Parkes Phoenix Editor

Forbes Lions Park was a sea of purple for the International Women’s Day champagne breakfast.

Last Sunday saw record numbers in attendance at the annual International Women’s Day Champagne breakfast organised by Forbes Shire Council. Forbes women arrived bright and early and impeccably dressed for the sell out event at Lions Park, which was beautifully decorated in purple, a colour used on International Women’s Day for its historical association with justice and dignity.

Guests were treated to a diverse line-up of inspiring, resilient and successful women. Guest speakers included business-woman Louise Bernardi, Forbes Preschool Director Amy Shine, trailblazer and boilermaker Natasha Schmalz and mental health advocate and agricultural icon Sally Downie. The list of inspiring speakers would not be complete without Forbes’ very own Mayor Phyliss Miller, whose personal story of strength, resilience and determination is one that proves women should never be underestimated. Deputy Mayor, Jenny Webb was MC and Gracey Denhem-Jones lent her beautiful voice to the day, keeping guests entertained.

Entertainment provided by Gracey Denhem-Jones.

Louise Bernardi, who is involved in several charities aimed at empowering disadvantaged women, spoke about how “empowered women, empower women”, a fervent reminder that while having allies in male dominated workplaces is important, it is the support of other women that inevitably leads to success in gaining equality. Forbes Preschool Director Amy Shine has worked to ensure that Forbes Preschool is a beacon of support, inclusivity and community involvement and national recognition is testimony to this.

While Australia has made leaps and bounds in terms of legal equality since the first wave of feminism, there are still many women who are faced with attitudes of dismissal and failure to acknowledge women in the workplace in male dominated fields. Natasha Schmalz and Sally Downie shared their own experiences in the boilermaker and dairy farming industries that were disappointing, yet unsurprising. Despite this, both ladies were confident in the continued progress of change in attitudes towards women.

Forbes Lions Park was a sea of purple for the International Women’s Day champagne breakfast.

 

Kim Muffet, Penelope McGufficke, Wendy Muffet, Olivia Turner, Emily Brotherton, Wayne O’Neill and Lisa Cameron represented Grazing Down The Lachlan at the 2019 Australian Tourism Awards gala evening in Canberra.

Last weekend Forbes’ very own, Grazing Down The Lachlan was awarded Bronze in the Festival and Events category at the 2019 Qantas Australian Tourism Awards.

Grazing received the accolade in front of industry representatives from across the Nation at a gala evening held at Canberra’s National Convention Centre on Friday evening.

Queensland’s Groundwater Country Music Festival took out gold in the category, while The Unconformity contemporary arts festival in Tasmania was awarded silver.

The award rounds out Grazing’s most successful year since its inception in 2017, having been awarded silver at the Regional Tourism awards and gold at the NSW Tourism Awards last year, as well as a sell-out event for the third year running in 2019.

Chair of Grazing Down The Lachlan Committee, Wendy Muffet said, “Grazing has exceeded our expectations in every way and recognition at the National level is truly the icing on the cake. Grazing’s success is an example of what this amazing little river town of Forbes can achieve when we all pitch in.”

The Australian Tourism Awards are the tourism industry’s peak Awards – recognising and promoting excellence in tourism across every state and territory.

The award was well earned, the ever-humble husband and wife team and 2020 Forbes Citizens of the Year, Kim and Wendy Muffet, were keen to thank and recognise the volunteers and community, with Wendy saying, “Heartfelt thanks to our sponsors, the local Wiradjuri mob, our volunteers and the small local businesses that work alongside our dynamic volunteer committee to make the magic happen.” Wendy has never missed an opportunity to show her appreciation to the community and volunteers who make the event possible.