The history and vitality of the Woodward Park sporting precinct has been further recognised with the unveiling of a plaque attached to the Wes Cheney Pavilion.
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Mayor and Sports Council Life Member Councillor Ken Keith performed the honors before a small but appreciative selection of council members.
The plaque acknowledges the then Parkes Municipal Council resolution to name the newly constructed pavilion in March 1959 to recognise the herculean voluntary contribution of the late Wesley Berry Cheney in the development of public recreation facilities in Parkes and district.
The opening ceremony was performed, as the plaque outlined, during an exhibition match featuring Parkes against the might of the NSW Sheffield Shield side featuring some of the greats like Davidson, Benaud and Harvey.
Led by the talented Macdonald cousins,,Duncan and Jim, Parkes went within a whisker,of beating the star studded visitors.
Five years earlier the Cheney Park ground had also been named after the tireless Wes Cheney and a plaque installed at the entry gate on the northern end of the ground near the railway crossing.
Woodward Park for almost 90 years has played host to some of the great moments in Parkes sport featuring athletics, hockey, cricket, cycling, soccer and even league and union.
In 1927 the Methodist Tennis Club joined the very strong Catholic Club utilising courts on the adjoining tennis complex
In 1928 turf wickets were established on Woodward and people’s parks and soccer was also played there for the first time.
Six years later hockey and cycling joined the throng to Woodward park with cycling relocating to Cheney park some two decades later.
In 1964 Woodward played host to the touring South African cricket side, one of the best in the
World and later that year the world champion Pakistan mens hockey side edged out the locals 18 to one with conjecture still raging whether Bob Barter or Laurie Wakefield scored the goal.
Parkes hosted the state hard court tennis titles in 1966, the Japan mens hockey side in 1970 which drew three all with a young local outfit and the touring England cricket side in February 1971.
Since that time the oval has hosted a plethora of major representative hockey, cricket and tennis fixtures featuring some of the greats of local and regional sport.
The completion of modern new cricket nets in October added another new dimension to the quality and appeal of the sporting facility.
Mayor Keith said Council would consider the provision of historical plaques at other sporting grounds including Pioneer Oval where the CJ Dwyer pavilion was opened in 1963 prior to a rugby league match between western division and New Zealand.
The 1928 grandstand at adjoining Spicer Park, the venue for a large number of international league fixtures and a cricket match featuring the immortal Don Bradman, also warranted similar consideration.
