Parkes Phoenix Editor

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

Annual Harvest Field Day On 11th August

August 5, 2022 by Maggi Barnard

The annual Be Road Ready for Harvest Field Day will be offered in person and online, plus three satellite events to reach as big an audience as possible.

Harvest time is upon us and the annual field day in preparation will be in hybrid form this year.

Farmers, contract harvesters, transport operators, pilot drivers and agricultural machinery retailers are invited to attend this year’s Be Road Ready for Harvest Field Day in person at the Forbes Central West Livestock Exchange or online via Zoom on Thursday, 11th August.

Breakfast will be provided from 7:30am for the official program to start at 8am. There

will be onsite displays from 10:30 to 11:30am.

“After two years of COVID disruptions it is great to be able to offer this hybrid event to provide important safety information in the lead up to the harvest period,” said Parkes, Forbes and Lachlan Shire Councils’ Road Safety and Injury Prevention Officer, Melanie Suitor.

Topics to be discussed include access, permits, fire safety, fatigue, safety around powerlines, compliance, insurance, mental health and more.

“Harvest is coming and it is important to refresh people’s knowledge about the current rules and regulations for legally and safely moving agricultural machinery, combinations and trucks on the road.

“Safety and compliance during harvest is very important. Operators need to be aware of their responsibilities and ensure that all warning devices and travel requirements are adhered to,” said Melanie.

“Regulations are constantly changing and events like this are important to ensure people are up to date on what’s required before the upcoming harvest period.”

Registration is free but spaces are limited. Register via the Parkes, Forbes or Lachlan Shire Councils’ Facebook pages.

There will also be three satellite events to reach more farmers on:
• Wednesday, 31st August 7:30am – 10:15am at the Lake Cargelligo RFS Shed
• Thursday,1st September from 7:30am – 10:15am at the Wirrinya Community Hall
• Friday, 2nd September from 7:30am – 10:15am at the Peak Hill Golf Club

Snippets…

August 5, 2022 by Maggi Barnard

Progress with the installation of outdoor equipment be-hind Forbes Public School was well on track this week.

Outdoor Gym: Forbes Shire Council is installing new outdoor gym equipment after receiving funding from the NSW Public Spaces Legacy Fund for the Lake Forbes Activation Plan. There will be two stations at Lake Forbes. One behind Forbes Public School and another on the other side of the lake at Lions Park with five pieces of equipment at a station. The installation will take approximately two weeks to complete. The area will be fenced off but will not disrupt walking around the lake.

Faulty Streetlights: You can now report a faulty streetlight and receive updates through Essential Energy’s website. With the new easy-to-use reporting tool, you can help make your streets safer by letting them know when there’s a streetlight that needs to be repaired. Seen a flickering light? Click this link to report it: www.essentialenergy.com.au/outages/streetlight

Nominate A Tradie: Our Tradie of the Month competitions in Forbes and Parkes, sponsored by Gunn’s Menswear and Totally Work Wear respectively, continues this month. Readers can nominate a tradie, male or female, to go into the draw and the winner each month will win a prize. Simply drop into Gunn’s Menswear or Totally Work Wear with your nomination, or send us an email at editor@forbesphoenix.com.au or editor@parkesphoenix.com.au.

Digital Seniors Card: Seniors in NSW are continuing to embrace the digital card with more than 100,000 people now taking advantage of the digital Seniors Card. While there would always be a non-digital version, many seniors are taking advantage of the digital option to access discounts and benefits on dining out, entertainment and travel. The Seniors Card has become the largest program of its kind in Australia since it was first introduced in 1992. To learn more visit service.nsw.gov.au/campaign/nsw-seniors-card-program

Mullets for Mental Health: Serious warning! Mullets are set to take over local communities in an 80s influx you won’t be able to resist! The Black Dog Institute’s Mullets for Mental Health campaign is officially back for 2022 and Aussies are encouraged to start growing those luscious locks for the month of September to raise much needed funds for mental health research. Almost 80% of Australians claimed their mental health had worsened due to the pandemic.

