The Forbes Dragon Boat Club held their Business House Challenge last Sunday. Members from Parkes, Forbes and surrounds enjoyed an atmosphere of enjoyment and laughter along the lake, with even the weather smiling upon the teams.

Four local businesses participated in a day of fun and friendship which involved being coached in the skills of dragon-boat paddling, culminating in racing each other for the championship trophy.

The four teams, Rabobank, Forbes Shire Council, Crowe Horwath and Saint Laurence’s all made extreme efforts – with Rabobank proudly holding up the prized cup at the end of the day, whilst generously donating back the monetary prize.

“It was wonderful to see how the camaraderie built up among our staff at the Shire Council in the lead up to the day,” said Michelle Quigley, whose team arrived at the challenge garbed impressively in bright dragon-backed team shirts.

The smooth running of the day was thanks to the skills of Wendy Green and her sub-committee, including Chris Sweeney who did a brilliant job as MC, co-ordinating the day to run without a hitch.

“It provided very good experiences for our club members,” stated Wendy Green, “giving them many opportunities to take on new roles such as coaching, drumming, and mentoring new paddlers.”

The day showcased the community spirit of the Forbes Lachlan Dragons along with their partners and associates as they banded together to play their roles of paddlers, officials or breakfast chefs.

The Forbes Dragon Boat Club aka The Lachlan Dragons was established in 2011. There are currently 49 members who train once a week on Lake Forbes, making up an inclusive club that encourages paddlers of all ages and abilities. Whether you have a competitive streak and want to take part in regattas or just like the social aspect, there’s a place for you. There’s even a paddler who travels to Shanghai to experience the traditional spirit of Chinese Dragon Boating! For more information go to www.forbesdragonboat.org.

By Beth Thomas

Over 400 dazzlingly dressed family members and friends packed the Parkes Leagues Club on Friday for the annual St George’s Anglican Debutante Ball. 18 debutantes and their partners arrived in vintage cars for the Soirée de Fleurs themed evening and were led up a red carpet to make their debut. The couples presented to The Right Reverend Ian Palmer, Bishop of the Bathurst Diocese in the company of the Matron of the Ball, Mrs Cheryl Thompson.

The debutants and their partners were:

Hayley Swetland and Brad Simpson, Sarah Jones and Lachlan Davies, Tianna Allen and Ross Collins, Dina Cook and Matthew Ellery, Maddison Thomson –and Spencer Evans, Teigan Miles and Dan Warren, Amy Tanswell and Jayden Pusterla, Maddison McGrath and William Cassell, Kalarney VanDyk and Brayden Spicer, Chloe Henderson and Liam Turnbull, Star Baker and Laine Webb, Ashleigh Cottam and Mitchell Toole, Mia Cummins and Haydon Davies, Kaitlyn Macdonald and Ryan Smith, Kalisha Johnston and Bayden Cross, Chloe Ingram and Benjamin Hayes, Brodee Martin-Scully and Liam Wakefield, and Wynona Douglas and Wesley Ormsby.

Turners Vineyard in Orange was the venue of choice for the 2016 Central West Orana Business Awards gala dinner on Friday. The glamourous evening, hosted by the NSW Business Chamber, saw business people from across the Central West attend in the hope of being announced winner of their category.

Jamie Malcolm, master of ceremonies, opened the event and introduced ‘partner in crime’, Ella Brown who warmly welcomed everyone to the Orana Business Awards. “We have a variety of businesses across the region here tonight. I’d like to congratulate the 2015 winners who competed in Sydney” Ella said, who then invited the previous year’s winners on stage to receive their alumni badges.

Parkes local Ryan Cunningham won the Young Entrepreneur category, fending off stiff competition from Dubbo and Bathurst. “Wow! I’m very honoured is probably the best way to describe it” he said; “I’d like to acknowledge my partner Kyle who knows how hard it is to live and work with your partner. Thank you, this is much appreciated.” Other Parkes businesses who were nominated included GWS Personnel, Parkes Betta Electrical, Rebecca Miller of La Bella and Parkes Chamber of Commerce. “To have one of Parkes’ nominees go onto the State final in the first year of entering is great” said Geoff Rice, President of the Parkes Business Chamber, which was nominated for the Local Chamber of Commerce Award.

