The Grinch could never have stolen the Christmas cheer from the Christmas Tree Festival and Carols by Candlelight last weekend. Hundreds of people flocked to the Town Hall to see the 90 Christmas trees and nativity scenes made by Forbes families, businesses, and school, church and community groups on display, while more than 800 people enjoyed a beautiful evening of carol singing and entertainment in Victoria Park on Sunday night.

According to Sue-Anne Nixon, President of the Forbes Rotary Ipomea who organised the Christmas Tree Festival, a lot of thought and planning had gone into the entries, which impressed the youngest to the most mature visitors. “Our Rotary Club holds this festival to give children a Christmas experience,” said Sue-Anne and “the joyful chatter of school children who visited on Friday afternoon to see the trees they made was worth a million dollars”.

There were some clever play on words with entries called ‘PoeTree’, ‘Pan-Tree’ (Pantry) and no one could miss the DentisTree with lolly teeth hung with dental floss. There was a nativity scene made with tractors complete with the ‘angel on high’. The Bruen family tree was a standout made with recycled products including chicken wire, baling twine and decorated with kookaburra feathers. Ben Crowley from Forbes Public School explained his class made their tree ornaments by decorating plastic cups then melting them. Susie and Amelia Kerr from the Forbes Playgroup painted homemade salt dough cookies, whilst Jemalong Village residents commenced work in May to ensure their tree was decorated in style.

The weekend’s Christmas cheer took on a tone of peace and joy at the annual Carols by Candlelight event, which saw a marked increase in people from last year. “It was a really good evening with a good crowd,” said Robyn Kenny.
Mayor Graeme Miller welcomed everyone, while Santa’s lap was never empty as kids could not wait to meet him with their best smiles on display. The evening saw a good line-up of entertainment with the crowd taking part in carol singing with the Forbes Town Band and Generosity Church Band. James Whalan’s Cantata Choir performed, as well as Leonie Burton and Maddi Collits among others. Judy Prior, dressed as an Elf, lead the events as compere for the night. The inflatable big screen once again proved to be useful for displaying carol words, and a slide show. The Forbes Lions Club ensured no one went hungry or thirsty.

By the end of the weekend many of us would agree with the Grinch: “Maybe, Christmas doesn’t come from a store. Maybe, Christmas perhaps is a little bit more.” If you didn’t get a chance to see the Christmas Tree Festival or attend the Carols, make sure to put it on your bucket list for December next year.

By Dianne Collie

The Forbes family business of H E Silos was named the 2016 Business of the Year by the state’s peak business organisation, the NSW Business Chamber. There were more than 150 finalists competing for the top award. CEO Steven Morrison was also called up as winner of the Excellence in Innovation category at a black tie gala dinner attended by more than 1,000 guests in Sydney at the end of last week.

“It is just amazing, we are still in shock,” said Steven and his daughter Stevie Morrison earlier this week. They were still on a high after attending a function of the CEO Club at the Sydney Opera House on Monday night. “I have never had such an experience to meet so many CEO’s who allhave a passion for running an excellent business,” said Stevie.

H E Silos has been getting a lot of media exposure, “which is great for Forbes after all the negative media after the floods”, said Stevie. But she felt the biggest compliment came from the judge Joe Spencer. “She said our entry was very well presented. After reading it she completely understood the product and felt she was part of the business.”

The prestigious award recognises overall business excellence in the areas of growth, innovation, export, sustainability, employment practices and ethics. NSW Business Chamber Chief Executive Officer Stephen Cartwright said he was delighted a regionally based business received the top accolade. “Regional NSW is home to so many wonderful businesses with incredible stories and it was fitting that, as we celebrated the 190th anniversary of the NSW Business Chamber, H E Silos was announced as the winner,” the CEO said.

Steven’s parents commenced operations in 1969 as Hillston Engineering, located in Hillston NSW. It was originally an engineering company, but evolved into the agricultural industry and in 1972 started the construction of grain silos. In 1984 the company moved to Forbes. Today they are not only passionate about grain storage, but to ensure food security in Australia and the world. They have developed the Thermal Insect Control System (TICS) to address an efficient and effective way of grain storage by fumigating silos from the ground level. This innovative approach reduces safety risks as well as losses due to insect infestation, contamination and degradation.

