The Golden Plough will be held in Wongarbon on Saturday, 22nd and Sunday, 23rd April. This competition was first held in 1976 and has been fiercely contested ever since. This is the first year it will be hosted in the Dubbo region. 

The Western Branch of the Australian Draught Horse Stud Book Society hosts the two-day annual event which includes, horse working classes, obstacle courses, wagon rides, horse-driven chaff cutter demonstrations along with ladies, junior, novice and veteran ploughing competitions and culminates with the fiercely contested Golden Plough.

Horse drawn ploughing involves skilfully guiding one or two draught horses, pulling a single furrow plough, to create a straight plot of eight runs (minimum) which are judged on linear accuracy, depth, sharpness of cut, total width and how the soil is turned. 

Watch the ploughmen and women battle it out for the Golden Plough trophy, see horsemanship at its best. Bring your family and friends for a great weekend of horsemanship, demonstration events,food stalls and stay longer for fire-side stories, poetry and a camp oven dinner. Day, dinner and weekendpasses available.

For further details go to: www.facebook.com/thegoldenplough or get your and tickets at www.123tix.com.au/events/38544/the-golden-plough

The world acknowledged World Autism Awareness Day on 2nd April. Autism Spectrum Australia (Aspect) has moved to change the wording to World Autism Understanding Day, in a bid to foster greater consideration and acceptance of autism and Autistic people. 

The most important message is that no two Autistic people are the same and that autism may not be what you think it is. It’s not a one-size-fits all and there is still misunderstanding and stigmatism. 

Jacqui Borland, CEO, Aspect said she applauds the change to World Autism Understanding Day because how we use language to talk about autism and Autistic people is important. 

“The more our wider community understands what life on the autism spectrum can feel like, the more likely it is they will know what environmental adjustments and language will make a difference.” 

Ms Borland added that building an inclusive environment is up to all of us. “The onus must not sit purely on the Autistic person to ‘fit in’ but creating supportive environments for neuro-divergent people is a positive step we can all take.” 

More information is available at www.autismspectrum.org.au/about-autism/our-research/our-research-program/disclosure 

WHAT’S ON MONTHLY CALENDAR

We have a new handy calendar to keep you up to date with all the events and activities at the Parkes Library and Cultural Centre. Hard copies are now available from the library or on our Facebook page.

FRIDAY FLICKS

This 2022 fantasy romantic drama film is described as Aladdin for adults. What would you wish for if you were granted 3 wishes? For lovers of fairy tales this visually marvellous movie will ignite your imagination. Friday 28 April at 6pm. Bookings essential.

SCHOOL HOLIDAY ACTIVITIES

During April school holidays we have some fun activities for all ages. In-person bookings essential. 

Holiday Kids Flick (rated PG for students in K-6) – Friday 14 April 10:30am -12:15pm – FREE

Knight for a Day (for students in K-6) -Tuesday 18 April 10:30am – 12:00pm – $2

Youth Online Book Club starts 20 April.To read the book, The Theory of Hummingbirds, download the indyreads appon your device. Join our book club onlinediscussion at parkeslibrary.freeforums.net

PAINTING GROUP EXHIBITION

Visit the Coventry Room to be inspired by this years Annual Parkes Painting Group Exhibition and vote for the People’s Choice. Artwork is available to purchase on opening night or throughout the 2 weeks of the exhibition. Open during library hours from Saturday 22 April to Saturday 6 May. Opening night: Friday 21 April 6:30-8:30pm ($20 payable at the door)

LEARN SOMETHING NEW IN APRIL 

Social AUSLAN – Saturday 15 and 29April from 10am (FREE). Join us fortnightly in the Makerspace to learn socialAUSLAN with Rose and Annette Jones.

Resin Pouring Workshops – Sunday30 April at multiple times (Fee required).Learn to resin pour and make a decorative board to take home. Bookingsthrough ‘Lil’ Bluebird Resin Art on Facebook.

Ub Ubbo Exchange, in partnership with the Parkes Rotary Club will be holding a special viewing of the film Wiradjuri Ngurambang (Wiradjuri Country), five original songs with film clips used in the project and a trailer for a documentary on Yindyamarra. The viewing will be held on Monday 3rd April at the Pavillion in Cooke Park. 

Wiradjuri Elder Robert Clegg had the vision for a permanent display to protect Wiradjuri artefacts belonging to the Parkes area. 

Ub Ubbo Exchange members Sean James Cassidy and Kerrie Peden were invited to create a digital component to complement the display which can be seen in the foyer area of the Parkes Shire Library. “The Wiradjuri Ngurambang project was a spiritual awakening” said Sean Cassidy. Up and coming filmmaker Joshua Belinfante, one of the editors on this project is a lecturer in film at the University of Newcastle and at the National Institute of Dramatic Arts (NIDA) in Sydney. 

The innaugural Homegrown Parkes event held last Saturday, 25th March was a resounding success, offering activities and stalls to suit every taste.

During the event, Parkes played host to celebrity gardener Costa Georgiadis, who engaged in every aspect of the day. In addition, Costa spent Friday, 24th March with local students at Landcares Schools Eco Day, followed by a dinner at Bogan Gate.

