Each year the Northparkes Street Parade is a major highlight of the festival filled with Elvis themed floats, vintage and classic cars and motorbikes all lead by the Northparkes float.

Thousands of Elvis fans turn up to watch the parade each year. Our employees and their families are invited to dress up and jump on board the Northparkes float and join in on the fun.

The Parkes Elvis Festival is one of the many events Northparkes is involved with and reflects the great community spirit in the region, making it a great place to live and work. Things have been full steam ahead onsite, with our committee working hard preparing for the 2024 festival. We can’t wait for you to see what we have in store this year with our new owners – Evolution Mining.

In December, Evolution Mining took 80 per cent ownership of Northparkes and we are excited to continue our focus on being a part of and working with our local communities together. Evolution Mining is an Australian owned company with six mining operations in total. Cowal and Northparkes in New South Wales, Mungari in Western Australia, Mt Rawdon and Ernest Henry in Queensland and Red Lake in Ontario, Canada.

Evolution is focused on continually getting better at what we do and finding new opportunities to grow. Northparkes’ vision for a Century of mining together is one of the many reasons Evolution sees so much potential for our future together – alongside the communities we work in and with everyday.

Double demerit points will be in force for 11 days over the Christmas and New Year period. 

Parkes, Forbes and Lachlan Shire Councils’ Road Safety and Injury Prevention Officer, Melanie Suitor, said that double demerit points would run from Friday 22 December 2023 to Monday 1 January 2024 inclusive for all speeding, seatbelt, motorcycle helmet and mobile phone offences. 

Ms Suitor said double demerit points have proven to be an effective road safety initiative to make holiday travel safer for everyone. 

“Traffic on roads to popular holiday destinations, increases by up to 50% during the Christmas and the New Year holiday period, so it is important to obey all the road rules and drive safely. 

“Drivers should ensure they are well rested and not under the influence of drugs or alcohol before they get behind the wheel. While driving, focus on driving. Don’t allow yourself to be distracted by your mobile phone, follow the road rules and drive at a speed suitable for conditions. Make sure that you and your passengers are buckled up. 

Parkes Highway Patrol Acting Sergeant Joshua Tolley is warning drivers that they are at greatest risk of losing their licence during this period. 

“There will be more Police on the roads which means a greater chance of drivers being caught if they are doing the wrong thing. 

“Too often we see the tragic aftermath of drivers making poor decisions. No-one wants to get a fine, lose their licence or worse still be involved in a crash.

Country music singer Jason Owen will this year be handing out a very special present to kids when he embarks on his annual road trip for the charity he founded, Doin it for Rural Aussie Kids. 

The X Factor star has put together an inspirational activity booklet for kids entitled Yowie, along with his charity co-founder wife Becy. Apart from being an Australian folklore bush creature, Yowie also is an acronym for whom the booklet is targeting – Youth living in the Outback, Working hard to Inspire and Encourage. 

Yowie features inspirational stories about 15 incredible Australians from all walks of life who grew up in rural and far off areas and thrived despite their personal challenges. 

Jason will be handing out the booklet, toys and school supplies to isolated primary school children across NSW in early December along with a motivational talk. 

“I always explain to kids how I grew up in tiny Albert, NSW, and managed to make my dream of being an entertainer come true, despite being the only child in an isolated town of just 12 people,” Jason says. “I went through struggles with PTSD following a motorbike accident when I was 11 which almost killed my dad and I. 

“It also features how kids can turn to Kids Helpline to talk if they are struggling. I’ve always wanted kids in the bush to know that they can achieve anything they want in life despite their circumstances as long as they work hard and believe in themselves.” 

On Wednesday 15 November, Mayor of Parkes Shire, Councillor Neil Westcott, and Deputy Mayor, Councillor Marg Applebee, welcomed a brief visit from Parliamentary Secretary for Disaster Recovery, Ms Janelle Saffin MP, and Mr Ken Harrison of the NSW Reconstruction Authority. 

Ms Saffin, visited the region in representation of the Minister for Emergency Services, Jihad Dib, attended flood-impacted areas in Parkes Shire and surrounds on the 12-month anniversary of the catastrophic flood events of 2022. 

The visit follows recent commitments from the Federal and NSW governments, totalling $100 million, for flood recovery and resilience in the Central West. 

