Local lads Sam Parish, Bill Ryan and Sam Johnston were so inspired by Nedd Brock­man’s thousand mile run in Oct 2024 that they set themselves the goal of doing 10% of his 161km a day (16.1km). After completing that goal, they started to think “what’s next?”.Sam Parish said, “Someone suggested, ‘how far is it from Condo to Forbes?’ It was pretty hard to back down from the crazy idea once it has been said out loud, so the preparations began.”

A lot of training was involved – 15 weeks of running three times a week, with various types of running including easy runs, long runs and tempo runs.

“On the day itself, the support we had from friends, family and partners was un­believable and quite frankly the only way we finished,” said Sam.

The three are raising money and aware­ness for homelessness, through a charity called We are Mobilise. Sam said, “The three of us, with our close friends group also ran the Nedd Brockmann Gala Ball last year to really support Nedd from his hometown and celebrate the amazing movement he has started.

“Through that we all got to meet Noah Yang, Founder/CEO of We are Mobilise, so we got to form a personal connection to We are Mobilise and the amazing team.”

The trio have raised $18,800. You can still make a donation or even start your own challenge at: www.neddsuncomforta­blechallenge.com/fundraisers/FRC.

If you haven’t already planned your day, now is the time to check out what is hap­pening at Cooke Park, with proceedings kicking off at 9am and wrapping up at 2pm.

Parkes Shire Concert Band will be wel­coming everyone to the Park at 9.10am.

Event organisers look forward to wel­coming Parkes Dance Co to Homegrown Parkes for the first time. They will be taking the stage at 10.30am, followed by Parkes M&D with a preview of their upcoming pro­duction Little Shop of Horrors at 11am.

Unfortunately the coffee roasting work­shop has to be cancelled. There will still be giveaways and goodies that will be drawn at the workshop with Phil and Nadia Do­nato, being held at 12.30pm. Join them to learn how to make Tiramisu! Registrations essential.

Our Fijian friends will be performing on the main stage at 1.30pm to send everyone off. What a fantastic way to finish the day at Homegrown Parkes!As part of the Keep Australia Beautiful Tidy Town’s weekend, Homegrown Parkes attendees will have the opportunity to join one of three bus trips leaving from Cooke Park at 2pm.

This event is made possible with fund­ing and in-kind support from Parkes Shire Council, Evolution Mining Northparkes op­erations and Central West Lachlan Land­care.

We look forward to seeing you between 9am and 2pm on Saturday at Cooke Park.

Motorists are being reminded that double demerit points will be in place over the Oc­tober long weekend with police targeting speed, seatbelts, illegal mobile phone use and motorcyclists not wearing helmets.

Double demerit points will be in force for four days commencing on Friday 3 Octo­ber 2025 and ending on Monday 6 October 2025 (inclusive).Parkes Highway Patrol Sergeant Mitch­ell Gage said there will be more police on the road which means a greater chance of drivers being caught if they are doing the wrong thing.

“Double demerits were implemented 20 years ago, in a bid to encourage drivers to obey road rules during busy traffic peri­ods. They occur on select holiday periods and long weekends and have proven to be an effective deterrent. Statistics show that there’s a 30% reduction in casualty crash­es when double demerit points are opera­tional.

“No-one wants to get a fine, lose their li­cence or worse still be involved in a crash.

So, make sure you give yourself plenty of time to travel, don’t speed, drive to the con­ditions, wear your seatbelt, avoid distrac­tions, make sure you’re well rested and if you’ve been drinking or have taken drugs – don’t drive” Sergeant Gage said.

Parkes, Forbes and Lachlan Shire Coun­cils’ Road Safety and Injury Prevention Officer, Melanie Suitor said “During dou­ble demerit point periods the penalties for breaking the road rules are Severe” and is encouraging all road users to stay safe this October long weekend.

