This Saturday, 16th April, the Central West Astronomical Society will be holding its regular ‘Friends of The DISH’ event at the CSIRO Parkes Observatory Visitors Centre. Members and non-members are welcome to come along and learn about what’s hidden just behind our atmosphere. Telescopes will be set up on the grounds of the Centre and visitors will be invited to view the bright stars, sunspots, planets and moon through the telescopes in daylight.

Weather permitting, the event will run from around 9am until 4.30pm and is free of charge to all who wish to attend. Central West Astronomical Society meetings are held on the first Friday of every month except January from 7.30pm in the CSIRO Pares Observatory Visitors Centre. Everyone who has an interest in science, space or who would just like to socialise and make some new friends are welcome free of charge.

The famous CSIRO Parkes radio telescope has been in operation for more than 50 years and thanks to regular upgrades, it continues to be at the forefront of discovery. The telescope is one of three instruments that make up the Australia Telescope National Facility and it has now been announced that the telescope has been granted pathfinder status by the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) Organisation in Australia.

The announcement welcomes ‘The Dish’ into the group of other world-leading instruments and systems engaged in SKArelated technology development and science studies. Parkes Shire Council Mayor Ken Keith OAM says, “The granted SKA pathfinder status for The Dish is an exciting development and ensures it remains at the forefront of astronomical discovery.” Astronomers from across Australia and around the world utilise the Parkes radio telescope, which has a diameter of 64 metres, to undertake world-class astronomical science.

Built virtually in the shadow of The Dish, the Discovery Centre, where visitors are invited to explore the world of astronomy, is also open 7 days. If you would like to become a friend of the dish give them a call on 6861 1777.

On Wednesday Parkes Stationery and Office Furniture presented a donation to Parkes Hospital to mark the end of three years of working towards supplying whiteboards throughout the new Parkes Hospital. “We’re pleased to be a local business supporting another local business” said Gregor, owner of Parkes Stationery and Office Furniture; “We are huge supporters of the buy local campaign and have supported many businesses along with community events and groups.”

130 whiteboards were supplied to building contractors who then installed them into the hospital. Pelikan Artline also donated 60 units of whiteboard starter kits, which included whiteboard markers, erasers and cleaning solution and has a retail value of over $800. Whiteboards are used primarily for meetings with staff and patients, are a great way to illustrate treatment plans and patient care boards are also often placed on whiteboards.

Gregor and Marty Sammut-Paul took over the Parkes Stationery and Office Furniture business in July, 2013 after moving to Parkes from the Glasshouse Mountains in Queensland so their daughter could grow up closer to family. In the two and a half years since Gregor and Marty have worked hard to ensure the store image, branding and presentation is dynamic and consistent. The husband and wife team work full time and employ ten full time and part time staff, one of which, Dianne Orr, won the prestigious Parkes Business Awards in 2015 for customer service.

Gregor, who is also Treasurer of the Parkes Chamber of Commerce, is pleased that his business has been able to help and provide for other in the community; “Our small business grounding has enabled us to quickly meet the needs of our local customers while being large enough to source bulk products that our customers demand. We’d like to sincerely thank Parkes and the surrounding towns for the support we have been shown.”

Member for Orange, Andrew Gee has voiced his concern over a NSW TrainLink review currently underway, which would see the Parkes Railway Station become unattended. Mr Gee said he would be bringing both his and the community’s concerns to the urgent attention of New South Wales Transport Minister, Andrew Constance. “I was extremely disappointed to learn that NSW TrainLink is currently reviewing a proposal to revert Parkes Railway Station to become an unattended station,” Mr Gee said. “I have made urgent representations to the Minister requesting that the Parkes Station remain manned, however I would encourage any Parkes residents who share
my sentiments to contact my office so these concerns can also be passed on.

Public transport is an issue close to the hearts of people in regional communities and it is vital that we maintain our rail services, especially for those residents who rely on it. I will be sure to keep the community updated on progress on this issue.” If you would like to contact Mr Gee’s office in regards to this article, please call 6362 5199 or if you would like to have your say about the possible unmanning of Parkes Railway Station, send your views as a letter to the editor to editor@parkesphoenix.com.au or post it to our current office at 65 Gaskill Street, Canowindra.

Parkes School of Dance held RAD (Royal Academy of Dance) exam workshops over the weekend and Sharyn Constable kindly travelled to be the examiner. The school, which is a not for profit association, recently invested in Bluetooth, spring floors and other state of the art materials so the building qualified to hold examinations.

