Parkes Phoenix Editor

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

Question of the Week

May 11, 2017 by Maggi Barnard

It was World Croquet Day last Saturday. How long have you been playing croquet and what do you like about it?

Joan Littlejohn: I have been playing for three years now. It is a great game because you play in the open air, there is a lot of good company and we have lots of laughs. There are also different sorts of croquet. Here in Forbes we play ‘Aussie’ and ‘Golf’ croquet.

Barry White: I have been playing croquet for four and a half months. I would recommend croquet as it is challenging but lots of fun. Anyone who has played golf and/or bowls would pick it up really quickly, but honestly it doesn’t matter as we have loads of fun.

Dorelle Scott: I have been playing for just over three and a half years. Croquet is a wonderful game as you can play all year round. We start earlier in summer to miss the heat. It really is a fun game to play.

Forbes Museum Has Many New Friends

May 11, 2017 by Maggi Barnard

More than 70 people were keen to explore the treasures of the Historical Museum at its annual open day last Saturday.

“It was a very successful day,” said Bruce Adams, President of the Forbes & District Historical Society. “We had a huge increase in people attending. They were very impressed with our exhibits and many said they would come again to spend more time looking at everything.”

One of the newest additions to the mu- seum, a fully restored Ivel tractor, was one of the most popular exhibits on the day, especially when it was started up at 1pm and 3pm. “All the boys liked the tractor with about 40 people watching us start it up,” said Bruce. He said the 114-year-old tractor, which is one of only seven left in the world and took about 700 volunteer hours to restore, worked perfectly when started up.

There was something for everyone to get excited about. Elaine Huckell and Anne Reade were thrilled looking through wedding photos of Forbes locals on display.

Michelle Mahlo said she had not been to the museum for years and savoured the lux- ury of taking her time without being hurried on by the kids.

The museum at 11 Cross Street is open from 2 to 4pm daily.

Mayoral Notes

May 11, 2017 by Maggi Barnard

First of all I would like to thank Councillor Jenny Webb for writing the column last week. On the first Friday of each month, our Council Comments will feature a Councillor. Next month you will hear from Councillor Steve Karaitiana.

The Walk to D’Feet MND was very well at- tended. We even had a family from Sydney participating. This Sunday is the Mother’s Day Classic walk around Lake Forbes to raise funds for the National Breast Cancer Foundation. To find out more visit www. mothersdayclassic.com.au

All events during Forbes Heritage were well attended and the presentation evening was held on Wednesday night. The winner of the Forbes Shire Council Art Acquisition Award was Sampa Bhakta for her water colour, ‘St John’s Church, Court Street’. The recipient of the Forbes Heritage Volunteer Award for this year was Don Rath. Don has worked tirelessly to promote the Forbes and District Historical Museum and was actively involved in the organisation of the Our Anzacs Centenary Exhibition and the restoration of the 1902 Ivel tractor on display at the museum. The recipient of the Forbes Medal was the Forbes Medical Centre for the Discovering Our Doctors interpretive panels.

Teams travelled from all over the region for the Forbes Netball All Age Carnival held on Sunday with more than 400 participants. Tomorrow the Forbes Rotary Ipomoea Markets will be held in Sir Francis Forbes Park from 8am to 12:30pm.

Enjoy your weekend

Mayor Graeme Miller

Use Terrain For Lucerne Weed Control

May 11, 2017 by Maggi Barnard

Nufarm’s Terrain is a unique and versatile group G herbicide that is ideally suited for lucerne weed and fenceline control, providing residual control or suppression of 17 hard to kill weeds.

Applied early, Terrain delivers excellent, economical residual weed control of a range of broadleaf and grass weeds including annual ryegrass, flaxleaf fleabane and sowthistle.

Terrain is a non-volatile, UV stable herbicide that can remain on the soil surface for up to three weeks. Rainfall is required during this period to incorporate Terrain into the soil. Once incorporated by rainfall, Terrain binds tightly to the top layer of soil, forming a con- centrated band of protection. Terrain has excellent safety to trees and adjacent crops. It works best as an autumn cleaning application prior to the germination of weeds.

Central West Diesel 24-Hour Breakdown Service

May 11, 2017 by Maggi Barnard

Central West Diesel operates a 24-hour roadside service for drivers in Central West NSW with its fleet of support vehicles.

James, Nathan and Hayden are qualified and capable mechanics servicing the Forbes, Condobolin, West Wyalong, Trundle, Tullamore and Tottenham areas, and as far as Cobar, Nyngan and Lake Cargelligo. Contact them on 0429 324 392.

Shane has over 30 years’ experience and is servicing the Orange, Bathurst, Lithgow, Blayney and Cowra areas. Shane can be contacted on 0498 744 346. The next time you are stranded on the side of the road or you need a mechanic at your property, contact Central West Diesel – the only mechanics in the Central West with over 100 years in combined experience.

Central West Community Effort Equips Forbes SES

May 11, 2017 by Maggi Barnard

The Forbes State Emergency Service (SES) will be able to double its efforts in future floods thanks to the generosity of service clubs in the Central West.

CEO of the Forbes Services Memorial Club, David Fitzgerald handed over a brand new sand bagging machine worth $40,000 to Robert Walshaw, Local Controller of the Forbes SES last Thursday.

