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‘Get Up And Go’ To The Gathering In Garema

February 28, 2020 By editor

Guest Speaker Sam Bailey will share his story of tragedy, triumph and romance.

Community members from Garema are inviting people from Forbes and surrounding areas to come along to a free event and find out more about what drought support is available, how to get help for mental health issues and to hear from a number of lived experience speakers.

The event will be held on Thursday, 5 March from 9.30am at Garema Hall and everyone is welcome to attend. Guest speaker, Sam Bailey is a C6/C7 quadriplegic who has conquered his disability to become a successful farmer, ultralight pilot, inspirational speaker, best-selling author and role model for children.

Rural Adversity Mental Health Program (RAMHP) Coordinator Di Gill said there will be something for everyone including a health check, kids’ corner with childcare, and a free morning tea and lunch, stating

that “we want people from these smaller communities to come together and learn more about how they can help themselves or others with mental health issues.”

Event organiser and local farmer Tom Norris said he was inspired to get this event off the ground after he himself attended a similar event during the Millennium Drought which was “a turning point” for his own mental wellbeing.

Tom acknowledged his supporters, “Thanks to a combined effort between the Garema Hall committee, the Forbes Shire Council, RAMHP, the Department of Primary Industries Rural Resilience Program, the Country Women’s Association, Forbes’ Men’s Shed, the Forbes Lions Club and the Rural Fire Service (RFS) this event has been able to happen.”

Seniors Festival In Full Swing

February 21, 2020 By editor

Meditation in motion, Tuesdays Tai Chi class was a great opportunity to exercise, socialise, and have fun.

Forbes has been celebrating the NSW Seniors Festival this week with its very own Give It A Go Festival.

The week-long celebration kicked off last Sunday showcasing exceptional talent at the Seniors Variety Concert in the Town Hall with proceeds going to the CWA Drought Relief. The concert, attended by many, was followed by a scrumptious afternoon tea which was generously provided by Council whilst supporting local businesses.

Yoga, croquet, indoor bowls, talks by renowned historians, dancing, fishing and drawing have been included in the festival’s line up this year, to include something for everyone.

On Tuesday, Cheryl Shirvington and Sandra Nicholson led a class of 25 ladies in Tai Chi at the Forbes Youth and Community Centre. Cheryl and Sandra teach the class weekly and said that the best thing is that it is suitable for all abilities and fitness levels, with no commitment required. The classes are also a great excuse to socialise.

Forbes resident Alison Baker attended Tai Chi and saw it as “proof of what a great community Forbes is,” stating, “we are so grateful to the Council for all they do, not just for the seniors,” a sentiment shared by many attending the class on Tuesday.

The NSW Seniors Festival continues until Sunday with the Seniors Social Sundowner on the back deck at the Forbes Sport and Recreation Club from 4pm-6pm. RSVP to Council on 02 6850 2300.

Shave The Date

February 14, 2020 By editor

Deb Hewitt and Indigo Kriedemann of Currajong with Fiona McGonigal practising for the World’s Greatest Shave.

Mark Thursday, 12th March down in your calendars because it’s World’s Greatest Shave time again.

This time last year Fiona McGonigal was battling kidney cancer and while most people would’ve taken time out to battle the disease, Fiona decided to raise awareness for cancer research by shaving her head to raise money for the Leukaemia Foundation.

This year Fiona will again be participating in the World’s Greatest Shave and sadly, despite beating kidney cancer last year, she has received the unfortunate news that the disease has returned on the left side of her adrenal gland.

While Fiona has her ups and downs, she says nothing will stop her trying to beat last year’s fundraising effort of $1,000 which was her initial target. “The funds are vital, make no secret of it, but so too is awareness of cancer and different cancer types,” Fiona said. “Every day another 35 Australians are diagnosed with a blood cancer. That’s one Aussie every 41 minutes.”

According to the World’s Greatest Shave website – by signing up and raising money for World’s Greatest Shave, you’ll be part of an elite group of extraordinary people who are on a mission to reach the Leukaemia Foundation’s bold new goal: zero lives lost to blood cancer by 2035.

If you want to support Fiona watch this space for more info, links and how to donate over the coming weeks otherwise contact Currajong Disability Services about how to get involved on 02 6863 4713.

We’re Still Here Despite The Heat

February 7, 2020 By editor

Tom Curtain and his crew visited Forbes on Saturday evening for his ‘We’re Still Here’ tour.

Forbes residents and visitors converged on the showground last Saturday evening for a night of family fun and entertainment. Tom Curtain visited Forbes for his ‘We’re Still Here’ tour which is raising money and morale in drought-stricken communities throughout Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland.

