Parkes Phoenix Editor

Forbes Shire Council would like to thank residents of Forbes for helping us host the very first Frost and Fire Festival in June. The event launched with a bang, and it brought back the spirit of bonfire night.  A crowd of over 2,000 people gathered at Forbes Ski Dam to celebrate winter in the country. The event included many bonfires, great food and amazing performances both on and off the stage.

The Council events team were very proud to be able to bring such an amazing event to the community. We would like to send a special thank you to all of the wonderful members of the community who helped us along the way to bring this great event to Forbes.

Starting the line-up of live music for the night were local girls Georgia Sideris and Lily Gaffaney. Triple J unearthed band Young Monks were next to take centre stage with their amazing performance setting the mood. Internationally renowned Lior wooed
the crowd next with his beautiful voice and playing his much loved timeless classics.

Council would like to make a special mention of the wonderful Lions Club members who helped with parking, the wish candles, manning the fire buckets and assisting with parking on the night. Your help was amazing and we can report a sum of $250 was collected
during the night to go to the Australian Lions Foundation Drought Appeal.

Thank you to the Forbes Men’s Shed for building the amazing effigy. It definitely turned heads and provided warmth to the crowd as the temperature dropped.

Thank you John Den from Aussie Fire Buckets for supplying four of the fire displays, including two magnificent fireballs.

A special thanks to our Urban Services crew who ensured we had plenty of firewood on hand during the night to keep those fires burning.

The Lachlan Dragon Boat Club provided a wonderful spectacle on the water with their boats lit up. Thank you to the crews who braved the cold on the water to give us a great show.

Thank you to our food vendors for the night; Smoking Brothers, Twisted Chip, Franklin Road, Arcadia Saltbush Lamb, Cold Rock Ice Creamery and Vandenberg Hotel.

The food was a sell-out and for next year’s event more will be available.

The entertainment was not only on stage but throughout the crowds with a performance by Aboriginal dance troupe, River Spirit Dance Group. The wonderful fire performers
Emma Van Veen, Sam Mulligan and Rianna Weller wowed the crowd with juggling fire batons and Kristen’s Dance School supplied two powerful dance performances for the crowd.

Our event was kept safe by the wonderful teams from the Rural Fire Service and SES which fortunately their services not needed.

It was a truly magnificent night for our community and one we hope will be even bigger and better next year.

Sam Johnston and Jim Honner from Thank A Farmer For Your Next Meal have one goal – to showcase where Aussie food and fibre comes from, who makes it and how it’s made. They do this one photograph at a time, using the power of social media to spread their message and have close to 60,000 followers on Instagram and more than 30,000 on Facebook. All in an attempt to help bridge the gap between producer and consumer, city and bush.

After great success earlier in the year with their well-received ‘Phone A Farmer Day’ initiative the pair are at it again, this time with the likes of a social media photo competition that is aimed at putting the spotlight on the younger generations, and Australia’s future farmers.

The #WhenIGrowUpIWantToBeAFarmer campaign is aimed at exactly that – recognising how important these young boys and girls are for the future of the Australian agricultural industry whilst also acknowledging the level of passion these youngsters have for the sector.

The concept of the campaign came from someone who knows the saying all too well, Thank A Farmer Co-Founder, Sam Johnston. Sam grew up on a mixed farming property called ‘Merriment’, roughly 50km west of Forbes. He attributes his passion for the sector to his rural upbringing and explains that his earliest childhood memories are from that farm, helping his Dad.

Sam said, “as far back as I can remember, I always wanted to be a farmer. I always wanted to follow in my Dad’s footsteps and one day be just like him. It just gave me so much enjoyment and satisfaction working on our farm, and I loved seeing raw inputs be progressively shaped into a marketable product”.

Affectionately known within the business as ‘The Man Behind The Caption’, Thank A Farmer Co-Founder and Jugiong grazier Jim Honner is one of the few fortunate ones that has been able to turn this childhood dream into a reality, now operating his family farm in Southern NSW. At just 24, Jim runs a self-replacing merino flock of just under 4,000 ewes. “I grew up immersed in agriculture. I was fortunate enough to learn about ag and production from my Father from an early age. I then got to experience different sectors through a year at Newcastle Waters in the Northern Territory, and then university holidays at Hay and Tilpa.

I’ve since returned home to run our family business with my Mum Jackie, in what I see as an exciting time within agriculture.” He explains.

The campaign itself has received some impressive backing with well-known brands such as Hutcheon & Pearce, George the Farmer, Akubra Hats, Ringers Western and What Does A Farmer Look Like? all jumping on board to support the initiative.

To get involved the boys encourage people to upload their photos to Instagram and Facebook using the #WhenIGrowUpIWantToBeAFarmer hashtag. They encourage you to dig out your old childhood photos, snap some new shots of your kids, submit multiple entries, and to nominate/challenge your friends and family to do the same.

Moogenilla Angus will hold its 10th Annual Bull Sale on Friday 2nd August 2019 at the Forbes Central West Livestock Exchange.

Moogenilla Angus bulls have headed to Far North Qld, SW Qld and the Northern Territory in 2017 and 2018.

Among the local, Western NSW, Central Tablelands and Eastern Riverina beef breeders, Consolidated Pastoral Company has been competing to take the Moogenilla Angus bulls north.

Troy Setter, CPC said “The Moogenilla bulls are balanced and well suited to the Northern Australian environment. Moogenilla bulls have also settled in to the Mulga country in SW Qld and the dry plains in Far West NSW, equally with the cold Tablelands and the local mixed farming areas.”

“Moogenilla Angus Bulls are a tough, adaptable bull with a good temperament, growth and carcase. This is what we will provide to the breeders on Friday 2nd August in Forbes,” said Sarah Wrigley, Moogenilla Angus. To download a copy of the 2019 sale catalogue head to www.angusbull.com.au

Round Three of this fund will deliver crucial local infrastructure and programs to improve the quality of life of people living in regional NSW.

Since 2017, the Stronger Country Communities Fund (SCCF) has supported more than 1,000 local projects that make regional communities even better places to call home. In Round One, the NSW Government invested $100 million to improve community facilities such as town halls, recreation facilities, shared paths and playgrounds.

Through Round Two, the NSW Government invested a further $200 million to provide high quality community and sports-related infrastructure.

Round Three will provide an additional $100 million for community projects in regional NSW, with at least $50 million for youth-related projects. The third round of the Stronger Country Communities Fund increases the total value of the Regional Growth Fund to $1.7 billion.

Key changes Stronger Country Communities Fund Round Three:
• dedicates $50 million to youth related projects
• invites applications from councils and, for the first time, not-for-profit and community organisations
• has been expanded to cover programs and events as well as infrastructure
• has extended the application period to three months giving organisations time to submit their applications.

Key dates
• Applications opened 9am, Monday 1 July 2019
• Applications close 5pm, Friday 27 September 2019
• Eligibility, assessment and approval process October 2019 to January 2020
• Announcement of successful projects- From January 2020

To submit an application head to https://regionaldevelopment.smartygrants.com.au/SCCFProjectR3

Clayton Maynard recently caught this kingfish off north head in Sydney.