Paint Australia REaD: Rhonda Brain, creative director of the Paint the Town REaD initiative received a cheque of
$5,000 from Phil Donato last Friday for The Aussie Book Relay from Perth to Pacific starting later this month to spread the message of the importance of reading, talking and singing to your child from birth to three years.

Free Cuppa: With 98 businesses in 22 local government areas across NSW joining forces, the 2019 ‘Free Cuppa for the Driver’ scheme is ready for another year. The multi-award winning scheme, launched in Bathurst last week, offers visiting drivers who have travelled 100km from home, a complimentary cup of tea or coffee at any participating business. The scheme started on 1st March and will run until 31st May. “It is a win-win-win,” said Parkes Shire Councils’ Road Safety and Injury Prevention Officer, Melanie Suitor. “It’s especially a win for road safety as tired drivers will stop to take a break, it’s a win for local towns as they attract more stopping visitors and it’s
a win for the local participating businesses as they attract more customers, who usually buy something with their free cuppa.” The full list of participating businesses are on www.freecuppa.com.au or pick up a brochure from Visitor Information Centres.

17 Million: Return and Earn has been a runaway success in the Central West with 17 million containers returned to local reverse vending machines. This includes more than 5.4 million returned in Parkes, almost 10 million drink containers in the two machines in Orange and 1.8 million in Forbes. The 17 million returned drink cans and bottles equals $1.7 million back in the pockets of local residents. Since Return and Earn began just over a year ago more than 1.4 billion containers have been collected at return points across NSW and eligible drink container litter volume
has reduced by 44%. “I thank everyone in the Central West who is already using the scheme and encourage anyone who hasn’t yet tried it, to visit a return point to claim their 10 cent refund,” said Nationals Candidate for Orange Kate Hazelton. “Any local schools, charities, community or sporting groups that want to be listed as a local donation partner can visit the Return and Earn website to register their interest at www.returnandearn.org.au.

Boost for Parkes Station: Plans are i the works to make Parkes Station fully accessible thanks to the NSW Government’s Transport Access Program. Upgrades could include improvements to the platform, waiting rooms and toilets, re-grading the ramps and footpath, as well as the creation of additional accessible parking spaces. Parkes is one of a number of stations across regional NSW that are scheduled for upgrades.

Arts And Crafts Talent: Excitement is building for a new event at the Parkes Bowling and Sports Club on 16th and 17th March. With 25 exhibitors Showcasing Parkes Arts and Crafts Talents promises to be an event not to be missed. The Tapestry singers will pop in for some entertainment. A raffle has been organised with four prizes: two quilts by Vanessa Ford, a mosaic from Sue Maddison, and a pottery water bowl by Elsie Mahon. Doors open at 10am and entry is just $5 per person, children free; $5 morning tea with catering by Quota.

Mega Jackpot Draw: The Parkes Leagues Club’s Community Mega Jackpot Draw takes place every Saturday night. The starting pool prize is $10,000, and Jackpots by $1,000 each week until won. It is currently standing at $18,000 for this Saturday. Don’t miss out!

Paint Australia REaD: The Aussie Book Relay from Perth To Pacific will start on 20th March at Parliament House in Perth with a small team of volunteers and travel across Australia for six weeks to Wollongong’s Paint The Gong REaD Office. They will stop at communities en route to celebrate the importance of reading with children from birth. “It is incredible to think that a project founded in Parkes has grown to a nationwide movement,” said Rhonda Brain. “It is now in over 80 communities in four states, and growing.” Community members and groups are invited to make a tax-deductible donation to help cover fuel, accommodation and food for the relay: $250 for half a day, $400 for a full, or any contribution would be greatly appreciated. Contact Rhonda at rbrain1@bigpond.com or 0432 164 320.

Friends of Parkes Hospital: Formed in 2013, the group has purchased equipment including a bariatric mattress, uterine manipulator for the theatre, iPod docs for the maternity ward, physio equipment, air mattresses, camera monitors, baby weighing scales, and a television for the ADL patient lounge. Support has also been provided to the McGrath Breast Care Nurse, home visiting midwives and community nurses. The group is working on establishing a palliative care room at Parkes Hospital. Fundraising includes raffles and cake stalls and regularly submits grant applications. Meetings are held on the fourth Thursday of every month upstairs at the Parkes Hospital and new members are always welcome.

