The top dog, who won the Best in Show award at the Parkes and District Kennel Club annual championship over the long weekend, is widely considered the best Dobermann in Australia at the moment. Neo (Supreme Champion Ikons Chosen One) has won 37 Best in Show awards all over Australia. His owner, Daniel Filipovic, has had him since birth 3.5 years ago.

They have come from near Geelong for the second year to the Parkes championship. Another dog from Victoria Lumi, a Finnish Lapphund, won Runner-up Best in Show with owner Bianca Ralphs. Bianca comes from Wodonga, but her parents live in Parkes. It was the biggest prize her dog has ever won.

Up to 100 dog owners with 350 dogs came from as far as Perth to take part in the event with three all breeds championships shows over two days. Richard Madden, President of the Parkes and District Kennel said various reasons made it attractive for participants to travel to Parkes. These included the quality of the field and competition, catching up with other dog owners, chasing a title and the format of the show.

Neo and his owner Daniel Filipovic also won the inaugural Murray Maguire Memorial Trophy as winner of the first show. The trophy was introduced in recognition of the recent passing of Murray, a member of the Parkes Club. The show was a great opportunity to view many different breeds of dogs and their many talents. Beautifully groomed and exotics breeds were in action including a Hungarian Vizsla, Afghan Hound, Pug, Tibetan Spaniel, Pomeranian, Affenpinscher, Pointer, Norwegian Elkhound, Borzoi, Beagle and many more.

By Maggi Barnard

Country music legend Troy Cassar-Daley will be headlining the 30th Trundle Bush Tucker Day in September. Over his 25 year career, Troy has won ARIA awards and toured all over the world. The dynamic Jade Martin Band will also be gracing the main stage with a high energy performance. In true Aussie style, the Trundle Bush Tucker Day began in 1986 as a bet between two mates to see who could cook up the best tucker in a camo oven behind the pub.

The idea took off and the Trundle Bush Tucker Day was born. 30 years on, the event now takes place at the Trundle Showground and attracts thousands of people every year. The 2016 programme will include bush tucker cooking, master bush chef competitions, free taste testing and some hilarious traditional bush tucker games such as the Billy Boiling race and the Bushman’s Relay. If you’ve got a clever canine why not take part in the dog jumping or if you’re sporty yourself there is the Junior Bush Olympics. Traditional rural activities such as whip cracking and sheep shearing demonstrations will also happen over the course of the day.

Tickets are now on sale for the event, don’t miss out make sure you get yours now by going to the website,www.trundlebushtuckerday.com. Tickets include entry into cooking competitions, bush tucker tasting tests, rides, free kids corner and entertainment throughout the day and evening.

The team at Positive Living Skills are moving one step closer to their vision, to see the growing statistics around depression drastically reduce, with the launch of their Positive Living Skills Early Childhood Wellbeing Program in Parkes and Forbes. The program, which is supported by Northparkes Mines, is the brainchild behind local Parkes resident Catherine Shaw, who knows what mental health problems can do to communities.

“We have all heard about the rising rate of suicide, particularly in rural NSW, and we all know someone who has lost a loved one to such a tragedy’, she said; “Mental health problems do not discriminate, and people of all ages and backgrounds are at real risk. When I experienced my own struggles and went looking for help, I found these practical Positive Living skills in my late 40’s.

My immediate thought was; why don’t they teach this in schools? And so this journey began.” “People in rural NSW communities or anywhere in Australia for that matter can be reluctant to put their hands up for help, no matter how many times it is suggested to them. That’s why emotional intelligence must be taught in every classroom in every corner of the country.”

Local psychologist Carly Fisher has also seen the benefits of the Positive Living skills program. ‘I am extremely happy to support the work that Cath and her team at Positive Living Skills are implementing via the Positive Living Skills program. I have seen firsthand through my clients the positive effects that have been achieved via the initial pilot studies here in the Parkes community, and I look forward to seeing this program reach broader communities.”

As part of the latest round of funding supported by the NorthParkes Mines Community Investment Program, the Forbes Learning Ladder and Nurture One Victoria Street Children’s Centre in Parkes will be the first in the area to get the opportunity to share the learning and resources with the children they serve and their families.

For more details about Positive Living Skills visit them online at www.positivelivingskills.com and click on the Family Link page.

A new facelift for the GWS Personnel office opposite Cook Park is part of the longstanding Parkes business’ exciting
new transformation into a leading NSW recruitment agency. GWS Personnel has grown from strength to strength since Peter O’Donnell signed Northparkes as its first client in 1994. Opening new offices across regional NSW in Dubbo, Orange, Bathurst and Wagga allowed the progressive company to expand into mining and infrastructure projects in the public and private sectors.

In 2006, GWS Personnel continued to evolve by joining forces with third generation Sydney based recruitment agency Smalls and northern NSW agency JHA. A decade later, the three dynamic businesses will soon launch their next exciting development as they merge to form the Spinifex Australia group.

Chairman Peter O’Donnell, who now operates nine offices, an internal team of more than 50 and a workforce across NSW, says the ongoing opportunities for GWS Personnel would not have been possible without the strong foundations of the business’ inception in Parkes more than 20 years ago. “By being part of the Spinifex Australia group, our Parkes team now have even more opportunities to grow their careers with us,” Mr O’Donnell said.

“I’m thrilled to be able to reward so many of our loyal Parkes employees by giving them more responsibilities with important roles within the Spinifex Australia group. “Local businesses and government organisations operating in Parkes will also benefit by having the recruitment group’s expansive professional services available to them from our Parkes’ agency in Welcome Street.”