Articles Archives - Page 258 of 448

Snippets…

March 27, 2020 By Maggi Barnard

Mayor Ken Keith.

Support And Positivity – Mayor’s Message: Mayor of Parkes Shire Cr Ken Keith OAM reassured the community stating we are all in this together. “Be assured that as your local Council we are here to ensure essential services continue to be delivered to our community and we will support you in any capacity we can.”

Whilst there are still no confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the Parkes LGA, the surge in cases around NSW is concerning and Council has actively been putting measures in place to respond to these increased risks. Council’s operations will begin to be scaled back to essential services only. The public swimming pools, libraries and Parkes Visitors Information Centre were closed on Tuesday. The libraries moved to online and over the phone services, while the visitors centre still attend to online and phone enquiries during regular opening hours. Council will start planning for possible further restrictions or closures of customer service areas in the public offices, meetings spaces and consolidation of public amenities to ensure we are prepared to act swiftly should the need arise.

“This is a challenging time for us all, let’s support each other, be kind and heed the directives of government to ensure we all stay safe.”

COVID-19 Support For Regional Australia: An initial $1 billion will be injected into regional communities to support businesses, agriculture and tourism impacted by the ongoing spread of Coronavirus (COVID-19). Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack said many small and medium businesses were the core of regional communities. “Our funding will ensure we provide the right support so industries and businesses keep going and employees can keep their jobs which includes the more than three million small and medium businesses as well as casuals, sole traders, retirees and those on income support.”

Viral Kindness: Dominos stores across the country started delivering thousands of free pizzas to healthcare workers on the battlefront of the health crisis. The local Parkes branch joined in the “Feeding the Frontline” campaign calling on health care workers to contact them. “No strings attached, we’ll just make a time on a busy shift in the hospital or health centre and turn up with free pizza for the team.” Let us join the kindness drive and make it go viral in our community!

While the Craft Corner has closed its doors, they are not closed for business. Customers are welcome to phone in orders, especially with Easter and Mother’s Day coming up. There are lots of beautiful handcrafted items for sale.

Food And Fun At Middleton Country Fair

March 20, 2020 By Maggi Barnard

A Country Fair has to have a fresh produce stall. Annette Orr and Pat Cooke were happy to look after the popular stall.

It was a perfect autumn day and Middleton Public School celebrated a few days of soaking rain with a very successful Country Fair earlier this month.

Plenty of stalls offered a range of activities, while the food stalls included real coffee, pulled pork burgers, sausage sizzle, popcorn and an amazing cake stall that sold out very quickly.

One of the busiest stalls was the school’s very own produce stall. Parents, carers and grandparents donated all kinds of fresh produce and plants, as well as handmade goodies.

The kids had lots of fun with the games including Ring Toss, Knock the Blocks and Bat the Rat. The NRL footy throwing competition proved very popular, as well as a ninja course competition. The students loved throwing wet sponges at their teachers, especially when they were successful in hitting their target.

The Country Fair raffle had ten outstanding prizes, all of which were drawn on the day.

Sam Hunt and Armani Reidy won the best dressed cowboy and cowgirl competition receiving winning ribbons and a gift voucher each.

The Middleton community would like to thank everyone for their generous support, especially the generous donations from local and out of town businesses.

It was wonderful to see the so many families having fun.

By Judy Fisher

Corona Virus Pandemic

March 20, 2020 By Maggi Barnard

This is to let you know that Matthews Williams is continuing to closely monitor the COVID-19 situation and, based on advice from government and health authorities, we are taking all required action to protect the health and wellbeing of our clients, the public, staff, and anyone accessing our offices.

We have implemented hygiene policies and practices such as no body contact and regular cleaning of surfaces in our offices.

In order to protect our clients, we can adapt, which may include our clients to email or telephoning instructions. We propose to continue to operate in providing legal services as far as the situation allows. There may be disruptions to our office opening hours, but as yet we are not at that stage.

These are unprecedented times for all of us and we thank you for your patience and understanding. We will continue to monitor the situation closely and always seek ways to support our clients and our communities.

We will continue to follow Government health advices as they unfold.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to get in contact with us.

Bras With Love

March 20, 2020 By Maggi Barnard

Philippa Mitchell.

Women in the Central West now have access to a unique service offered in the privacy of their homes.

Philippa Mitchell is a certified bra fitter and has started a mobile bra fitting service called Bras With Love. It is a personalised measure-and-fit service for bras, including women who need pocketed (mastectomy) bras and breast prostheses. And the best part is that Philippa will come to your home.

