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Mayoral Notes

January 19, 2017 By Maggi Barnard

Wow, what a week! We welcomed a record-breaking 25,000 visitors for the 2017 Parkes Elvis Festival. The 25th anniversary saw fans travel from all across Australia and the world to enjoy the 120 events. Preliminary results indicate approximately $15 million was injected into the local economy over the five days – a huge boost not only for Parkes, but the entire region. It is due to the hard work and dedication from our volunteers, Council staff and sponsors without whom the festival would not be possible. I would like to thank our wonderful community for putting on the friendly charm and country hospitality – something that Parkes is now renowned for.

Congratulations are extended to Pauline van der Merwe from Parkes who is the lucky winner of the Shop Parkes + Win campaign. Pauline entered the draw after shopping at Byrnes Clothing. She has won a trip to Las Vegas valued at $4,000. Thank you to our wonderful businesses who participated in the campaign.

Next week we will welcome media personality Susie Elelman as our Australia Day Ambassador. Susie will present the Citizen- ship Awards during the official ceremonies at Parkes and Peak Hill. There will be events in Parkes, Bogan Gate, Peak Hill, Trundle and Tullamore and I encourage everyone to join the celebrations. For information about Australia Day Shire, visit www.visitparkes. com.au.

Parkes Shire residents are encouraged to meet and greet our newly elected Mem- ber for Orange, Philip Donato at a barbeque today in Cooke Park between 12 and 3pm.

Local sporting groups and educational in- stitutes are reminded that applications for the Northparkes Sports Grants close 31st January. For more information visit www. parkes.nsw.gov.au.

Yours Faithfully, Cr Ken Keith OAM Mayor of Parkes Shire

Now Hiring!

January 19, 2017 By Maggi Barnard

Small businesses are faced with many legal obligations when hiring staff.

A prospective employer needs to check that the employee is legally allowed to work in Australia, if they are not an Australian Citizen, then further checks must be performed. Under the Fair Work Act 2009 (the act), each employee must be given a copy of the Fair Work Information Statement. This statement lists the ten minimum workplace entitlements under the National Employment Standards and outlines an employee’s rights under the act.

Most employees pay rates are covered by an industry/occupation-based modern award. The correct award and employee grade must be determined to ensure employees receive their correct entitlements, including superannuation.

It is compulsory to supply all employees with a payslip no later than one day after payday. There are a number of items that must be recorded on a payslip.

Records relating to employee wages, leave, superannuation, termination and hours of work must be held for at least seven years.

Employers must be registered to withhold tax from employees’ wages, different rates apply to different employees. Shearers and horticultural workers, actors and entertain- ers, and foreign residents all have different withholding rates to normal employees.

Each state has its own WorkCover regula- tor. Besides providing a safe place for employees to work, the employer is required to take out worker’s compensation insurance. In NSW if you pay wages of more than $7,500 per annum this is compulsory.

This information is general in nature and not comprehensive, it does not take into ac- count each employer’s individual situation. Employers should consider obtaining their own appropriate professional advice.

By Samantha Bennett

Wall Of Fame Honours Dig Richards

January 12, 2017 By Maggi Barnard

The Parkes Elvis Festival kicked off its Silver Jubilee by celebrating an Australian music pioneer. This year a plaque dedicated to Digby “Dig” Richards was unveiled on the Elvis Wall of Fame, cementing his position as an Australian music legend. Dig Richards was a rock and roll singer who rose to fame as the lead singer of the R’Jays. His impressive career as a singer, actor, and television presenter was tragically cut short by his death in 1983, aged just 42 years.

His younger brother Doug Richards was among the dignitaries and celebrated guests to posthumously honour the performer. “It’s just fantastic that Digby has been finally recognised,” he said. “Dig was one of the very first rock and roll singers in this country.” Many of Digby’s former friends and collaborators attended the star-studded event, including Little Pattie, Rob E.G., Lucky Starr and Leon Isackson. “It’s lovely after all this time that Dig’s remembered,” Leon said. “A lot of people have forgotten, but he was such a pioneer.”

“He was one of the great 60s entertainers,” said Lucky Starr. “It’s wonderful he will be on the wall with his friends.” More than one hundred fans braved the scorching heat for the ceremony, which was officiated by Parkes Mayor Ken Keith OAM, but none were prouder than Luke Digby Khan who paid tribute to the grandfather he never met. “It’s a real privilege to be here for this ceremony,” he said.

