Jack Gatto, winner of the Parkes preliminary round of the Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artist Contest, competed in Memphis, US last week for his chance to be crowned the world’s best Elvis tribute artist. Jack represented the Parkes Elvis Festival and competed against 19 other semifinalists from all over the world.

Unfortunately Jack did not make it to the final round, which saw Dwight Icenhower winning the title. He represented the Branson Elvis Festival and received a contract to perform with Legends in Concert, “Elvis Presley – The Album Collection” 60-CD Box Set and a cash prize of US$20, 000. Jack is from Victoria, Australia and started
listening to Elvis because his father played Elvis music around the house. Jack believes it’s important to keep his tribute respectful and entertaining. It is a dream come true to be considered one of the top Elvis Tribute Artists in the world. His favorite Elvis song is “We Can Make the Morning.” Jack won the inaugural Parkes preliminary round of the Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artist Contest in January, where 17 contestants from Australia and New Zealand performed backed by the dynamic eightpiece Elvis In Concert band.

Parkes Elvis Festival Director, Cathy Treasure, said: “We’re excited for Jack and happy that he represented Parkes Elvis Festival in Memphis. This will strengthen the Festival’s US connection and further raise our profile on the International stage.” The worldwide annual search for the Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artist began in 2007 when Elvis Presley Enterprises Inc. announced they were looking for the “best representation of the legacy of Elvis Presley”. Registrations will open soon for the 2017 Parkes preliminary round of the Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artist Contest to be held on 13th January and 14th January at the Parkes Leagues Club. For further details go to www.parkeselvisfestival.com.au.

By Maggi Barnard

Over 500 year 10 students from the Parkes, Forbes and Lachlan Shire Council areas were invited to attend the annual Mock Crash at Parkes PCYC yesterday. The event began with a short film showing the moments leading up to an accident; a car full of teens driving home the morning after a party, the driver misjudged a bend and hit a tree.

The curtains then pulled back to reveal the car wreck, and the students watched as live actors dealt with the aftermath. The driver was the least hurt, and was able to call 000. Ambulance, police and rescue services arrived on the scene. There was one fatality and the surviving passengers suffered life-changing injuries. Video testimonials detailed the impact the accident has had on the survivors, their families and the emergency response crew.

The demonstration offers students a realistic insight into the consequences of a car crash, highlighting both the immediate outcomes and the long-term repercussions. It’s an emotional experience, giving students a unique opportunity to witness a full emergency response. Parkes, Forbes and Lachlan Shire Councils’ Road Safety and Injury Prevention Officer, Logan Dolbel, said the program aimed to improve the attitudes and behaviours of young drivers who were tragically over-represented in road accidents across the state. The Mock Crash is also teamed with a series of pre-lessons as part of the Not A Statistic Youth Driver Education Program. Now in its seventh year, the program has been making an impact since 2009.

By Raen Fraser

Parkes Shire Council is celebrating the Olympics, hosting a banner display to showcase the Shire’s home-grown Olympic heroes. This year we have two local athletes representing Australia in the 2016 Summer Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Mariah Williams (21 years), a former student of Middleton Public School and Parkes High School, competed in her first Olympics with the Hockeyroos. Not only is Mariah one of the youngest on the squad, but she has undergone surgery on both knees. Even though the Hockeyroos didn’t win the gold, Mariah has proved she is a champion.

This year 40-year-old father of three, Scott Westcott has gone from the Northparkes Rotary Fun Run all the way to Rio. Scott spent his childhood running around the family farm in Alectown, and is a former student of Parkes East Primary School and Parkes High School. Although he has put quite a few miles behind him in his marathon career, the 2016 games is his Olympic debut.

Their stories are just two of those featured on the banners in the Parkes Library. Dan Fredericks, the Parkes Library’s Local and Family History Researcher, turned his attention to our Shire’s impressive history of Olympic representation, researching our eight champions to create the Shire’s Olympians display. Our local Olympic history goes back some 64 years; Rex Aubrey was the first Parkes local to represent Australia, making a splash in the 1952 Summer Games in Helsinki, Finland. Nira Windeatt became the first female Olympian from the Parkes Shire when she qualified for the 1976 Games in Montreal, Canada.

The banners provide a glimpse into the athletes’ backgrounds and achievements and Dan hopes that other Parkes Shire residents will be inspired by their accomplishments and sacrifices, which are also detailed in an online blog, www.historyparkes.org.

You can come and see the display at the Parkes Library, where the banners will be for the remainder of the games. If you can’t make it in to Parkes, don’t worry. After the Olympics Games has finished, the display will travel to other locations around the Parkes Shire.