Philippa works closely with the McGrath Foundation Breast Care Nurses in Parkes and Orange and she carries a range of products for women who have undergone breast surgery and women going through treatment for cancer.

She also offers a range of headwear for women who have undergone chemotherapy. These are made from very soft cotton and bamboo with a great range of styles and colours.

“Being a mobile service is not just convenient, for many women it is the only way they can have a fitting by a trained professional,” said Philippa.

“A lot of women who’ve had surgery, are grieving, and they don’t want to go to a shop and be fitted in a fitting room. For them to be fitted in their own home, they tell me, is wonderful and much more relaxed.”

Philippa’s service is completely free and orders are mailed or delivered directly to the customer in about a week after the order is placed.

As a funeral celebrant, she is also very aware of the grief process, and has a warm and engaging nature to put everyone at ease.

All fittings are private and conducted with decorum. Contact Philippa by phone or email to book an appointment on 0499 991 650 or email: braswithlove@hotmail.com

Woodward Pavilion Sporting A New Look

March 20, 2020 By Maggi Barnard

WE’RE ALL FAMILY… Family members of Wes Cheney at the opening of the refurbished pavilion at Woodward Oval were: At the back Ian Cowle, Andrew White and Graeme Cheney. Middle: Janell Cheney, Janine Boschman, Helen Kenyon and Annie Burke. Front seated: Loris White and Vivienne Cunningham and sitting on the ground is Ella Burke.

Family members, cricket players, supporters and officials gathered at the Woodward Oval last Saturday for the official opening of the restored 61-year-old Wes Cheney Pavilion.

“It is wonderful to see so many of Wes Cheney’s family here today,” said Parkes Mayor Ken Keith OAM. He remembered Wes as a very humble man who never talked about all he did for sport in Parkes.

Master of Ceremonies Michael Greenwood called Wes a real Trojan who volunteered so much of his time in providing and maintaining recreation facilities in Parkes and was instrumental in the formation of the Parkes Sports Council, celebrating its 75th anniversary this year.

The pavilion was named after the late Wesley Berry Cheney in 2015 in recognition of his herculean voluntary contribution to the Shire’s sporting community.

The $297,000 amenities upgrade, thanks to a collaboration of local and state government and sporting associations, included the replacement of all the internal and external walls and floors, renailing of roofing iron, installation of a new kitchen, upgrades to the change and shower rooms, as well as the construction of a new unisex toilet. A new awning and retaining wall were also constructed as part of the project.

“This will ensure the ongoing attraction of local, regional and state cricket fixtures, as well as inclusive community participation in sport for both males and female players,” said the Mayor.

The upgrade was funded in partnership by the NSW ICC T20 World Cup 2020 Cricket Legacy Fund ($100,000), Australian Cricket Infrastructure Fund ($50,000), Parkes Shire Council ($142,000) and Parkes & District Cricket Association ($5,000).

Matt Ellis from Cricket NSW said: “I am so happy this facility is here to help grow the game of cricket.”

For Dan Gordon, representing senior cricket in Parkes, the new lights at the Woodward Oval makes it magical to play at the oval, but the addition of the upgraded pavilion is “the cherry on top”.

Currently, the Wes Cheney Pavilion is home to 250 senior and 220 junior registered cricket players.

Six Birdman Titles In A Row For Parkes Christian School

March 20, 2020 By Maggi Barnard

Thomas Unger takes the big leap into the Yarra River and managed to fly eight metres, despite being tossed sideways by a gust of wind causing him to spin into the river. (Photo: Alex Letelier Photography)

Parkes Christian School (PCS) successfully defended its Moomba Birdman Rally title in Melbourne recently for the sixth time.

Only this time they had to share the podium with two other schools. In an exciting and very tight finish all three top school teams finished with a distance of eight metres.

Double Trouble II of PCS achieved this mark despite being tossed sideways by a gust of wind at the point of take-off.

Pilot student Thomas Unger also won the funniest moment trophy for his jump off the platform and spinning into the Yarra River.

“The launch of the aircraft was amazing,” said Laura Hall-Matthews, senior design and technology student. “Tens of thousands of people lined the banks of the Yarra River to watch each competitor launch their design and no matter the result each flight was met with a massive cheer from the crowd.”

With help from teacher Jason Wynstra, and guidance from previous Moomba aircraft designer Neil Unger, the PCS team designed a bi-plane style flying wing.

The school teams were able to raise more than $100,000 for various charities. Parkes Christian School’s money will be donated towards Drought Relief through Georgie’s Pantry. The team was also able to raise money for themselves to help them build the plane and develop technology.

