Articles Archives - Page 260 of 448

Careful The Tale You Tell, That Is The Spell

March 6, 2020 By Maggi Barnard

TWISTED… A scene from Into the Woods Jr with (L-R) Narrator – Lila Gascoigne; Jack – Eric Paterson; Jack’s Mother – Penelope O’Connell; Florinda – Ella Butler; Cinderella – Alexandra Murru; Lucinda – Nia Boggs; Cinderella’s Stepmother – Georgia Sideris; Baker’s Wife – Holly MacGregor; Little Red Riding Hood – Grace Powley and Narrator – Alex Sammut- Paul.

When a baker and his wife learn they’ve been cursed with childlessness by the witch next door, they embark on a quest for the special objects required to break the spell: Cinderella’s shoe, Rapunzel’s hair, the famous red cape…

The latest Parkes Musical and Dramatic Society production of Stephen Sondheim’s Into the Woods Jr twists familiar fairy tales into a brand new story.

More than 60 juniors auditioned for roles and Director Lisa Ramsay ended up with a cast of 43 ranging in age from seven to 18. She decided to create scenes with ensembles to increase the cast from 21 to give more juniors the opportunity to be part of the production.

“The story has lots of humour putting well-known fairy tales into a brand new light,” said Lisa of the production that is also quite different as there are not the usual one to three main leads. “We have a main group of about seven leads, and then another group of semi-leads plus groups of ensembles.”

She would like to see the community come out and support the young cast who gain so much from being in the M & D performing on stage. “I am very proud of the cast and their dedication in learning their lines and focus on characterisation.”

The first performance is tonight and Into the Woods Jr will go for three weekends until 22nd March with afternoon and evening shows. There will be an autism friendly show on Saturday, 14th March at 2pm. Tickets are available at www.parkesmandd.com.au or at Regional Business Supplies.

‘One Door Might Close, But Another Will Open’

March 6, 2020 By Maggi Barnard

The women behind the scenes at Parkes Services Club are (L-R) Reanna McGuire (Finance Manager), Cindi Murphy (Club Manager), Lara Messiter (Finance Assistant) and Chloe Dean (Admin Assistant/Bar Person).

After almost 15 years at the Parkes Services Club, Cindi Murphy became Club Manager in October last year.

With a staff complement of around 50 people, Cindi is very grateful for developments in the business environment and support offered to women. She has so far received a lot of encouragement in her new position.

“You still come across a minority of mostly older generation men who think that a man would do a better job,” says Cindi. “They find it hard to take direction from you and to change their mindset that the position is only suitable to a man.”

Cindi is not discouraged by these attitudes and says to the contrary it only makes her more determined to do a better job and prove them wrong.

“I am also very lucky to be working in the Clubland environment where there is a lot of support and training for women, perhaps more than in other places.” She says colleagues and managers have given her a lot of encouragement. “They value my opinion as much as theirs.”

After four months in the ‘hot seat’, Cindi really enjoys the teamwork. “We are like one big family!” She also likes all the different challenges that comes across her desk every day.

“The club is here for the community and it is important to run it successfully, not only to maintain the jobs of our staff, but also to keep on supporting the communities in the Parkes Shire through donations to clubs and schools.”

Cindi’s message to other women in business is to never give up and to work with determination. “One door might close, but another will open.”

She says to keep on looking for opportunities that will help you achieve your goals and dreams. “There are always two ways to do something.”

Another piece of wisdom from Cindi is: “Don’t try too hard to satisfy the minority. Just believe in yourself. When you do something you really love and enjoy, it will show!”

That is exactly where Cindi finds herself. She loves her job, and to top it off her staff are great, and the customers are wonderful.

“I am doing my best to make a difference every day, and that is very rewarding!”

By Maggi Barnard

The Royal Opens To Celebrate The King

March 6, 2020 By Maggi Barnard

New Owner/Manager of the Royal Hotel Alison Reaburn with staff member Jodie Phelan in the Royal’s beergarden.

Alison Reaburn is a woman who is not daunted by a challenge. Not only did she move here from Dubbo, but she took on the mammoth task of re-opening the Royal Hotel on the very first day of this year’s Parkes Elvis Festival.

After six years of running a café in Dubbo, the opportunity came up to become Owner/Manager of the Royal and she jumped at it.

“It went very well during Elvis and everyone has been very friendly and helpful.”

Alison has many ideas for her new venture, but her biggest aim is to promote the Royal’s central location and friendly atmosphere as the ideal spot for after work drinks, business lunches and a meeting place for women, young mums and anyone else looking for good service and great prices.

She wants to offer something for everyone with plans to make it a venue for live music featuring local artists, running regular competitions, like the footy tipping that has started, and sponsoring sports teams.

As a woman in business she would like to see a network of like-minded people to support each other and share ideas to help

them grow their businesses. Her advice to other women: “Stay focused on what you’re doing to achieve what you’ve set out to do.”

