Parkes Phoenix Editor

The Men’s Shed is a local committee of the Forbes men who get together from 9am to 12pm every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, and they are always looking for new members – ‘the more the merrier’. “We believe in mateship, helping the community and a good cuppa for morning tea” said President Norm Haley.

At the moment the men are working on restoring furniture that the people of Forbes have kindly donated to the shed, including chairs, cabinets and a large garden setting and any leftovers or scrap is being recycled and used as kindling which the men sell for $6 a bag, which has been quite handy in this weather of late.

The committee has been lucky enough to have signed a running two year contract with the Honey Bee Factory, making wood box presentation packages, which look incredible! “We make 200 boxes per month, and 250 of our packages have recently been sent all over the world, that’s very exciting” said Norm. “We are organising guests such as health and lifestyle speakers to come along and talk Local Blokes Loving Life to us, as we like to get one per month. Last month was Australian Hearing and some of us ended up with hearing aids by the end of the day”.

Fundraising is a massive part of what the blokes at The Men’s Shed do. If you would like to help out, the men are running a 100 Club with tickets being sold at Bernardi’s IGA and Woolworths. A garage sale will take place this weekend at the Showground, starting at 9am and a sausage sizzle will also be on offer. There will also be a sausage sizzle held at Bunnings in August, September and October but the dates have not yet been confirmed.

All the fundraising and donations are going towards deserving charities close to the men’s heart as well as their organisation to help them achieve their goals. “We wish to build our own shed someday in the future”. Anyone wishing to join can simply turn up. Alternatively, please contact the Men’s Shed President Norm Haley on 0428 638 665 or Secretary Leo Butler on 0415 180 059.

“Once upon a time….”Are they not the most glorious words in the English language? And how much time, do we as parents spend reading with our children? It is just so important.

A headmaster was heard telling someone at a local school, “Far too often, parents tell me their child is ‘not a reader’. But that’s a copout. It’s a kid’s job to read and a parent’s job to persist for as long as it takes.” The key is to regard reading as a delight rather than a duty. Start early with your children and be theatrical when you read out
loud to your children (and grandchildren). Be animated and alive, however most importantly, be present. If you’re not interested and you don’t sound like you care whether Hairy Maclary from Donaldson’s Dairy gets frightened by Scarface Claw or not, your child will know the difference.

Some children want to read the same book over and over again, then great let them do this. A lifelong relationship with a story is a lovely thing. For those long trips, audio books are marvellous. Remember a trip to the local library can be a weekly occurrence to choose a new book and audio.

So I would like to challenge all the mums and dads, and the grandparents, to take the time to read with your children and grandchildren and take yourself back to your childhood. Let us know what books your children like and how much time you spend with them reading. If you are part of a children’s reading group then perhaps you would like to share the details. Send us your story and the best story wins a voucher from Woolworths to the value of $50.

Woolworths is once again proud to be supporting education for Australian kids. Earn & Learn is back for 2015 and will offer early learning centres, primary schools and secondary schools the opportunity to benefit again, until September 8. Details of how to participate are available in stores and sticker sheets can be dropped into a collection box at your school or local store.

As part of an initiative of the Forbes Chamber of Commerce, the Chamber invites local businesses to portray their business, their challenges and what their plans are for the future. This week it was Linda Rees turn from Esme’s Coffee Shop which she has owned for 15 years after purchasing it from the Curry’s in November 2000.

Linda said she “thought it would be an easy job”. It has turned out to be very labour intensive, and particularly with her food, as everything is home cooked. She concentrates on ‘plain’ home-cooked food and admits they do very well with this type of food. It is particularly appreciated by the older clientele who visit regularly. The biggest change in her business has been the uptake in coffee sales. When Linda changed her brand of coffee to Bills Beans she saw an immediate rise of approximately 25% in sales. Esme’s is the fastest growing coffee reseller of Bills Beans in the Central West. Bills Beans would only allow her to sell their coffee if she agreed to make it the way that they wanted her to make it, as they didn’t want people having coffee served which wasn’t up to their standard. And it has
obviously worked for her with sales improving each month.

“One of my main challenges, as I am sure is the same with most businesses is finding, training and keeping the right staff. A surprising number of people, either through absent-mindedness or some other motive, also simply forget to pay. We have put in new technology and this is helping us streamline how we operate.” If you are looking to take over a great business in Forbes, this business is up for sale, but if you are simply looking for a great cup
of coffee then head to Esme’s.