Although the latest Parkes M & D production is about the downtrodden working life of three women, it promises not to be a drag. Featuring music and lyrics by Dolly Parton, 9 to 5 is set in the late 1970s and is a hilarious story of friendship and revenge that is thought-provoking, outrageous and even a little romantic.

“It is a relatable story and still relevant today,” said Angie Drooger who plays the role of Violet. Her co-stars are Brittani Carol as Judy and Erin O’Leary as Duralee. They work for Franklin Hart, played by Greg Ballantyne, who is a sexist, egotistical, lying, hypocritical bigot.

“Some of the scenes I felt right at home as it was so similar to my real life work situation,” said Angie. “But we do get up to some crazy antics like kidnapping our boss, which is probably very unusual.” According to Angie this high-energy show with lots of fun is ideal for all ages. “My three-year-old son watched the whole show.” It is rated PG.

The cast of 19, with mostly females, is a good mix of adults and students. The cast includes some new faces while the lead roles are all played by local actors cast in previous shows. The majority are from Parkes, but one came all the way from Western Australia, and three are from Forbes.

“The audience will not only relate to the story, but there are lots of good songs by Dolly Parton, including the hit theme song,” said Angie. The 9 to 5 cast and production team have once again pulled together and worked long hours to make it a true community effort.

The musical will run at the Little Theatre in Parkes from tonight until 28th October. Tickets are available online at www.parkesmandd.com.au.

By Maggi Barnard

FABULOUS FELT EXHIBITION
Artists: Cecily Walters and Toni Morrison 9th to 31st October at Parkes Library Felters and sisters, Cecily Walters and Toni Morrison have been felting for about seven years creating wearable felt items such as hats, scarves and vests, home decor items like pods and vessels, as well as felted wall art. All wool is hand dyed to create a unique and vibrant range of colours. Along the journey they have taught a number of classes and successfully exhibited throughout the Central West.

LET’S TALK ABOUT MENTAL HEALTH
1.30pm & 6pm on Monday, 23rd Octobe at Parkes Library A free talk with Jeremy Godwin author of Mental Illness Sucks! (But It’s Not The End Of The World). Come and hear Cootamundra- based Jeremy Godwin talk about this new book, which is full of practical ways that you or your loved ones can survive and thrive in spite of mental illness. This free talk runs for 45 – 50 minutes and there will be a question and answer session at the end. Signed copies of Jeremy’s new book will be available for purchase on the day. Please book your spot by Friday, 20th October on
6861 2309 or library@parkes.nsw.gov.au.

TRUNDLE POP-UP BOOKCLUB
Book: The Light Between the Oceans. Thursday, 19th October @ 2pm. Join Debbie for Trundle Library’s first ever pop-up book club! Afternoon tea & discussion. Pick up your book from Trundle Library today.

FREE COMPUTER TRAINING
Parkes Shire Library members have FREE access to a simple online training solution for learning how to use popular computer applications including Introductory Computer Training lessons for those just starting to use computers. Training and support sessions are held at Parkes Library during school terms on Thursdays from 9 to 11am. Please call Parkes Library on 6861 2309 to book for a session.

Parkes residents are using the three-bin system effectively by correctly separating waste to reduce landfill. Findings from the waste audit conducted in March indicated a significant decrease in the contamination of recycling and compostables since the introduction of the three-bin system in April last year.

Parkes Shire Council’s Director Planning and Environment, Steven Campbell said: “Contamination of the Food Organics and Garden Organics (FOGO) bin is only 1.1%, while the yellow lid recycling bin recorded a contamination level of just 5%.

“This indicates locals are making concerted efforts to ensure they are correctly disposing of recyclables and organic matter into the correct bins.” While progress has been made in reducing the contamination of the yellow and
green lid bins, Steven said there was still plenty of room for improvement when it comes to the general waste bin.

“Changing to a fortnightly collection has been a huge success, with the red lid bin filled to 80% of capacity on average.” “However, the results showed that contamination of the red lid bin remains very high, with compostable matter making up 53% of the overall composition of the general waste bin, and recyclables totalling 23%.”

Residents are encouraged to be mindful when disposing of food scraps and recyclables as organic matter can be processed into mulch, and recycled material will be processed and manufactured into new products, when separated into the correct bin.

