What do you think Santa is going to bring for you this Christmas?
Lily Jarvis (4) and Rhyan Gibson (5):
Lily – I want a skateboard with wheels.
Rhyan – A blue car.
Bea Tomson (4) and Jai Byrne (5):
Bea – I would like special chocolate.
Jai – A transformer, and some chocolate.
Olivia Doering (2) and Riley Todd (3):
Olivia – A baby doll and pram.
Riley – I want presents… a bike.
Maureen Massey
How long have you lived in Parkes and why do you like living here? Close to fifty years. As a child my family moved around a lot but, Parkes kept drawing us back. It is a great, friendly country community where we raised our children. I still like living here because two of our three daughters live here with their young families and as a Nan it is extremely important to me to have family as close as possible.
Where do you work and what do you enjoy about your work? I have been a Learning Support Teacher at Parkes East Public School for many years and teach children reading skills. It gives me great satisfaction to see children improve their skills and begin to master the art of reading.
What do you do to unwind after work or on weekends? Tile mosaics and photography are activities I enjoy, but as I still play hockey at a representative level, I spend time training throughout the week before or after school.
What are you really good at? I am passionate about hockey and have been very fortunate to represent both NSW and Australia in Women’s Masters Hockey over the last eight years as a goalkeeper. This is after I had retired from the game for seven years. I am extremely grateful for the opportunities given to me with hockey, and my achievements have given me an enormous amount of personal satisfaction.
Tell us about your best holiday ever. For many years our family holidays were very precious, but my most exciting holiday was when I was selected in the Australian over 60s team for the Master’s Hockey World Cup in Rotterdam, Netherlands in 2014. After winning the World Cup in our age division, my husband and I travelled in the
Netherlands, Switzerland, France, Germany, England and Abu Dhabi. This was an unreal and overwhelming experience as it was a dream come true to travel overseas.
Bill Jayet
How long have you lived in Parkes and why do you like living here? I arrived in Parkes in 1978 after eight years working in Sydney – I was born and raised in Forbes. I like the friendly country lifestyle. In fact we should have emblazoned on our number plates ‘’Parkes, The Friendliest Town In Australia’’.
Where do you work and what do you enjoy about your work? I retired as senior journalist with the Parkes Champion Post at the end of June 2016 after 36 years with the paper. As an elected Councillor, life has never been busier and I’m really enjoying being part of a progressive and cohesive Council.
What do you do to unwind after work or on weekends? If I’m not in the garden, I’m off with Lindy and close friends for a couple of days of relaxation, dining, wining, dining, dining and doing touristy things. Oh! Did I mention dining?
What are you really good at? I’m terrific at eating too much bread…ok, desserts too!
If you could have a super power what would it be? To morph into Superman and fly… after all I was often referred to as Jimmy Olson during my years at the Champion Post!
What is your pet hate? Tripe in any form – no matter the garnish!
Tell us about your best holiday ever? My favourite was a three week trip to Western Australia. We journeyed with with four close friends from Albany to Freemantle staying along the way at beautiful locations, eating great food where we would all order something different to share so none of us would end up with food envy!
What role do you think the Craft Corner plays in the community?
Joy Martin: It is wonderful as the members can sell what they make, and we have very talented people in Parkes making beautiful items. I have been a member for 26 years and have met so many people when working in the shop. It is also very beneficial to visitors who can find lovely home made items to buy as presents.
Dan Fredericks: It highlights the creativity in our shire, adds colour to the CBD with local, home made items unique to us, which has turned it into a major tourist destination. It also serves a social and therapeutic purpose for its members who stay busy with their craft work, which is good for mental health.
Marilyn Wise: It is excellent as it gives us somewhere to take our craft items and it adds to the community spirit. I do not want to keep all the bags and rugs I make, so it is nice to have the outlet to take it to.
Pam Symonds
How long have you lived in Parkes and why do you like living here? I have lived in Parkes for over 30 years and enjoy being part of this community. It is a great place to live and raise your family as it offers a safe and friendly environment and has all the services and resources you need.
