The Forbes Men’s Shed is continuing to prove its value to the community, and is encouraging more members to join and partake in its outstanding work and reputation.

The organisation is one of hundreds nation-wide that provide a facility for over 930 members in NSW to engage themselves in projects and socialise with other members.

Not all Men’s Sheds look the same, but simply take a step inside the Forbes Men’s Shed on Union Street, and you will be pleasantly surprised.

The shed is a modern take on the iconic shed in the backyard that has long been a proud part of our Australian culture, and is recognised as one of the most powerful men’s groups, addressing health concerns and assisting men to ask for help.

 Forbes Men’s Shed member Don Archer said it was a great place to engage with other men and learn something new every time.

“I love the knowledge and experiences of the other blokes here, I always go home having learnt something new,” he said.

He said the Forbes Men’s Shed had a great management committee that focused on providing a safe and busy environment for men who can work on community projects, specific men’s shed projects, or something of their own choice in their own time.

The Fobes Men’s Shed is looking forward to inducting two students from Forbes High School to assist with its projects alongside its support works from early July.

Memberships forms are available at the Forbes Men’s shed on Union street or from www.mensshed.org/application-form.

Forbes Men’s Shed member Don Archer said it was a great place to engage with 

Each year, scores of cancer patients from Forbes and surrounding townships receive support from the amazing volunteers at Can Assist Forbes, the cancer support network that does incredible things. 

Can Assist Forbes recently became the 39th branch to receive vital funds to help keep local cancer patients’ cars on the road since the partnership between Can Assist and greenslips.com.au was established three years ago. The donation comes at a critical time after fundraising was stymied by the pandemic. 

This means Can Assist will expand its practical and financial support to cancer patients from fuel vouchers, pharmaceuticals, medical expenses, food vouchers, accommodation to now include CTP green slips insurance. President John Schrader, a cancer survivor, said the donation would be well used. “The only way to get to treatment is by vehicle as we don’t have public transport. Most cancer treatment is in Orange, Parkes or further afield, while PET scans must be done in Sydney.” 

Can Assist Forbes Treasurer Maureen Field said: “People rely on their cars to travel to and from treatment. Using your own car gives you freedom of movement for the many and various medical appointments. We estimate we’ll spend around $11,000 on clients’ travel expenses this year.” 

The greenslips.com.au donation comes at a time when Can Assist Forbes is helping an increasing number of cancer patients after a lull during the pandemic. “We help up to 70 clients, some need a lot of assistance, while others don’t need as much. And we have some clients we’ve been helping for many years,” said Maureen.

The support goes beyond financial help. “We have delivered firewood, moved furniture, and helped with patient transport. We are open to whatever assistance the patient needs and wants – but mostly it’s financial assistance,” said John.

What sets Can Assist apart from other charities is that all money raised locally stays local to help local cancer patients. The branch is funded entirely by local donations, local fundraising events, and corporate support such as greenslips.com.au, a CTP green slip insurance price comparison and information website that does not sell green slips. “We don’t cut people off, we help them. It gets really tough, especially if you’re not working or have large medical costs,” said Maureen. “You can see the relief on people’s faces when they know their bill will be paid, and $300-$400 on a green slip is a lot of money.”

GREATER AWARENESS AND SUPPORT NEEDED

John feels it’s vital that more people know about Can Assist and the support it provides. “Prior to my cancer treatment I had no awareness of Can Assist, but during my treatment I met other cancer patients and became aware of Can Assist’s great work.”

He urges local cancer patients to get in touch if they need financial support. “We are always encouraging people that if they have a cancer diagnosis to please contact us. Due to privacy laws, we need them to come to us. We need everyone to be aware of Can Assist so we can help more people in our community.”

Can Assist Forbes welcome new members and volunteers to help with the crucial work it does. 

Fantabulous, amazing, surreal, marvellous, awesome, beautiful… 

The excitement was palpable as five Jemalong Residential Village residents and three staff members landed back on Mother earth after a 50-minute hot air balloon flight over Canowindra on Tuesday morning. 

Their smiles stretched from ear to ear and words of wonder and amazement flowed freely after this once-in-a lifetime experience literally lifted their spirits after many months of COVID lockdowns and loneliness. 

“It was such a positive experience for our residents and it was so peaceful and quiet up there,” said Cathy Slessor, Lifestyle Coordinator at Jemalong Residential Village, and one of the three staff members who went on the flight. 

“Although it was a very early start for the group leaving Forbes at 4:30am, they were all very excited dressed in matching green Hawaiian shirts to raise awareness for mental health,” said Cathy. 

“It was a perfect morning with clear skies and we saw so many kangaroos. The pilot even landed on a tree and picked a gum leaf for us. It was really special.” 

The opportunity came about through Catholic Healthcare’s MyWish program which grants residents their special wish. “We asked the residents what they wanted to do, and one suggested a hot air balloon ride.” The five residents who put up their hands ranged in age from 78 to 82. 

 “The MyWish program is about promoting and valuing life at any age and providing residents with the opportunity to enjoy an exceptional experience,” said Daniel Stanton, Senior Communications Specialist, Catholic Healthcare. 

Cathy said it was just wonderful to have been able to offer such a positive experience to residents. 

The day ended on a perfect note with a champagne breakfast at Montrose House before they returned to Forbes where many recollections are sure to be told for a while to come. 

The Forbes Heritage Medal was awarded to the Forbes Historical Museum on Tuesday night in the newly renovated town hall.

Bruce Adams, who represented the Forbes Historical Museum, thanked the community for recognising the museum and its volunteers for their continuous hard work. “The Forbes Historical Museum continues to be one of the best volunteer run museums in NSW.”

