Roxane Manley

Forbes Garden Club Report

June 16, 2023 by Green Thumb

Tuppy Drabsch and Pam Baass at the recent Forbes Garden Club meeting.

The May meeting of the Forbes Garden Club was well attended by 24 members at the home of Trudy and Mark Mallick. A country home, situated in a lovely setting with many large trees to wander around. Guest speaker, Dennis Irvine provided tips on pruning of hydrangeas and roses and demonstrated how to take cuttings and grow your own plants.

A report was given on our recent trip to Dubbo Gardens which was enjoyed by all. A donation of $100 is to be given to the PA&H Society towards the Flower Show. There will be eight gardens to be viewed for the Open Gardens weekend in October, so many volunteers will be needed.

A special thankyou by Denise Thurston was extended to Mark Mallick for hosting our meeting. The raffle was won by Margaret West, 2nd prize went to Sylvia Glasson.

Flower of the month winners were 1st Denise Thurston a chrysanthemum, 2nd John Browne a chrysanthemum and 3rd Dorelle Scott a bird of paradise, Sylvia Glasson a rose and Annette Thornton a camellia.

The next meeting will be held at the Forbes Mens Shed on Thursday, 22nd June at 2pm with a speaker from Bunnings. No need to bring chairs, hoping to see you all there.

By Green Thumb

Financial Support For Rural Patients

June 16, 2023 by Roxane Manley

Do you travel long distances for specialised healthcare?

If you travel more than 100km one way, or 200km in a week, for specialised treatment that is not available locally, you can claim financial assistance towards travel and accommodation costs.

The Isolated Patients Travel and Accommodation Assistance Scheme (IPTAAS) is designed to support patients from rural and regional NSW when they need it most.

People who travel to places like Sydney or Canberra for treatment can benefit from the extra assistance provided by the IPTAAS scheme.

Increased subsidies for travel and accommodation are now available for appointments or treatment. Patients attending high-risk foot clinics, non-commercial clinical trials, highly specialised publicly funded oral health clinics in NSW and ocularists are now also eligible to claim.

If your travels for specialist medical treatment have been impacted by the recent flooding situation in NSW, please contact the IPTAAS team to talk about your individual situation and how we may be able to assist you with your IPTAAS application.

To find out if you are eligible, ask your social worker or healthcare team, call 1800 478 227 or visit: www.iptaas.health.nsw.gov.au

Be Seen

June 16, 2023 by Roxane Manley

Andrew Taylor and Mathew Brown enjoying lunch at the Forbes Inn.

Colleen Venables celebrating at the Forbes Golf & Sportsmans Hotel after securing two NTP and both Birdies.

Michelle Cheney, Carmel Bayley, Juliana Kneebone and Sally Muller were enjoying a ladies lunch at The Vandenberg Hotel.

Australia Post Grants Delivering Mental Health Benefits

June 16, 2023 by Roxane Manley

Applications have opened for Australia Post’s 2023 Community Grants program, which funds community-led, local projects that connect individuals and communities to improve mental health and wellbeing.

Eligible not-for-profit groups across Australia can apply for grants of up to $10,000 to support projects which have the primary purpose of improving mental health and wellbeing in local communities.

Last year’s program saw half of all grants, totalling over $200,000, awarded to organisations located across regional and remote Australia.

The Community Grants program illustrates Australia Post’s commitment to mental health, which includes a partnership with Beyond Blue that to date has delivered mental health resources to more than seven million letterboxes across Australia.

Australia Post is also a founding member of Healthy Heads in Trucks and Sheds, which supports mental health and wellbeing in the transport and logistics industries.

Organisations interested in applying are encouraged to review the Community Grant guidelines carefully to check eligibility requirements, with eligible community organisations able to apply until 11.59pm on 2 July 2023 at auspost.com.au/grants.

FFA Elite Invitation Game For Local Girl

June 16, 2023 by Roxane Manley

Forbes District Soccer Junior Josie Mckenzie.

Forbes DSC player, Josie Mckenzie has been invited to the Football Australia 2010 Elite Invitation Game as part of FNSW and FFA girls talent identification pathways.

Elite Matches allow those players considered the most talented players in that state to play against each other in a ‘best v best’ environment, stretching players capabilities and highlighting their areas of strength and opportunities for improvement in a high intensity match. Football Australia want to extend the frequency of Elite Matches across the country as an additional Talent Identification method to help unearth players who show a high potential.

Funding For Little, Local Environmental Champions

June 16, 2023 by Roxane Manley

Goodstart Early Learning In Forbes has been awarded a Woolworths Junior Landcare Grant.

Students at the Goodstart Early Learning Centre are on their way to becoming the next generation of environmental champions with new funds from the 2023 Woolworths Junior Landcare Grants program.

This year, the program also officially included First Nations perspectives projects for the first time. Woolworths and Landcare Australia are excited to award more than 320 grants as part of this year’s funding to projects that focus on expanding students’ First Nations education and deepening their connection to Country.

Forbes Woolworths Store Manager, Grant Eyles, said: “Bringing the classroom to the great outdoors and encouraging kids to get hands-on with nature is always something we’re excited to see, and we hope all of the schools across Forbes will have fun working on their new projects.”

With their projects up and running, Junior Landcare’s online Learning Centre, supported by Woolworths, offers a range of free online resources to help students of all ages build their knowledge of biodiversity, sustainable food production, waste management and more.

Proud Wiradjuri man and First Nations educator for Junior Landcare, Adam Shipp said: “The knowledge from our Elders and ancestors that have come before us is extremely important to capture and keep alive “From creating a yarning circle to learning about bush tucker – these are valuable experiences that can help our kids gain a deeper understanding and appreciation of First Nations culture and knowledge systems.”