The big scoop of the night came from Dubbo business, Transforce, who was named the 2016 Central West Orana Business of the Year. Transforce, who specialise in road transport services, also won the award for Excellence in Business. Ryan will now go onto the Sydney to represent the Central West at the NSW Business Chamber State Business Awards. We wish him the best of luck and to the other Parkes nominees, you’re all winners in our eyes.

For seven years the Parkes Men’s Shed has become a second home to almost 130 members. “We’re a social club,” said Ron Fewings, President; “The majority of men come in for a cuppa and sit around for a chat.” It’s this set-up that has made the Men’s Shed movement so special. According to the Australian Men’s Shed Association most men have learned from their culture that they don’t talk about feelings and emotions with many not taking an interest in their own health and wellbeing.

This means that they suffer more from isolation, loneliness and depression. Becoming a member of a Men’s Shed provides a safe environment where men can enjoy an atmosphere of old-fashioned mate ship without any pressure. According to Ron, some members have recognized that becoming a member has been a lifesaver, especially those who have lost their wives. One member was so grateful he left $21,000 in his Will to the Parkes shed.

The men have been so proactive they had to extend their shed at the showgrounds two years ago to create extra
workspace. “The community support has been fantastic,” said Ron as he listed the businesses that donated labour, material and expertise. “One of our biggest projects has been building bird boxes for Northparkes Mines and the Roads Authority. Every time a tree is knocked down, the law requires you to put up two bird boxes for nesting.” Ron said they had to start a production line, which enabled them to make more than 20 boxes per day and about 300 in total so far; “We were also asked to make a bee hive, which was fairly complicated, but managed to make it for $750 less to what it was sold for commercially.”

The Parkes Men’s Shed is open Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 8.30am to 12pm.

By Maggi Barnard

If you would like to experience first-hand what it’s like to stay on a mission and learn about Aboriginal culture and history, as well as see a top class Maori performing arts group, circle the weekend of the 4th June on your calendar.

The Peak Hill Aboriginal Working Party and Central West Lachlan Landcare are excited to announce a free community event, ‘Back to Bulgandramine Cultural Gathering’ in celebration of National Reconciliation Week 2016.

This event, held at the Bulgandramine Mission, will showcase some of Wiradjuri finest Aboriginal artists, dancers and performers, as well as special guests from Sydney and New Zealand’s top Maori performing arts group ‘Te Raranga Whannui’ with their ground shaking performances followed by a traditional Maori Hangi Dinner.

For the star gazers, Dark Skies Down Under will teach you about astronomy on Saturday night, while a special church service will take place on Sunday morning. Bulgandramine Mission, located 22kms on the western side of Peak Hill, will come alive again through performances, food, art, storytelling and dance. There will be ample of activities for kids including crafts, weaving and face painting. The day is provided free of charge with a bus service running from Parkes with regular trips between Parkes, Peak Hill and Bulgandramine.

The National Reconciliation Week (NRW) theme for 2016 is ‘Our History, Our Story, Our Future’. This theme is derived from the State of Reconciliation in Australia report, which asks all Australians to reflect on our national identity and the place of Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islander histories, cultures and rights in our nation’s story. NRW is a chance for all of us to take make a change in our schools, workplaces and communities, no matter how big or small they are.

For further information or to book your seat, contact Karryn Keed on 0407 162 799.

The 36th Annual Floral Fair was an explosion of smells and colours as all types of flowers, petals, blooms and stems were put up for scrutiny. Overall the event was hailed as an outstanding success, with 45 entries and entertaining ‘Ready Steady Flowers’ demonstrations. Ann Crasti, new President of the Parkes Floral Art Society, and Kim Baillee, Secretary of NSW Floral Art Association from Newcastle kept the audience enthralled with their floral based demonstrations and tips last Saturday and Sunday.