“It is a big help for the whole Shire,” said Robert. “The new ma- chines will supplement our existing one, which means we would be able to get double the amount of sand bags in case of a flood event. We would also be able to have the machines at different locations, such as Bedgerabong to get sand bags quicker to outlying town- ships.” Robert said more than 20,000 sand bags were filled last year during the floods.

The funds were raised at a charity auction in November last year when 85 delegates
from Central West Region Clubs attended a conference in Forbes. They came from FSMC, Bathurst RSL, Dubbo RSL, Orange Ex Ser- vices, Gilgandra Ser- vices, Club Mudgee and Parkes Services Club. The Bankstown Sports Club and Forbes Country Music Club also contributed to the Forbes Flood Recovery effort.

New Categories For This Year’s Boscars

May 11, 2017 by Maggi Barnard

The Forbes Business Chamber Boscars committee has added two new categories to keep with the alignment forged with the NSW Business Chamber last year.

The first is Excellence in Social Enterprise, which recognises businesses that have been established to further a social purpose in a financially sustainable way. Businesses have to be revenue generating and can be not for profit and for profit. This will enable not for profit organisations to be involved.

The other new category is Start Up Superstar. This award recognises a business that has been operating for less than two years that delivers a product/service/idea/ invention with credible potential, have a solid chance of market success, and strongly displays entrepreneurial spirit.

Categories that remain the same are: Excellence in Innovation, Excellence in Small Business (under 20 employees), Excellence in Business (employing more than 20 em- ployees), Employer of Choice, Apprentice or Trainee of the Year, Employee of the Year, Young Entrepreneur (Age 18-35), Business Leader of the Year and Business of the Year.

The People’s Choice, Tradie of the Year and Most Popular Business will also remain. For more information, contact Fiona Ferguson on 0407 380 936 or Cheryl Newsom

on 0411 211 065.

Letters

May 11, 2017 by Maggi Barnard

Dear Editor,
We would like to thank Olya and Rob Wil- lis for hosting the most magnificent Musical Mystery Mausoleum Meander at the Forbes Cemetery on Sunday morning. Olya and Rob paid a wonderful tribute to Ebb Wren, and a handful of other musical talents. We were touched by not only the stories told, but also by the music and songs performed at the gravesites. I’m sure these men and women would have been humbled by the tributes given to them. Reliving the memo- ries of Ebb, and his wife Win, gave us so much enjoyment and pride. Knowing their songs and stories have been preserved at The National Library in the Oral History and Folklore section is a treasured thought; but having them sung and enjoyed on a crisp morning in Forbes is something entirely different. We can’t thank Olya and Rob enough for keeping Ebb and Win’s spirit alive in us all.

Monica and Ken Wren

We’re Going On A Treasure Hunt

May 4, 2017 by Maggi Barnard

It might be Forbes’ best kept secret, but tomorrow you can be let in on it when the Historical Museum has its open day – be adventurous and take the family on a treasure hunt!

You will find a treasure cove of heritage gems that will enrich your life, you might discover something relevant to your family and you will definitely learn something new.

Housed in the Osborne Hotel building of 1878 for the past 47 years, the most pre- cious item in the Forbes Historical Museum is the Ivel tractor – one of only seven left in the world. It took about 700 volunteer hours to restore it, and tomorrow you can see it started up.

If the recent Legend of Ben Hall mov- ie turned you onto history, the museum’s award winning exhibit on this elusive bush- ranger will give you plenty more to explore. The original pendant worn by Ben is on display, as well as a coin believed to have been found on Ben Hall’s body when he was killed by the police.

If the more serious work of the early explorers interest you, the surveyor’s chain of Sir Thomas Mitchell, Surveyor General of NSW from 1828 to 1855 shines light on a very different chapter of history.

Or you can propel yourself into the space age… and find a piece of space debris thought to be part of the cone of a large space rocket that fell on a property near Forbes.

There are loads more treasures, so come and step inside history and be amazed. For more visit the pictorial site with over 1,500 photos of early Forbes at www.pictorialforbes.org.au, the website at www.forbesmuseum.com.au or
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/forbesmuseum

Forbes Steps Out To D’feet MND

May 4, 2017 by Maggi Barnard

It was a magnificent autumn day in Forbes on Sunday, not only because the weather was perfect but also more than 100 people walked for Motor Neurone Disease (MND).

“They came from Forbes, Penrith, Ballarat and Coffs Harbour,” said Marcia Sim- monds and Pat Duncan, organisers of the 5km walk around Lake Forbes. “We want to thank everyone who walked today. It was wonderful to see everyone, especially so many younger people,” said Marcia.

Len Burton, who is 95 years young, took part with his two daughters Jacqueline and Kay. “I am walking for my wife, Pauline Margaret. We were married for 71 years. I lost her to MND two years ago,” said Len. “It is such a bad disease.”

Len thinks MND NSW are a doing a great job. “Next year I would like to see a lot more people involved to further help raise awareness and much-needed funds.”

According to Kym Nielsen, NSW MND Fundraising Manager the support in rural areas is amazing. She enjoyed coming to Forbes immensely. “Everyone seems to care more, there is such a sense of community here,” said Kym.

MND NSW is sponsoring Living Well with MND on Thursday, 18th May at the Forbes Services Memorial Club commencing at 10am. Vital information will be shared for people living with MND, their families, friends and carers. There is no charge but registration is essential by either emailing reg@mndnsw.asn.au or freecall 1800 777 175.

By Dianne Collie

Parkes Phoenix Editor

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