ORANGE: Member for Orange Andrew Gee, councillor Russell Turner, CENTROC Chair and Parkes mayor Ken Keith, station officer Nathan Croft and mayor John Davis celebrate the announcement of a 24-hour helicopter retrieval service. Photo: STEVE GOSCH 0717sgchopper4

BATHURST: Bathurst Regional Council's property officer Ben Campbell is offering Bathurst residents a unique opportunity to get in first and buy a piece of Mt Panorama. Photo: ZENIO LAPKA 070513zben

BATHURST: Local farmer David McKay and Chifley rural crime manager Bob Newman are running a NSW Farmers seminar to raise awareness of property theft. Photo: ZENIO LAPKA 071113ztheft

ORANGE: Jayson Hanrahan is reminded that people see disability first. Photo: STEVE GOSCH 0717jayson1

ORANGE: Fire crews raced to an Orange childcare centre on Tuesday after a blaze broke out. Photo: JUDE KEOGH 0716evacuate1

BATHURST: Deputy mayor Ian North, NSW Minerals Council CEO Stephen Galilee and associate professor Marilyn Pietsch of CSU at the Australian Fossil and Mineral Museum on Monday. Photo: ZENIO LAPKA 071513zmineral1

ORANGE: Borrodell Vineyard owner Borry Gartrell knows only too well how easy it is to be injured on a farm. Photo: STEVE GOSCH 0717sgfarm3

BATHURST: Bathurst MP Paul Toole and Polystrom Plastics plant manager Mark Hallstrom at the merger announcement at the Bathurst plant on Monday. Photo: ZENIO LAPKA 071513zpoly4

BATHURST: Tiny Arabella Clare, 4, and her brother Ashton, 7, show how it’s done at Bathurst Showground on Sunday. Photo: ZENIO LAPKA 071413zclimb

ORANGE: Senior firefighter Tim Collins demonstrates the clothing and equipment firefighters use during a training session at a childcare centre on Wednesday. Photo: STEVE GOSCH 0717sgfire1

ORANGE: Electrolux plant manager Mark O’Kane says Orange City Council’s funding pledge has set a challenge for the federal and state governments. Photo: STEVE GOSCH 0524elect1

DUBBO: Emergency services were called to a Dubbo hotel on Wednesday following reports a man had died on the premises.

ORANGE: A teenager will face court following a stabbing in Byng Street on Saturday night.

BATHURST: Ben Fitzgerald with Ping Pong, the treasured cat from Pigments and Palettes, who turned up a little worse for wear on Thursday after going missing five days earlier. Photo: ZENIO LAPKA 071813zpet2

ORANGE: A teenager will face court following a stabbing in Byng Street on Saturday night.

ORANGE: Microbiology lecturer Dr Peter Anderson (centre) and students Katie Underwood, Tom McCann and Amy Wilson (l to r) discuss the project.

ORANGE: Designer Ben O’Halloran at the site of the new childcare centre earmarked for the corner of McLachlan and Dalton streets. Photo: JUDE KEOGH 0715childcare1

COWRA: Cowra Veterinary Centre vet nurse Katy Crossley with Kelpie Hunteraway cross, 'VB' encouraged all dog owners to ensure their pet's vaccinations are up to date.

FORBES: Forbes Mayor Ron Penny has welcomed moves to install a new CT scanner at the refurbished Forbes Hospital. Pictured: Member for Dubbo, Troy Grant, is attended to by Forbes Health Service staff (l-r) Jenny Webb, Cheryl Brown, Cate Ryan, Jenelle Toole, Dr John Wang, Genevieve Wallace and ‘Fred’. 0713scanner(4)

DUBBO: Prices for well finished lambs continued to surge at Dubbo on MOnday with the top-priced pen selling at $169 a head. Pictured: Ashley McGilchrist of Landmark Narromine, Steve Gay, livestock manager at Dubbo, auctioneer Marcus Bruce of Landmark Dubbo and (in pen) John Francis of Landmark Dubbo. Photo: GRACE RYAN

ORANGE: The weather didn’t dampen Nicholas Collins’s spirits on Tuesday. Photo JUDE KEOGH 0716rain1

BATHURST: Noel Campbell is relieved to learn that his $636 power bill was a mistake and grateful to Paul Toole’s office for getting to the bottom of the matter. Photo: LOUISE EDDY 071213lepowr3

DUBBO: Eloise Klaare, Scot McLeod and Pat Finn will keep a watchful eye over Dubbo venues in the coming year. Photo: LOUISE DONGES

DUBBO: Dubbo RSL Memorial Club's One 7 Eight restaurant manager Cameron Barnes serves up Antarctic fare at the latest seveninseven dinner. Photo: LOUISE DONGES

ORANGE: There are not many couples that could boast about saving the lives of 900 people, but Brenda and Ken Fishpool can do exactly that. Between them they have racked up more than 80 years of donating blood.