Snippets…

June 16, 2023 by Roxane Manley

the NSW Ambulance Service has replaced the old Troop Carrier ambulances with 80 new 200 Series Landcruiser ambulances.

Farmers Welcome New Off-Road Ambulances: The state’s peak agricultural body has welcomed the announcement of 80 new four-wheel-drive ambulances. NSW Farmers health spokeswoman Sarah Thompson said the specially-modified Toyota Landcruiser 200 series ambulances, announced by Health Minister Ryan Park on Tuesday, would give paramedics greater ability to reach patients in difficult terrain throughout regional and remote areas.

“The people who grow our food and fibre and keep our regional communities moving often work in hard-to-reach places,” Mrs Thompson said. “It’s comforting to know that if something goes wrong, help will be able to get to you.”

“This is a common sense move, replacing the old Troop Carrier ambulances with their modern equivalents.”

According to the NSW Government, the new off-road ambulances will be used for rescue and recovery operations in difficult terrain where standard ambulances cannot go.

National Capital Art Prize Entries Close on 30th June: The National Capital Art Prize is calling on artists to submit their entries before Friday, 30th of June 2023. The nation-wide competition has over $45,000 prize money up for grabs across three categories, including: Open Prize, First Nations Prize for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists and the Sustainability Prize.

Artists are vying for a cash prize of $15,000 in each category. A two-tiered adjudication process will see the best of the best selected as finalists for a further round of judging to decide the winners.

Entries will close on 30th June at 7pm. Further details are available at www.nationalcapitalartprize.com.au

Elvis: A Musical Revolution – Authorised by Elvis Presley Enterprises: Penned by acclaimed international writers, Elvis: A Musical Revolution is a new bio-musical exploring the extraordinary life of award-winning cultural icon and rock ‘n’ roll superstar, Elvis Presley.

Following an extensive nation-wide talent search with over 700 applicants, theatre and television star Rob Mallett has been selected to play the iconic role of Elvis.

The Australian premiere will open at Sydney’s State Theatre, from 5th August, before rocking into Melbourne’s Athenaeum Theatre from 6th October.

By popular demand, new performance dates have just been released for both cities, allowing more audiences the chance to secure seats via Ticketmaster.

A little less conversation and little more action – get your tickets now.

Parkes Spacemen Secure The Win In Annual Grudge Match Against Forbes Magpies

June 16, 2023 by Roxane Manley

The Spacemen and Magpies shake hands after an exciting game at Pioneer Oval in Parkes.

The annual June long weekend grudge match between Parkes and Forbes had crowds swarming Pioneer oval. Four games were played and no one left disappointed.

The Spacecats started off the day in spectacular fashion, unfortunately the girls went down to Forbes 10 – 22.

The U18s clash was a thriller and it ended in a 22 – 22 draw. Also ending in a draw was the 2nd Grade teams for Parkes and Forbes, the final result being 16 – 16.

The Spacemen secured bragging rights in the main event, a match that had the crowd roaring and a final score of 28 – 10

Australians Urged To Roll Up Their Sleeves For World Blood Donor Day

June 16, 2023 by Roxane Manley

If you are 18-75 years old and are feeling well, you may be able to give blood.

Recent reports from Lifeblood confirm an alarmingly low (3.5 per cent) number of Australians regularly donate blood, prompting the Leukaemia Foundation and Australian Red Cross Lifeblood to join forces to urge Australians to roll up their sleeves and make life-saving blood donations this World Blood Donor Day on 14th June.

With one third of all red blood cell donations nationally going to cancer patients, the Leukaemia Foundation’s CEO Chris Tanti said increasing the number of Australians donating by a mere 1.5 per cent, will make a monumental difference to blood cancer patients across the country.

“53 Australians are diagnosed with blood cancer every day, and this number is predicted to double by 2035. Consequently, the number of blood donations required to support blood cancer patients will also double,” explained Mr Tanti.

“3.5 per cent of Australians donate blood, and that means there could be more than 13 million Australians who may be able to donate, but don’t. The reality is if 18 of these Australians signed up today to become a monthly blood donor, that would be enough donated blood to treat just one person diagnosed with blood cancer, so we really are relying on everyday Australians to lend the blood cancer community a helping arm as often as they can,” Mr Tanti said.

Lifeblood’s CEO, Stephen Cornelissen AM, said World Blood Donor Day provided an opportunity to raise awareness and recognise the impact blood and plasma donors have on helping save the lives of cancer patients.

“Australia’s blood and plasma donors are unsung heroes. By donating blood and plasma, individuals have the power to make a life-saving difference for someone in need. This World Blood Donor Day please consider giving blood or plasma with the knowledge you’re providing an invaluable lifeline to the growing number of Australians living with blood cancer,” Mr Cornelissen said.

To check if you are eligibile and book a donation call 13 14 95, visit lifeblood.com.au or download the Donate Blood App.

Our Bloke – Allan Ryan

June 16, 2023 by Roxane Manley

Allan Ryan

Where were you born? Wangaratta, Victoria.

Were you named after anyone? I got my second name, Joseph from my grandfather who was killed fighting a bushfire when dad was six years old.

Which of your accomplishments are you most proud of? Finishing Uni (B.Sc (App Chem)) and my family.

What historical moment stands out most in your memory? Landing on the Moon. We all got the afternoon off school to watch it – yes I’m that old!

What’s the single best piece of advice you’ve ever received? Reach for the stars but keep your feet on the ground.

What’s the greatest risk you’ve ever taken? Moving the family to the Northern Territory.

What are the three things you would take to a deserted island? Knife, matches and a water still.

If you had to spend $10,000 today, how would you spend it? A holiday with my wife to New Zealand or the UK.

When are you happiest? When surrounded by the family – in particular the grandkids.

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