Special Interests Archives - Page 111 of 114

What Makes Western Red Cedar Attractive for Your Timber Windows and Doors?

May 26, 2016 By Maggi Barnard

Western Red Cedar is a popular and strong timber that is sought after due to its beauty and durability. It is a timber that remains stable under most weather conditions and is not prone to shrinking or swelling. This means it holds its shape and ensures longevity despite exposure to cold, heat, rain and other harsh environmental factors common in Australian weather.

As a low-density timber that offers very good thermal insulation, it helps with heating and cooling efficiency, reducing electricity costs and making a home more environmentally friendly and sustainable.Its versatility enables it to be used for both internal and external applications.

Western Red Cedar is visually beautiful with rich and inviting colours from deep, soft browns to soft caramels tinged with red.It has a fine texture and straight grain with growth rings often visible. The durable yet soft properties let the material take very well to being stained and polished.

Furthermore, Western Red Cedar’s natural preservatives provide resistance to fungus and insects. The wood is protected against termites, woodborers and fungus that can dramatically affect alternative timber options. Western Red Cedar is a stylish and practical material option with natural appeal, superior structural performance and elemental protection.

Would you like to know more about Western Red Cedar? Phone Glassplace on 6862 2345 or visit their showroom at 4 Clarke Street, Parkes to see their Western Red Cedar display and lots of other products to suit every style and type of home.

Come Run With Parkes Olympian

May 19, 2016 By Maggi Barnard

Entries are still open for the third Northparkes Rotary Fun Run this Sunday and your chance to race with an Australian Olympian runner.

Last week Scott Westcott, who grew up in Parkes, was selected for the men’s marathon team for his debut Olympics. “I am looking forward to the Fun Run on Sunday and will do the 5km and the 2km kids race. I want to give the kids a target and anyone can chase me down,” he said.

As for his Olympic dream, Scott said it was a long wait but a very special moment to hear he had made the team. His road to wearing the green and gold is a remarkable story of persistence. “My dream began when I was 16. I had run qualifying times for three Olympic Games back since Sydney 2000, and for some reason my attempts to retire from competitive running in 2013 were only half hearted. Something kept me going” he said.

Running the Berlin Marathon last year was his 40^th birthday present from his family. His time of 2:15.30 secured his spot on the 2016 Rio Olympic team. According to the Australian Olympic Committee website, Scott will become Australia’s oldest athletics competitor to make his Games debut when he takes the Rio starting line at the age of 40 years and 331 days.

Westcott said having hunger for the sport and wonderful coaches over the years is the secret to his selection at 40.

“Having hunger and desire are essential,” Westcott explained. “I believe I have kept my hunger burning for close to 20 years. I am proud beyond words to represent all the people who have helped me along the long road I have taken. Special mention to my late Dad, Lawrie Westcott, who passed away in late 2014.”

Scott feels he is on track for a top performance in Rio. “I am probably in the best head space of my career. I believe I can lower the Australian Masters record I set last year in Berlin. I will prepare as smartly as I can and run myself into a peak for August 21. Bring it on!”

The Rio marathons will start and finish at the famous Sambódromo, the legendary home of the Rio Carnival parade, with a loop course near the edge of Guanabara Bay. The men’s race will be held on the final morning of the Games, Sunday 21^st August.

This Sunday more than 300 competitors are expected for the Fun Run in Parkes.

The program for the day is as follows:

7:30am – Registrations open at Harrison Park

8:50am – Final call for all 5km and 10km competitors to go to the start

8:55am – Welcome by the Mayor

9:00am – Event start: 10km and Greater 5km

10:00am – Event start: 2km

10:30am – Presentations commence

There will be enough time between the Greater 5km and 10km races for participants to cheer on or run with their children in the 2km event. Runners are to assemble on the start line 10 minutes before the start time.

Thriving Not Just Surviving

May 19, 2016 By Maggi Barnard

Parkes and Forbes residents are encouraged to sign up for a free Living Well After Cancer session this June. Cancer Council NSW Western is inviting Forbes, Parkes and surrounding community residents who have completed cancer treatment to attend their free, face-to-face Living Well After Cancer program.

Cancer and its treatment can bring a host of challenges. Survivors can face changes in their appearance and body function, and struggle to manage the emotional impact of the disease. Over 45,000 people in NSW are predicted to be diagnosed with cancer this year. The latest data shows that around two in three people diagnosed with cancer in NSW are alive five years later, with many becoming long term survivors. Fiona Marwick, Community Programme Co-ordinator at Cancer Council NSW Western said that Living Well After Cancer offers practical information and open discussion on the possible changes, challenges and opportunities that cancer survivors can experience. “There is often an expectation for cancer survivors to ‘get back to normal’ after treatment, but we know that for many this is far from reality. Living Well After Cancer gives participants the opportunity to connect with others on a similar journey, all within a supportive space. They can share tips, ideas and advice on managing life moving forward, with the aim to thrive, not just survive” she said.

