Cunningham’s IGA in Parkes celebrated its 50th anniversary this week. We asked customers: Why do you like shopping at IGA?
Dick Berry: I have been coming here for about 45 years. It is very convenient, not too many aisles and very nice people. It is easy to do your shopping in a hurry.
Ian Wade-Parker: I started shopping here last November and enjoy the friendly service and smiling faces. I’d rather support a local business than shopping at one of the multi-nationals.
Peter Wilkinson
How long have you lived in Parkes and what do you like about living here? Four weeks only. As a country boy from New Zealand, I love country life. The people in Parkes are very friendly and helpful. The town has a nice atmosphere.
Where do you work and what do you enjoy about your work? I have just started as the new chef at the Station Motel restaurant. I have been cooking since I was 17 and I just love it. It is in my blood – my mother’s side of the family is Italian and
she taught me to cook. It is my passion.
What do you do to unwind after work or on weekends? I work six days per week, so when I get home I just like to put me feet up, have a beer and watch a movie. I enjoy science fiction and nostalgic movies, Casablanca is my number one. I also enjoy going for walks and chatting to people.
What are you really good at? I think I am really good at my job. I also understand people as I am a good listener.
If you could have a super power, what would it be? Time travelling to go back and fix small mistakes – not necessarily my mistakes, but I hate seeing people getting hurt.
What is your pet hate? When I work closely with people and I see they are not doing their best. People should be the best they can be. I am also a perfectionist and hate making mistakes.
Tell us about your best holiday ever. Thailand – when I was married the first time we went to Hua Hin, south of Bangkok, for our honeymoon. It is a picture perfect place, and the Thai food is just exquisite.
Parkes Christian School held its second creative showcase on Monday.
Why do you think this evening is important or the school and students?
Isaac Westcott: Napoleon – hero or tyrant? – It gives us an opportunity to tell people about our research and our views. It also tests our knowledge on the subject.
Emma Greenland: Significant Women (authors) – It is a great night and a fun way to showcase our school, to meet new people and an opportunity to reach into the community.
Ethan Peters: Pirates – It is a good night to help the school grow, to show the community what we are about and it is a confidence booster for the students to be able to present our research to a wider audience.
Denise Gersbach
How long have you lived in Parkes and what do you like about living here? I have lived in Parkes for the majority of my life except for when I attended university in Canberra for four years and a short two and a half year stint in Sydney.
Where do you work and what do you enjoy about your work? I am the principal of Holy Family School. I love working at this great school. It is a wonderful community with great students, staff and parents. I am very fortunate to see children doing amazing things on a daily basis.
What do you do to unwind after work or on weekends? Hockey is a passion of mine and I enjoy training and playing games with my team-mates. It is a great way to unwind. I also love doing dog agility with my two border terriers, Vesper and Pinky. It is quite challenging and is a new hobby that I have begun in the past two years.
What are you really good at? Organising things! I like to see things done well. I like to plan and be well organised for things well in advance.
If you could have a super power, what would it be? To fly.
What is your pet hate? I hate anyone being cruel to animals.
Tell us about your best holiday ever. A five week trip to Italy and Greece last year was amazing.
Sunday was National Tree Planting Day. Why did you decide to come and plant trees today?
Anna Woodlands, Isobell Moss, Charlie Moss and Annette Moss: Isobell: Trees and plants give us oxygen. Anna: I come every year with my dad. I like planting trees.
Why do you love playing hockey?
Zac Redfern: It’s really good exercise and you develop skills. It’s also fun and you meet new friends. I’ve been playing for five years.
Ella Milton: I love it because you get to make friends. It’s good to get fit and have fun. I’ve been playing hockey for five years.
Jayden Redfern: I love playing hockey because you get to play with your friends. I started hockey when I was four years old, and I play midfield.
Ian Wade-Parker
How long have you lived in Parkes and what do you like about living here? My wife and I arrived in Parkes in November last year. After 21 years on the Gold Coast, the most pleasing aspect of living in Parkes is less road traffic and no traffic lights.