Plan B Winner: Over 3,000 entries were received at 57 participating pubs, clubs and bottle shops across the Parkes, Forbes and Lachlan Shire Council areas in the Plan B competition. Patrons simply had to write down their Plan B to get home rather than driving for the chance to win a swag valued at $250. The Councils’ Road Safety and Injury Prevention Officer, Melanie Suitor said they had received great ones like catching a taxi, walking, staying at a friend’s or getting a lift home to creative ones such as being pushed in a wheel barrow, catching a hot air balloon, riding a kangaroo, flying home or tiptoeing through the tulips. Lea Dickerson from Parkes Liquorland said the competition was simple to implement and was very popular with patrons. The winner of the swag is Thomas Hayward from Parkes. Melanie said the promotion would be repeated in December.

First District Court Judge: Freshly swornin District Court judge Graham Turnbull SC has been appointed to sit as a full-time judge at Orange, Bathurst and Parkes to reduce case backlogs and deliver faster justice. He will be the first District Court judicial officer in history to live and work in this region. “Judge Turnbull comes to the bench with a reputation for being one of the finest criminal barristers in NSW,” said Attorney General Mark Speakman. The District Court will now have a record 75 permanent judges.

Competition: Would you like to take the family on a fun day out? Fancy a trip to the Dubbo Zoo? Enter our competition on page 7 to stand a chance to win a family pass. Get your entries in soon as the closing date is on Wednesday, 27th February!

Rodeo Time: The world of rodeo is coming to Parkes again with the third annual Steve Magill Earthmoving Parkes Rodeo Stampede on 2nd March from 6pm at the Parkes Showgrounds. Following on from its huge success last year, this year’s show promises to be bigger and better yet again! The crowd can look forward to “Mark Outs”, “Breaking the Barrier”, “Header and Heeler” and “Cloverleaf Patterns” to name but some of the entertainment planned for the night. Tickets available at Cunninghams IGA. More information in next week’s paper.

Level 2 Water Restrictions: This is a reminder that level two water restrictions came into effect last month across the Parkes Shire.

Jack Scoble Scholarships: Two Parkes Shire students, Riley Crocker and Georgia Goodrick, were presented with the scholarships. Riley, a former Red Bend student, will be studying for a Bachelor of Science degree at the University of Newcastle. He hopes to be able to contribute to scientific research. His particular interest is the development of new technologies to address the impact of climate change on rural communities. Georgia graduated from Parkes High School and was accepted into a Bachelor of Paramedicine at the University of Tasmania (UTAS), Sydney Campus. Georgia wants to be able to respond in emergencies to assist people in rural areas who are often without the level of care needed. Parkes Shire Councillor Bill Jayet said, “We had eleven outstanding applicants this year of which our panel chose to interview five.”

Parkes Country Music News: This Sunday, 17th February at the Parkes Services Club at 1pm well-known Dubbo artist Rhonda Tomlinson will be the featured guest. The calendar of events this year is a busy one with the visitors from the South Coast CMA coming to the St Patrick’s Day weekend of 16th and 17th March. Entertainment starts at 2:30pm on Saturday, and continues after dinner at 7pm. It’s a 10am start on Sunday up to 2pm. All members, visitors and interested people welcome – the $5 entry fee on Saturday covers the whole weekend. There will be no muster in April, and the next event will be the annual Mother’s Day muster in May. The January muster was very successful with popular entertainer Garry Hemming as guest artist. Other performers included Lindy Charlton,
Ken Chalker, Jock Charlton, Kevin Spice, Bruce Toole, Barry Green and the exciting new talent of 16-year-old Gracey Denham-Jones. Band duties were carried out by Ken Chalker, Pam Byrnes, Barry Green and Lindy Charlton.

Dig Deep For Farmers: Farmers in Queensland need help after the devastating floods last week. The losses of livestock, homes, equipment and more are enormous. With assessments ongoing some farmers have reported 100% losses of livestock. Up to 300,000 cattle are reported dead. Charity Drought Angels will be giving 100% of donations received now to farmers in Queensland. Send your support to: https://drought-angels.giveeasy.org/north-west-qld-needs-our-help

Competition: Fancy a family trip to the Dubbo Zoo? Enter our competition on page 7 to stand a chance to win a family pass!

