Toby Fliedner (Middleton Public School): I wanted to do something for the school, and I like books and reading.

 

Evelyn Greef (Parkes Public School): I wanted to get used to speak in front of lots of people as I am always a little scared at church to stand up and speak. I also love reading!

 

John-Tian Waters (Parkes East Public School): I hope it will help me to become a better student and to learn something new. I also love reading and books.

Rita Carpenter: I enjoy serving customers and helping them. It is also enjoyable to talk to and joke with customers. I would definitely encourage others to do it. It is easy and enjoyable work with no stress. It is also a good option if you cannot find any other jobs.

 

Christine Curteis: I have been with Vinnies for 30 years and have worked in Parkes and Narromine. I just love it. I’ve made a lot of friends and met all sorts of people from all over the country and even from overseas, especially during the Elvis Festival time. It is a really good place to work.

 

Maree Mulligan: I started working at Vinnies with my mother and sister 25 years ago. I enjoy the company, talking to people and doing the sorting. I’m a jack of all trades around here. It would be wonderful if we can get more volunteers, especially younger people to come and help us out. It does not have to be a lot – one day a week will really make a difference.

Debbie Larkings: I absolutely love it. You meet different people all the time, hear the most fascinating stories and learn a lot of things. It is also very rewarding to help people as they appreciate what you do for them. I’ve been doing it for six years and do a trip twice a week.

 

Laurie Ashcroft: I enjoy helping people as it’s part of my nature, and to contribute to my community. Everyone has a different story and I just love listening to it. Volunteers get a great deal out of doing this work. It is very rewarding as you are helping people. I’ve met so many interesting people and even learned a lot about my own family history. I’ve done 685 trips over my 11 years of volunteering so far.

(If you would like to become a volunteer driver call 6862 2825 or 0407 463 533.)

 

 

Jonah Gould (Year 3): I think it is important because you get to hear about different cultures and their achievements. I like how it is about everyone. My class has been learning about Russia and learning different sayings and greetings.

 

Lillian Faunt (Year 4): Harmony Week is important because you get to know more about different cultures from all around the world. I have learned to say hello and goodbye in German, it is a bit tricky, but fun.

 

Zach Rich (Year 6): Harmony Week is important because it unites all people and celebrates all cultures. It is great to learn from one another about different heritages and cultures. I have enjoyed learning about the different ways and reasons why people have migrated to Australia to make us into this great multicultural nation.

Nicole Worthington: In the current climate of abuse and pay discrimination, it is an important day to remind us that we empower each other and that when we get together, we lift each other up to show we can do it.

 

Keeley Sharpe, Kahlia Logan and Casey Evans:

Kahlia: Women are often overlooked, but we can do everything plus more!
Casey: It is important to teach younger girls that there are no specific roles, like they have to stay indoors and do the cooking and cleaning, and that they can do whatever they want to.
Keeley: Women are just as powerful as men and do not need to stand back.

 

Amy, Ella, Lucy and Claire Butler:

Amy: I like to celebrate the strong women in my family heritage and as I’m currently doing my bit in raising the next generation, a free coffee never goes astray (thank you Parkes Shire Council). Ella: It’s good to recognise the contribution women have made in the past, and will do in the future, whether they have done great things such as changing the cleanliness in hospitals or made scientific discoveries, to the humble mothers and women in the workforce who make our world a better place.
Claire: It’s important to remember that everyone is equal and it doesn’t matter where they’re at in life, they’re all humans – and some of those humans are women.
Lucy: Women and men are both part of life but women do a lot of hard work so that’s a reason to celebrate.

Frankie and Marion Johnston: It’s fantastic! You never know what you might find, and you can find everything you will never find anywhere else. It’s an eye opener for my grandson, who likes Mad Max and any army stuff. And when you don’t like it, you can always give it back to CanAssist.

 

Leon Dolan: The massive variety and good bar-gains, and I like all the old tech stuff.

 

Chris Symonds: It is like a treasure hunt – you never know what you’re going to find.

 

Ray Unger: It’s a good way of giving accolades to women who would not otherwise get recognition. People do a lot of work behind the scenes, and often the community does not know about it. This program helps to highlight how important volunteers are and that communities would not function without them.

Wendy Morris: It is a fantastic program. I’ve supported it for many years and have nominated several women. These women display loyalty to their families and communities to ensure the best for them. I really admire such loyalty. It is also good to see women acknowledged, that is why the words ‘hidden treasure’ is so applicable. I would really encourage people to nominate women. They keep our communities together and ensure services are provided equitably.

Pam Bell: It is an excellent way to recognise people who are the backbone of our community. People never look for recognition, but it is important to let the community know who holds them together. These women often don’t realise how much they do.

Peter Heath from Eugowra: It was wet, but very good! I was really looking forward to it, as I’ve done other parkruns around the Central West and in Melbourne. It is a challenging course, and might need some work in places, but it was very well organised. Congratulations to the organisers!

 

Emma Zammit and Amanda Hardie from the Blue Mountains: It is a great course and the people so friendly! The volunteers were just amazing. We’ve done all the parkruns in NSW, except the three other parkruns that also launched today. (Amanda’s mum lives in Orange and they decided to pick Parkes first of the new parkruns.)

 

Zarna Gould from Parkes: Even with the pouring rain, it was lots of fun. The volunteers did a great job!

 

Oliver Lord: How to use computers.
Ali Davis: How to draw a star and a ballerina.

 

John McConnell: How to draw a lizard and a snake.
Evie Flynn: I like drawing, but I would also like to learn to read and write.

 

Archie Westcott: I want to learn about letters and writing books.
Stephanie Flemming: We’ve already learned to count to ten and about lady bugs. I want to learn more about numbers.

 

Lorraine Parker and Liesel Walters: Lorraine: It’s inclusive and unites us all. Liesel: It’s long overdue as it unites us and brings us all together.

 

George Pratt: It should be left the way it is. They are trying to change too many things, and there are far more important things in the world to focus on.

 

Marg Applebee: It’s fantastic – anything to promote togetherness and reconciliation. Not that this alone will reconcile us, but it’s a step in the right direction.