The Melbourne Cup is Australia’s most famous thoroughbred horse race held over a distance of 3,200 metres at Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne.

With a total prize money of almost $8 million, it is the richest “two-mile” handicap in the world and one of the richest turf races.

It is held on the first Tuesday of November each year, and known as the ‘race that stops a nation’.

This year the Melbourne Cup will be held on Tuesday, 1st November at 3pm. 

The Melbourne Cup has a long tradition, with the first race held in 1861 when the winner received a gold watch. The first Melbourne Cup trophy was awarded in 1865 and was an elaborate silver bowl on a stand that had been manufactured in England. This is currently owned by Australian wine personality Wolf Blass and is on display at the Wolf Blass Gallery & Museum/Adelaide Hills Wine Bar in Hahndorf, South Australia.

In 1876 Edward Fischer, an immigrant from Austria produced the first Australian-made trophy. In the Second World War years (1942, 1943 and 1944) the winning owner received war bonds valued at 200 pounds.

A new trophy is struck each year and becomes the property of the winning owner. In the event of a dead heat, a second cup is on hand. The present trophy is hand spun from 1.65 kg of 18-carat gold, and the gold for this year’s trophy came from Evolution’s Cowal Mine west of Forbes.

That is why Forbes was included in the annual Melbourne Cup Tour this year. Many residents lined up last month to get a photo of them holding the 18-carat trophy.

Arts OutWest will run a free arts funding workshop in Parkes next Wednesday, 2nd November from 10:30am to 12.30pm at the Parkes Library.

The workshop will help people prepare applications for the annual Country Arts Support Program and brush up on their grant writing skills.

The Country Arts Support Program (CASP) is a small annual funding round supporting arts activities in the NSW Central West. Applications for the 2023 round are now open.

CASP funds the payment of artists and arts workers to undertake or manage arts activities that offer exciting creative outcomes. Grants of up to $3,000 are available.

“The free workshop will explain the CASP funding, help people plan an application, chat through their project ideas and take a look at the application process,” Arts OutWest executive director Kylie Shead said.

CASP applications for 2023 close at 5pm on Monday, 5th December.

Projects funded by CASP could include (but are not limited to) arts or heritage-based workshops, classes, performances, installations, exhibitions, tours, screen/film making, writing or composition, development of new work, tours or talks, artist-in-residence programs, recordings or podcasts, and new arts activities attached to festivals or events – as long as they have some element of public outcome.

The funding is open to individuals, groups, not-for-profit organisations, arts businesses and councils.

If you can’t make the Parkes workshop, there will be an online information session on Wednesday, 16th November.

Book for the Parkes workshop at either Parkes Library, Arts OutWest or find it on Eventbrite.

Read the full CASP criteria at www.artsoutwest.org.au/pf/casp/

If you want your little ones to discover the magic of science, but don’t want a mess in your house, the Forbes Science Discovery Day on Friday 4th November is just the place for you! 

It has been a while since the inaugural Forbes Science Discovery Day was held and the team is delighted to present a fun packed morning at the Forbes Youth and Community Centre from 10am to 1pm this year. 

“We are super excited to introduce Wendy from the Children’s Discovery Museum to our community,” said Maree Yapp from Forbes North SaCC. 

“Wendy brings with her a wealth of experience and will be reading her story ‘Goldilocks and the Three Scientists’ every hour”. The morning will bring favourite activities along with some new experiences for children up to school age. 

Families with young children are invited to come along and try all 

the activities around the hall and speak with the presenters at each station. There will be plenty to see and do for everyone. 

Parkes Christian School is celebrating 40 years of Christian education in the Central West with a spring fair and celebration service this weekend (29th and 30th October).

Past principals, staff, students and families that have been involved with the school over the past 40 years are all invited to attend.

The spring fair is also open to the general public, and will go from 9am to 2pm with market stalls run by students, vendors, lots of food options and coffee, Devonshire tea, an art exhibition, live entertainment and fun games and competitions.

The school procured a framed and signed Nathan Cleary jersey, and everyone who makes a small donation on the day stand a chance to win this piece of sporting memorabilia. There will also be a display of photos, uniforms and video footage of the school over the past 40 years to show just how far the school has progressed.

The fair is also a wonderful opportunity for prospective students and parents to come and have a look at what the school has to offer.

On Sunday, 30th October from 10am former staff, students and families of the school are invited to attend a celebration service in the school hall. Staff, students and members of the Parkes Community Church will perform worship songs, and reminisce about the beginning and development of the school.

Principal Glen Westcott is delighted to be hosting the 40-year celebrations. “Parkes Christian School was the first Christian school to be built in NSW west of the Blue Mountains.”

Glen said from humble beginnings, the school was now well and truly thriving. “With a growing population of 300 students from Kindergarten to Year 12 and more than 40 staff, the school has impressive facilities.”

