The Forbes Community Chest grant program will continue indefinitely, after the six month trial period ended as a resounding success. The program, which is being facilitated by the Forbes Services Memorial Club, has seen a Wednesday night raffle held each week since November last year, with a month’s worth of raffle funds going towards a selected community organisation.

Organisations are selected by the Community Chest in conjunction with the Services Club, and with a total of $15,571.95, Club General Manager David Fitzgerald said the program had shown its worth. “It’s a great program because all of the funds raised come straight from the community, and go back into the community. The club just facilitates it and donates the raffle prizes,” Mr Fitzgerald said.

“From a fundraising perspective, it’s been exceptional, and with the raffles, we’ve seen tremendous support from local people that come to the club.” “Other businesses from around town have also provided vouchers as prizes for the raffles, so it really has been a community effort.” Mr Fitzgerald added it was often difficult to select the right organisations in town to fundraise for, and encouraged local charities to let themselves be known.

“It’s intended for their use, and it’s intended for them to be able to raise funds, so if there’s charities out there looking for a bit of a financial kick, give us a ring or come in and see us, and ask for assistance.” The winners of the last six months of fundraising were CanAssist Forbes in November, Forbes Legacy in December, the Rural Fire Service in January, the State Emergency Service in February, Jemalong Residential Village Carers Group in March, the FBA in April, and the Mater Nursing Home Auxiliary in May.

The Red Bend College Junior Rugby League Club will be the beneficiary of funds for fundraising this month. JRV Carers Group President Helen Hurley said the funding her organisation has received would be crucial to continuing its services at Jemalong Village. “Our role is to provide services to residents at the Jemalong Village, for example taking them on bus trips, purchasing them items needed for general entertainment, and anything else to make their lives more pleasant,” she said. “We’ve just ordered four roller chairs for the residents, and they cost us about $500 each, so our funds will be able to cover that.

A bus trip will cost us about $1000 as well, so we’ll now have funds for that too.” Mrs Hurley said the funds will also save her organisation from needing to host extra fundraising events this year.

By Joshua Matic

Red Bend Catholic College International Excursion Coordinator Gillian McMillan says the students that recently travelled to South East Asia are now more informed citizens.

A group of 20 students, made up of 10 students from each of year 11 and 12, travelled to Cambodia and Vietnam last month, as part of the Modern History Tour that Red Bend Catholic College takes students on once every two years.

The idea of the tour is to give students the experience of travelling overseas and learning about different cultures, but more specifically, to get a grasp on crucial parts of Asian history.

The tour forms a part of the students’ curriculum, but Mrs McMillian said the tour is really a life-changing experience for the students that take part.

“It was a really eye-opening experience for the students. I think they learned a great appreciation of the lifestyle we have here in Australia,” she said.

“It gave them a true insight into how Vietnam was invaded during the Vietnam War, and the instability of their politics, and how in Australia we are lucky not to have any of that.”

The tour of Cambodia and Vietnam took students to Saigon, Phnom Penh, Hoi An, and Hanoi.

Highlights of the trip included the Killing Fields of Cambodia’s Pol Pot era (1975-79), where around 2.5 million people were killed under the Khmer Rouge, as well as Vietnam War tunnels, rice farming, and seeing Ho Chi Minh’s mausoleum.

By Joshua Matic

Forbes Shire Council held the 2016 Youth Week Awards on Thursday 5th April to acknowledge and recognise the positive contributions our youth make within the Forbes Community. Twenty three nominations were received and were judged by an independent judging panel of community members. Forbes Mayor Phyllis Miller said the standard
of each nomination was very high. The Young Sports Volunteer Award acknowledged the dedication and the many volunteer hours Jack Piercy contributes to the Forbes Netball Association and Forbes High School. Courtney Ward received the School Youth Award for her excellence at school, her strong leadership skills and for her strong community spirit. The Further Education Excellence Award was taken out by Aiden Clarke for his dedication and passion for his studies in Early Childhood. The Brighter Future Award recognises a young person who is endeavouring to make a positive change to their lives and Blake Harrison was a very worthy recipient. The calibre of the nominees suggested for all categories was particularly high and for the first time the judges were compelled to award Maddi Collits a Highly Commended in the Major Youth & Community Award before announcing Liam Bosma as the overall winner. Liam’s extensive involvement in the Youth Advisory Committee and Spectacular Screenings over the past four years as well as being named the Central West Volunteer of the Year in 2015 were just a few of the factors which made him the winner.
By Anita Morrison

On Wednesday May 4, Red Bend Catholic College hosted the Forbes Special Sports Day. Groups of very excited athletes attended the day and relished in the time of competition and friendship. Athletes came from across the Central West, including Dubbo, Forbes, and Condobolin. Dianne Decker, a Forbes local has been organising the sports days for thirtyfive years, with Wednesday 4 May being its birthday. Mrs Decker had written to Prince Harry to invite him to the event, and whilst he unfortunately was unable to make it, there were plenty of visitors.