There was an enthusiastic crowd that attended the event, despite the heat, to support the tour while watching interactive shows of horsemanship, music and dance. As the sun went down, so did the force of the heat, making the atmosphere even more cheerful. Children kicked off their shoes to run and dance in the field before the stage while adults mingled over food, drink and good music.

The crowd was captivated by the show.

Money raised on the night went to the CWA drought relief to assist local communities. Attendees expressed their appreciation for the tour and for simply having the opportunity to support drought relief by attending such an entertaining and engaging evening for all. Jodi Penfold of West Wyalong said the evening was “awesome, really great to have something like this on for families” and when asked if she would support a similar event in the future, Jodi responded “absolutely”. Jodi’s sister-in-law Ruth Penfold, also attended and added that “she would definitely come to something like this again”.

It was fantastic to see Forbes residents and visitors from neighbouring towns throw their enthusiastic support behind the tour and behind such an important cause.

Australia Day Picnic And Parade A Success

January 31, 2020 By editor

Council Members, Mayor Phyllis Miller and Australia Day Ambassador Bob Fitzgerald congratulate the Forbes Citizens of the Year.

Last Sunday Forbes came to life in celebration of Australia Day. Families and friends, residents and visitors, young and old gathered in Lions Park for an evening of socialising, good food, great music, activities on the lake and recognising the contributions and achievements of the Forbes Citizens of the Year. Record numbers attended the event, with an estimated 700 attendees in the park.

Marshalling on the corner of Cross and Lachlan Street and travelling down through the town, the parade was a unique and diverse mix of various community floats, groups and individual participants. The Forbes Town and District Band led the colourful, and community-oriented parade, concluding in Lions Park where spectators lined the street to welcome the parade participants.

Winners of the ‘Why Leave Town’ prize cards went to the CWA evening branch who received 3rd place, 2nd place went to the Forbes Learning Ladder for their Bananas in Pyjamas and teddies float and the 1st prize of a $2,000 card to be spent at businesses within Forbes went to the Forbes Fire and Rescue for their historic entry.

Lions Park was a sea of picnic rugs and eskies, with picnic attendees delighting in the live entertainment and activities on the lake. People were given the opportunity to try out paddling on the dragon boat, thanks to the Forbes Dragon Boat Club while children enjoyed the paddleboats on the lake.

Chief Inspector Bob Fitzgerald was welcomed as the Forbes Australia Day Ambassador. Bob was named the 2019 Volunteer of the Year. The father of seven is described as a real man of the people having also used his time to support victims of family violence, drug addiction and homelessness and Forbes was honoured to host him on the day.

The Forbes Citizen of the Year included a new category this year for senior residents who have made a positive contribution to their community and the winners, husband and wife, Allan and Pamela Toole couldn’t have been more deserving of recognition for decades of volunteer work throughout the community.

Lilyanne Mason-Spice received the Junior Citizen of the Year award for her international sporting success. Lilyanne was praised for her dedication to the sport and for her contribution to women’s Rugby League in Forbes.

Kim and Wendy Muffet humbly accepted the Citizen of the Year award for their tireless work in the community in arts, sporting groups and events like Grazing Down the Lachlan which has put Forbes on the tourism map.

The evening was concluded with a spectacular firework display which delighted all. Click here for photos of the Citizen of the Year winners.

Hidden Treasures Uncovered

January 24, 2020 By editor

Last Friday local ladies Terese Gunn and Cassandra Tyack were honoured at a morning tea to celebrate ladies on the 2020 Hidden Treasures honour roll. Phil Donato MP attended the event to recognise a total of five women for their selfless work. The morning tea was hosted by the daytime ladies of the CWA and was attended by Forbes Mayor Phyllis Miller as well as friends and family of the ladies.

As he called each honour roll recipient up, Phil Donato read impressive and lengthy citations of the achievements and contributions of each hidden treasure. The short history behind Terese and Cassandra’s astounding success in fundraising is nothing short of amazing.

In 2015 the ladies organised the first Forbes Can Assist Dancing Stars event. With hopes of raising $15,000 for the local Can Assist branch, the ladies exceeded their own expectations by raising a whopping $36,000. Considering the relatively small population of Forbes, it is fair to conclude that the first fundraising evening for Forbes Can Assist was a raging success. However, it was not enough for Terese and Cassandra, who went on to raise a total of $200,000 in 2016, 2017 and 2018.

Mayor Phyllis Miller was there to congratulate the ladies, stating that the initiative is “a great opportunity to recognise the invaluable contribution that volunteers make to enrich our community.”

