At the announcement of the donation at Dubbo Turf Club last week were (L-R) Warrick McLean, Director of NSW Business Chamber, Dr Saranne Cook, Director of Racing NSW and Scott Barrett, GIVIT NSW Drought Relief Manager.

Farmers and families across drought-ravaged NSW will receive greater community support after Racing NSW and NSW Busi- ness Chamber donated $50,000 to national charity GIVIT.

Official drought charity partner of the NSW Government, GIVIT’s ‘Drought Relief Appeal’ has spent over $300,000 in drought affected areas since August last year, purchasing and coordinating more than 100,000 item donations for 170 frontline charities working with struggling residents.

The sizable donation was raised by over 400 business leaders at the recent NSW Business Chamber and Racing NSW’s ‘Business of Racing’ lunch.

This donation, along with donations from the Australian public, will be used to meet the genuine needs of communities, with a focus on purchasing items locally to also provide an economic benefit to struggling regional businesses.

GIVIT NSW Drought Relief Manager, Scott Barrett, said the generous donation would allow the charity to better meet the wide range of needs of vulnerable families, farmers and at-risk individuals.

“We’re here to help charities and frontline services get exactly what their regional and remote communities need, from a set of tyres for a ute and food for working dogs, to essential school items and uniforms,” said Scott.

GIVIT is free, private and easy to use, and currently supports over 2,800 charities across Australia. If you are a local charity or service, please register at givit.org.au/charity-registration.

Family businesses in and around the Central West region will have the opportunity to receive valuable tools and advice on succession planning from a team of industry experts at a free, one-day workshop in Parkes on Thursday, 28th November.

The National Association for Loss and Grief’s (NALAG) ‘Our Shout’ program coordinator, Ms Brenda Baker, is hoping to improve the experiences of succession for a greater number of family businesses.

NALAG’s ‘Our Shout’ program promotes positive strategies to improve wellbeing and resilience in rural NSW communities. “Communication in family-run business is crucial not only for financial success but also the emotional and mental wellbeing of all family members that are involved in the partnership,” said Brenda Baker.

The workshop’s expert panel will include Family Succession Advisor, James Hamilton and Succession Law Specialist, Claire Booth.

The workshop will be at Parkes Services Club from 9am to 4pm on Thursday, 28th November. To register, visit www.nalag.org.au/familymatters or contact 6882 9222.

Gemma Ellis performs on stage. (Photo: Snowy Mountains Magazine)

It was an unforgettable day for three young talented Parkes artists at the Australian National Busking Championships (ANBC) national grand final in Cooma last weekend.

Anabelle van Wyk (12) came second over- all in the primary category with Gemma Ellis (12) in third place, and Hannah Dun (14) was runner-up in the secondary category. It is the first time participants from Parkes made it into the top three.

“It felt wonderful receiving second place, and I am so grateful to have been able to compete and represent our region,” said Annabelle, who was at the final for the second year. She said the competition was really good and she loved seeing all the talent.

Annabelle van Wyk with her second prize!

It was a life-changing event for Gemma, who took part in her first grand final. “I had so much fun singing and entertaining the street audience at various shop fronts. The competition was amazing, and I was so happy and overwhelmed to have won third place.”

Hannah said the competition became bigger and bigger every year, especially in the secondary category. “I see the competition in my category as a motivation and inspiration.”

Australian National Busking Championships founder Allan Spencer said spectators were treated to a wonderful range of performances. “Buskers from all over Australia were competing for cash prizes at the ninth annual event.

Gold Coast trio The Inadequates were crowned the nation’s best buskers. They won the Stanthorpe Busking Championships earlier this year. The eclectic group boasted an array of unique, homemade instruments, wowing audiences with their folk-inspired sound.

More than 52 musicians took part in the competition after competing at eight regional finals, of which Peak Hill was one. The winners of each category qualify for the final in Cooma. Annabelle and Hannah won their categories in Peak Hill, while Gemma won the primary category in Gundegai.

Hannah Dun at a busking hot spot.

They had to perform at busking hot spots around Cooma with unidentified judges watching them perform. In the afternoon they performed on the main stage and were judged again before the winners were announced.

The talented judging team included Oz Bayldon, who has a huge reputation in the music industry both in Australia and overseas. He is the music director and operations manager of several music festivals including the iconic Gympie Music Muster, Noosa Come Together Festival, as well as the highest music festival in the world held in Nepal to raise money for orphans in that country.

