The Australian Hearing bus is stopping in Parkes on 23rd September from 10am to 3pm in Clarinda Street to offer free hearing checks and raise hearing health awareness. Hearing loss is a prevalent issue in the community, with around 60 per cent of Australians over 60 suffering from some form of hearing loss. Janet Chapparo, Manager at Australian Hearing Orange, said because age-related hearing loss develops gradually over time, it is common for people to be unaware their hearing is diminishing.

“A hearing check is a quick and easy way to measure the sounds you can and can’t hear. Our team will also be on hand to guide you through what next steps you may have to take in regards to your hearing,” said Janet. No appointment is necessary. Australian Hearing will provide hearing checks to any interested adults who visit the bus on the day.

The election is on in the Parkes, Forbes and Lachlan Shires and you will be fined if you do not vote in tomorrow’s Local Government Elections. This simple and clear warning came from Parkes Mayor Ken Keith who said there was
some confusion among residents as about half of the 70 odd councils in NSW were not in the election because of amalgamation issues and court cases. He said the approximately 9,000 eligible voters in the Parkes Shire needed to get to a polling station tomorrow.

The Mayor also wants to alert voters to a very important detail that has caused some confusion during pre-polling. There is a requirement that you have to vote for a minimum of five candidates otherwise your ballot will be invalid. “Some people misunderstood and thought they were only allowed to vote for five candidates.

I would really like to encourage voters to choose their number one candidate, but to choose another ten to 15 preferences as these could be really important in the final determination of the outcome,” he said. Twenty candidates will be contesting for the ten Parkes Shire Councillor positions.

The Mayor also encouraged voters who might be affected by flooding tomorrow, to get to the pre-polling station in the Coventry Room today to vote. Voting tomorrow will be between 8am and 6pm with pollings stations at the Alectown Hall, Bogan Gate Public School, the Peak Hill, Trundle and Tullamore Central schools, and in Parkes at Middleton Public School, Assemblies of God Hall, Parkes East Public School, and the Little Theatre.

More than a thousand festival-goers made it through hell and high-water for the Bush Tucker Day at Trundle last weekend. With roads flooded across the region, there were fears that the annual festival would be washed out, but the scores of intrepid travellers proved that nothing could rain on this parade.

Festival president Donald “Digger” Anderson said he was thrilled with the turnout. While they were expecting double the crowd, the numbers weren’t that far off last year’s turn-out. “Even with everything stacked against us, it was still a hugely successful event,” he said, “and it’s only possible thanks to the dedicated committee and volunteers”.This year marked the 30th anniversary of the festival, which is held on the first Saturday in September. It began as a grass-roots, family focused fundraiser for local charities, and is now a major highlight on the region’s calendar.

Digger suggested the entertainment is the key to its growing success. What started off as a cook-out has evolved to be a jampacked day of family-fun, with a lot of people coming to see the show. Country music legend Troy Cassar-Daley was a popular inclusion in this year’s lineup. “When the music started you could really see the full extent of the crowd,” Digger said. “Usually the crowd stirs up a bit of dust, but this year it was clear as a bell, thanks to all that rain.” While some events were called off due to stranding, there was still plenty to keep the festival-goers amused, with loads of country-themed shenanigans, such as the hilarious bushman’s relay, the billy boiling competition, and whip-cracking and sheep sheering demonstrations. But let’s not forget the food.

With bush cooking competitions, demonstrations, and free taste testing, Trundle was well and truly tuckered out.

By Raen Fraser

Weaving artist Lanny Mackenzie from Orange presented a weaving workshop at the Parkes Shire Library on Sunday.
The group of 15 had a great day working through morning tea and lunch to create their projects. Lanny primarily uses natural and recycled reclaimed materials. Participants used waxed linen, coconut husk twine and raffia,
and experimented with branches, lavender, grasses, palm tree materials, shells and other items to finish off their bowls.

With 64.8mm of rain recorded in the first four days of September in Parkes and more than 20mm forecast for today, the wet is not going to go away very soon and more flooding could be expected. If you are planning any road trips or outings for the weekend, it would be wise to check on road closures and conditions before leaving.

Several roads were closed during the week and might still be closed for the weekend. You can keep up to date using www.livetraffic.com or Parkes Shire Council’s social media pages for the latest information on road closures.

Parkes Shire Council has urged all motorists to exercise extreme caution when travelling in the wet weather. “Please avoid walking or driving through flood waters, as it may be deeper and faster flowing than anticipated. Additionally, the road may have suffered extensive damage hidden beneath the water.” The Forbes community was on moderate flood warning during the week, with the Red Bend College closing on Wednesday in anticipation of flooding. The Lachlan River peaked at 10.35m at the Iron Bridge on Wednesday slightly under the level of 10.55m recorded in the 2012 flood. The SES and volunteers filled thousands of sandbags to be distributed to properties in low-lying areas.

By Maggi Barnard