In the past week, stay-at-home orders have been lifted for Forbes, Parkes, Cabonne and other selected Local Government Areas (LGAs) across NSW. The new freedoms came with a warning from the NSW State Government that restrictions can just as easily be reapplied.

“I encourage everyone in those LGAs to enjoy their freedoms in a responsible way and should anything change in those areas a return to lockdown may be possible,” Deputy Premier John Barilaro said.
Something Cowra knows all about after a recorded case this week.

Forbes has recorded another COVID-positive sewerage test since lockdown ended and is waiting on the second. The mystery prompting surveillance testing from WNSWLHD despite no new cases now for over two weeks as COVID testing numbers continue to decline across NSW.

Yet there is light at the end of the tunnel with a distinct possibility restrictions and stay-at-home orders will be removed by as early as October 9 should vaccination rates continue at the current upward trend. On this day NSW will have 70% double vaccinated.

“I urge everyone to get vaccinated so you can continue to enjoy freedoms when NSW reaches the 70 percent double dose target”.

Forbes is currently at 57% double-vaccination and ranks among the top 3 in the WNSWLHD and around 88% first-dose placing it in the top 5 as well with only Lachlan performing better across both categories.

More inside this issue on ADF Vax Clinics and COVID Surveillance Testing.

Regional Australians are among the most resilient people in the world – make no mistake.

The very worst of circumstances always brings out the very best in regional and rural people.

We battle through fires and drought, storms and floods – and we do it together.

We band together, we help our fellow community members. It is what we do. It is this moral fibre which makes our local communities the wonderful places they are to live, work and raise a family.

Now the COVID-19 pandemic is another significant challenge and, again, our regional and rural communities will rise to the occasion – together.

The Delta strain of COVID-19 has presented a situation not experienced on our shores since the Spanish Flu pandemic of more than 100 years ago.

Getting the jab is not only important for you, your friends and family, it is key to getting back to enjoying this wonderful region we call home.

I thank each and every person who has rolled up their sleeves and received the jab and I urge and encourage those who have not yet done so to discuss your options with your local GP to get vaccinated as soon as possible.

You can go to www.health.gov.au to find the nearest available COVID-19 vaccine clinic and to book your vaccination.

Please do not delay – you will be saving lives and livelihoods.

Michael McCormack
Federal Member for Riverina

It is well documented the past 18 months have resembled something from a Spielberg disaster film with fire, flu, vermin and now floods. One could be forgiven for thinking this is the end of days. Fortunately it isn’t but it will be wet for the rest of 2021 and that means floods in Forbes.

The Lachlan NSW SES advised Forbes Shire Council to expect moderate to major flooding on last Tuesday with everyone from WaterNSW to the Bureau of Meteor-ology keeping an eye on the weather and rising water levels.

After more rain last weekend and more to come, along with water already being released from Wyangala Dam, the next few weeks will be critical.

Already roads are covered in water with flooding west and south of Forbes.
Forbes Shire Council has also asked residents to keep an eye on the Forbes Shire Council social media pages, SMS messaging service and website to keep all residents and visitors up to date particularly info on roads.

If you aren’t a subscriber to the SMS service contact council and get yourself on the list, it’s easy – just email your mobile phone number and name to communications@forbes.nsw.gov.au or call Council to register.

For NSW State Emergency Service Ph: 132 500 or visit www.ses.nsw.gov.au. In life threatening situations call triple zero (000) immediately.
RMS Live Traffic is another good source of information regarding major roads www.livetraffic.com

Look to Councils communication channels for all other roads, including the website: www.forbes.nsw.gov.au/residents/emergency-information/road-closures

It was the news we knew was coming – we have more confirmed cases in Forbes and Parkes this week. If we continue with the current rate of infections across the Western New South Wales Local Health District we could expect to see the number of active cases reach 1000 by Wednesday as NSW continues to break one unfortunate record after another. The region has also recorded its first death.

On Monday there were two new cases in Forbes, taking our total to three. All three cases have been stated as sources unknown on the NSW Government COVID19 website as of Tuesday 31st August. The two new cases are self-isolating. There were also another two cases in Parkes which now takes their total to 10. Nine of their cases have known sources. Investigators are still trying to trace the source of the Forbes infections. The total number of cases in Western New South Wales is currently at 641 with 322 of those with an unknown source and a total of 131,039 people have been tested.