Through Living Well After Cancer you can learn practical skills and information from the presenters and participants. It can be reassuring to know other people may be experiencing similar side effects, fears and anxieties but also gaining positivity from their cancer journey. Living Well After Cancer is open to cancer survivors, their carers, family, friends and work colleagues and is delivered by trained facilitators who have experienced the changes of cancer first-hand. The next Living Well After Cancer program session will be held at Parkes on Saturday 18th June 2016. To register to participate, or for more information call 1300 200 558.

Big Changes To Brows At La Bella

May 19, 2016 By Maggi Barnard

La Bella Medispa are now a Brow Artist International trainee clinic! The clinic has been hand-selected out of a group of beauty pros worldwide to participate in Brow Artists International’s one-of-a-kind program. The dedicated team are currently working hard to learn this amazing craft of the Natural Brow Restoration and Design System™.

Over the course of the next 6 months, you will see a change in our brow services at La Bella as we grow and offer the Natural Brow Restoration and Design System™ to perfection. Our new brow service is no longer a brow wax, as our goal is not merely to remove hair, but to create soft, flowing, beautiful brows, enhancing your beauty instantaneously. Brow Artists International™ Artists work meticulously with the brow to reveal its natural true potential through soft, flowing lines. Every woman can be restored naturally to a gorgeous set of brows regardless of what, or who, has unwittingly ravaged them before.

We are offering a limited time introductory price of $49 for your first design using Brow Artists International Natural Brow Restoration and Design System™. That’s almost half off the regular price for what the beauty industry is raving about – a soft brow naturally restored to its original potential. So beautiful. So you.

Heart Health

May 12, 2016 By Maggi Barnard

Parkes Pharmacy are encouraging all those who wish to learn more about their risk of heart disease to go to the pharmacy on 23^rd May. Three pharmacists will be available to answer any questions and assess your risks, just turn up or call to make a booking.

The good news is that heart disease is largely preventable. There is no single cause for heart disease, but there are risk factors that increase your chance of developing it.

What is my risk of heart disease?

Sometimes a heart attack will be the first sign that something is wrong. This is why it’s important to know your chance of having a heart attack or stroke- so you can take the steps to prevent one. It’s recommended that your overall risk be assessed to determine your personal heart and stroke risk score. Our Health Heart Check will look at some of your risk factors and give you your own risk score which you can share with your doctor.

What’s involved in the health heart check?

Our Health Heart Check involves a sit down consult with your pharmacist to check your absolute risk of getting cardiovascular disease. Your absolute risk is your chance, as an individual, of getting cardiovascular disease which includes all heart disease, stroke and heart failure.

To assess your risk our pharmacist will conduct the following tests and measurements:

Total cholesterol
Blood pressure measurement
Assess your smoking and diabetes status
Calculate your cardiovascular disease risk score

All results can be provided in a report for you to share with your doctor. Many of these tests and measurements can be provided as an ongoing service to our patients and results recorded and tracked over time. Be sure to make the most of the 3 pharmacists who will be available on the 23^rd May!

Why Autumn’s The Best Season To Sell Your Home

May 5, 2016 By Maggi Barnard

Spring is traditionally known as a bustling, busy time where everything and everyone gets a new lease of life, so surely it’s the best time of year for a house sell? Well, apparently not. According to real estate agents autumn is the season in which you’re far more likely to sell your property.

While it’s true that people become more active as the weather begins to warm, potentially leading to a larger amount of buyers, a lot of other sellers have the same idea and the market can become flooded with listings, drowning yours out in the process.

Real estate agents are often more successful at converting a listing into a sale in autumn rather than spring thanks to quality over quantity, fewer listings mean more chance of a sale. December and January are the months where people take holidays and have time to research the market so by the time they’re ready to make a decision autumn is upon them. It’s a good idea to prepare you property advertising in the lead up to this season and don’t forget to play up to your outdoor assets if you have an outdoor yard or garden. Autumn is a beautiful season with lots of colour so a few trees with changing leaves and well placed ornaments can really make your house stand out from the rest.

Tapeworm Trouble

May 5, 2016 By Maggi Barnard

Sheep farmers are being warned to stay alert for the tapeworm Taenina ovis, otherwise known as sheep measles. The worm is a parasite in which the adult stage can be found in the intestines of dogs whilst the intermediate or larval stage can be found in the muscles of sheep. Sheep can be infected by grazing pasture contaminated with eggs that have been shed in dog’s faeces.