For more information follow the school on Facebook, or contact the school office on 6862 4164.

Celebrating 40 Years of Parkes Christian School

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It is National Bird Week and residents can still make a difference for bird conservation by participating in the 2022 Aussie Bird Count until Sunday. 

All you need to do is pick a spot outside and count birds for at least 20 minutes to help researchers create a snapshot of Australia’s urban and more common bird species. Data collected is submitted through the Aussie Bird Count app or through an online web form. 

“The annual Aussie Bird Count is a great way for residents to enjoy the outdoors and learn about birds in our shire,” said Parkes Shire Council’s Environment and Sustainability Officer, Michael Chambers. 

“Last year 112 residents took part, and we would love to see even greater participation this year.” 

Starting in 2014, the Aussie Bird Count has become one of the largest citizen science projects in Australia. The 2021 Aussie Bird Count saw more than 100,000 Australians take to their local green spaces to count nearly 5 million individual birds. Across the Parkes Shire, residents recorded a total of 5,013 individual birds across 86 species. The most recorded species in the Parkes Shire was the Galah, followed by Crested Pigeons, House Sparrows, Apostlebirds and Australian Magpies. Several species listed as ‘vulnerable’ under federal legislation were also sighted, including Major Mitchell’s Cockatoo (Pink Cockatoo), Grey-Crowned Babbler, Brown Treecreeper, Dusky Wood Swallow, Superb Parrot and the Speckled Warbler. 

Data obtained from annual Aussie Bird Counts helps Council increase environmental engagement among residents, informs land management decisions and can indicate the impacts of tree planting efforts across the Shire. 

For residents interested in attracting more wildlife to their gardens, Council will be giving away native shrubs and trees at the Spring Fling Market that has been postponed to Saturday, 19th November. 

You can download the Aussie Bird Count app for free, or use the online form at https://aussiebirdcount.org.au/submit-a-count/ 

A new photographic display detailing the Australian response to the Bali terrorist attack will be on show at the Australian War Memorial.

“The Bali bombings will be remembered as the date that terrorism hit home,” Australian War Memorial Director Matt Anderson said.

The Royal Australian Air Force evacuated critically injured people out of Indonesia as part of Operation Bali Assist – the largest Australian aeromedical evacuation since the Vietnam War.

The Australian Federal Police were invited to assist the Indonesian National Police and played a key role in investigation breakthroughs that led to the arrest, trial and execution of some of the perpetrators.

A display detailing the aftermath, co-curated with the Australian Federal Police Museum, is dedicated to the victims of the 2002 Bali bombings and the government agencies, including the Australian Defence Force and Consular Officers who put themselves in harm’s way in the immediate aftermath of the bombing, and the Australian Federal Police, who sought justice for victims and their families.

The exhibition includes images taken by AFP members in the aftermath of the attack, including a photograph of former Prime Minister John Howard inspecting the site of the bombing.

Images taken inside Paddy’s Bar show where Australian Federal Police investigators were able to source several pieces of tartan fabric and other matter that made up the explosive vest used in the first detonation.

Visitors will need a free ticket to the Australian War Memorial to see this display, which will be on show until 20 November 2022.

It might be a good idea to get to see Baz Luhrman’s Elvis movie before the 30th anniversary of the Parkes Elvis Festival next year from 4th to 8th January.

The exciting news announced at the official launch of the festival last Wednesday was that the new exhibition at next year’s festival will feature a number of the movie sets, including the famous jungle room.

“Every year we try and get something new, and thanks to Warner Brothers and Baz Luhrman we’ve been gifted some of the movie sets,” said Festival Director Tiffany Steel. “You will actually get to see the full movie set of the jungle room, as well as the carnival house of mirrors, the world’s largest hound dog and some neon signs.

“We also have a number of items from the Bendigo Art Gallery Elvis exhibition.” These include the giant Elvis letters, the Elvis portico, and the giant neon sign that was at the front. “These items will all be on display with some of our own memorabilia of previous Elvis festivals.”

The other great announcement was the special concert to kick off the 30th anniversary celebrations on Wednesday, 4th January. The Elvis Wall of Fame event will take place at 10am with Ross Wilson as inductee. Ross will then join three previous inductees, Brian Cadd, Joe Camilleri and Russel Morris at 12:30pm for a fantastic opening concert.

Parkes Shire Mayor Ken Keith thanked all the volunteers who have been involved over the past 30 years for their hard work and contribution to the event. Also attending was Deputy Premier Paul Tool who said the festival had become a regional product and was a showcase for people to see what is great about living in regional NSW.

The festival has more than 350 events and tickets are available to purchase online at www.parkeselvisfestival.com.au. The festival also has a new website to make navigation of the five-day event easier.