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.

The Ronald McDonald House in Orange has proved to be an important place for families in Forbes since it’s opening last year. Ronald McDonald House is a charitable foundation that accommodates the families of seriously ill children when they are forced to leave home and stay in hospital for medical purposes.

The House covers all serious illnesses as well as serious injuries, high-risk pregnancies, and mental illnesses. And since the House opened on April 13 last year, 10 families from Forbes have already used the facility.

One young boy from Forbes stayed there overnight last year after suffering a major injury during a game of football, after being transported to Orange Base Hospital. Other Forbes locals have used the House for pediatric and high-risk pregnancy purposes as well.

Ronald McDonald House has partnered with the Men of League Foundation, and will host a fundraising dinner at the Orange Ex-Services Club on April 9.
Central Western NSW local and dual rugby code international James Grant will be the master of ceremonies, and will be joined by fellow dual international Mike Cleary, as well as rugby league greats Bob
McCarthy, Stuart Raper and John Peard. RMH Orange Executive Officer Rebecca Walsh said that functions are the biggest fundraisers for RMH, and the dinner would be crucial.

“Functions are our biggest fundraiser by a long shot. We have a ball each year and last year we raised $105,000 from it,” she said. “There is a great synergy between the Ronald McDonald House Charity and the Men of League Foundation, particularly here in the Central West, as it is a great rugby league territory.”

RMH Orange has the biggest coverage area of any RMH in the NSW/ACT region, covering a whopping 86% of the state, all the way from Broken Hill across to Orange. The House has already accommodated 77 families from across the state. It has eight units that sleep six people in each, and the cost to run these is about $138 per night.

Ms Walsh said RMH will never expect families to fully cover these expenses,
which is why it fundraises and hires volunteers, but a $43 charge per night can be claimed back through a Federal Government scheme for those who have travelled 100km or more.

A stay for three nights or more will be bulk-billed in full straight back to the Federal Government. Tables of 16 will be set up for the dinner, with a three-course meal provided for $25 per head, along with raffles, auctions, lucky
draws, and other entertainment.

Soaring temperatures over the weekend did not deter our volunteer firefighters from competing to the best of their ability in the 2016 Region South 2 Fire & Rescue NSW Firefighter Championships held in Forbes on the weekend.

Twenty five teams from around the state competed in eleven events during the two day competition with Kelso the eventual winners followed by Nowra and then Bega in third position. The Forbes Brigade entered two teams in the event and finished 8th and 11th which was a fantastic effort.

Each event simulates a real life emergency situation and fire fighters race against the clock to secure the fastest time. Penalties are incurred for infringements of the rules or protocols with all teams taking the competition very seriously. Visiting officials were very impressed with the venue
provided by Forbes and team entries for the weekend were one of the highest for this level of competition.

Forbes Mayor, Phyllis Miller welcomed everyone to Forbes and expressed gratitude for the incredible job our fire fighters do everyday. She reflected on her own personal experience and could not fault the local Forbes Brigade when her home was burnt several years before. FRNSW Chaplin Lyndsay Smith gave the blessing and the Fire & Rescue NSW Commissioner – Greg Mullins AFSM declared the championship officially open.

President FRNSW FCA – Captain Greg Fredericks remembered the last time the event was hosted in Forbes and stated how the Forbes Brigade responded to a house fire during the event.

The Saturday evening function held at the Sport & Recreation Club was a huge
success with approximately 200 attending and organisers of the weekend were
extremely pleased with the weekend overall. Future 2016 Championships are to be held at Grafton in May, Tamworth in August and the State Championships at Wyong in October. The Forbes team are hoping to attend Tamworth and Wyong and improve their position on the ladder.

By Anita Morrison

Forbes teenager Sam Mackay tends to get himself involved in the community a little more often than most other people his age. Besides trying his hand at most sports in town, including rugby league, cricket, and tennis, the 14-year old also involves himself heavily in the livestock industry.