This year the senior design and technology students were joined by all the Year 11 and 12 PCS students for the first time to give all the students a first-hand experience of the Birdman Rally.

They all agreed it was an amazing experience and would like to thank everyone for their well wishes and donations.

The team would also like to thank Alex Letelier Photography for capturing and sharing the amazing images of pilot Thomas Unger as he jumped into the Yarra River.

By Hayley Ballantyne

Snippets…

March 20, 2020 By Maggi Barnard

Rhianon Platt.

Federal Funding Fix Black Spots: Four Parkes crash sites will be made safer un- der the latest round of the Black Spot Pro- gram contributing $1.498 million towards: A one-lane roundabout at the intersection of Currajong and Church streets ($865,000); Street lighting at pedestrian facilities on Currajong Street near Court Street ($285,000); Road feature signs, raised guides with additional stop or give way signs and removing sight distance problems at the intersection of Close and Hooley streets ($253,000); and Vehicle-activated signs on Adavale Lane east of Braeside Lane ($95,000). The investment in Parkes’s safety was part of $50.6 million being spent in NSW on 147 projects under the Black Spot Program’s 2020-21 funding round.

Walk For Autism: Rhianon Platt will be walking the streets of Parkes to cover 10,000 steps per day for eight days between 29th March and 5 April to raise awareness and help change the lives of people on the autism spectrum.

She has a six-year-old son with special needs and often encounters judgement from people in public places who do not understand autism. “I want people to understand his behaviours and not judge me.” She would also like to see more services in Parkes for children with special needs.

If you see Rhianon in her green shirt, stop her and support her with a donation or go online to https://www.walkforautism.org.au/ and sponsor her.

CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19) In Our Community

March 20, 2020 By Maggi Barnard

Your Own Hygiene

• Regularly wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds or use hand sanitiser when washing is not an option.
• Cough and sneeze into your elbow.
• Practise social distancing, stay 1.5m from other people, and avoid large public gatherings.
• Avoid close contact with anyone with cold or flu-like symptoms or those who have returned from overseas in the past 14 days.
• Stay home if you are sick.
• If you use public amenities such as playgrounds and other facilities wash your hands before and after and avoid touching your face or mouth.

COVID-19 Symptoms

The symptoms are fever, cough, sore throat and shortness of breath. If you or a family member develop these symptoms within 14 days of overseas travel or are in contact with someone else who has Coronavirus, call (not visit) your GP, ring the healthdirect helpline on 1800 022 222, or in an emergency, your local hospital emergency department. Face masks are not recommended for people without symptoms.

Parkes Shire Council

The council is well prepared to provide continuous service while ensuring the community and their own safety is protected. A response plan has been developed for critical services at various levels of infection, within the organisation and the community. Council is asking residents to re-think the need to go into Council’s offices for day to day transactions such as payments of rates, applications and general requests. Council offers online payment options and can be contacted via phone or email during office hours, or connect with Council through Facebook or Twitter.

Parkes Shire Library

Activities at the library have been temporarily suspended until 24th April for Story Time, Rhyme Time, Computer Classes, Author-Rised writing group and the Book Clubs. Neighbourhood Central is also suspending their Home Library Service until further notice. In addition, computer and printing services operating in the Parkes branch and smaller town branches will be limited. The libraries will remain open as normal for general borrowing and reading. The online library services will be available at all times and can be accessed from the Library section on Council’s website. https://www.parkes.nsw.gov.au/things-to-do/parkes-shire-libraries/

Events

Council strongly recommends that all event organisers rethink and reconsider upcoming events, meetings, gatherings and festivals to reduce the risk and impact of large-scale person to person transmission within our community. Currently outdoor events for over 500 people and indoor events for over 100 people should be post-poned. It is important to protect the health and safety of yourselves and the risk to community members.

Food Security

The Minister for Agriculture, David Little- proud reassured Australians that the nation’s food security is amongst the safest in the world. “People shouldn’t panic, we have an abundant supply of top quality fresh food produced from all parts of the country that ensures that there will be plenty of food on the table,” the Minister said. “Australia produces enough food for 75 million people with a population of only 25 million.”

Keep On Buying Local

With many businesses already impacted by this pandemic, whilst also still feeling the effects of prolonged drought, it is more important than ever to support local businesses to get through these tough times.

No Overseas Travel

The Federal Government is advising Australians not to travel overseas, and says that advice will remain in place indefinitely.

Do Not Panic Buy; Offer Support Instead

We are all in this together and need to look out for each other and support others, especially the most vulnerable in our community. There are enough supplies for everyone. Support our health workers and other frontline staff who are putting in long hours during this time.

