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Parkes Phoenix

Auditions For Mock Crash Youth Actors

June 17, 2022 By Maggi Barnard

The mock crash road safety initiative had seen a 27% reduction in crashes involving young drivers since its inception more than 10 years ago. Amateur actors are invited to audition for this year’s production.

The call is out for amateur youth actors over the age of 16 across the Parkes, Forbes and Lachlan Shires to star in this year’s NOT A STATISTIC! Youth Driver Education Program.

“We are looking for four new actors to join our team and are holding auditions on Wednesday, 22nd June from 4pm – 7pm at the Parkes SES shed in Clarke Street,” said Melanie Suitor, Road Safety and Injury Prevention Officer for the three councils.

She said this road safety initiative had seen a 27% reduction in crashes involving young drivers since its inception more than 10 years ago.

“The auditions will give participants an overview of all aspects of the project. The youth actors will take part in both filmed and live ab-lib exercises,” said Melanie. 

Following two years of COVID disruption, this year’s mock crash is going to be developed into a training video. The video will replace the live mock crash demonstration for this year but will result in a resource which allows the program to be implemented in other areas and provides a back-up option for future years’ live demonstrations.

Pre-registration for the auditions is essential. Contact Melanie on 6861 2364 or Melanie.Suitor@parkes.nsw.gov.au for more information and to book your place.

A Sleep Out With No Electricity

June 10, 2022 By Maggi Barnard

Judy and Robert Shore will be sleeping out on 25th June to raise money for Shelterbox in support of homeless people.

Two Parkes residents will be braving the icy elements on 25th June by sleeping out to raise money for the homeless.

Parkes Rotary President Robert Shore and his wife Judy have taken on the #offthegrid fundraising challenge of the charity Shelterbox, which is supported by Rotary.

“We plan to sleep out at the Jemalong Weir, outside Forbes, without any electricity and electronic devices,” said Robert. They chose a site near a river to make it colder.

The public is invited to support Robert and Judy’s challenge by making a donation on the Shelterbox page https://offthegrid.raisely.com/donate

Shelterbox supports people affected by disasters around the world. Earlier in the year Parkes Rotary donated a ShelterBox in support of the devastation in Haiti. There are currently 113 million people who are homeless because of disaster and conflict. Over the next 20 years the situation is only going to get worse with an estimated 200 million people to be displaced by intensifying storms alone.

Yoga For Healing And Inspiration

June 10, 2022 By Maggi Barnard

A head-on car accident left Josephine Doyle in a world of pain at just 28 years old. Jo went to a back specialist who suggested surgery. “Having read many books on how the body has infinite intelligence to heal itself, the idea of having an operation on my spine was not an option,” said Jo.

A friend suggested yoga. Jo chose yoga and at 40 years old she healed her back completely from years of chronic pain. She now travels the country sharing her wisdom and inspiring people of all ages and all levels of fitness.

Jo will be presenting her popular Therapeutic Healthy Happy Hips and Lower Back Workshop on 17th and 18th June at Bushman’s Motor Inn at 6:30 to 9pm and 12:30 to 3pm respectively.

Jo’s workshops have students feeling empowered, pain free and invested with tools, exercises and pose variations to improve their bodies and their yoga practice. 

The event is open to anyone and will be very hands-on to heal and strengthen the lower back and hips. 

Jo’s teaching approach is unapologetically honest, sensitive, and humorous. Space is limited so to book your spot by texting Jo on 0418 999 768.

Call For 24/7 Nursing Care In Homes

June 3, 2022 By Maggi Barnard

Member for Orange Phil Donato MP with the bill calling for registered nurses to be available 24/7 at nursing homes.

Member for Orange Philip Donato MP will once again introduce a bill to the NSW Legislative Assembly seeking to mandate a registered nurse be available around the clock in NSW nursing homes. 

“Tragically, the pandemic had a devastating impact on the vulnerable residents living in nursing homes, which exposed the severe lack of medically trained staff to care for those afflicted with Covid-19,” said Phil. 

“The Royal Commission into Aged Care revealed an insufficient staffing of registered nurses in nursing homes, and one of the commissioner’s recommendations is the introduction of a minimum staff standard across the board – including registered nurses.” 

The second iteration of the Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party’s bill, titled the Public Health Amendment (Registered Nurses in Nursing Homes) Bill 2020, was brought before the NSW Legislative Council for debate in May by Phil’s colleague, Mark Banasiak MLC, and passed the Upper House on 11th May. 

