The Forbes and District Lions Club held the annual Youth of the Year Quest at the Forbes Services Memorial Club last Tuesday.

There were four participants this year from three of the district high schools. The participants were Jamie Mitton from Red Bend Catholic College, Faith Hanstock from Parkes High School and Joel Hall-Mathews and Chloe Hill from Parkes Christian School.

Each of the participants submitted a detailed application outlining their school studies, community involvement and sporting achievements among other things.

During the afternoon the participants were interviewed by the panel of three judges, namely Rebecca Ayres from the National Australia Bank (national sponsor), Nina Hooper from Forbes Shire and Amy Shine, Director of Forbes Pre School.

The evening saw each participant answer two impromptu questions and then present a five minute speech on a subject they are passionate about. Judges Chairperson, Amy Shine congratulated each participant on their presentations and performance during the interviews and announced Jamie Mitton from Red Bend Catholic College as the club final winner.

Jamie now goes on to the Zone final next year and will be supported along the way by her parents and members of the Forbes and District Lions Club.

More exciting news on youth affairs from the Lions Club is an agreement with the Forbes High School to form a Leos Club at the school. Leos Clubs at High Schools are formed by the school with Lions Club support and funding. They are open to students at the school from the age of 12 to 18.

The Leos Club gives students the opportunity to do voluntary community service in a structured environment and each club elects their own President, Secretary, Treasurer and Board Members. There is also a school coordinator appointed and a member of the local Lions Club is nominated as their mentor. They have leadership training available and there are a variety of programs and awards they can be involved in, along with any projects they may come up with as a club.

If any parents of Forbes High School students feel they may benefit from this program please either contact Pamela McConnell at the Forbes High School or Peter Bright from the Forbes and District Lions Club on 0419 463 803.

This year’s Find It In Forbes Promotion and Carnival is shaping up to be one of the best. Forbes Shire Council is the AMAZING sponsor and Forbes Services Memorial Club is the Gold Sponsor this year. In addition Carpet Court is the silver sponsor for the second year. The Bronze sponsor category was introduced this year and has Central West Diesel, Little Extras and Bernardi’s.

The Christmas Carnival committee continues to work hard with a new carnival layout and the introduction of new stalls into the market scene. “This year’s mechanical entertainment includes the Karaitiana’s giant jumping castle and tea-cups ride. Hector the mechanical bucking bull will be travelling from Woodstock for the event,” said Chairperson Marg Duggan.

There is a lot more for kids to do such as street art, giant game activities, a sandpit and water-play area and an activity tent.

For the big kids, there are lots of exciting stalls offering another shopping experience alongside the Forbes businesses. Enjoy wandering Rankin and Templar Streets and start or finish your Christmas shopping.

The committee are excited to have some of the Forbes cafe’s and food businesses open for the event. This year’s Christmas Carnival will see the introduction of Greek food, a smoking BBQ, popcorn by the Forbes Youth Group, slushies, cheesecake, coffee and a good old Aussie BBQ.

Participating businesses in Forbes have all received posters and the magic shopping tickets. The promotion began on the 19th November and will continue until the 24th December. “A timber Christmas tree identifies each participating business… where there is a tree there are dockets! Make sure you ask for your shopping tickets if you are not offered them,” added Marg.

The draws for the whole Christmas promotion are 10 x $500; 5 x $1,000; 1 x $3,000; 1 x $2,000 and 1 x $5,000 giving a total funding pool of $20,000. “There will be 10 x $500 draws on Friday, 14th December from 6:30pm onwards,” said Marg.

Please remember to support the following businesses during this busy period and use any of the major sponsors and participating businesses to redeem any of your lucky draws:

Forbes Shire Council, Forbes Services Memorial Club, Terry Bros. Carpet Court, Bernardi’s, Central West Diesel, Little Extras, Agriwest, Allure on Main, Betta Home Living, Blush Organics, Bowns SportsPower, Brons Hair Design, C & D Floor Coverings, Cahills Footwear, ChapterTwo, County Bakehouse, Flannery’s Pharmacy, Forbes Family Dentist, Forbes Small Engines, Turners Furniture One, Gottaluvit, Gunns Menswear, Helloworld, HozPotz, Jullianna Kneebone Solicitors, Ladybird, Life Pharmacy, Loomzys FishNFix, Made Of Fridays, News On Rankin, Painted Daisies, Phillip Wells Optometrist, Robbs Jewellers, The Pantry Cafe and Catering, Undercover Sleepwear, Vandenberg Hotel, Walkers AgNVet, Blue Sky Outdoors, Forbes Inn, Roylances Auto One and Eye Wear Specs.

Supporters include: Forbes Livestock, Forbes Toyota, Hazel Field Accountants, Hughes and Co, Kevin Miller Whitty Lennon & Co, McCarron Cullinane and Chudleigh, Midpro, Midwest Pest, WA Knights and BWR Accountants.

Forbes Public Primary School was blessed with beautifully bright and sunny skies at their fourth annual school market day hosted by the P&C on the school’s oval last Saturday. With thorough planning and preparation the market day had all the makings of a successful event, which it certainly turned out to be!

