Sergeant Martin Ling warns motorists that all police cars are mobile random breath and drug testing units and that all available highway patrol officers will be on our roads over the holiday period.

Forbes, Parkes and Lachlan Shire Councils in conjunction with NSW Police are reminding motorists to drive safely and to remember that double demerits are in place for 11 days over the Christmas and New Year holiday period.

Double demerits start on Thursday, 24 December 2020 and run through to Sunday, 3 January 2021 and apply for all speeding, seat belt, motorcycle helmet and mobile phone offences.

Drivers caught using their phones during a double demerit period will be hit with a $457 fine and 10 demerits.

Forbes, Parkes and Lachlan Shire Councils’ Road Safety and Injury Prevention Officer, Melanie Suitor said that “Road safety is everyone’s responsibility, we all have a part to play in driving down the road toll.”

“Too often, people think it is ok for them to quickly check a text or drive faster than the speed limit because they know the road, or they get behind the wheel when they are tired or have had a few drinks.”

“We want everyone to have a happy and safe Christmas with their families, please obey the road rules and drive safely,” Melanie said.

With state borders now open and COVID restrictions further eased in NSW, authorities are expecting traffic to increase over the holiday period as people drive to see their loved ones and have a break. With that increase in traffic, comes increased risk of a crash.

NSW Police’s Central West Highway Patrol Sergeant Martin Ling said, “Statistics show that there’s a 30% reduction in casualty crashes when double demerit points are in play.”

“The road toll usually makes the headlines for all the wrong reasons at this time of year. Let’s get it in print for the right reason this year by recording a fatality-free holiday period,” Martin said.

Many year 12 students from Forbes High School have received early admission into various Universities.

It was a year like no other. In January Forbes High School (FHS) started hearing rumours of a Novel Coronavirus, next thing we knew, the World Health Organisation was calling it a pandemic. Scott Morrison was on the television talking about restrictions, and Gladys Berejiklian was telling school students to stay home if possible. And so began remote learning

Learning from home was not always easy, staying motivated and focused was a challenge. Despite this, Year 12 stayed on task and got through the year with the support of staff and families. Luckily, they are a small group and were able to return to face-to-face teaching early into term two, right in time to begin preparing for the trial HSC. Despite the disruptions to their learning, FHS Year 12 students were still able to participate and engage with a wide variety of the regularly scheduled events for Year 12 at FHS.

Despite the challenges associated with physical distancing and restrictions associated with Year 12 final assemblies, FHS ended term three by saluting the class of 2020 with an adjusted ceremony. Year 12 students were delighted to have a recorded ceremony to share with their families, who despite not being in attendance, surprised the students with recorded messages from loved ones and extended family.
Led by their student leadership team,

Captains Jack Cole and Amy Gallagher, and Vice Captains, Connor Greenhalgh and Kaitlin Turner, this cohort of students have challenged the status quo in more ways than one this year. They made it through their final year of school amid a global pandemic, completed the HSC, and celebrated their graduation in a way never experienced before. They have all demonstrated that with perseverance, respect and positivity you can accomplish anything, and they have surely accomplished a lot. Congratulations, Forbes High School Class of 2020.

Forbes Shire Councils’ Youth Action Team have announced their launch of their Adulting 101 program for 2021. The program is aimed at supporting local young people to increase their skills and to help them gain employment.

“The Council received the Youth Opportunities grant from the State Government to deliver this amazing program,” said Forbes Shire Council Mayor, Phyllis Miller OAM. “Adulting can be hard and the courses provided in the program can help up-skill our young people and prepare them for future career pursuits.”

“The program includes things from basic computer skills through to barista training and defensive driving,” Phyllis continued. “These programs are a great way for our young people to develop skills to give them the confidence to take the next step into the world after leaving school, and gain employment.”

The free program begins in February 2021 and runs over ten weeks. The course intake is small with only twenty spaces that are available to Forbes youth.

Weekly sessions will be presented to the children with relevant guest speakers providing essential expertise and knowledge.

“This awesome opportunity is much sought after, so I encourage you to get your applications in,” Phyllis said. “Class sizes are kept small to ensure the kids have that essential one-on-one experience with the instructors.”

“Life skills like this set the youth up to be able to be independent and navigate life, as the saying goes; never stop learning, because life never stops teaching.”

Registration is essential for this program. For more information, please contact Sarah Williams, Forbes Shire Council’s Youth Officer on 6850 2300 for more details.