The 1.65kg of gold for this year’s Melbourne Cup came from Evolution’s Cowal Mine 100km west of Forbes. The Melbourne Cup Tour included Forbes in September when residents could get a photo with the famous trophy.

The Melbourne Cup is Australia’s most famous thoroughbred horse race held over a distance of 3,200 metres at Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne.

With a total prize money of almost $8 million, it is the richest “two-mile” handicap in the world and one of the richest turf races.

It is held on the first Tuesday of November each year, and known as the ‘race that stops a nation’.

This year the Melbourne Cup will be held on Tuesday, 1st November at 3pm. 

The Melbourne Cup has a long tradition, with the first race held in 1861 when the winner received a gold watch. The first Melbourne Cup trophy was awarded in 1865 and was an elaborate silver bowl on a stand that had been manufactured in England. This is currently owned by Australian wine personality Wolf Blass and is on display at the Wolf Blass Gallery & Museum/Adelaide Hills Wine Bar in Hahndorf, South Australia.

In 1876 Edward Fischer, an immigrant from Austria produced the first Australian-made trophy. In the Second World War years (1942, 1943 and 1944) the winning owner received war bonds valued at 200 pounds.

A new trophy is struck each year and becomes the property of the winning owner. In the event of a dead heat, a second cup is on hand. The present trophy is hand spun from 1.65 kg of 18-carat gold, and the gold for this year’s trophy came from Evolution’s Cowal Mine west of Forbes.

That is why Forbes was included in the annual Melbourne Cup Tour this year. Many residents lined up last month to get a photo of them holding the 18-carat trophy.

The festive season is fast approaching, and the good news for the Parkes community is that the Christmas Parade and Carnival will be back on Friday, 2nd December! 

It’s been a long two years without the Christmas Parade, which makes this year’s event extra exciting and special. The parade kicks off the festive cheer in the shire and sets the tone for the rest of the celebrations. 

Organised by the Action Club Parkes, the Parkes Shire Council has agreed to fund the cost of road closures and putting up the barricades to keep everyone safe. 

So, it is time to start planning your float for the parade or a stall for the carnival, and make a date with your friends and family to come and enjoy the school choirs and entertainment. 

There will be plenty of activities for everyone and lots of food and local gift stalls to start your local Christmas shopping. 

See you at Cooke Park on 2nd December! 

Parkes Community Arts committee members Helen Standen, Deb Jones and Kelly McGirr helped to decorate the town with more than 1,000 handmade flowers and colourful signs for the Spring Fling Festival.

The Community Arts Spring Fling Festival is well underway in Parkes and has been a rousing success so far. 

If you have been in the Parkes CDB recently the Spring Fling vibe is hard to miss with over 1,000 handmade flowers adorning the main street and Cooke Park, and colourful signs and banners. 

“We have been thrilled with the community response,” said Parkes Community Arts secretary Kerryn Jones. Baz Luhrmann’s ‘Elvis’ movie last Friday was sold out, while the creative workshops in art, drumming and flower arrangement were also sold out. The upcoming Lindsay Morehouse memorial concert on Sunday at 2pm in the Starlight Lounge of Parkes Services Club is filling up fast. 

The main event, the Cooke Park Community Fun Day, has fallen victim to La Niña and will be postponed to the new date of Saturday, 19th November from 10am to 2pm. “Though disappointed, we are grateful that most vendors and performers are able to be flexible in this uncertain weather, though some clashes have been inevitable”, said Kerryn. 

Community members need not worry, the 19th is looking to be sunny and warmer for the free event with lots of activities, food and music performances. 

Quentin Park Alpacas will be ready to meet and greet people from 10am. There will also be artisan market stalls inside the Cooke Park Pavilion by local artists and creatives. 

The Best in Show art exhibition in the Coventry Room of Parkes Shire Library and Cultural Centre, funded by the CMOC Northparkes Community Investment Program, will be extended to 19th November. “This exhibition has been particularly special,” said curators Deb Jones and Helen Standen “with the most artworks ever submitted to a single exhibition here. We had over 400 artworks entered and there are a huge range of ages and mediums on display.” 

Visit www.facebook.com/PCAFestival for updates and infomation. 

By Roxanne Gallacher 

Become a citizen scientist and take part in the Aussie Bird Count.

It is National Bird Week and residents can still make a difference for bird conservation by participating in the 2022 Aussie Bird Count until Sunday. 

All you need to do is pick a spot outside and count birds for at least 20 minutes to help researchers create a snapshot of Australia’s urban and more common bird species. Data collected is submitted through the Aussie Bird Count app or through an online web form. 

“The annual Aussie Bird Count is a great way for residents to enjoy the outdoors and learn about birds in our shire,” said Parkes Shire Council’s Environment and Sustainability Officer, Michael Chambers. 

“Last year 112 residents took part, and we would love to see even greater participation this year.” 

Starting in 2014, the Aussie Bird Count has become one of the largest citizen science projects in Australia. The 2021 Aussie Bird Count saw more than 100,000 Australians take to their local green spaces to count nearly 5 million individual birds. Across the Parkes Shire, residents recorded a total of 5,013 individual birds across 86 species. The most recorded species in the Parkes Shire was the Galah, followed by Crested Pigeons, House Sparrows, Apostlebirds and Australian Magpies. Several species listed as ‘vulnerable’ under federal legislation were also sighted, including Major Mitchell’s Cockatoo (Pink Cockatoo), Grey-Crowned Babbler, Brown Treecreeper, Dusky Wood Swallow, Superb Parrot and the Speckled Warbler. 

Data obtained from annual Aussie Bird Counts helps Council increase environmental engagement among residents, informs land management decisions and can indicate the impacts of tree planting efforts across the Shire. 

For residents interested in attracting more wildlife to their gardens, Council will be giving away native shrubs and trees at the Spring Fling Market that has been postponed to Saturday, 19th November. 

You can download the Aussie Bird Count app for free, or use the online form at https://aussiebirdcount.org.au/submit-a-count/