The exciting news is that David Rowden and the Omega Ensemble will perform at Cooke Park Pavilion tomorrow, 23rd July at 2pm (7pm cancelled).

This is a wonderful opportunity to see David, one of Australia’s finest clarinetists. The concert is an initiative by Music in the Regions. The Omega Ensemble are also playing in Forbes tonight at 7pm at the Forbes Town Hall. Tickets available at musicintheregions.com

If our community wants to hear live performances such as community band music and touring ensembles, we need to be in the audience to support the musicians, and to sustain music in our community. We need to give school students and community members the opportunity to learn or take up an instrument again – there are many people who would like to.

The Parkes Shire Concert Band (PSCB) rehearsals are every Tuesday during school term from 6:30 to 7pm for learners and those picking up the instrument again. New members always welcome. The main band’s rehearsal time is from 7 – 9pm in the Music Room above the Pool Complex in Dalton Street. For further information contact Duncan Clement, PSCB Music Director on email duncanclement@hotmail.com or his mobile 0405 035 164.

By Ellen Tom 

Many people might only know her as the little sister of Australia’s infamous bushranger Ned Kelly, but Kate Kelly was incredibly famous in her day.

“Kate was absolutely Kardashian famous! Everybody knew who Kate Kelly was and by 1882 she had her own wax replica on display at the wax works that were quite popular in those days.”

Artist and former Forbes resident Rebecca Wilson entertained the audience with some incredible stories about Kate’s life at the opening of her exhibition in Parkes last Friday.

Rebecca spent ten years researching the life of Kate after a conversation over Christmas lunch. “I was thinking why don’t I know these stories, and that set me off on an investigation of over 10 years.”

As a painter, she was drawn to Kate’s story because of the Forbes connection, but also because it was such a visual story. “I wanted to paint her story, but first had to do research.”

Rebecca discovered a woman who was extremely loyal to her family and friends. “She was feisty, adventurous, brave, intelligent, and a highly skilled horse woman. It was important for me that more people learn about Kate’s story and how she was involved in a very important part of Australian history.”

Rebecca discovered so many impressive things about Kate and all the adversaries she had to deal with until the tragedy of her death in Forbes. She was only 14 or 15 when she was riding through the bush as a decoy for the Kelly gang, delivering messages, getting supplies and information to help the gang stay at large. She ended up witnessing the Glenrowan siege in 1880 when her brother and two friends were killed and Ned was captured.

She campaigned and raised 30,000 signatures to try and spare Ned’s life and even met with the Governor when she was only 17.It was a showman called Flashjack Donovan who contributed to her fame whenhe convinced Kate and her brother Jimto tour with him across regional Victoria,South Australia, and up to Sydney. Thousands attended their performances, but thepolice could not stand it so they shut themdown.

Eventually the fame and ridicule she received in the press, led to her wanting to escape Victoria, and she ended up in Forbes at age 22 under the alias of Ada Hennessey in 1885 and worked as a domestic servant. She married, had six children and was found dead in the lagoon on the outskirts of Forbes at the age of 35, perhaps suffering from peri-natal depression. 

Rebecca not only created a beautiful cohesive body of work about Kate, but also wrote a book telling her story. “The incredible and amazing story of Kate Kelly is a story you can’t not know as it has a lot of relevance for us now.

“In a way our society has changed, but there are still many of those fundamental things that haven’t changed. We are still struggling for more rights and recognition for women, there’s still poverty, and a class structure.”

Rebecca said while she was doing the research she had a sense of real gratitude to all the women who have gone before us. “They’ve made my life a lot easier and we should not forget that as they worked really hard. And I hope our modern generation will be leaving some kind of legacy and be improving things for the next generation too.” 

The launch of the Wiradjuri Ngurambang Exhibition at Parkes Library & Cultural Centre will include a talk by two prominent guests to make for a very interesting and informative event.

Beau Williams and Bruce Pascoe will be at the centre on Tuesday, 26th July from 6-7:30pm for the First Languages Australia talk. Beau Williams is the CEO of FirstLanguages Australia, an organisation that works to maintain and strengthen Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages across Australia.

Bruce Pascoe will be discussing his award-winning book, Dark Emu, which offers an alternative perspective of Australia’s First Nations, a history that for many Australians has been largely silenced. 

Over the past 250 years significant environmental and cultural knowledge of Australia’s First Nations people has been lost or has become fragmented, including many of the languages that were spoken across Australia. More recently, there has been lots of work undertaken to preserve and revive First Nations languages, knowledge and culture. 

In the Parkes Shire many schools are teaching the Wiradjuri language to children.

“We are honoured to be hosting such esteemed guests as part of this First Languages Australia talk,” said Manager Cultural, Education & Library Services Kerryn Jones said. “Both Beau and Bruce have such a wealth of knowledge and experience to share with the community.”

This is a free event, but bookings are required as places are limited. Visit Parkes Shire Council’s website or Facebook page, or contact the Parkes Library on 6861 2309. The Wiradjuri Ngurambang Exhibition is a permanent display, located in the Parkes Library & Cultural Centre.

The incredible story of Kate Kelly, sister of Australia’s infamous bushranger, came to life last year when a Forbes author published her debut book.

Rebecca Wilson wrote ‘Kate Kelly, the true story about Ned Kelly’s little sister’ after she made a discovery about Kate. When Kate was a teenager, she had ridden as a decoy and delivered news and supplies to the Kelly gang when they were on the run in north-east Victoria from 1878 to 1880. “I was instantly intrigued, and jumped down the rabbit hole of research, hot on Kate’s heels,” Rebecca told The Guardian newspaper when her book was launched.

