Four competitors from Central West Kyokushin Karate Club participated in the Kyokushin NSW Full Contact Championships in Sydney on Sunday 22^nd May, winning two state titles in their divisions. Representing the juniors were Rebecca Withers from Forbes and Kye Herft from Parkes and in the adults, Parkes locals Renae Herft and Natalie Caruana.

Rebecca and Kye fought in the full-contact children’s division; however modifications on the day were an obstacle as the students were not prepared for the style of fighting. Both students displayed outstanding skill and most importantly, excellent sportsmanship on the day. Their Sensei and coach, Michelle Kable said; “although the change in fighting rules was a bit of a setback, we will be able to adapt our techniques and approach for the next tournament. Both Kye and Rebecca are a credit to our club, and I am very proud of their efforts, and that they had the courage to have a go.”

In the adult’s division Renae Herft, a white belt, showed true spirit with the makings of a future Australian Champion; persevering through numerous fouled punches to the face to win her division and take home the NSW State Championship title.

Renae’s sister, Natalie Caruana, a more experienced martial artist has also only started Kyokushin Karate this year and was well prepared for the full contact fights. Dropping 5kg in the last month to make her weight division Natalie was able to maintain her strength and dominated her opponent with snapping head kicks, punches and powerful leg kicks to also win her division and take home the tile of NSW State Champion – watch this space for great things to come!

The club are now preparing for the Australian National Championships in August. Michelle said;

“The karate club is growing stronger – we breed them tough out here in the bush. We’re very proud of the courage shown on the weekend, with all fighters exhibiting great karate and outstanding sportsmanship. We were very lucky to have great support for the awesome foursome.”

Picture at the NSW Championships (Sydney University Sports and Aquatic Centre): Renae Herft, Michelle Kable, Renae Caruana, (front) Rebecca Withers and Kye Herft.

Parkes Shire Council has expressed concern about the number of break-ins and vandalism to the old Parkes Hospital site and wants to warn residents of the dangers of entering a prohibited area.

Parkes Mayor Cr Ken Keith said Council is particularly worried by the targeted vandalism at the site.

“Our community’s safety is paramount; we are concerned about the number of people especially young people illegally entering the site. The security fence is there for a reason – to keep our community safe and unauthorised people out of the site. The old hospital buildings are of some age and when damaged can be very hazardous” he said.

“Council is currently carrying out a tender process to ensure that council engages professional qualified contractors to safely remove and dispose of any potentially hazardous materials within a controlled and safe environment.”

In addition to the security fence Council has also engaged a security company to carry out regular patrols of the area, however, community members are also encouraged to report any vandalism or break-ins at the site to Police.

Following the Parkes Hospital relocation to its new $72.8M facility last year, Council has progressed to the demolition stage of the old hospital site.

As part of the agreement with Health Infrastructure, Parkes Shire Council has taken full control and responsibility of the old hospital site with approved contractors to commence work next month and practical completion of the project scheduled for November this year.

“We appreciate the community’s patience as we safely demolish the site and commence rehabilitation, and reiterate our message to keep an eye out and report any break-ins and vandalism to Police,” Mayor Ken Keith concluded.

More than 100 children and 30 adults donned their hats for National Simultaneous Storytime at the Parkes Library on Wednesday. Parkes Library joined hundreds of groups across Australia for the reading of the picture book I Got This Hat at 11am.

“It has been one of our biggest events yet,” said Sandie Ward, Parkes Library storyteller. She had put a lot of preparation into a fabulous interactive performance of the book with the help of library and Council staff members. I Got This Hat is written by Jol and Kate Temple and illustrated by Jon Foye.

I got this hat in China.
I got this hat from a miner.
I got this hat from a deep-sea diver.
I got this hat from a racing-car driver… Hats.
Only the headless dislike them.
Everyone else loves wearing them!

This fun book takes a peek at the world around us through the playful medium of hats. The authors Kate and Jol Temple enjoy wearing hats together. They wear them whenever they write. Jol prefers a fedora and Kate a fez. They say I Got This Hat is for anyone who’s ever worn a hat.

Kate and Jol have written five books for children, including Parrot Carrot and Mike I Don’t Like. A new series of junior fiction called Jimmy Cook Discovers the Third Grade is due out this month.

The National Simultaneous Storytime is an annual campaign that aims to encourage more young Australians to read and enjoy books. Every year a picture book, written and illustrated by an Australian author and illustrator is read simultaneously in libraries and many other places around the country. Now in its 16th year, it is a colourful, vibrant and fun event that aims to promote the value of reading and literacy.

Caption: Children came with their parents, with Parkes Early Childhood Centre and home carers.

Walking Australia on foot with his trusted companion and best friend, a man from Victoria and his dog are on a mission to raise awareness for autism.

Steve Luscombe and his friendly dog Milo passed through Parkes on Sunday and attended the Northparkes Rotary Fun Run, which supported Autism Spectrum Australia this year.

The pair left Heathcote, about 110km north of Melbourne, at the beginning of April and walk an average of 30km per day sticking to small country towns mostly. He is also raising funds for Amaze (formerly Autism Victoria) representing around 55,000 Victorians who have Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).

“It is going really well,” said Steve on Sunday. He said people were very generous in their support of his effort. Steve had planned to walk around Australia with Milo for some time but hadn’t originally planned to raise awareness for the condition. Steve has a friend who has a daughter with autism. “She changes completely when she is with Milo. She just loves him.” He decided to still do the walk, but raise awareness at the same time.

Steve has no time frame and will carry on for as long as it takes. With a food supply of about four months in his buggy, the country roads will be Steve and Milo’s home for a considerable time to come.

Caption:

Steve and Milo

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.