According to Steven, Australia is the world leader in grain storage techniques. “There is a lot we can show the world to ensure food security for the future.” H E Silos mainly focus their business on the east coast of Australia, but have been dealing with international clients in New Zealand, Fiji, Japan and New Caledonia. “There is plenty more to come,” said Steven looking to the future. They dedicated their success to the team of 43 full time employees.

“This award is a result of the hard work, dedication, commitment and loyalty of our team.”

By Maggi Barnard

The four large format supermarkets of the Bernardi Group will exit the IGA brand and transition to the new Bernardi’s Live Well For Less brand over the next six months. Joseph Bernardi, CEO of Bernardi’s Supermarket said the move would enable the business to deliver increased promotions on a wider range of goods. “Customers can still expect to find all the products they know and love,” said Joseph. “The change will also generate more exciting specials, particularly across the fresh produce, meat, deli and bakery departments.”

The group will expand their footprint of fresh food in each store to offer customers the same variety on offer in major metropolitan centres. The company’s Pick Local campaign aims to support local producers. All supermarkets stock bread from Earlyrise Baking Company in Dubbo, dips and sauces form Orange’s Fresh Fodder, milk from Little Big
Dairy in Dubbo, as well as four from Manildra, to name a few.

The newly rebranded Forbes store was launched on Saturday. “When you spend locally, those funds are directly channeled back into the community. This cycle supports jobs in the community, helps the environment and ensures the long-term survival of our town,” said Joseph. The store was packed with people to take advantage of the specials and prizes, wine tasting and other activities. Bernardi’s in Forbes and Blayney have been rebranded, while the transition in West Wyalong and Bathurst will take place early in the new year.

John Davis Motors won the grand prize at the red carpet event of the year for the Forbes business community last Friday night. More than 230 people attended the Forbes Boscars at the Forbes Inn. With Carrie Olson, the event co-ordinator in charge, the James Bond theme saw finalists, friends and colleagues all dressing up for the occasion.

The Business of the Year winner was selected from the winners of all the categories and is awarded to the most outstanding business, which has demonstrated excellence across all areas of operation. John Davis, Dealer Principal of the John Davis Group thanked everybody for their support in establishing the business in Forbes. “Everyone was very sceptical when we first said that we were moving to Forbes, and Mazda in particular wanted us to just remain in Orange. Now with a state of the art showroom, and some great staff in place, I am very proud of our team and showroom and the fact that we generate 30% of our revenue from this dealership. It is fantastic and proves that it was the right decision to move here many years ago,” said John.

The glamorous evening was hosted by Chris Baker, while Adam Enslow provided light entertainment throughout the
program. President of the Chamber of Commerce, Chris Roylance, welcomed everybody. Guest speaker, John Walkom, identified some facts and figures on the state of the economy in his speech.

Another 11 award winners were called to the stage during the course of the evening. See a full list of award winners on page 7.

By Cheryl Newsom

The fourth Somewhere down the Lachlan Sculpture competition received 23 entries with the $20,000 acquisition prize going to The Hunter by Damian Vick, and the $4,000 open prize won by by Brett Garling for The Mark Maker.
“What you have achieved here is quite fantastic,” said Clive Calder, the guest judge from Sydney at the announcement of the winners. “I commend you for your efforts. There are not many towns with a space like this.”

Clive said the composition of the bronze sculpture The Mark Maker was fantastic. “I like the way he sculpted the hands.” In the acquisition category three pieces stood out for Clive: The Hunter, A Farmers Draught and Balance. The Hunter will become the property of the Forbes Arts Society and will remain in Albion Park until the sculptures will be moved out around Lake Forbes and eventually all the way to Condobolin.

Damian told The Forbes Phoenix from Melbourne he was surprised and honoured to have won. “While it is a thrill to
be recognised at a competition of this calibre, the award is particularly significant because I feel The Hunter represents a key milestone in my career. I have been making sculptures for almost 10 years and this work is possibly the first sculpture that accurately displays the kind of dynamism and energy I have long sought to achieve. “I am truly grateful to the organisers and the people of Forbes, who have under trying circumstances made this event happen.