Fighting Driver Fatigue, One Cuppa At A Time

March 6, 2020 By Maggi Barnard

Sergeant Martin Ling, Inspector Ben MacFarlane and Sergeant Peter Foran travelled from Parkes, Dubbo and Orange to attend the launch in Forbes.

The Free Cuppa for the Driver safety initiative celebrated its tenth anniversary with a special event in Forbes last week.

Business owners, road safety officers, police officers, members of the public and representatives from various regional councils converged in Templar Street for the 10-year launch of the program, which runs from 1st March to 21st May.

Road and Safety Officer for the Forbes, Parkes and Lachlan Shire Councils, Melanie Suitor introduced Inspector Ben Macfarlane from Dubbo. He spoke on the dangers of driver fatigue and the frustration police feel at being unable to police and prevent it.

Forbes Shire Council Deputy Mayor Jenny Webb gave a heartfelt thanks to local businesses supporting the initiative. Kerrie Hodder, owner of the Forbes Bakehouse who has been involved in the initiative for the 10 years that it has been running, was presented with a certificate of appreciation for her long running support.

The initiative encompasses 15 Councils and over 80 businesses, and aims to tackle driver fatigue by encouraging drivers to stop and take a break when driving long distances.

Drivers who are travelling 100km or more away from home can claim a free cup of tea or coffee from participating businesses.

What’s on @ The Library

March 6, 2020 By Maggi Barnard

WASTE 2 ART
The Waste 2 Art community art competition and exhibition is open to all community members, artists and schools across the Parkes Shire.
The theme for 2020 is aluminium and steel cans, and aspiring and professional artists are encouraged to re-think, recycle and reuse waste materials through arts and crafts.
Application forms can be downloaded from Council’s website www.parkes.nsw.gov.au and hard copies are available from all Parkes Shire Libraries. Entries close Tuesday, 14th April.

WHAT’S NEW AT PARKES SHIRE LIBRARY?
Dr Karl’s Random Road Trip Through Science by Karl Kruszelnicki
In this book Dr Karl takes us on a weird and wonderful journey through the universe to track down the answers to questions you didn’t know you wanted to ask! Do fish drink water? Why do wombats poo cubes? Why does spaghetti always break into three pieces? Dr Karl makes science FUN and this book is filled with brilliant and funny illustrations.

DO YOU KNOW ABOUT OUR TALKING BOOKS COLLECTION?
Do you spend lots of time travelling in the car, truck or on the tractor? We have an extensive collection of talking books both fiction and non-fiction available for loan. One of our newest, read by the author, Kitty Flanagan, is: 488 Rules for Life: the thankless art of being correct. This is not a self-help book! What started as a joke on ABC’s The Weekly, 488 Rules for Life is Kitty Flanagan’s guide to modern behaviour. Whether it be walking and texting at the same time, reheating fish curry in the office microwave, or leaving one square of toilet paper on the roll, Kitty has advice on rules to make the world a better place.

Focus On Parkes And Forbes In RLM

March 6, 2020 By Maggi Barnard

Councillors and staff of Forbes and Parkes Shire Councils with Regional Lifestyle Magazine staff at the launch at Forbes Town Hall.

Connection and Collaboration were the themes for the launch of the 28th edition of Regional Lifestyle Magazine (RLM) last month featuring Parkes and Forbes.

Forbes Shire Mayor Phyllis Miller OAM welcomed 80 guests saying: “It was so important for us to showcase the beauti- ful communities in which we live. To have this edition launch during one of the driest times on record, I can’t tell you the value that this will have in terms of visitation.”

Parkes Shire Mayor Ken Keith OAM said: “It has been the tourism sector that has supported our communities during these drought times. Having a town 20 minutes down the road, I think it’s fantastic that we can support one another, as well as celebrate and share the success of each other’s events.”

Regional Lifestyle Magazine Editor, Elizabeth Tickle acknowledged the success of the partnership between the two regions. “This particular project has been six months in the making…113 pages dedicated to the beautiful Forbes and Parkes areas.”

The highlight of the evening was the welcome dance performed by the River Spirit Dancers which emphasised the importance of connecting with one another.

Copies of the Autumn 2020 edition are available online at lifestylemagazine.net. au or from Parkes NewsXpress, Peak Hill Newsagency, Trundle Newsagency and News On Rankin in Forbes. For more information visit: www.lifestylemagazine.net.au

Relics Of Saint Therese In Parkes

March 6, 2020 By Maggi Barnard

The shrine containing the relics of Saint Therese are escorted into the Holy Family Church at a special mass last Friday. (see full story below)

For the first time in 18 years the relics of Saint Therese are on a four-month pilgrimage in Australia with her parents Saints Louis and Zelie Martin.

The Parkes Holy Family Parish was asked to host the relics of the Carmelite saint and her parents on this pilgrimage.

The relics arrived for the 10am mass last Friday with Lionel Lovett doing a wonderful Welcome to Country after which the shrines containing the relics were escorted into the church.

