Well done everyone who participated and who attended in support of the Parkes Sharks Swimming Club Carnival.
That’s a wrap, thanks for attending the 2024 Official Parkes Sharks Swimming Club Carnival. It was an awesome day of racing, partying and friendships. There were some amazing results across the board for these dedicated little swimmers.
Special thanks to our wonderful sponsors that made day extra special with the introduction of the Dash for Cash.
The Parkes Sharks Swimming Club had 12 swimmers in the Parkes High School team and 2 in the Trundle Central School that travelled to Dubbo state qualifiers on Monday 11th,. An amazing 7 swimmers qualified in multiple individual events and 5 relay teams
Extremely well done to the 7 little sharkies that got to represent their primary schools at the state qualifiers in Dubbo on Tues.
A great swim from Middleton Public School and Parkes East for their gallant relay efforts.
Congrats to Marcus, Lilly, and Gem for making it to the state qualifiers next month in Homebush.
IMAGE: Wonderful representation for the sharkies in Wellington, smashing times, getting placings and plenty of smiles.
It was great to be able to welcome Chris Myers from Swimming NSW on deck this morning to check out the coaches and swimmers
A reminder club members there are plenty of carnivals coming up over the next few weeks. It is a requirement that swimmers attend 2 representations per season to maintain their training placement. Parkes is currently open on swim central so get in early
The wait is almost over, with Forbes Shire Council handing over the pool to the organising committee.
This week, Forbes Shire Council completed the final handover of the newly upgraded indoor heated pool to the Committee.
Membership forms will be released on 1st July and the pool open day will be Thursday, 6th July between 4pm to 6pm for all the community to have a look. A BBQ will be open available on the day. Memberships can also be paid for at the open day and prices will be released early next week.
Thanks go to Forbes Shire Council staff and all of the local tradespeople for the work they put in over the past few months to get this fantastic facility completed for winter.
Special mention go to the following people; the late Mr Ian Macallum and his associates who founded the Heated Pool and worked tirelessly to keep this facility operating. To the late Mr Andrew McDonald who brought a wealth of knowledge to the committee, a well respected member that worked hard behind the scenes with grant funding and compliance. Also the biggest voice for the committee Mrs Dianne Decker OAM. Di would not take no for an answer from anyone wanting to ensure the upgrade suited all age groups and could be used for years to come. Due to health reasons Di had to step down from her role as President but played a big role with this upgrade.
Congratulations to the small committee of local residents who have worked really hard, and spent hours to ensure this facility was a fresh, functional space for our community.
If the community can be patient while the last few finishing touches are completed, we can’t wait to see you on opening day.
The Parkes Aquatic Centres splash pool and 50m lap pool.
The female amenities at the Parkes Aquatare set to receive a complete overhaul, thanks to the NSW Government’s Female Friendly Community Sport Facilities Program.
The $497,705 project will result in substantial upgrades to the toilet and shower facilities and introduce 10 private change rooms and a roof overhead to provide a safe and secure space for females of all ages and abilities at the pool.
Upgrades to the facilities will include much needed new shower and toilet cubicles, hot water services, upgraded change cubicles, a new insulated roof, additional seating and refreshed paint and new tiles throughout.
Mayor of Parkes Shire, Councillor Ken Keith said, “The upgrade will be a most welcome improvement to the current state of the facility with the changerooms having been relatively unchanged since the 1960s.”
During summer, the pool is an important social gathering precinct for people of all ages and demographics and the provision of suitable facilities for females is essential to encourage not only active lifestyle choices, but also social interaction, especially among peers.
Councillor Ken McGrath said: “Parkes often hosts regional and state level events for swimming throughout the season. The upgrade of these facilities will ensure the continuation of these fantastic opportunities that bring people from near and far to the Shire.”
“This refurbishment will turn the female amenities into a place that gives easy access, privacy, dignity, safety and convenience to a broad spectrum of users, from mother’s group participants, female students and older swimmers to disability service providers,” he added.
The project is expected to be completed towards the end of September 2023.
Have you ever wondered how you can give back to the Forbes Fins Club? Well, look no further because the club need three to four new coaches to enable the club to continue to run such an extensive swimming squad program. Without enough coaches, there will be reduced squad availability.
Coaching days/times are flexible and commitment can be as little as one afternoon per week. There are a number of courses coming up during winter. Please get in touch for further information if you are interested.
Pictured left to right are: Lucy Turner (support worker), Chris Spicer, Blake Huntly, Bonitta Brady and Angela Wall-Powell.
The highly anticipated Currajong Disability Swimming Carnival will be taking place this Wednesday, 1st March.
In 2012, Jodie Turner and Currajong took over the carnival from Cowra and a few other service providers. Currajong have been hosting this event since then, and in the past 11 years, there was only one year the event was not held due to COVID.
