Marc Payne’s two winning portraits of Stan Adamski (left) and Kevin Dumesny (right).

Marc Payne has once again received recognition for his portrait photography, collecting two awards, from five entries, in the International Portrait Photographer Of The Year competition. 

The competition attracted 704 entries from photographers from across the globe, with two of Marc’s entries being listed in the top 101 images in the world for the third consecutive year.

Marc said, “It is a true honour to be recognised with some of the best portrait photographers in the world, and to do it three years in a row has his head in a spin.”

All of his portraits have been of local people from Parkes, and the two images that have made it into the top 101 portrait images in the world are of well known local personalities Kevin Dumesny and Stan Adamski of Parkes.

According to Peter Eastway, an Australian photographer known internationally for his landscape photography and chairman of judges in the prestigious competition, “The main aim of the competition is to be selected in the top 101 and be published in the exclusive annual book.”

Feedback on Marc’s entries has been very positive from the judges, scoring in the 80’s for his entries and his unique style.

Marc has published past entries in a variety of well known photography magazines and newspapers in Great Britain, in addition to the Spanish National Geographic.

Eugowra resident Grace Katon celebrates returning to her home and also her 83rd birthday.

Long-term Eugowra resident Grace Katon is the first Central West resident to move out of a temporary housing pod and back into her own home. She was met by Minister for Planning and Public Spaces Paul Scully and Minister for Emergency Services Jihad Dib who were able to welcome her home. 

Following catastrophic floods last year, Grace and her dog Honey lived in the temporary housing pod while her home’s kitchen, bathroom and walls were repaired. 

As part of the free Pods on Private Property Program across the Cabonne, Forbes and Parkes Local Government Areas, 98 temporary pods were installed by the NSW Reconstruction Authority. 

As of today, 88 households have been able to take advantage of the program, with another 10 pods in the final stages of fit-out. 

The pod program provides people with a safe and comfortable place to live in their own community, while they rebuild or repair their homes, relocate or secure a rental property. 

More than 130 pods in total are expected to be installed across the Central West by the end of August, while decommissioned pods will be used again in the area or across NSW as part of future disaster recovery efforts. 

The NSW Government has also established an At-Home Caravan Program for eligible Central West residents with 129 caravans delivered and in use. 

The NSW Government has provided more than $42 million in grants and subsidies to individuals, households, small businesses and primary producers across the Central West impacted by last year’s devastating floods. 

Almost 3,000 people have received practical assistance at Recovery Assistant Points across the Central West since November 2022 including accommodation assistance, mental health support and access to clean-up services. 

The obvious answer to why supermarkets use these tactics is that “their purpose is to sell more, that’s their job, they are storing lots of goods. They want you to buy more than what you have on your list.

Ever walk into the supermarket to buy just milk – and come out with a trolley full of stuff you didn’t even know that you needed? Welcome to supermarket consumer behaviour, where supermarkets implement strategies to get consumers to buy more items unknowingly. 

According to recent data from the Australia Bureau of Statistics, Australia is currently experiencing one of the worst cost of living crises recorded. With high inflation rates and stagnant wages, there is no doubt that working Australians are “very price conscious”, says Professor Nitika Garg, School of Marketing at UNSW Business School. 

The rising inflation and increasing costs are impacting everyone in the supply chain, from manufacturers to retailers, and are then being passed on to consumers. Consequently, prices are a lot higher than they were a few months ago. How can consumers cope with these escalating costs and price hikes in the current economic climate? 

According to Prof. Garg, there are some key tactics to watch out for when supermarket shopping: 

Locked-in deals: These are commonly identified by bright red labels on items and typically present a capped price until a specified date. Consumers may be misled into believing that purchasing the item before the deadline offers greater cost-effectiveness due to the deal. However, the price of the locked-in deals is often the same as the original price of the item. 

Store layout: Supermarkets design the layout of the store to purposely put staple foods such as milk and bread far away from each other – and usually at the back of the store. This tactic is designed to make a consumer walk through the store and spend more time. 

Bigger-sized carts: Studies in the USA have shown that some trolley sizes in supermarkets have doubled in size since first being introduced. This has resulted in consumers typically buying 40 per cent more food items. The idea behind this is that consumers are tricked into thinking their shopping trolley appears to be missing food items. 

Music: Have you ever wondered why supermarkets typically play more relaxed, slow-paced music instead of fast and upbeat tunes? It’s not a coincidence. Supermarkets strategically choose calming music to create a relaxed atmosphere and encourage customers to stay longer, enhancing their shopping experience and getting them to buy more. 

Store deals: the ‘buy two, get one free’ deals and similar schemes may initially appear as an excellent opportunity and a cost-effective method of saving money if it’s an item you buy regularly. However, if it’s an item that has a short expiry date, is it realistic that a consumer will consume all three items before the expiry date? Furthermore, certain supermarkets show, for example, ‘buy two for $10.00’, making it appear as a deal and misleading the consumer by implying that you are saving on cost. However, upon closer inspection, you might find that the price of one item is just its regular price, that is, half of the price of two. 

DPE Executive Director of Infrastructure Policy Jonathon Schipp has stated public input is crucial to inform any proposed new laws aimed at preventing small children accidentally falling from windows.

“We want to hear the community’s views on proposed changes requiring safety devices to be fitted in most homes on windows less than 1.7 metres from the floor, if the floor is two metres or more above ground level,” Mr Schipp said.

Since 2013, child-proof safety devices have been required for windows above a certain height in new bedrooms of most homes and all strata buildings in NSW, such as apartments and townhouses.

“We know that cost of living pressures means many people are doing it tough at the moment, and we want to hear from the community on this and other issues they feel should be examined.”

The discussion paper responds to the NSW Deputy State Coroner’s recommendations after the death of a three-year-old who fell from a third-floor residential apartment window which did not have a safety device.

To view the discussion paper and to provide feedback by 21 August 2023, visit: https://www.planning.nsw.gov.au/window-safety