It was a night of glitz and glam as guests strolled onto the red carpet at this year’s Boscars Gala Dinner held last Friday at the Forbes Services Memorial Club. Attendees were welcomed at the Forbes Business Awards with tasteful decor of The Godfather theme making this annual event even more thrilling.

The evening’s Master of Ceremonies, Chris Baker, entertained guests with his quick wit and sharp humour as nominee finalists awaited in eager anticipation for the award winners to be announced.

Loud applause and cheers erupted when Forbes Family Dentists was announced as the Business of the Year winner sponsored by Evolution Mining. This award is given to the most outstanding business which has demonstrated excellence across all areas of operation. They were also the winner of the Excellence in Small Business (under 20 employees) award. On acceptance of the award, Dental Assistant at Forbes Family Dentists Tabitha Blake said, “This means the world to all of us. We all really love our jobs and we all love all of our patients.”

Among the guests were Forbes Business Chamber President Brett Rout, guest speaker Neil Druce from the Junee Licorice Factory, Minister for Small Business Michael McCormack gave the  introduction to awards, MP for Orange Philip Donato and Forbes Mayor Graeme Miller.

A number of the award categories are aligned with the NSW Business Chamber. Winners of those categories can progress directly as finalists to the 2018 Western NSW Business Awards.

A full list of the award winners and photographs can be seen on The Forbes Phoenix Facebook page.

Unlike last year, the skies were clear at the Forbes Show on Friday and Saturday, allowing enthusiastic show-goers to be entertained with many attractions, competitions and events. From magic shows and shearing competitions to rides for thrill-seekers.

There was something for everyone to enjoy.

Jan Facey, Show Secretary, said that the committee were pleased with a good show all over. “The Show was a big improvement on last year. We were lucky with the weather and had a good crowd on both Friday and Saturday.”

“It was good to see the showjumping back again this year. The pavilion entries were also up and the cattle pavilion was well attended.” “The dog show section ran very well and the dairy section’s numbers were up,” said Jan.

By Gizell van Wyk

 

The wine flowed at the Forbes Youth and Community Centre last Friday, as fans strolled around the room in search of the perfect glass of vino.

The NSW Small Winemakers Wine Show public tasting featured an outstanding selection of the award-winning wines as well as the other wines entered into the show for the crowd to enjoy, along with finger foods.

President of the Wine Show Mark Watts said: “We get around 120 people on the public tasting night and they get to try really good boutique type wines. Some of the wines here have won awards overseas.”

The Wine Show awarded 16 trophies, 25 gold medals, 56 silver medals and 142 bronze medals in this year’s competition. In an unprecedented event, Rosé has been the second biggest class this year and won the best boutique wine at the show.

The show still has three members on the committee that started it 26 years ago. The show was started in what is not a traditional wine making region.

“According to our head judge the show is held in Forbes because of passionate people that want to put on a wine show, it’s neutral ground and we have no problem getting top quality judges,” said Mark.

The show also introduced a new electronic system this year by receiving all entries online and the judging was done using iPads. This saved a lot of time by eliminating transposing of numbers and expediting the result calculation.

By Gizell van Wyk

Aussie Biscuits staff were very pleased to have Member for Riverina and Minister for Small Business, Michael McCormack, as a guest at their factory in Forbes on Wednesday. Michael’s visit comes after the factory was given a $210,000 Federal Government grant through the Building Better Regions fund.

Attendees went on a very informative tour of the factory led by Employee and Production Supervisor, Natisha Humphries. During which Michael spoke with employees and asked them about their daily processes at work and about the products.

The factory, located at 98 Rankin Street, was established in 1976 as a business enterprise of House With No Steps to offer employment opportunity to people with disabilities.

“This grant will enable them to not just refurbish but also expand. It’s going to provide more opportunities to this business but also for the wider Forbes community.

The funding will change the lives of so many people in such a positive way,” Michael said.

Biscuits are made using only Australian products. The factory produces 39,000 biscuits a day and currently employs nearly 30 people with a disability.

Funding will go towards relocating the factory to the new premises in November providing much needed additional space. The tour was finished off with a biscuit tasting by Michael and Aussie Biscuits’ longest serving employee, Kevin Green. Kevin has been working for the business for 42 years.

