Parkes Phoenix Editor

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

Painted Daisies Blossoming In New Location

June 1, 2017 by Maggi Barnard

Born and bred local Janet Callaghan is celebrating five years in business at Painted Daisies.

After spending the first few years at 77 Rankin Street, she moved the shop to Tem- plar Street last year, and has been pleased by the positive response from customers.

“I’ve had so many good comments from people who say the shop feels more homely and welcoming,” said Janet.

“Being closer to the coffee shops and next door to Little Extras is wonderful.”

With the weather growing colder, the shop offers a cosy and warm place to browse beautiful homewares as you wander through town.

From large items like a stunning carved bedhead and solid teak dining table, to candles, cushions, prints, rugs, throws, and even tea, there is something for everyone.

“I’m not a qualified designer, but people do ask me things when they’re redecorating. I suggest to them that they do one room at a time. Put your staple pieces in first, then add colour with accessories.”

Janet will hold a sale at Painted Daisies during June in the lead-up to the end of the financial year. She would love to see you in the shop, or connect with you via the Painted Daisies pages on Facebook and Instagram.

Commercial Property In Prime Spot

June 1, 2017 by Maggi Barnard

This 2,023m2 commercial zoned property at 23 Dowling Street is on the western side of Dowling Street in the northern portion of Central Business District of Forbes. It is also located near the BP service station, a building supply shop, Holden and Nissan dealer- ship, McDonalds, Caltex service station and other businesses in a high traffic area.

The location is fit for any type of business looking to develop with prominent highway frontage. The property is fenced with rear lane access and cement footpath at the front.

Council DA approved and traffic plan completed, for a car wash, details of which are available.

Access is available via Dowling Street, which is a two lane bitu- men sealed road carriageway with concrete kerb and gutter and concrete footpath in

Services available include electricity, town water , sewer, natural gas and telephone.

An open tour will take place tomorrow from 11:00am to 12:00pm. This is an opportunity to look at the block, get some more informa- tion and ask any questions you might have.

Individual inspections can also be arranged by contacting Ian Simpson on 0417 468 565.

An auction will take place on Saturday, 24th June onsite at 23 Dowling Street. Registrations commence at 9:30am, and the auc- tion starts at 10:00am sharp.

Bidders can register as a phone bidder or register and bid on the day in person.

The vendors of this property need to make a sale and will con- sider all offers prior to auction.

Located on the Newell Highway, Forbes attracts customers from far reaching Western NSW and visitors from all over the state.

Call Ian Simpson on 0417 468 565.

Do You Want To Join Council’s Advisory and Working Groups?

June 1, 2017 by Maggi Barnard

Forbes Shire Council is seeking expressions of interest from the community to join Council’s advisory and working groups.

These groups provide recommendations to Council to inform its decision making on the special interest issues of heritage, tourism, access (disability) and Forbes Aerodrome.

Under the new Section 355 committee structure, these groups will report back to one of the five core committees of Community and Places, Natural Environment, Leadership, Enterprise or Infrastructure.

These groups may from time to time undertake projects in conjunction with, or on behalf of, Council. General Manager Danny Green said these groups would allow Council to utilise the skills and experience of residents towards achieving the targets identified by the com- munity through the Forbes Shire “Our Community Strategic Plan 2017-2027”.

If you would like to join one of the groups, contact Council’s Senior Administration Officer, Kylie Grayson, on 6850 2305 for a nomination form.

Expressions of interest close at 5pm on Friday, 23rd June and can be emailed to forbes@forbes.nsw.gov.au or mailed to the General Manager, Forbes Shire Council, PO Box 333, Forbes NSW 2871.

Where Did You Learn About Money?

June 1, 2017 by Maggi Barnard

Sadly, there is not much focus on financial education when we are growing up. Most of us get our money skills from a combination of what we learned from our parents and a lifetime of trial and error.

With no disrespect to my parents or anyone else’s, the reality is that most of them had little idea of what they were doing because no one ever taught them how to manage money. So, watching them work their way through trial and error isn’t a great start and then we’re left to do the same. It isn’t a great recipe for success when you only have a limited time that you’ll be earning an income.

So, this is an intervention. Money shouldn’t be a taboo topic, it should be something we’re all clued up about, something we all have a strong concept of and an understanding of what our options are.

It’s your life and your income. It’s not my job to tell you how you should spend either. What I do want to do, however, is help you do it with your eyes open so that you can be making informed decisions about your money, not guessing which way to go and hoping for the best via trial and error.