Where do you work and what do you enjoy about your work? I have worked for Neighbourhood Central for over 20 years and in the role as Executive Officer for 11 years. I love being part of a team who all have a shared interest in supporting members of the community in providing a range of services.
What do you do to unwind after work or on weekends? I enjoy taking time to catch up with family members and friends and I often travel out of town to meet up with our daughters and their partners.
If you could have a super power what would it be? It would be wonderful to be able to fly and feel free like a bird.
What is your pet hate? I cannot tolerate it when items are not put back in their original place and when people do not clean up after themselves. I also cannot stand clutter
Margaret Dwyer: It is beautiful and whimsical and has so much character. It is not a place to get old in, but a place to enjoy growing old. It is just wonderful.
Joyce Waide: Everything is beautiful, everything new is beautiful. I just have to get used to my new room after the move.
Betty McAnalen: It’s the best place anyone can ever be! The staff are so friendly, I love the activities and we have a beautiful coffee shop. You would not find anything better in NSW.
Kevin Hartmann
How long have you lived in Parkes and why do you like living here? Only for 15 years – I am still only a visitor… I like living in country towns, especially western towns and was lucky to get a transfer here with my job.
Where do you work and what do you enjoy about your work? I am retired from the RTA, and have been volunteering for Meals on Wheels for about 10 years. It feels good to do something for somebody and I enjoy meeting with clients, having a yarn and to see how they are doing.
What do you do to unwind after work or on weekends? These days I spend a fair bit of time on the computer doing research or working on projects. Whenever I hear or see something on the radio or TV that interests me, I look it up online.
If you could have a super power what would it be? I can’t think of a specific superpower, but I would like to see more peace in the world and that people would get on with each other no matter their race or creed.
What is your pet hate? I can’t stand prejudice. I just can’t handle it when people don’t get along with everyone else. I think the postal marriage survey was a waste of money – they should have just done it.
Tell us about your best holiday ever? Before I retired, I started going on coach tours and saw a fair bit of Australia, but my favourite trip was down the 1,850km Canning Stock Route right through the middle of Western Australia. It was rugged, extremely interesting and for 18 days we did not come near a hotel or motel. We pitched our tents every night to camp.
What do you think of the Yes result of the postal marriage survey?
Ann Reginato: I am very pleased, super dooper happy, absolutely over the moon. This result means so much to my son.
Luke Rosser: I think it is a good result for everyone as people can now do what they would like to do. I am very happy for the people I know who will benefit from this decision.
Helen Huntley: I am very happy as I have family members who wanted this.
What is at the top of your bucket list?
Rod Smith: A holiday in the Top End and the Bungle Bungle Range in Western Australia – there’s nowhere else like it in the world.
Shannon Wright with 10-week-old Pippa: I would love to visit Disneyland, firstly for myself as I am a big Disney fan (I even have Disney tattoos on my arm), but also for my kids. I would love to experience the whole atmosphere of Disneyland).
Amie Nelson: I want to swim with dolphins, especially bottlenose dolphins. The best place to do it is probably at Sea World.
Caitlin Hasse
How long have you lived in Parkes and why do you like living here? I’ve only lived in Parkes since April, though I have been working here for the past 18 months. I love the close-knit community, and how everyone is so welcoming.
Where do you work and what do you enjoy about your work? I’m the Retail Manager of Parkes Pharmacy and just enjoy all the fun we have as staff and with our customers. I also love getting as involved in the Parkes community as I possibly can.
What do you do to unwind after work or on weekends? Catch up with friends and have a beer… or a few.
What are you really good at? I’m quite creative. I make jewellery, cards (Xmas, birthday, etc), create wine/liquor bottle labels, burn pictures into timber, sew costumes and almost anything else people ask me to make (Facebook@handmadebycaitlin).
If you could have a superpower, what would it be? I would like the ability to morph into anything.
What is your pet hate? One thing that drives me batty is unorganised people that wait untill the last minute to do things.
Tell us about your best holiday ever. Holiday? What’s that? Haven’t had a real great holiday thus far but am heading to New Zealand next year to celebrate my 30th so I’m hoping that’ll be the one to beat.