Where do you work and what do you enjoy about your work? My wife, Karyn, and I are the managers of the Station Motel. We are fortunate to meet and chat with many people who are travelling through Parkes or are regular visitors.
What do you do to unwind after work or on weekends? We work an eight week roster which means we are on call 24/7 during this time. I do enjoy getting out into the gardens at the Station, which my gardener Kevin and I are slowly redesigning.
What are you really good at? Problem solving would be one of my greatest attributes. In my 40 years of working in the Hospitality Industry you have to think fast on your feet when issues arise.
If you could have a super power, what would it be? I have a really bad memory for names and faces so I would love to have the mind power to solve this.
What is your pet hate? Smoking, really hate to see cigarette butts on the ground and not placed in bins.
Tell us about your best holiday ever. We had a four week gourmet tour of Japan, which included dining in some fantastic restaurants and a visit to the Tokyo Fish Market. The food we were served was incredible and everywhere we went we were treated like royalty.
Tricia Trim
How long have you lived in Parkes? I grew up in Parkes, but after finishing school here I moved to Sydney where I met my husband. We then moved back to Parkes with our children and have been here now for 14 years.
Where do you work and what do you enjoy about your work? I work at the Parkes Radio Telescope Visitor’s Centre as the Visitor Centre Coordinator. I have worked there for 14 years and the best part of my role is I get to meet so many visitors who are amazed at seeing our beautiful “Dish”. The best part of my job is the staff I work with.
What are you really good at? Talking. I love to talk to people and enjoy hearing about how everyone is.
If you could have a superpower what would it be? To clean my house super quick so I alway have a nice, clean home and then get to spend more time with my family and friends.
What is your pet hate? Being disorganised. I hate it when things are all muddled up.
Tell us about your best holiday ever. All of them!!! I love holidays with my husband and 3 children. A few of my best holidays have been going to my husband’s parents home in Tuross Heads when my kids were little we used to go there in January with some special friends and I have lovely memories of all those times together.
What do you love about astronomy?
Bernadette Aiken: I really like seeing deep sky objects through the telescope. The Jewel Box is my favourite thing to look at, it’s really colourful and looks just like a box of jewels.
Gillian Hunt: I like hearing about the different probes. Juno is orbiting Jupiter, and you can choose what you want it to observe. The public can tell NASA what they want to see – it’s really user-based. Saturn is my favourite thing to look at, when you get a good enough telescope you can see a gap between the two rings.
Peter Cannon: There’s always something more to find, there’s always another target. I think my personal favourite thing to observe is the moon. It’s the thing you can spend the most time on, there’s so much detail, it changes every night, and it’s so easy to find.
Scott ‘Sauce’ Towney
How long have you lived in the Parkes shire and what do you like about living here?
I was born in Peak Hill and lived here all my life. You get to know everyone, it’s friendly, a typical country environment. There’s also lot of family around, and that’s what makes a place special, family and friendly people.
Where do you work and what do you enjoy about your work?
I’m a working artist; I get a lot of commissioned jobs. Firstly, it’s a passion, and the money comes later. They say that if you work doing something you love, you never work a day in your life. I just love it, it’s a part of me.
What do you do to unwind after work or on weekends?
I like to sit back, have a barbeque, or take the grandkids to the river. I really like to have the grandkids around, they’re a bit hectic but they seem to relax me.
What are you really good at?
I’m good at art, obviously, but I also love music. I would have to say singing, playing a bit of guitar – that’s another passion of mine. I like to play Country and Western, and Blues styles.
If you could have a super power, what would it be?
Invisibility – you can stay out of a lot of mischief that way. And if you do get in trouble you can just disappear real quick.
What is your pet hate?
Loud people in small areas, that can be irritating. That’s where the river comes in handy.
Tell us about your best holiday ever.
It would have to be a working holiday. I did a couple of trips to the Philippines – as part of a cross-cultural artists program. It was an eye-opening experience, to learn other cultures and see the way they lived. It was work, but we all had a really good time and made lifelong friends.