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Out Of This World Petition To Save The Planet

September 28, 2017 By Maggi Barnard

When you are 11 the world can be an infinite and even daunting place. Not for a young boy from Forbes who dreams of travelling into space one day, while at the moment he has his feet firmly planted in the soil of Mother Earth.

Year 5 Forbes North Public School student Angus Webb’s long-term quest is to go to Mars one day, but for the time being he has embarked on another inspiring mission: he is reaching out to explorer, inventor, engineer and businessman Elon Musk with a petition to get him to the Central West and help put carbon in soil.

Angus is very concerned about global warming and climate change. “It is real and affects everyone on our planet. My dad is part of a soil carbon research institute, Soil C Quest, where they are trying to find a way to remove carbon from the atmosphere. They are researching ways soil can ‘soak up’ excess carbon. I reckon Elon Musk is an amazing man, and I reckon he would want to help, don’t you?”

For Angus it would be a double whammy if he could get the co-founder of Tesla and SpaceX to Forbes: meeting his idol, who also wants to go to Mars, and getting Elon to support his dad, Guy Webb’s research in order to double carbon levels in the soil by 2031.

Angus is asking everyone’s help by signing his petition at https://www.change.org/p/angus-s-amazing-climate-challenge-for-elon-musk

By Maggi Barnard

Snippets

September 28, 2017 By Maggi Barnard

CONGRATULATIONS… We have a winner. Kim from Mitre 10 is the owner of a brand new television after winning The Parkes Phoenix Footy Tipping competition.

Life saving apparatus: Parkes Shire Council has invested in five Automated External Defibrillator (AED) machines to increase the chance of survival of a staff member or member of the public who suffers a sudden cardiac arrest. The units are installed at Council’s Administrative Building, Works Depot, Library and the new Water and Sewage Treatment Plants. Parkes Shire Deputy Mayor, Cr Barbara Newton said: “Council’s First Aid staff have been trained to use the devices.”

Go bold: The regional biennial Rural Arts & Culture Symposium will be held in Forbes tomorrow. This year’s symposium has a specific focus on ‘being bold’ – people, ideas and approaches that step outside the traditional or take big leaps in regional arts making. The symposium is co-hosted by regional arts development organisation Arts OutWest as the final event of the Kalari Lachlan River Arts Festival. A free event open to the whole community from 10:15am to 1pm at Forbes Services Club.Special guest speaker is Alex Wisser, director of the Cementa contemporary arts festival in Kandos. Bookings essential via www.eventbrite.com.au/e/rural-arts-and-culture-symposium-tickets-37376292497, call 6338 4657 or email artsoutwest@csu.edu.au

Spring Photo Competition: The Parkes Phoenix has teamed up Chemical Creations Photography to launch a spring photo competition. We would love to see the great photos our readers can come up with. A wonderful prize is up for grabs – a family photography session including 20 high resolution images with Chemical Creations Photography!
The competition will run for the rest of September and October, with entries to be submitted to The Parkes Phoenix by Tuesday, 31st October. Entries can be sent to sales@parkesphoenix.com.au or via our Facebook page.

#Montefamousreview: Anna O – Reckoning: Reckoning, Anna O’s latest release, is a brilliant blend of electronic, pop and RnB. Each track is filled with emotive audio imaging that is brought to life magnificently by Anna O’s powerful voice. The music has a deep pulsating beat and ingeniously crafted melodies that complements the lyrics being delivered so purely. While some of the tracks have a darker pop feel about them, Anna O still delivers a positive message. Reckoning is an EP that you can put on any time day or night and feel good about what you’re hearing, it’s the perfect EP to relax to. Let Anna O’s superb vocals tell you a musical story.

Open Gardens Await

September 28, 2017 By Maggi Barnard

If you want to celebrate spring and all its natural wonders, the 2017 Open Gardens event hosted by Quota International in Parkes is the perfect way to appreciate and indulge this amazing season.

On Sunday, 8th October from 10am to 4pm you will be able to experience six lovely gardens for just $15. You can also enjoy a delicious morning tea from 10 to 11:30am for $5 and/or lunch from 12 noon for $15 in a beautiful country garden.

Entry to the gardens will be via a wristband, which is available at Greenparkes Garden Centre, the Parkes Visitors Information Centre or at the morning tea venue.

On the day local art, pottery and garden art will be on display and for sale, as well as several pop-up shops. Some of the items include Ploughman’s Olives, Metal Madness, Ann Olsen hats and bags, Sharon Preisig jewellery and Quota pre-loved clothing.

Battle Of The Buskers

September 28, 2017 By Maggi Barnard

A war of sound burbled down the Peak Hill main street last Saturday when buskers battled it out at the regional finals of the Australian National Busking Championship.

