'Connect the Dots' in the Parkes Shire

A new inclusive project is in the works to help residents across the Parkes Shire to better connect with one another through "red dots" and a QR code. Parkes Shire Council has received a $59,596 NSW Social Cohesion Grant to develop the project aimed at preventing social division and isolation, and designed to encourage and build stronger and more connected communities. They're calling it the Gugaa: Connect the Dots Project. Named after the Wiradjuri word for goanna, Gugaa - the overarching totem of the Wiradjuri Nation - the project will create permanent and mobile “red dots” in public spaces across the shire. Places where it is great for people to come together, with information provided on how they can connect. These dots, marked with QR codes, will connect residents to resources, mentors and community networks via the Parkes Library page on council's website, offering a safe and welcoming space for anyone wanting to find where they belong. There will be a space each dedicated to Trundle, Peak Hill, Tullamore and Parkes where there will be information and links to community organisations, events and activities. The Parkes Shire is home to more than 14,000 residents, and is a diverse and evolving community with a growing immigrant population and many transient workers in mining and transport. Project Manager at Parkes Shire Council, Tracy Dawson said the grant would be transformative for the community. "The Gugaa: Connect the Dots Project is about people," she said. "It’s about helping new residents feel they belong, and giving our existing community the opportunity to learn, connect and grow together." Through partnerships with Wiradjuri elders, local organisations, volunteers and businesses, the project will fast-track social integration and provide practical support in areas such as volunteering. Some locations for the red dots have already been chosen, such as at The Hub in Trundle, in the Commercial Gardens at Peak Hill, the Eat, Meet and Greet space in Clarinda Street and Bushman’s Hill in Parkes. The red dots have been designed by Parkes artist Jac Clark, using beautiful artwork from Ron Wardrop and Sauce Towney depicting the Wiradjuri Gugaa (Goanna) totem, the Owl totem; and the gold veins that reference both our gold mining heritage and the Japanese art of Kintsugi, which repairs and reconnects broken things with gold. Ms Dawson said the inspiration for a series of ‘connecting’ dots came from David Robson’s 2024 book The Laws of Connection. The Social Cohesion Grant also includes the launch of the Living Library program through the Parkes Shire Library, where residents - both long-standing and newly arrived - can share their lived experiences as “books” to be “borrowed" (read more about this program on our website). The Gugaa: Connect the Dots project will be launched early next year and Parkes Shire Council invites all residents to participate in upcoming workshops and events as it rolls out.