At the Forbes Fire Station’s annual open day last Saturday, local fire officers aimed to raise awareness and educate residents about the dangers of fires in the home, and how to prevent them.

“We always hold the open day in May. It’s an opportune time coming into the winter months to remind people about the danger of fire,” said Station Captain Brian Clarke.

While kids enjoyed their plastic fire fighter hats and exploring the big red engines, Bri- an and some of his crew members handed out wooden spoons etched with the phrase, “Keep looking when cooking”.

They want to remind people not to walk away from the stove while preparing meals. “In the last six months, we’ve had four

calls to fires started because food was left cooking on the stove unattended.

“A woman forgot she had tea on and decided to go to her daughter’s house at the other end of town. Luckily the neighbour heard the smoke alarm and called the fire brigade. Fortunately only the food, the saucepan and the top of the stove burnt, and it created a lot of smoke right through the unit.”

Brian has a strong message for the community: “Don’t leave anything cooking on the stove unattended. Don’t put clothes next to heaters. And everyone should have at least two smoke alarms in working order in their house, if not more.”

Elaine Imrie has lived in Forbes for all her lively 90 years. To mark Heritage Month, she was invited to share some of her memories at Neighbhourhood Central’s social morning tea on Tuesday.

“I know many of you will have the same memories as I have about living in Forbes,” she said, standing with the aid of her black cane, and joking that she would stand as long as she didn’t fall over.

She began her talk with her memory of the day that peace was declared at the end of World War II, when she was 17 and working in the local solicitor’s office.

“I was sitting in there typing away, and all of a sudden this wild-eyed man burst through the front door and yelled at me and said: ‘The war’s over! The war’s over! Peace is here.’”

Elaine described a feeling of shock, and heading out into the street with her boss to see “perfect strangers hugging and kissing one another”.

As she spoke, it was as if the audience of around 30 people could hear the church bells ringing, and see the man in an old car dragging a rusty iron tank up and down Lachlan Street just to make a noise.

Echoes of the past accompanied by music resonated through Forbes Cemetery on Sunday.More than 50 people were delighted by the Musical Mystery Mausoleum Meander event of the Forbes Heritage week as Rob and Olya Willis lead the group to six gravesides of people connected with the collec- tions of The National Library of Australia. They had either been recorded for the oral history and folklore section or have manu- scripts or images in the collection.

“Today is part history lesson and part folk parade,” said Rob. “There are many important and relevant people in Australian music, and we have some of the most important buried here in Forbes.

“Back in the late 1800s many musicians couldn’t read music. It was like they learned the tunes by osmosis. Music then was like a game of Chinese whispers, so it was hard to capture,” said Rob.

Ebb Wren was “a musician and singer who could also spin a yarn about his life as a bushman and steam loco driver”. He played the piano and loved repairing and tuning them. Luckily Ebb had an amazing memory for the words of songs that he learnt from older performers so today they are preserved for future generations.

In an amazing community effort the first artwork of the unique sculpture trail between Forbes and Condobolin was officially unveiled last week.For more than 100 community members the spot where seven striking red letters contrast beautifully with the surrounding landscape on the stock route about 18km outside Forbes will always have a special place in their hearts.

Farmers, tradespeople, painters, builders, planners and many more took part in a massive effort to create a community sculp- ture for the Somewhere Down the Lachlan sculpture trail.

Standing in a paddock that was under half a metre of water not too long ago, NSW Governor General David Hurley said:

“I have been here in drought, in flood and in good times – I am not amazed we stand here today. The people of rural NSW are rock steady people with a desire to be different and sustain their way of life.”

Kim Muffet, a local farmer who managed the logistics, agreed that it was “an amazing response from the community” with a lot of pride in the project. “Today we have an artwork valued at about $170,000.”

For Rosie Johnston, creator and visionary of the bush version of Sculpture by the Sea, it was important that the first artwork on the trail was a “massive and monumental community sculpture. We wanted something that people would say ‘that’s amazing’ when they drive past.”

The Cowal Gold mine won the NSW Mining Operation of the Year Award at the NSW Mining Industry and Suppliers Awards last Thursday.

Cowal was recognised for its outstanding performance in 2016 on a number of fronts. The operation not only exceeded its planned production targets and completed an ambitious exploration program, but also experienced a record flood event that affected local towns and farms and isolated workers and restricted mine supplies. Cowal successfully managed through this event and was actively involved in flood mitigation and relief work in communities in the region.

The exploration program supported the plan for the proposed mine life extension by eight years, which had been approved by the board of Evolution.

Evolution’s Executive Chairman, Jake Klein, said: “I had the honour of collecting the award which was a wonderful recognition of the incredible work our people at Cowal have achieved over the past year.

“The event is about celebrating the people and businesses that make NSW Mining strong and acknowledging the communities in which we operate that are pivotal to any mining company’s strength and success. The award would not have been possible without the support of the Bland, Lachlan and Forbes Shires.”

NSW Minister for Resources, Energy, Utilities and the Arts, Don Harwin MLC focused in his keynote address on the importance of mining in fostering the growth and strength of regional communities at the ceremony.