He also discovered Tones And I at the ANBC Noosa Busking Championships, and have since had a meteoric rise with an Australian and overseas tour and number one hits in seven countries.

The three Parkes competitors said they would love to compete again next year. “I really appreciate that they give these opportunities to kids in rural areas,” said Annabelle.

“This event has opened my eyes and given me insight as to where many paths can take me,” said Gemma.”

By Maggi Barnard

A performance in last year’s School Spectacular.

Three members of the combined choir of Bogan Gate Public School will be performing in Schools Spectacular at Sydney’s Qudos Bank Arena this weekend.

The Schools Spectacular theme this year is ‘stars’ and the Bogan Gate choir will be joining a galaxy of 5,500 stars from all over the state for four performances.

Now in its 36th year, the Schools Spectacular has sealed itself at the pinnacle of the NSW performing arts calendar and has been ranked by Guinness World RecordsTM as the world’s largest amateur variety act.

It will star 40 featured performers, an incredible 100-piece symphony orchestra, stage band, 2,700 voice choir, 2,300 amazing dancers, the D’Arts Ensemble disability program, the Aboriginal Dance Company, puppets and an indispensable behind-the- scenes team.

In the true spirit of variety, the fast-paced show will transition through a colourful choreographed kaleidoscope of music from pop and hip hop to the classics, from a crescendo of massed voices to stunning solos, and a full spectrum of dance styles. Each segment will relate to the ‘stars’ theme.

The show will be recorded for later broad- cast across the Channel 7 network Australia-wide.

Parkes Shire Council raked in another award last week when Director Infrastructure, Andrew Francis, was bestowed with legendary status. He was named one of three Legends of Water by the Australian Water Association (AWA). The award recognises the achievements of water industry leaders committed to creating a more sustainable water future dedicating their careers to promoting the importance of water in their respective fields.

Parkes Elvis Festival Director Cathy Treasure with the top gong adding to the festival’s vast collection of awards.

The fame of the Parkes Elvis Festival keeps on spreading as this major event was named the “Best of the Best” at the inaugural Grey Nomads Awards last week.

Announced at a gala dinner on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast, the Festival took out the top prize after winning the “Best Grey Nomad Festival or Event” category earlier in the evening.

The Grey Nomad Awards recognise communities, tourism operators and events that provide exemplary products, services or experiences for travellers aged over 55.

The “Best of the Best” was granted to the category winner judged as the most outstanding.

“We have an extremely hard-working team of staff and volunteers who work around the clock to deliver a five-day festival with more than 200 unique events,” said Parkes Elvis Festival Director Cathy Treasure.

“Winning this award is wonderful validation for all the blood, sweat and tears that go into delivering this event to our audiences.”

Grey Nomad Awards Director Kim Morgan, said the win was a significant feather in Parkes’ cap. “Winning a Grey Nomad Award says to these travellers that you offer a superior experience where their needs and enjoyment have been taken into special consideration, providing them with verified information that will guide their decisions on where to travel and what to experience.”

Judging was conducted by mature-age tourism and event professionals from around Australia, some of whom had experienced the grey nomad lifestyle, lending weight to Parkes Elvis Festival’s success.

Parkes Elvis Festival and Parkes Shire Council were praised for the thorough research they had conducted to attract and satisfy grey nomads. The judges were impressed that this inland town in the heart of New South Wales has found such a unique way to attract tens of thousands of visitors when much of Australia is solely focussed on seaside holidays.

Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack and Parkes East student Oscar Hendry.

Writing a letter can sometimes bring surprising results as a year 2 student at Parkes East Primary School found out this week.

Eight-year-old Oscar Hendry wrote a letter to the Deputy Prime Minister about his school and invited him to visit. He also said he wanted to be an astrophysicist one day.

The letter made a big impression and on Monday Michael McCormack came to visit Oscar at his school and spent time in his classroom.

He asked Oscar about his favourite subjects, and if the presence of the Parkes Radio Telescope has inspired Oscar to be an astrophysicist.

Michael told Oscar and the students they could be whatever they wanted to be as long as they applied themselves. “Who knows maybe one day you could be like Andy Thomas the Australian astronaut,” he said.

The Deputy Prime Minister also answered questions from the students about his role, and he handed out certificates to students who participated in an ANZAC Day writing competition earlier in the year.