Bruce James doing the heavy lifting at the Salvation Army.
Sandra Walmsley and Tracey Mowbray sorting donations.
Toni and John Collins with fur baby Penny were passing through Forbes on their way to Lake Cargelligo.
Gay Moore stopped for a chat on Rankin Street.
Kristy Herford: Because I’m a country girl at heart, I’ve always loved it. I’d never go back to Sydney, it’s a lot cleaner and prettier out here.
Ruby Coote: It’s not busy and out here you know lots of people.
Kieren Mowbray: Because country towns feel safer, it’s a more relaxed atmosphere and kids have more freedom to run around.
What school do you go to and what do you like most about it? I go to Forbes Public School and what I like most about it are the people around me.
What is your favourite subject at school and why? My favourite subject at school is Sport because I get to compete in events, going away to play against other schools.
What makes you laugh the most? When other people are laughing.
What is your dream job? A farmer.
If you could have a superpower, what would it be? If I had superpower, I would want it to be super strength.
What is something you are really good at? I am really good at football, swimming and athletics.
What is your pet hate? My pet hate is when people make scratchy sounds.
If you could live anywhere in the world, where would you live and why? I like Forbes because I have my friends and family in Forbes.
VERTO Chief Operating Officer Alyssa Bennett (left) and Employment Services Manager Peta Skinner celebrate VERTO’s 5 Star Disability Services rating in Parkes.
Last week VERTO made the exciting announcement that its Lachlan Disability Employment Services team was awarded a five-star rating by the Australian Government’s Department of Social Services.
The Australian Government’s Disability Employment Service Program aims to assist people with illness, injury or disability to find and maintain employment. To gain a five-star rating, service providers are assessed on how successful they are in placing participants in sustainable, long-term employment or education. The star ratings system allows both employers and participants to help them chose the right service provider for them.
Ratings assess two of three performance indicators, the first of which measures the efficiency of a service provider, by looking at the average time it takes for providers to achieve employment outcomes for their participants. The second measures the effectiveness of service providers in how many outcomes are achieved for individual clients, including maintaining participants in employment where they may need assistance.
VERTO chief operating officer, Alyssa Bennett, said the Lachlan area, which includes four locations – Forbes, Parkes, West Wyalong and Condobolin – had received a five-star rating, the highest possible ranking from an independent Australian Government assessment.
“The VERTO Lachlan Disability Employment Services team does an outstanding job of assisting local job seekers to find and maintain employment,” Alyssa said.
“The five star rating is indicative of our commitment, dedication, and ongoing reliability in helping the Lachlan community, and ensures that those with illness, injury or disability looking for employment will have the chance to find and maintain meaningful work.”
For more information about VERTO’s specialised Disability Employment Services employment assistance, visit www.verto.org.au or phone 1300 483 786.
Mural artist Nick Stuart was blown away by the awesome murals, sculptures and nature of Forbes.
As part of the ongoing and phenomenally successful calendar of youth activities in Forbes, the annual mural activity was planned for the April school holidays at the Forbes skate park. Due to COVID-19, the activity was postponed, and the children were unable to participate in painting the mural.
With the recent easing of restrictions, mural artist, Nick Stuart of Olas One in Newcastle, was in Forbes last week to paint the mural onto the face of the ramp at the Forbes skate park.
“It was unfortunate we couldn’t complete the mural with the children this year,” says Forbes Shire Council Manager Community and Tourism, Nina Hooper. “The kids really engage with projects such as these and the Coronavirus put a stop to us including them in this particular activity this year. Next mural we do will involve everyone.”
“Our Forbes Youth Action Team undertook a series of meetings to ensure the right location and the right type of mural subject was chosen to suit the space of the Skate Park. Consultation was also taken with the local schools to ensure the youth of Forbes were on board with the project. The children all wanted the artwork to be visible and appreciated by the rest of the community.”
Nick has quite a few skatepark murals under his belt and was looking forward to getting the youth of Forbes involved in painting, “I designed the mural in a way that has a fun and carefree feel to it so that the kids would be keen to get involved, unfortunately I couldn’t hold the workshop but I’m really happy to be here,” Nick said.
The giant mural was painted at the skate park from Tuesday, 16 June through to Friday, 19 June with an anti-graffiti sealant applied over the weekend to ensure the longevity of the piece.
