Of course, I am referring to Monday when we had that marvellous lady, our NSW Governor Marie Bashir in town for the special celebrations as part of the 125th anniversary of local government in Parkes.

It was a big day in so many ways (with quite a few amusing moments, as I recount later in this column) – and the Governor was the icing on the cake for Parkes.

She has now visited us three times and as it was pointed out several times, it’s now almost like an annual trip.

Governor Bashir genuinely enjoys coming here, as she too, often commented.

It is such a positive, vibrant community, she said, with that certain bit of Australian larrikinism which really sets it apart.

The Governor had a very busy schedule while here – all revolving around very positive and happy events.

First of all she visited the marvellous Waste to Art exhibition at the Library (truly, it is something you should take the time to see).

Next was the opening of the Moat Cottage at the Musuem site on the Peak Hill Road (we’ll have more on the Moat and just where it is at the moment as far as public viewing is concerned a little later).

Certainly it was good to see something positive from the controversial museum site anyway.

The launch of the wonderful history book was next.

‘Generation of Change 1983 to 2008’ is a terrific read and covers the last 25 years development in Parkes.

Unlike the starchy, normal history books, this is about the people and the developments which have taken place and is presented in a ‘coffee table’ style – something you could happily leave on a coffee table and pick up and read whenever you feel like it.

I was involved with the book and am very proud of the result – the authors Liz Butel and Tom Thompson have done a magnificent job.

The Governor’s job was to officially launch the book, and she then presented a copy to the school captains of each of the schools, and to TAFE.

Her Excellency then had the honour of the momentous event of the day – the unveiling of the Sir Henry Parkes statue in The Square.

It was obvious Governor Bashir was thrilled to perform the duty as she is clearly a huge fan of the legacy left by Sir Henry.

Infact, she occupies his office and has all of his furniture and, as she says, looks up at his impressive portrait every day for inspiration (some more about that later in the column).

In the evening, the Governor was guest of honour at a civic dinner at the International Motel and the following morning, before taking off on the return flight to Sydney, enjoyed performances from local school children at the Little Theatre.