By Raen Fraser

Snippets…

January 12, 2017 By Maggi Barnard

HOT, HOT, HOT: With the temperature expected to reach 43 degrees in Parkes today, it is going to be a day to take care and drink lots of water. You might even have to get rid of the Elvis suit for the day as wearing breathable clothing is the best on such hot days. See our tips on page 8 for staying cool this weekend!

Correction: In the last issue of 2016 on 23rd December on page 13, Abigael Webb was incorrectly named Abbey Smith in the photo of the Twinkle Toes Dance Studio.

Competition winner: Alex Blunden was the lucky winner of Phoenix competition for the $100 gift vouchers from La Bella and 141 On Main. Congratulations!

Tullamore Irish Festival: The Festival has launched its new and improved event format for this year with a music concert focus. The event kicks off on Good Friday on 14th April with Peter Byrne returning as Friday’s headliner with band, Celtic Beat. Saturday’s entertainment will be capped off with Irish favourite, Damien Leith supported by the outstanding Seltic Sirens. This is Damien’s third time to Tullamore, having performed at the festival in 2016 and 2013. “Aside from the fantastic music, there’ll be plenty to see and do including market stalls, food, face painting, rides, and unique Irish games to keep everyone entertained. The entertainment is free for kids all day on the Saturday,” said Festival President, Paul Stanbrook. For information visit www.tullamore.org.au.

Kite Festival: The Reach for the Sky Australia Day Kite Festival will be on again on 26th January. Bring your kite to the Northparkes Oval from 8 to 11am. You can decorate your kite with Australian imagery, or even shape a kite like the Parkes Dish! The festival is open to all ages.

Opera for Ava: Highlight 8th April in your diary. Mezzo Soprano Dominica Matthews, senior principal artist with Opera Australia, will be in Forbes on this day to perform at a fundraiser for Ava Garland at the Red Bend College main hall from 3 to 5pm. Ava is three years old and was diagnosed with leukemia last year. Apart from her full time opera work, Dominica recently completed a tour of Australia with the cast of the Sound of Music as Sister Berthe. Two more performers will be confirmed for the concert. Ticket prices to be confirmed.

Can’t Help Falling In Love With GMC Motorhomes

January 12, 2017 By Maggi Barnard

While the Parkes Elvis Festival celebrates its 25th year, this year’s festival is a first for the GMC Motorhome Rally. They chose the silver jubilee festival as the destination for their inaugural Classic Motorhome Downunder Rally. The vintage motorhomes might not be as universally known as their counterparts, such as the Kombi campervan, but
they’re no less loved. The purpose-built motorhomes have a dedicated following of enthusiasts, who view the retro camper as ‘A Big Hunk O’ Love’.

General Motors built about 12,000 of the motorhomes in the USA between 1973 and 1978, and these classic campers now have something of a cult following, with dedicated fans travelling to rallies across America. However, the 40-year-old motorhomes are rare in Australia with only 18 in the country, so it is quite a treat to have a handful of them converge in Parkes.

The rally organiser, Gail Bennett said Parkes was the obvious choice for the event as the town is virtually bang smack
in the middle of Brisbane, Adelaide, and Melbourne, and when they decided to meet at Parkes there was no question that they wouldn’t coincide with the Parkes Elvis Festival. “The motorhomes have such a classic, retro look, they really fit in with the era,” she said. “And besides, I’m a massive Elvis fan.”

Gail and Mark Bennett have had their GMC Motorhome for 12 years, and have already travelled 54,000km since they bought it. The Queensland couple regularly drive to Canberra or Tumut, and the convenience of the motorhome makes regular monthly trips easy to manage. Gail said the vehicles were built on a purpose-built chassis with an engine at the front, so they’re lower to the ground than similar RVs, and they handle better. But for Gail, the main appeal is the aesthetics. “They just look really good,” she said. “We get lots of attention and thumbs up when we’re driving up the highway.” The GMC Motorhomes are camping together at the Parkes Showground, and two will feature in the street parade, with another in the Cars of the Era show, where members of the public can check out the vehicles ‘For Ol’ Times Sake’.

