History Parkes

stories, photos, anecdotes….. sharing the past

Category Archives: Parkes

The Rich History of the Parkes Agricultural Show

Well, it’s that time of year again: time for the annual Parkes Show. Showgoers can look forward to three days and two nights of a wide range of festivities. There … Continue reading →

Aug 25, 2025 · Leave a comment
A collection of images of The Dish. On top left Jo McKeowan's orginal photograph of her children - Donal (7 years old) & Lyn (5 years old) that Jesse Woods used as inspiration for her painting; bottom left local farmers in 1965 - Maurice Puttock (left) and "Austie" Helm (right); bottom inset shows the control room during the Apollo 11 mission (from left to right) John Bolton, Robert Taylor (NASA) and Taffy Bowen; far right Phillipa O'Donnell won a prize to play cricket on The Dish as part of the 50th Anniversary celebrations; and centre a fantastic photograph of The Dish.

The Dish – Celebrating 60 years of the Parkes Radio Telescope

To many people the highlight of the Parkes Radio Telescope (aka The Dish) will have been assisting NASA to televise the moon landing in 1969. The Parkes Radio Telescope, along … Continue reading →

Oct 28, 2021 · Leave a comment
The feature picture includes front page of Parkes Champion Post (left); photograph of The Dish at night (centre) and a montage of the many ways The Dish is connected to the Parkes community.

The Dish – Connecting Parkes & the World to the Moon

July 21st, 2019 marks the 50th Anniversary of man landing on the moon. A unique time in the history of humanity, one that was watched on television by one fifth … Continue reading →

Jul 18, 2019 · 2 Comments

HMAS Parkes

The legacy of Sir Henry Parkes continues beyond the naming of the town and shire known as Parkes. A minesweeper during the Second World War was named after the town … Continue reading →

Feb 15, 2019 · 2 Comments
Title picture of the larger than life personality that was Cecil 'Cec' Pepper. Clockwise from left: Cecil Pepper and Keith Miller walk out to bat during 1940s; author Ken Piesse in Parkes promoting the life story of Cec Pepper; front cover of Ken Piesse's book about Cec Pepper; and photograph of Sir Garfield Sobers and Cecil Pepper in the late 50s.

Cec Pepper: The Parkes Lad Too Spicy for Bradman

Title picture of the larger than life personality that was Cecil ‘Cec’ Pepper. Clockwise from left: Cecil Pepper and Keith Miller walk out to bat during 1940s; author Ken Piesse … Continue reading →

Dec 19, 2018 · 3 Comments
Photograph of signage at Armstrong Park by Dan Fredericks (Parkes Shire Library) taken on February 15th, 2018

Armstrong Park

Nestled within the leafy, eastern side of Parkes, is a park that junior cricketers frequent on a Saturday. It also contains the only public basketball court in town. Originally known … Continue reading →

Aug 29, 2018 · Leave a comment
Some of the images of November 1953 from Parkes and around the world. Clockwise from top left: Hungary and England walk out at Wembley on 25 November 1953. England lose at home for the first time 6-3 in what is now known as the Match of the Century; Dean Martin's "That's Amore" - now a signature song of his - first debuted in 1953 and was one of the most popular singles for the year; the Douglas D-558-2 Skyrocket, piloted by Scott Crossfield, becomes the first manned aircraft to reach Mach 2 on November 20; "The Robe" was one of the most popular films of 1953, earning an estimated $32 million worldwide; a local advertisement for pre-cut homes in 5 designs by local builders Vanderfield & Reid; a selection of women's fashion for 1953; Melbourne Cup winning jockey, Jack Purtell, watches on as Governor-General William Slim makes the presentation; November 9 saw the death of Welsh poet and author, Dylan Thomas; and one of the Parkes department stores, McGlynn's, advertising their new Toyland - just seven weeks before Christmas!

A Look Back At…. November 1953

Some of the images of November 1953 from Parkes and around the world. Clockwise from top left: Hungary and England walk out at Wembley on 25 November 1953. England lose … Continue reading →

Jul 31, 2018 · 1 Comment
Main picture: photograph of street sign of Cobden Place, Parkes. Smaller pictures clockwise from top left: a young Cobden with his parents; satellite image of Cobden Place; Sydney Technical College; Hampton Villa, Balmain where young Cobden first lived. Source: Photograph by Dan Fredericks (Parkes Shire Library) taken on February 15th, 2018; Our Family Past website; Google maps; Sydney City blog; NSW Office of Environment & Heritage website

Cobden Place

It can be challenging to commemorate the women and men from our past. Many towns pay homage to their historical and significant people by naming streets after them. This post … Continue reading →

Feb 22, 2018 · 4 Comments

Ashburnham County

  Dividing the Colony into Counties If you ask contemporary school students how Australia is divided into smaller sections, they will inform you of the six states and two territories. … Continue reading →

Jan 17, 2018 · 2 Comments

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