Financial education is your path to understanding money and understanding money is your key to making the most of what you learn.

Cheers, Daniel

(Daniel McGregor is a founding partner of Wealth Train, an Australian Financial Services Licence Holder (474966) empowering Australians with finan- cial education. Any advice given is general in nature and readers should seek their own professional ad- vice before making any financial decisions.)

Open Day Highlights Burning Issue

May 25, 2017 by Maggi Barnard

At the Forbes Fire Station’s annual open day last Saturday, local fire officers aimed to raise awareness and educate residents about the dangers of fires in the home, and how to prevent them.

“We always hold the open day in May. It’s an opportune time coming into the winter months to remind people about the danger of fire,” said Station Captain Brian Clarke.

While kids enjoyed their plastic fire fighter hats and exploring the big red engines, Bri- an and some of his crew members handed out wooden spoons etched with the phrase, “Keep looking when cooking”.

They want to remind people not to walk away from the stove while preparing meals. “In the last six months, we’ve had four

calls to fires started because food was left cooking on the stove unattended.

“A woman forgot she had tea on and decided to go to her daughter’s house at the other end of town. Luckily the neighbour heard the smoke alarm and called the fire brigade. Fortunately only the food, the saucepan and the top of the stove burnt, and it created a lot of smoke right through the unit.”

Brian has a strong message for the community: “Don’t leave anything cooking on the stove unattended. Don’t put clothes next to heaters. And everyone should have at least two smoke alarms in working order in their house, if not more.”

When there is an incident, however, the Fire Brigade is quick to attend. “The Fire Brigade’s Act requires that response times are no longer than 10 minutes. The average time from call to response for the Forbes crew is seven minutes,” Brian said.

The Station has a manned crew of 15 fire fighters. They all have other full-time jobs but are retained by Fire and Rescue NSW to cover the local community.

Under the Brigades’ Act, four of those fire fighters must be avail- able 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to respond to local inci- dents. But sometimes, no matter how quickly they get there, there isn’t much they can do.

“We had a house fire where the house was completely destroyed a few months ago. Someone left a newly renovated home with a candle burning on the bedside table. The window was open and the wind blew the curtain into the candle. They lost everything.”

Brian has been involved with the local Fire Brigade for 39 years. Last month, he attended government house to receive the Austral- ian Fire Service medal, a Queen’s medal, which was awarded to him on Australia Day. He described the award as “a great privi- lege”.

Next year, the Fire Station will celebrate its 90th birthday. Built in 1928, it has recently been refurbished to give the fire fighters more room and better facilities.

Up until October last year, the original fireman’s quarters upstairs were leased for private occupation. The top floor has been trans- formed and now offers a more comfortable working environment.

The open day will be held again next May as one of many state- wide events run under Fire and Rescue NSW.

By Rochelle Bright

Entries Double In Cycling Event

May 25, 2017 by Maggi Barnard

Entries for the Forbes Flatland Cyclo Sportif last weekend doubled with about 80 riders from all over NSW competing in the two events.

Line honours in the 120km event went to Dubbo’s Michael Ticehurst averaging a blis- tering 40km/h. He was followed by Adam Coleman from Orange and Hayden Bird from MacGregor ACT. The first female fin- isher was Jennifer Short.

The 72km event was dominated by Ba- thurst cyclists with Harry Bryant in first posi- tion, Stuart Renshaw second and Thereisa Gallagher third. Local Nick Turner and Nick Field flew the Forbes flag with top ten placings.

Matthew Hancock said the club was really happy with the day and received fan- tastic feedback from riders who did not real- ise how lovely Forbes was to ride in. “They can’t wait for next year’s event.”

The club thanked the sponsors and the many volunteers who helped on the day. The profits of the day will be donated to a charity still to be decided on.

Our Gal

May 25, 2017 by Maggi Barnard

Elaine Bright

How long have you lived in Forbes and what do you like about living here?
I moved here 12 years ago and like the friendliness of the people and how our old buildings are being preserved and our picturesque lake.

Where do you work and what do you enjoy most about your work?
I am re- tired and find being involved in the Lions Club and CWA very rewarding. I am a volunteer at the Railway Information Centre and find that helping our visitors is also very rewarding.

What do you do to unwind after work and during the weekend?
Gardening and find weekend outings with the caravan club are very enjoyable.

What are you really good at?
Filling in time at the sewing machine or with the crochet hook and knitting needles.

If you could have a super power, what would it be?
Being a cancer survivor, I would love to have the power to find the ultimate cure for all people suffering this affliction.