The event saw a wide array of talented street performers strumming and singing their hearts out, each in the hope of earning busker dollars and tips from onlookers. Buskers were also competing for their share of the $4,000 in cash prizes and a place at the national championships in November.

Roaming judges assessed performances throughout the day and invited the best buskers to the day’s final concert.

Buskers from Peak Hill and Parkes were not in short supply with some of them doing very well. Local Peak Hill band Almost A Dozen won the best band category and came third in the people’s choice category.

Twelve-year-old Hanna Dunn from the Christian School won the primary age section, with another Christian school student Annabel van Wyk in second place. Hanna teamed up with Loic Monfret from Parkes and they won second prize in the open group section.

Other winners were Josh Maynard from Cowra in the open age category and Shelby Grace from the Wollongong area in the secondary age category.

Busking event coordinator Patrick Norris said: “The Australian National Busking Championship association is happy for Peak Hill to host the event again next year. It was a great success. It will only grow from here.”

The event was an initiative of the Peak Hill Business and Tourism association with the support of the Parkes Shire Council and Peak Hill Council Consultative Committee. The Peak Hill Men’s Shed served as volunteers on the day.

By Gizell van Wyk

Motorcycle Rally This Weekend

September 28, 2017 By Maggi Barnard

The 41st annual motorcycle rally of the Parkes Antique Motor Club takes place from tomorrow until Monday.

After registration on Saturday from 9am there will be a ride at 1:30pm to the Parkes Radio Telescope, and an informal gathering at the Railway Hotel at 6:30pm.

Sunday at 9:30am sees the 150km short run and 250km long run – both on sealed roads with morning tea at Bogan Gate, and lunch and judging at Trundle. The presentation dinner is at 6:30pm at the Parkes Leagues Club.

On Monday the rally ends with a farewell sausage sizzle at the Motor Museum at 7:30am.

The rally is open to heritage and modern machines, and will use the Parkes Motor Museum at the Henry Parkes Centre as its headquarters.

Sheer Support For Unique Show

September 21, 2017 By Maggi Barnard

Hundreds of art lovers flocked to a unique exhibition in a 137-year-old shearing shed outside Parkes last weekend. Approximately 200 people attended the sell-out gala opening of the St Elmo art exhibition on Saturday night, while another 200 visited the next day.

The opening night was an amazing evening of good food and entertainment reminiscent of community events at St Elmo in the past. John Den’s fire buckets enhanced the outdoor atmosphere, The Dish provided exemplary fine food complemented by award winning Twisted River and Cammeray Wines with Sydney’s String Family providing entertainment throughout the evening.

Town Crier Ken Keith called the guests to order for Deputy Mayor, Barbara Newton to open the exhibition. She congratulated the organisers, Action Club, and artists in promoting art and a community spirit. Action Club President, Gary Somers thanked Parkes Shire Council for its support, sponsors Langlands Hanlon and Ostini Wool and artist Pol Cruz for donating a ceramic bird bath for the raffle.

The next day was a perfect spring day when more people visited the historic St Elmo Shed to view the art work and enjoy a Devonshire tea provided by Parkes Quota club members. Art works sales were in excess of $13,000. Any profits from the night will be used by the Action Club to support youth in the local community.

By Stafford Orange

Gaze At Night Sky Art In Peak Hill

September 21, 2017 By Maggi Barnard

Peak Hill is the latest stop in the public art trail of the Parkes Shire with a series of artworks by a local resident unveiled at the new Community Wall this week. The six panels featuring constellations of Wiradjuri stories in the night sky by Scott “Sauce” Towney include beautiful drawings of The Mighty Yarran Tree, The Eagle’s Nest, Cockatoos, The Seven Sisters, The Celestial Emu and The Great Creator.

“I am very humbled to be acknowledged by the people I grew up with. It is the pinnacle of my career,” said Sauce, who has been a finalist in the NSW Premier’s Indigenous Art Awards and has completed many commissions. He mentioned that his depiction of the Celestial Emu would be featured on a commemorative $5 coin next year.

Sauce specialises in drawing and pyrography and experiments with a variety of materials for his contemporary style of indigenous art. Chair of the Parkes Shire Cultural Advisory Committee, Councillor Barbara Newton said: “The development of public art in Peak Hill expands and complements the public art trail created in Parkes last year and is a great way of people meeting and greeting, while engaging the interest of visitors and adding to the colour and feel of the main street”.

The public art space, a concept designed by Parkes artist Jac Clark, will be expanded to each village in the shire to enhance the public art trail and the vibrancy of each community.