Forbes’ newest event, Street Dreams is shaping up to be a hands-on night of crea­tivity, culture and connection. On Saturday 27 September from 5pm to 9pm, Victoria Park will come alive with light, art, perfor­mance, and interactive activities designed for all ages. Step into a glowing wonderland of larger-than-life flowers, birds, bees, but­terflies and dazzling garden archways.

A special feature of the event is that at­tendees can fully immerse themselves in a range of creative experiences, including; drumming workshops, lino printmaking, lan­tern making workshop, facepainting, hair braiding, photobooth, silent disco, short films, roving entertainment by CirqueUm Navigate, school-led imaginative displays by students from Forbes North, Forbes Pub­lic and Forbes High School and an outdoor youth art exhibition featuring artworks by lo­cal youth.

Alongside these interactive activities, the festival precinct will feature market stalls, food vendors and live entertainment, mak­ing it a vibrant community celebration for locals and visitors alike.

The Street Dreams Festival is the first of a three-year series that aims to strengthen social connection, support local creatives, and enhance the vibrancy of the Forbes community through inclusive, accessible arts programming.

Street Dreams Festival is proudly funded by the NSW Government’s Open Streets Program, led by Transport for NSW. Coun­cil was successful in receiving $108,550 through the program, enabling the event to be delivered over the next three years.

The initiative is designed to reimagine pub­lic streets as lively, welcoming spaces that support local businesses and community connection.

An Australian bike event company, good­nessgravel, will partner with Parkes Coun­cil to run the first edition of goodnessgravel Parkes on Saturday, 1 November.

Parent company, twowheeltours, has years of experience in the bike industry, coordinating events, tours and races both here in Australia and around the world. So they created goodnessgravel to combine their passion for creating memorable riding experiences with the real need to support local Australian communities.

The event will showcase the excel­lent gravel roads and stunning scenery throughout the Parkes Shire and bring rid­ers from all over the state and inter-state for a gravel cycling festival.

On Saturday riders will depart from Har­rison Park and have the option of selectingone of the three different courses; 130km ride, with +1,200m of ascent or the shorter 110km ride, with +1,000m of ascent or fi­nally there is a 50km ride, with 350m of ascent.

All courses will be signposted and will travel through the gravel roads and coun­tryside to the south-east of Parkes includ­ing Cookamidgera, Mandagery, and for the full 130km, the course will go south to Eugowra.

On the Sunday, riders will be provided with options for a recovery ride from ‘The Dish’. Come and challenge yourself on these gravel roads and have an adventure. For more details of this exciting gravel ride and to book your gravel experience head to goodnessgravel.com

Parkes Auto Electrician and Mechanic, Jack Mill has just won the prestigious award of Young Street Machine of the Year.

The competition was run online by “Street Machine”, Australia’s largest Automotive platform for modified vehicles, and spon­sored by Hare & Forbes Machinery House.

Jack has attended the Summernats since he was a young child and loves the burn­out scene. Wanting to be part of the action, Jack hatched a plan to build a little burnout car, nothing flash – but that plan soon went out the window.

“We bought the swift for $500 in a poor state. We built it in the back shed after hours and finished it just before Summer­nats 35, but we weren’t ready for the atten­tion it received,” said Jack.

The Young Street Machine competition was open nationally to car enthusiasts under the age of 24 years. Entrants were required to submit photos of their vehicle, along with a story about their car and what they had done to it. The next step was to promote themselves on social media, tag Street Machine and ask people to vote.

Thousands of vehicle entries were re­ceived, with the top 16 entries moving to the finals. The final vehicles were present­ed at the closest Hare & Forbes Machinery House venues for a final car show, where people voted for the best entry.

Jack was thrilled to take out his category in the final, and is now gearing up to get back out on the pad of Summernats 37.

Trundle Bush Tucker Day began in 1987 as a friendly bet between two mates to see who could cook the best bush tucker in a camp oven behind the local pub.