By Raen Fraser

Twenty candidates will be contesting for the ten Parkes Shire Councillor positions in the Local Government Election on Saturday, 10th September. Returning Officer, Geoff Lark, announced the candidates last week and their order on
the ballot for the Parkes Shire. The candidates are Alan Ward (Parkes), Terri Ann Baxter (Trundle), Rosanne Jones (Parkes), Neil Westcott (Alectown), Danny Blakemore (Parkes), Louise O’Leary (Peak Hill), John Sarikissian (Parkes), Barney Thompson (Parkes), Kenny McGrath (Parkes), Kim Ross (Parkes), George Pratt (Parkes), Craig Smith (Parkes), Bill Jayet (Parkes), Barbara Newton (Tullamore), Greg Peterson (Parkes), Conrad Mill (Parkes), Ken Keith (Parkes), Bob Haddin (Cookamidgera), Wally Biles (Parkes) and Patricia Smith (Parkes).

Of the 20 candidates, eight are current councillors. Michael Greenwood and Belinda McCorkell are not standing again. Candidates will spend the next three weeks campaigning to inform the community of the position they wish to present before the state-wide Local Council Elections on 10th September.

The elected councillors will vote for the Mayor and Deputy Mayor at the first Council meeting for the new term on 20th September. Voting is compulsory for all residents of the Parkes Shire who are registered on the electoral roll. Electors enrolled for federal and state elections are automatically enrolled for their local council area.

There is no absentee voting in local government elections. If you are unable to vote on election day, you can vote by either pre-poll or postal.

Voting on 10th September will be between 8am and 6pm with pollings stations at the Alectown Hall, Bogan Gate Public School, 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. The new council will serve for the next four years. Go to www.votensw.info for more information on the election.

Community members across the Parkes region are invited to come together for the sixth Parkes & District Relay For Life event on 22nd and 23rd October to remember loved ones, celebrate survival and fight back against cancer. Participants will walk or run continuous laps of a track as part of a relay team of 10 to 15 people. Cancer doesn’t sleep, and in recognition of that simple fact, teams camp out around the relay track for the overnight experience, with one member from each team encouraged to be on the track at all times. For those not busy walking there will be food, games and activities to provide entertainment and build camaraderie.

From this year it is predicted that more than 1,800 people in the Western region alone will be diagnosed with cancer in a single year, with over 582 deaths expected. Relay For Life gives the opportunity for close-knit communities to come together, walk for hope and give back in honour of all those in their area affected by cancer. Since the inaugural event in 2006, Parkes has raised a massive $240,685. The aim this year is to raise $60,000.

Relay For Life fundraising helps Cancer Council NSW fund vital cancer research that will improve treatment and diagnosis for cancer patients in Parkes and across Australia.

Relay For Life is the world’s largest movement in the fight against cancer with around 200 relays held annually across Australia. To register a team for your local Relay For Life event, or to donate, visit: www.relayforlife.com.au

The 2016 Parkes Show features an action packed entertainment program rarely seen in a regional area. Whether you have a hunger for heart stopping, adrenaline pumping excitement, seeing locals in novelty events, Westlime’s spectacular fireworks display or taking in all the amazing free stuff the Northparkes Kidzone has to offer, there is something for everyone this year.

The program is headlined by Showtime FMX, one of the nation’s leading and most spectacular freestyle motorcycle teams. They are looking forward to dazzling the crowds with their tricks, thanks to McPhersons. Don’t forget to try your luck on the free mechanical bull in the machinery area on Tuesday in what is a practice day for the Langlands Longhorn Bullride Championship to be held on the trotting track on Wednesday evening.

The Young Farmer Challenge returns with a new set of tasks for participants. CMOCNorthparkes Mine’s Kidzone will have free activities like kite making, face painting, nest box painting and balloon sculpting. Wednesday sees the return of the famous dog jumping event, as well as the first ever game of Parkes Toyota quad bike soccer, the celebrity barrel race and the crowning of the districts Bullriding Champions in men’s, women’s and junior classes.

Wednesday finishes with an old crowd favourite, the demolition derby. Throw in the animal nursery and all the fun of sideshow alley, the Parkes Show is a must do for all.

Raen Fraser has joined The Parkes Phoenix team as our Reporter. She moved to Parkes with her husband and children from the Blue Mountains earlier this year. Raen is a freelance writer and has done work for television, including Channel 7, and national newspapers, before moving to Parkes.

Although she planned on reinventing her self as a novelist, she is looking forward to getting out and about reporting for us and getting to know the region and its people better. She wants to make the most of what country life has to offer. Raen takes over from Maggi Barnard, who became Editor a month ago after the departure of the Parkes Phoenix’s first editor, Rhi Quinn. Maggi joined The Parkes Phoenix shortly after it was launched in March this year. She mostly has newspaper experience having worked for daily newspapers, a weekly newsletter and as a freelance writer.

If you have a great story to tell us or event you would like us to cover, please contact Raen on her email address, raenfraser@gmail.com or 0404 464 106, or Maggi at editor@parkesphoenix.com.au or 0403 080 085.