NPM Scholarships: The CMOC-Northparkes Mines Indigenous Scholarships are open for 2018. The program supports indigenous students interested in a mining career and non-technical degrees. The scholarship is open to students aged 30 or under who have obtained entry into a university degree. The technical scholarship holders receive $10,000 per year, and the non-technical scholarship holders receive $5,000 per year. NPM also offers support for work placements onsite and throughout Australia. Applications close Wednesday, 31st January 2018. For more information visit www.northparkes.com or contact Northparkes Talent and Development Coordinator via email at npm.recruitment@northparkes.com

National Police Remembrance Day: Lachlan Local Area Commander, Superintendent Chris Taylor is inviting the community to join police in paying tribute on National Police Remembrance Day at 10am on Friday, 29th September at Holy Family Catholic Church in Parkes. National Police Remembrance Day, one of the most important events on the NSW Police Force calendar, is a day to remember the officers who have given their lives in the course of their duties. It is also a time to remember both sworn and unsworn members of the NSW Police Force who lost their lives through illness, accident or other circumstances in the previous 12 months.

Peak Hill Art: The 10th Annual Peak Hill Landscape Art Awards will be held at the Peak Hill Art Gallery on Wednesday, 27th September from 6:30pm. Artists from Parkes, Forbes, Orange and Dubbo are expected to exhibit, as well as Peak Hill artists. The sections are: Open for traditional landscape and contemporary landscape with
$200 prizemoney awarded to each; Junior for 12-18 years (traditional and contemporary) with $200 awarded to each; Under 12s with 1st , 2nd and 3rd prizes awarded. Phone 6869 1542 or 0424 228 994 for information and obtain entry forms. Entries still welcome.

Spring Photo Competition: The Parkes Phoenix has teamed up with Chemical Creations Photography to launch a spring photo competition. We would love to see the great photos our readers can come up with. A wonderful prize is up for grabs – a family photography session including 20 high resolution images with Chemical Creations Photography! The competition will run for the rest of September and October, with entries to be submitted to The Parkes Phoenix by Tuesday, 31 October. Entries can be sent to sales@parkesphoenix.com.au or via our Facebook page.

The Parkes Aero Club (PAC) is celebrating its 70th anniversary next year with a public airshow, the Parkes Aero
Spectacular, on 14th April 2018. The Parkes Services Club joined up as a gold sponsor this week with a $5,000 sponsorship. Pictured are (L-R) Manager of PSC Dennis Lane, President of the PSC Terry Knowles and Warwick Tom of PAC.

Marriage Equality: The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) has started the delivery of Australian Marriage Law Postal Survey materials to more than 16 million eligible Australians to collect their views on whether the law should be changed to allow same-sex couples to marry. Detailed information about the survey is available from www.marriagesurvey.abs.gov.au or by calling the Information Line on 1800 572 113 from 8am to 8pm (AEST), seven days a week. All eligible Australians are encouraged to return their forms. Results will be published on the ABS website on 15th November.

Spring Photo Competition: The Parkes Phoenix has teamed up with Chemical Creations Photography to launch a spring photo competition. With Spring all around us, you can point your camera just about anywhere to get a scenic shot. We would love to see the great photos our readers can come up with. A wonderful prize is up for grabs – a family photography session including 20 high resolution images with Chemical Creations Photography! The competition will run until the end of October, with entries to be submitted to The Parkes Phoenix by Tuesday 31 October. Entries can be sent to sales@parkesphoenix.com.au or via our Facebook page.

Happy Birthday Parkes Day VIEW Club: About 50 members and guests celebrated the club’s 48th anniversary last week, as well as thanking Krys Szabo for her membership of 20 years. Member Adrienne Bradley’s beautifully decorated cake was outstanding and very popular. The theme was Buttons and Bows with three ladies winning prizes for their brilliant outfits. Congratulations to Rhonda Redenbach (1st), Krys Szabo (2nd) and Sister Flo (3rd). By Sue McLennan (See photo on page 6).

#Montefamousreview: Gretta Ziller – Queen of Boomtown. Gretta is a Melbourne artist who has had a very diverse musical journey. With a background spanning rock, pop, classical, jazz, folk and bluegrass, Her much anticipated album Queen of Boomtown has burst into the music sphere living up to its name, as her voice booms at the right times, and sooths you tender moments. Gretta is simply stunning; her voice takes you to beautiful places as she sings her heartfelt stories. She will also rattle your musical soul with her masterful command of lyrics. Queen of Boomtown is a brilliant example of alternative country story telling. This album is the #Montefamous Review must have for September.