Shave The World – Two Locals At A Time

March 20, 2020 By Maggi Barnard

HAIR… Chloe Mudiman (front) with her mother Katrina and supporters (L-R) Amber Thomson, Judy Shaw, Jenny Leem- ing, Jess Kinsela, Wayne Picker, Trish Picker and Michael Mudiman.

Two very special Parkes locals put their heads on the block for Leukaemia last week. Chloe Mudiman and Fiona McGonigal took on the challenge of the World’s Greatest Shave in front of two different audiences. Nine-year-old Chloe Mudiman proved she was not afraid of reaching out to help others, even if it meant shaving off all her hair in front of her school.

Last Wednesday the Year 5 student took to the stage at Parkes Public and allowed four special people in her life to cut off her pig tails, including family who were visiting from Canada.

Hairdresser Amber Thomson of Charisma then took charge and shaved off the rest. It was a special moment for Amber who gave Chloe her very first hair cut when she was five.

Chloe’s mum Katrina looked a bit worried as her brave daughter’s hair started falling to the floor with all the primary students looking on. Chloe only saw herself in a mirror at the end.

Rubbing her hand over her newly shaved head she said with a big smile,” It feels a little bit weird.”

Chloe saw the ads on TV for the World’s Greatest Shave and in combination with her knowledge of her nan’s breast cancer, decided she wanted to shave off her hair.

She is not only raising money for Leukaemia, and has already reached the $2,000 mark, but will also be donating her locks to the World’s Greatest Shave to be turned into a wig.

Dolly Allan shaved Fiona McGonigal’s hair at Currajong Disability Services last Thursday.

For Fiona McGonigal it is a much more personal battle. She took on the challenge last year to raise $1,000 for the World’s Greatest Shave whilst battling kidney cancer.

Despite beating cancer later in the year, she received the unfortunate news that the disease has returned on the left side of her adrenal gland. This did not stop her from shaving her hair off again last Thursday in front of a Currajong Disability Services crowd.

“I am rapt to be able to help do my bit for cancer,” she said. “After such a great response last year, especially from everyone at Currajong, I felt compelled to give it another go.”

She has raised about $300 so far and hopes to reach $1,000 again like last year.

While Fiona has her up and down days, she says nothing will stop her trying to beat last year’s fundraising effort.

“The funds are vital, make no secret of it, but so too is awareness of cancer and different cancer types,” Fiona said.

Now in its 22nd year, World’s Greatest Shave is an iconic Australian event widely embraced by hundreds of thousands of people in Australia. The campaign is led by beloved superhero and mascot Shaver- hands leading the charge to shave the world from blood cancer, rallying men and women to sign up to shave, colour or cut their hair to help support the 41 Australians diagnosed with blood cancer each day.

Leukaemia Foundation CEO, Bill Petch said the act of shaving their heads gave participants not only an emotional connection with loved ones who have no choice but to lose their hair following cancer treatment, but it also provided participants with a real sense of empowerment, empathy, philanthropy, community and a deep social conscience.

How To Keep Kids Healthy This Flu Season

March 13, 2020 By Maggi Barnard

Very young children may have had little to no exposure with the viruses that cause colds and flu, which means they may have low resistance to infection. Children become sick much more quickly than adults.

Follow these five easy steps to keep your kids healthy and less likely to spread or catch virusses in school or day-care.
• Tip 1: Wash hands frequently at home and at school.
• Tip 2: Get active! Kids should get regular, moderate exercise to boost their immune systems.
• Tip 3: Get plenty of sleep – children should have between nine to 14 hours of sleep a day depending on their age. Sleep deprivation can weaken the immune system and increase chances of becoming sick.
• Tip 4: Try and eat a well-balanced diet with lots of colourful fruit and vegetables.
• Tip 5: Avoid germ sharing – no sharing of cups and straws, scarves and caps or anything else that comes in contact with their mouths and faces.

Most importantly, when kids do get sick, keep them home and take steps to prevent germs from spreading to other young children. Day-care centres and schools have guidelines on when and for how long sick children should be away to minimise the risk of colds and flu spreading to the other children.

If your child does become sick this flu season, don’t panic, they’re just building up their immune system. Rest, warmth, nourishing foods and plenty of fluids will help them fight against any cold or flu.

If you want more information and treatment options, contact our friendly pharmacists today.

COVID-19 Symptoms

Parkes Shire Council

Parkes Shire Library

Events

Food Security

Keep On Buying Local

No Overseas Travel

Do Not Panic Buy; Offer Support Instead

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