“I acknowledge the hard work and dedication of the many personal care workers looking after the residents in the nursing homes, but they do not have the level of training or clinical expertise a registered nurse has, such as administering medications, assessing and managing medical conditions, and time-critical referrals for escalation of patient care. 

“This bill, if passed into legislation, would require nursing homes to staff, at a minimum, the regulatory prescribed number of registered nurses at all times. Nursing homes would no longer be without a registered nurse to deliver care – day or night. 

“We want the best possible nursing care for those precious seniors in our lives, our grandparents, parents, uncles and aunts – and that care shouldn’t be restricted to business hours, it should be 24 hours a day, seven days a week,” said Phil. 

Free Child Restraint Checks In Parkes

June 3, 2022 By Maggi Barnard

Two out of three child restraints are not being used properly putting children at risk. Make sure your child restraint is properly fitted on 14th June at Lions Park for a free check.

The safety of children when travelling is paramount and residents will have the opportunity to receive a free child restraint check on Tuesday, 14th June at Lions Park from 11am to 3pm. 

Parkes Shire Council has organised Authorised Child Restraint Fitters for the annual day to ensure the safe travel of young children.

“The correct fitting and adjustment of child restraints is vital,” said Parkes Shire Council’s Road Safety and Injury Prevention Officer Melanie Suitor. “Research shows that two out of three child restraints are not being used properly and this puts children at risk of injury in the event of a crash.

“Most of the restraints we have checked at previous events have had minor problems that needed fixing to ensure the safety of the child – such as tightening and untwisting straps, fitting gated buckles and correcting the seatbelt’s path through the restraint.

“It is important to have your child restraint checked regularly after prolonged use and installed correctly before use to ensure that your precious cargo is safe,” Melanie said.

Bookings are essential, phone 6861 2364 to secure your place. Free barista coffee will be available, with information about the national child restraint laws, the types of restraints and advice on moving children from one restraint type to the next.

Grand Opening For New Pet Shop On Saturday

June 3, 2022 By Maggi Barnard

The management team at PETstock Country Parkes are Ainsley Newton, Ellie Littlewood and Shirilee Jackson with some of their favourite pets.

PETstock Country Parkes is the first PETstock Country branded store in NSW, and tomorrow is the grand opening with a family fun day from 10am to 2pm at 138 Clarinda Street.

“The whole community is invited to come and enjoy a free coffee from The Fat Parcel, watch the reptile show and display by Kym, the Reptile Man, support the charity barbeque run by Parkes Rescue and Rehoming and enjoy the 20% off sale storewide,” said Ellie Littlewood of the management team. The local station 2PK/RokFM will be live streaming from the store.

PETstock Country Parkes keeps a wide range of products for all pets from your horse to your dog, cat, bird, fish, reptile, rabbit or guinea pig.

According to another management team member Shirilee Jackson all pets’ needs are catered for with a huge selection of pet products including flea, tick and worming treatments, premium dog and cat food ranges, horse ranges and rural supplies.

The Parkes store has already established a working relationship with Parkes Rescue and Rehoming and adopt cats out in store on their behalf.

At the moment virtual puppy training is on offer online with a trainer with 20 years’ experience. “We are working towards opening  a puppy school soon,” said Shirilee.

“We do not only focus on pets, but also cater for hobby farms and bigger farms with supplies of rural agricultural products like fencing and troughs,” said Ainsley Newton of the management team.

She said the store also had a wide range of equine products including locally sourced hay and chaff.

The management team of three supported by a casual staff complement of five are all locals with a wide range of knowledge of pets and local conditions. The store is open seven days a week.

Focus On Food Scraps

May 27, 2022 By Maggi Barnard

Parkes Shire Council received funding to run a new campaign to alert residents of the importance of using the green lid bin for food scraps.

There is a lot in the media about food waste, but do we really know why we need to recycle our food scraps?

Parkes Shire Council will be rolling out the Scrap Together Campaign to help residents understand what happens to food waste collected in the green lid bin as part of a partnership with NetWaste.

Orange City Council and Bathurst City Council are also part of a NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) grant of $40,000 that will help households become top food waste recyclers. 

Parkes Shire Councillor George Pratt said the Scrap Together campaign would not only help residents understand what happened to food waste, but also encouraged them to use the green lid bin well. 