Hephner the Alpaca paid Parkes and Elvis (!) a visit this week as part of a road trip to raise awareness and funds for beyondblue. Hephner also visited The Dish and the library and pre-school in Peak Hill. Hephner has his own facebook page and this is a link for donations to beyond-blue. https://beyondblueinmem.raisely.com/chicken.

Knit ‘n Natter With Love All Over The World

August 5, 2022 by Maggi Barnard

Some of the women at the Knit ‘n Natter event held at the Craft Corner last week. Holding the rugs are Rosemary Mitchell and Rhonda Redenbach from the Craft Corner and Dianne Percy from Orange.

There was a lot of catching up to be done after two years of ‘silence’ at the Knit ‘n Natter event at Craft Corner last week.

About 40 women from Orange and Bathurst joined locals from Parkes and surrounds to not only natter over a cuppa and cake, but also knit squares for the Wrap with Love project that provide warm wraps to vulnerable people all over the world.

“We donate wraps to overseas charities, but also donate to 12 local charities including to the women’s refuge, nursing homes, oncology department and more,” said Dianne Percy, co-ordinator of Wrap with Love in Orange.

The annual even at Craft Corner, going for more than 14 years, is a great way of bringing people together, but members of the public are knitting at their homes and with friends right through the year for the project.

“One rug is made up of 28 squares, and we have 604 completed so far this year,” said Dianne. All the knitted squares from the Central West go to Orange and since the start of the project a total of 7,000 rugs have been made so far.

Wrap with Love was started in Melbourne in 1992 and donations have been sent to people in more than 75 countries.

Craft Corner members and anyone else keen on knitting are encouraged to drop off their knitted squares at the Craft Corner in Parkes. The squares should be 25cm square, knitted in 8 ply yarn with no. 8 (4mm) needles in garter stitch all plain rows.

If you have any 8 ply yarn lying around at home, feel free to drop that off at the Craft Corner too.

Dianne’s group meets at the Orange City Library every Thursday from 9 to 12 in the morning. She said the group also made beanies for homeless people, twiddle muffs for people with dementia and children with disabilities, outfits for stillborn babies and trauma teddies for hospitals.

By Maggi Barnard

New Footbridge At Wiradjuri Dreaming Centre

July 29, 2022 by Maggi Barnard

A new footbridge with a fishing platform will be erected at the Wiradjuri Dreaming Centre as part of the Lake Forbes Activation project. The new footbridge will be higher and wider with improved accessibility, while the fishing platform areas will have balconies to enjoy the ‘serenity’.

Forbes Shire Council posted on its Facebook page that this exciting stage of the activation project would begin in the next few weeks and it was expected to take several weeks to complete.

Neighbours in the vicinity may experience some initial noise while pile driving occurs. Pedestrians will still be able to walk around the lake as the old footbridge will remain in place until the new one is complete. There will be signage to indicate changes to the pathway.

Once the new hardwood decked bridge is commissioned, the old bridge will be dismantled with all materials recycled or reused where possible. The project is part of the Public Spaces Legacy Fund.

If you’ve not taken a walk on that side of town recently, go and have a look. A new toilet block has been added as well as tree and shrub planting.

Local Government Week 2022

July 29, 2022 by Maggi Barnard

Local Government Week runs from Monday, 1st August to Sunday, 7th August and is designed to showcase the work councils do in their local communities, including the wide variety of services they provide.

The week also includes the annual Local Government Week Awards and this year the Forbes Shire Council has again been shortlisted for a major award. The winners will be announced at the Local Government NSW Gala Awards Night on Thursday.

Forbes Shire Council’s Youth Program is again a finalist in the Local Government Awards. Council’s Youth Program was announced last week as a finalist in the Best Small Council with the Most Outstanding Youth Week Program.