RSPCA Fundraising: Middleton Public School students participated in a fundraiser for the RSPCA at the end of last month. Jan Charlton and Anne Norton brought in chicks, ducklings, calves, lambs, a working dog and rabbits for the students to handle and feed. Children raised $200 to assist the charity. The students referred to Bruno, a Dorper lamb, as a goat, but he was very well behaved and loved all the attention. The petting babies were very popular too, though a little worn out by finishing time. Later in the day Sarah Nagle from the RSPCA Sydney visited for a presentation about what they do to assist stray, unwanted or mistreated animals. Students saw a video of a puppy
stuck in a wombat hole and cheered loudly when the rescue was successful.

Tea cosy competition: Cosies at the Corner is an exhibition and competition for tea cosies of all kinds with keen interest already from Orange, Narromine, Lithgow, Manildra, Condobolin and Toowoomba, as well as local crafters.
These days a must have accessory for all kitchens is a novelty tea cosy. Entries are open and for free, but restricted to one entry per category. The categories are: Festival – Christmas, Elvis, ABBA, Irish, etc; Floral Splendour – flowers, garden theme; Treasured Memories – traditional designs eg Grandma’s favourite; and Weird and Wacky – anything goes!

Prizes of $50 will be awarded for each category, and for Champion and People’s Choice. Cosies must be knitted or crocheted from yarn. Fabric and any combination of fibres may be used for decoration. Entries should be at Craft Corner at 227 Clarinda Street in Parkes by Friday, 15th September. The Grand Opening and Devonshire Tea on Friday, 29th September at 4:30pm is open to everyone, and includes a tea tasting, courtesy of Wholesome Blend. The exhibition will run until mid-October. Entry forms available at craftcornerparkes@gmail.com and from the Craft
Corner. For enquiries phone 6862 3240.

 

Pricing Masterclass: Ever wondered how successful companies set their prices? A free Pricing Your Products Masterclass will be held on 6th September from 11:40am to 2:30pm at the Hart Bar, The Railway Hotel. The intricacies of pricing and how to develop a pricing mindset will be discussed, how a consumer determines the price is
right, why price discrimination is not a dirty word, legal aspects of pricing, tactics to compete, pricing considerations and options and much more. Presenters are John Burke and Bruce Buchanan. Refreshments provided.

Sue Larkey in Parkes!: The Currajong Autism & Special Needs Group presents Teaching Strategies & Behaviour Support Workshop with Sue Larkey at the Parkes Services Club on Monday, 11th September from 9.30am-3.00pm. The workshop on autism and Asperger’s Syndrome is for teachers, teacher assistants, families, service providers, therapists and anyone who wants to learn more about Autism Spectrum Disorder. Sue Larkey is a highly qualified
special educator. She has authored several books and collections of resource materials. Cost: parents $100 ($80 early bird); professionals $130 ($110 early bird) – includes morning tea and lunch. Book online at http://www.parkesservicesclub.com.au/

Parkes Business Shines: Local beauty and skin clinic La Bella Medispa was named finalists in two categories at the Australian Beauty Industry Awards on Sunday night. Salon owners Rebecca Miller and Jess Galvin travelled to Sydney for the announcement of the 2017 winners. Rebecca said: “This is the first year we have entered. With over 250 entries in the awards, we were thrilled to be finalists in two categories, Business Director/Owner of the Year and Customer Care.” The Australian Beauty Industry Awards (ABIA) is the only national business awards in the beauty industry and seen as the true benchmark of excellence.

Over 50s: The Central West is one of five trial sites for a new employment program aimed at helping prepare mature aged Australians for new jobs. The Career Transition Assistance Program trial include West Wyalong, Forbes and Parkes areas, including Ungarie, Condobolin and Trundle to create more opportunities for over 50s to re-skill and re-enter the workforce. According to Member for Riverina and Small Business Minister, Michael McCormack
24.1% of those looking for work in the Central West were aged at least 50 and in NSW there were 37,100 mature aged workers in NSW looking for a job.