Parkes Shire Council’s $10,000 share of the funding will help keep food and garden waste out of landfill to be processed into compost that will improve soil health. 

“It will enable Council to roll out an engaging campaign that will remind residents of the environmental benefits of recycling your food waste and how to use the service to your advantage,” said the Councillor. 

The campaign was piloted in Forbes, Clarence Valley and Kempsey local government areas last year and proved popular with residents, resulting in an average 10% increase in food waste recovered for recycling. 

Head of EPA Organics Unit, Amanda Kane said: “This funding round will enable 25 councils to deliver the Scrap Together campaign materials, which includes videos, radio adverts, mailbox drops and print advertising.” 

“The NSW Government allocated an additional $69 million over the next five years to further expand FOGO (food organics & garden organics) services and support councils to meet new requirements under the government’s Waste and Sustainable Materials Strategy 2041 to provides services to all NSW households by 2030,” she said. 

For more information visit www.epa.nsw.gov.au/fogo.

Get Your Flu Shot Now

May 27, 2022 By Maggi Barnard

NSW residents are being urged to book in for their flu vaccine without delay, with winter just a few days away and hospitals already seeing a surge in influenza cases.

Health Minister Brad Hazzard said NSW hospitals were facing a triple threat with high numbers of COVID-19 cases, a surge in flu cases and staff furloughing due to illness. “With almost no exposure to flu these past two years, it is imperative we all get a flu jab to protect ourselves and the community.”

NSW’s Chief Paediatrician Dr Matt O’Meara said there was particular concern for children aged six months to five years old, as young children were particularly vulnerable to the harmful effects of flu.

Those considered to be at higher risk of severe illness from influenza are eligible for a free flu vaccine. This includes children from six months to under five years of age; Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people from six months of age; people with serious health conditions, pregnant women, and people aged 65 and over.

At the time of going to press, the minister was considering making the flu vaccine free for all NSW residents.

Better Together

May 20, 2022 By Maggi Barnard

John Niddrie and Greg Cregan volunteer at Vinnies in Parkes.

This week is National Volunteer Week and a chance for all of us to celebrate and recognise the vital work of volunteers and to say thank you. Volunteers do a lot of work behind the scenes that is vital to the functioning of groups and organisations that serve our community for its betterment.

At Vinnies in Parkes the female volunteers are always in the front helping out customers, but there is also a team at the back doing some vital work. Two of the behind-the-scenes volunteers are Greg Cregan and John Niddrie.

They do a lot of after hours work and on public holidays being responsible for emptying out the donation bins. “We also sort all the items, and pick up and drop off items to people,” said Greg.

Greg has been doing it for about six years, and John joined around 12 months ago. “It is all about helping people out and the comradeship. We all get along really well working here.”

Have you ever considered volunteering? It brings people together; it builds communities and creates a better society for everyone.Together, through volunteering, we are changing communities for the better. We are, Better Together.

More Funding For Parkes CBD Activation

May 20, 2022 By Maggi Barnard

The vacant block beside the Hong Loch Chinese Restaurant will be converted into an open-air plaza and improve pe-destrian connectivity between Clarinda and Welcome Streets under the new round of funding for the CBD activation.

The Parkes CBD makeover has received more funding to further expand the program that will see the transformation continue to create a vibrant precinct. 

Parkes Shire Council’s successful application resulted in $499,930 in grant funding from the NSW Government’s Streets as Shared Spaces Program. 

“The CBD is the community’s most important meeting space,” said Parkes Shire Mayor Cr Ken Keith OAM. “We’ve done a lot of work in recent years to improve the look and feel of the Parkes CBD to make it a more vibrant and welcoming precinct. 

“This next stage will focus on activating the southern end of Clarinda Street, including converting the vacant block beside the Hong Loch Chinese Restaurant into an open-air plaza for public space and improving pedestrian connectivity between Clarinda and Welcome Streets.” 

The works will include surface levelling and sealing, drainage works and landscaping, as well as the installation of new bollards, street furniture and festoon lighting. 

“Outdoor dining is more important than ever as we adjust to the ‘new normal’ way of life with COVID-19. This funding will allow us to construct two additional dining platforms, similar to those at Bella’s Restaurant and Packed Cones Gelato,” the Mayor said. 

The projects will commence this month, with completion expected in February 2023. 

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