Kasey Morgan and Patrick McPherson – Parkes East Public School Captains:

Patrick: It meant a lot to me having the opportunity to talk about people who came before us and did a lot for our country.

Kasey: It was an opportunity to honour the people who fought for our country.

 

Charlie Denham-Jones and Amanda Lowe – Parkes High School Captains:

Charlie: It was an honour to talk on behalf of the modern youth and to address what we’ve learned at school and tell the veterans that we are in awe of their medals.

Amanda: It was a great opportunity to speak and to see the whole of Parkes join together again after a long period of isolation. I felt very honoured to have shared the platform with Major General Paul Stevens, AO (retired).

Lyn and Peter Davis with Wagz from Tamworth: We are back for our 18th festival. We just love it. We’ve made friends over the years and we all meet up here. The atmosphere, our music, our generation and everyone here is enjoying themselves.

 

Sharlene and Ian Subbi from the South Coast: It is our 10th festival as we are big Elvis fans. We had his songs play at our wedding and we renewed our vows in 2019. The atmosphere is very enjoyable, and Sharlene will be celebrating her 70th birthday on Thursday!

 

Doug and Norma Cornwall from Yarra Junction, Victoria: We are back for our second festival and we love all aspects of the festival, especially the courtesy bus, and having good meals every day. We are also meeting up with friends here that we’ve met on the road from all over.

Wilbur Harris with Sarah Harris: It’s great! We’ve mainly come to see our daughter in the choir. We hope this will draw more acts like this to Parkes in future.

 

Chloe MacRae and Kristy Lamond: It is just great. So good for people to see something professional and to have the children be part of it. The atmosphere is very relaxed and it’s all looking really nice.

 

Ellie O’Donoghue with Jim: It is an awesome setup and a great asset for Parkes. We can’t wait to see what other shows will be on in Parkes. Having our daughter in the choir tonight is a bonus.

Robert Tinker: It is good to get the elderly and less mobile out of their homes to enjoy some company, meet people and having a chat. As a pilot it is a good opportunity for me to help and do my share of community volunteering (after being in the fire brigade for 44 years), whilst getting some fresh air and exercise.

 

Angela Wang: I only arrived in Parkes in July last year and was looking to do some volunteering. It is really good to give people the opportunity to do something that makes them happy, and that makes me happy as well. I would love to see more people come and join in.

 

Stephan Klein: It is for all ages, particularly those who miss out on outside activities. It is great to help them connect with the outside environment and other people. I worked in nursing homes and visit nursing homes and people who are isolated. The trishaw rides are so important for their wellbeing.

Benji Redfern (Year 7): I ride my bike everywhere and catch the bus to school. I will encourage others to start using their bikes more often.

Kaitlyn Neems (Year 12): I have my P plates and teenagers like driving around a lot. I think we can do less of that and start doing jobs together to save on costs. We should also look at taking the shortest route to go somewhere and start walking or riding bikes more.

Lexi Paradowski (Year 5): It is kind of hard for me as we live a bit out of town, which makes it hard to cycle or walk anywhere. Dad is very lucky to get his fuel for free from work.

Ebony Bland, Oscar Hendry and Isabella Tencate:

Ebony: If you like music it would be a great night to come and enjoy it.

Oscar: To come and enjoy the music, and to support the music community after COVID.

Isabella: It will be good to come and see the concert as there will be lots of people with talent and they will be putting it on show, and it will be good to listen to.

 

Louise Moore, Kerrie Peden and Sherree Rosser:

Louise: The repertoire has something for everyone, it is definitely not just opera music! It includes some of the most famous and popular songs of musical theatre and more.

Kerrie: It will be one of the most amazing shows in Parkes ever with professional soloists and a massed choir and orchestra including children and adults from Parkes and all over the Central West.

Sherree: You will definitely be tapping your feet and go away feeling exhilarated. There will be enough opportunity to sing along, especially with the special encore song of a popular pop artist.

Subakthi Fernando: (Subakthi is from Sri Lanka. She first arrived in Australia in 2016, and is a doctor.) It’s a great privilege to be part of the community. I’m so happy as we’ve started a new life here and our two daughters were born here. It is just wonderful and we are so blessed.

Suliana Naqau: (Suliana is from Fiji and first arrived in Australia in 2009. She teaches at the Parkes Christian School.) It means a lot. It has been our aim since we first arrived in Australia in 2009. We’ve been looking forward to this day ever since, as we love this country and its people.

Ratri Dey, Atanu Paul with Jeeshnu Paul (22 months): Ratri and Atanu are from Bangladesh and first arrived in Australia in 2016. Atanu is a doctor at Currajong Street Medical Centre.) Today is a day of excitement mixed with joy as this is the final conclusion of our journey that started in 2014. We can now commit to making more of a contribution to the community and making a difference as responsible and accountable citizens.

Emmanuel Cooper holding Chloe and Fortunate: (Emmanuel is from Liberia and works as a civil construction operator.) It’s overwhelming, and a long-awaited event as I’ve been here since 2010. It’s giving me new hope in life, and I can travel around without worrying about visas. I’m so lucky to have so many good people around me.

Theozeus Melosantos, Cristina Espinitu, Mariah Melosantos, Alfonso Melosantos: (Cristina is from the Philippines, and is an administration officer. Her daughter Mariah is a full-time student at TAFE and works as a carer, and her sons Theozeus and Alfonso are at Parkes High School.) It is a privilege with lots of benefits that will lead to better opportunities and a better future. We moved to Parkes in 2019 from Adelaide to be with family, and we love it here.

Allan Wright: It is the change of season and transition period. I enjoy the changing colours and leaves falling and that the weather is not as extreme.

 

Colleen Mitchell: My wedding day this year on 25th November will be very special as we are celebrating our 50th anniversary after getting married in 1972.

 

Sylvia Glendenning: The 11th of January has turned out to be an important date in my life as all sorts of things have happened on this date. I got my driver’s licence, and I went overseas to name but two events.

 

Adrianne Brown: I like the number 33 as it is the new address of the CanAssist shop in Court Street, and we’ve been very lucky to find this venue. It has been such a good move and the shop is doing fantastic.

Abby Blair with Elsie Pritchard (11 months): I like the supportive community, and would love to see a waterpark and indoor play area.

Hannah Hawker with Joseph (6 months) and Alfie (2): I like all the parks with play areas, and the kids’ area at the pool is great. The CUC is a fantastic addition to Parkes. I’d love a big, indoor play area in town.

Simran Villella: I like the sense of community, the accessibility to so many amazing things and the lack of traffic. I would like to see some more resources going into early education for young children and more structured activities for kids aged 0 – 5.