Bush Tucker Day: Head to the 31st annual Bush Tucker Day (BTD) at the Trundle Showground on Saturday, 3rd September to see the Australian country music sweetheart, Beccy Cole in action. Beccy has delighted Australians for more than 20 years. The iconic BTD is the only camp oven/bush cooking festival in the region. The day includes the ever popular bush tucker cooking competition, camp oven cooking demos, junior bush chef cooking competition,
free bush tucker taste testing, live entertainment throughout, as well as a free activities for kids. Whip cracking and
sheep shearing demos are a favourite too, as are the dog jumping competition, bushman’s relay and billy boiling race. For more information visit www.trundlebushtuckerday.com.

Saturday Storytime: Make sure to head to the library at 10:30am on 2nd, 9th and 16th September for special storytime sessions: Escape to Everywhere. According to Parkes Branch Librarian, Andrea Lovell reading enables the reader to travel to other worlds without using their feet. Library Officers Debbie and Sandie will “escape to countries”, “escape to your own special place” and “escape to fantasy land” at the special sessions. On Saturday, 16th September picture book author Nancy Watson and Flossie the Fairy will be special guests. Nancy was raised in the Yass and Young districts. Her interest in writing remained constant throughout her early career, but did not take off until she had a travel article published in 2013. In 2015, she joined a creative writing group and had an unexpected inspiration to write about Flossie the fairy … perhaps in memory of a little moss fairy garden she had as a child.

World premiere in Parkes: The Parkes Services Club will host the world premiere of Patrick Lindsay’s latest documentary Kokoda – The Spirit Lives On on Friday, 1st September in the Starlight Lounge at 6:30pm. The feature-length documentary commemorates the 75th anniversary of the WWII Kokoda campaign and explores the spirit of Kokoda, then and now. It is the third of Lindsay’s Kokoda films. It takes viewers on a fascinating journey of discovery, walking in the footsteps of those, who in 1942 against all odds, withstood Japan’s previously unstoppable Pacific invasion force to preserve Australia and Papua New Guinea’s liberty. The entry fee of $10 will go to the Kokoda Track Foundation.

The annual Parkes Boars vs Forbes Platypi: Game raised $6,500 for CanAssist this year. The funds came from
the auction of the first grade team special jumpers at the Coachman Hotel (a major sponsor) with auctioneer Geoff Rice from Langlands Hanlon (also a sponsor). In addition to the auction, half the gate takings were donated to CanAssist, a donations bucket was at the gate and an esky was raffled. At the cheque handover were (L-R) Carol Southwell, Trevor Southwell, Pat Bailey, Tom Snow and Ed Lowe.

Mock crash demo: Parkes residents are invited to the annual mock car crash demonstration on Monday, 21st August at 7pm at Parkes PCYC. “We are really excited to open our final rehearsal to the public,” said Parkes, Forbes
and Lachlan Shire Councils’ Road Safety and Injury Prevention Officer, Melanie Suitor. The hour-long event starts with a short film before the mock car crash demonstration begins. There is a full emergency response involving NSW Police, NSW Ambulance and Parkes SES with local youth actors playing the roles of the crash victims. The demonstration will be attended by more than 500 students from nine local high schools across the three council areas on 24th August.

It’s easy to share: Haylee Pottage is a Parkes resident and volunteer with Share the Dignity, an organisation that provides sanitary items to homeless and at risk women. Haylee has set up donation boxes around Parkes at Joblink Plus, Rob Dunford Chemist, Charisma Hair Design and La Bella Me-dispa for the organisation’s collection drive during August. You can also contact Haylee on 0405 197 322 to make a donation. More information available at https://www.sharethedignity.com.au/

Home is where the heart is: Parkes home owners have a chance to share in the revenue of the Parkes Elvis Festival. With over 25,000 visitors expected for the 2018 festival, locals are encouraged to open their homes as part of the Ray White Home Hosting Program. With only five months to go, Parkes accommodation providers are booked to capacity with an unprecedented volume of enquiries, and a waiting list of 300 people for Home Hosting accommodation already. Festival Director Cathy Treasure said: “Accommodation is the biggest challenge as the event continues to grow. Home hosting is a great opportunity for attendees to grasp the positive community essence that Parkes is renowned for. It’s also a wonderful opportunity for local homeowners to welcome visitors into their homes, showcase our region, contribute to the economic and social value of the event and build ongoing friendships for future Festivals.” Local home owners are able to rent out a spare bed, room, or whole house to visitors.
If you are interested, contact Ray White Real Estate on 6862 1900 or via elvis.parkes@raywhite.com. More information at www.parkeselvisbookings.com.au.

