Parkes High School students building the herb gardens.

Gardening has been unofficially added to the curriculum at Parkes High School’s special education unit, where three new herb gardens mark the beginning of a 12-month edible garden project.

Students are working with the Bunnings store in Forbes to build the edible garden, which will include six raised garden beds for herbs and bush tucker, plus a mini or­chard containing six different fruit trees.

Bunnings is donating the materials, plants, potting mix and the time of its team members to build the garden at the school.

The store is also donating a cantilever umbrella to provide shelter in the garden and native plants and paint to refresh the school’s yarning circle.

The first three herb gardens were built in late November, with five students rolling up their sleeves to help.

“Some of these boys had never assisted in the garden before, they’d normally rather be inside gaming,” said Bunnings Forbes Activity Organiser George Barnes.

“But they jumped at the opportunity to get their hands dirty and get involved in build­ing the herb gardens.

“Seeing kids who don’t get outside very often get so much joy from this project is so rewarding.”

Mr Barnes said the partnership with Parkes High School, one of 120 community organisations Bunnings Forbes supports, started before Covid. Other projects it has supported at the school includes building a pride garden in June this year.

Parkes High School special education teacher Hugh Wood approached Mr Barnes about doing another garden this year and the pair decided on the edible garden. The edible garden will continue to take shape over much of the 2025 school year.

“Shoes on kids!” He’d yell as we all grabbed a Zooper Dooper and piled in the car to drive to town.

It was a Christmas tradition.

A summer night spent staying up past our bedtime to walk around town and see the Christmas lights. We knew the streets that pulled out all the stops, and we’d walk up and down, gazing at the twinkling lights, smiling Santas on a sleigh on rooftops and the smell of cinnamon in the air.

Dad loved it just as much as we did. An evening stroll, chats with people out the front of their houses and no doubt a strat­egy to wear out his three kids ready for bedtime. We’d run ahead, excitedly find­ing the next light show, zigzagging our way through our little town.

Legs moving, faces red from the exer­cise, hearts full with the thrill of Christmas.

What are your Christmas traditions? See if you can swap out screen time for family connection, balance indulgent eat­ing and drinking with active fun, and create joyful memories together this Christmas season. From an evening walk to backyard cricket, it’s the perfect time to embrace movement and connection.

We hope you have a happy and safe Christmas, from the Kerin Health Team.

The Caravan Industry Association of Australia is calling on every­one to keep safety top of mind this summer, whether you’re plan­ning your trip, heading out on the road, or enjoying our beautiful countryside at your favourite camping spot.

As we approach the major holiday period of the year, Caravan Industry Association of Australia is encouraging caravaners this holiday to focus is focusing on Pre-Planning: Emphasising the importance of vehicle servicing and safe towing practices. Road Safety: Highlighting measures for staying safe while travelling on the roads, and taking regular breaks. Water Safety: Promot­ing awareness around staying safe in and around water. Caravan Holiday Park Shared Spaces Safety: Encouraging responsible be­haviour and safety in communal areas within caravan parks.

We know from the rising death tolls on our roads, 1063 Austral­ians have lost their lives on our roads this year alone, up 12% on 2023 (ABS). The top three contributing factors leading to this loss of life is the fatal three, inattention, speed and fatigue.

Road Safety Research indicates: Road users are most likely to have a crash on Monday or Sunday as drivers return from their holidays. Crashes are most likely to occur between 10am and mid­day. Whilst crashes are more likely to occur in urban centres, fatali­ties are more likely to occur on regional roads.

We want to make sure caravan and campers have the most amazing summer break, but most importantly, we want everyone to get back home safely . Towing handbooks are distributed free of charge each year. https://www.letsgocaravanandcamping.com.au/safety/ https://coexist.org.au/

With temperatures rising into the thirties across the state, SafeWork NSW is urging workers and businesses to start planning now for how they will stay safe during the heat this summer.

Employers have the primary duty of care for employees and are encouraged to de­velop a workplace heat management plan in consultation with their health and safety representatives and workers to ensure everyone stays safe when the temperature rises.

Heat related illnesses happen when the body starts to overheat due to working too hard. Symptoms can include a range of progressive conditions such as dehydra­tion, fainting, heat rash, heat cramps, heat exhaustion and heat stroke.

Employers who have workers completing tasks outside must do their best to elimi­nate extended periods of sun exposure.

This can be achieved by providing shade, rotating tasks to reduce exposure, sched­uling work to cooler times of the day and providing personal protective equipment such as hats, long sleeve shirts and also sunscreen.

Any worker who feels that their work­place is unsafe can make contact anony­mously and report their concerns directly to SafeWork NSW on 13 10 50 or via the ‘Speak Up Save Lives’ app.

Dolly’s Dream School Workshops. Online safety and anti-bullying workshops for students of all ages, delivered in schools nationally. www.dollysdream.org.au/what-we-do/school-workshops.

We know that bullying can cause deep and lasting harm, affecting a young per­son’s confidence, mental health, and even their future. Dolly’s Dream was founded in the wake of tragedy in 2018 when 14-yearold Dolly Everett took her life because of relentless bullying, and we are saddened by the recent tragic loss of more young lives due to bullying.

“We established Dolly’s Dream because we didn’t want other families to ever have to go through the heartache we have ex­perienced. It breaks my heart to hear more precious lives have been lost due to bully­ing and more families are suffering,” said Kate Everett, Dolly’s mother and founder of Dolly’s Dream.

