You might be planning a trip somewhere with Easter and the school holidays fast approaching. Before you set off be sure to get your vehicle checked over.

Do the following:
Check tyre pressure; replace tyres when you only have 2mm wear left; use a match head to check tread – if part of the head shows, it’s replacement time; replace tyre caps to keep water and debris out of valves; don’t forget – check the spare too!

At Tuned Suspension in Parkes, an agent for Pedders Suspension, you can get a tow and load assessment for $75. This world first and comprehensive service is designed for those who tow or carry loads to better understand the effects of weight on their vehicle relevant to their individual driving scenarios. The end result of the assessment
will provide your vehicle weight relevant to the likely driving scenarios that you will face.

Give Warren a call from Wops Glass and get that annoying chip in the windscreen fixed before your holiday road trip. Wops Glass also specialises in Insurance work.

With all of this in mind stay safe on the road this Easter and school holidays!

An eight-year-old Parkes student with a heart of gold is dancing and cooking for the benefit of less fortunate people.
Alex Sammut-Paul raised over $200 dancing outside Parkes Stationery and Office Furniture during the Elvis Festival. Her aim was to raise money for East Timor through her church, Uniting Church Welcome Congregation.

After ‘tasting’ success, Alex did not want to stop and the idea for a business venture was born when she was helping her mum Marty cook food for their new puppies, Rupert and Scout.

As Alex loves cooking it was agreed she would prepare and sell wholesome, home cooked pet food to raise money for more charities. Alex has been working very hard getting Great Grub up and running. It functions as a self-serve, honesty-based business with food put in the freezer at 46 Military Road (Cnr Cheney Rd) carport. People can pick
up containers and pay in the honesty box, or place orders on Messenger on the Great Grub Facebook page.

“I feel happy when I can help people in need. It is very sad to see children especially who do not have enough food, water or clothing or doing it tough,” said Alex. “I feel compelled to help.”

The 2018 Sydney Royal Easter Show from Friday, 23rd March to Tuesday, 3rd April will have many new attractions this year including the likes of Paw Patrol, Despicable Me 3 and Shimmer and Shine for children. The Outback Stockman Arena will have Sheep Shearing, the Bonnie Yard Dogs and the Dairy Farmers Milking Barn. The show also offers the latest in fashion and technology. See our competition in What’s Hot to win tickets to this year’s show!

It is time for the Leukaemia Foundation’s World’s Greatest Shave and one Parkes  resident is going to need a lot of support today.

Trilbie Bermingham from Currajong Disability Services will be shaving her head at the Parkes Hotel at 6pm today to help raise vital funds for Leukaemia and cancer research.

The World’s Greatest Shave, now in it’s 20th year, is well supported by locals each year, and a big turn-out will be on hand to watch Trilbie lose her locks tonight. “So far I have managed to raise $570,” said Trilbie. “I am hoping to add to that. There will be raffles on the night,” she said.

Blood cancer is the third most common cause of cancer death in Australia with 35 people diagnosed every day.
For more information on how to donate or get involved go to www.worldsgreatestshave.com Good luck Trilbie! We are all very proud of you!

By Dane Millerd

Parkes Christian School might not have defended their title at the Moomba Birdman Rally successfully, but they raised lots of money for a good cause and came back rich in experience.

In blustery, unpredictable conditions in Melbourne on Sunday, the title for the longest flight became a virtual lottery, however the Parkes Christian School crew did well to manage five metres from a standing start into the Yarra River.

Design and Technology teacher Jason Wynstra said this distance was short of what the students were hoping for, “however it is the experience that really mattered”. “The flight of our craft, the Parkes Flyer 2, was forced into a stall by a gust of wind, and although we lost momentum, it levelled off and gently descended into the Yarra performing exceptionally well. With our charity points added we achieved a respectable 14 metres.”

Pilot Phil Seeley was very impressed with the construction of the Parkes Flyer 2. Another great achievement for the team was raising $1,400 for Currajong Disability Services (CDS). “We are absolutely over the moon,” said Dane Millerd, Communications and Marketing Co-ordinator of CDS. “It is often these unheralded acts of generosity that make the Parkes community such a special place.”