110 SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2025 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL BY CAROLE FENTON n NEW SOUTH WALES, AUSTRALIA LOCAL LENS E lvis Presley and his iconic music are well known throughout the world, but perhaps no place embraces his spirit more than the small town of Parkes in New South Wales, Australia. For more than 30 years, Parkes has been hosting an annual Elvis Festival that has evolved into a multiday extravaganza filled with all things Elvis, Priscilla, and anything reminiscent of the 1950s and 1960s. A festival highlight is a grand parade down Parkes’ main thoroughfare, culminating in the town park, where opening ceremonies take place. After this year’s parade, I noticed these two participants sashaying back up the street, chatting and clearly enjoying the fun and the beautiful day. The blue of their dresses and the white of their umbrellas captured the event’s “joie de vivre” so well that I had to snap a photo—and then stroll along behind them. n Carole Fenton, a Foreign Service family member, is posted with her husband, FSO Tom Fenton, in Tashkent. Their previous postings include Bangkok, Budapest, Khartoum, and Canberra. This photo was taken in January 2025 with an iPhone 13 Pro. Please submit your favorite, recent photograph to be considered for Local Lens. Images must be high resolution (at least 300 dpi at 8” x 10”, or 1 MB or larger) and must not be in print elsewhere. Include a short description of the scene/event as well as your name, brief biodata, and the type of camera used. Send to locallens@afsa.org.
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