Approximately 1,800 people attended the event to browse the more than 70 high quality stalls from across the Central West region on display at the market.

Children also had lots to do with all the fun activities available to keep them occupied while parents could do some shopping.

The Game Zone and jumping castle was a hive of activity. By the amount of little butterflies, tigers and fairies running around it was clear that the face painting once again proved to be a favourite among the children. There were also many with pink, blue or green hair, after clearly finding the hairspray stall.

Singers and musicians kept the crowds entertained and Kristen’s Dance Studio and Kumiai Ryu Forbes put on very engaging demonstrations.

Raffles were drawn on the day with the very impressive first prize of an YCF 50A Two Wheeler 50cc going to Jono Webb; second prize was a BBQ basket won by Jess Walsh and third prize was a family hamper taken by Patrick Dooley.

This event is the school’s major fundraiser for the year and this time round they managed to raise more than $5,000 for the school.

By Gizell van Wyk

Most of us would cringe at the very thought of coming into contact with a snake, but that’s hardly the case for our very own Forbes snake catcher, Paul Newcombe.

Paul has been living in Forbes all his life and decided more than 20 years ago that he was going to start catching snakes.

At first Paul started off by catching snakes only for people that he knew but as word spread of his pastime in the Forbes area, he was advised to apply for an official snake catcher licence. After obtaining his licence those many years ago, Paul has just got busier and busier through word of mouth and so became a household name we know and recognise as ‘The Snake Catcher’.

“I’ve just always been interested in animals and liked having them at home too.

I breed fish and birds, raise pigeons and have about 40 snakes at home,” he said.

Paul has been married to his wife, Cheryl, for 30 years. He can be classified as a herpetologist, meaning a person that studies reptiles and amphibians. He swiftly deals with snake call-outs during the day while working at the rattery, where they breed rats for snake food. The snake catcher licence requires Paul to have public liability and personal insurance, which he makes up through the $50 fee for catching a snake.

“I have been bitten twice by a snake, a brown and black snake. I ended up in the Forbes District Hospital for a couple of days. I suppose I zigged when I should have zagged,” Paul lightly joked. The necessary emergency procedures were followed by applying a pressure bandage as soon as possible and no anti-venom was required.

“Snake catchers have to know what they’re doing when it comes to actually catching the snake. You have to choose the right time and have absolutely no hesitation, otherwise you will get bitten,” said Paul.

During 2017, Paul caught 156 brown snakes, six black snakes, four tiger snakes and about 15 pythons in and around the Forbes district. So far this year, he has already caught 59 snakes.

“The snake season seems to be starting later and finishing later these days. I’m catching snakes now right up till the end of April,” he said. Rest assure though, according to Paul, the amount of snakes around seem to be more or less the same.

Paul can be contacted on his mobile number at 0424 522 608 or on his home number at 6852 3451.

What could be better than having a picnic in the park… having a teddy bear picnic in the park of course! Hundreds of children made their way to Nelson Park last Thursday to enjoy a picnic with their favourite cute and fluffy teddy bears.

The third annual Teddy Bear’s Picnic offered a rather windy, hot summer day and lots to do for children, family members and of course the special teddy bear guests.

Nelson Park was turned into a funland with games, crafts and entertainment for all to enjoy. Free entry and a scrumptious sausage sizzle provided by the Lions Club was also offered.

There was a very popular teddy bear bag toss and a bubble station for a burst of fun. Some kids spent most of their time bouncing in and out of a brand new jumping castle, while others took advantage of a face painting make-over provided by Council and Bunnings. It was evident from all the little butterflies, flowers, tigers and Spidermen scurrying about that the face-painting was a popular choice for children.

The Rural Fire Service surprised unexpected picnic-goers with a splash of refreshing water. As if all of this wasn’t exciting enough the toy library, bandage a teddy bear, obstacle course and kids play gym also supplied hours of entertainment.

There were also hundreds of free teddies given to children who attended the picnic festivities.

The community groups that supported this event helped create a lovely atmosphere.

By Gizell van Wyk

Aussie Biscuits has this week celebrated the opening of its new factory located at 137 Rankin Street.

A well-known Forbes icon, Aussie Biscuits, is one of nine businesses owned and run by House with No Steps. It provides employment opportunities for people with a disability and has been part of the Forbes community for over 40 years.

More importantly, it also provides people with a disability the sense of connection, pride and independence that comes from working.

House with No Steps Executive Director of Businesses, Brett Lacey said the Aussie Biscuits team was thrilled to be in their new home.

“The new factory has been possible after we received $210,000 from the Building Better Regions Fund towards a $456,000 project to scale up our operations.

“Moving to the new factory is a big milestone!  Some of our supported employees have been working at Aussie Biscuits for over 30 years. We’re celebrating our new chapter and we’ll now be able to bake more biscuits and deliver them to even more people. The new factory will also create much-needed employment opportunities for people with a disability in the area,” said Brett.

The new site includes new ovens, which have come all the way from Italy, a specialised cool room and mixing room for biscuit production. Employees now also have a new lunch room and a welcoming reception area.

