COVID-Smart For 2022 School Year

Students will return to school under COVID-smart settings that will minimise the risk of the virus. Every student and teacher in NSW government and non-government schools will be able to receive rapid antigen test (RAT) kits before school returns on 1st February. The COVID-Smart Plan to keep schools open and students safe includes:

• Twice a week surveillance testing for primary and high school students, school staff and early childhood staff. Surveillance testing will be undertaken for the first four weeks of term, with two weeks of supply distributed before term starts.
• Mandatory mask wearing for all staff and high school students, with masks encouraged for children in primary schools.
• Limiting interaction between year groups.
• Limiting visitors to those providing essential curriculum and wellbeing support.
• COVID-safe settings in place for music, sport and excursions.
• Maximising natural and mechanical ventilation, with air purifiers dispatched to where they are needed.
• Contingency plans in place to manage any disruptions to the workforce.

The government is distributing more than 12 million RATs to over 3,150 government, non-government schools and early childhood centres. More information on the return to school settings for NSW public schools is available at https://education.nsw.gov.au/covid-19/advice-for-families

Travel Boost Regional Seniors

Applications are open for the expanded 2022 NSW Regional Seniors Travel Card valued at $250. The popular initiative, which had seen more than 690,000 cards issued to regional seniors since the start of 2020, had been extended for another two years. Eligible applicants will receive a $250 pre-paid Visa card that can be used for fuel, taxis, pre-booked NSW TrainLink regional trains and coaches, and select community transport services. With the latest COVID-19 health advice, seniors are strongly advised to apply online or call 13 77 88 rather than visit a service centre. More information can be found at service.nsw.gov.au/regionalseniorstravel

Take Precautions

Western NSW Local Health District (WNSWLHD) is urging people to take extra precautions to protect themselves against mosquito bites, and acquiring mosquito-borne disease. When outside cover up as much as possible with light-coloured, loose-fitting clothing and covered footwear, particularly at dusk and dawn when mosquitoes are most active. Use an effective insect repellent on exposed skin. Re-apply repellent within a few hours. Use insecticide sprays, vapour dispensing units (indoors) and mosquito coils (outdoors) to clear rooms or repel mosquitoes from an area. Cover all windows, doors, vents and other entrances with insect screens. Remove any water-holding containers outside the house where mosquitoes could breed. For further information go to: www.health.nsw.gov.au/environment/pests/vector/Pages/resources.aspx

Kite Festival: It is back this year, so get your kites ready, or start making some for the Reach for the Sky Australia Day Kite Festival at Northparkes Oval from 8 – 11am on Wednesday, 26th January. Kites will also be available for purchase on the day. For more information contact 0448 166 016.

Register Positive Covid Test Results: Anyone who tests positive using a Rapid Antigen Test (RAT) is required to register the result on the Service NSW website or by using the Service NSW app. “This will enable NSW Health to provide you with advice on self-isolation and managing COVID-19 symptoms at home, to connect high risk people to clinical care services and to help inform the ongoing public health respons. Most people do not need a PCR test to confirm they are positive for COVID-19. If you are under 65 years of age, have had two doses of COVID-19 vaccine, do not suffer from any chronic health conditions and are not pregnant, you may be able to safely manage COVID-19 at home. Contact your GP or call the NSW Health COVID-19 Care at Home Support Line on 1800 960 933 if you are pregnant, or if you have a chronic condition. Visit nsw.gov.au

COVID-19 vaccination for children: Children aged between five and 11 years old started to receive COVID-19 vaccinations last week. The bulk of the children’s vaccination program will be delivered through general practitioners and pharmacies, with Aboriginal Medical Services and Western NSW Local Health District’s (WNSWLHD) vaccination hubs and mobile clinics also playing a role. Children aged between five and 11 will receive two, specially-sized doses of the Pfizer vaccine, eight weeks apart. Parkes is one of six satellite sites along with Mudgee, Cowra, Walgett, Cobar and the 4Ts (Tottenham, Tullamore, Trundle, Trangie) that will host clinics, while the mobile service will target smaller and more remote communities. More information visit the NSW Health website.

