Emeline Lavaka – Parkes Young Citizen of the Year

How long have you lived in Parkes and what do you like most about living here?
I’ve lived in Parkes all my life and the things I like most are the close friends and family I’ve made.

What do you do currently and what do you enjoy about it? I work at the Parkes Pool at the moment and I enjoy the team of people I work with a lot.

What is your favourite thing to do when you have free time? I like watching the footy and just hanging out with my friends.

What makes you proud? I was proud when I received my award on Australia Day.

If you could be an animal which one would you choose and why? Something in the sea because the ocean is really cool.

What is your all-time favourite movie, song and/or book, and why? Movie: Remember the Titans and book: Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. I like emotional movies and books (:

Tell us about your best holiday. My favourite holiday was when I went skydiving at the beach in Wollongong.

What is on your bucket list? To see and live somewhere in Europe.

David Brown

How long have you lived in Parkes and what do you like most about living here?
I’ve lived here all my life. I enjoy the community spirit of Parkes and it’s a very good place to bring up kids.

Where do you work or what do you do currently and what do you enjoy about it? I am the owner of Central West Pest
Management and I like being able to help people with their termite problems and set their homes right so that they are safe.

What is your favourite thing to do when you have free time? I like to play golf and water sports and often spend weekends at Wyangala Dam.

What makes you proud? My children. I am very proud of the young adults they have become. They are fabulous people.

If you could be an animal which one would you choose and why? A tiger. They are so majestic and such great providers to their cubs.

What is your all-time favourite movie, song and/or book, and why? The movie Pretty Woman. Richard Gere and Julia Roberts are such a great combination.

Tell us about your best holiday. The Amazon. To see the vast amount of water, fish, caiman (fresh water crocodiles) and pink dolphins were amazing.

What is on your bucket list? Egypt. I would like to see the pyramids and walk through the Valley of the Kings.

How long have you lived in Parkes and what do you like most about living here?
I have lived in Parkes on and off for about 12 years both in town and on a farm. I really like the relaxed country lifestyle.

Where do you work or what do you do currently and what do you enjoy about it? I am a mother and I currently work two days a week teaching at St Laurence’s Parish School in Forbes. I love working with children and seeing them experience success at school.

What do you do in your spare time and on weekends? Most of my spare time is spent with family. We love hanging out on the weekend and spend time helping with farm jobs or just being together.

What are you really good at? I’m not sure that I’m particularly good at it, but I love cooking!

If you could have a superpower what would it be? Time travel.

Tell us about your best holiday. I love travelling so this is a hard question. Visiting Africa, America and Eastern Europe were probably some of my favourite holidays as there are so many different types of landscapes, cities and experiences to enjoy.

Jenny Short

How long have you lived in Parkes and what do you like most about living here? I was born in Parkes, grew up in Trundle, had a few adventures before moving back to Parkes 27 years ago. The air is clean, the community strong and opportunity abounds.

Where do you work or what do you do currently and what do you enjoy about it? I am a casual tourism officer at the Visitor Information Centre. It is honestly the best job I have ever had! So many people, so many stories. I just LOVE it!

What do you do in your spare time and on weekends? Nothing beats a cup of tea (or glass of bubbles depending on the time of day), a sunny spot in the garden and a good book.

What are you really good at? Making fruitcakes and offering ‘suggestions’ to my significant other on how he could be spending his ‘spare’ time…

If you could have a superpower what would it be? To create the world John Lennon was thinking of when he wrote ‘Imagine’.

What is your pet hate? Made up words. Lazy speech. Poor grammar. I could go on, how long do you have?

Tell us about your best holiday. Paris – always Paris. Oh, and the west coast of Ireland – gobsmackingly beautiful!

Rob Ehsman

How long have you lived in Parkes and what do you like most about living here? I have lived in Parkes for 10 years. I love the close proximity from home to my workplace, the lack of traffic, the tight knit community spirit, and the extra freedom we are able to allow our kids.

Where do you work or what do you do currently and what do you enjoy about it? I am a small business owner/operator of three separate businesses in signage, solar lighting and jumping castles in the Parkes and Forbes regions. After 26 years I still enjoy the creative side of signage; I enjoy the new technology and innovation that the solar lighting business brings and I
enjoy the different challenges that all three demand.

What do you do in your spare time and on weekends? When I have time, I like to watch my kids doing sport, and as a family we ride motorbikes and waterski. I also love lying on the lounge watching TV and not be disturbed, all that with a few beers in between.

What are you really good at? Lying on the lounge watching TV and not being disturbed.

If you could have a superpower what would it be? Flying would be pretty cool, so yes give me Superman’s powers.

What is your pet hate? People who don’t listen, or use their brain.

Tell us about your best holiday. Earlier this year in Bali when my beautiful partner and I celebrated our 12th anniversary with family and friends. We spent the last few days just with our four kids taking it easy.