Parkes and Forbes Shire Councils are ensuring that children are safe and secure when travelling in vehicles with free child restraint checks by Authorised Child Restraint Fitters in Parkes on Friday 12 May 2023 and Forbes on Saturday 13th May.

The Councils’ Road Safety and Injury Prevention Officer, Melanie Suitor, says that these free child restraint checking days will now be held bi-annually as they are usually well patronised and are important in ensuring the safe travel of young children.

“Due to the success of previous events, we’ve received funding to offer this service twice a year to residents in Parkes and Forbes – one round of checking days will be held in late November/early December and the other round will be in April/May,” Ms Suitor said.

The upcoming child restraint checking days will be held in Parkes on Friday 12 May from 11am – 3pm in the carpark at Kelly Reserve and in Forbes on Saturday 13 May from 10am – 2pm in the Bunnings carpark.

The correct fitting and adjustment of child restraints is vital. 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,” Ms Suitor said.

Bookings are essential – phone 6861 2364 to secure your place. Information about the child restraint laws, the types of restraints and advice on moving children from one restraint type to the next will also be available.

INGREDIENTS 

• 1 cup self-raising flour
• 2 eggs
• 1/3 cup milk
• 2 x 420g cans corn kernels, drained
• 2 tbsp chopped chives
• 100g fetta, crumbled
• 30g piece cold butter
• 1 small avocado, cut into wedges
• 30g baby rocket
• 2 tbsp Coles sweet chilli sauce, to serve 

INSTRUCTIONS 

1. Place flour into a large mixing bowl and make a well in the centre. Use a fork to whisk eggs and milk in a jug and pour gradually into the flour, stirring gently to combine. Fold in corn, chives and fetta. Don’t over-mix or the fritters will be tough. 

2. Wrap butter in a piece of paper towel. Heat a large frying pan over medium heat and wipe with the butter to grease. Drop 1/4 cupfuls of mixture into the pan (you’ll have to cook in batches). Cook for about 2-3 mins, until golden brown underneath, then turn and cook the other side. Repeat with the butter and fritter mixture. 

3. Serve fritters with avocado, bacon, cherry tomatoes, rocket and sweet chilli sauce. 

Parents, carers and grandparents of young children are invited to attend one of two free online workshops being held next week to provide important safety information about child car seats.

Workshops are being conducted by Parkes, Forbes and Lachlan Shire Councils in partnership with Transport for NSW West Region. The workshops will be held via MS Teams, on Tuesday 2 May at 10am and on Wednesday 3 May at 7pm, and will run for about an hour.

Councils Road Safety and Injury Prevention Officer, Melanie Suitor, said the correct selection, installation and adjustment of child car seats is vital in ensuring children’s safety when travelling in vehicles. “The workshop will cover the National Child Restraint Laws, types of child car seats available, correct installation and adjustment, when to move to the next car seat, accessories, tips for secondhand car seats and much more.”

“It will be a great refresher for grandparents, as child car seats and the rules have changed a lot since they had their children, but also for parents and carers as they are navigating their way through their child or children’s growth.”

“Local checking day events show that around 80% of the child car seats we checked were incorrectly installed. Transport for NSW research shows that children who are not restrained correctly are seven times more likely to sustain life-threatening injuries in a crash than those who are properly secured. It is so important to ensure your precious cargo is safe,” said Ms Suitor.

To book your place, visit the event listing on the Councils Facebook pages or call Ms Suitor on (02) 6861 2364.

The Mates4Harness Flood Relief Anzac Day Race meet will bring the community together to celebrate the Anzac spirit while supporting local flood victims.

A family focused event, the race day will have something for everyone from live music, auctions, free kids amusements, mobile rides, mini trots, ice-cream, free facepainting and of course harness racing action and a drivers invitational race.

Anzac day will also be commemorated with a parade at the course and 2 Up, where punters can try their luck off the track as well.

The day will kick off at 12.15pm at the Eugowra Showground Paceway.

It is great to see the Eugowra community bounce back after the 2022 floods. The huge community and Council effort to get the infrastructure of Eugowra back in shape to host such events is commendable.

If you are looking for something different to do with the family this Anzac Day, head on over to Eugowra to support the community In their recovery efforts.

For more information on the Mates4Harness Flood Relief Harness Race Day, head on over to www.eugowraharnessracing.com or check out Eugowra Harness Racing Club Facebook Page.

The annual Canowindra International Balloon Challenge kicked off on Wednesday, 12th April, with balloons gracing the skies at both sunrise and sunset over the rolling hills of Canowindra.

Canowindra’s biggest festival brings the community together to welcome thousands of visitors, who trek from across the country to celebrate all things ballooning.

There is so much more than just ballooning on offer. Kick off the weekend with the street parade from 10am on Saturday, 15th April.

The main event, the Canowindra Balloon Glow will start at 3pm with plenty on offer for everyone. A true family friendly event, with live music, food, drink and market stalls. It will be an evening not to be missed with Golden Guitar winners, Darlinghurst Band performing alongside local artists.

Festival updates will be posted on the Canowindra International Balloon Challenge facebook page. Get your tickets at 123tix.com.au

Over 70 Leyland P76 cars converged on Parkes last weekend, Saturday 8th and Sunday 9th April, to compete for prizes, and more importantly, bragging rights. 

The event was extra special as it combined two events into one – the 18th Nationals of Leyland P76 Clubs across Australasia, that includes all Australian States and New Zealand, and the 50th Anniversary of the release of the P76 car in 1973. 

President of the NSW Leyland P76 Owners Club, Paul Patten said, “It was probably the biggest collection of P76s for some time and possibly the biggest that we will ever see again.” 

The show and shine event was held on Sunday, with over 14 prizes awarded across various categories for first and second place getters. Some of the categories included most original, best restored and best in show. 

Parkes was chosen as the host for this years event due to its central location for the large number of visitors travelling from Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria. 

Paul extended a big thank you to everyone who attended the event over the weekend and to the Parkes Services Club, HARS Museum, Parkes Telescope and the Visitor Information Centre for their support.