By Raen Fraser

Mayoral Notes…

January 12, 2017 By Maggi Barnard

It’s time to rock ‘n’ roll for the 25th anniversary of the Parkes Elvis Festival. Thousands of visitors arrived ahead of
the weekend festivities, with record visitation numbers expected. As you make your way to and from the Festival, please drive carefully and be vigilant on the roads. On Sunday we celebrated The King’s birthday at the official launch of Elvis Central. Bob and Anne Steel, the founders of the Festival, cut the Elvis cake. Elvis Central, the official outlet for festival merchandise and souvenirs, is at 203 Clarinda Street in the heart of the Festival Boulevard.

All proceeds go directly to the festival allowing it to grow and improve each year. With temperatures expected to peak in the 40’s today, I encourage all festival-goers to keep hydrated and to slip, slop and slap. Escape the heat at the Heatbreak Hotels located along the festival boulevard. These hydration zones will help you cool off. Be sure to secure your piece of history with an official souvenir program, calendar and the festival’s 25th Anniversary DVD ‘This is Our Story’, all available from the Parkes Information Centre, Elvis Central, Council’s Administration Building and other businesses. These are great keepsakes to take home to show family and friends how much fun you had. Free festival pocket guides are also available throughout town to help you plan your itinerary so you don’t miss a thing!

Finally, a big thank you to our dedicated volunteers, valued sponsors and supporters, Elvis Revival Incorporated, local businesses, community members and Parkes Shire Council staff for all their hard work in making this year’s festival the biggest and best one yet.

Thankyer, thankyer very much.

Cr Ken Keith OAM
Mayor of Parkes Shire

Elvis Snippets…

January 12, 2017 By Maggi Barnard

Viva Parkes Library!: Parkes Library is hosting a huge range of events for the Parkes Elvis Festival. Join the library team for a movie, photo exhibition, book launch and of course air conditioning! The Library will again become a boutique movie cinema showing Viva Las Vegas and Elvis Lives in Parkes (SBS documentary), Speedway, Elvis and Nixon and This is the Story telling the story of Parkes Elvis Festival by the people who helped shape and
create the event into the phenomenon it is today. Elvis and Nixon, starring Kevin Spacey is shown today at 7pm at a special event. It is a limited seats event. Tickets are $5 to be pre-purchased at the Library. For the second year running the Library is presenting the Parkes Elvis Festival Photo Competition and Exhibition. There are 160 photos, capturing past Festival moments, on display until Sunday. The winners in the various categories will be announced today at 4pm. The black and white work of David Carswell, an Australian photographer based in Manila, is also on display of Elvis performance nights in the Philippines. Call Parkes Library on 6861 2309 for more information.

Morse code telegrams: While the Elvis Festival takes you back in time, why not send a message the old way too? Today and tomorrow you will be able to send telegrams by morse code to anywhere from outside the Telstra Shop in Clarinda Street. There will be operators to answer your questions and help you send a message. Telegrams lodged by the general public will be sent to Beechworth by morse code and received on souvenir stationery and posted
to their destination. The morse code instruments are the same used to send and receive messages in the telegraph network since the 1850’s until the morse code was withdrawn in 1962. However it remained in Parkes and used as an
order wire, until the last operator was transferred in 1965, and then withdrawn completely. As teleprinters were introduced from the 1940’s, they progressively took over the system in all major post offices until the telegraph service was completely withdrawn in 1988. Locals Eddie Parrott, Keith MacRae and Peter Cannon, members of the Sydney Morsecodian Fraternity, will be at the display, while Sydney members attending will be Brian Mullins and Cec Mann. On display will also be Ham Radio morse equipment that is still being used today.

Gospel Service on Sunday: The single biggest event of the Festival after the Street Parade is the Parkes Elvis Gospel Service presented by the 11 Combined Churches of the Parkes Ministers’ Association. Last year around 8,000 people attended the inaugural service in Cooke Park. This year’s artists include in international line-up with Pete Storm (UK), Sista Jacqui (USA), Keno NSW Special Feature Artist, Mark Borg, BornAgainElvis (also Guest
Preacher), Royden Dononhue, Gavin Chatelier, Stephen Cheney, I.C.U. Gospel Choir and the Parkes Shire Concert Band Inc. Stephen and Nerallie Cheney, Co-Ordinators of the event invite people to arrive early and bring their own chairs or picnic rugs and enjoy breakfast in the park. Nerallie said there would be a large outdoor screen this and improved sound. The organisers are also looking for volunteers to help before and during the service with setting up, marshalling, handing out programmes and other jobs. Collection proceeds, after expenses, will go to the local schools ministries and the East Timor Mission.