Colin Ward is one of 30 supported employees at Aussie Biscuits. He’s been with the company for 30 years.

“I love making biscuits and seeing all my friends and working with everybody. I’m excited to be in our new place. We’re now able to make even more biscuits,” he said.

Federal Member for Riverina and Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack said the opening of the new factory was a good result for a fantastic organisation.

“This is great for the local community and great for local business,” said Michael.

“House with No Steps is doing a power of good in Forbes and this new Aussie Biscuits factory will continue its fine work.

“I particularly like the Jam Drop biscuits and I will be dropping in one day to take a tour of the new factory,” he said.

Construction on the new factory started in May 2018 and Aussie Biscuits marked the new chapter with a grand opening morning tea and ribbon cutting on Wednesday, 31st October.

As technology becomes more embedded into daily life it is important to not let anyone fall behind.

Forbes Library hosted a free information session last Thursday for seniors or anybody else who wanted to learn a bit more about using computers. The day formed part of the Get Online Week, a digital inclusion campaign promoted by Good Things Foundation and the Australian Digital Inclusion Index. This was the first year it was held in Australia.

Sean Brady and Monica Engel from Central West Libraries Orange branch, travelled to Forbes to officiate and provide one-on-one assistance with digital devices to anyone who attended. They provided advice about online safety and demonstrations on how to better operate your laptop and android tablets and offered helpful tips and advice on using the various functions and utilities of mobile phones.

The group were also entertained with a demonstration of how to use Kanopy, the Central West Libraries new online movie streaming service.

Be Connected computer assistance and digital device help for seniors, is still available at the Forbes Library. This is a free Australian government initiative helping people to get the most out of going online and using digital technology.

For the first two Friday afternoons in November, Kathy Garland from the Forbes Library will be available to provide help with using computers, the internet, email, social media and personal digital devices such as mobile phones and tablets. Make an appointment with Kathy, by phoning the library on 6852 1463.

The Forbes Multicultural Group was astonished by the attendance of their Cambodian and Peruvian Multicultural Dinner hosted at the Forbes Anglican Church Hall last Saturday.

The more than 90 people who attended the evening were treated to Cambodian and Peruvian entertainment, cuisine and culture.

Local Cambodian designer, Nin Mao and business partner Nicky May showed off kids and adult fashions by putting together a fashion parade. Various models, including children, entertained guests with their confidence by “snapping” or “posing” in many different outfits.

Among the evening’s guest artists was Socheata Mao, who performed breathtaking Cambodian dances and song, as well as the talented Hannah Dun from Parkes, who provided dinner entertainment.

Orange City Council Migrant Support Officer, Anni Gallagher said: “A huge thank you to everyone who attended and contributed to the wonderful Forbes Multicultural Group’s Cambodian and Peruvian night. We were thrilled by the wonderful atmosphere that was created by the multicultural group and their setup enabled a colourful spectacle for the event.”

“Multicultural groups are a good way to develop on-going connections and support in the community in each area. This often involves people coming together with shared cultural food, entertainment and sharing of their stories,” said Anni.

The event was supported by the Forbes Shire Council and the church hall was offered free of charge by Rev Crystal Spindler.

The Forbes Multicultural Group endeavours to meet once per term for a morning tea and once a year for a larger community event.

By Gizell van Wyk

The Great Southern Hearts Drive for Life campaign rolled into the Forbes Showground on Monday afternoon. The campaign brought with it a convoy of trucks filled to the brim containing approximately $70,000 worth of hay, feed, pellets and any other personal necessities to provide much needed relief to drought stricken farmers in the Forbes and surrounding districts.

The campaign began on Monday, 24th September leaving from Kojonup in Western Australia’s Great Southern, and has made its way across the Nullarbor, stopping off at key locations along the way where these supplies were needed most. The campaign gained serious momentum shortly after Glenn “Yogi” Kendall (of Kendall Trucking & Co – Katanning) and Peter Wright (of Peter Wright Transport – Kojonup) first floated the idea only weeks ago.

The campaign stemmed from the understanding that farming is very “challenging” and that right now “challenging doesn’t even begin to describe what farmers in rural NSW are going through.”

“We want farmers to know that there are people on the other side of the country thinking about drought struggling areas.

The Great Southern know they need our love, support and mateship,” said Yogi.

“The campaign is 100 percent not-for-profit and all items have been donated by local farmers, community groups, as well as local community members. Every single cent raised and every donation is going where it is needed.

“Around 50 farmers in the Forbes district received assistance in some shape or form. The help has been very well received and we could see that people are quite desperate and how needed this was,” said Yogi.

According to Yogi another goal for the campaign was to focus on creating more awareness.

“Farmers and community groups are desperate to know how they can help. Conversations with people who previously didn’t realise how bad the situation was are being had and they in turn are doing their bit of spreading awareness and giving what they can,” said Yogi.

The local CWA ladies and Forbes and District Lions Club combined on the day to supply the working truck drivers with afternoon tea, a hot meal at night and a cooked breakfast. Local Forbes businesses donated all the food required.

By Gizell van Wyk