Ways To Help Others At Christmas:

• BIG W has launched its in store Giving Tree initiative, providing customers an opportunity to donate gifts in support of families who need a little extra help. BIG W’s charity partner, Good360 Australia, has matched all 176 stores with a local charity, enabling the Giving Tree program to support over 105 organisations across Australia, including women’s shelters, children and youth at risk, schools, homeless shelters and children in hospital. In addition to its Giving Trees, BIG W is again supporting five Children Hospitals around the country by selling $2 and $5 tokens to raise much needed funds. Customers can place unwrapped gifts under their local BIG W Giving Tree or purchase a Christmas Token from now until Christmas Eve. For more information, visit www.bigw.com.au

• Purchase your Christmas gifts from the CanAssist store in Court Street to help boost the funds of CanAsisst and the wonderful assistance they provide to locals with cancer.

• Elders Parkes and Forbes have teamed up with The Salvation Army for a Christmas Toy Drive. The Salvation Army will ensure that gifts are delivered to all children this Christmas. Gifts can be placed under the trees at the two offices with a label to either boy or girl and an approximate age. Call 6862 922 for more information.

• Parkes Uniting Church and Parkes Catholic Church are collecting/accepting Christmas gifts and donations to be handed to those in need.

• Coles has a $2 donation you can make through Redkite to help support children with cancer and their families, and to SecondBite to provide meals for Australians who need it most. Purchase in store or online.

• Woolworths Parkes is part of a donation target to raise the equivalent of seven million meals this Christmas in support of OzHarvest. Purchase a 50c token in store or online, or choose to round up your purchase to the nearest dollar.

• Help farmers by giving a donation to Aussie Helpers’ ‘Give back to the Outback’ Christmas appeal. All proceeds will go to purchasing Visa gift cards and/or fuel cards for those in need. Last year Aussie Helpers delivered 1,000 Christmas hampers and $27,000 in Visa gift cards and fuel vouchers to Aussie farmers across the country. For more information visit aussiehelpers.org.au.

Support This Festive Season:

• The holiday season can pose many challenges for people affected by cancer. The Cancer Council 13 11 20 telephone information and support service is free and confidential. Specially trained health professional staff are available to answer questions about cancer, offering emotional and practical support for anyone affected by cancer – including cancer patients, people living with cancer, their families, carers and friends, teachers, students, and healthcare professionals. If you call 13 11 20, one of our consultants will listen to your situation, assess your individual needs and make appropriate requests for services.

• R U OK? want to remind everyone that Christmas can be a difficult time for many Australians and encourage them to make a real difference in someone’s life by giving the ‘Gift of Conversation’. Free downloadable resources are available on the R U OK? website including suggestions on how best to support someone from Suicidologist and Registered Psychologist Annie Fardell Hartley: Make the time to check in with them; Acknowledge it – let them know it’s OK to feel overwhelmed, sad, or stressed at this time of the year; Be gentle – If someone doesn’t feel able to celebrate in the same way as they have in the past, give them space; Old traditions and new traditions – If old traditions no longer bring joy perhaps think about new traditions, you can set up to mark the season; Offer practical support – Whether it is making a cuppa, helping with childcare, or cooking a meal, small gestures can be comforting for those finding the season difficult.‘Don’t let it be a silent night: Give the ‘Gift of Conversation’. Learn how at www.ruok.org.au For support at any time of day or night, call Lifeline on 13 11 14.

Parkes Shire On Disaster Support List: Residents, farmers and businesses in the Parkes Shire will be able to access disaster assistance to help recover from recent severe weather events. Parkes has been added to the Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements (DRFA) along with Cowra, Forbes, Weddin and Lockhart. The disaster assistance will help the councils cover the costs associated with the operational response and repairing damaged essential public assets. Local residents will also receive support to get back on their feet, including grants to replace essential household contents or repair structural damage to homes. For information on personal hardship and distress assistance, contact Service NSW on 13 77 88. To apply for a concessional loan or grant, contact the NSW Rural Assistance Authority on 1800 678 593 or visit www.raa.nsw.gov.au

Christmas Kindness:

Elders Parkes and Forbes have teamed up with The Salvation Army for a Christmas Toy Drive. The Salvation Army will ensure that gifts are delivered to all children this Christmas. Gifts can be placed under the trees at the two offices with a label to either boy or girl and an approximate age. Call 6862 922 for more information.

