Articles Archives - Page 433 of 436

Mayoral Notes

March 23, 2016 By Maggi Barnard

There is always a lot to see and do in our Shire and this Easter long weekend is no exception. The Tullamore Irish Festival is set to be action packed with loads of activities and entertainment for all the family. Congratulations to the organisers of the Festival which promises to be a great event.

Youth Week 2016 will be held from April 8th to 16th and to celebrate a Pop Up Cinema will travel to each township in the Shire screening free movies to our youth, and Seniors Week kicks off (1st-10th April) with various activities being organised by Neighbourhood Central. Visit our Council website to find out more details of both these events. Parkes Shire Council’s new Waste Collection Service is set to start from the 4th of April, enabling residents to waste less and recycle more. This means residents that have garbage collection services will have access to three waste services – organics, recycling and general waste.

Netwaste in conjunction with Council will be providing more information to ensure all residents are confident in using the new service. Parkes, Peak Hill, Trundle and Tullamore pools will remain open over the Easter long weekend following Parkes Council agreeing to extend the season to Sunday, 3rd April. Although the community request for the season extension has been granted it’s important to acknowledge the additional costs associated with the pools remaining open and we appreciate the communities’ ongoing patronage of the pool. Enjoy your Easter break!

Tandems Travel Through Parkes

March 23, 2016 By Maggi Barnard

Parkes was a popular place for charity cyclists last Thursday when two separate groups of cyclists made a stopover in our town. The first group of 21 athletes, the C3 Cyclists, were halfway through their five day mission to travel over 725km from Bourke to Belconnen in Canberra.

Parkes resident, Dot Bradley organized for the group to enjoy morning tea at the Pink Orchid Café. “My daughter belonged to the C3 Church in Sydney, and they asked me to assist with their stopover here” she said. It is the sixth year that the C3 Cyclists have undertaken a major fundraising ride to help purchase important pieces of hospital equipment through the Humpty Dumpty Foundation or to help find cures for childhood cancers through The Kid’s Cancer Project, with every cyclist setting a target of raising around $2,000. “We have already
hit our target of $40,000,” said Stephen Dunstall, one of the organisers. Pastor Arne Olander said; “The money this year will go to the hospitals at Peak Hill, Bourke and Queanbeyan and the extra money we have raised means we can also support a fourth hospital this year.”

Pastor Olander also said they had already raised more than $100,000 in total over seven years.The second group of
49 cyclists who enjoyed lunch at KFC in Parkes took part in the 577km Mill2Mill ride from Gunnedah to Manildra. They had already raised $106,000 for beyondblue, small schools the ride visits along the route, and the Manildra community. Two Parkes residents taking part in the ride, Tina Jones and Rodney Coleman, said it had been very good. “The support we received was fantastic, lots of people were stopping along the way to give cash donations” said Tina.

Snippets…

March 23, 2016 By Maggi Barnard

Photo Correction: Last week’s Rally Car article photo was actually of the lovely ladies from Parkes Décor who were posing at their stall at the Parkes Field Day. The correct photo of Kerin Hanna and Mark Louez of Just4Kids, who visited Parkes Public last Friday is above. Apologies for the confusion!

C3 Cycle Stop: The Pink Orchid was the venue for a well earned break for the C3 Cyclists this week. Staff at the café made a mascot for the cylists, who raise money for the Humpty Dumpty Foundation.

St Paddy’s Day Fun: Last Thursday the afternoon began with a St Patrick’s Day treasure hunt for children at KidzCare Parkes, who discovered a rainbow and a pot of gold treat after solving the final clue!

Help Fijian Cyclone Victims: Parkes Fijians Association are raising funds, school supplies and other goods to help a Fijian school which was devastated by Cyclone Winston in February. The friends and members of the Parkes Fijians Association would like to make a difference to Nasautoka Village. It is said to be one of the most affected village in the Wainibuka area, losing 30 houses including the school which was their evacuation centre. There is a Parkes connection with the Nasautoka District School, through the Parkes Christian School. Last year some students, teachers and parents from Parkes Christian School visited this school on a missionary trip. A cake stall will be held on Saturday 2nd April from 9am until 12pm outside Parkes Stationery and Office Furniture. All
monies raised from the stall will be going directly to the school to assist with replenishing school supplies for the children and teachers. Also on this day, Parkes Stationery and Office Furniture will be a drop off donation point for goods such as books, toys and clothes. School supplies such as pens, pencils, crayons, rulers, notebooks and the like would be greatly appreciated. Monetary donations can also be made.