Zambian Choir: The Seeds of Hope choir from Zambia will perform in Parkes and Forbes next week: Forbes Town Hall at 7pm on 16th August, and Parkes Christian School at 7pm on 17th August. A gold coin donation is asked for entry. The choir is from the Grace Academy in Ndola, Zambia, which is an orphanage and school run by Seeds of Hope Children’s Ministry. It looks after almost 200 children and provides high class education. The choir will be accompanied by the founders of Seeds of Hope from Canada, Zambian carers and two Parkes locals who volunteer regularly at Grace Academy.

Seeds of Hope Children’s Ministry started in 1995 in reaction to the plight of children orphaned because of AIDS. This will be the first time for the Seeds of Hope choir in Australia. They will perform traditional songs to modern English songs. They will also perform in Sydney and in Western Australia.

Roadside Vegetation: Parkes Shire Council has received a $50,000 grant from Local Government NSW to develop a new Roadside Vegetation Management Plan for the next four years. Parkes Shire Council’s Director Infrastructure, Andrew Francis said the plan involved roadside vegetation assessments and mapping to capture and analyse ecological data to produce maps and GIS layers of roadside vegetation. Roadside vegetation provides many
benefits to the Parkes Shire, including the conservation of rare and important native plant species, provides a natural habitat for wildlife, acts as a biodiversity corridor for connectivity across the landscape and reduces the concentration of pollutants from vehicle emissions and noise pollution.

Parkes Day VIEW Club: The club will celebrate its 48th birthday in September. The birthday theme is Buttons and Bows and will be held at Bushmans Inn. Contact Pamela on 6863 4552 by Monday, 4th September. Over the 48 years the club has sponsored 1,200 schoolchildren in the Smith Family Learning for Life program. Publicity Officer Sue McLennan said: “We raise money for the four schoolchildren we sponsor currently by holding various events.
This month we will be holding the second yearly Trivia Night on Tuesday, 15th August at the Parkes Sports and Bowling Club. The entrance fee is $10, and includes a home-made supper, as well as chocolates for the winners.” The Club meets the first Tuesday of each month with guest speakers. The topic for 5th September is Senior Safety. All women are welcome to attend.

Morse Code: Parkes Reading Day takes place in Cooke Park next Friday from 9am with a range of activities. Members of the Morse Code Fraternity will be demonstrating sending telegrams in front of the Telstra Shop using morse code equipment similar to that used since 1854. The telegrams will be received at Beechworth, Victoria and Adelaide, South Australia using the same equipment for delivery by Australia Post. The demonstration will be done by Keith MacRae , Rhonda Wilson, Pauline Gosper and Peter Cannon from Parkes, Eddie Parrott from Peak Hill, and Peter Hack from Temora.

Knit and Natter: More than 40 people attended the 10th Knit and Natter Morning Tea at Craft Corner last Thursday. A group of 18 travelled from Orange for the event and took back 15 big bags of finished rugs and squares. Irene Lally from the Peak Hill Knitters Group brought nine rugs. Craft Corner members would like to thank everyone who donated 8ply yarn and knitted squares for this year’s Wrap with Love project. In its 25th year, the non-profit organisation provides wraps to ward off hypothermia for millions of people during winter in 75 countries.

Science, Art & Children’s Literature: Parkes Library has something for everyone during August. On 17th August at 6pm you can learn about Wildlife Spotter and help save threatened species and preserve Australia’s wildlife! The application is used as part of the National Science Week celebrations. Parkes Library is also hosting a special Australian Museum travelling mini-exhibition for National Science Week, 14th – 20th August. Museum2You looks at the impact of how we live on our planet’s future. On 24th August at 10am a Library Officer Dan Fredericks will demonstrate how to surf the internet, use email and apps in safety. RSVP by 22nd August on 6861 2309 or library@parkes.nsw.gov.au. Come dressed as your favourite book, nursery rhyme or super hero character for Storytime and Rhyme Time to celebrate Book Week. Storytime: 23rd August at 10.30am; Rhyme Time: 22nd August at 10.15am and 25th August at 11am.

