Charmander, Rhydon, Snorlax, Gastly, Jynx, Pidgeot, Ponyta, Golem… Pikachu! There is a new language in the streets and parks where people congregate staring intently at mobile phones.

It is the language of Pokémon Go, the hottest game in the app store right now with millions of people playing it all over the world, including Forbes. Released earlier this month, Pokémon creatures are popping up everywhere in the real world and the idea is that you catch them.

One avid player in Forbes, Mitch Watson started the Forbes and Parkes Pokémon Go Community on Facebook with 230 members already. “It is a good community of people and fun to get to know each other and go for walks.”

Mitch was with a newfound friend Phillip Whelan in Victoria Park on Monday hunting Pokémon together. The pair said they both played Pokémon in the 1980’s and 90’s, and this game was the closest to the real thing you could get. “This is part of the game’s popularity, and it is free and gets you out of the house.

Phillip was in Canberra last weekend where he said playing the game was totally different. “As there are many more people playing, there are a lot more Pokémon,” he said. Mitch and Phillip are proud of the rare Pokémon they have caught so far, which include a Dragonair and an Aerodactyl.

They both cautioned players to always be alert and stay safe while playing.
By Maggi Barnard

Forbes is a fascinating place to visit. This is what Mike Whitney, host of Sydney Weekender, had to say at the conclusion of the program featuring Forbes that was aired on Sunday on Prime 7. As the second largest network in the country in terms of population reach, the just over five minute feature on Forbes was seen all over Australia.

Starting with a few general shots of historic buildings in the town, Mike first visited the Central West Livestock Exchange where there were over 20 000 sheep on auction. He said he had never seen anything like it in his life. He ended up “buying” some sheep forgetting to keep his hands in his pockets!

Next up he went to the McFeeters Motor Museum where the Barbie Ford Falcon with its gold plated fittings made a big impression on him. The last place to feature was the beautiful Girragirra Retreat where he stayed for the night and Wendy, the owner, taught him to make a sourdough loaf. Locals said they were very impressed with the program, but they felt that it could have showed more of Forbes. “They did not even show the Forbes Lake,” one said.

Mike and his crew were in Forbes last month to film. After retiring from international cricket, Mike first appeared on Sydney Weekender in 1994. He travels around the city and throughout NSW to find the best places to stay, eat and play.
By Maggi Barnard

Some familiar rural real estate faces in Forbes are now to be found at Ian Simpson & Co – a new independent and locally owned and staffed real estate agency. Ian Simpson & Co opened its doors for the first time last Friday.

The team, consisting of Ian and Tammie Simpson, Stacey Clarke and Ned Hamilton, formerly conducted Ray White Rural Forbes. They will build on their award winning business under the name of Ian Simpson & Co in the same location at 88A Lachlan Street, Forbes.

With the launch of the new business, Ian and his team will be able to offer a full selection of real estate services: rural sales – large scale through to hobby farms; rural property leasing; residential and commercial sales; residential and commercial property management; and water trading.

In addition Ian Simpson & Co will have a much larger geographic footprint covering rural property sales in areas around Cowra, Grenfell, West Wyalong, Canowindra, Wellington and places further afield. Ian Simpson & Co is a family owned business dedicated to providing excellent customer service to not only vendors but also to buyers. The new company plans to take auctioneering services to a new level with excellent research and reporting.

Ian said “We will listen to what you have to say! We know that your success is our success, and we will work incredibly hard to achieve the best results.”

The Forbes Phoenix has reached its first milestone – today we celebrate our 50th issue! Over the past year we have brought you stories and photos from just about every letter that makes up the alphabet of the Forbes community.

“We are delighted to have reached our 50th issue,” said Cheryl Newsom, Publisher of The Phoenix Group of Newspapers. “We have been very pleased with the support of the local business community and our readers, who have embraced the concept of a free local community paper.

Cheryl said without this support the launch and ongoing publication of the paper would not have been possible. Joshua Matic, who was the editor of The Forbes Phoenix until recently, said a highlight was meeting TV Presenter Mike Whitney and the team from Sydney Weekender. Maggi Barnard is the new Editor and comes with a wealth of experience. Forbes Mayor, Cr Phyllis Miller said: “It has been a great enhancement to getting information out to the wider community of the shire.”

Owner of Tyreright, Jamie Walsh, liked the idea of a free newspaper and had supported it from the start, while Cr Chris Roylance felt it was a great asset for the community as the paper reached everybody. Rayleen Paradowski of the Forbes Services Club said many out of town people loved reading it to find out what to do in Forbes.

As we continue to Live Local, Love Local, Support Local by covering positive and uplifting stories in our community, we hope there will be many more milestones to celebrate.

