The Motley Crew expanded to over 30 people on Saturday who enjoyed a day out in beautiful autumn sunshine and planted more than 700 plants at PAC Park.

It was not all about the planting however, it was also a chance to get out in the fresh air, to make a difference in our community and to be part of an encouraging group that wants to see the community cleaner and greener.

It was a fun day for young and old with a young participant who thought he had found a fossil, much to his excitement, while other participants gave encouragement from their chairs.

“The feedback from locals has been fantastic,” said Marg Applebee, Project Officer with Central West Landcare. “There are many walkers who use the path through PAC Park between East Street and Forbes Road and they get to see the transformation of the park day by day.”

On Friday morning the Northparkes Mines management team put in about 400 plants as part of a team exercise and their contribution to the community effort. This brings the total of plants for the weekend to over 1,000 plants, an impressive effort for a small community.

Another planting day is planned for June, while National Tree Day will be celebrated with an event in July, according to Marg. Updates will be posted on Facebook.

The Motley Crew was formed as an initiative of Central West Lachlan Landcare and Parkes Shire Council to undertake local projects to improve the environment and promote community ownership and awareness.  If you would like to join the Motley Crew event, please contact Marg Applebee on 02 6862 4914 or email cwllpo@hotmail.com.

Some of the participants hard at work on the banks of the creek in PAC Park.

Parkes Shire Library will launch a new collection called ‘Books On Prescription’ on Friday. The idea is to provide books and a supporting website, that can be accessed for free, to address the most common mental health illnesses in the Central West region.

Books on Prescription (BoP) is the first bibliotherapy program to be offered in Australia. Shellie Buckle, Parkes Shire Council’s Manager Cultural, Education & Library Service, is thrilled to be able to bring this program to communities in the Parkes Shire.

She describes bibliotherapy using Liz Brewster’s explanation from her 2008 Public Library Journal article ‘Medicine for the Soul’:  “Bibliotherapy can best be described as using books to help people understand and deal with mental and physical health problems.”

The BoP program is based on a national scheme originating in the United Kingdom. The scheme was developed following the recommendations in a government report with the aim of cutting waiting lists, reducing the amount of drugs prescribed, and offering an appropriate level of treatment for the majority of people who visit their GP with common mental health problems.

Peak mental health organisations and publishers helped create of a list of suggested titles. The University of Newcastle Centre for Rural and Remote Mental Health and volunteer clinicians, selected 17 titles to be the core of the collection. The website, www.booksonprescription.com.au, ensures current, timely access to mental health information.

“BoP is a service that will help community members use reading to understand and manage their health and wellbeing. Health professionals endorse the scheme and the books have been tried and tested by people with experience of living with mental health conditions. The service is free and confidential and builds on the library’s role as a safe, non-judgemental environment for sourcing information and support,” Shellie said.

The community is invited to join the Parkes Library team for the launch of Books on Prescription today at 10.30am.

Parkes is reaping the rewards of the redevelopment of the Parkes Airport Terminal by marking the departure of the first flight on the 3^rd May. The new terminal has been designed for the future, with the ability to house security screening and a two gate access system. There is also a stylish space available for passenger comfort.  Other work underway includes a new entry way, new runway lighting and increased parking.

As the renovations on the terminal began the Parkes Aero Club stepped back to allow their clubhouse to be upgraded. After 10 months of building the club are now beginning to move back into the building and enjoyed a catch up over the weekend with the first east coast get together of the Pilot’s Lounge official group. “The Pilot’s Lounge are an easy going group of people who have a passion for flying” said Brett Preisig, Secretary of Aero Club; “Members have flown in from as far as Swan Reach in SA to enjoy a catch up.”

Around 10 individually owned ultralight aircraft arrived on the runway where the pilots then enjoyed a sausage sandwich and a homemade cake. “We’ll have a look at the Historical Aircraft Restoration Society’s aviation museum and we’re heading out to the telescope later. It’s all very relaxed!” said Brett. “People think of ultralights as being quite flimsy with fabric wings but a lot are heavy and sturdy. They’re easy to fly and lessons are affordable.” Members of the club include Eston White, who has been flying since 1954 and Canowindra local, Stuart McSephney.

“It’s magic, there’s few things in life that can be so rewarding. What a pilot sees in one day few people see in a lifetime” said Brian, who had flown in from Maitland, Newcastle with friend Kevin. If you’d like to get involved in the club, check out their website parkesaero.com.au

Parkes Shire Council is calling for expressions of interest from community members and businesses to partner in the Heritage Near Me Grants Program.

Heritage Near Me is a government initiative to implement transformational change to protect, share and celebrate heritage in NSW at the local level by working closely with local government and communities

Director of Planning and Environment Steven Campbell says the Heritage Near Me program is a great initiative for Parkes. “The Parkes region boasts a number of significant heritage buildings and locations. Council would like to explore opportunities to partner with interested community members and businesses who own heritage buildings or places, that can fit within the Heritage Near Me Grants,” Steven said.

NSW Office of Environment and Heritage have identified the major priorities of the Heritage Near Me Program to be:

• Revitalising heritage spaces by addressing existing gaps within funding streams and providing increased funding for strategic local heritage management projects.
• Building heritage capacity so that it is locally identified, managed, and supported with minimal state government intervention, allowing local governments to work more closely with communities on heritage matters and sharing lessons learnt.
• Providing accessible heritage information that is accurate and reliable, offering more efficient data entry, and new mechanisms for processing and monitoring data

To register your expressions of interest please submit an application in writing to Parkes Shire Council via post or email outlining your project or initiative and how it would meet the criteria of the Heritage Near Me Program. For further information, contact Council’s Planner Michael Carter on 02 6861 2377.

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