Parkes is recovering from the storm cell which struck at 7pm last Friday night. The wide-spread destruction has been described as though a tornado swept through town.
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The Western Champion newspaper reported on an eerily similar event 88 years ago when a nasty storm with high winds, described as having the force of a ‘cylonic gale’, ripped through town:
Monday, October 8, 1928.
Parkes has had more than its usual share of boisterous weather during the current spring, but seldom, if ever, has it experienced anything to equal the gale which held the town in its grip for an hour on Saturday night, and early on Sunday morning.
SURVEY OF THE DESTRUCTION – A list of (some of) the more important wreckages resulting from the storm:
Racecourse Grandstand, roof and upper structure lifted, and hurled in wreck ten yards forward. Damages estimated at £1,500.
M L G Corby's new building in Mitchell Street, all of the framework and weather boards, which had been erected and were ready for the plaster work, smashed, and parts carried yards away. Damage £150.
Ald LG Mazoudier's home, in Currajong Street, part of roof and verandah torn off. Loss estimated at £150.
Mr DA Jones' residence, in Albert Street, roof and back verandahs torn off, and smashed to pieces. Damage estimated at £100.
Mr Clarke's residence in Johnson Street. Roof lifted completely off, and fall of bricks on furniture. Two doors blown in. Estimated damage £300.
Mr CJ Pepper's residence in Currajong -Street. Fall of pepper tree wrecked verandah and caved in part of roof.
Empty shop between Mr R Shearman's Hotel and Cooke Park; verandah smashed and roof lifted. Heavy fall of bricks inside shop.
Mr. Shearman's Hotel suffered damage to the roof and balcony, iron being stripped off.
Mr Lockhart's tailoring establishment. Plate glass window smashed and damage to shop front.
Messrs Reeves and Green's building had portion of roof stripped off, and chimney, broken.
Mrs A Francis' dwelling in Clarinda Street. Roof torn from kitchen and one bedroom. Fence broken down. Estimated damage £20.
Wilson and Co's Garage, Dalton Street; door blown in. Estimated damage £15.
St Andrew's Presbyterian Church. The Celtic crosses surmounting either end of the main building were blown down. The windows of the school hall were broken.
UmpIeby's skin store. The building was partly unroofed.
Mr David Kelly's garage. The walls of the garage at Mr. Kelly'a residence ("High Jinka") in High Street, near the Service Reservoir, collapsed and the roof fell on to the motor car beneath. The brick fence in the front was blown over.
Messrs Veness and Cowle. About half of the roof of Messrs Veness and Cowl's fibro-cement works, in Welcome Street, was blown off.
Mr T Ivison. New concrete brick cottage near McGee's Mills. The walls were about complete, and a portion of them were blown down during the storm.
Parkes Jockey Club stables. These were partly unroofed.
Many other buildings, particularly in the residential parts of town were damaged to a greater or less extent.
Among them was the residence of Mr EC Best MLA where a number of tiles were destroyed.
Owners of tiled buildings in other parts of town had similar experiences.