The Parkes School of Dance usually has small numbers in their dance classes, meaning students receive a lot more time and attention than dance schools in the city. “Many children entering the exam this year have never done it before so to be able to hold the exams here in Parkes is great because we can prepare them in the same studio” said Cathy, one of the teachers; “In different studios the space is unknown which can make students anxious and affect their performance.” Parkes School of Dance do everything from ballet to tap, “if someone came to us and said they wanted to try and class out we could do it” said Cathy. Best of all, because the school is owned by a committee, every cent is spent on the children. Sharyn Constable, who hails from Penrith, is a very experienced examiner;

“Sharyn knows how to talk to children, she breaks down complicated moves so they make sense.” If you would like to find out more pop in for a visit at 17 May Street.

MAC Fencing, which is based in Parkes, is the fencing contractor of choice in the Central West. James Mackay began the business around four years ago and it has been growing progressively year on year. The initial focus of the business was on rural and commercial fencing and MAC Fencing has provided an excellent service, on time and on budget, to large properties, hobby farmers and Government Departments.

MAC Fencing has now diversified into residential fencing. They provide all the various residential fencing that their customers wish for and provide above and beyond customer service. Exactly the same as the rural fencing, the residential fencing is also completed on time and on budget. “I joined the MAC Fencing team about four months ago because of their high standards. It’s a personal business. We like to get to know our customers and ensure they are happy with the service and the product,” said Colin Boggs.

The MAC Fencing team will travel all over Central Western NSW to provide both rural, commercial and residential fences. Don’t sit on the fence, give MAC Fencing a call and find out what they can do for you!

With organised gaming on the rise, Greenlight Collectables on Welcome Street has become an official venue for competitive Magic: The Gathering play, also known as Magic. Magic: The Gathering is the world’s most popular trading card game with approximately 20 million players. The game can be played by two or more players and each game represents a battle between wizards known as ‘Planeswalkers’ who employ spells, artefacts and creatures depicted on each individual card to defeat their opponents.

As the original concept drew heavily from motifs of traditional fantasy role playing games such as Dungeons & Dragons, the gameplay has substantially more cards than many other card games which make this game not only fun but also mentally challenging. Magic combines fantasy themes with strategic thinking and is a great social and competitive hobby for people of all ages.

On Friday nights players can now compete for prizes, Planeswalker points and become part of a growing gaming community. Magic is a great addition to the competitive schedule on offer at Greenlight Collectables, who offer a wide range of table top and trading card games. Everything from Dungeons and Dragons to Yu-Gi-Oh is in stock and tables are always open for play. Friday nights at Greenlight Collectables are focused on providing an accessible, fun night out for players of all ages and ability levels. Come on down, meet some new friends and join the fun!

A growling mass of 76 motorbikes roared into Parkes on Saturday for the fourth annual Big Ride 4 Parkinson’s charity event. Eight bike riders from Parkes rode to Sydney last Friday in order to join the 360km ride from Sydney to Parkes the following day.

Iconic Australian rocker and former Rose Tattoo front man, Angry Anderson took part in the ride for the fourth time. This year session musician Randall Waller also participated in the ride and joined Angry on stage on Saturday night at the Cambridge and Commerical Hotels. “We had brilliant local support,” said Mark Atherton, initiator and organiser of the ride; “About $7,000 had been raised through registration fees for the bikers, as well as an auction and raffle.”

Claire Tester of Parkinson’s NSW said the money would go towards free services offered to members. She was impressed that riders had come from all over NSW to take part in the event. There was even interest from riders in Queensland! For Mark it has all come together nicely this year after some teething problems previously. “We are getting some very good reviews” he said. With a return of 60% of riders to the event every year, Mark expects it to only grow bigger.

As a keen motorcycle rider, Mark was searching for a ride to do for charity and liked the sound of Parkes and Parkinson’s. That was how the idea for the Big Ride was born. Sadly, his father was diagnosed with Parkinson’s three months after the first event, spurring his motivation to make this an even bigger, annual event. He was very happy when he convinced his good friend, Angry Anderson to become part of the ride and provide entertainment at the end.

By Maggi Barnard

Students of the Mitchell Conservatorium in Parkes have proved they have many talents, not only playing beautiful music at their term one concert but also offering practical tips for performers and concertgoers at the same time.
The concert was designed to combine performance opportunity and ideas on effective practice by the 12 participating students. They played a variety of string instruments and spoke about techniques they found helpful in practicing the piece they performed. Some of the tips offered included breaking the piece of music up into smaller sections to practise each section separately; experiment with different rhythms, volumes, accents and touch such
as staccato and legato (sharp and smooth) when working on particularly tricky passages; use the metronome to achieve a steady, even beat and to slowly ‘winch’ sections up to speed and to avoid just playing through your pieces from beginning to end – don’t kid yourself into thinking that playing them through quickly equals effective practice!