This funding package includes support for the repair and replacement of critical community assets, improving the resilience of public infrastructure, assistance with housing programs, and legal aid assistance. 

This funding is a significant step forward and will help to boost the community-led recovery of the Central West. 

These important projects will be overseen by a forum of community leaders and representatives from both Commonwealth and State Governments, to ensure all levels of Government are committed to the long-term recovery of the Central West. 

Over the coming months, the NSW Reconstruction Authority will work closely with local community leaders to prioritise the additional funding and determine potential future funding which may be required. 

Cr Westcott raised the importance of an equitable approach to those residents affected by floods who have not been able to access insurance. 

“Some residents have borrowed significantly to undertake the repairs to their homes as they were not insured for the flood, being in an area considered flood-free.” 

“Other residents are still unable to inhabit their homes due to delays in repair, and some residents are in limbo as the unknown threat of future floods complicates the decision to reinvest,” he said. 

The 8kms of water main from Lake Endeavour scoured from the ground was also raised as an urgent project, as was placing particular attention on all areas across the Shire which are repeatedly damaged in flood events. 

This funding package is a significant step forward, with Council eager to be involved in the discussion on the mechanisms to best invest the money. 

Minister for Emergency Services Jihad Dib said “It’s critical that we continue to support communities who have borne the brunt of the 2022 floods.” 

The NSW Reconstruction Authority is inviting community members to sign up to get the latest information on the recovery program. To be kept up to date, send your contact details – name, email address, phone number and/or postal address – to CentralWest.Recovery@reconstruction.nsw.gov.au. 

Local artist Sean James Cassidy has received an outstanding recognition by being invited to join the Australian Wa­tercolour Institute (AWi). His nomination and subsequent induction, was a unani­mous decision by the Institute based on the quality of his work.

At the AWi’s recent exhibition, Brushes with History, held at Lion’s Gate Lodge at the Royal Botanical Gardens Sydney, Sean sub­mitted a painting titled Melodies of Wo­ven Light which he was delighted to sell. This art work and the materials used to create it were entirely made by Sean. The paper was handmade from a vari­ety of recycled products and included wood powder from the Paperbark tree. Kangaroo fur from the local area was also incorporated to strengthen the pa­per and to include some DNA from the Central West.

Sean used three colours in his work and made each of them. One colour was created from beetroot juice, purple car­rot juice and red wine and produced a paint throwing hues of magenta, ame­thyst and lilac. The yellow was made by crushing local ochre rock and adding turmeric. The white was also a crushed local rock. The binder used to set the colour to the paper was a mixture of Cootamundra Wattle sap, homemade vinegar and locally-sourced honey. This latest recognition for Sean has come after a recent cultural exchange with the Archaeology Faculty at the University of The Philippines. He was hosted by Alfred Galvez, a friend with whom Sean set up an art school and while Sean is no longer an owner, the school Galvez Atelier is flourishing and has connections with both the New York and Florence Art Academies. Sean is very proud of Alfred’s achievements and his philosophy of offering opportunities in art across all socio-economic groups. 

During his visit, Sean was invited to view museums and galleries, in the process of being built, to house the country’s important archaeological collections from Colonial and Pre-colonial history and to speak on the article co-written with Kerrie Peden, Excavating Bridges for Future Streams. 

Based on Sean’s previous contributions to exhibitions at the university, he was invited to study an intensive course in understanding the discipline of archaeology, to participate in skill sharing with doctoral student Mr Timothy James Vitales and to accompany a group of archaeologists on two expeditions. 

He was also asked to conceptualise an exhibition based on the expeditions’ findings, in collaboration with the National Museum of The Philippines and National Geographic. This project, Puliran, is to examine an ancient copper tablet discovered near Laguna Lake in the southern Luzon region. The tablet is covered in an unknown text and archaeologists plan to begin another dig in the area in an attempt to discover further clues to the tablet’s origin and the people who created it. Sean has also been asked to create programs in 2024 to help build ties between the local community and the archaeologists. 

In the future, Sean will be using the knowledge gained to explore his Celtic history through its patterns and iconography. He intends to study in Northern Ireland while researching his convict ancestry and plans to have his findings complete in time for the International Cassidy reunion in Enniskillen in 2025.