The intermediate stage in sheep is characterised by small cysts in the muscle tissue. Lesions can then ooccur in the sheep’s heart and diaphragm usually resulting in the animal being condemned. In general many producers are lax when it comes to worming their farm dogs regularly, meaning they fail to break the lifecycle of the tapeworm. Farmers are advised to treat all dogs on their properties with a tape wormer that contains Praziquantel once a month as the parasites lifecycle is 35 days, which is more frequent than the original recommendation of worming every six weeks.

Economically, sheep measles can cost the industry millions of dollars per year so it’s within those who work in agricultures interests to try and keep this to a minimum. This information was provided by the Department of Agriculture and Food.

Ostini Wool Pty Ltd Weekly Market Update

May 5, 2016 By Maggi Barnard

Week ending: 28 April 2016
There was a sharp reversal in the market last week as the exchange rate continued to play havoc with local pricing. As a result the NRI gained 23 cents, recovering most of the losses from the previous week. Merino Fleece types lifted fairly equally each sale day, resulting in gains of 40 to 50 cents clean for most microns.

Merino Fleece types with more than 1% vm accounted for 53.5% of the national catalogue this week (a 2 year high), and as a result discounts are now emerging. Merino Skirtings also showed the effects of increasing vegetable
matter, with <3% vm lots maintaining good support while those with higher percentages tended to struggle.

Merino Cardings closed largely unchanged, apart from Fremantle which firmed 11cents. Volumes are expected to hover between 35,000 and 38,000 over the next 3 weeks.

Super Sincock

May 5, 2016 By Maggi Barnard

Sincock LVM is a progressive dealership with branches in the Central West of NSW covering the Condobolin and Parkes districts. Sincock provide quality products and services across a wide range of agricultural and commercial machinery both new and used. Their service team is equipped with state of the art Iveco service trucks, providing repairs and maintenance in both the paddock and the workshop to save you time and money. Sincock LVM also have an experienced team of spare parts interpreters who can assist you with all your requirements.

Their service and spare parts department are on call after hours to help in any unexpected breakdowns. To learn more give them a call on 6862 5011.

To Sow Or Not To Sow? That Is The Question

May 5, 2016 By Maggi Barnard

Mixed amounts of rainfall throughout Parkes and surrounds over the past few weeks has resulted in different implications for farmers in our area, who have been making the tricky decision on whether or not to dry sow their paddocks in order to get the crops in on time.

Some decided to go for it, with others hanging fire for a few more days. Rain is predicted for this week and if it does, this gamble will hopefully pay off. After the predicted rains any crops already in will flourish and we expect a flurry of activity as all those who chose not to dry sow move into action to put their crops in too. Ongoing GRDC-funded research is examining how dry seeding interacts with soil type and location to influence wheat yield at the paddock and farm scale.

CSIRO modelling in Western Australia suggests that over time and at the whole-farm scale, dry seeding can deliver yield benefits of up to 35% compared with waiting to wet sow after the season break. In seasons with late opening rains, the modelling, which covered wheat growing sites, found that dry sowing brought forward the sowing date of the last paddock sown compared with wet-sown programs. However, dry sowing led to more of the crop flowering earlier and at the same time the modelling found that this increased frost risk slightly in some areas. On the positive side, the earlier flowering time significantly reduced the risk of heat stress during grain fill.

Dry-sown farms produced an average of 350kg/ha less yield than the water-limited benchmark and the wet-sown cropping programs produced an average of 960kg/ha less. The average yield difference between an entire farm dry-sown and a farm sown with no dry seeding ranged from a 0.5t/ha increase to a 0.2t/ha loss. Modelled yield increases were highest for large cropping programs where up to a third of the total crop was dry sown on heavier soils and in lower-rainfall areas.

Early seeding benefits
A sowing-date trial established in 2014 at the Cunderdin site of the Western Australian No-Tillage Farmers Association (WANTFA) provided a popular field-day backdrop to discuss the risks and benefits of early sowing on wheat yield and flowering date. While the results were specific to the 2014 season, which was characterised by above-average growing-season rainfall (particularly in April and May) and no major frost events, the simple experiment was an excellent (and clearly visible) demonstration of the impact of early sowing across a cropping program. Mace wheat (sown at 60kg/ha) and IH30RR canola (sown at 3kg/ha) were sown at approximately three-day intervals starting on 29 April and finishing on 1 July (a total of 24 sowing dates).

This information was written by Dr Andrew Fletcher and Dr David Minkey and more information can be found on the website www.grdc.com.au

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