Kelsey (9) and Alana (12) Finnegan:
Alana: I entered previously and won a prize. I also like to re-use items. It is a lot of fun deciding what to use. I looked around my room for inspiration and saw my piggy bank and decided to make one using old drink cans and tins.
Kelsey: I was inspired by Alana to enter. I like doing art, and as we do a lot of recycling at home, it was easy to do it.

 

Amarni Reidy (9): I wanted to do it to see what it’s like as I enjoy making art. I was inspired by a book I read about rainbows, water and nature. I saw a rainbow on the front cover and started making one, and then continued making other things found in nature and the garden.

Alexander Priest: Oscar Hendry is my best friend and I want to help him to save the world’s future.

 

Clayton Wing Yip, Elizabeth Drewes, Vienna Farrell, Marty Davis and Arial Johnson: We are concerned about climate change, and it is great to have this event in Parkes. We wanted to participate to help raise awareness. It was empowering to be here today as we now know how we can get involved and help. It also created a better sense of community and it was great to see the Mayor and some Councillors also care about the environment.

 

Jeanette Lane and Julie Layton: Julie: I absolutely believe we have to do something. It is important to invest in our collective voice for change. Jeanette: We need to stop the investments in gas fired plants. It was also great for kids to see other kids take action.

Bob Strickland: Doing something useful that helps other people, and meeting lots of people. We have great team spirit helping each other with all jobs.

 

Anthony Burke: Giving something back to the community and helping raise funds for CanAssist.

 

John Francis Kelly (JFK): My wife had cancer and CanAssist was really good to her, so I wanted to pay back a little and decided to volunteer.

Linda Snyman: It was amazing – so much talent! The storyline was great with comedy, drama, romance all rolled into one performance. The costumes were fabulous – it was an all round excellent night out.

Janice Cassidy: I loved it! I love amateur theatre (it is where I met my husband!), and we have really good talent here. It is so great that we have a theatre and society where the talent can be shown. The costumes, lighting, stage production and music of Wicked were all excellent. The cast all did really well. The whole production, including all the behind-the-scenes work, was all brought together so well.
I also enjoyed going out in a group again and seeing the joy and happiness on people’s faces. We are very lucky to have the M & D in Parkes and the quality of it and all the people who volunteer their time to put shows on.

Tyler McPhee (4) and Charli-Kate Berry (4):
Tyler: My mum plays with me and my dog Lexi.
Charli-Kate: My mum paints with me, makes me dinner and gives me ice cream.

 

Macey Gaidzionis (4) and Liyana Basnayake (3):
Macey: I love my mum because she makes me breakfast.
Liyana: My mum plays Barbie dolls with me.

 

Max Francis (4) and Elijah Hearn (5):
Max: I love my mum because she gives me cuddles.
Elijah: My mum tucks me into bed every night and she makes me breakfast.

Annette Witherow: My painting is called Resilience and I loved experimenting with the colours and doing a different background.

 

Kim Chambers: I like my ‘Gum Trees’ painting, which are of some trees I saw outside Lithgow.

 

Margaret Lewis: My painting is entitled Little Bay Sea Scape. I used to go swimming here all the time when I studied in Sydney to become a nurse many years ago.

Youth Week celebrations have been ongoing all week in Parkes with a varied program on offer to young people in the Shire. Events remaining include Backstage @ Wicked tonight and a Games Day tomorrow at the Parkes Library Makerspace. The banner making workshop last Saturday saw nine participants get creative with spray paint.

 

 

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.)