The great bard suggested there was little to it, but last week the name of Parkes was the cause of celebration. Local residents gathered at Chamberlain Square on Thursday, 1st December to enjoy a piece of cake beneath the statue of Sir Henry Parkes. It was a birthday – of sorts – commemorating the 143 years since the township was officially named Parkes in honour of the then Premier of the Colony of NSW, Sir Henry Parkes.

However, the history of settlement on this land precedes that grand milestone. The original custodians of this land were the Wiradjuri people, the largest Aboriginal language group in NSW. The Wiradjuri had visited and lived on this land for thousands of years before European settlement. But that all changed in 1862 with the discovery of gold. White settlers made their way to our plains in the hope of improving their fortunes. A tent village soon sprung up
around the gold deposits, and was known as Currajong, purportedly named after the local trees.

While there was a lot of gold to be found, it wasn’t the easy alluvial gold of many other fields. Most of our gold was deposited underground in buried rivers, known as leads and could only be obtained by sinking deep shafts to mine it. In 1871 prospectors found a rich deep lead which they named Bushmans Lead. This discovery sparked another rush and saw the region become one of the richest gold producing areas in the colony and hastened the village’s growth.

The burgeoning settlement of Currajong became colloquially known as Bushmans. In August 1873 the Premier Henry Parkes visited the township of Currajong and Bushmans Lead Mine, following a request from locals. Then, on the 1st December 1873, the Lands Department officially changed the name of the settlement from Currajong to Parkes.

Many claim our town was named as a tribute to Sir Henry Parkes, who served five terms as Premier and became known as The Father of Federation. Yet in 1873, Henry Parkes had only been the Premier of the Colony of NSW for a year, and despite nearly 20 years in parliament, was yet to make his mark. According to the Parkes Shire Council’s website an anecdotal story suggests the town’s naming was actually a savvy political move from locals who were
lobbying the Premier to construct the eastwest rail line through Parkes.

So, what is in a name? A lot of history, and a bit of flattery.

By Raen Fraser

Local art-lovers got all fired-up for the Parkes Potters’ Group exhibition at the Parkes Shire Library’s Coventry Room last Friday. Cr Bill Jayett formally opened the exhibition, saying that while Parkes prides itself on our unique attractions – the Dish and Elvis Festival – the town’s real treasure is the arts. Bev Rowe, president of the Parkes
Potters Group said that for a small geographical area, there is a diverse output of artisans.

Lynn and Wayne Rogers were among the dozens of guests appreciating the art. “It’s a real credit to Parkes to put on a display of this calibre,” Lynn said. The work on display wasn’t simply traditional thrown pots and plates, but a selection of sculptural and functional pieces that utilized a fascinating range of styles and techniques. It was the third exhibition for the group this year, with 11 of the 14 members displaying their craft. Bev’s work included meditative wallmounted masks that incorporated religious themes, whereas Pol Cruz displayed a range of abstract art pieces, many of which positioned the human form amidst an almost surreal, dream-like arrangement of shapes and elements.

Other artists made more figurative pieces – the ram was a crowd favourite, and the Coventry Room became an honorary aviary with dozens of beautifully crafted pottery birds perched on various plynths. Bev drew attention to the two works, which were isolated in glass domes to highlight the skill involved in their crafting. Under one glass dome was a flawless Raku Pitcher made by Judy Kinsella, the other was a piece by the late Jan Hunter, who had passed away during the week.

“She was a great talent, and will be sorely missed,” Bev said. It was a delightfully arty soiree, with nibblies provided, along with a selection of locally produced wines by Twisted River.

By Raen Fraser

Reportage was the headline act at the Parkes School of Dance end of year concert held at the Parkes Leagues Club on Sunday. The Robert Wilson auditorium was almost full to capacity, with an audience of nearly 500 flocking in to grab the latest headlines. The concert was the culmination of a year’s hard work for the students and teachers of Parkes School of Dance, with routines presented from the preschool classes all the way through to the performance groups.

An otherwise eclectic array of dance styles and abilities was united by the journalistic theme, providing an engaging link between the various routines. The concert program was endearingly designed in a broadsheet format, and the decorative bunting was made of newspaper. Some of the dancers even structured their choreography around the happenings of a newsroom.

Of course the real good news story here is the kids themselves, most of whom had spent the year refining their movement and learning their routines. The youngest performers to tread the boards were preschoolers, who were joined on stage by their teachers as they wowed the crowd with their diminutive dance-moves.

