How long have you lived in Parkes and what do you like most about living here? I moved from Dubbo in 1976 soon after finishing year 12 so that is about 44 years. I like the laid back lifestyle and the ability to readily partake in activities that I enjoy.

Where do you work or what do you do currently and what do you enjoy about it? I retired after 42 years on the railway as a train driver. Retirement has turned out to be the best job I’ve ever had as it has allowed me even more time to do those things I enjoy and more time with the family, something that driving trains always made difficult.

What is your favourite thing to do when you have free time? I enjoy a range of activities including bushwalking and bird watching with my friends in the National Parks Association as well as cycling and swimming for fitness. Riding my motorcycle with family and friends is my favourite.

What makes you proud? My wife, Maureen who is simply amazing and both my children who have grown up to be wonderful human beings with a great attitude to life and each with a beautiful family.

If you could be an animal which one would you choose, and why? An Eagle. To be able to soar on the wind far above the earth, though I suppose having to eat raw rabbit may not be so great.

What is your all-time favourite movie, song and/or book, and why? My favourite movie – Jurassic Park as ever since I was little, I had a fascination for dinosaurs and to see species recreated reasonably faithfully by CGI was a buzz.

Tell us about your best holiday. My wife and I spent five months last year travelling the ‘half lap’ (SA, NT and WA) in a caravan. It was a steep learning curve but the freedom it allowed us was fantastic. We can’t wait to head off again.

What is on your bucket list? In the immediate future, visit the Queensland Gulf Country for a few months.

How long have you lived in Parkes and what do you like most about living here? I have lived in Parkes all of my life, my dad was also born here. I love being part of our community.

Where do you work or what do you do currently and what do you enjoy about it? I am the Executive Officer at Neighbourhood Central. I started this role in January and am enjoying the variety that the role brings.

What is your favourite thing to do when you have free time? With seven children and one grandchild, I don’t have a lot of free time, but I do enjoy cooking and spending time with my family.

What makes you proud? My children, I cherish the relationships that I have with each of them.

If you could be an animal which one would you choose, and why? A dog, as long as it could be at our house, the three we have here rule the roost!

What is your all-time favourite movie, song and/or book, and why? All time favourite song is I Will Always Love You by Whitney Houston.

Tell us about your best holiday. I’ve been really lucky to have some amazing holidays, one of my recent favourites was to Darwin where we got to swim with crocodiles.

What is on your bucket list? One of the places on my list would be New Zealand.

How long have you lived in Parkes and what do you like most about living here? Just over four years. I really appreciate Parkes’ progressive Council made up of politically independent councillors. I also enjoy the size and familiarity of the town.

Where do you work or what do you do currently and what do you enjoy about it? I am the Infrastructure Technical Manager at Parkes Shire Council, which means I guide the technical, compliance and sustainability aspects of our water servicing and projects. I think I must have a higher percentage of water in my blood than most as I just really like all things water. And thanks again to our forward thinking Council, I have been fortunate to help deliver our innovative Recycled Water Scheme.

What is your favourite thing to do when you have free time? Go swimming with my kids.

What makes you proud? My kids make me proud every day. So does doing work that supports the community but also protects and sustains the environment.

If you could be an animal which one would you choose, and why? Magpie – to be able to fly and sing to communicate.

What is your all-time favourite movie, song and/or book, and why? ‘Captain Correlli’s Mandolin’ is a beautiful crafted story set in WWII that absolutely took my breath away. ‘Look Both Ways’ is a wonderful Australian film with enormous heart. Machine Translation’s song ‘Sit in the Sun’ is a wistful delight.

Tell us about your best holiday. Two weeks enjoying the culture, snorkelling and resort food in Vanuatu with my family.

What is on your bucket list? Play drums in an experimental rock band (again), visit Sri Lanka, take a dedicated surf holiday.

How long have you lived in Parkes and what do you like most about living here? I have lived in Parkes for the majority of my life with a couple of stints away in Canberra (university) and Sydney. I love the people of Parkes and the lifestyle living in a small country town offers me.

Where do you work or what do you do currently and what do you enjoy about it? I work at the Catholic Education Office in Forbes as an Education Specialist. I love travelling around to the schools in our Diocese and working with principals and teachers.