By Maggi Barnard

Snippets…

September 21, 2017 By Maggi Barnard

NPM Scholarships: The CMOC-Northparkes Mines Indigenous Scholarships are open for 2018. The program supports indigenous students interested in a mining career and non-technical degrees. The scholarship is open to students aged 30 or under who have obtained entry into a university degree. The technical scholarship holders receive $10,000 per year, and the non-technical scholarship holders receive $5,000 per year. NPM also offers support for work placements onsite and throughout Australia. Applications close Wednesday, 31st January 2018. For more information visit www.northparkes.com or contact Northparkes Talent and Development Coordinator via email at npm.recruitment@northparkes.com

National Police Remembrance Day: Lachlan Local Area Commander, Superintendent Chris Taylor is inviting the community to join police in paying tribute on National Police Remembrance Day at 10am on Friday, 29th September at Holy Family Catholic Church in Parkes. National Police Remembrance Day, one of the most important events on the NSW Police Force calendar, is a day to remember the officers who have given their lives in the course of their duties. It is also a time to remember both sworn and unsworn members of the NSW Police Force who lost their lives through illness, accident or other circumstances in the previous 12 months.

Peak Hill Art: The 10th Annual Peak Hill Landscape Art Awards will be held at the Peak Hill Art Gallery on Wednesday, 27th September from 6:30pm. Artists from Parkes, Forbes, Orange and Dubbo are expected to exhibit, as well as Peak Hill artists. The sections are: Open for traditional landscape and contemporary landscape with
$200 prizemoney awarded to each; Junior for 12-18 years (traditional and contemporary) with $200 awarded to each; Under 12s with 1st , 2nd and 3rd prizes awarded. Phone 6869 1542 or 0424 228 994 for information and obtain entry forms. Entries still welcome.

Spring Photo Competition: The Parkes Phoenix has teamed up with Chemical Creations Photography to launch a spring photo competition. We would love to see the great photos our readers can come up with. A wonderful prize is up for grabs – a family photography session including 20 high resolution images with Chemical Creations Photography! The competition will run for the rest of September and October, with entries to be submitted to The Parkes Phoenix by Tuesday, 31 October. Entries can be sent to sales@parkesphoenix.com.au or via our Facebook page.

Teenage Cricketers And Low Back Pain

September 21, 2017 By Maggi Barnard

With a household of teenage boys, it always amuses me to see that as soon as the footy grand finals are over the cricket gear miraculously appears and watching cricket on TV for the next five months. As cricket can become a bit of an obsession for some, now is an appropriate time to highlight an injury often seen in young cricket players (under 25 years) and particularly in fast bowlers: spondylolysis.

A spondylolysis is a stress fracture in an area of the vertebrae called the pars interarticularis (pars). Pars stress fractures are thought to be caused by repetitive hyperextension and rotation loading of the spine that can occur in the bowling action. The most common site is at the level of the L5 vertebrae. Pain is usually felt on one side, occurs gradually and is aggravated by rotation and extension of the lumbar spine. In the initial phase pain will settle with rest.

Stress fractures tend to occur on the nonbowling arm side of the lower back and are typically due to errors in technique (such as a mixed bowling action, too much counter rotation or high ball release height), and/or excessive bowling work load.

If your young cricket player does complain of low back pain it is important to get a correct diagnosis. Cricket players who have had a pars stress fracture can still make a full return to sport. Initial treatment would involve rest from bowling and a rehabilitation programme focused on strengthening the deep abdominal, trunk and gluteal muscles.

Bowling action may need to be modified once training is resumed.

For the fitness of you,
Linda Reilly

Mayoral Notes…

September 21, 2017 By Maggi Barnard

This week I joined residents of the Peak Hill community for the official unveiling of the new Peak Hill Community Wall art installation in the Commercial Gardens. The artworks currently showing are those by Wiradjuri artist and Peak Hill resident, Scott “Sauce” Towney. The Community Wall is an extension to the Parkes Shire public art series, developed to interchange over time and celebrate cultural and artistic diversity within the community.

Only one week to go until residents and visitors can dive into the swim season, with the Parkes Aquatic Centre opening its gates on Saturday, 30th September at 10am. Get in early and pick up a season ticket from the Poolside Café from Monday, 25th September. Council is also taking enrolments for the 2017/18 Parkes Learn to Swim program, with enrolment forms available for download via our website, www.parkes.nsw.gov.au.

Ahead of the start of the swim season, Council contractors have installed new solar lighting at the Parkes Aquatic Centre. This is good news for our early morning swimmers, as it now means they won’t have to navigate their way through the complex in the dark. The light poles have been installed either side of the pathway from the amenities building right up to the pools, significantly improving safety for pool users.

With the school holidays just around the corner, a reminder to take advantage of the colourful landscapes, fun events and iconic attractions the Parkes Shire region has to offer by getting involved in the Colour Parkes campaign. Download your Colour Pass from www.visitparkes.com.au to gain exclusive access to eleven special offers from local attractions, accommodation, cafes and shopping outlets as part of the Colour Parkes campaign. These can be redeemed from participating businesses until 31st October 2017.

Yours Faithfully,
Cr Ken Keith OAM
Mayor of Parkes Shire

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