Parkes Uniting Church and Parkes Catholic Church are collecting/accepting Christmas gifts and donations to be handed to those in need.

Big W in Parkes has a donation tree at the front of the shop for gifts.

Coles has a $2 donation you can make through Redkite to help support children with cancer and their families, and to SecondBite to provide meals for Australians who need it most. Purchase in store or online.

Woolworths Parkes is part of a donation target to raise the equivalent of seven million meals this Christmas in support of OzHarvest. Purchase a 50c token in store or online, or choose to round up your purchase to the nearest dollar.

DIY December: With the school holidays upon us, parents are having to come up with new ideas to keep the kids entertained outside of turning the box on! Many families may have already exhausted their go to activities through lockdown and are in much need of new and innovative ideas. The Family Project is encouraging families to put down their phone or tablet and opt for a DIY December, spending some time with their loved ones making Christmas cards, decorations, advent calendars and gifts this Christmas. For some great ideas visit www.familyproject.org.au

Christmas Closure: The last edition of the Parkes Phoenix for 2021 will be next Friday, 17th December. The first edition of the new year will be Friday, 21st January, 2022.

 

Level Crossing Speed Limit: Take note that the speed limit at the Eugowra Road level crossing in Parkes has been reduced to 60km/h from Monday, 29th November to increase safety. Learn more: https://bit.ly/3E5P4Zr

Rural Health Boost: Regional and rural communities across NSW will benefit from a more than $500 million investment in health that will deliver enhanced health services and more jobs closer to home. The investment includes $6 million for biomedical equipment upgrades across the Western NSW Local Health District.

Dine & Discover Vouchers: The summer holidays just got better for NSW residents, with two additional $25 Dine & Discover vouchers rolling out for eligible customers this week. The vouchers will appear automatically in the Service NSW app, via SMS or email for existing digital customers. Current digital customers do not need to reapply to receive the extra vouchers. Customers who don’t have access to digital vouchers can opt into a new call and collect delivery method by calling NSW on 13 77 88 from 3rd December, nominate

End Of Single-Use Plastics: The end is near for single use plastics, including bags, straws, cotton buds, plates, bowls and cutlery after the Plastics and Circular Economy Act 2021 was passed in the NSW Parliament last week. Treasurer and Minister for Energy and Environment Matt Kean said plastic packaging and single-use plastics made up 60% of litter across the state, with single-use plastics to be phased out from June next year. “This legislation is expected to stop 2.7 billion single-use items from ending up in our natural environment and waterways over the next 20 years,” said the Minister. Businesses will be supported to transition to alternative products before the phase outs come into effect. Excemptions will apply for members of the community who rely on particular single-use plastics for disability of health needs. The legislation will prohibit the supply of lightweight plastic bags from 1st June, while the supply of other items will be prohibited from 1st November 2022, including single-use plastic straws, cutlery, stirrers, cotton buds, plates and bowls, and expanded polystyrene foodservice items. For more information on the Plastic Reduction and Circular Economy Act 2021 visit www.dpie.nsw.gov.au/plastics

Regional Bank Branch Closures: The Regional Banking Taskforce has announced the start of public consultation and Australians can contribute their insights into regional bank branch closures by making submissions to the Taskforce over the coming weeks. Insights from the submissions will help the Taskforce better understand the impacts of branch closures and how Australians are accessing banking services. They will also help improve banking services and accessibility where branches have closed. Submissions are invited by email to regionalbanking@treasury.gov.au or by mail to: Secretariat, Regional Banking Taskforce, Financial System Division, The Treasury, Langton Crescent, Parkes ACT 2600. The consultation process will open for four weeks with submissions closing 18th December 2021.

