Bogan Gate Public School students Cooper Bond and Jack and Daniel Smith were selected to participate in Schools Spectacular.

Three of the eight students at Bogan Gate Public School joined 5,500 other performers from public schools across NSW for Schools Spectacular in Sydney last weekend.

Cooper Bond and Jack and Daniel Smith formed part of the primary concourse choir after they auditioned via video to be select- ed. The theme this year was Stars and the school was sent the sound tracks in term 3 to give students time to practise the songs at school and in their own time.

They spent a week in Sydney rehearsing for two days learning choralography (actions to accompany the songs), followed by two long days performing for the public.

The students also engaged in other learning activities including a day at Taronga Zoo, exploring the harbour by ferry and participating in cultural activities around Olympic Park.

The students could attend thanks to significant financial support from the Bogan Gate Public School P&C.

Four Year 7 students from Trundle Central School were in the audience at Schools Spectacular. They travelled to Sydney as part of Wish Upon a Star for students from drought-ravaged schools, whose Principals selected them as a reward for their good behaviour and merit.

Schools Spectacular will be aired on Channel 7 Saturday, 7th December at 7pm.

Family and friends who attended the memorial services in Cooke Park on Sunday for the four men who lost their lives 20 years ago at Northparkes Mines.

More than 180 people attended a memorial service in Cooke Park on Sunday to mark 20 years since the tragic air blast event at CMOC-Northparkes Mines that claimed the lives of four men.

Ross Bodkin, Michael House, Stuart Osman and Colin Lloyd-Jones were killed when millions of tonnes of ore and earth suddenly collapsed, leading to the catastrophic air blast.

Family members, employees past and present, local Councillors and community members joined together in Cooke Park to stop and remember the four men.

Manager Operations Rob Cunningham, who was an underground team leader at the time of the air blast, shared his memories from the day including a poem dedicated to the four men. “This event is a black day in the history of Northparkes that is never forgotten – this day reshaped the way we approach safety, mine designs and critical control monitoring.”

“I am personally driven every day to prevent the past and be better tomorrow. Please spare a thought for all the family and friends that were impacted by this tragedy. Our thoughts and wishes are with you. I am sorry that these four good men never made it back to their families 20 years ago,” said Rob.

Northparkes Managing Director Hubert Lehman said: “To all the families whose lives will never be the same as a result of the air blast, we think of you every day. All four men were exceptional people who had so much to offer but never returned home from work that day. We will continue to remember these men every year and share what we learnt from that day to help prevent it from ever happening again.”

The ceremony concluded with family members unveiling a chair dedicated in memory of Ross, Michael, Stuart and Colin.

The chair will be installed at Bushman’s Hill Reserve next to the existing memorial rock.

At the announcement of the donation at Dubbo Turf Club last week were (L-R) Warrick McLean, Director of NSW Business Chamber, Dr Saranne Cook, Director of Racing NSW and Scott Barrett, GIVIT NSW Drought Relief Manager.

Farmers and families across drought-ravaged NSW will receive greater community support after Racing NSW and NSW Busi- ness Chamber donated $50,000 to national charity GIVIT.

Official drought charity partner of the NSW Government, GIVIT’s ‘Drought Relief Appeal’ has spent over $300,000 in drought affected areas since August last year, purchasing and coordinating more than 100,000 item donations for 170 frontline charities working with struggling residents.

The sizable donation was raised by over 400 business leaders at the recent NSW Business Chamber and Racing NSW’s ‘Business of Racing’ lunch.

This donation, along with donations from the Australian public, will be used to meet the genuine needs of communities, with a focus on purchasing items locally to also provide an economic benefit to struggling regional businesses.

GIVIT NSW Drought Relief Manager, Scott Barrett, said the generous donation would allow the charity to better meet the wide range of needs of vulnerable families, farmers and at-risk individuals.

“We’re here to help charities and frontline services get exactly what their regional and remote communities need, from a set of tyres for a ute and food for working dogs, to essential school items and uniforms,” said Scott.

GIVIT is free, private and easy to use, and currently supports over 2,800 charities across Australia. If you are a local charity or service, please register at givit.org.au/charity-registration.

Family businesses in and around the Central West region will have the opportunity to receive valuable tools and advice on succession planning from a team of industry experts at a free, one-day workshop in Parkes on Thursday, 28th November.

The National Association for Loss and Grief’s (NALAG) ‘Our Shout’ program coordinator, Ms Brenda Baker, is hoping to improve the experiences of succession for a greater number of family businesses.