 

CanAssist: received a welcome donation this week from the Parkes Leagues Club. The club put out collection tins during the festival and the patrons did not disappoint with a generous amount of $4,488,25 collected. Parkes Leagues Club Manager Greg Hornby said it was a great way to support a local charity. Pat Bailey of CanAssist
thanked Greg for the generous donation saying it would be of great help for the important work they do. Greg
(second left) handed over the cheque to CanAssist members Pat Bailey, Adrianne Brown and CanAssist President Sylvie Glendenning.

Seniors Festival: Are you over 60? Have you always harboured a secret desire to write your life story? Or learn to
play bridge? Or have a go at belly dancing? Neighbourhood Central has cobbled together a week jam packed with all
these activities for free (plus much more) in celebration of the NSW 2019 Seniors Festival from Monday, 18th February to Friday, 22nd February. Most activities will take place at Neighbourhood Central. “We have something for everyone,” said Executive Officer of the Centre, Pam Symonds. “There is yoga, posy making, writing your life story, a trip to the HARS aviation museum and yes, we even have a belly dancing workshop!” Registrations are necessary at Neighbourhood Central from 10am until 12 noon on Wednesday, 13th February. For more information contact Neighbourhood Central on 6862 3757.

One Stop Shop For Drought Support: Farmers now have a single and straightforward place to find out what drought assistance is available to them with a new online resource launched last week. FarmHub brings together the services of the Commonwealth, states, councils and charities. “Farmers just need to go to farmhub.org.au and type in their location to find help available,” said Minister for Agriculture and Water Resources David Littleproud. “It will
show what fodder, water, transport and living expense assistance is available at an individual farm, as well as mental and physical health services.”

Further Boost To Small Businesses: About 18,000 small businesses in the Riverina and Central West are set to benefit from taxation reforms to boost the national economy. The instant asset write-off threshold has been increased from $20,000 to $25,000, effective immediately. The popular tax write-off has also been extended for
another year beyond its existing June 2019 end date, giving small businesses with an annual turnover of less than $10 million the opportunity to access the new $25,000 incentive from now until 30th June 2020.

Yabby Races: There was a scarcity of yabbies last Saturday but the popular Australia Day Yabby Races still attracted 17 entries. The first three places were taken by Shailey Butt (first), – Tayah Reeves (second) and Mitchell Applebee (third). Nayte Reeves (pictured) was one of the racers.

Showcasing Parkes Talent: Artists and craftspeople can look forward to a new event in Parkes this year on the weekend of 16th and 17th March at the Parkes Bowling and Sports Club. The Parkes Quota Club and local artists and craftspeople, with the support of Parkes Shire Council, have decided to run an exhibition to introduce people to the huge variety of art and crafts in our community. The talent in Parkes includes potters, painters, artists, embroiderers, lace makers, milliners, quilters, leadlighters and many more. Art and craft of all genres will be on display, with demonstrations and sales too. There will be catering by Quotarians, a fabulous raffle with four prizes, including two quilts, a mosaic and a pottery water bowl. A limited number of tables are still available for exhibitors at $20 per site. Contact Rona on 0427 468 220 for further information.

Aboriginal Disability Services: Parliamentary Secretary for Western NSW Rick Colless announced grant funding of $158,000 to Orange Local Aboriginal Land Council to help them deliver services to Aboriginal people with disability under the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) in the Orange region. “The grant funding will allow them to establish a Support Coor-dination Service for Aboriginal people with disability that is accessible and delivered by local Aboriginal people.” With the funding they will be able to accommodate 40 Aboriginal NDIS participants and deliver an additional 600 hours of service per month.

Youth Allowance: Students planning to study or start an Australian Apprenticeship this year are being urged to lodge their claim for Youth Allowance or Austudy now. The 2018-19 Federal Budget delivered a $53.9 million injection to allow more rural and regional students to qualify for Youth Allowance. “It will ease the cost burden for many families and in some cases will make further study affordable,” said Deputy Prime Minister and Member for Riverina Michael McCormack. Youth Allowance provides financial assistance for eligible school leavers who wish to complete further study or training, while Austudy is for eligible students and apprentices aged 25 or older. Prospective students can submit a claim for Youth Allowance or Austudy up to 13 weeks before the start of their course or apprenticeship. Claims can be submitted online using their myGov account. For more information visit humanservices.gov.au/students.

