Parkes Phoenix Editor

Maggi Barnard has been with the Forbes Phoenix since 2021 and loves writing about her community.

Youth Actor Auditions For Mock Crash 2019

February 7, 2019 by Maggi Barnard

Calling all amateur actors across the region!

Parkes, Forbes and Lachlan Shire Councils are on the search for youth actors to star in the 11th annual mock crash demonstration, which is the cornerstone of the ‘NOT A STATISTIC!

Youth Driver Education Program’.

The Councils’ Road Safety and Injury Prevention Officer, Melanie Suitor is encouraging local up-and-coming youth actors to audition to be part of this road safety initiative which has seen a 27 percent reduction in crashes involving young drivers since its inception.

“We are looking for a couple of new actors to join our team and are holding auditions on Wednesday, 13th February at 5pm in the Parkes Shire Council Chambers.

“The auditions will give participants an overview of all aspects of the project. Then youth actors will take part in both filmed and live ad-lib exercises.

“We are hoping to uncover some undiscovered talent who will bring something new to the annual mock crash demonstration.

So if you are interested in getting involved and are over the age of 16, be sure to register and come along,” said Melanie.

Local actor, Emily McHugh-Douglas who was one of the actors in 2018 and will be returning this year, says it’s a unique and exciting opportunity.

“I auditioned for mock crash because I wanted to help raise awareness about how dangerous driving is. I was one of those ‘that will never happen to me’ kids, but being involved in this program has changed my whole perspective on driving,” said Emily.

Pre-registration for the auditions is es sential. Contact Melanie on either 6861 2364 or 0428 400 627 or Melanie.Suitor@ parkes.nsw.gov.au for more information and to book your place.

This year’s mock car crash demonstration will be held in August.

One Stop Shop For Drought Support

February 7, 2019 by Maggi Barnard

FarmHub has been launched to support drought-affected farmers. It contains details on assistance with fodder, water, transport, everyday living expenses and health in the one spot. It has been developed in partnership with the National Farmers’ Federation.

Now Farmers have a single and straightforward place to find out what drought assistance is available to them. The new online resource was launched recently bringing together information on drought support available for individual farmers.

Minister for Agriculture and Water Resources, David Littleproud said FarmHub brings together the services of the Commonwealth, states, councils and charities. “This will tell farmers what assistance is available for them without any mucking around,” said David.

“Farmers just need to go to farmhub.org.au and type in their location to find help available. It will show what fodder, water, transport and living expense assistance is available at an individual farm, as well as mental and physical health services. This has all been pulled together and verified by the National Farmers’ Federation,” said David.

David also launched a National Drought Map to help coordinate the drought response and so governments, business and communities can make informed decisions. “The National Drought Map is a clear and precise picture of conditions and the drought response across Australia,” he said. “This will help us to be flexible and responsive to the drought when conditions change. It has information such as rainfall, soil moisture, available government assistance, numbers of farm businesses, agricultural regions and employment by industries.” FarmHub and the Drought Map are dynamic sites that will continue to improve over time. The National Drought Map is available at map.drought.gov.au.

Forbes Croquet Club News And Results

February 7, 2019 by Maggi Barnard

Croquet week ending 2nd February

The year is getting away fast and already we have had our February luncheon which was held on Tuesday at the Forbes Sports and Recreation Club with a celebration for those members having birthdays in January and February,

Those celebrating birthdays in January were Cherylin Cole, Colleen Liebich, Elizabeth McLean, Evelyn Mahlo and Bob Murray whilst celebrating birthdays in February were Mary Hodges, Jill Rubie and Caryl Slattery. Best wishes to all!

It was a little cooler last week and we saw a good number of players take to the fields. It was great to see Libby Smart and Ros Rennick back with us after being on extended holidays.

Winners of three games on Tuesday were John Browne, Kevin Rubie and Libby Smart. Well done to those players.

On Saturday the winners of three games were John Browne, Elizabeth McLean, Kevin Rubie and Libby Smart.

On the last three days of play John Browne has won all three games each day.

Congratulations John!