Over 40 stallholders supported Homegrown Parkes, bringing together first-time producers and creatives, sporting groups, schools and some more established small local businesses.

With an emphasis on keeping it local, the majority of stallholders were from Parkes however, organisers were also pleased to welcome several stallholders from Forbes, Cowra and Orange. 

The alpacas and insects were definitely a hit with everyone – not just the kids! The smooth sounds of the piano in the Cooke Park Pavilion drew people in, to view the fabulous pottery and paintings. 

Food options were top-shelf, with a wide variety of vendors providing amazing fresh food options.

The Committee, consisting of members of Central West Lachlan Landcare, Parkes Community Arts and Parkes Shire Council have been overwhelmed with wonderful feedback from the event and are extremely grateful for the support and participation of the community.

Following the resounding success of last weekends event, the committee are seeking feedback from the community and stallholders on whether the event should continue. A survey will be going live via social media, Facebook: homegrownparkes and Instagram: homegrown_parkes.

The world premiere of locally written musical, Cracks in the Mirror will be held at The Little Theatre in Parkes, on 22nd April, but plans are afoot to market this musical to theatre companies nationally. 

It all began in January 2022, when Lyn Townsend, along with 20 other people around the world, undertook a short online musical song writing course with composers Pasek and Paul (The Greatest Showman, Dear Evan Hanson).

She engaged the services of Gail Smith to assist with music composition for the course song – the outcome, Cracks in the Mirror was an epic 11 minutes long!

Lyn dedicated herself to writing topical and relevant storylines into a script, while regularly meeting with Gail to continue working on more songs. Six months later, Lyn and Gail had written an entire musical.

A very capable local musician, Anthony Leonard, was called in to give feedback on the songs and eagerly agreed to join them on the journey, collaborating on musical arrangement.

Workshops were held in August last year with five ladies who willingly gave their time to test the script and songs and provide valuable feedback.

Auditions were held in December to secure the small but very talented cast of Maddison Collits, Jade McGovern, Kimberley Ryan, Amelia Regnier and Ruth Barnes and band members Phil Redenbach (lead guitar), Tom Rivett (Base guitar), Nigel Thomas (Drums/percussion), with Anthony and Gail both playing keyboard. 

As Lyn and Gail own the music, there are no royalties to be paid. At their request, the Parkes Musical and Dramatic Society will donate $10 from every ticket sold, to the Eugowra GIVIT flood appeal.

Tickets for Cracks in the Mirror are on sale now at www.parkesmandd.com.au. Group reservation requests made by emailing parkesmandd2870@gmail.com.

Parkes Shire Council is pleased to be partnering with the Carrington Association to host the Back to Peak Hill weekend event from Friday, 17th to Sunday, 19th March. 

Peak Hill invites you to revive your memories of the way things were. Of school days, sports, local families, farms, railways, harvests and local shops within the community. 

Event organisers welcome you to visit Peak Hill this weekend, either once again or maybe for the first time, to see what all the fuss is about and create some new memories. 

Susie Collett, chairman of the Carrington Association says, “History must be treasured and celebrated, but never become an anchor to the future.” 

The Back to Peak Hill Weekend will be centered on The Carrington, formerly the Carrington Hotel, which was nearly destroyed by fire. After years of determination and persistence by wonderful local enthusiasts, The Carrington is now close to being completed and reopened to the community. It is a significant place from history that is now headed into the future, which is what this weekend is all about. 

Activities will include open schools, displays of artifacts and memorabilia, social games, street busking, an official opening of The Carrington, history and craft displays, live entertainment, and much more. 

The Carrington will be open daily as the weekend’s hub, whilst many local businesses and organisations will also open their doors for extended hours. 

The event is being funded by the NSW Government’s Reconnecting Regional NSW Community Events Program. 

Keith Potger was born 21st March 1941 in Colombo, Ceylon. His family migrated to Australia and he began teaching himself to play the banjo, guitar and keyboard. Potger performed in vocal groups which evolved into the Seekers in early 1962.

Keith Potger’s solo acoustic performances appeal to audiences for whom his music is a breath of fresh air; the fans who appreciate the man and his guitar – and boy, can he play that 12 string! 

As a founding member of the internationally famous group The Seekers, he is known to countless fans and this is obvious in the welcome given to him by audiences around the world. In September 2014, along with his colleagues in the Seekers, Potger was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO).

His program contains some timeless favourites from The Seekers, a touch of Nashville, some beautiful original ballads from his three solo CDs and a few hits from the ‘60s to the ‘80s that appeal to the generation who grew up playing Seekers albums at home or in the car. Throughout his show, Keith shares some amusing anecdotes from almost 60 years on the international music scene.

During his performance Keith offer a special tribute to his colleague and dear friend of 60 years, the late and great Judith Durham. Keith unfailingly delivers up-beat, heart-warming events that leave audiences reliving their fondest memories while sharing the joy of new beginnings that are the hallmarks of Keith Potger’s solo concerts.

This is a free event, proudly funded by the NSW Government’s Reconnecting Regional NSW Community Events Program and Parkes Shire Council.