The sports day was held in the gymnasium at Red Bend Catholic College, with athletes cheering from the side-lines whilst their friends competed. Forbes Deputy Mayor Graeme Miller, and Deb Wheeldon, director of Teaching and
Learning at Red Bend College, judged the march, which was won by Dubbo Westhaven, with Brian Tisdale, resplendent in a kilt playing the bagpipes. A large group of friendly Red Bend Catholic College students gave up their time to be judges and recorders for the event, and a canteen supplying an assortment of foods was open.

Whilst the day was a time of competition and sports, its mainly a social day, and one which was eagerly anticipated by all who attended. Stacey from House With No Steps was excitedly waiting for the walking race and was hoping to win it! Nathan Ellison, also from House With No Steps was planning to compete in four separate races, and sat watching from the side-line, waiting for his turn. A fantastic day of sports and friendship was had by all.

Victoria Park and surrounding streets were packed with thousands of people who came together to honour the special day and welcome the parade which commenced in Cross Street. Our young people played a large part in the parade with all of the schools and early childhood services represented along with veterans, families and local service personnel. Michael Walker and
Robert (Roc) Walshaw conducted the proceedings with Charles Dwyer, Forbes High School Principal, Mayor, Phyllis Miller and Juliet Slack-Smith, St Laurence’s School student, delivering the Prayer of Thanksgiving, Prayer for the Queen and the Prayer for the Nation respectively.

Bryan Stapely, a member of the Canberra Vietnam Veteran’s Motorcycle Club who travelled to Forbes to participate in the parade, gave the Commemoration
to the Fallen before Aaron Parry played the Last Post and the Reveille
as he had done earlier at the dawn service to end the service.

The dawn service was also well attended with hundreds of people welcoming the lager contingent of marchers who followed the police escort to the cenotaph at approximately 5.30am. Captain Meaghan Gallagher of the Salvation Army gave the dawn service address which honoured all servicemen and women. Captain Gallagher said “Those who served created a legend, not of military victories but of courage and determination” and also “ANZAC is a heritage for every Australian”. She then thanked God for the faithful service of our soldiers whose sacrifices have given us the freedom and liberties we enjoy today.

Forbes’ second Walk to Defeat Motor Nuerone Disease (MND) attracted more than 150 walkers for the event held last Sunday. These numbers were an increase on the inaugural walk held last year and although many of the walkers were locals, fifty of the participants travelled from Orange to attend and participate in the day. Orange resident, Nicky Turner, who has MND, came to Forbes to participate and was excited to see an event of this type held in country NSW. Pat Duncan, the driving force behind the event, was very pleased with the numbers and was grateful to local businesses, including major sponsor Duncan Stockcrates, and volunteers for their generosity
and support.

Motor neurone disease (MND) is the name given to a group of diseases in which the nerve cells (neurones) controlling the muscles that enable us to move, speak, breathe and swallow undergo degeneration and die. MND can affect a person’s ability to walk, speak, swallow and breathe and the walk is an opportunity to raise awareness for this disease. MND is a progressive, terminal neurological disease that can strike anyone.

There is no known cure and no effective treatment for MND. Each day in Australia two people die from MND, and in addition, two people are diagnosed each day. Kaylah Tulloch was the lucky 1st Prize winner of the raffle which was drawn on the day and walked away with $750 cash. Lyn Henley claimed 2nd Prize and L Talbot took home 3rd.

The annual Forbes Rodeo is proving itself to be one of Forbes’ favourite events for the year and the 2016 event did not disappoint. Committee member, Troy Read, although exhausted from the huge weekend, was very happy and felt that the crowd attending was the best so far.

The committee have worked tirelessly over the past months to provide the best possible facilities for competitors and spectators and have been rewarded for their efforts with some extremely positive feedback. Many of the top Barrell Racers in the country commented on the particularly high standard of the arena, which boasted an exceptional surface for their horses, allowing them to compete to the best of their ability with minimal risk of injury.

A clash of dates with Rodeo’s near Tamworth and Yass saw a drop in Professional riders attending but this was more than compensated by a huge increase in novice competitors which was very pleasing to see. Rodeo is a competitive sport that arose from the working practices of cattle herding in Spain and Mexico. It involves horses and other livestock and is designed to test the skill and speed of the cowboys and cowgirls in two basic categories: rough stock events (Bull riding etc.) and timed events (Barrel racing, Steer un-decorating etc.)

