Roxane Manley

Mayoral Notes

March 26, 2026 by Roxane Manley

What an amazing weekend we’ve just had in Forbes. Congratulations to the organisers of the Amazing Motor Festival at the Showground, which attracted an impressive 4,000 attendees, as well as Paint Twirl and Lakeside Swirl in Lions Park, enjoyed by 130 participants. Two fantastic events held in Forbes over the weekend.

The Forbes Tennis Club officially unveiled its brand new LED lights, outdoor kitchen, equipment storage shed and covered outdoor area this evening. These upgrades were made possible through a $303,000 NSW Government grant – a significant investment in grass-roots sport.

We’re gearing up for another big weekend, with a full calendar of events across the region including the annual Forbes Rugby Presidents Lunch, Lions Club and Forbes Farmers Markets, Bedgerabong Public School’s 150th anniversary celebrations and Sorting and Penning at the Multipurpose Equestrian Centre.

This Saturday, I encourage residents to take part in two free waste workshops designed to help households reduce waste and recycle smarter. Sessions are facilitated by local waste experts from EnviroCom Australia.

The Composting and Worm Farming workshop runs from 10am until 11.15am at the Forbes Riverside Community Gardens and covers setting up and caring for compost and worm farms, plus how these systems benefit your garden and the environment.

The Recycling at Home workshop follows from 12.00pm until 1.15pm at Forbes TownHall, focusing on recycling tips, recognising greenwashing, what happens to our recycling and what can and cannot go in yellow bins. I encourage everyone to come along and discover simple ways to make a positive environmental impact at home.

With the Great Western Highway at Victoria Pass currently closed due to structuraldefects, locals travelling to Sydney are urged to use the Hume Highway. Bells Line of Road should be avoided unless travelling north, as traffic volumes are expected to be significantly higher.

As we approach the busy Easter long weekend, I want to encourage locals to plan ahead, take extra care on our roads and enjoy everything our region has to offer safely.

God Bless
Mayor Phyllis Miller OAM

Snippets…

March 26, 2026 by Roxane Manley

Don’t miss the Henry Parkes Centre Open Day.

Henry Parkes Centre Open Day – Saturday 11 April: Join the team on Saturday 11 April, 9am-3pm for a fantastic day of free museum entry, live music, a community BBQ, kids activities, local produce tastings and more. Bring the whole family and enjoy a great day out celebrating one of Parkes’ most iconic attractions!

Forbes Show: Did you know the Forbes Showground is privately owned and operated by the Forbes PA&H Association? Unlike many showgrounds across NSW that are owned by local councils. This means the maintenance, improvements, and running of the grounds rely heavily on volunteers, fundraising, events, and the support of our local community. Every event held at the grounds, including the Forbes Show, markets, and community activities helps contribute to the upkeep and future of this important local facility. Thank you to everyone who supports the Forbes PA&H.

Trundle Bush Tucker Day: The national cooking competition is back, so dust off those camp ovens, dig through the family recipes, perfect your secret ingredients and get ready for the 39th National Bush Tucker Day Cook Off. To purchase early bird tickets and to book camping at Trundle Showground go to: https://linktr.ee/trundlebushtuckerday

Red Bend Catholic College: Red Bend Catholic College recently held thier annual Open Day, providing a fantastic opportunity to showcase the school grounds, classes, activities and students. Families travelled from all over NSW to participate. Enrolments for next year close 1 April, and you can find more information at www.redbendcc.nsw.edu.au/enrolments

Generocity Church Parkes: It is not long now until the annual Easter Egg Hunt and Church Service at Cooke Park. This is one of the highlights of the year, so bring your family and friends along. Generosity Church Parkes are still collecting small Easter eggs for the day, so please consider purchasing a few to drop off, at church, on Sunday.

CatholicCare Wilcannia-Forbes: In this week of the autumn equinox, we’d like to take a moment to appreciate the beauty of our landscape, here in the Diocese of Wilcannia-Forbes. We are honoured to provide social services here. Our support: parents and children, mental health and wellbeing, families & relationships, homelessness and domestic violence and financial counselling. Call on 1800 067 067 to find out more.