A report from The Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) found that Australian school students were most bul­lied among comparable English-speaking countries with around one in six students saying they’ve been made fun of by peers.

A recent survey of our Dolly’s Dream audience via social media revealed that 89% of the 2,214 respondents said they had been bullied at school, with 74% be­ing teenagers. Evidently, the problem is not going away.

Dolly’s Dream has worked tirelessly for six years delivering support and education to communities and will continue to fight to put an end to bullying – in memory of Dolly and the other lives that have since been lost.

So far this year, Dolly’s Dream has deliv­ered over 450 workshops, reaching more than 19,500 students across all year levels, in metropolitan, regional, and rural areas.

Visit our website to learn about Dolly’s Dream www.dollysdream.org.au

Between 2006 and 2024, $146,000 has been awarded, with $15,000 available in the 2025 round.

Parkes Shire Council is pleased to an­nounce that applications are now open for the 2025 Jack Scoble Scholarships. The Jack Scoble Scholarship Fund is an annual initiative designed to support local students pursuing further education and training.

Named in honour of long-serving Council­lor and community advocate Jack Scoble, the scholarships are a tribute to his legacy of fostering opportunities for young people across Parkes Shire.

The Jack Scoble Scholarships are open to students residing in the Parkes Shire who demonstrate a commitment to their studies and a passion for contributing to their com­munity. The scholarships provide financial assistance to help with the expenses of higher education or vocational training, em­powering local youth to achieve their educa­tional goals.

Reflecting on her experience as a 2024 recipient, Hannah Dunn provides insight into how the scholarship helped her.

“The Jack Scoble Scholarship alleviated some financial stress associated with mov­ing to a new city, enabling me to excel aca­demically during my first year of university.

With fewer concerns about funding univer­sity equipment, it also allowed me to invest my personal income in my hobbies and pas­sions. I am extremely grateful for this schol­arship and highly recommend applying for it,” Hannah said.

Mayor of Parkes Shire, Cr Neil Westcott, expressed his enthusiasm for the scholar­ships and encouraged eligible students to apply.

“The Jack Scoble Scholarships are a tes­tament to the values of community spirit and education that Jack held dear. Through these scholarships, we aim to help our local young people achieve their ambitions and make meaningful contributions to our com­munity,” he said.

Eligible applicants can find more informa­tion and application details on the Parkes Shire Council Website https://www.parkes.nsw.gov.au/Community/Awards-honours-and-scholarships/Jack-Scoble-Scholarship-Fund or contact Parkes Shire Council at 6861 2333. Applications close on Friday 17th January 2025 at 10am.

Grain handlers working at grain receival sites across NSW will vote on whether to accept a proposed pay deal with their employer GrainCorp, said the Australian Workers’ Union which represents the workers.

The deal comes after grain handlers rolled out protected indus­trial action authorised by the Fair Work Commission after nego­tiations broke down with GrainCorp last month. Industrial action occurred at Boggabri, Narrabri, Moree, Parkes, Caragabal, and at many other sites.

The workers have seen their pay go backwards in real terms over the last three years. In 2021, 2022 and 2023 grain handlers received an annual increase of only 2% a year, despite inflation rising at a rate of 2.86%, 6.59% and 4.10% respectively, meaning real wages have declined by 7.5%.

The three year deal on the table offers annual increases of 6%, 6% and 2% plus a $1250 sign on bonus and back pay.

Members are currently reading the proposed agreement and will begin voting on the 18th at 6am with voting concluding on the 19th at 6am.

“Last Friday I met with AWU delegates and they endorsed a new agreement to go to a vote, now it’s up to members to vote it up or reject it,” said Australian Workers’ Union NSW Secretary Tony Callinan.

“This is a huge win for our members at GrainCorp considering the low wage increases they’ve suffered through. It’s a pity our members had to resort to industrial action as it caused anxiety for farmers during the busy winter harvest season. We’re happy they came back to the table and we have a deal everyone can live with.”

The 2023 Canowindra Christmas Night Market was a resounding success and organisers are hoping for even bigger crowds this year.

Get ready for a fun night out in Canowin­dra. On Friday, 29th November, the town will come alive with the Christmas Night Market, offering something for everyone in the heart of the community.

Local businesses will also be open, with special Christmas deals and discounts to make your Christmas season even brighter, while over 40 stalls will line Gaskill Street, offering a variety of unique goods perfect for Christmas shopping. Whether you’re hunting for the perfect gift or indulging in a little treat, there’s something for everyone.

Families will be entertained with plenty of fun activities for the kids, including face painting, a jumping castle, and more. The CWA will be on hand selling delicious Christmas cakes and other homemade goodies, while food trucks and stalls will serve up a variety of tasty eats to keep everyone fueled for the fun. To keep eve­ryone entertained, there will be live music performed by Nerida Cuddy, Sik As and more.

The Lions Club will have their popular BBQ sizzling and will also run a Choco­late Wheel, along with raffles offering the chance to win hams and meat trays—per­fect for your Christmas celebrations.

It’s not too late to book a stall, if you would like to be involved in the Canowindra Christmas Night Market you can register online at www.123tix.com.au. For further information please email canowindrapro­gress@gmail.com.

Gaskill Street will close at 3pm for setup, with festivities kicking off at 5pm and continuing into the evening. It promises to be a wonderful night filled with Christmas cheer, great food, and family fun.

Mark your calendars and come along to kick off the party season in style!