Love our locals: Parkes Shire Council launched the Love Our Locals campaign last week. It features the success stories of local business operators and why it all adds up in Parkes for business. The aim is to raise the profile of the Parkes region with diverse business opportunities and showcasing the range of innovative and progressive businesses operating across the shire, their owners and what they bring to the community. In partnership with the Parkes Chamber of Commerce, the campaign centres around online and social platforms and profiles over 80 local businesses of which seven are showcased through video content. Residents and visitors are encouraged to show some love for our local businesses by liking, sharing and commenting on the campaign by using the hashtag #loveourlocals. For details visit visitparkes.com.au

Tour de Parkes: Calling all riders – join a group of social cyclists on Saturdays. The informal group meets at Greenparkes Nursery at 10am on Saturdays and pedal out on a ride together. The group choose circuits of various distances, and ensures riders of all abilities are catered to. Bicycles of all kinds are welcome. Barbara and Peter Guppy will often be seen peddling out on their tandem bicycle. The group is more about making friends and having fun than being ultra-competitive. So, come on Parkes, get on your bike!

Visitor Economy Workshop: Parkes Shire Council is hosing a Visitor Economy Workshop on Monday, 7th August at the Astro Dish Motor Inn. The workshop is aimed at tourism operators and other related businesses to discuss the projects, campaigns and initiatives that Council will undertake to grow the visitor economy of the Parkes Shire.

The agenda includes a range of items from destination management planning to major festival and event opportunities, and will be a great opportunity to network with fellow tourism operators while also learning how to leverage the programs and initiatives that Council will deliver to drive the visitor economy. For workshop details
visit www.visitparkes.com.au or phone the Parkes Visitor Information Centre on 6862 6000.

Authors In Parkes: Two special authors will visit the Parkes Shire Library during August. On Saturday, 5th August at 10.30am Parkes author Erica Brazel is launching her recently published children’s picture book. I’m Special and it Shows from my Head Down to my Toes is a book to help children learn more about their different body parts. Erica was born in Lake Cargelligo, and moved to Parkes when she was 14. After living in Canberra, Sydney and Newcastle Erica married and moved with her husband back to Parkes to have their family.

The children’s book was inspired by Erica’s sons and their amazing, inquisitive minds. On Wednesday, 23rd August at 6pm Scott Whitaker will talk about the release of his new book Railway Hotels of Australia ~ Volume Two ~ New South Wales.

He will also talk about the coming of the railway, the social development of regional NSW, researching tips, genealogy, local and state history, and publishing. Please RSVP if you wish to attend on 6861 2309 or library@parkes.nsw.gov.au

AstroFest reaches for the stars: It was another stellar turnout for the Central West Astronomical Society’s annual conference. CWAS President Christine Spears said that the event was extremely well attended, and attracted around 100 astronomers and enthusiasts from all over the country. She credits the ongoing success with the calibre of the speakers, many of whom are excited to participate in the event as it is connected to a world class facility.

Winners are grinners: Congratulations to Kerry Roach, the lucky winner of our Taronga Western Plains Zoo Package!

The Henry’s are back and better than ever: The Henry Business Awards have had a make-over. This week the Parkes Chamber of Commerce announced a new and improved award categories, which will be judged online by external judges – with the exception of the Ken Birch Memorial award. But perhaps the biggest news is that the awards are now annual, so there are more opportunities for local businesses to shine! Nominations for the 2017 awards will be opening soon. Hosted by the Parkes Chamber of Commerce, The Henrys Gala Presentation will be held in October. Go to parkeschamber.com.au/awards for more information.

Council welcomes new Rotary district governor to town: Parkes Shire Council has officially welcomed the newly elected Rotary District Governor to the Parkes Shire at a civic reception held on Monday. Parkes is the second town Mr George Weston and his wife Carol, from Leeton, has visited as part of his first tour of the Rotary District 9700, which comprises 40 clubs across regional New South Wales. Parkes Shire Mayor, Cr Ken Keith said
“Rotary play an integral role in our community – making positive, lasting change not
only in Parkes but the wider region.”

Focus on Farm Safety 17 -23 July: National Farm Safety Week aims to raise awareness of farm safety issues in rural communities across Australia. This year’s theme for Farm Safety Week is “Creating a resilient, safe and healthy ag community”, and seeks to focus on the practical issues that farmers can take to improve safety for themselves, their workers, family members and farm visitors. This in turn leads to better productivity and improved returns for
the farm business – “Safety doesn’t cost, it pays”. For further information contact Farmsafe on 02 6269 5622 or via email info@farmsafe.org.au