Outstanding HSC Results For Parkes Christian School

December 20, 2019 By editor

The PCS Year 12 graduates are at the back (L-R) Jessica Weber, Ella Richards, Chelsea Johnson, Mikeely Bermingham, Elisha Littlewood, Tiarne Rusten and Chloe Hill. In front are Ali Himmetpasaoglu, Zak Chatman, Mark Allen, Nic Jones, Mitchell Applebee, Joel Hall-Matthews and Jesse Magill.

Parkes Christian School (PCS) is celebrating another year of outstanding HSC results with Creative and Performing Arts coming to the fore this year.

In just the fifth year of delivering the HSC, the school is very proud of the results achieved by the 2019 cohort.

Students achieved Band 5 and 6 results in Advanced and Extension English, Business Studies, Drama, Music 1, PDHPE, Software Design and Development, and Visual Arts.

Ella Richards capped off a memorable year by achieving a Band 6 in Visual Arts after submitting an impressive series of paintings for her major work.

She also achieved Band 5 in Advanced English, Drama and Music 1, demonstrating her outstanding ability in the Creative and Performing Arts.

Ella also achieved an E3 in English Extension 1, in which she received 41/50 in an extremely demanding and academic course. She will now be able to gain direct entry into a Graphic Design Course in Sydney next year.

Chloe Hill also achieved some excellent results, securing Band 5 in Business Studies and PDHPE.

She also performed extremely well in English Advanced and Mathematics, which will put her in a good position to undertake her chosen university study. She had already gained entry to a number of courses through the Schools Recommendation Scheme.

There were also some outstanding results for students completing their first year of Compressed Curriculum.

This method sees students sit Year 11 and Year 12 in one year for three subjects, before doing the same for three more subjects the following year rather than doing six subjects over two years.

Because students only have to concentrate on three subjects at once, it allows for more focused learning and less stress for HSC students.

This method has certainly proved successful, with students being far less stressed throughout the year compared to past students.

Grace Prow received a Band 5 in Music 1 and just missed another Band 5 in Multimedia, while Christopher Cox achieved Band 5 for Business Studies and Software Design and Development.

Tanya Onserio was another student to show her prowess in the Creative Arts with a Band 5 in Music 1.

These three students will complete the second half of their HSC next year.

High School Coordinator Greg Ballantyne was thrilled with the results.

“As a school we are really pleased for Ella and Chloe. Their results are the product of many hours of hard work and dedication,” he said.

“But the rest of the group have also done extremely well and have bright futures ahead of them.”

“Every student who applied for early entry to university received an offer, maintaining our 100% record over the past five years. We work hard as a staff to give our students the best possible opportunities to succeed, so it is nice to see them taking those opportunities.”

“But at the end of the day, it is the students who have done the hard work and need to take all the credit for their achievements. We’re just here to help them along the way.”

“The thing I’m most pleased with is that every student seemed to be very happy throughout their HSC, enjoyed being at school, had time to pursue other interests and hobbies, and learned a lot about being people of good character and integrity. These are the things that will stay with them throughout their lives.”

Buy Local And Win This Christmas

December 13, 2019 By editor

Get ready to delight in the fun and entertainment tonight from 5pm in Templar and Rankin Streets.

Share the Christmas spirit by shopping locally the festive season. The Find It In AMAZING Forbes Christmas Promotion will run until 24th December. Draws will begin with 10 x $500 draws at the Christmas Festival on 13th December in Templar and Rankin Streets.

Further draws will take place on 24th December from 12pm and will be made up of the following amounts; 5 x $1,000, 2 x $2,500 and 1 x $5,000.

The Forbes Business Chamber is very excited about this year’s Christmas Carnival and has lots of new activities, food, rides and interactive play added to the program. Santa will be making an appearance along with some dancing elves and both the centre and small stage will have a full program.

Collect your tickets at any of the following sponsors and participants: Forbes Services Memorial Club, Terry Bros. Carpet Court, Acheson’s Home Timber, Steele Technology, Vandenberg Hotel, Little Extras, Flannery’s Pharmacy, Walkers Ag N Vet, Forbes Family Dentist, Turners Furniture One, News On Rankin, Forbes Vet Clinic, Helloworld Travel, Powertools Plus, Undercover Sleepwear, Gunn’s Mensland, Made Of Fridays, Bron’s Hair Design, The Bakehouse, Life Pharmacy, Agriwest, Betta Home Living (Forbes), Loomzys Fish N Fix, Bernardis, HozPots, Blush Beauty, Bowns SportsPower, Euphoria Road, Chapter Two, Cahills, Allure On Main, Painted Daisies and Phillip Wells Optometrist.