Funding Boost For National Parks: NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service has received $91.5 million to be invested into shovel-ready projects in a significant boost for the nature-based tourism industry.“Before COVID we had more than 60 million visits every year, national parks were already a key driver of the visitor economy, generating $18 billion in economic activity and supporting over 74,000 jobs.Since COVID visitation levels have skyrocketed, highlighting the role parks play in supporting the physical and mental health of the community. Put simply – national parks are good for the soul,” said Treasurer and Environment Minister Matt Kean. This funding is part of the largest ever investment in national park visitor infrastructure, enhancing the natural environment and supporting regional economies with over $14 million will be invested in critical conservation projects.

Funding For Six Parkes Shire Projects: The electorate of Orange secured $399,300 in funding for a total of 17 projects through the NSW Government’s 2021 Community Building Partnership Program. Six of the projects are based in the Parkes Shire: Parkes Aero Club Inc: Sun safe, child safe commemorative garden for Parkes; Trundle Parent and Citizens Inc: Welding together a bright future – school to work program; Cycling Without Age Australia Inc: Purchase and storage of a community Trishaw for Parkes; Tullamore Bowling & Citizens Club Ltd: Facelift for Tullamore bowling club and green; Trundle Children’s Centre Inc: Ducted reverse cycle air conditioning; and Rotary Club of Parkes Inc: Purchase of a driving simulator to deliver road safety education.

Seven Million Christmas Meals: Woolworths Parkes is part of an ambitious donation target to raise the equivalent of seven million meals this Christmas, to support charity partner OzHarvest meet the growing demand for food relief across NSW. One in six Australian adults are now considered severely food insecure and more than half of the people impacted by food insecurity go a full day each week without eating. The aim is to raise a record fundraising amount of $3.5million. Parkes Woolworths customers can purchase a 50-cent token when they shop in store or online which will help provide the equivalent of a meal to those in need of food relief. Customers can also choose to round up their purchase to the nearest dollar, with proceeds going directly to the Christmas Appeal. “We’re grateful for the generosity of our customers to help Australians in need, particularly during the Christmas season,” said Woolworths Parkes Store Manager, Harjit Sing. For more information on how to support, visit www.woolworths.com.au/shop/discover/community/ozharvest

Focus On Primary Health Care: A new program is being trialled in Condobolin, Forbes, and Parkes to address local needs in primary health care. The Collaborative Care Program is a community-led planning approach to improve access to primary health care services that include general practice, primary care nurses, pharmacy, and allied health. Wellington Digwa is the community contact for the Lachlan Valley project working with the Western NSW Local Health District. “I have a background in community development, public health and project management,” said Wellington.“I am planning face to face visits to the region to speak to more people who did not attend the workshops,” said Wellington.

National Recycling Week

Australia’s recycling rate has increased from 7% to 60% since 1996 when the campaign was founded. That is just 1.5 million total tonnes recycled to over 43 million tonnes, or 80kg of material each per year, to about 1,700kg per person. This week is National Recycling Week and the focus is on reuse to inspire people to get creative and upcycle old and used furniture into new unique pieces rather than sending it to landfill. Repairing, repurposing and reusing items are higher in the waste hierarchy as they have the potential to produce greater environmental benefits than recycling. New research from Planet Ark found Australians are becoming more educated about items that cause recycling contamination issues, including soft plastics, bagged recyclables and clothing. To learn more or to get involved in National Recycling Week, visit nationalrecyclingweek.com.au.

National Parks And Net Zero

The NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) is set to become the first national parks agency in Australia to commit to being carbon positive. NPWS will implement actions to reduce its carbon footprint including switching to 100% renewable energy, electric passenger vehicles, installing onsite solar PV, reducing waste and updating refrigeration and air conditioning assets with high efficiency models. NPWS will also trial electric vehicle charging stations in key park areas to support the community to continue to visit National Parks using electric vehicles. National parks also represent one of the largest carbon stores in the state, protecting over 40% of all forest carbon. NPWS will protect these existing carbon stores through effective fire management, and invest in a suite of biodiversity-friendly carbon sequestration projects.