Competition among schools has increased in the 23rd annual Forbes Eisteddfod, which ended in Forbes yesterday. With prize money of $500 for the school with the most points, there has been a rise in entries from schools this year, according to Helen Hurley, President of the Forbes Eisteddfod Committee.

Helen said approximately 1,400 entries were received for the eight different categories. This meant more than 2,000 children and adults went across the stage for the five days of the Eisteddfod. Every session had a packed Town Hall to capacity with about 200 parents in attendance.

Participants not only came from Forbes but from all over the Central West and even further afield, including Grenfell, Parkes, Bathurst, Griffith and Leeton. The individual categories were open to participants of all ages. The competition started on Saturday with piano, and vocal on Sunday. On Monday the first school groups were on stage in the instrumental category, while the speech and drama section was on Tuesday. The most popular category this year, school dance groups, had its turn on Wednesday. Many schools entered for this competition. Other categories for groups were for bands and school choirs.

On Tuesday the Red Bend Catholic College choir were awarded a first place. Each category had prize money, medals or scholarships to be won. There were 250 scholarships, which cover tuition fees, up for grabs. The adjudicator this year was Mel Philip from Toowoomba. She is qualified under Eisteddfod rules and able to judge all the different categories.

Helen said the individual dance competition of the Eisteddfod would take place during the second week of the school holiday. A different adjudicator, who can judge all types of dance, has been asked for this competition.

A voluntary committee giving talented people in the region a platform to perform every year runs the Forbes Eisteddfod. The idea for an Eisteddfod dates back to the 12th century in Wales when it was a Welsh festival of literature, music and performance.

The current format comes from an 18th century revival of the Eisteddfod. There are many Eisteddfods held across Australia, including the Australian National Eisteddfod.

By Maggi Barnard

Forbes Wiradjuri Dreaming Centre Secretary Aileen Allen says she hopes to place Aboriginal sculptures around Lake Forbes, after Forbes Shire Council announced it had applied for a State Government grant. Council will make a full application for the grant, which is worth $270,000, to expand the Centre, which would include installing at least eight sculptures, interpretive signage, extra tables and chairs, landscaping, a toilet block, and an ampitheatre to host more cultural workshops.

The grant would be a massive coup for the Centre, which earlier this year received three new security cameras, a new barbeque, and a new table set. The barbeque and table set arrived just in time for Reconciliation Day celebrations a number of weeks ago.

Ms Allen said the sculptures would be sculpted by Wiradjuri artists, and would run up and down Lake Forbes. “We would start with eight to ten sculptures, and they would start at the Dreaming Centre near the footbridge, run up to where the road is, and then come back down on the other side of the river,” she said.

With the barbeque and table now in place at the Centre, Ms Allen encouraged the whole community to use it. “It’s there for everyone and not just Aboriginal people, and it can be used at any time,” she said. Ms Allen added, plans to construct a small information building at the Centre were also being considered.

By Joshua Matic

It has been a rollercoaster ride over the last four years, but the new Forbes Preschool was finally officially opened last Friday. Centre Director Amy Shine was joined by NSW Deputy Premier Troy Grant and Forbes Mayor Phyllis Miller, as well as many other children and parents, to celebrate the occasion.

The project was funded by the preschool itself, Forbes Shire Council and the State Government, with the State Government contributing a grant of $1.25million to make the project possible. The new building has been in use for the last seven weeks now, but its completion had been delayed for four years.

The new building was originally going to be built on the other side of Nelson Park to which the new building stands, but following a community consultation at the time, it was decided the plans would be changed. Some time after this occurred, the former tennis courts on the opposite side of Nelson Park became available, and they ultimately got approved to make way for the new preschool.

The new building, located on Barton Street, just down the road from the location of the old preschool on Bogan Street, is a far cry compared with the old facility according to Ms Shine. “It really is a dream come true,” she said. “Before this new facility was built we had a massive waiting list for children enrolling at the centre, and we were struggling to keep up.”

“Now that we have a bigger facility we have room for a lot more children, and as a consequence, a lot more people in our community can be a part of our preschool.” Ms Shine, who was still the Director back in 2012, said the old facility was far out-grown, and she decided to lobby to the then local member, Troy Grant, for funding to build an improved facility.

The new centre includes one extra playroom than what the old one had, with three of these, as well as a large outdoor area. But the new addition, Ms Shine said, that was the most important is the Community Room. “Our Community Room offers speech therapy and occupational therapy, but we also use it for new mothers groups who have sessions with our early childhood nurse, and it is also used for Sunday school,” she said.

“This room brings so much community involvement with our preschool and I think it is the best thing that we have.” Ms Shine said the preschool would continue to fundraise so it could purchase new equipment and resources to fill its new facility. Educational programs will remain the same, but more children will now benefit.

By Joshua Matic

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