“It is very important to make sure you put your correctly completed ticket into the provided boxes that each business has on display,” said Marg Duggan.

This is a fantastic opportunity for Forbes residents to win big by shopping locally so please support this wonderful initiative by the Forbes Business Chamber.

Free rides will be available to keep children entertained.

Free activities will keep children of all ages and abilities busy.

Free rides will be available to keep children entertained.

There is something for everyone at the Find It In Amazing Forbes Christmas Carnival.

WINNING Why Leave Town Cards are valid until the 30th June 2020 and are redeemable at the following Forbes businesses:

Acheson’s Home Timber – Bronze Sponsor, Agriwest, Allure on Main, Bernardis, Betta Home Living, Blush Organic Beauty, Bowns Sportspower, Brons Hair Design, Cahills Footwear, Chapter Two, Flannerys Pharmacy, Forbes Family Dentists, Forbes Inn, Forbes Services Memorial Club – Silver Sponsor & Participant, Forbes Shire Council – Naming rights Sponsor – don’t issue tickets but you can redeem WLT, Euphoria Road, Gunn’s Mensland, helloworld Travel, Hozpots, Life Pharmacy, Little Extras, Loomsey’s Fish N Fix, Made of Fridays, News On Rankin, Painted Daisies, Phillip Wells Optometrist, Powertools Plus, Steele Technology – Bronze Sponsor, Terry Bros Carpet Court – Silver Sponsor & Participant, The Bakehouse, Turners Furniture One, Undercover Sleepwear, Vandenberg Hotel – Bronze Sponsor & Participant and Walkers Ag N Vet.

Supporters for this promotion are: BWR Accountants, Central West Diesel, Hughes & Co., Forbes Livestock Agency, Central West Credit Union and McCarron Cullinane and Chudleigh. The Forbes Business Chamber thanks these businesses for their support.

Fun In The Sun At The Forbes Pool Party

December 6, 2019 By editor

Tony Marsh, Joshua Cowling and Nathen Ellis visited from Parkes for The International Day of People with a Disability pool party in Forbes on Tuesday.

The Forbes Shire Council hosted their second annual pool party to celebrate the International Day of People with a Disability (IDPwD). Swimming, music and dance, yoga, painting and many more activities were on offer for party guests on Tuesday at Forbes Olympic Swimming Pool.

The party provided a chance for care providers to mingle, network and share ideas with each other in a way that wouldn’t otherwise be possible.

The party guests with a disability were also able to meet and socialise with a diverse range of people whom they wouldn’t always have access to. While the event was one of joy and inclusivity there was also a very practical side of it with the networking opportunities.

Carers and family joined their family, friends and clients with a disability in and around the pool for games, activities and food, all provided by Forbes Shire Council and friends of Council.

Forbes Deputy Mayor Jenny Webb attended and spoke about the importance of showing Forbes disabled residents that “they feel very special in our community while raising awareness within the community on how special they are to us.”

The event aims to break down barriers within the community by acknowledging differences between people and appreciating each person’s unique value in Forbes.

The party served as a wonderful example of how the Council, residents and care agencies value, include and appreciate the residents of Forbes and surrounding areas who live with a disability.

A Great Turnout For Film Premiere

November 29, 2019 By editor

Fishing Australia’s Rob Paxevanos presented the Total Native II World Premiere on Friday evening.

Forbes was privileged to host the World Premiere of Total Native II last Friday night at Lions Park. Food vans, live music and a bar ensured the audience were in the utmost comfort.

Hundreds gathered with their camping chairs, picnic rugs and bean bags to watch the film, which featured a whole chapter filmed in and focusing on fishing in Forbes. Host of WIN’s Fishing Australia, Rob Paxevanos who starred in the film, also attended to present the film, answer questions and to talk about the filming of Total Native II. Rob seemed to be very impressed with his experiences fishing the Lachlan River for Murray Cod and Golden Perch over the course of filming. “We went looking and we found the fishing of our lives.”

Rob said that aside from presenting Australia and the fishing world with a surprising insight into Australian inland river fish and their behaviours, the film also showed people outside drought stricken Western NSW that “the Central West isn’t just some big dust bowl, there is water and there are fish.”

One stand out feature of the stunning cinematic journey was the capture and release of an enormous Murray Cod, weighing in at just over 45kg. This is the first time such a large Murray Cod has been captured on film. Filmed by Eugowra local Andrew Barnes, the premiere was thoroughly enjoyed by all in attendance.