With the end of the financial year just around the corner, now is a great time to evaluate if there are any minor repairs or maintenance needed at your investment property.
This may include tasks that you have been putting off that may need doing annually. Some of these tasks include general repairs, painting, pest treatments, gutter cleaning, or annual yard maintenance.
These are things that landlords may be able to claim on tax and will also be beneficial for your maintaining property and ensuring its value in the long run.
Are you claiming depreciation on your investment property? If not, now may also be a good time to have an assessment done from a tax depreciation specialist. Depreciation is the natural wear and tear of a building and its assets over time. The Australian Tax Office allows owners of income producing properties to claim this depreciation as a tax deduction. Century 21 Central West can arrange this service on your behalf.
At Century 21 Central West, we suggest these tasks to landlords throughout the year, usually after a routine inspection of an investment property has been done. For landlords who wish to have an assessment from a tax deduction specialist, it is as simple as letting Century 21 Central West know when, so that Tara Kelly and her team can do all of the hard work for you!
If you would like to find out more on how we can manage your investment property to its full potential, please contact the Century 21 Central West team today – 02 6852 3793 or Tara Kelly 0418 465 407.
There are many things that Australians over 60 would like to see return to “normal” post-COVID, but according to new research undertaken by the Global Centre for Modern Ageing (GCMA), telehealth is something many are keen to keep.
Whether accessed by phone or online, telehealth has worked well for older Australians, with more than 60 per cent of people aged over 60 surveyed nationally saying they were willing to use telehealth in the future.
“Older Australians like telehealth for its convenience, reduced travel and ability to be conducted at home,” said GCMA chief executive Julianne Parkinson.
Over two in three people who used telehealth during the pandemic said they would feel confident using telehealth in the future and 49% said they were likely to use telehealth after the pandemic.
“The experience of those who took part in digital consultations was positive,” said Julianne.
While many had a largely positive experience, some had difficulties using telehealth. Challenges included a less personal experience, less perceived warmth and less perceived care, difficulties for people with hearing impairment, tech glitches and a lack of tech confidence.
Golf Croquet Results 15th June
It was a great start for the Golf Croquet competition with a record of 35 members. The eight courts were full and there were also two “follow on” players. It was good to see Libby Smart back on the courts. Libby has not lost her form, winning all three of her games easily after her absence. Club members were happy to welcome new member Vince Roberts and are sure that Vince will enjoy the game.The winners of three games were: Libby Smart, Bruce Field, Evelyn Mahlo and Dorelle Scott. The closest scores on the day were:
• Tony Thomson, John Cole 7, def Jill Rubie, Neville Spry 6.
• John Browne, Vince Roberts 7, def Barry White, Judy Ellie 6.
• Lyn Simmonds 7, def John MacCullagh, Robin Pols 6.
• Lyn Simmonds 7, Neville Spry 7, def Marie Spry, Harley Stewart 6.
• Colleen Liebich 7, def Barry White, Judy Ellis 6.
• Sandy Hepburn, Lorna Field 7, def Mary Hodges, Jeff Liebich 6.
• Evelyn Mahlo, Libby Smart 7, def Bob Murray, Geoff Coles 6.
Aussie Croquet Results 20th June
A total of 29 players turned out for Saturday’s Aussie Croquet. Congratulations to Judy Ellis for winning her three matches, also to Alec Todd for his three-game win. Other winners of three games were John Cole, Jill Rubie and Kevin Rubie. The wind became a problem on the last matches, but the rain held off. Close games on the day were:
• Neville Spry, Jill Rubie 14, def Marie Spry, John MacCullagh 12.
• Alec Todd, Lorraine Todd 14, def Elvy Quirk, John Browne 11.
• Bob Murray, John Allegri 14, def Bruce Field, Lorna Field 12.
• Sandy Hepburn, John Cole 14, def Elizabeth McLean, Roz Rennick 13.
• Merv Langfield, Joan Littlejohn 14, def Cherylin Cole, Robin Pols 13.
• Judy Ellis, Lorraine Todd 14, def Roz Rennick, Marie Spry 12.
• Lyn Simmonds, Alec Todd 14, def Bruce Field, Harley Stewart 12.