Forbes Mayor Phyllis Miller said she was very proud of the local community. “I think it is important to remember the people and places every year so we do not lose sight of the wonderful heritage we do have in Forbes.”

The Forbes Heritage Medal has a long and proud history of recognising the people who are working hard to ensure the preservation of the town. The medal is presented to a person or organisation who has made an outstanding contribution to the community and its heritage.

The three nominees were presented by local heritage advisor and historical architect Graham Hall. The other two deserving nominations were for the Forbes Tennis club and the Forbes Bandstand Rotunda in Victoria Park.

Several guest speakers spoke at the occasion, including local MC Jenny Webb and Sheryl Barton from the Forbes Family Historical group.

The Heritage Festival, cancelled last week because of the rain, will continue tomorrow in Victoria Park. The day will include heritage displays, bush poetry, damper cooking display and competition, historical vehicles and more. Make it a family outing and be prepared to have your curiosity provoked.

By Brett Sale 

An organic fertiliser producer has received a $5 million Federal Government grant to become the first industry to set up business in the new industrial park in Forbes.

Southern Cross Nutrients Pty Ltd received the grant through the Securing Raw Materials Program, which is supporting businesses move to or expand into regional areas to research and develop innovative and locally sourced raw material supplies.

Southern Cross Nutrients will produce organic fertilisers for farmers from recycled natural nutrients at Forbes. The project will create 15 full-time and four part-time ongoing jobs and a further 25 jobs during two construction stages. It is expected production will start late this year.

Member for Riverina Michael McCormack welcomed the grant last Thursday in Forbes, saying it was another shot in the arm for the Forbes economy and an exciting development in the drive to make agriculture a $100 billion a year industry by 2030.

The Securing Raw Materials Program has a range of benefits, including establishing, securing and strengthening the supply of raw materials to Australian industry, and supporting partnerships between industry and regional universities. Michael said Southern Cross Nutrients Pty Ltd was collaborating with Southern Cross University at Lismore to use organic waste to produce quality compost.

Southern Cross Nutrients will use compost and microbes manufactured in Forbes to produce nutrient and microbe-rich fertiliser to improve soil health, water retention, pest resistance and support increases in crop yields.

More information on the Securing Raw Materials Program can be found at: https://business.gov.au/srmp2.

The former Forbes Ambulance Station is undergoing a transformation and the company responsible for the work considers the Forbes Cultural and Art Centre project “the perfect challenge”.

“This project offers us a blend of old and new. An opportunity to restore a building with a lot of history, that has substantial damage, was too good to turn down,” said RWC Construction Manager Christian Gladdish.

“As a regional company, a project like this doesn’t come around too often. RWC are excited to give this building everything it needs for it to be around for the next 100 years.”

The Bathurst-based construction company has experience in working on heritage projects and where possible back that up with trades that understand the nature of the work.

With the preliminary works now complete, the next phase of the build is to install the new framing, structural walls and floors in line with the new centre’s dynamic layout.

A key milestone of the build will be the delivery and installation of the feature spiral staircase which will be craned into the foyer via an opening in the roof.

“This is an exciting time, not only for the Forbes Arts Society but the whole community, to witness one of the town’s most iconic buildings being transformed,” said Forbes Arts Society Chairperson Trudy Mallick.

“What has been an eyesore for over two decades, will soon become a vibrant and welcoming space for locals and visitors to gather, connect and create.”

He’s been riding bikes since he was three years old and last week Beau Bailey won his first ever Australian title.

The twelve-year-old only switched to Speedway two years ago, and last week he became the Australian Champion in the 125cc class at the Sidewinders Junior Speedway Club in South Australia.

“There were 16 competitors from all over the country in that race, and they were all there to win,” said his mum Jade Bailey.

The race itself is an adrenaline rush only lasting between 30 to 40 seconds with four bikes on the track at a time doing laps. “When Beau gets in front he normally stays there,” said Jade, but he was still shocked when he walked off as the winner.

The Australian title comes after a string of other wins over the past two years including NSW title holder, two Victorian title wins and South Australian title winner.

Beau also decided to pick up a normal dirt bike again last month after 12 months of only doing speedway to enter the Bathurst long track in 85cc class and added another title to his collection.

Beau, who trains every week on the track in his backyard, seems to be on a good trajectory to realising his dream of racing for a living in Europe one day.

With the support of his extremely proud family and generous sponsors, he has a clear path set out for him.

By Maggi Barnard

It promises to be a night to be remembered and a young Forbes student has been hand-picked to share the stage with Australia’s celebrity artists as a soloist in Overture tomorrow night at the Cooke Park Pavilion in Parkes.

Lexi Herden from Forbes is one of only two school-aged soloists chosen after she auditioned for the role with students from all over NSW. The Parkes Christian School student will be joined by fellow student Aimee Ross from Parkes as the other junior soloist.

Lexi will be singing ‘When I grow up’ from the musical Matilda. “I will sing two verses and then the choir will join in,” said the young star who played Scuttle in her school’s production of ‘The Little Mermaid’ last year. Aimee is singing ‘I know it’s today’ from Shrek with Lucy Durack and Holly Hare from Bathurst.

Lexi said she did not really understand how big a deal it was until her mum explained it to her. “I got really excited, but I’m also feeling a bit nervous about performing in front of such a big audience.”

Lexi’s favourite subject is drama and she would love to become a professional in musical theatre one day. “I can’t wait to meet Lucy Durack and talk to her about what it takes to get to the top.”

The two soloists concluded their preparation with a singing lesson from Overture star, Josh Piterman. The 12 and 13-year-old are ready for the big night and would like to see their communities come out and support them.

By Maggi Barnard