Friday morning began slightly differently for students at Parkes Pubic School when 14 rally cars roared by. This is the first time in its 12 years of existence that the Just4Kids children’s charity from Queensland has ventured in NSW on their annual motor trail fundraising event. The charity, which supports disabled and disadvantaged children,
stopped at Parkes Public to hand over a cheque donation for the school’s sensory gym, as well as three large food hampers for the special unit.

The volunteers played cricket with the students after they were treated to a breakfast prepared by the P & C. “Breakfast was wonderful,” said Kerin Hannan, Secretary of Just4Kids; “The rally has included volunteers from all over Australia and we’ve been stopping along the way to make donations.” This year’s 3000km Surf to Snow
route started off at Movieworld on the Gold Coast and finished at Jindabyne in the Snowy Mountains. Director of Just4Kids, Mark Louez, said entries for next year’s Cape York Safari are already open for anyone interested in doing something different for a holiday. For more information go to www.just4kidsmotortrail.com.au.

On the 9th April the Men of League Foundations and Ronald McDonald House Orange (RMHO) Sportsman’s dinner will be held in Orange. Since opening last April, RMHO has had 77 families stay, including 10 families from Parkes. The sportsman’s dinner promises to be a fabulous evening where guests can mingle with Bob McCarthy, former international rugby league icon, Mike Cleary a dual code international, John Peard and Stuart Raper a former NRL Player.

RMHO is the first house to support families that are affected by child and adolescent mental health. Ronald McDonald House Orange is a ‘home away from home’ for many families of a child with a serious illness, providing a safe and comfortable environment where the whole family can stay together for the duration of their child’s treatment. With your support, the house will continue to be a place where families can be together and have a soft place to land when they need it most during a traumatic time in their lives. If you would like to attend the dinner at the Orange Ex-Services Club on 9th April at 7pm and rub shoulders with rugby elite, please call 6362 2666. Tickets are $75pp and include dinner and entertainment.

The new bins that have been issued in the past few weeks have been causing quite a stir around town, with the main worry being the potential smell the red bins may create if they’re being collected fortnightly. Parkes & District Wheelie Clean are ready to put your whiffy woes aside.

David and Lucy Newham, owners of Wheelie Clean, can organise to have your bins cleaned, at your place, for only $5 per bin, what a bargain! And the pair don’t just stop at bins, they also keep ovens and chimneys immaculate which can help when you need to get a house cleaned at the end of your lease or before a big move.

Don’t stress about strong smells, give David a call on 0424 849 335 and settle into the new bin routine with ease.
The new collection service will begin on 4th April with the food and garden waste collected weekly and the red lid garbage bin collected fortnightly. Your collection day will not change.

For those of you interested in culture, history and heritage; local groups and organisations have until Friday 29th April to apply for a 2016 Parkes Shire Council Cultural Grant. Last year four cultural organisations received grants, according to Manager of Cultural, Education and Library Services, Shellie Buckle. “In 2015 Tullamore Central School, Lachlan Regional Community Orchestra, Parkes & District Country Music Association and Peak Hill Leisure Arts and Craft Inc received funding for musical endeavours and art workshops” Shellie said.

Applications must request a grant of at least $2,000 with the total funding pool at $9,500. The objectives of the Program are to stimulate community cultural activity, encourage creative and innovative cultural activity, assist in the development of skills and abilities and enhance cultural facilities and community awareness of the importance of culture. Funding categories include subsidy for a new project, extension or enhancement of an existing project, purchase of equipment or minor capital works.

Parkes Shire Council’s Cultural Committee Chair, Deputy Mayor Councillor Barbara Newton would like to encourage groups to apply. “Council is committed to encouraging the growth of cultural skills and the development of cultural facilities. The cultural grants enable Council to directly fund innovative projects and ideas” Councillor Newton said. Cultural Grants application forms are available on Council’s website, www.parkes.nsw.gov.au, or at any Parkes
Shire Library including Parkes, Peak Hill, Trundle and Tullamore. Contact Council’s Grant Officers, Ellie O’Donoghue or Sally Chapman on 6861 2398 for advice and support in completing the application. Successful
applications will be announced in June 2016, we will those applying luck in getting a grant.