The aim of the audit was to identify opportunities for diversion and to identify where Parkes Shire residents can improve. A total of 220 residences were sampled as part of the audit. The three-bin kerbside collection system was introduced to recover more recyclables and organic material from entering the landfill stream.

To find out what goes in what bin, check out the Parkes Waste Services Guide.

The response to The Henrys has been huge throughout the lead up to the event and the gala presentation night on 20th October at the Parkes Services Club has almost sold out! If you want to join in a fantastic night celebrating the business super stars of Parkes, head to parkesservicesclub.com.au/events to get your ticket for $85!

It will be a brilliant night of networking with drinks and platters on arrival followed by dinner and dessert. The presentation of the awards will kick off the celebrations, and local group Amitie will have everyone dance the night away!

Apart from the finalists who have been announced in various categories, there will also be awards handed out for Excellence in Small Business, Excellence in Business and Parkes Business of the Year. The finalists for these categories are being kept a surprise for the evening!

Thank you to all the sponsors who have made the event possible, and to all the businesses for putting in the hard work to nominate. The Parkes Chamber of Commerce is really looking forward to continuing the success into 2018.

The very first Australian National Field Days (ANFD) at Borenore were celebrated 66 years ago in 1952 – as a one-day event only. “We are committed to advancing Australian agriculture and we’re always looking for new and innovative ways to do that, whether that be through utilising new technology and social media, or simply moving part of our event to a weekend so people who work off-farm can attend,” said Administration Manager Jayne West.

A big key to this year’s event is ensuring that there is something on offer for the whole family. There will be entertainment for everyone with music playing throughout the day from Mickey Pye, Casey McFarlane and The
Hewitt’s. There will also be a jumping castle, camel rides and a high adrenaline action show from Flair Action Riders.

This year’s feature exhibit is one to be enjoyed by all, the Australian Stock Horse Society. They will be conducting talks throughout the three-day field day about their importance to agriculture and will inform the public about products and services they may not have known about.

“Livestock and grazing are very important here, and we are on the fringe of a very large cropping area. There’s a lot of horticulture in the region with apples and cherries and viticulture is another area rapidly growing,” said Jayne.

The Australian National Field Days will be held from Thursday, 26th to Saturday, 28th October 2017, at 563 Borenore Road, Borenore. Gates will open at 8:30am and close at 5pm over the three days. A full program is available online.

To all our Phoenix readers, don’t forget to enter our competition to go into the draw to win a double pass to the ANFD.

Twinkle Toes Dance Studio will present Cinderella – A Night to Remember at the Parkes Leagues Club on Sunday, 10th December at 1 pm. The one show only will showcase the students and their achievements in 2017.

The production is based around the rags to riches tale of Cinderella: from the industrious mice and bluebirds, the evil step mother and her two ridiculous daughters to the handsome prince, the beautiful fairies and the fabulous circus performers at the ball.

Come and share this wonderful story, and enjoy the achievements of the students. Tickets will be available at Parkes
Leagues Club or online from Monday, 13th November.

The Parkes Shire community is once again lending a helping hand to Timor Leste with donations packed in shipping containers last week. Parkes Shire Council donated over 200 hours of in-kind labour towards the Timor Leste shipment project as part of the Parkes-Weberek Village Friendship Agreement.

Council staff assisted members of Para Marcia, a not-for-profit charity, to pack donated furniture, fittings and building materials from the relocated Southern Cross Care unit into three shipping containers.

The containers are set to be delivered later this year to nine different destinations across Timor Leste, including Weberek Village. Parkes Shire Mayor, Cr Ken Keith said: “The Friendship Agreement continues to transform the lives of many East Timorese people.

“With the help of a number of wonderful individuals and local business operators, we have been able to deliver vital services and improved socio-economic outcomes to these communities.”

Two thirds of the equipment and materials will be delivered to 19 different health clinics in remote parts of Timor, with the remainder donated to orphanages, women’s refuges and schools. Parkes Shire Council signed the friendship
agreement with the village of Weberek in 2010.

In addition to donating goods and services, a delegation of community members travelled to Timor Leste to assist in the delivery of much needed projects each year.