From Petite Ballet Junior through to Senior Contemporary each performance was a highlight in itself, although one of the more memorable moments came when young Melinda McKeowen took to the stage. Melinda has Joubert Syndrome, so Parkes School of Dance arranged for an assistant to help her with her routine, which she performed with sheer vibrancy. Melinda’s mother Amanda Clarke said Melinda loved getting dressed up and performing. “Melinda is often left out of things because she can’t walk on her own and Parkes School of Dance made it possible
for her,” she said.

For all the young performers and their families, the concert was the good news story of the day.

By Raen Fraser

“I will stand up, speak out, and act to prevent men’s violence against women.” Thisis the oath that dozens of Parkes Shire men took during the White Ribbon March last Friday. Parkes’ second White Ribbon event was attended by more than 100 locals, who marched from the new Parkes Arbor to Cooke Park to raise awareness of men’s violence against women.

The guest speakers included Cr Bill Jayett, former Senator and Olympic gold medalist Nova Peris, and IPROWD founder Peter Gibbs. The speakers shared heart-wrenching personal testimonies and confronting statistics with the crowd. Each year an average of one woman is murdered each week by a current or ex-partner, and the Parkes
Shire rates 17th in the state for incidents of domestic violence. While the statistics are sobering, the event was a celebration of positive change, with a free sausage sizzle, snow cones, a jumping castle, and live entertainment by
Orange-based musician Jacob Sutherland.

Nova said that while most men were not perpetrators of abuse, the vast majority of domestic abuse was committed by men. “We need men to be part of the solution,” she said. Stephanie Loader, Managing Director of Northparkes Mines, announced that Northparkes have become the first White Ribbon accredited mine in the country. “We have
an opportunity to influence culture,” she said.

Peter Gibbs’ revealed how the death of his sister inspired him to establish IPROWD, an organization that helps indigenous students join the police force. “Don’t be at the back of the room. Don’t be bystanders,” he urged the crowd, “men need to stand up against violence”.

If you or someone you know are in immediate danger, dial 000. To access support contact: 1800RESPECT or 1800 737 732 for domestic violence and/or sexual assault. Mensline Australia 1300 789 978 for men dealing with family and relationship difficulties.

By Raen Fraser

There is an abundance of Christmas spirit in the Parkes community as the Samaritan’s Purse Operation Christmas Child was supported in a big way. A total of 420 boxes were filled with gifts to be sent to children all over the world. It is a great improvement on the 300 that were collected last year. “It was a great opportunity for parents and
grandparents to sit down with their kids and teach them about how many people in the world live in poverty compared to us,” said Alice Milne, who co-ordinated the effort.

Samaritan’s Purse developed a program called Operation Christmas Child that encourages the general public to pack a shoebox for either a boy or a girl in poverty stricken countries. Contributors received a box and a list of gift suggestions and prohibited items. The suggestions included something to wear, something to love, something special, something for school, something to play with and something for personal hygiene.

Contributors are able to follow their box online to see where it goes. “Thank you to everyone who contributed and we look forward to collecting even more boxes next year!” said Alice.

The new upstairs Hart Bar at the Railway Hotel made a grand entrance onto the Parkes social scene with a bold and striking exhibition by local artist Jac Clark. If locals have not seen Jac’s signature brightly coloured art works, they will be familiar with her street art creations of Elvis, the girl reading books, the astronaut and other, that went on display earlier this year in the Central Business Distrcit.

Jac’s art has had a presence in the Railway Hotel since Kasie Ferguson and Bianca Sheridan became owners six years
ago. So when the trendy new bar was being planned, there was no question about who to ask to look after decorating the walls for the opening. Jac decided to step away from her signature bright colours and ventured into the world of monochrome for the first time to explore the boldness of using black and white for her paintings.

She worked for 12 months on 14 paintings for the exhibition titled Figure. She did not specifically choose her subjects but over time ended up painting a variety of subjects including people and animals. At the official opening of Hart Bar last Thursday, people were naturally drawn to the huge black and white images in the beautiful space created by Josh Fisher, the builder, and Beck Thompson, the designer.

The complete product left guests feeling like they could be in any trendy city bar. “It is just amazing what they have achieved here,” was the general consensus from many. “We can’t believe this is actually in Parkes,” others said.
Jac said she had also received very positive feedback with many prints sold and some enquiries about commissions, while the cow painting proved to be a hit. The artworks can be seen online at www.morabon.com.au

By Maggi Barnard