Parkes Library Family & Local History Resources

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 →

October 28, 2021 · Leave a comment

The Troffs

There are many towns and villages within the Parkes Shire LGA (local government area). There are also localities, places that have been named and are known to locals, but do … Continue reading →

June 30, 2021 · 1 Comment

Bumberry

There are many towns and villages within the Parkes Shire LGA (local government area) and Bumberry is one of them. Like other place names, it has had several different spellings … Continue reading →

March 31, 2021 · 1 Comment

Yarrabandai

Many towns in the Parkes Shire have interesting histories; of sporting triumphs and heydays that look back to a time of larger populations. However only one village in the Parkes … Continue reading →

November 27, 2020 · Leave a comment

Kadungle

There are many towns and villages within the Parkes Shire LGA (local government area) and Kadungle is one of them. Located 15km from Tullamore and 20km from Trundle, it is … Continue reading →

August 31, 2020 · 5 Comments

Cookamidgera

Travelling to Parkes on the “Orange Road” (technically Henry Parkes Way) there is a little village on the left, Cookamidgera. While its heyday has come and gone, it still holds … Continue reading →

October 31, 2019 · 9 Comments

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 →

July 18, 2019 · 2 Comments

One of the many books in Parkes Library’s Family & Local History Resource room is called Honour The Pioneers. That could be the motto historyparkes lives by, with each post honouring those who … Continue reading →

June 27, 2019 · 4 Comments

James McGirr – from Parkes to Premier

One of more famous surnames within the Parkes Shire is McGirr. The McGirrs were among the pioneers of Parkes and their influence was great not just in Parkes but also … Continue reading →

May 31, 2019 · 2 Comments

Images source: (left) Portrait of 402745 Flight Sergeant (later Pilot Officer) Rawdon Hume Middleton VC, RAAF, attached to No. 149 Squadron RAF from Australian War Memorial website; (centre) UK. C. 1942. Portrait of 402745 Flight Sergeant R. H. Middleton VC, taken while he was undergoing training from Australian War Memorial website; and emblem of Middleton Public School, taken from school website.

Rawdon Middleton VC

The term ‘hero’ is an over-used and often inaccurate phrase allocated to popular celebrities and champions of sport. However Rawdon Middleton is a hero in the truest sense – a … Continue reading →

April 2, 2019 · Leave a comment

History Parkes

Category Archives: Parkes Library Family & Local History Resources