What is your pet hate?
People who do ‘circle work’ on the lawns at Lions Park and think it is their right to damage com- munity facilities in this way!

Tell us about your best holiday ever?
In November 2000 we left on a 12-month trip around Australia in our second hand caravan. We travelled approximately 45,000km. During this time we explored lots of nooks and crannies but left a lot unseen for the ‘next time’. We met wonderful people doing the same thing and made some lasting friendships. What a wonderful country we have and don’t feel the need to travel overseas again as we have everything we need and more right here in Australia!

Question of the Week

May 25, 2017 by Maggi Barnard

What is your favourite food to have in your lunchbox?

Naomi Klingner – Forbes North Public School: Crepes, because they’re yummy.

Kaileiha Skinner – Forbes North Public School:Sultanas. I like the outside of them. They are chewy.

Charlie Bridge – Forbes North Public School: Fruit. I like grapes because they’re healthy.

School Scoop

May 25, 2017 by Maggi Barnard

Andrew Brings Joy To St Laurence’s

Last week St Laurence’s welcomed Andrew Chinn to our school community. Andrew is an Australian religious songwriter and sing- er and his songs have brought great joy to many with his music used in schools across Australia, New Zealand, USA and Canada. Andrew connected with and inspired all stu- dents from Kinder to Year 6; we laughed, sang and danced our way through the day, sharing a wonderful message of God’s love and our shared journey together as God’s family.

Forbes Public SRC Learn New Skills In

The Forbes and District Lions Club once again supported Forbes Public School’s Student Representative Council (SRC) with a generous donation.

For the fourth consecutive year the Lions Club funded 19 students to attend a GRIP Leadership Conference in Dubbo. Grip Leadership provide enthusiastic and skilled presenters to deliver practical and interactive training conferences for student leaders. The sessions provide a better un- derstanding of effective leadership, the expectations of responsibility, generating ideas and turning ideas into action.

PrincipalDafyddThomassaid:“The leadership workshops in Dubbo with 300 other stu- dents from across the region was extremely beneficial for the students. The day equipped them with a number of critical skills and ap- proaches to an array of challenges student leaders can face. It was inspiring to see students rise to new attitudes and embrace new learning. Opportunities like this leave a lasting impact on students.”

Working With The Wider Community

When designing the Forbes Preschool we also wanted it to be a place for our com- munity, our friends from other towns, and a place to belong. We have been been one year in our new premises and we have so many partners we welcome into our service.

The Girinya room (Girinya means play in Wiradjuri) welcomes all sorts of visitors each week: the early childhood nurses mother’s group, the Australian Breastfeed- ing Association (ABA) meet here, the Wiradjuri Language classes use the room, and an occupational therapist and a speech therapist assist with a school readiness program from the room.

Other ways we have connected with the wider community have included being part of Food Revolution Week, and the Year 6 students from St Laurence’s came to visit last Friday to teach the children about the zones of regulation.

New additions to the building include our chickens, who laid their first egg this week, a cover over our swing set and new resourc- es added to the rooms.

A Win For Forbes North

The Forbes North PSSA team versed Forbes Public School recently. We were rather nervous as most of our team are short and we felt a little overwhelmed. It was a close game, especially in the first and second quarters. At the end of the second quarter we were behind and realised it was time to try really hard and play together. At the end of the game we were ahead by 14 points. We were extremely happy to win the game and move to the next round in Dubbo. I am so proud of my team. I would like to thank Miss Ari Kenny, Miss McManus and Robyn Kenny for helping us prepare and taking us to our games.

Debutantes Dance For CanAssist

May 25, 2017 by Maggi Barnard

Eight stunning young ladies and their handsome partners took to the dance floor in April to raise valuable funds for Forbes CanAssist.

They raised over $1,300 dollars running various events. John Schrader, President of CanAssist said the funds would go a long way in assisting local cancer patients and their families. Rachel Wythes choreographed the group’s dance and their performance delighted family and friends.

Ruby Markwort and Jett Peckham were the perfect flower girl and page boy as they led Kaitlyn Wright and Mitchell Ashcroft, Lillyann Mason-Spice and Kaidyn Haines, Kiah Peckham and Bradley Clifton, Maggie Wallace and Ethan Stewart, Janssen Mores and Kristian Markwort, Montana Palazzi and Ethan Markwort, Shanika Harpur and Mark Simmonds and Jada and Zeke Hartwig for the presentation ceremony.

Parkes Phoenix Editor

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