Youth Week was celebrated in April in Forbes and the program consisted of 12 events with 2,908 participants.

The events included a Youth Week Mega Fun Day, inflatable obstacle courses, cultural art sessions, laser tag fun, movies, fishing, tabletop games, clay workshops and learn how to fish sessions.

All Local Government youth finalists and winners are selected by Local Government NSW. Forbes Shire Council has been shortlisted more than seven times for its innovative and enthusiastically supported Youth Week and Youth Programs.

In 2021, Forbes Shire Council won the Best Small Council with the Most Outstanding Youth Week Program and was a finalist in the Most Innovative Youth Week Program, Best Small Council with the Most Outstanding Youth Week Program and Best Local Youth Week Program.

In 2019, Forbes Shire Council was awarded the overall winner in the Best Local Youth Week Program, a finalist in the Best Small Council and the Most Innovative.

Forbes Shire Council was also nominated for the R H Dougherty for its master plan consultations and the Senior’s Festival events, as well as the Leo Kelly OAM Arts and Culture award for the partnership with Forbes Arts Society.

All award winners will be announced at the Gala Awards night on Thursday, 4th August at the Fullerton Hotel in Sydney. Forbes Shire Mayor, Phyllis Miller and General Manager, Steve Loane will be in attendance.

Youth Officer Sarah Williams with Forbes Shire Council’s past Youth Awards.

Great Weather For Golf

July 29, 2022 by Short Put

Dennis McGroder enjoys a swing in the sun.

A total of 73 Forbes golfers used a beautiful winter’s day on Saturday to score well in the 4BBB Stableford Medley with Richard Smith and Reggie Murray the overall winners.

They combined experience and youth to score 48 points, comprised mainly of 3-pointers. Their 25 points on the back-9 was the best of any pairing.

The runners-up were Heather Davidson and Ev Uphill who were very pleased with their 44 points. They also had a good back- 9 scoring 22 points.

The NTP’s went to: 9th – men: C Hanrahan, women: S Crosby; 18th – men: H Callaghan, women: S Crosby. The 3rd hole super pin went to Peter Dawson with a wide shot to 5.7m distant.

The ball sweep went to 40 points on count back. Visitors included: Lee Grierson (Wollongong), Chris Smith (The Australian), John Adam (Macquarie Links), Walter Bergmann, Ross Nattrass and Aaron Whittingham (Antill Park GC).

The winner of the Sunday Stableford Medley was Henry Nash with 39 points, ahead of runner-up Josh Coulthurst on 33 points. There were no NTP’s, enabling the ball sweep to go to: 31 – S Betland; 30 – S Nash, L Grierson and J Cripps.

This weekend the men play an 18-hole par event, while the women play a par event for the ‘Fran Smith Memorial Trophy’.

The course will be closed for social play on Sunday for the women’s ‘Xmas in July’ event. Take note of the following programme changes: Callaghan 4-Ball Ambrose on 4 Sep, Roylances Cup 10 Sep, VW Scramble on 25 Sep, NSW Vets Regional Event on 17/18 Oct, Forbes Nissan Classic on 19/20 November.

By Short Put

Neighbourhood Central Expands Community Transport Services

July 29, 2022 by Maggi Barnard

Neighbourhood Central has announced it will be taking over the reins of community transport services in Lake Cargelligo from the 1st of August.

Clients will see the same friendly volunteers and deal with the same familiar staff who worked for Lake Cargelligo Community Transport that provided the service on behalf of Transport for NSW. The services will also be delivered from the same office location at 28 Uabba Street.

Neighbourhood Central will continue to help people access medical appointments, social outings and cultural events to local and regional centres as well as to Sydney via Regional Express Airlines.

Community Transport Services are available to a wide range of people who require transport to recreation and shopping areas, medical and social services. Community transport can be provided for:
• people who are financially disadvantaged, isolated, lack public transport or have a mobility impairment
• older people who are frail aged and their carers
• people with disabilities and their carers.