Keeping teenage girls in school in developing countries was one of the big projects highlighted by Quota International of Parkes at its celebration of International Women’s Day on Tuesday. Approximately 150 women from Parkes and district attended a sparkling high tea at the Parkes Golf Club for the annual event which celebrates women’s achievements and highlights Quota’s projects.

Pam Nankivell, Publicity Officer of Quota International of Parkes, said Tuesday’s focus was on the Days for Girls project. “The aim is to help girls gain access to quality sustainable feminine hygiene by providing them with re-usable sanitary kits. The kits are made by people all over the world and according to the Days for Girls website,
more than 200,000 girls in 100 nations have been reached so far” she said; “This means girls can stay in school instead of missing up to two months of education and opportunity every year.”

In Uganda and Kenya absence rates have dropped from 36% to 8% and 25% to 3% respectively after the distribution of Days for Girls kits. Pam said the Parkes chapter had been involved with the project for the past year by raising funds, as well as making some of the kits.

The other focus area of Quota International is the ongoing project of providing sound field systems to classrooms. The Parkes Public School already has three classrooms equipped with a system. “This means everyone can hear the teacher and the classroom is quieter,” said Pam; “Our endeavour is to put a system in all classrooms.” Cheques were also presented to the Domestic Violence Committee and Palliative Care at Tuesday’s event via the Parkes Quota Club, which has been in existence since 1957.

Two Parkes cyclists are toughening up to take part once again in one of the most exciting and rewarding charity bicycle rides in New South Wales. Rodney Coleman and Tina Jones are two of the 48 determined entrants for the Mill2Mill ride beginning in Gunnedah on Monday and ending in Manildra on Thursday, 577km later.

The duo first took part in the biennial event in 2014, “I enjoyed it, although it was really tough,” said Rodney, an employee at the Manildra Flour Mills, “I’m really looking forward to catching up with the people who took part last time and going to schools along the way and talking to the kids.” Tina, an employee of Pacific National, is equally excited for the challenge.

The ride is an initiative of the Manildra Group and MSM Milling to raise money for charities that support regional communities, small rural schools and community groups. The main aim is to raise more than $100,000 to be split between beyondblue and small schools the ride will pass along the route, as well as local Manildra community groups whose members volunteer their time to work as support crew during the ride. According to Genya Miller, Communications Manager for MSM Milling, this year’s ride concentrates on supporting beyondblue to help battle increasing levels of depression and anxiety in regional communities and among farmers.

The 2016 ride is the fourth Mill2Mill and will pass through many small regional communities, including Mullaley, Tambar Springs, Coonabarabran, Gilgandra, Narromine, Peak Hill and Parkes. The riders are expected to be in Parkes on Thursday to grab some well-earned lunch at KFC between 12pm and 12.30pm, if you would like to cheer them on.

If you would like to support the ride with a donation go to www.msmmilling.com.au and search for the Mill2Mill charity bike ride.

There’s been some confusion over how the new bin system will work, so here is the information in a nutshell. Parkes Shire Council now have a new waste collection service that will recover more recyclables and organic material from entering landfill, helping you waste less, recycle more and keep the environment happy. All material from the green lid bin (food and organics) will be processed into mulch. The recycled material (yellow) will also be processed
and manufactured into new products.

The new bins will enable increased capacity for recycling (yellow lid bin) and food and garden waste (green lid bin) while still providing a garbage waste bin (red lid bin). The three bin collection service will begin the week of the 4th April 2016, so keep using your current bins until 4th April! After April 4th the new bins will be good to go
when a new truck with a different lifting system will be able to pick them up and clean them out. Also, if your old bins are put out after April 4th, they won’t be picked up so make sure you don’t throw away the
wrong bin!

The old bins will be collected on 26th April which will be a once off event so please remember to put your old bin
our by the evening of the 25th April. Chris Foley, Waste Service Officer, says; “If anyone hasn’t received the info pack attached to the bins you can phone the Council on 1300 725 415.” The information packs include a fridge calendar that is colour coded so you know when to put out which bin. Cr Alan Ward, Chair of Parkes Shire Council’s Waste Committee said the new service will provide a much improved environmental outcome and allow Council to meet the State government’s goal of achieving 70% diversion of domestic waste going to landfill.