Most importantly, when preparing for a performance, remember to take your audience for a musical ride they can enjoy and to enjoy the music yourself… and keep going even if you stumble or make a mistake!

The next free Mitchell Conservatorium Concert will be held on Tuesday, 21st June and the theme of the concert will be ‘home grown’. Performers who would like to play music that they have either written themselves, or that has been written by someone local, are welcome to play at the concert. As this concert will be close in date to exams and eisteddfod, there will also be opportunity for students wanting to play or recite pieces they have been working on.

Enquiries should be directed to Pam Parkin at poshandjam@outlook.com.

“People make me cry, they are so generous.” These words come from inspiring Parkes resident, Ellie Hetherington, who has raised more than $78,000 for Can Assist selling plants from her home. Last year alone she raised $28,591.

Ellie used to sell about 50 plants as a side-line at stalls on the odd occasion, until her sister was diagnosed with cancer more than six years ago. “Can Assist was extremely good to her,” said Ellie, who did not hesitate when someone suggested she started selling plants at the church markets and Can Assist stalls. She soon started making a name as the lady with green fingers and reasonable prices for a good cause.

When considering what has boosted her efforts, Ellie can think of two events; a stall at an Open Garden event really promoted her cause, and in 2012 she joined the social media world of Facebook. “Since then it has really ballooned in a big way. People come from Condobolin, Wellington, Bathurst and West Wyalong. The other day a lady from Grenfell bought 100 trees!” she said.

With a pot plant count of over 2,000, her property is filling up by the day, so much so that at the beginning of last year she was ready to give it all up. “I just couldn’t do it any more by myself” said Ellie, who spends three and a half hours every day watering the plants. Fortunately help was at hand in the form of Diane Sondermeyer and 4 other regular helpers Ellie says she could now not do without. “Diane and Margaret Thurn come about three times per week, while Steve Klein assists with the manure and Judy Barter and Joanne Bartyn offer a helping hand too.” Ellie’s husband has also been a pillar of support.

Ellie is so touched by everyone who helps her in so many different ways. “People are awfully kind. Very few want change when they pay for their plants.” She would often come home to find donations of all kinds dropped at her front gate such as pots, cuttings and plants and receives lots of milk bottles from The Dish Café. A 95-year-old lady once stayed for a whole morning to cut the bottles and make pots and three weeks ago someone donated three new
pumps for her sprayer, while another man saw her spreading Epsom salt and came back with a 20kg bag.

Ellie regularly gets donations from Seasol for fertiliser after phoning one day along with horse manure, saw dust and hay from the racetrack to help create potting soil. To keep her charity running smoothly, Ellie would love it if more people could propagate plants at home and donate them to her once established and is always happy to have an extra pair of helping hands. If you would like to buy plants, donate or volunteer, Ellie can be found on the corner of Military and Eugowra roads. She has a sign on the road when she is home.

More than 30 people of all ages took part in the first planting at PAC Park on Saturday. The Motley Crew of volunteers planted over 1,100 plants on the banks of the waterway which will provide support for the banks as the water rises and falls, decreasing the likelihood of erosion. The Motley Crew was formed as an initiative of Central West Lachlan Landcare (CWLL) and Parkes Shire Council to undertake local projects to improve the environment and promote community ownership and awareness.

Parkes Shire Council received funding to undertake rehabilitation works in the PAC Park area. The waterway in PAC Park provides a habitat for native birds, frogs, fish, grasses and sedges. To many members of the community PAC Park is a hidden gem and a common walkway for residents. The work that was completed on Saturday will make a major contribution to the beautification of the area.

Chairperson for CWLL, Margot Jolly said; “We were thrilled to have so many people in attendance at the first Motley Crew event. It was particularly good to have such a broad age group of people there.” Participants don’t need to have any skills, just a willingness to support each other, enjoy being outdoors and making a difference in the community. It is planned that the volunteers will now partake in monthly ‘social planting’ events. If people are unable to plant and would just like to be part of the morning as an encourager or overseer, you would be more than welcome to attend.

The event ended with morning tea of scones, cupcakes and a cup of tea or coffee with kids scrambling for Easter eggs before they melted! If you would like to join the next Motley Crew event, please contact Marg Applebee on 02 6862 4914 or email cwllpo@hotmail.com

By Maggi Barnard