The Currajong Disability Services Sewing Group: sold about $500 worth of raffle tickets for the two unique Elvis quilts they made for the 2019 Parkes Elvis Festival. The quilts were on display in the foyer of the Parkes Services Club. Present at the draw on the Sunday of the festival were (L-R) Karen Willis, Jaime Nielsen, Jeanette Lovett, Cherie Lovett, Joanne Hodges, Reshelle Vandyk and Jay Crouch.

Four Days Of Double Demerits: With Australia Day tomorrow and the school holidays coming to an end, double demerit points will be in force for four days this long weekend from today (Friday) to Monday, 28th January (inclusive) for all speeding, seatbelt, motorcycle helmet and mobile phone offences. Chief Inspector David Cooper from NSW Police said: “While the road toll over the festive period fell from 31 in 2017/2018 to seven this year, we are still seeing some poor decisions made by drivers.” There will be more Police on the roads this weekend increasing the chance of getting caught.

University Scholarship: Parkes Shire students doing their first year of full-time university studies this year are encouraged to apply for a Jack Scoble Scholarship. Supported by the Parkes Shire Council, Parkes Rotary Club, Parkes Musical & Dramatic Society and Parkes Bowling & Sports Club, the scholarship is worth $2,000 – $3,000 to
cover relocation and accommodation costs, or the purchase of a laptop and text books. Last year the scholarship was awarded to  Yasmin Potts and Madeline Swan. Scholarship guidelines and the application form are available on Council’s website. Applications close on Monday, 28th January at 10am. For more information contact Marie
Wyatt, marie.wyatt@parkes.nsw.gov.au.

Water Restrictions: Level two water restrictions came into effect last week across the Parkes Shire after storage levels at  Lake Endeavour Dam reached the capacity trigger. Under level two restrictions, residents are only permitted to water outside the hours of 10am and 5pm with odd numbered households allowed to water on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, and even numbered households on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays. Mondays will be solely dedicated for Council use to ensure our public parks and green spaces are maintained. Parkes Shire Council’s Director Infrastructure, Andrew Francis said: “We will review the restrictions, however we expect them to remain in place until the end of summer.” For more information about Level 2 water restrictions, visit www.parkes.nsw.gov.au

Have You Got Your Ticket Yet?: The Currajong Disability Services Sewing Group made two unique Elvis quilts that are on display in the main foyer of the Parkes Services Club. Raffle tickets can be purchased at the Parkes Services Club main bar for $2 each or 3 for $5, and will be drawn during the Parkes Elvis Festival.

Morse Code: Members of the Sydney Morsecodians Fraternity will provide a Morse Code demonstration during the
Parkes Elvis Festival near the Westpac Bank in Clarinda Street on Friday and Saturday. Festival goers will be able to send actual telegrams on souvenir stationery to anywhere, using the same equipment that was used in the 1850s. The telegrams will be sent from Parkes to Beechworth and posted from there to their destination using Australia Post. The public will also be able to send a message by themselves printed in morse code on a monitor in front of them, or they can have their names sent by morse code.

Got the G.I. Blues?: The Historical Aircraft Restoration Society (HARS) Parkes Aviation Museum is located at the end of Muzycuk Drive at Parkes Airport. It is housed in a former RAAF hangar from the airport’s time as a World War Two air force base. Come and see the largest aircraft on display in the Central West, including ex-RAAF aircraft De Havilland DHC-4 Caribou, Lockheed P2V-7 Neptune and recently retired Lockheed AP-3C Orion. You can also see a hard-to-find US Army Bell AH-1 Huey Cobra helicopter and several civilian types. The museum is open from 9:30am to 3:30pm today (Thursday) and Sunday, and Friday and Saturday from 9:30am to 1:30pm. Admission adults $5; family $10.

Free Entertainment: Apart from hosting the headline shows, The Parkes Services Club and the Parkes Leagues Club both offer extensive programs of free entertainment for the duration of the festival. See pages 2 and 15 for more details.

Wedding Vows: Ever dreamed of renewing your vows in Las Vegas with Elvis officiating? Declare your love at the popular Renewal of Vows ceremony on Sunday at 11:30am. Held under the ‘Love Me Tender’ arch at the ARTC Cooke Park Main Stage, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to renew your vows. More than 600 couples have renewed their vows over the years. Surprise your partner this Sunday.