Judging took place on Saturday by Elsie Mahon, with Marie Rushby winning both the Kay Maxwell Perpetual Trophy and Betty & Aleks Muxycxuk Memorial Award. Life Member and past President Shirley Hunter OAM won the Most Successful Exhibitor Award taking out the Royal Horticulture Medal and Barbara Magill won the Favourite Design as voted by the audience.

According to Colleen Cusack, Publicity Officer, the exhibitors were delighted to receive the comments from the judge on the finer points of their design. “This will enable competitors to improve in futures shows” she said. Various prizes won during the event went to Elsie Mahon (Dunford Pharmacy donation); Jennifer Calvert (Lucky Door Prize
Saturday); Joy Freebrain (Raffle of box fruit); and Colleen Cusack (Lucky Door Prize Sunday).

Parkes Mayor, Cr Ken Keith has welcomed the Federal Government’s commitment to the Inland Rail Project in the budget with the announcement of $594 million in equity for land acquisition for the corridor, due diligence and further pre-construction works. “I want to congratulate the Federal Government for their strong commitment to the Inland Rail, with the Treasurer last night committing the government to the next step of realising an integrated Inland Rail connecting Melbourne to Brisbane” Cr Keith said.

“I would like to echo the Treasurer’s comments regarding the importance of the Inland Rail for agriculture. Aside from improving the nation’s competitiveness, a highly efficient inland railway is a game changer for regional Australia and particularly agriculture.

Efficient rail access opens a range of opportunities for the regions, and would increase competitiveness of agriculture and opening up our export markets to the world.” Cr Keith went on to say; “Over the last 10 years we have been lobbying the Government for a commitment to the Inland Rail to provide assurance for investment, especially for the Parkes National Logistics Hub. On Tuesday the Australian Government committed to build the Inland Rail project through the Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC) to provide a direct, high-performance freight rail corridor between Melbourne and Brisbane as well as creating a new freight corridor between Brisbane and Perth via Parkes – this is fabulous news, especially for our community!”

“With interest rates at record lows, and the prediction that freight volumes will double over the next twenty years, the opening up of international markets and production in regionals areas set to grow significantly by 2031, now is the perfect time for Investment in this nation building project”, concluded Cr Keith.

Life with a large family on a farming property has left 87-year-old Margaret Dwyer with a treasure trove of memories and scenarios to help inspire her third book to be released on 14th May. “I’d like to call it factual fiction,” said Margaret, a mother of seven who dedicated ‘A Chain Of Dreams’ to her husband and children for providing her with the inspiration to write her first work of fiction.

Proudly holding the finished product in her hand, Margaret’s eyes light up when she recalls how she has always enjoyed writing. She was busy dusting in her father’s office once day when he opened his iron safe and took out a little exercise book of hers from third grade. Inside was a conversation she had written between a Mater lorry and a draught horse. In the tale Mrs Horse met Mater lorry and said she had not been very well lately as she had given birth to a little foal, to which Mater lorry replied he had given birth to a baby Austen.

“I suppose I’ve always had a little streak of it in me” says Margaret. However it was many years before Margaret published a book, releasing the autobiography ‘With a Song in my Heart’ at the age of 82. “I was always just too busy with seven children and cooking for shearers on the farm.” The serious writing began five years ago
when she and husband Frank moved to Parkes and Margaret had to nurse him through his illness. “I would put my husband to bed at night and start writing until two in the morning, often waking him to check a fact or date.”

In 2014 her second book ‘Jewels Along The Newell’ was released focusing on funny, tragic and inspiring stories of the people who have made their home along the Newell Highway over the past 100 years. It took Margaret only 12 months to complete her third book, but a very long time to find a publisher, which she accomplished mostly by herself.

‘A Chain Of Dreams’ is the story of an ordinary Australian farming family told through protagonist, Tish O’Reagan, who accepts a scholarship to study at the Trinity College of Music in Dublin where she moves to with her parents and spirited sister Louise. “I have become very fond of this family, and would love to write a sequel,” said Margaret, who already has the beginning formulated in her head. She is quick to admit that she loosely based some of the family members on the characters in her favourite book ‘Little Women’. ‘A Chain Of Dreams’ is available to purchase in softcover or as an e-book via Balboa Press.