cross Village came up with a solution and organised their very own Show Day for residents.

Show bags were put together for each resident, and they enjoyed donuts for morning tea, dagwood dogs on a stick, a cup of hot chips and waffle cones for lunch.

Everyone reminisced and shared happy memories about going to the show in their younger years.

 

 

 

The Newell Highway Task Force met on Tuesday, 11 August to discuss current works, updates, concerns and upcoming projects.

The Newell Highway Taskforce Committee were pleased with the improvements along the Newell Highway strategic corridor as they continue at an impressive rate reflecting successful lobbying by the taskforce over the past 10 years and effective collaboration with State and Federal Government Departments.

Chair of the Newell Highway Taskforce Committee, Cr Ken Keith OAM said: “The Newell Highway is a critical link in Australia’s freight transport network, so it is great to see both the Federal and NSW Governments investing in targeted upgrades to increase access for higher efficiency freight vehicles, which will increase the overall efficiency of the corridor, as well as safety for all road users.”

“The Parkes Bypass plans are nearing finalisation with Transport for NSW soon to be calling for tenders for work to commence in 2021,” said Ken.

Alistair Lunn, Director West – Transport for NSW, outlined the latest work completed and planned and provided an update on important key areas of focus including;
• Coonabarabran bypass community consultation and planning has commenced
• Heavy duty pavement upgrades between Moree and Boggabilla have improved the difficult black soil section of the highway
• Major works at the Mitchell Highway intersection in Dubbo are underway and finalisation of the plans for the new Dubbo bridge are also nearing completion.
• The flood prone area between Forbes & West Wyalong will commence stakeholder consultation in the near future.

“The Overtaking Lane Alliance has completed 12 new overtaking lanes with another 15 to be completed by 2023. The alliance will deliver 30+ overtaking lanes on the Newell Highway,” Mr Lunn pleasingly announced.

Chair of the Newell Highway Task Force Cr Ken Keith OAM closed the meeting by expressing his appreciation to members for their contribution over the years in promoting this important corridor through their regions.

Transport for NSW will keep the community informed as work on the Newell Highway progresses. For more information about the overtaking lane program visit Newell Highway Program Alliance, email info@newellhpa.com.au or call 1800 577 295.