We love our part of the world, and the people who call it home.

New Art And Heritage Microgrants For The NSW Central West

March 26, 2026 by Roxane Manley

Arts OutWest is excited to launch the first year of the Arts OutWest Cultural Fund Microgrants – and is calling for artists and groups to apply.

This new program supports locally driven arts and heritage activity across the NSW Central West and is offered thanks to generous donations from the public.

In 2026, two funding streams are available: Up to $1000 for individual artists and up to $2500 for groups, including arts organisations, collectives, local councils, arts and heritage businesses and artist–organisation partnerships.

Activities funded might include community art projects, workshops, exhibitions, performances, talks, story development, artist residencies, creative experiments, the creation of new work and more.

Projects must take place between June and December 2026 and occur within the local government areas of Bathurst Region, Blayney, Cabonne, Cowra, Forbes, Lachlan, Lithgow, Mid-Western Regional, Oberon, Orange, Parkes and Weddin.

All applicants must discuss their idea with Arts OutWest before applying.

Full guidelines, FAQs, and the application form are available now at: https://artsoutwest.org.au/pf/arts-outwest-cultual-fund-microgrants/ Arts OutWest will hold a Microgrants information session online on Wednesday 1st of April at 5.30pm. Book via the artsoutwest.org.au website.

Be Seen @ Homegrown Parkes

March 26, 2026 by Roxane Manley

Last Saturday, 21 March, Homegrown Parkes provided a a fantastic family day out.

There was a great variety of stalls in Cooke Park, free entertainment and free master classes in The Pavillion.

Get excited because the next Homegrown Parkes will be held on Saturday, 12 September.

Gregory North’s “Life And Rhymes Of Banjo Paterson”

March 26, 2026 by Roxane Manley

The Life and Rhymes of Banjo Patterson is a one off tour by Poet Gregory North to celebrate the 125th anniversary of Banjo Paterson doing a Central Western Tour in 1901.

Mr North approached Rotary Club of Forbes Ipomoea to see if they would like to host his Forbes leg of the 2026 tour and they happily accepted.

Gregory North is a three-times Australian champion bush poet and confirmed Banjo Paterson tragic. He has written two books on Banjo and recorded a double album of Banjo’s poetry. Since 2017 he’s been performing the “Life and Rhymes of Banjo Paterson” show at the North Gregory Hotel in Winton, Queensland. The Winton area is where Banjo wrote our unofficial national anthem, Waltzing Matilda. Greg is there for four months each year to entertain the tourists.

The Life and Rhymes of Banjo Paterson concert shows the great contribution Banjo made to Australian culture and History.

Banjo Paterson spoke at the Forbes Town Hall in 1901 and visited Forbes and the district a number of times.

When Banjo came to Forbes and spoke at the Forbes Town Hall he had not long returned to Australia from South Africa as a war journalist during the Boer War. Banjo’s life story is an amazing journey and well worth coming to the concert to learn more.

The Life and Rhymes of Banjo Patterson will be on 24 April at the Forbes Town Hall, a 2pm start with afternoon tea following the concert.

Any proceeds that are raised by Rotary Club of Forbes Ipomoea at this one-off event will be donated to the Forbes Museum as they have a number of important restoration projects underway and all donations are appreciated.

Catch Gregory North’s “Life and Rhymes of Banjo Paterson” show during the tour. www.gregorynorth.com.au

Funding For Eugowra Community Bowls & Recreation Club Post-flood Refurb

March 26, 2026 by Roxane Manley

Club manager and licensee Simone Newell thanking Independent Member for Orange Philip Donato MP.

Independent Member for Orange Philip Donato MP on Thursday, 12 March 2026 returned to the Eugowra Community Bowls & Recreation Club to inspect their flooddamaged toilet facilities, which are in desperate need of repair. Club manager and licensee Simone Newell was present to receive some good news.