BATHURST: Bathurst Regional Council's environmental co-ordinator Mick Callan is inviting the community to join council this Saturday in planting trees for national tree day.

LIGHTING RIDGE: History is being made on the Three Mile opal field at Lightning Ridge, as ground is broken for the new Australian Opal Centre (AOC) building. Picutred: The Synergy team, centre, general manager Andrew Reardon, AOC manager Jenni Brammall and AOC

MUDGEE: Ilford farmer Ian Moore stumped a five-man political panel at the first Mudgee Small Farm Field Days Q and A session on Friday. He believes believes the state government is treating farmers with contempt over charges for the closure of Crown roads on their properties. PHOTO BY DARREN SNYDER

LITHGOW: Landmark war memorial gates at Lithgow Primary School will benefit from a long awaited refurbishment thanks to a NSW Government grant.

DUBBO: A woman's whose car broke down in Dubbo was abused by passersby for holding up traffic. Joseph Sweeny was one of a small group of people who stopped to help the woman. Disappointed by the apathy and, in some cases aggressiveness, of other motorists, Mr Sweeny took a photo of the banked-up traffic.

DUBBO: Darryl Hagen and John Spackman undertake rod and roping work as part of the investigation for the rollout of the NBN at Dubbo. Photo: JESSICA McKENZIE

DUBBO: Luke Lyons, pictured with Emma Lyons, Dubbo Waste to Art co-ordinator Amy McIntyre and Rob McIntyre - was awarded Overall Winner for his artwork A Digital Australia. Photo contributed

MUDGEE: Josh McLean enjoys a glass of water as he raises funds for cancer services through Dry July.

ORANGE: Sophie Aylward with her winning Wool4Skool dress designs. Photo: STEVE GOSCH 0717sgsophie1

DUBBO: New endoscopic equipment is on the way to Dubbo Base Hospital to the delight of clinical nurse specialist Patrice Miles and registered nurse Pam Crowley who will make good use of it. Photo: LOUISE DONGES

MUDGEE: NSW Minerals Council CEO and history buff Stephen Galilee inspects a 1930s coal skip in Gulgong’s Pioneer Museum at the weekend.

MUDGEE: Allan Burnett from Reptile Awareness Displays Of Australia during his exhibit at the Mudgee Small Farm Field Days.

LITHGOW: NSW Mineral Council CEO Stephen Galilee has visited Lithgow to meet with the council and discuss the industry’s benefits as part of the 2013 NSW Mining Road and Rail Tour. Minerals Council CEO Steven Galilee, right, with mayor Maree Statham and mining union executive Wayne McAndrew. Photo: TROY WALSH lm071813LA4328

LITHGOW: There was a good roll up from around the region for the first of the band workshops hosted by Lithgow City Band at the weekend.

COWRA: The Cowra Magpies did their bit to raise awareness for the Leukaemia Foundation at the annual Community Day on Sunday.

PARKES: Cr George Pratt wants to see a change to reverse parking in the business sector between Bushman and Victoria streets. Photo: Bill Jayet 0713Angle4

WELLINGTON: The Macquarie Poultry club is as old as Wellington itself and the modern day birdmen and women say there will be more than 600 hundred chooks at their annual show last weekend. Pictured: Peter Elwell shows off the colourful Ancona.

PARKES: Following 47 years continuous service as a member of the Parkes RSL Women’s Auxiliary, Mrs Nerrida Kennedy has been honoured with Life Membership of the NSW Branch of the RSL Central Council of Women’s Auxiliaries. Photo: Bill Jayet

Forbes St Vincent de Paul volunteers Ann Higgs, Janice Whittaker, Rebecca Larkin and Margaret Toohey with a range of bargains available at the store. 0713vinnies(1)