The community of Forbes is doing a fantastic job stepping up to be vaccinated and hundreds of residents have turned out at the Forbes Town Hall for the ADF run pop up vaccination clinic. There were 391 on Saturday and 449 on Sunday with Monday also proving to be another big day as Forbes nears the 80% jab mark target. Despite this, low COVID test numbers across the region still remain a concern with only 66 conducted.

There remains hope that once NSW is at 70-80% fully vaccinated the world may return to normal again – whatever that may be. We wait with baited breath.

For some, the state-wide seven-day lock-down comes “too little, too late,” as numbers from the Delta variant of COVID-19 continue to spread across NSW to well over 400 each day with numbers now above 100 cases in the Western NSW Health District including Mudgee.

With only 20% of the country fully vaccinated (5.25 million) and just 15 million doses administered at the time of publication, NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian called a snap lockdown for regional NSW last Saturday August 14 at 5pm for a week in line with other LGA’s in NSW. By that time, Dubbo and Walgett had known cases and other centres such as Parkes and Bourke recorded sewerage fragments.

“To protect the people of NSW from the evolving COVID-19 outbreak, new restrictions have been introduced for all of Regional NSW, this means the whole of NSW is now under stay-at-home restrictions,” Berejiklian said last weekend.

Restrictions that may extend beyond a week with contract tracers scrambling to catch up.

“You must stay at home unless you have a reasonable excuse to leave. You cannot have visitors to your home from outside your household, including family and friends,” the NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said.

Sentiments echoed by Dr. Kerry Chant and Forbes Mayor Phyllis Miller OAM in an online Forbes Shire Council video.

People can have one visitor at one time to fulfill carers’ responsibilities or provide care or assistance, or for compassionate reasons, including where two people are in a relationship but reside separately.

There are a number of new restrictions in place the public should familiarise themselves with as infringements and fines also peaked at 529 (on the first night of lock-down) on August 14.

Please visit nsw.gov.au/covid-19/rules for more information and regular updates.

This week’s issue of the Forbes Phoenix commemorates the 300th issue of the boutique newspaper. Launched in July, 2015 by Cheryl Newsom then on-sold to her daughter Sarah Maynard in March 2017, the Forbes Phoenix is now on its third owner with Cowra based Joshua Matic.

In the six years since the paper began servicing the Forbes community as a viable weekly alternative to other forms of press, the town has rallied behind everyone’s favourite free newspaper and completely supported the “Live Local, Love Local and Support Local” mantra.

For Mr Matic, who also owns the Parkes, Cowra, Canowindra, Mudgee and Blue Mountains Phoenix newspapers as well as Yellow House Printing in Cowra, the local, positive angle to everything the organisation does is what sets it apart and is seeing it grow.

“We really are all about our communities and shining a light on everything local from services and business through to events and resources,” Josh said.

“We really try to showcase the towns we serve,” he said.

“Now we have an office in Forbes in the arcade near Flannery’s Pharmacy and are offering multi-media solutions such as video and online advertising making us one of the only organisations in the region that offers everything”.

With news more important than ever and local constraints placed upon most of the country, it has never been a better time to support local.

Here’s to the next 300!

It may not have been Education Week as we know it, but the 2021 edition still had plenty to get excited about. Forbes, like other schools across the region, celebrated the week in a number of ways as children and staff enjoyed the special occasion.

Forbes Public School commemorated the importance of learning and education via a COVID safe range of activities including the popular book fair and the dress up parade for Book Week. From all reports the costumes were fantastic and inventive from Crayons to the Queen of Hearts, Batman, Luigi, Harley Quinn and more.

At Forbes North, students also focused on fun learning activities from creating joint presentations on Quokkas to problem solving and mathematics games.

Education Week is an annual celebration of NSW public education and the achievements of our schools, students and education system.

This year Education Week was held from Monday 26th to Fri-day 30th July, 2021 celebrating the theme ‘Lifelong Learners’. This year’s theme celebrates education as a lifelong journey from before a child enters an early childhood setting, progressing to primary and secondary school, and continuing their learning journey into adulthood; learning a trade, entering tertiary education, or the workforce.

Education Week is one of the many ways the NSW Dept. of Education support and assist from the very first days in childcare and bridging courses to post-school pathways. The education system is preparing young people to be agile thinkers and lifelong learners. “Learning can look different for individual students and our system is equipped to provide learning support for all of our students”, the NSW Dept. of Education website says.

“Learning often takes place beyond the classroom and we should celebrate all types of learning that occurs at all levels across our education system”. For more on Education Week 2021 go to – www.education.nsw.gov.au/public-schools/education-week