Cr Pat Smith, Melanie Suitor and Cr Bill Jayet with an inflatable yellow ribbon for National Road Safety Week.
Yellow Ribbons: Parkes, Forbes and Lachlan Shire Councils are celebrating National Road Safety Week 2020 with a range of activities this week. The week runs from 15 – 22 November, and honours the memory of the 1,200 lives lost, and more than 44,000 seriously injured on Australia’s roads each year. During the week, road users are being asked to think about how they can actively protect all those who are vulnerable on the road ahead and to sign an online pledge to not drive distracted, not speed and to never drive under the influence of drugs or alcohol. “During National Road Safety Week, yellow ribbons will be displayed all across the country to remember those we have lost on the roads and to remind us to drive safely,” said Parkes, Forbes and Lachlan Shire Councils’ Road Safety and Injury Prevention Officer, Melanie Suitor. Parkes Shire Councils’ fleet vehicles proudly displayed yellow ribbons this week, and the Sir Henry Parkes statue in Parkes is lit yellow.
No Carols: The Parkes Minister’s Association has announced with great sadness that the annual Carols by Candlelight event in Cooke Park has been cancelled for this year due to COVID restrictions. Residents are advised to contact their local church for Christmas service times.
Vegetation Program: Essential Energy will start a vegetation management program in early December in Albert, Alectown, Bogan Gate, Cookamidgera, Peak Hill, Tottenham, Trundle, Tullamore and the surrounding areas to ensure the ongoing safety and reliability of the local electricity network. The program will be undertaken by Essential Energy’s qualified contractors in compliance with the Australian Standard AS 4373 ‘Pruning of Amenity Trees’ where possible. Their practices can vary to accommodate the physical location and regrowth pattern of particular vegetation. Contractors will also comply with the Essential Energy operational protocols to ensure employee, contractor and community safety during the COVID-19 pandemic, including complying with all social distancing requirements. Operations Manager Central, Bronwyn Sigmund, said the vegetation program was about striking a balance between preserving the town’s trees and ensuring power safety and reliability for the community. Bronwyn said trees and overhead powerlines could be a dangerous combination. “Trees coming into contact with overhead powerlines pose serious hazards to people, wildlife and the surrounding environment, with potential for bushfires, damage to property, injury and unplanned power outages.”
Flowers continue to beautify our landscape with the Melaleuca trees in full bloom at the moment.