18 Tribute Artists Compete For Place In Memphis

January 12, 2017 By Maggi Barnard

The Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artist Contest event will see the best Elvis tribute artists from Australia and New Zealand in action from today to vie for a place in the final in Memphis, USA in August. The event serves as a preliminary round of the 2017 UETA Contest during Elvis Week in August in the USA and is officially endorsed by Elvis Presley Enterprises Inc. The Heats kick off at 2pm today at the Parkes Leagues Club with 18 contestants, with the finals at 2pm on Saturday.

The 2017 Parkes Elvis Festival preliminary round contestants are: Brody Finlay (QLD), Sidney O’Neil (VIC), Sean Spiteri (NSW), Marcus Jackson (VIC), George Brooking (NZ), Lenard Connolly (NSW), Stephen Fletcher (QLD), Nick Nicolas (NSW), Morris Posa (NSW), Rupert King (NZ), Brian Millard (SA), Brendon Chase (NZ), Mike Tsama (NSW), Matt Birse (SA), Stuart Vieyra (QLD), Johnny Angel (NZ), Jeff Hancox (QLD) and George Kritikos (NSW).

Contestants will perform backed by the dynamic eight-piece Elvis In Concert band, and will be judged on their stage presence, singing ability and the overall quality of the performance. The winner will be awarded $3,000 prize money to assist in their travel expenses to compete in Memphis and an all-expenses paid trip and performance at
Auckland’s Elvis in the Gardens. Contact the Parkes Leagues Club for tickets on 6862 1499 or at www.parkesleagues.com.au.

Health Matters…

January 12, 2017 By Maggi Barnard

Sunscreens and sunblocks are important for protecting the skin against harmful UVA and UVB rays. The SPF score on a bottle of sunscreen tells you how protective the ingredients are against UV rays: an SPF 50+ is more protective than an SPF 30+. While there are physical barriers (sunblocks) and chemical barriers (sunscreens), there is a new category of sunscreen available and the latest technology for protecting your skin against the Australian sun is called
Liposomal.

Sunblocks are always a thick, opaque cream containing ingredients such as titanium dioxide and zinc oxide. The physical protection blocks forms of UV rays from outside the skin. Sunblocks are often cosmetically unappealing as they are visible (usually white and shiny), difficult to wash off and messy. They are recommended for people with a sensitivity to UV rays and little people from 12 months.

Sunscreen is a cream, which forms a thin, colourless film on the skin that acts as a filter against UV rays. Ingredients in a sunscreen filter reduce and absorb harmful UVA and UVB rays and work from under the skin. Liposomal formulations are a new category altogether. A liposomal sunscreen is a sunscreen, which is formulated to contain small particles called liposomes. Liposomes are used as a vehicle to carry UVA and UVB protective filters, the properties of which may enable penetration of the sunscreen into the outer layer of the skin. There is no
absorption into the blood stream, so lessening the chemical risk factor, but as it’s still absorbed, there’s no greasy finish.

Sunscreen should be applied 30 minutes before sun exposure to ensure protection and reapplied every two to four hours.

Farmers Can Help Prevent Grass Fires

January 12, 2017 By Maggi Barnard

Due to the an increased risk of grass fires this season across the Central West, the NSW Rural Fire Service (NSW RFS) is urging landholders to take action to prevent fires from starting. Superintendent Ken Neville from the Mid Lachlan Valley Rural Fire Service said fires could easily start from machinery. “It can take just one or two sparks to start a fire,” he said.

“That’s why it’s so important to check and maintain equipment such as tractors, slashes, harvesters, welders, chainsaws and grinders. “If you’re carrying out agricultural burns or outdoor mechanical works make sure you check if there are any restrictions or fire bans in place. Check all firefighting equipment regularly, including hoses and
pumps.”

If a fire starts, call 000 as soon as possible. Landholders are also encouraged to make a bush fire survival plan, with a guide available from myfireplan.com.au. For further information call the Mid Lachlan Valley RFS on 02 6851 1541.

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