The mass was concelebrated by Bishop Columba, Fathers Barry Dwyer, Vincent Kamba and Christopher Lim.

In his homily Bishop Columba explained how St Therese’s parents were a guiding light in her life and as a Carmelite nun made nearly every task she did a prayer to God.

The beautiful singing of the Holy Family Church and Holy Family School choirs contributed to a moving service.

Pupils from Trundle St. Patricks, Peak Hill St. Josephs, Parkes Holy Family Schools and Red Bend Catholic College attended.

Visitors came from as far as Hay, Narromine, Condobolin, Peak Hill, Trundle and Ulladulla.

Following the mass all were given the opportunity to venerate the relics.

By Michael Craft

Snippets..

March 6, 2020 By Maggi Barnard

Kristine Boggs and Alison Westcott attended the Free Cuppa for the Driver 10-year anniversary launch in Forbes last week.

History Blog: Daroobalgie – we love watching newcomers and visitors to the Parkes Shire struggle to pronounce this name. Do you know what Daroobalgie means? Do you know why it’s important to Australian military history? What do an abattoir, motocross course and a solar farm all have in common? Have a read of Parkes Library’s latest blog post and you will know the answers https://historyparkes.org/2020/02/28/daroobalgie/

Share the Dignity: Woolworths Parkes is calling on residents to get behind Share the Dignity’s annual Dignity Drive this month and support the fight to end period poverty for women in need across the region. With over three million Australians living under the poverty line and the number of women experiencing period poverty across NSW on the rise, local residents will be able to help make a difference by donating a sanitary item via the Dignity Drive boxes located in Woolworths Parkes throughout March. Last year, the charity collected nearly 38,000 sanitary products. These donations were distributed to girls and women who cannot afford to buy sanitary items each month. Woolworths Parkes Store Manager, Kerrie Kennedy said: “We hope our customers will get behind Share the Dignity again this month and help us raise vital supplies for girls and women experiencing poverty, homelessness and domestic violence.”

Year Of Aluminium And Steel Cans: Aspiring and professional artists from across the Parkes Shire are encouraged re-think their creative materials as part of this year’s Waste to Art competition. The community art exhibition and competition are open to local residents to showcase creative works made from reused and recyclable waste materials. The theme for 2020 is aluminium and steel cans. The five competition categories include: Primary School, Secondary School, Community (no professional artists), Open (community members and professional artists), Building or Element of Building/Large Sculpture. Application forms are available on Council’s website, www.parkes.nsw.gov.au. Hardcopies are available from all the Parkes Shire Libraries. Entries close Tuesday, 14th April. Art- work will go on display at Parkes Library from 20th April until 16th May. Parkes Shire winners will be announced on 24th April.

Pilates in the Park: In celebration of International Women’s Day on Sunday residents and visitors are invited to a free pilates session of 45 minutes in Cooke Park at 8:30am led by the Kerin Physio & Co team. Just bring a pilates mat or towel.

RDA Central West Drought Focus

March 6, 2020 By Maggi Barnard

Sheep finding food on travelling stock route east of Grenfell.

Regional Development Australia (RDA) Central West is calling on all levels of government, business and the community to remain focused on the ongoing impacts of the drought across the Central West.

RDA Central West Chair, Christine Weston said at last month’s board meeting the recent rains in some regions had been most welcome, but the recovery from the drought was a long and ongoing process.

“As a farmer I have directly been impacted by this debilitating drought on a daily basis. It hammers output, productivity and confidence.”

The RDA board moved a motion to ensure supporting the communities impacted by drought and supporting the provision of key services was the priority focus of the organisation for 2020.

“There continues to be sad drought-affected consequences, such as the closure of the Trundle grocery store and farmers across the region still spending thousands a day on stock feed. The economic and social impact on our communities has been immense,” said Christine.

She reminded residents to shop local and support their community when they can, and encourage family and friends to stay, shop and visit in the Central West.

“Backing local communities and businesses drives jobs, boosts confidence, and by visiting our region it is a simple way to show your support, and say we are here and we want to help.”

Polaris To Cease Quad Bike Sales

March 6, 2020 By Maggi Barnard

Polaris will not be selling their quad bike range (ride on ATV’s) from October this year due to changes in Government Standards for Quad Bikes.

As a retailer of Polaris, Forbes Small Engines have informed customers they will continue to stock all Polaris quad bike models, however some models have already sold out.

Paul and Maree Westcott have been selling quad bikes for many years, but noticed the market had been steadily moving towards the side by side ORV models. “We still have many customers that use ATV’s/quad bikes and this is why we will continue to stock Po- laris quad bike models for as long as they are available.”

Polaris has committed to continuing to support all ATV/quad bikes with parts, accessories and warranty support for the next decade.

Polaris will continue to manufacture for sale around the world, which means parts support will not be affected. Now is the time to get in touch with the Forbes Small Engines team before stock has run out.

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