Wendy Muffet takes viewers on a tour through her amazing retreat in the new tourism campaign #wewantyouback.
With Filming Complete: The ‘We Want You Back In Central NSW’ campaign has kicked off with Forbes’ very own tourism superstars, Kim and Wendy Muffet. In a visually stunning advertisement, Wendy takes viewers on a journey through their beautiful Girragirra eco farmhouse retreat. Kim and Wendy are legends in Forbes, both earning the Forbes Citizen of the Year Award earlier this year at the Australia Day celebrations by the Lake for their tireless work in promoting Forbes as a prime tourist destination. The Citizen of the Year award came on the back of winning Gold at the 2019 NSW Tourism Awards for the Grazing Down the Lachlan food festival. Kim and Wendy are yet again showing the rest of Australia why Forbes is a must-see destination.
Financial Support Remains In Place For Drought-Affected Families: The Australian Government is continuing its support for drought-affected farming households by extending Round 2 of the $148.5 million Drought Community Support Initiative (DCSI) program until the end of this year.
Since December 2018, the Australian Government has committed $181.5 million in financial assistance to support farming households in drought-affected communities through the DCSI. St Vincent dePaul Society Chief Executive Officer, Toby O’Connor, welcomed the ongoing help for farming households through the extension of DCSI. Head of Community Engagement at The Salvation Army, Stuart Glover, said this news brings some certainty to family budgets during this period. “The extension of this funding allows us to continue to sup- port farming households who are in need because of this ongoing drought,” said Stuart. More information can be found at https://www.regional.gov.au/regional/programs/drought-communities.aspx
Road Closures For Large Vehicles: Unsealed roads in Forbes have been closed this week to vehicles over three-tonnes with the exception of school buses, Council road and emergency vehicles, due to the wet weather. Concessions can be requested by contacting Council’s Engineering Department on 6850 2300 and selecting option two.
Going Green: The Forbes Town Hall has been illuminated in green as part of an Australia-wide acknowledgement of and gratitude for parks, gardens and green spaces, and those who maintain them during the COVID-19 restrictions. Forbes residents took to physical activities in greater numbers during the restrictions to look after both their physical, mental and social wellbeing.
All lit up, Forbes Town Hall has been lit green to acknowledge the value of our green spaces here in Forbes.
Support is available for Forbes Farmers like Amber Helwig.
Better FHA Support For Farmers: New measures to improve the Farm Household Allowance (FHA) program are now in effect. These changes make the FHA payment simpler to access and improve the support available to farmers and their families.
Minister for Agriculture, Drought and Emergency Management David Littleproud said, changes to the FHA over the last year bring more certainty to farmers and their partners around the support they can access during difficult times. The initial FHA asset test was heavily criticised and has been simplified to a single threshold of $5.5 million. The confusing fluctuation in payments have also been simplified and automated.
Farmers and their partners will also now have access to a $10,000 Activity Supplement to get independent expert advice, undertake training, or gain new skills and qualifications, which is more than double the previous amount. Funds are not limited to opportunities in farming, any activity that can boost income will be considered.
Registration Fees Waived For Greyhound Owners: NSW Greyhound owners will have their registration fees waived for another 12 months, following a decision by the NSW Government. Nationals Upper House MP, Sam Farraway said the fee waivers will help Greyhound owners who have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The measures will deliver close to $340,000 worth of fee waivers and Sam said the measures will help greyhound owners across NSW during one of the hardest economic challenges of our lifetime. The fee waivers will apply for twelve-month registrations falling due on 1 July 2020.
A Simple Test: Western NSW Local Health District (WNSWLHD), Health Protection Manager, Priscilla Stanley, has encouraged anyone having a test for COVID-19 to ask whether they are able to receive negative test results by text message. Those having a COVID-19 test in a public hospital or in the mobile service on Harold Street, Forbes this week are eligible to register to receive negative test results by text message. The helpful service has seen many people getting their negative results back within 24 hours.
In the last four weeks, there were around 6,400 tests performed across the Central West, with no positive cases identified. If you are unsure about getting tested, speak to your doctor or call the Western LHD’s Public Health helpline on 1300 066 055.
Drive-through COVID-19 testing in Forbes offers to text negative results.