Forbes Eisteddfod Fun: More than 2 000 children and adults graced the stage for the five days of the Eisteddfod. Every session had a packed Town Hall to capacity with about 200 parents in attendance. Participants not only came from Forbes but from all over the Central West and even further afield, including Grenfell, Parkes, Bathurst, Griffith and Leeton. The individual categories were open to participants of all ages. The competition started on Saturday with piano, and vocal on Sunday. On Monday the first school groups on stage in the instrumental category, while the speech and drama section was on Tuesday. The most popular category this year, school dance groups, had its turn on Wednesday. Many schools entered for this competition. Other categories for groups were for bands and school choirs. The idea for an Eisteddfod dates back to the 12th century in Wales when it was a Welsh festival of literature, music and performance. The current format comes from an 18th century revival of the Eisteddfod.

Nice Weather for Ducks: The rain has shown no sign of relenting over the past few weeks and now the ground is showing the strain, with rivers and roads flooding throughout the area. The Lachlan and Belubula rivers along with the Mandagery creek have all experienced a significant rise in levels over the week. However, at this stage both Nanami and Forbes are expected to remain below the minor flood levels. The SES would like to remind locals never to drive, ride or walk through floodwater and to keep an eye on the updates. For emergency help in floods and storms, call the NSW SES on 132 500.

 

Celebrate Australian Culture This Weekend:
Learn about the Bulgandramine Mission’s past, present and future history at the Back to Bulgandramine Cultural Gathering this Saturday. Enjoy free entry and lots of activities for the whole family including music and storytelling, Aboriginal astronomy, traditional food tasting, Wiradjuri dancing and face painting. Keep an eye on Council’s website for any wet weather venue changes.

Keep In Touch With Langlands Hanlon:
Langlands Hanlon Landmark are looking to keep in touch with clients via email regarding sales results, upcoming clearing sales, forward contracts, market and general information. If you would like to be included in the correspondence, please send your email address or mobile number to Geoff on 0429 629 966 or email office@langlandshanlon.com.au

Nominations Now Open for Regional Achievement Awards!                                                                                  Get ready to choose a potential winner for the 2015 NSW/ACT Regional Achievement Community Awards, which recognise individuals, businesses and community groups who are making a difference in their communities. Nominations are being sought in the following categories; Community of the Year, Population Under 15,000, Crown Reserve Trust Corporate Manager’s Award, Community Service in Aged Care Award, Employer Excellence in Aged Care Award, Volunteering Award and Events and Tourism Award. To make a nomination go to www.awardsaustralia.com and select NSW/ACT Regional Achievement and Community Awards or call the office on 1300 735 445. Nominations close on Friday, 19th August.

Art Star: A nine-year old with a passion for art created three of the 40 artworks that have been on display at the brand new Parkes Hospital. Jesse Woods of Parkes Public School is the youngest artist to display her work to help brighten up the hospital and make it a more vibrant and friendly place for everyone. The three works of Jesse, who has been taking art lessons at The Little Art Company since she was 7, are called Something Fishy, Dandelions and Masai People. Jesse had an opportunity to tour the art works recently accompanied by Christine McMillian, Arts Out West and Health Coordinator. Well done Jesse!

Chamber Chat! Parkes Upmarkets will be expanding to include Farmers Market type stalls. The next market will be held on 12th June at Cooke Park from 9am-1pm. Discussions around a mid-year promotion were had throughout the meeting. If you would like to be involved or have any suggestions, please contact the Chamber for further information. Sponsorship for the 2017 Sir Henry Business Awards will be open soon, there are a number of types of
sponsorship available. If you would like to be a sponsor for the awards, please contact the Chamber for further information. The CBD Vibrancy Strategy discussion is moving along at an exciting pace, with talks of potentially having a multi-purpose building in Cooke Park and lots more trees to increase the aesthetic of the town.

Shaken Not Stirred For Railway Hotel: For this year’s Parkes Picnic Races the Railway Hotel has again upped the stakes with their glamourous Casino Royale themed tent. Tickets will be sold up to the day so there’s still time to get your name on the most exclusive guest list to the hottest tent trackside! $75 gets you access to the Casino Royale tent which has a dress code of tux and lux. There will be a photographer to snap you on the red carpet and don’t miss out on the fabulous food such as sweet and sour prawns and beef stroganoff! Back at the pub the pizza menu will be served while the resident long weekend DJ DLE brings the after party playing the best in 80’s, 90’s and naughties for you to dance the night away. Plus delicious drinks…shaken not stirred, of course.

Southern Cross Village Fete: Head to the Southern Cross Village grounds in Middleton Street on 7th May for an enjoyable day out for all the family. Beginning at 10am, the Fete will be opened by the Parkes School of Dance, followed by Tapestry and more musical entertainment throughout the day. There will be a chocolate wheel, BBQ, coffee van, jumping castle and stalls galore! Donations of items for the White Elephant stall can be left at the Southern Cross Village before the Fete day while donations for the cake, plant and produce stalls would be appreciated before 10am on the day. We’ll see you there!