NALAG’s ‘Our Shout’ program promotes positive strategies to improve wellbeing and resilience in rural NSW communities. “Communication in family-run business is crucial not only for financial success but also the emotional and mental wellbeing of all family members that are involved in the partnership,” said Brenda Baker.

The workshop’s expert panel will include Family Succession Advisor, James Hamilton and Succession Law Specialist, Claire Booth.

The workshop will be at Parkes Services Club from 9am to 4pm on Thursday, 28th November. To register, visit www.nalag.org.au/familymatters or contact 6882 9222.

Gemma Ellis performs on stage. (Photo: Snowy Mountains Magazine)

It was an unforgettable day for three young talented Parkes artists at the Australian National Busking Championships (ANBC) national grand final in Cooma last weekend.

Anabelle van Wyk (12) came second over- all in the primary category with Gemma Ellis (12) in third place, and Hannah Dun (14) was runner-up in the secondary category. It is the first time participants from Parkes made it into the top three.

“It felt wonderful receiving second place, and I am so grateful to have been able to compete and represent our region,” said Annabelle, who was at the final for the second year. She said the competition was really good and she loved seeing all the talent.

Annabelle van Wyk with her second prize!

It was a life-changing event for Gemma, who took part in her first grand final. “I had so much fun singing and entertaining the street audience at various shop fronts. The competition was amazing, and I was so happy and overwhelmed to have won third place.”

Hannah said the competition became bigger and bigger every year, especially in the secondary category. “I see the competition in my category as a motivation and inspiration.”

Australian National Busking Championships founder Allan Spencer said spectators were treated to a wonderful range of performances. “Buskers from all over Australia were competing for cash prizes at the ninth annual event.

Gold Coast trio The Inadequates were crowned the nation’s best buskers. They won the Stanthorpe Busking Championships earlier this year. The eclectic group boasted an array of unique, homemade instruments, wowing audiences with their folk-inspired sound.

More than 52 musicians took part in the competition after competing at eight regional finals, of which Peak Hill was one. The winners of each category qualify for the final in Cooma. Annabelle and Hannah won their categories in Peak Hill, while Gemma won the primary category in Gundegai.

Hannah Dun at a busking hot spot.

They had to perform at busking hot spots around Cooma with unidentified judges watching them perform. In the afternoon they performed on the main stage and were judged again before the winners were announced.

The talented judging team included Oz Bayldon, who has a huge reputation in the music industry both in Australia and overseas. He is the music director and operations manager of several music festivals including the iconic Gympie Music Muster, Noosa Come Together Festival, as well as the highest music festival in the world held in Nepal to raise money for orphans in that country.

He also discovered Tones And I at the ANBC Noosa Busking Championships, and have since had a meteoric rise with an Australian and overseas tour and number one hits in seven countries.

The three Parkes competitors said they would love to compete again next year. “I really appreciate that they give these opportunities to kids in rural areas,” said Annabelle.

“This event has opened my eyes and given me insight as to where many paths can take me,” said Gemma.”

By Maggi Barnard

A performance in last year’s School Spectacular.

Three members of the combined choir of Bogan Gate Public School will be performing in Schools Spectacular at Sydney’s Qudos Bank Arena this weekend.

The Schools Spectacular theme this year is ‘stars’ and the Bogan Gate choir will be joining a galaxy of 5,500 stars from all over the state for four performances.

Now in its 36th year, the Schools Spectacular has sealed itself at the pinnacle of the NSW performing arts calendar and has been ranked by Guinness World RecordsTM as the world’s largest amateur variety act.

It will star 40 featured performers, an incredible 100-piece symphony orchestra, stage band, 2,700 voice choir, 2,300 amazing dancers, the D’Arts Ensemble disability program, the Aboriginal Dance Company, puppets and an indispensable behind-the- scenes team.

In the true spirit of variety, the fast-paced show will transition through a colourful choreographed kaleidoscope of music from pop and hip hop to the classics, from a crescendo of massed voices to stunning solos, and a full spectrum of dance styles. Each segment will relate to the ‘stars’ theme.

The show will be recorded for later broad- cast across the Channel 7 network Australia-wide.

Parkes Shire Council raked in another award last week when Director Infrastructure, Andrew Francis, was bestowed with legendary status. He was named one of three Legends of Water by the Australian Water Association (AWA). The award recognises the achievements of water industry leaders committed to creating a more sustainable water future dedicating their careers to promoting the importance of water in their respective fields.