And on April 10, he will be hosting the Forbes Poultry Auction at the Forbes
Showground. While it will not be the first time the teenager will host his own auction, it will be the first time he sells other poultries besides just chickens.

He will also be selling ducks and turkeys on April 10, but the auction will also be the first time a new computer system will be used to assist with the sales.
A Microsoft Excel-like program, it has been developed by his aunty, Trisha Milford, and her husband, and can process sales and store information. Before now, everything was done the old-fashioned way on paper, Mr Mackay said.

He said he loves being able to host poultry auctions, taking some genes from his father Tim Mackay, who works for Forbes Livestock, and said his passion helps him to be so organised for someone as young as him.

“It’s something I’ve always been interested in- the sales and everything,” he said. “I help my dad out with his work during the school holidays, and I seem to really like that.”

“I can’t even remember how it all started to be honest. I think I just had a real build up of chooks one time. I have my own chooks and I couldn’t get rid of them.” “I thought to myself ‘I wish there was a sale around’, and then thought that I would just run one.”

During the April 10 auction Mr Mackay will organize all of the chickens, including recording their pen details, and individual chicken details, while his father Tim does the auctioneering. Sam Mackay has organised four auctions
in the last 12 months, but said from now on he’ll likely limit himself to one per
year.

“It’s something I really enjoy doing,” he said. “I would love to follow my dad’s footsteps and make a career out of it. Probably not with chooks though, but with cattle of sheep.”

“Unfortunately I can’t hold my own cattle and sheep auctions as they already have them going at the moment, but I go to them every Sunday to help prepare for the cattle sale.” “Whenever I can get a Tuesday off I go down to the sheep sales as well.”

Forbes filmmaker Dane Millerd has realised his dream of making the big time in film, with his film about Australia’s worst female criminal to enter Hollywood.

In 2001 Katherine Knight became the first female in Australian history to be locked up “never to be released”. Her crime involved stabbing her partner at the time, John Price, 37 times in a horrific murder.

Ms Knight then beheaded her victim, skinned his body and cooked it. She had planned to serve him up to her own children with vegetables and gravy, before she became comatose from an overdose of pills she had taken. Police arrived on the scene before her meal could be served. She is serving her
sentence at Sydney’s Silverwater Women’s Correctional Facility, and had an
appeal for parole turned down in court a number of years after her sentencing.

Mr Millerd managed to obtain the rights to a book about Katherine Knight’s shocking crime last year, and wrote a script for the film. US-based film company ‘Shoreline Entertainment’ picked up the script, and it was fast to contact Mr Millerd to express interest in making his film. He will take the reigns of producer of the film while Shoreline Entertainment set most of its direction. The film will be titled “Speckled Hen”, which was the nickname of Knight, and Mr Millerd expects filming to start next year. “Katherine Knight is going to be at least a $3 million film,” he told The Forbes Phoenix.

“I’d like to get bigger players involved [than other movies he has worked on], without sounding selfish, but I want to get people involved who have more runs on the board. They’ll attract a better vibe, bigger stars, and more funding to the project.” Mr Millerd’s background comes from newspaper journalism and music video filming, and he has already made a film, which he considers ‘B’ grade, called ‘Something in the Piliga’- a horror set in Australia.

Despite his interest in horror-themed movies, and the grotesque nature of the Katherine Knight story, he said ‘Speckled Hen’ would be a drama, and not a horror. “It’s certainly a very controversial topic. I’ve had both sides of the divide expressing their opinions, but at the end of the day… there’s been films on 9/11, [Ivan] Milat, and you want to engage with the entertainment.

This film will do its job tenfold,” he said. Mr Millerd will also work on another film, to be set in Forbes, called ‘Are You Scared Yet?’, which he has also got funding of $250,000 from US-based filmmakers Dark Water Productions. This will be filmed later this year.

He will travel to the USA this year to plan the filming of ‘Speckled Hen’, while some proceeds from the final product will be donated to domestic violence charities.