The event promotes inclusion, an active and healthy lifestyle and is an opportunity for a social interaction for people living with a disability in the central west. Participants travel from as far as Trangie, Temora, Cowra, Forbes, Orange, Bathurst and Parkes.
The Currajong Disability Swimming Carnival is an event that all participants and spectators look forward to and it averages 50 or more attendees each year.
The Currajong Dissability Swimming Carnival will be held at the Parkes Aquatic Centre, Dalton St Parkes. Arrival time is from 9am onwards, events will commence at 10am and finish by 2:30pm. The cost is $10 which includes pool entry, sausage sizzle, drink and an ice-block. The kiosk at pool will be open for other purchases.
A list of events and agenda for the day include:
• 50 metre freestyle: unassisted
• 25 metre freestyle: unassisted
• 50 metre any stroke: assisted
• 25 metre any stroke: assisted
Across pool relay/novelty events: assisted and unassisted
For more information and to register, phone 6863 4713 or 0409 264 394 or email douglas.pout@currajong.org.au. Race entries must be returned 27th February.
Please reply ASAP. Assisted swim support workers will have to swim with the participants. For any service that wish to stay the night in Parkes, please feel free to call 6863 4713 for assistance.
Forbes Fins standout, Max Reid with his Australia Day Award for Young Citizen of the Year.
Forbes swimmer Max Reid has been awarded the Forbes Junior Citizen of the Year Award. Coaches David, Felicity and Juliet were proud to be in attendance to see Max receive the recognition he deserves. It is not only in his swimming and commitment to the Forbes Fins where Max shines, but the many ways in which he contributes to our community. Congratulations Max!
Year 9 Parkes student Blake Price will be swimming for Australia at an international event in Brisbane next month.
A Year 9 Parkes High School student will be swimming for Australia at an international event in Brisbane next month.
Blake Price will be competing at the Virtus Oceania Asia Games from 5th to 11th November in what he hopes is only the first of many opportunities to represent Australia.
Blake’s parents, Sharon and Chris Scott will be attending the games and supporting him at the huge event with about 1,000 athletes and officials from Asia, the Pacific and New Zealand.
Participants will be competing in athletics, badminton, basketball, cycling, judo, rowing, sailing, swimming, table tennis, taekwondo, tennis and triathlon.
The swimming has a jam-packed schedule of events with competition sanctioned by World Para Swimming for freestyle, breaststroke, butterfly and backstroke and medleys.
Blake has been selected as an II3/S19 swimmer due to his diagnosis of Autism. This is the first time that S19 swimmers have been given the opportunity to be included as a full member of the Australian team and this event is the highest level of swimming that a S19 swimmer can presently achieve.
Blake has qualified to swim in eight individual events and team relay events. He had to achieve qualifying times for his events to be selected for the team.
Blake has put in many hours to prepare for the event. He has been training with Jason Montgomery of Parkes Athletic with up to eight sessions per week, and he travelled to Orange on weekends for swim training during the Winter season.
With the Parkes Pool opening last week, Blake is grateful to resume training with the Parkes Sharks Swimming club under the guidance of Coach Barbara Weaver.
Blake will join the Australian team in Brisbane on the 5th of November which is the day of the opening ceremony. Swimming events will be held from 7th to 9th November and the closing ceremony will be on 11th November. For the duration of the event Blake stays with the Australian team at their hotel.
The Virtus Oceania Asia Games 2022 is an international multi-sport competition in the Oceania Asia region for elite athletes with an intellectual impairment.
This will be the first time a Virtus Regional Games will be held for the Oceania Asia region, with hundreds of athletes and officials from Asia, the Pacific and New Zealand coming to Australia.
The 500 residents of Tullamore in the Parkes Shire can look forward to their pool getting a face lift thanks to $100,000 of funding from the NSW Government through the Stronger Country Communities Fund (SCCF).
The funding will see a new shell installed to provide a modern, easily-cleaned facility that will reduce maintenance for repairs and ensure its longevity into the future. “Tullamore is a small town of just over 500 residents and the community pool is at the centre of this township’s social gatherings throughout the hot summer months,” said Mayor of Parkes Shire Cr Ken Keith OAM.
“This is a well-used facility that sees people enjoy it of all ages from young families to elderly citizens.”
Parkes Shire Councillor Daniel Weber said the pool was used by the aqua group, Tullamore Central School and the Tullamore Swimming Club, whose relay team have made it to state for the last three years.
“Swimming is a vital life skill to learn. We are pleased that the upgrade will allow for these skills to continue to be put into practice and ensure the safety of our community around water,” said Daniel.
Works are expected to completed by November.