The Lake Cargelligo Community Transport management committee thanked its many volunteers over the years for their tireless dedication to their community, and the clients for their support and patronage. For any further information contact the Lake Cargelligo office on 6898 2078 or the Parkes office on 6862 2825.

Brilliant Minor Pairs Match

July 29, 2022 by Marty Tighe

The keenly anticipated Major Singles match between Rob Irving and Mick Went lived up to expectations with both bowlers playing outstandingly at the Parkes Bowling & Sports Club. Playing against the current club champion didn’t faze Rob as he went end to end with Mick. Mick settled after the 4th end and started to win consecutive ends to take the win 25 to 15.

One of the best Minor Pairs matches in recent memory was played with Wilbur Harris as skip for Dean Searl against Chris Harrison and Ricky Frame. The match was decided on an extra end after scores were tied up at 20 all after 21 ends.

Wilbur and Dean started surprisingly slow, trailing 4 to 10, but regained the lead and were on track to win leading 20 to 13 after 17 ends. However, team Frame won the next 4 ends to tie the score at 20 all. The playoff end was breathtakingly brilliant as ‘Son of Frame’ held the shot in a crowded head, and survived the Harris last bowls, to claim victory by 1 shot.

By Marty Tighe

Major 300 Milestone For Karen

July 29, 2022 by Maggi Barnard

Karen McGaw at the Northparkes Oval parkrun after
reaching her 300th milestone on Saturday.

It was a beautiful day on Saturday for Karen McGaw to reach her 300th parkrun milestone at the Northparkes Oval parkrun. Her first parkrun was in 2013 and she completed 140 runs at her home parkrun in Newcastle. She also ran her personal best time of 26:43 in Newcastle. Karen has participated in 38 different parkruns in NSW, Queensland, Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania and the ACT, as well as international runs in England and New Zealand. She has also given back to parkrun by volunteering 45 times in 10 different roles. Karen moved to Forbes in May and now regularly attends the Northparkes Oval run at 8am every Saturday. Congratulations Karen!

Historic Day For Forbes Junior AFL

July 29, 2022 by Alex Milsom

The Orange/Forbes under 12s, who scored a 50-point win over Dubbo, sing their song.

The Forbes Junior AFL Club made history on Sunday hosting a home game and competition at the Gaggin Oval for the first time in 36 years.

All grades of the Orange/Forbes and Orange sides took wins over Dubbo Junior AFL in the AFL Central West junior competition.

The Orange/Forbes under 12s continued their winning run with a commanding 50-point win against Dubbo.

It was victory number eight for the Swamp Tigers as they won 8.14 (62) to 1.6 (12) in what can only be described as the best weather seen in Forbes all year for football of any code.

Experienced mid-forwards Jack Sara and Sebastian Felice scored two goals each, while Zavier Felice kicked the last one in the last quarter to ice the game after Dubbo kept pressing throughout the contest.

Best on ground were the Felice brothers, Zavier and Sebastian, along with Nicholas Wood. Mr Consistent, Max Ridge, was strong in the ruck, Tyson McLennan continues to improve each game, while the defensive duo of Romulus Milsom and Will Northey were strong.

A blistering start and five goals from an inspired Cayden Metzeling propelled Orange/Forbes under 14s to a 57-point victory over Dubbo in round 9 of the competition.

The Swamp Tigers slotted seven unanswered goals in the first half with Dubbo failing to back up the performance of their last encounter when Dubbo nearly caused an upset.

Playing their first match after three weeks off and representative break, the Orange/ Forbes Swamp Tigers were a shining light in the 9.10 (64) to 1.1 (7) result.

In other games the Orange Youth Girls took full advantage of the large Gaggin Oval to smash Dubbo 16.12 (108) to 0.1 (11), while in the under 17s Orange/Forbes won 12.1 (73) to 3.6 (24), in what was a very enjoyable match to watch.

By Alex Milsom

Parkes Phoenix Editor

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