That spark of competition evolved into the Trundle Bush Tucker Day. Since the very first Trundle Bush Tucker Day in 1987, the Trundle Bush Tucker Committee has put $249,000 back into the Trundle com­munity! The Trundle Bush Tucker Day is now organised and run by a dedicated volun­teer committee. This hardworking group is made up of passionate locals who vol­unteer their time year-round to plan, fund­raise, and deliver the event.

The committee’s role goes far beyond just putting on a festival, they manage eve­rything from securing entertainment and sponsors, to overseeing logistics like mar­ket stalls, food vans, accessibility, and a fresh array of family-friendly activities.

Their aim is to preserve the original spirit of mateship and bush traditions, while also growing the event into one of the Central West’s most iconic celebrations.

Tickets online are $60 adult, $5 17yrs- 6yrs free under 6. On the day Gate tick­ets are $70 adults, $5 17yrs- 6yrs, free for under 6. Parking is available at the show­ground and out on the street until it’s filled.

Camping available on site, sites still avail­able Trundle Showground.

All proceeds from the event benefit local groups, your participation supports the re­gion directly. Tickets on sale now, don’t miss out www.123tix.com.au/events/46970/trundle-bush-tucker-day-2025

The lives of Jason and Michelle Wood­house, and their family were drastically changed when their son Corey Woodhouse (14) of Forbes unexpectedly took his own life in August 2023. It forever altered their lives and Corey’s father Jason Woodhouse said, “Our journey of pain will never end and nothing will change what has hap­pened, but we wish to raise awareness of the services available for the families and youth of Forbes and surrounds.”

Since their loss, Jason and Michelle have been doing what they can to raise money and awareness for mental health. During the month of August they have been sell­ing red paper planes at Bernardis Forbes and at Coles in Parkes, Dubbo, Lithgow, Orange, Bathurst, Katoomba, Wellington, Cowra, Mudgee and Narromine. They have already raised over $10,000 and the planes are still on sale until 31 August. Tag them @FlyHighforMentalHealth when you see the planes.

They also held a free mental health event and charity auction in Forbes on Saturday 23 August. The event raised over $2,000 and the Fly High for Mental Health Auc­tion raised over $14,000. All funds will be equally donated between Kids Helpline and Headspace to help kids across Australia“We are grateful that so many people have supported us in time, effort and gen­erous donations. Thank you to everyone involved, from helpers, friends and family to businesses that donated items and the community who made donations and at­tended the event,” said Jason.

There is still time to make a donation at: https://shoutforgood.com/fundraisers/flyhigh-for-mental-health

Eight Local Parkes residents attended an Australian Citizenship Ceremony on Tuesday 19 August to receive their Aus­tralian Citizenships. Mayor Neil Westcott welcomed the conferees and their families.

Mayor Westcott said, “When you become Australian it is important not to forget the language, customs and culture of the place of your birth. You can add to the cultural riches of 21st century Australia.”

Congratulations to Marciel Martin, born in the Philippines and arrived in Australia in 2015. Mars enjoys Art, DIYs, Fashion and Singer and Dancer.

Jasper Caneta was born in the Philip­pines and arrived in Australia in 2013.

Jashper enjoys mixed martial arts, basket­ball, and cooking.

Elijah Naqau was born in Fiji and arrived in Australia in 2009. Elijah enjoys singing and playing musical instruments. Elisha Naqau was born in Fiji and moved to Aus­tralia in 2009. Elisha enjoys cooking, eat­ing, spending time with family, laughing, and enjoying life. Esther Naqau was born in Australia on 2 October 2023. Esther is the daughter of Elisha. Esther enjoys eat­ing, sleeping, and laughing with family.

Alice Carr was born in England and ar­rived in Australia in 2014. Alice enjoys keeping the house in order, taking care of her children, and art projects.

Raili Collins was born in Estonia and arrived in Australia in 2016 from Estonia.

Raili enjoys reading and playing sports.

Rathan Varatharajan was born in Sri Lan­ka and arrived in Australia in 2013. Rathan enjoys playing cricket and badminton.