Mr Read made special mention of the many local sponsors who support this event, “without them we would not be able to continue” he said. The committee are looking forward to continuing to bring this event to Forbes which attracts visitors from far and wide and increases the town’s economy in
the process. The committee see a great future for the Forbes Rodeo and are working towards a permanent home for the event at the old Rodeo grounds located at Botanical Gardens.

The Forbes Golf Association has received a massive boost to its operations, with Golf NSW announcing the Forbes Golf Course will host the inaugural Sand/Grass Greens State Championships in August. In another huge boost for Forbes, the local golf course will also host a qualifying event for the NSW State Championships in June.

Part of the events will also be staged at the Grenfell Golf Course, with Forbes Shire Council teaming up with Weddin Shire Council to help make the event possible, as well as the two golf associations of each shire working together with Golf NSW. With at least 150 players expected at the State Championships qualifier, and many more at the Sand/Grass Championships, Forbes Golf Association President Andrew McDonald said both events would be a massive boost for Forbes and the surrounding region.

“All of the activities as well as the profiles of each event and the participation opportunities will bring a lot of golfers to Forbes from across the country as well as our own region,” he said. “The winner of the State Championships qualifier will get automatic entry into the State Championships, so that incentive should bring a large number of golfers in
to Forbes.” Several years ago, the state of the Forbes Golf Course was in dire straights, and it would have been hard to imagine any major golf event coming to town, according to Mr McDonald.

At that stage, the Association partnered with Forbes Shire Council, and this led to vastly improved irrigation systems and equipment, and the golf course is now one of the best in the Central West. Mr McDonald said partnerships were what the Association now strived to achieve in order to continually improve the quality of golf in Forbes.

“We were fortunate enough to receive some grants from Golf NSW as well, which helped with our improvements,” he said. “Nowadays we’ve got high quality employees, and new, modern mowers, as well as the Jack Newton golf partnership, where our own Dan Newton works with other golf clubs in our region.”

“We always want to work with other golf clubs, and it’s great that Grenfell are on board with these two events as well.” The Forbes Golf Association have signed a three-year agreement to host the Grass/Sand Championships, and will host the State Championships qualifying event this year after Golf NSW decided to take qualifying events to the country for the first time.

Golf NSW Chairman John Robinson said qualifiers had been taken to the country to provide greater opportunities for regional golfers to have a go at making the State Championships. Forbes Mayor Phyllis Miller said Council was “honoured” to partner with both events as well.

The State Championships qualifier will be held on June 18 and 19, while the Sand/Grass event will be August 20-21.

Acting Forbes Shire Council General Manager Max Kershaw says it will be business as usual in the Council’s General Manager office, after he was appointed to act in the position. Forbes Shire Council appointed Mr Kershaw in confidence at its last Council meeting on March 18, and he started work on Tuesday this week (March 29).

He has been hired on a rolling, weekly contract, and will perform his duties until early August at the latest, by which time Council hopes to have appointed a new permanent General Manager. Advertisements for the position are expected to be sent out in the coming weeks. Mr Kershaw brings with him many years of rural council management experience, with his most recent job being the GM at the Harden Shire Council.

He retired from the position around 12 months ago, and has been brought out of retirement to work in Forbes. He told The Forbes Phoenix he planned on ensuring communication through the Forbes Shire Council was up to scratch in testing times of possible Council amalgamations.

“My plan is just to keep things moving along without any interruption. It will be business as usual,” he said. “There are obviously amalgamations on the plate with a lot of rural councils at the moment. I’ve worked through three council amalgamations in the past.” “It’s so important to communicate well with staff, especially with so much happening in local councils at the moment.”

Mr Kershaw brings with him an impressive CV that shows no less than 42 years of service to local government in rural NSW. A Parkes born and bred man, he has worked for the Parkes Shire Councils, as well as the councils of the Tenterfield, Yallaroi, Gunnedah, Warren and Narrabri shires.

One might question what brought him out of retirement after so many years of service. He retired to sunny Scarborough, north of Brisbane, in Queensland, but he said family and his passion for local government brought him to Forbes. “I have a great affinity to rural councils, and my sister and her family live here in Forbes,” he said. “I have also known Mayor Phyllis Miller for quite some time now, and I was really chuffed when she asked me to come and
work for the Forbes Shire Council.” “You sort of hit the wall when you retire,
so I thought I could work one last job. I consulted the opportunity with my wife, and she said I should do it.’

While he will only be in the job for about three months, he said he would like to see economic development and youth employment in Forbes improve. He said Forbes was a “pretty” town with a passionate community that set its own
agenda, and looked forward to working with it.