By Gizell van Wyk

Cold weather conditions could not keep more than 600 children, families, presenters and entertainers from attending the annual Forbes Reading Downtown Day held last Friday. This year’s theme was “Escape to Everywhere” and took place at Victoria Park, the Town Hall and Forbes Library.

Children and staff dressed up to the theme as their favourite book character to promote the importance of reading.

Forbes Birth to Kinder committee President Dell Welsh, thanks all for participating in the day. “Shared language, whether through books, rhymes or singing plays a vital role in preparing children for school,”Dell says. “We hope everyone who attended Reading Downtown Day has had fun sharing and learning”.

Stories, songs and rhymes escaped all over Victoria Park with the help of Jayne Whitworth’s “Beary fun time”, Kristen’s Dance Studio and Beth Osborne’s “Where is the Green Sheep?” Maddie Collits and Rosie Yapp led an enthusiastic team from Forbes North to present “Piranhas don’t eat bananas”. CentaCare’s Book Nook and Central West Libraries entertained the masses.

Gail Smith from Musica Arioso introduced all to the music and rhythm available for little people. “What a day! I was given the privilege of being the first person the children saw as well as the last. It was a long day, but oh so much fun –can’t wait for next year,” said Gail.

By Maree Yapp

Forbes High School proudly welcomed Local MP for Orange, Philip Donato, to its Wellness Hub on Tuesday.

The school was keen to show off the difference the hub has made in the students’ and community’s lives since its official launch in March this year with over 400 appointments made per term.

“I’m super impressed. It’s a one-stop shop for the wellness and wellbeing of students and their family members,” said Philip. “There’s a whole array of support agencies and services looking after their best interests.

“Students these days have particular challenges, whether it’s home life, anxiety over their HSC or all sorts of issues. It is fantastic that they’re able to go to a safe place in the school discreetly, and be able to get expert professional advice at the drop of a hat. Full credit to Forbes High School for getting this initiative off the ground.”

Referring to the high number of appointments made per term, Head Teacher of Wellbeing Justin Hoy said it was fantastic to see such a strong self-referral by students. “We’re making a real difference.”

The hub offers support and counselling to families five days a week. Domestic violence and nutrition are among the complex issues that students can receive support in. Aboriginal Education Officer for the school, Barry Merritt is hoping this initiative will help more students stay in school.

Philip said the Wellness Hub was a wonderful initiative to support education holistically.

By Gizell van Wyk

 

Local Wiradjuri Ranger Peter White will spend 16 days kayaking on the Murray River as part of the Australian Horizon Foundation’s 2017 Mighty Murray River Kayak Trek, starting on 2 September.

Peter will be supporting Kev Cook from South Australia who is undertaking the 2500 kilometre trek from Bringenbrong Bridge to Gulwa, South Australia, to raise funds for and awareness of mental health in rural communities.

Peter has been given permission by the Wiradjuri Elders to carry a Message  Stick during his journey.

“I’ve seen the Wiradjuri elders, who are my elders, about giving Kev a Message Stick to take down, which will be the first time it’s ever been down the length of the Murray.

“I’ll carry that for the first leg of the trek to Echuca, where I’ll hand it over to Kev to carry to the end. I’ll do the last four or five days of the trek with him, too, and be in Gulwa to receive the Message Stick again, and I’ll return it to the elders as a keepsake,” said Peter.

Peter needs to raise $2,000 to help him along and is hoping for support from local people and businesses.

He is putting up his car panels for business signage for 12 months. The sides of Peter’s kayak also available as signage space.

If you can help, please call Peter on 0477 639 640, or visit his Go Fund Me page at https://www.gofundme.com/2017mightymurrayrivetkayaktrek

 

 

Forbes Preschool is receiving accolades from early childhood educators far and wide, after delivering a top quality professional development conference on 21 July. Amy Shine came up with the idea for The Moving Forward in Forbes conference to prove that the big cities don’t hold a monopoly over excellence in these events.

“The preschool is one of the newest, biggest, most cutting-edge in the state. We thought, we need to showcase what we do. We’re pretty humble about what we do. We need to show people that you can do anything if you put your mind to it.”

