If you have a secret love for singing, or can’t help yourself belting it out in the shower, your time has come to join the newly formed Parkes Community Choir.

With the drought tightening its grip not only on the pockets of many in our community, it also has a dire effect on mental health. Studies show that choral singing improves our mood, and decreases stress, depression and anxiety.

The Parkes Community Choir is a free activity and promises to be a lot of fun. “I’ve wanted to do this for a long time,” said Kerrie Peden. She has formed an organising committee with Sonia Bland, Colleen Leonard and Sheree Rosser to get the choir off the ground. “We welcome all ages, and would love to see men join too,” said Kerrie.

The good news is there will be no auditions, no previous experience is necessary, nor any knowledge of songs. All you need is a willingness to sing.

The choir will meet weekly on Thursdays from 7 to 9pm at the Cooke Community Centre. Contact Kerrie on 6862 1685 for more information. Singing in a choir speaks what cannot be expressed, soothes the mind and heals the heart.

Parkes High School was the venue of a unique community project over the school holidays when 15 first year apprentices gained hands on experience laying brand new carpet, carpet tiles and vinyl flooring at no cost to the school.

The Floor Covering Institute of Australia (FCIA) and industry alliance partners coordinated the project for the apprentices undertaking the Certificate III in Flooring Technology. They worked on the foyer, library and STEM classroom floors for five days.

“This is a fantastic project with benefits for the school, while the apprentices gained valuable industry experience,” said Member for Orange, Phil Donato MP attending a ceremony last Friday at the conclusion of the program. “There is a serious shortage of skilled carpet and floor layers in Australia; it’s certainly a viable career option.”

The Chairman of the FCIA, Andrew Lewis said: “This is a unique program bringing apprentices, industry, trainers, and the community together to provide genuine career opportunities for young people.”

He thanked Parkes High School, Australian Industry Group Training Services, Choices (Parkes), and MEGT Apprenticeship Network provider, for their support. The apprentices received their FCIA Apprentice Trade Cards in recognition of the skills they will be bringing to the flooring Industry both locally and throughout NSW at the ceremony on Friday.

By Maggi Barnard

Parkes had a visit from a prominent domestic violence campaigner on invitation by CMOC-Northparkes Mines for their White Ribbon Campaign.

Founder of the Luke Batty Foundation and 2015 Australian of the Year Rosie Batty was invited to share her story with mine employees and further educate them on family violence.

“A session was also held in town with our first responders and emergency service providers to encourage discussion around how we as a community can continue to work together to prevent domestic violence,” said Manager – People, Safety and Environment, Stacey Kelly.

Rosie also met with the local Family and Domestic Violence committees of Parkes, Forbes and Peak Hill to discuss ways they can support their local communities.

“It was a privilege to meet Rosie Batty and share in her passion to make a safer future for women and children,” said Secretary of the Parkes Domestic and Family Violence Committee, Tina Nash. “As a community we need to work together to support victims and educate everyone on the warning signs and appropriate ways to respond. As a start it would be great if we could all be upstanders not bystanders.”

Parkes Mayor Ken Keith OAM congratulated Northparkes on inviting Rosie, and said her moving story and important message of reducing domestic and family violence in our community were inspirational.

Excitement is mounting for the visit of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex to Dubbo next Wednesday with the Mayor inviting the community to a picnic in the park.

Prince Harry and Meghan will fly from Sydney to Dubbo on the second day of their official visit to Australia, Fiji, the Kingdom of Tonga and New Zealand.

They will first visit the Royal Flying Doctor Service to learn more about the life-saving role the aviation service provides for people living in rural and regional areas.

With most of the state of NSW suffering from drought, the Royal couple will see firsthand the hardships local farmers are facing by visiting a local property.

The Duke and Duchess will then travel to Victoria Park to join people from Dubbo and surrounding areas at a picnic in the park to celebrate community spirit within the region, and His Royal Highness will give an address.

The historic event in Victoria Park will start at 11:30am and is an opportunity for the public to catch a glimpse of their Royal Highnesses. According to a statement by Kensington Palace, the Duke and Duchess have asked to meet as many Australians, Fijians, Tongans and New Zealanders as possible during their tour.

The Mayor of the Dubbo Region Ben Shields has invited the community to a picnic in Victoria Park to welcome the Royal visitors to the region. “Dubbo’s Picnic in the Park will be a great day out for the whole region. Council staff have been working hard to ensure we deliver a great festive atmosphere with music and activities that celebrate our regional community,” the Mayor said.

“The Royal visit is a special time for Dubbo and we expect there will be a lot of people who want to be there when Their Royal Highnesses are in town.” He added the magic of the Monarchy would draw attention in a way that no one else could. “I expect the presence of The Duke and Duchess will be a massive morale boost for the community.”

Representatives at the picnic will include members of the community who have made special contributions in the services of youth, community and the environment, as well as organisations supporting people affected by drought.

The Picnic in the Park will run for three hours with performances and food stalls. All the proceeds will go to local charity.

There will be no parking close to Victoria Park as road closures will be enforced. The public is encouraged to make use of the bus service and parking that will be made available at the Dubbo Showgrounds.

Follow the Dubbo Council’s Facebook page to stay up to date with the latest information.

You can set your imagination free at the Macquarie Credit Union DREAM Festival in Dubbo from 18th to 28th October celebrating all forms of creativity – lights and lanterns, pianos on the pavement, music and markets, art competitions, traditional Aboriginal dance.

DREAM is an acronym that stands for Dubbo Regional Entertainment Arts and Music.

With over 18,000 people attending last year, the event favourites are set to draw a lot of attention again this year. Make sure not to miss out on:

· Pianos on the Pavement – everyone welcome to participate or listen to the lovely melodies (18 Oct)

· Wabuul River Dreaming – celebrate all things river including lantern decorating (20 Oct)

· Sushi in the Shoyoen Gardens – pre-order your sushi and enjoy the afternoon sun and entertainment (21 Oct)

· Music + Markets | Lights + Lanterns – great afternoon for the family, featuring singer Mojo Juju (27 Oct)

· Zoocoustic – lazy Sunday afternoon vibes in the zoo – perfect way to finish off the weekend (28 Oct)

New events include:

· Westview Drive-In – back by popular demand. Re-live your youth and introduce your children to the ‘original’ open air cinema (19, 20 & 21 Oct)

· PubROCK – love to belt out a few tunes in your car; this is your chance to be in a choir that ROCKS! (24 Oct)