Our croquet club continues to grow in numbers and we have some new projects in mind as well as social days planned for Seniors Week in March and World Croquet Day in May.

Our many thanks go to those few members who help set up the fields each day and help with marking of the courts. As well as the other contributions they and others make. Well done to all!

By Elvy Quirk

Forbes Netball Commencing

February 7, 2019 by Maggi Barnard

Forbes Netball is well underway, preparing for 2019. There are many dates already booked and more to come.

The AGM of the Forbes Netball Association (FNA) will be held on Thursday, 21st February at 7pm at the Forbes Services Memorial Club. All night competition teams who played in 2018, are asked to attend to help form a quorum.

Many of the 2018 FNA committee are unable to volunteer for 2019 due to family commitments and many new faces are needed to keep netball in town. Many of the positions can be split up to share the workload. Volunteers are needed for president, secretary and treasurer as well as many other positions.

The Autumn Night Competitions for both mixed and ladies teams are scheduled to start on 28th February with the first grading games. Entries for the competitions must be emailed to Secretary.forbesnetball@gmail.com by the 21st February.

The first grading games will start the following week, when committee positions are filled to run the competition.

Nominations for players to play in the FNA open team, to play in the West/Central West Regional League have been reopened.

Nomination forms are on the FNA website and should be emailed immediately to above email. Some of the players who nominated last year are now unable to play and more players are needed. Players turning 15 this year are encouraged to also apply.

Dates for Regional League to be played at Orange are 10th and 24th March with finals on 31st March. Training is on Monday nights and all games are played indoors at the Orange PCYC. Entries for the competition close in a few weeks.

Connecting The Farming Community To Support

February 7, 2019 by Maggi Barnard

The severe drought has been impacting farming activities in the Forbes district and support measures have become vital for farming businesses. In response to these conditions, Forbes Shire Council has recently appointed Sally Downie as a Drought Coordinator.

As the Drought Coordinator, Sally will be a key liaison point on all things drought related for community members, council staff and key stakeholders and will assist council in developing and achieving drought related goals.

“The primary role for our Drought Coordinator is to be an ‘open door’, listen to the community and understand their concerns,” said General Manager, Steve Loane. “By bringing the relevant people together to support each other when they need it most and together forming solid strategies.”

Sally is a Forbes local, growing up on a family dairy farm and completing her schooling in Forbes. In 2018 Sally was named Forbes Showgirl and is currently studying a Bachelor of Agriculture at CSU.

As the drought continues to impact our area, work available for farmers is reduced and therefore limiting their income. Forbes Shire Council has developed a unique initiative to assist, offering farmers and farm related trades temporary paid casual working positions with the aim of supporting them during this tough time.

Currently, several farm-trade workers have begun work on the various projects set out in this initiative. The flexible hours and conditions enable farmers to care for their stock whilst earning an income off the farm.

Lifestyle Change Opportunity

February 7, 2019 by Maggi Barnard

Now for sale is a property located just 28km south of Forbes. Property 2496 Wirrinya Road at Garema is a great opportunity for anybody wishing to purchase their first rural property.

Consisting of 90.65 hectares, this property is set up and being run as a Boer Goat Stud, currently carrying 140 Boers due to the dry conditions. In previous years, the carrying capacity has been on a 400 head. There are plenty of natural grasses.

The current owners are relocating so this property is for genuine sale. They have invested heavily in steel fencing and gates, with laneways allowing for easy stock movement. In addition, with water troughs in each paddock feeding from the tanks and dams, it ensures continuity of water throughout the year. Pumps at dams are included in the sale.

The house has been renovated during their ownership and with an inground pool and entertaining area; this will make a great home for families. There is a sealed road to the front gate and school bus services into Forbes.

For further information refer to the front page.

SNIPPETS…

February 7, 2019 by Maggi Barnard

AWARDS SUPPORT… Rayleen Paradowski and Forbes Services Memorial Club General Manager, David Fitzgerald presented a cheque to the Boscars Committee Chairman, Michael Jelbart and Elle Barry. The RSL is a Gold Sponsor for the Boscars business awards.

