Parkes Phoenix Editor

Around 14 locals joined Central West Lachlan Landcare (CWLL) in beautiful weather for the Forbes planting event for Planet Ark’s 22nd National Tree Day on 29 July. Nationally, Planet Ark estimates over 250,000 people took part at over 3,000 planting sites – with results still coming in – run by councils, schools, environment and community groups and Toyota Dealers across the country, planting close to one million native trees, shrubs and edibles and helping to beautify their local communities.

The green-thumbed volunteers in Forbes planted and mulched over 100 trees in the picturesque setting, just off Bedgerabong Road. This is a portion of a larger planting that will be undertaken in the area. When the planting was complete, volunteers enjoyed lunch together and had a chance to catch up and reflect on the work completed.

“The volunteers did a fantastic job and it was wonderful to have their presence at National Tree Day. We are pleased to have such a wide age group joining us and contributing to the project,” said Marg Applebee, Co-ordinator for CWLL. CWLL have been fortunate to have the support of Forbes Shire Council and Toyota to bring NTD to the Forbes Community. CWLL and the Skillset Green Army Team will be continuing planting work in this area over the weeks ahead.

A big thank you to all of the Volunteers who make National Tree Day possible.

Whether you shop at Woolworths or Bernardi’s, it’s likely you will have come across the blokes from the local Men’s Shed during the month of July as they sold raffle tickets to raise money for their new Shed. Woolworths and Bernardi’s each donated a $250 open order as first prize, and Flannery’s Pharmacy donated a $100 second prize for each raffle.

Overall, $1920 was raised for the new Men’s Shed, and president Norm Haley said he was elated by the community’s support. “We wish to thank the members of the community for their support. We’re also grateful to Woolworths and Bernardi’s. We know most people shop at both supermarkets, so we wanted to hold two raffles.

“We only have one big fundraising month a year. The public are pretty generous to us and we accept that,” he said. The Woolworths raffle draw took place on Thursday last week, with Tania Cole of Woollies and Debbie Prior of Flannery’s Pharmacy on hand for the draw. The $250 open order went to David Nock, and the $100 went to Len Lavers.

The Bernardi’s raffle draw was held on Friday at the supermarket with store manager Selwyn Bale. Vickie Duffill was the lucky first prize winner, and Brian Spice was awarded the second prize from Flannery’s. The Forbes Men’s Shed is located at the Showgrounds, and welcomes men of all ages and walks of life, even if it’s just for a yarn and a cuppa.

Where Will You Go For Your Next Holiday?

With half the year already gone and school holidays just around the corner, it’s time to think about your next holiday. With great deals available to all of the islands, including Fiji and the Maldives, as well as Bali, Thailand, and Hawaii, now is the time to sit down with your local Helloworld Travel agent and discuss your options. Helloworld Travel has been helping Aussies see the world for more than 40 years.

As passionate travellers, they have all the handy tips that will make your next holiday the best one yet, whether you’re a foodie, sightseer, thrill seeker, sun lover, or shopaholic. Plus they have all the exclusive flight deals, hotel offers, global partnerships and real-world experience to add value to your great escape.

If you’re looking at Europe in 2018, the Earlybird airfares are due for release in September. We are excited to welcome Kerrie Musgrave
Bruem to the team at Helloworld Travel Forbes, she will join Alison Uphill and Maddi Quirk so call in and say hello or give them a call on 6852 2344 to start planning your dream holiday.

To keep up to date on all the latest deals and travel news make sure to like our Facebook and Instagram pages. We have some exciting things coming and a great competition that will be launched on these pages so stay tuned.

Injuries to the lower back are one of the most common golf related problems. The incidence of lower back pain in the male golfer is between 25% to 36% and 22% to 27% in the female golfer. It has been reported to account for up to 52% of all injuries in recreational golfers and 24% of injuries in professional golfers. The injury mechanism of nearly half of all lower back injuries in golf is due to the swing.

The modern golf swing has been shown to produce large forces on the lower back which change directions rapidly during the swing. Because golf is played in a slightly forward flexed position, along with the asymmetrical, rotational nature of the swing the forces the joints in the lower back are subject to are quite high. The compression force on the spine during the swing has been shown to be up to 8 times body weight.

So, what can you do to prevent getting back pain when you play? Maintenance of good mobility in the hips and thoracic and lumbar spine is important. This may require a regular exercise programme at home along with a good warm up before you play whilst using proper technique when lifting your bag and bending through the knees when retrieving the ball.

If you already have lower back pain consider slowing your backswing down. Make sure your weight properly shifts to your back foot and your hips rotate during the backswing. Also, avoid placing your feet too far apart during the address phase as this limits hip rotation later in the swing and increases stresses on the lower back.

For the fitness of you.
Linda Reilly