Amy and her team booked international education expert Anthony Samaan twelve months in advance, and invited other speakers from around the local region. “Anthony was our keynote speaker and he ran some workshops throughout the day. We also had five other workshops and we found those presenters from within an hour’s travelling time of Forbes.

“Everyone says there’s nothing available. Well, there is. You just have to think outside the square,” said Amy. The conference ran smoothly and was a raging success, with presenters and attendees providing rave reviews and eager to come back next year.

“We loved reading the feedback that came in from people. It was awesome. Made us feel proud,” said McKenzie Morrison, of Forbes Preschool. It was such a success that Amy and her team plan to run an even bigger and better event next year.

By Rochelle Bright

Peter Bright, member and past president of the Forbes Lions Club, was recognised for his contribution to the community at the 56th Annual Lions District 201N4 Changeover Dinner held in Wellington last Saturday. Before handing over to incoming District Governor Anne Jones OAM, District Governor, Roger Thomas presented the International Presidents Award to Peter for his work with the Forbes Flood Relief efforts last year. Peter was the coordinator of the assistance office at the HACC centre between October 2016 and January 2017.

During that time, the club assisted 47 families with a variety of Australian Lions Foundation vouchers including food, fuel, stock feed and fencing. The Australian Lions Foundation, to which every Lions Club in Australia contributes, specifically released funding for the Forbes and district flood event. Peter received the award from Chancellor Bob Corlew, International President, in recognition of his “Distinguished Leadership”.

Peter said he was stunned by the surprise presentation.

“Of course, it’s an honour and I’m pleased to receive it, but my belief is that it reflects on the whole club, not just me. I’m just the representative in this case.” “Being able to help that many local families the most rewarding thing I’ve done since leaving the police force years ago, and thanks must go to the Australian Lions Association and the Foundation for enabling us to support our local community.”

The Changeover dinner also saw the installation of the District Cabinet for the coming year. Three local Lions were also inducted
into positions on the District Cabinet. Neil Lambert will be the Peace Poster Chairman, Robyn Seberry the Australian Lions Drug Awareness chairperson and Gayle Williams the Environment chairperson.

The Forbes and District Lions Club have been operating in Forbes since 2006. Their direct annual support to local organisations exceeds $20,000 per year; and they provide immeasurable indirect support, like helping out at Vanfest, and the local show.

In addition to disaster relief, they have provided Hearing Loops in local primary schools, supported Ronald McDonald House, and ran the Drum Muster programme to help keep drums out of landfill. Some of their many other projects include the Youth of The Year Quest, and a Peace Poster Competition for Primary Schools. “Being a member of the Lions Club is an extremely rewarding experience,” said Peter Bright.

“We appreciate all the assistance we get from people who attend our functions and buy our food at BBQs, but we need people to put their hands up and make a commitment to a couple of days per month.” If you have one or two days a month free, and you’d like to know more, visit www.forbesanddistrict.nsw.lions.org.au or call President Ray Judge on 02 6852 2143.

When you have an idea worth spreading, the chance to pitch it at a TED conference is a dream come true. This is just what happened to Forbes agronomist, Guy Webb. Guy was one of 6 people selected from 100 applicants to pitch a 30 second “fast idea” at the 2017 TEDx Sydney conference in June.

As co-founder of not-for profit organisation Soil C Quest 2031, Guy took the opportunity to pitch their major idea, which is to develop a way to use “carbon capturing fungi” to take carbon dioxide from the air and store it in soil. Farmers would then become “carbon saving superheroes” in the fight to reduce carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere.

Guy made his 30 second pitch to thousands, including a live audience and viewers watching via the live simulcast and at satellite events around Australia. Guy’s presentation captivated everyone, and he was voted the winner with thunderous applause. “This is an exciting and timely opportunity for the Soil C Quest project, with support being offered to the project from TEDx through Change.Org, a major marketing organisation.”

“The project still has a long way to go though and we are commencing a crowd funding campaign in October to enable us to raise funds to undertake the research and development required,” said Guy. To find out more about the project and how to support it, visit the website at scq.net.au or find them on Facebook or Twitter.