Latest Competition: Don’t forget to enter our latest competition and you could be off to the Bedgerabong Picnic Races. Complete and return the entry form on Page 9 or enter online via our website www.forbesphoenix. com.au for your chance to win a double pass to the Bedgerabong Picnic Races, including a race booklet. Entries close Wednesday, 13th February at 2pm.

Lions Club Car Boot Sale: The Lions Club quarterly Car Boot Sale will be held on the 16th February at the Lions Park from 8am to 1pm. People are welcome to set up tents and tables retailing second hand goods, fresh produce, craft items and handmade goods. Sites cost $10. Site fees from this sale will be donated towards the Northside Chapel FACE group. For further information contact 0468 819 659.

Aboriginal Disability Services: Parliamentary Secretary for Western NSW Rick Colless announced grant funding of $158,000 to Orange Local Aboriginal Land Council to help them deliver services to Aboriginal people with disability under the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) in the Orange region. “The grant funding will allow them to establish a Support Coordination Service for Aboriginal people with disability that is accessible and delivered by local Aboriginal people.” With the funding they will be able to accommodate 40 Aboriginal NDIS participants and deliver an additional 600 hours of service per month.

Come and try an instrument: Would you like to try to learn a musical instrument? ‘Come and try’ days will be conducted during Term 1 at the Forbes Town Band Hall at 165 Rankin Street (opposite Bernardi’s). Learn to play flute, clarinet, trumpet, saxophone, trombone, tuba, xylophone or drums. The ‘Come and try’ dates are on Monday, 11th and 18th February from 6pm to 7pm. Parents are welcome to stay with their children and may wish to learn along with their children and join the band as well. Suggested age for a student to start band is 10 years. Adults are also very welcome to join learner’s band. You are never too old to learn! Community members that can already play an instrument are most welcome to come along and join the band at 7pm any school term Monday.

To do further bank stabilization work, the ski dam work continued this week at the Forbes Aquatic Park. All work is said to be completed today.

The Future Of The Wool Industry

February 7, 2019 by Maggi Barnard

The Australian Wool Institute’s (AWI) $10 million project, in partnership with Ranken Research and Robo Shear, aims to develop a prototype machine for fully automated end to end wool harvesting. The project was established because there is a national shortage in shearers, despite the rising global demand for wool and record high prices per kilogram.

According to a 2016 report from the Australian Bureau of Statistics, there are about 2,800 shearers and 73 million sheep in the country.

Despite historic peaks in wool prices last year, shearers are leaving the industry to pursue generally, less labour intensive, opportunities.

The machine uses jointed mechanical arms driven by electric motors and computer programs have been built to reach the back and sides of the sheep – the most important parts of the fleece.

The process works with a camera capturing 3D imagery of sheep during the various stages of the shearing process. That data is then used to reconstruct what the sheep would look like without wool, which is fed into the robot when it begins shearing.

According to AWI, the machine is not intended to replace shearers but to be used in conjunction with traditional shearing methods.

“I think Australia’s wool industry is ready for innovation,” said National Farmers Federation (NFF) President, Fiona Simson, who is excited by the prospect of change in the wool industry.

“The romanticism of the old outback that people knew and the old farms that people knew are being replaced by lots of technology.

“I’m really confident we can embrace that in wool as well… while protecting the welfare of both animals and workers,” said Fiona.

(Source: https://farmers.org.au website).

What do you enjoy about being back at school? (The children of Forbes Preschool answered)

February 7, 2019 by Maggi Barnard

Lylah Burke Chapman: To play with my friends.

Oliver Morgan: Playing with Hughie on the swings is my best thing to be back at preschool.

Layla Borger: I like playing on the swings and being in the Gindaymanha room.

Catch of the Week

February 7, 2019 by Maggi Barnard

Abbey Fuge went fishing last week with her dad, Tony and caught a 63cm Murray Cod at Jemalong Weir. She was very proud that she got it in all by herself.

Parkes Phoenix Editor

Subscribe