Garden Gnomes: The Parkes Garden Club celebrated 2018 with a Christmas lunch at the Station Motel last week and were entertained by Tapestry singing Christmas carols. The new 2019 President, Norma Garment welcomed everyone hinting at fresh and exciting garden events budding in the new year. Joyce Cole swept the floor with the various raffle tickets drawn on the day, while Robyn Burns won the lucky door prize – a gorgeous hand-crafted succulent garden display created by Kelvie and Faye Blackstock. Daphne Hutchins was the overall winner for 2018 in the monthly flower competition. Parkes Garden Club invites interested gardeners of any age to their first meeting in 2019 on Saturday, 9th March at 5pm at Lions Park for a BBQ.

Do You Share A Birthday With Elvis? Tuesday, 8th January 2019 will be Elvis’s 84th birthday, and everyone is invited to celebrate with cake and free entertainment in Cooke Park at 10:30am. Bring along proof of your birth date to go into a draw to cut the birthday cake! Entertainment will be provided by Parkes’ one and only Elvis Tribute Artist, Barry Green, and the fabulous Parkes Boppers dance group. Bring a chair or rug and be ready to be ALL SHOOK UP for Elvis 2019!

2018 Quota Wrap-up: At the November business meeting members dressed up in support of Loud Shirt Day raising $250 to support the Shepherd Centre’s commitment to “give the gift of sound and speech to deaf children”. Quota members took part in the White Ribbon Day march to raise awareness about domestic violence, while 50 emergency hygiene packs made by Parkes members were handed to the Parkes Police Station for domestic violence victims. The Club received eight $100 gift cards from the members of Quota International of Lower Clarence for distribution to drought affected farmers/families. A huge thank you to Michael and Peg Lynch (St Vincent de Paul
Society) who are distributing the cards. Quotarians have volunteered once a week at the Parkes Public School in partnership with other organisations for the Breakfast Program. As part of this year’s Christmas party, gifts will be placed under the Giving Tree at Target as part of the Interagency – Combined Churches of Parkes annual program.
Quotarians thank all those who have supported fund raising throughout the year and wish all a Merry Christmas.

Fiery Talent At Carol Festival: Former Organist at St George’s Anglican Church, Richard Morgan, will again make the trip from Sydney for the annual Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols at his former church on Sunday, 16th December starting at 7:30pm. Richard will also be conducting an organ recital of Christmas tunes from 7pm. This year he will be accompanied by Rebecca Wilson, solo cornet for the NSW Fire and Rescue Band. The evening will feature a mix of carols, old and new, with local a capella group Tapestry. The service is specifically designed to lead the audience through the plan that God has for the world. Starting with creation, the carols track
through the various promises God made to his people, and prophecies, until its culmination in the person of Jesus Christ, God’s= son, who was crucified to bring us back into a relationship with God, after we had fallen out of it and the Garden of Eden. The format is based on the service performed each year at King’s College Cambridge, based on a service devised by the former
Archbishop of Canterbury, Arthur Benson in 1880.

Country Music Christmas Charity Muster: Santa will be at the muster tomorrow (Saturday) at the Starlight Lounge at the Parkes Services Club at 7:30pm. There will also be a Lucky Members Draw, Christmas  nibbles, dancing, kiddies prizes and walkup performers. Proceeds will go to Parkes Can Assist. All Welcome. At the AGM in November the following people were elected: Margaret Thurn – president; Lindy Charlton – vice-president; Lyn Pengilly – secretary; Frances Charlton – treasurer; Di Capes – assistant treasurer; publicity committee – Lindy Charlton, Chris Cox and Dale Cowell; artist co-ordinators – Chris Cox, Lyn Pegilly, Margaret Cowell and Di Capes; fundraising committee – Margaret Thurn, Frances Charlton, Christine De Dobbelaar and Lyn Pengilly. Planning of the 2019 calendar of events is underway and includes a visit from the South Coast CMA on the St Patrick’s Day weekend 16/17th March and the annual Mother’s Day function on 12th May. “We wish everyone a merry Christmas and a happy, healthy and safe New Year.”

Last 2018 Issue: Next Friday, 21st December will be the last issue of The Parkes Phoenix for the year! We will be back for the Parkes Elvis Festival with a special issue out on Thursday, 10th January.