The Independent Orange MP announced the club will receive $40,000 in NSW Government Community Building Partnership grants funding to rebuild the toilets, including disabled toilets – helping to bring the club back to fully functional amenities and more inclusive use by the community.

“I was only too pleased to support the Eugowra Community Bowls & Recreation Club’s grants funding application to rebuild their flood-damaged toilet facilities,” Mr Donato said.

“Eugowra needs every helping hand they can get to rebuild after the devastating 2022 flood, and I didn’t hesitate to throw my full support behind the 2025 NSW Government Community Building Partnership grant and this important project.

“I was pleased to announce the Club’s success in getting $40,000 which will go a long way towards rebuilding flood-damaged amenities, but also to improve the facilities for disabled members and visitors so that they can return their facilities to a fully functional state, as well broadening community inclusion.

“I applaud the Club’s committee and the wider Eugowra community for their cohesive and ongoing efforts, not just to rebuild – but to make their town thrive better than ever, Mr Donato said.

Young Farmer Business Program Kicks-off At Sydney Royal Easter Show

March 26, 2026 by Roxane Manley

The Young Farmers Business Program will officially kick-off at the Sydney Royal Easter Show on Thursday 2 April, helping NSW farmers set up for the opportunities and challenges ahead in the State’s booming agricultural industry.

The program starts with the Young Farmer Exchange, a free three-hour event hosted by NSW Farmers Young Farmers Committee, in conjunction with the Royal Agricultural Society of NSW Youth Group.

Following the daytime forum, guests are also invited to attend Hats Off, an evening of networking and entertainment for young people working or interested in agriculture aged 18 years and over.

The event’s theme, Agriculture 2075: Investment, Innovation and Influence, will feature leading industry voices exploring how agriculture may evolve over the coming decades.

NSW Farmers’ President Xavier Martin said “The Exchange is an opportunity to imagine what Australian agriculture could look like over the next 50 years, bringing together leading experts alongside the perspectives of young farmers who will help shape that future.”

Tickets for the Young Farmer Exchange are available at https://events.humanitix.

com/young-farmer-exchange. Tickets for the Hats Off at The Royal are available at https://www.rasnsw.com.au/events/hats-off-at-the-royal/

Currajong Disability Services To Host Inaugural Super Tag Gala Day

March 26, 2026 by Roxane Manley

The team from Currajong Disability Services are inviting organisations, schools and community groups to join them for a fun and inclusive day of sport and community.

A Super Tag Gala Day has been organised for Tuesday 14 April, and will be all about bringing people together through footy in a way that includes everyone.

The idea started when Andrew Thomas, President of the Parkes Spacemen, sent a video to Douglas Pout from Currajong Disability Services and said, “We need this.”

From there, the team from Currajong, alongside Andrew and working with Brooke Mallison from NSWRL, quickly decided to make it happen.

Douglas Pout said, “We kept coming back to the same thing, there just aren’t many opportunities locally for people with disability to get involved in proper, structured sport without having to travel.

“So instead of waiting for something to come here, we thought we would build it ourselves. It’s about people having a crack, being part of something, and enjoying it.” said Doug.

The Super Tag Gala Day is primarily targeted towards people living with disability, but is open to people of all abilities, with providers, schools and community groups from across the region encouraged to come along.

Douglas Pout said the event has drawn interest from places like Orange, Cowra and further afield, with one group travelling from Newcastle.

Most participants will come through their service provider, but if someone wants to be involved, they can just reach out to Currajong and they will be pointed in the right direction.

“Days like this give people a reason to get out, be involved, and connect with others.

It’s not just about the sport. It’s about having something to be part of, seeing familiar faces, and building a bit of confidence over time.” said Douglas.

Currajong are seeking donations and sponsorship and are also applying for grants to help support the day. A lot of the cost sits around food and running the event, so that’s where support makes a big difference.

In return for sponsorship businesses will be recognised across the event and on the day itself. But more than that, they’ll backing something that genuinely benefits the local community.