Have Fun, Join The Run!

March 23, 2016 By Maggi Barnard

Entries are open for the third Northparkes Rotary Fun Run on 22nd May! The event, which will begin and end at Harrison Park, caters for runners and walkers over distances of 5km and 10km, as well as a 2km race for the kids. “The course is a great combination of flat and undulating terrain down Nash Street and back along Back Yamma Road for the 10km competitors,” said event organizer, Scott Westcott of RunNSW.

Scott, who grew up in Parkes, is an Olympic marathon hopeful and will be competing on the day in preparation for the Rio Games if he is selected for the Olympic team. The course record of 36.25 for women in the 10km event was set by Jane Fardell from Dubbo, while Dubbo’s Len Darlington holds the men’s 10km record of 35.58 but with over 300 competitors expected to enter records could be broken! At the launch of the fun run last week, Mayor Ken Keith
said the event was another example of the great works of Parkes Rotary Club, one of the busiest Rotary Clubs in the
state. Stacey Kelly of Northparkes Mine, the major sponsor, said the event would also be raising funds for Autism Spectrum Australia (Aspect), a charity assisting over 14,000 people affected by autism each year.

Early bird entries are $10 for kids, $20 for the 5km and $30 for the 10km, plus a t-shirt for 10km runners. More information is available at www.parkesrotaryfunrun.com.au.

Stork News!

March 23, 2016 By Maggi Barnard

Kelly and Dane Hendry of Parkes are thrilled to announce the birth of their third child, a daughter, Gloria Lucy
Hendry. Gloria was born at Parkes Hospital on Thursday, 25th February 2016, weighing 3900g (8lb 9oz) and measuring 56cm. She is a little sister for Oscar (4) and George (2). Gloria is the sixth grandchild for Tony and Wendy Atkinson of Smithfield, the third grandchild for Tony and Wendy Hendry of Parkes, and the twelfth great grandchild for Lloyd and Noelene Hendry of Parkes.

Celebrate Seniors Week

March 23, 2016 By Maggi Barnard

The annual celebration of NSW Seniors Week is the perfect time for the seniors in the Parkes Shire to shine! To acknowledge and celebrate seniors, Parkes Library is hosting an exhibition of artworks created by residents of Southern Cross from 18th March to 8th April. The art works were created during regular workshops held by Parkes Quota Club at Southern Cross where the residents get to explore their creative side. The art works they create
are displayed at the Village, brightening the rooms.

The workshops were made possible in part thanks to the Northparkes Community Investment Program. “Parkes Library is proud to host community art exhibitions and Seniors Week is the appropriate time of the year to show the wonderful talents of some of our seniors and highlight the amazing work Quota does in our community”, said Shellie Buckle, Manager Cultural Education & Library Services. This week also sees new librarian, Gillian Hunt beginning her career in Parkes after a move from Sydney. Gillian is being shown the ropes by Library Officer Maureen, who is retiring after almost 30 years of service. A morning tea is being held at the Parkes Library on 7th April for the community to raise a cuppa in recognition of the important role seniors play in the community. If you would like to attend, please contact the library on 6861 2309 or email library@parkes.nsw.gov.au

Snippets…

March 17, 2016 By Maggi Barnard

A Happy Group Of Cyclists: It was smiles all round at PAC Park as Parkes first ‘bikes out of sheds’ bike ride took place. Enthusiastic riders rode around the park before the heat of the day arrived, going around a safe, circular route with experienced riders helping when needed. Congratulations to all those who rode for the first time and those game enough to hop back on the saddle after years of absence. The next ‘bikes out of the sheds’ day will be on Saturday 10th April and will once again start at the East Street end of PAC Park at 8am. For more information ring Peter on 0448166016 or visit www.bicyclenetwork.com.au

Congratulations Holy Family Primary! Holy Family School has recently been named on a national list for schools who have been identified with a substantially above-average gain in last year’s NAPLAN results for numeracy. The list, which was put together by ACARA (the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority) represents a major achievement for the school and is a result of the commitment of staff to professional development, catering for individual learning styles and a focus on problem solving and mental computation in the classrooms. The school’s Catholic Education Office has also provided much professional development in the area of numeracy. Last week the school also celebrated Catholic School’s Week
with a whole school Mass, open class-rooms and a family movie night. Well done Holy Family Primary School!

Motor Meets Air: On Sunday the Parkes Antique Motor Club assembled at the Parkes Air Museum hangar for a guided tour for one of their regular outings. The collection the club viewed is only part of what the Historic Aircraft Restoration Society intends to bring to Parkes over the coming years.