New Frog Species

A new frog species has been discovered in Wollumbin National Park in northern NSW, and is one of only two known species that store their tad-poles on their bodies. The NSW Government took immediate action to protect the tiny frog, declaring their habitat an Asset of Intergenerational Significance under the National Parks and Wildlife Act. The tiny 16mm frog is found on just one isolated mountain in the Wollumbin National Park. The new species has been named Assa wollumbin sp.nov. in consultation with Aboriginal Elders of the Wollumbin Consultative Group.

Parkes Painting Group

The Parkes Painters have a new committee following its recently held AGM. Kerry Davis took over as chair from Kim Chambers, Annette Witherow is secretary and Dianne Hutchins treasurer. The group’s Elvis exhibition will coincide with the Parkes Elvis Festival next year, and will run from 28th April to 13th May at the Uniting Youth Centre in Church Street. All budding artists are welcome to join the group at Northparkes Oval on Wednesdays from 10am to 4pm. “We welcome new members to enjoy the great thrill of creating, colour mixing and using our imaginations to the benefit of our wellbeing,” said member Helen Huntly.

Christmas Parade Cancelled

The Action Club has confirmed that the Christmas Parade and Festival in the Park in December has been cancelled due to the unavailability of the schools to participate and the fluid COVID situation. The club will continue to plan for next year’s event.

COVID-19 Location Alerts

Residents can now receive push notifications on COVID-19 case locations on the Service NSW app so they are alerted to potential exposure risks as soon as possible. The is in addition to the red icon that appears in the check-in history of a person who has been to a venue on the same day as a confirmed COVID-19 case. People who receive a push notification or see a COVID-19 case alert in their check-in history should monitor for symptoms and get tested if they feel unwell. They do not need to self-isolate, unless contacted by NSW Health.

Harvest Safety

More than 500 signs will be rolled out on key freight routes and level crossings across western parts of NSW to remind drivers to take extra care on the road this bumper harvest season expecting to be a record 16 million tonnes. Two types of signs will be rolled out to remind drivers to be patient, slow down and take care on the road. These include 27 electronic message signs along key road harvest routes, an additional 18 electronic messaging signs to be placed at high-risk level crossings, and 500 free sign available for order by farmers whose properties have level crossings on them, which they can install on their gates to help increase safety.

 

Pink Up

Parkes Services Club has turned PINK for October in support of Breast Cancer Awareness and raising funds for the McGrath Foundation. You still have time to buy tickets for the Pink Raffle and stand a chance to win some amazing prizes. Winners will be drawn on Monday, 1st November at 12pm.

BreastScreen NSW Resumes

Screen NSW has recommenced operations after the service was paused in response to the risk posed by the COVID-19 Delta strain and a need to redeploy staff to support the pandemic response. Breast-Screen NSW will be contacting women who had their appointments cancelled. The service will be back at Tottenham, Tullamore and Trundle from Saturday, 30th October. All clients are required to wear a surgical mask to their appointment.

Online Annual Public Meeting

The Annual Public Meeting of the Western NSW Local Health District Board will be held on Wednesday, 3rd November at 1pm. The meeting will include presentations from the Board Chair and Chief Executive, and will give communities across the Local Health District an opportunity to hear of achievements during 2020 and 2021, and the strategic goals for the next 12 months. There will be a question and answer session at the end of the meeting, which will close at 2pm. To register to attend visit: https://bit.ly/RegisterAnnualPublicMeeting

Seeking Operator For Gallery Café

A contemporary food and beverage enterprise with flair, creativity and imagination that meets the demand for quality regional cuisine in the Forbes Shire area. That’s the Forbes Arts Society’s vision for the café to be located within the new Forbes Cultural and Arts Centre at 110 Lachlan Street. With construction set to commence in the coming months, the former Forbes Ambulance Station will soon be transformed into a vibrant, civic hub. A space that encourages locals and visitors to create, share and experience art and culture as well as meet, gather and connect with one another. The Centre is scheduled for completion in late 2022. The café will have seating for 25 people inside, and the outdoor courtyard will seat up to 50 people. To obtain an Expression of Interest package or to find out more, please contact forbesartss@gmail.com. Submissions close 5pm, Friday, 29th October.