Rebecca has also completed a collection of paintings on Kate, and the official opening of her exhibition takes place tonight, 15th July in the Coventry Room at the Parkes Library and Cultural Centre at 6:30pm.

Rebecca, who is the first person to uncover the full story of Kate after years of research and investigation, will be hosting the opening of the exhibition.

The exhibition celebrates the retold story of Kate Kelly and her life as sister to infamous bushranger, Ned Kelly. 

Manager Cultural, Education & Library Services, Kerryn Jones said: “Kate became quite a celebrity until she vanished. Rebecca uncovers the story of this amazing woman’s life, 14 years of which she lived in Forbes.” 

The exhibition will be open to the public from Saturday, 16th July to Saturday, 6th August. Tickets for the official opening can be purchased at parkes.nsw.gov.au or via Parkes Shire Council’s Facebook page. Alternatively, you can book your tickets by visiting the Parkes Library & Cultural Centre.

Parkes is in for a fantastic musical treat this month when one of Australia’s most dynamic chamber music groups will give a concert at the Cooke Park Pavilion as part of the Music in the Regions’ Winter tour. 

Omega Ensemble will perform a high-energy program from Mozart’s cherished Clarinet Quintet to the world premiere of a new contemporary Australian work by Australian composer Carl Vine on Saturday, 23rd July. 

Audiences on the Winter Regional Tour will be among the first in the world to hear the new work by legendary Carl Vine, which Omega Ensemble commissioned especially for the program. 

“Omega Ensemble are lauded nationwide for their exceptional world-class performances, an incredible cultural experience these regional audiences would usually have to travel to a city for but can now enjoy close to home,” said Music in the Regions Executive Director, Janine Collins. 

Founded in 2005, Omega Ensemble has a mission to champion extraordinary Australian musical talent through high-energy and impactful performance. The Ensemble presents an annual National Touring Program to metropolitan and regional cities across Australia and frequently appears in national cultural festivals. They have also twice toured to China, delivering concerts and masterclasses in Shanghai and Beijing. 

To book tickets, visit www.musicintheregions.com 

MOVIE NIGHTS

We have our cult movie night tonight @ 6pm. We are screening a 2022 release of an all-time favourite superhero. This version comes 55 years after the original film was released. Rated M and almost three hours in length – free tea, coffee and popcorn! Bookings are essential.

SCHOOL HOLIDAY ACTIVITIES

Parkes Library will be hosting six school holiday activities for children in Kindergarten to Year 6. All activities are from 10:30am -12:30pm. Bookings are limited and are filling fast. 

Tuesday, 5th July: Junior Movie and Popcorn: a Disney classic about a little girl and her alien ‘puppy’.
Wednesday, 6th July: Hands-On Activity “Flags of Your World”. (Cost $2)
Thursday, 7th July: Junior Movie and Popcorn: a film about a fast-growing dog becomes a neighbourhood sensation.
Tuesday, 12th July: Junior Movie and Popcorn: a Disney classic about an unlikely friendship on the family farm.
Wednesday, 13th July: Hands-On Activity “Peculiar Pairs”. (Cost $2)

Thursday, 14th July: Junior Movie and Popcorn: a film about five friends who are definitely not good guys.

FAMILY & LOCAL HISTORY GROUP

Are you interested in researching your family history or the local history of the Parkes area, come along and join this new group on Wednesday, 6th July from 3 – 4pm. Please get in touch with the Parkes Library to register your attendance.

REBECCA WILSON ART EXHIBITION & AUTHOR TALK

We’ve all heard of Ned Kelly but have you heard of his little sister Kate Kelly? The Kate Kelly Collection, a series of narrative paintings and story cards based on the life of Kate Kelly will be on show in the Coventry Room from 16th July to 6th August. The opening is on Friday, 15th July at 6pm in the Coventry Room when Rebecca will also speak about her book Kate Kelly: The true story of Ned Kelly’s sister. Tickets are on sale through Humanitix or call the Parkes Library.

Turning Tables is set to hit the stage at The Little Theatre in Parkes from tomorrow night after over 12 months of rehearsals and cancellations due to COVID-19.

Going off reviews from community members invited to the preview on Sunday, it’s going to be another hit for the Parkes Musical and Dramatic Society.

The praise afterwards included: “An excellent show…has to be seen”, “I absolutely loved it and will be coming back again!”, “Fresh, fun, powerful, provocative, moving and memorable”, “Incredible show” and “Took my breath away – just an amazing production from start to finish”.

With a script written by the Parkes M & D’s stellar director Lyn Townsend, Turning Tables tells the story of five women (Christie Green, Christa Radley, Shev Brown, Ruth Barnes and Maddi Collits), all different, all unique with their own ‘baggage’ to carry.

During the course of the show, each of the women take you on their journey, the relationships they have endured and the strength and resilience they gain from the friendships they forge with each other, despite the differences in age or social status. There are four male roles, all played by one token guy (Aaron Kingham).

With songs like Can’t fight the Moonlight, Stronger, Girls just wanna have fun, Because of you, Holding out for a hero, Born this way, Warrior, Jesus take the Wheel, Danger Zone, I’m so Excited, This is me, and many more, there is bound to be a song you know and love.

Turning Tables will play over three weekends. Tickets are available from www.parkesmandd.com.au or for purchase at the theatre box office an hour before any show, or on Sundays from 10am to 1pm. If you live out of town, email parkesmandd2870@gmail.com to request tickets be reserved or call 0429 623 829 after 5:30pm. The production is not suited for children under 14 due to adult themes, but for adults, this is just a fantastic outing!