Parkes Will Remember Them: On Monday huge crowds gathered in Parkes, Trundle, Tullamore, Peak Hill, Bogan Gate and other surrounding villages and towns for dawn and midday services to commemorate those who have served and those still serving in the armed forces. Wreath laying, addresses, marches and the sounding of ‘The Last Post’ were also part of the ANZAC Day events. Among the marchers on the day were local organisations, veterans, members of the community and schools who did Parkes proud. Lest We Forget.

Friends of The DISH: Over the weekend the Central West Astronomical Society headed to the Dish for their regular meeting. Members Laurie Crowley and Denis Crute set telescopes up early and though there was a bit of high cloud about it was thin enough to allow views of the sun. Laurie had his white light filter and Denis his Herschel wedge filter to safely view the sun. The giant sunspot 2529 was clearly visible with its heart-shaped structure. Visitors enjoyed themselves and appreciated the opportunity to see and learn a bit more than you do during a usual dish visit.

Western Plains Taronga Zoo Winner:
Congratulations to our lucky winner, Luke Knowles, you’ve won a family pass to the zoo to enjoy over the school holidays. Have a wonderful time meeting lots of new furry, feathery and scaly friends.

Language Learning App: Preschool children will have an exciting opportunity to learn another language this year using apps. Parkes Bluebird Early Education Centre and Victoria Street Children’s Centre have obtained a place in the Early Learning Languages Australia (ELLA) programme. Local children can experience Chinese, Japanese, Indonesian, French or Arabic through apps. For more information about the ELLA programme visit: www.ed-ucation.gov.au/early-learning-languagesaustralia

Out With The Old: Parkes, Bogan Gate, Peak Hill, Trundle and Tullamore residents can have their old garbage bins collected from the roadside next week. Any unwanted bins will be collected and recycled into used plastic products such as garden furniture and guide posts. If you choose to have your old bins collected and taken away for recycling, please place your old bins out for collection on ANZAC day evening Monday 25th April for collection on the 26th April. Place your old bins near the kerb, upside down with the lid open and ensure your old bins are completely empty; they cannot be removed if they contain any items.

Waste To Art Winners: 40 artworks made from metal, plastics, paper and used tyres were entered in this year’s Parkes Waste to Art Exhibition. Manager Cultural, Education and Library Services Shellie Buckle loves waste to art time; “We have upcycled dresses, skirts, bags, and gorgeous quilts in the exhibition!” The art that has captured Parkes’ imagination is available to view at Parkes Library until 13th May. The winners, who were announced on Thursday, will now go onto the Regional competition which will be hosted in Condobolin on 25th June.

Fundraising For Brain Cancer Walk: A local couple and their friend were hard at work on Saturday manning a stall outside Woolworths to raise money for a charity walk they will be commencing on May 9th. “The bacon and egg rolls are going like hot cakes!” said Phillip, fiancé of Anne Maree who came up with the idea of the walk; “Lots of people have just made donations without actually buying anything.” If you’d like to support Anne Maree and Phillip they are also hosting a family fun day at the Macquarie Inn in Dubbo on May 1st.

Taronga Western Plains Zoo Giveaway!
Have you ever wondered how long a giraffe’s tongue is? Or how quickly a rhino can run? Don’t stay in the dark about your favourite animals, enter our competition and you could have a chance to get up close and personal with the furry, scaly and feathery friends at Taronga Zoo! To enter, simply cut out the competition form on page 11 of this paper and drop it into our office or go to www.parkesphoenix.com.au and enter online. Entries close on Wednesday 20th April.

Lest We Forget: ANZAC Day is just around the corner and though this is a day of two-up and catching up with friends it is also a day to remember the fallen. If you would like to commemorate a loved one or family member with a poppy tribute to them in next week’s edition, please call Rhi on 6344 1846.

Help For Cyclone Victimes In Fiji: A cake stall was set up outside of Parkes Stationery and Office Furniture on Saturday 2nd April to help fundraise for victims of tropical cyclone Winston in Fiji. The Parkes FijianAssociation provided entertainment whilst the P&F Committee of the Parkes Christian School and Parkes Stationery manned the stall. Many items were donated on the day including school supplies, books, toys and clothes. Parkes Stationery and Parkes Fijians Association would like to thank the generosity of people who made cakes for the stall, donated their time, purchased goods and made monetary donations. $1,300 was raised and will be fully utilised to help rebuild the school in Nasautoka Village.

Top Tradie: Travis Boland from Boland Construction was hard at work last week. Good luck Travis, you’re in for a chance of winning a $100 voucher from Totally Workwear! Do you know a top tradie who deserves a treat? Send us a Facebook message or email editor@parkesphoenix.com.au