A strong turnout of over 100 participants plus staff and supporters is expected on Tuesday 14 April at Pioneer Oval, with support from NSWRL on the day. Spectators and supporters are welcome and a community BBQ will be running.

For more information, please call Douglas Pout on 0409 264 394 or email douglas.pout@currajong.org.au.

Ambrose Winners Go Low

March 26, 2026 by Short Putt

David Sly and Gerard Everson watch the chip shot of Greg Hanns.

On Saturday the golfers enjoyed the conditions at the Forbes golf course so much that they recorded amazing low scores.

The field of 63 players made up 16 teams to contest a 4-Person Ambrose Medley.

The Ladies numbers were depleted with the Wellington Open being held on Sunday, leaving two Ladies to contest the novelty prizes.

The Winners were the last group on the course and full of youthful vigour. The team comprising Harry Callaghan, Cam McMillan Pat Murphy and Jade Page had a low handicap but managed a scratch score of 59 with a resulting 55.75 nett score.

The Runners-up on 56.25 were the team of Henry and Will Nash, Elliot Parker and Charlie Goodsell. They scored a bogey on the 11th hole and had more pars than the winners, which despite a slightly better handicap did not help them.

The ball sweep went to 58.6 nett. NTPs went to: 9th – Men: S Betland, Ladies: nil, 18th – Men: Niel Duncan, Ladies: nil. Both teams converted for 2’s. The Super Pin went to Cam McMillan (220 cm) but while he missed his ‘2’ the team did convert.

The Longest Drives went to 7th Men: B Ashton, 7th Ladies: C Duncan; 15th Men: B Ashton, 15th Ladies: B Duncan.

Forbes Rugby Union Club Golf Day is on Friday 27 March, what a great way to kick off the weekend before Saturday’s Presidents Lunch. Players of all abilities and ages are welcome to play. $25 Members, per player and $50 Non Members, per player. Timesheets are available in the pro-shop.

The competition on Saturday 28 March is an Individual Stroke, sponsored by Forbes Holiday Park.

Sunday has the Grand Final of the Summer Sixes Competition with tee-off at 2pm, and a Stableford Medley for others.

By Short Putt

Forbes Croquet Notes

March 26, 2026 by Elvy Quirk

On Saturday 21 March, Aussie Croquet was played with 27 in attendance. We once again welcomed Glenn Toole who is visiting his parents in town. It was also indeed great to see Robin Pols back playing with us as Robin hasn’t been around too much in the really hot weather.

On the day all three games were won by Noel Jolliffe, Elvy Quirk, Glenn Toole and David West. Congratulations to those players and especially to our visitor Glenn Toole. Glenn enjoys his game of croquet and always joins us for a game when in town.

On Saturday for Aussie Croquet it is imperative that players make use of the clips provided to record whether they have been through the hoop. The memories of some are not as good as they used to be and if the clips are used in the right manner it allows us to not even need to keep our thinking caps on.

On Tuesday 24 March, Golf Croquet was played at Halpins Flat with 36 in attendance. A cooler start but progressed to a warmer day. In all, 26 games were played on the day.

On Tuesday we once again welcomed Erica Campbell, Joy Hocking, Robyn Liebich and Lyn Harmston who commenced playing with us on the Open Day on 10 March.

Well done girls.

All three games on the day were won by Frank Donohoe, Mal Smith, Bruce Toole and Erica Campbell. Erica has only been playing for a couple of weeks and is already showing form, whilst Bruce Toole is in the winning circle which does not often happen. Well done to all the winners.

Correct dress for the game is clean and tidy attire, closed-in shoes must be worn, a hat, and it is important that you bring your own bottle of water.

Croquet is played each Tuesday and Saturday and we welcome any new players. All enquiries should be directed to 0428 540 272.

Just a reminder that Croquet will be played on Easter Saturday and a reminder also that as a mark of respect on Saturday 25 April, Anzac Day, Croquet will not be played.

Until next week. Stay safe. Practice those shots.

By Elvy Quirk

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