Mock Crash Actors Chosen: The cast for this years mock crash demonstration has been announced. Jack McGrath, Samantha Mudiman, Krystle-Lee McMurray and the returning Ashleigh Cottam are the youth actors chosen to perform in the NOT A STATISTIC! Youth Driver Education Programme, which has been running since 2009. “I’m really excited about this year’s mock crash demonstration” Melanie Suitor, Parkes Councils’ Road Safety and Injury Prevention Officer, said; “The project aims to show young drivers what can and does happen far too often on the roads. It challenges them to think about their attitude and behaviour as not only the driver but also as passengers.” The demonstration will be held on 18th August in front of over 500 year 10 students.

Calare Kids to Benefit from Universal Access

March 17, 2016 By Maggi Barnard

More than 2000 children in Calare will benefit from the Coalition Government’s National Partnership Agreement on Universal Access to Early Childhood Education. Federal Member for Calare, the Hon John Cobb said $840 million in federal funding will be available for quality preschool programmes across the country, and that these benefits would be felt across Calare. “The agreement guarantees funding for 600 hours of quality preschool in the year before school, and includes a focus on lifting participation rates for children from vulnerable and disadvantaged backgrounds,” Mr Cobb said.

All states and territories including New South Wales have signed up to the National Partnership Agreement seeing the funding flow into local preschools. Mr Cobb said,” this funding will help the 2128 preschool children aged between four and five who are enrolled at local preschools in Calare get the best start in life.” The National Partnership funding is just one aspect of the Federal Government’s commitment to early childhood education.

The Coalition Government has committed to reforms worth $40 billion for early childhood education and care over the next four years, including more than $3 billion to ensure the system is more accessible, affordable and fairer for families. The funding is the single largest investment in early learning and child care that this country has ever seen, and guarantees support for 15 hours of quality preschool education a week for children in the year before school,”. Director of Parkes Bluebird Early Learning Centre, Rachel Westcott, said

“We are really excited for this funding as it will help us to continue to grow our preschool programmes and resources. Our aim is to provide a great foundation for our pre-schoolers who are going off to school next year.”

Community Called Upon To Create Wetland

March 17, 2016 By Maggi Barnard

10,000 native flora need planting and you are invited to help! Central West Lachlan Landcare, in a joint effort with the Parkes Shire Council, are looking for a natureloving crew to put the finishing touches to a brand new constructed wetland area for Parkes at PAC Park. Anyone who would like to get out and be part of this community effort is invited to join in planting native water plants and grasses on Saturday 26th March from 9am until 11am. “If you are not as mobile as you used to be, but want to get out and provide support, bring your chair along and supervise,” said Marg Applebee, Project Officer at Landcare.

The bottom half of PAC Park that includes the weir on Woodward Street has been dredged and cleaned of all silt and sediment over the past three weeks. The next step is to put in the plants that will attract water birds, eastern long-necked turtles, yabbies and other small native animals and insects to the area. “This wetland is very important” said Michael Chambers, Environment and Sustainable Co-ordinator at Parkes Shire Council; “Apart from Bushman Dam, it is the only area of water in our urban setting.”

The planting project will be ongoing for two hours every month with the involvement of Parkes High School and Currajong Disability Services. Anyone wishing to join this worthwhile community project can contact Marg on 6862 4914 for more information.

By Maggi Barnard

Mayoral Notes…

March 17, 2016 By Maggi Barnard

I trust the warmest March that I can remember isn’t getting you down? The pool is lovely at this time of year, it’s been great to see the ladies aqua aerobics and Men’s Shed group taking advantage of the idyllic conditions. Ideally, the farming community would like to see some rain so that early sowing and winter crop preparations can commence. As a result, dam water supplies are perilously low on many farms, and a run off event is needed.

The dry season has also impacted our water consumption with higher than average being seen for the past 3 months.
Many residents may see a spike in their water bills which will be issued on April 1 as a result of this increased consumption. The feedback from residents regarding the new waste disposal service has certainly been interesting.

While I acknowledge that Netwaste and Council have not effectively sold the benefits and advantages of the new system, I encourage all residents to do their best to change their habits to meet the new bin schedule.

The Marbles Championships is sure to be a great evening at the golf club tonight. Why not also venture to the Tullamore Irish Festival this Easter, as it promises to be an amazing event with wonderful hospitality and entertainment.

Thank you to all the volunteers who are assisting with the sorting out and packing of unwanted items from the old Parkes and Forbes hospitals, your help is greatly appreciated.

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