What is your favourite thing to do when you have free time? I love playing hockey, taking my two border terriers to dog agility and travelling.

What makes you proud? Seeing children I have been associated with achieve their goals

If you could be an animal which one would you choose, and why? Probably one of my dogs as they have a pretty awe- some lifestyle 🙂

What is your all-time favourite movie, song and/or book, and why? Bohemian Rhapsody (both the movie and the song). I’m a big Queen fan.

Tell us about your best holiday. I am fortunate to have had many fantastic holidays: five weeks in Greece and Italy was incredible but fishing in our boat in Forster is fabulous too!

What is on your bucket list? I would love to travel to see the Northern Lights.

How old are you? 14 years old.

How long have you lived in or around Parkes, and what do you like about living here? I was born here moved away for six years and have been back for five years.

Where do you go to school and what year are you in? I’m at Red Bend Catholic College in Year 9.

What is your favourite after school activity? Playing sport and chilling with friends.

What is your favourite food and movie? Steak, and I like Marvel movies at the moment.

What music do you listen to? All types of music.

What do you want to do when you grow up? A vet or to be a good athlete.

If you could have a super power what would it be? The ability to take people’s powers.

Tell us an interesting fact about yourself. I like living on a farm and enjoy loving my horse.

How old are you? 13

How long have you lived in or around Parkes, and what do you like about living here? I have lived in Parkes for nine years. I like going to school and my friends at swimming club.

Where do you go to school and what year are you in? I go to Parkes High School and I’m in Year 8.

What is your favourite after school activity? Eating.

What is your favourite food and movie? Pasta of any sort, and my favourite movies are Titanic and 1917.

What music do you listen to? Michael Jackson.

What do you want to do when you grow up? I want to collect cars.

If you could have a super power what would it be? Super-sonic speed

Tell us an interesting fact about your-self. I like to learn everything I can about the Titanic.

How long have you lived in Parkes and what do you like most about living here? My family and I moved to Parkes in 1992. What I love about Parkes is that while it has grown in size it still maintains its small town feel.

Where do you work or what do you do currently and what do you enjoy about it? I run The Little Art Company, teaching art to both children and adults in Parkes since 2012. I am one of the lucky ones to be fortunate enough to do what I love.

What is your favourite thing to do when you have free time? My favourite thing to do in my free time is go bushwalking. Fresh air, animals, nature, what more could you want?

What makes you proud? My proudest moments are when my students are proud of their art achievements.

If you could be an animal which one would you choose, and why? I love all animals, and if I had a choice, I’d like to try a different animal every day.

What is your all-time favourite movie, song and/or book, and why? My favourite movie is Forrest Gump, life really is like a box of chocolates, I never know what I’m going to get each day. My favourite song is Make the world go Round by Dj Cassidy.

Tell us about your best holiday. My best holiday was backpacking around Europe on an art adventure, seeing the Sistine Chapel, Mona Lisa and all the art from the masters.

How old are you? Nine years old.

How long have you lived in or around Parkes, and what do you like about living here? I was born in Parkes.

Where do you go to school and what year are you in? I go to Parkes East Public School and am in Year 5. My teacher is Mrs Robinson.

What is your favourite after school activity? Playing sport – I play squash, soccer, hockey, cricket and touch footy.

What is your favourite food and movie? My favourite food is anything caramel – ice cream, cheesecake, milkshakes, cookies. My favourite movie is Spiderman.

What music do you listen to? My favourite songs are ‘I’m Blue’ and ‘Dance Monkey’, but I like any music.

What do you want to do when you grow up? I really want to be a professional squash player and play at the Commonwealth Games in singles and doubles. I would love to play squash in Egypt, because they have a court made all out of glass in front of the pyramids.

If you could have a super power what would it be? I would like to be able to go through walls and be invisible. I would be able to play the best pranks with these powers!

Tell us an interesting fact about yourself. I love squash. I am Number 1 in NSW for Under 11 boys and Number 3 in Australia. In 2020, I want to win my third NSW State title (for a hattrick) and win an Australian title, and make the NSW Under 13 boys team.