I am truly honoured that a work of mine will become part of your community.” Wayne Richards, President of the Forbes Services Memorial Club who established the annual competition, said entries came from all over Australia, even as far as Broome. Brett is from Wongarbon near Dubbo, while John Den, who sculpted Lachland Tower, is from Eugowra.

President of the Forbes Arts Society, Keith Mullete, said the Somewhere down the Lachlan trail had become a substantial project with the recent funding announcement for the first part of the trail to expand the Wiradjuri Dreaming Centre. With the Lachlan Council’s input the Utes in the Paddock will be moved to the end of the Lachland Valley at the end of the trail. “I hope the community gets behind the project and that you love it,” said Keith.

Ten sculptures are on exhibition in Albion Park, while a further 13 sculptures are on display in shop windows until the end of October.

The Wiradjuri Dreaming Centre will triple in size after $270,000 in funding was announced last Friday. It will see the installation of nine new sculptures, an amphitheatre, interpretive panels, additional Wiradjuri artworks and
the planting of 200 native shrubs and trees on the Lake Forbes foreshore. It also includes the erection of a building to display Wiradjuri artefacts and host workshops and cultural activities.

Deputy Mayor Grant Clifton said the expansion would be a significant boost to tourism and culture in the Forbes Shire. “From an economic and tourism point of view this will really put Forbes in the spotlight.” The Forbes Art Society, in conjunction with Wiradjuri Dreaming Centre Incorporated, led the project application with assistance from Forbes Shire Council’s Grants Officer Andrew Rawsthorne.

Deputy Premier and Minister for the Arts, Troy Grant, who made the announcement, praised the Forbes Art Society for the quality of their proposal. “The funding is highly sought after but this project stacked up on a number of fronts,” he said. President of the Forbes Art Society, Dr Keith Mullette, said work on the project would start early next year and would be completed within two years. He said the Art Society had worked hand in hand with the local Aboriginal community to create the idea.

The funds will be provided under the NSW Government’s ClubGRANTS category 3 scheme for arts and culture.

The Forbes Shire Council will receive $1.5 million for much needed upgrades to expand the Central West Livestock Exchange (CWLE) increasing througout capacity, productivity and turnaround times. “It was third time lucky,” said Forbes Mayor, Graeme Miller, and thanked the Grants Officer of the Council for his persistence in applying to the National Stronger Regions Fund (NSRF).

Graeme said numbers at the CWLE had grown over capacity and that the expansion would allow for another 600 to 800 head of cattle. “This would be a lot better for the presentation of vendors, as well as animal welfare.” The CWLE is one of three projects in the Central West to share in more than $4.2 million in Federal funding unveiled by the Small Business Minister and Riverina MP, Michael McCormack, last week. The other two projects are extensions to the Parkes Regional Airport and Wagga Wagga’s Kurrajong Waratah.

Michael said the three projects would deliver a vital economic boost to the region, as well as enhance future job and
investment opportunities throughout the Riverina and Central West. “I know the investment in Parkes and Forbes is critical in giving the region’s small businesses – a third of which are farmers – the infrastructure and services they need to continue to grow into the future,” Michael said.

Under Round 3 of the NSRF, 67 projects across the nation will receive funding. The Central West has received $17.7 million in Rounds 1, 2 and 3.

The Forbes floods were big news nationally and internationally last week, however once the headlines stopped many people forgot about those still suffering. One farmer from Forbes, Brad Shephard is using his love of flying and photography to bring awareness of the devastation and isolation of people on farms by posting regularly on Facebook. “There are lots of sad stories out there,” Brad said, who has lost 80 to 90% of his barley and wheat crops. “Unfortunately these floods are a long way from over and in some areas will linger on for months. Floods can be just as bad as droughts.”

As a survivor of depression, Brad said he had noticed as a result of the horror of the floods, people were showing signs of the onset of depression. “If you’re not feeling right, you’re tired or low, not sleeping well, talk to a mate or family member and seek help,” he posted, and offered some tips to help people feel better.

Brad said he had many people talking to him about the isolation and loss of crops. “People have lost hundreds of thousands of dollars of income with no likelihood of getting that back for at least another 12 months.” More assistance has come to the community with the Australian Taxation Office announcing help by fast tracking tax refunds for people affected by floods, and offering additional time to lodge income tax returns. Visit www.ato.gov.au for more information.