Forbes St John Anglican Church Parish Priest Geoffrey McAuliffe was inducted as the National Chaplain-elect in a ceremony at the church last Sunday.

He will officially become the next National Chaplain, under the board of the ‘Order of St Luke’, next year, after spending 12 months under the wing of the current National Chaplain. The board elects a new person to take this position every three years, but with no nominees immediately forthcoming in 2014, Mr McAuliffe decided to nominate himself last year, and was officially inducted as the elect to the position at the weekend.

Bishop of Bathurst Ian Palmer and Reverend Trevor Buttler made the trip to Forbes to induct Mr McAuliffe. He was persuaded to come out of retirement two years ago to take up the Parish Priest role at St Johns. Despite this he said his past experiences working as a chaplain in ‘chapters’ of seven
people meant he was capable of doing the job.

“I’ve worked in the formation of four different chapters over the years [since 1982], sometimes as the prime mover, and other times responding to the encouragement of others,” he said. “I’ve been a convenor (chairperson of a
chapter) a couple of times too.” “The ceremony was the culmination of a big month at St Johns. We had the Festival of Praise, followed by a mission with Defence Force Bishop Ian Lambert, so we’ve had three big weeks.”

In his new role, Mr McAuliffe will lead the ‘healing ministry’, which in Christianity is a spiritual practice of physical, mental, or emotional healing.
“As National Chaplain-elect, I’m under the direction of the National Chaplain, so what I would do is if there is something that requires his presence and he can’t be there, I would go,” he said. “When I become National Chaplain, one
thing I would like to do is try to find a way of interesting more people, and younger people, to be involved in the Order of St Luke…most of the Order at the moment is old, even older than me,” he joked.

While his new role will see him travel to other towns and cities in Australia from time to time, he will remain the Parish Priest at St Johns for the time being. He said he was extremely proud to be inducted as a Forbes local, with people coming to town from all corners of the country to witness the occasion.

While he has come out of retirement, he added he looked forward to what the future holds for him, despite his second retirement being at least another three years away as he works through his term as National Chaplain.

 

The people of Forbes turned out in great numbers on Tuesday, as the Hogs for the Homeless tour cruised through town. National Rugby League legends Brad Fittler, Nathan Hindmarsh, Steve Roach, Steve Menzies, Matt Cooper, Josh Perry and Brian Fletcher arrived in town in a convoy of Harley Davidson motorbikes.

The Hogs for the Homeless campaign was first organised by Brad Fittler in 2012, after he found out there was 50,000 people in NSW alone living on the streets. The campaign runs for two weeks and raises funds and awareness for Father Chris Riley’s “Youth off the Streets” foundation, which aims to put homeless people back in homes.

The former rugby league players were kept busy in Forbes, running a charity
sheep sale at the livestock exchange in the morning, before running a coaching clinic at Spooner Oval in the afternoon, and finally attending a fundraising dinner function at the Services Club in the evening. Each event was a huge success, with the sheep sale alone raising $11,560. With sheep buyers having the option of donating the sheep back to the sale yards, some sheep were sold multiple times, with one in particular selling a massive 56 times.

Hogs for the Homeless founder Brad Fittler, who played for the Penrith Panthers, Sydney Roosters, Australian Kangaroos and NSW State of Origin sides in his playing days, said the goal of the campaign was to make people aware that not everyone in NSW is fortunate enough to have a roof over their head. “There’s some real issues, and homelessness is one of them,” he said.

“Over 50,000 teenagers in the state are homeless, which is ludicrous,”
“This is about former footballers using their identities and getting out into the bush [so people in rural communities can meet them], and there’s the other side for Chris Riley and what he’s trying to accomplish.” Former Australian, NSW and Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles player Josh Perry said it was great to have been able to raise so much money, in particular the result at the
sheep sale.

“It’s amazing. We keep coming out to places like this and everyone says the
country is struggling a little bit, but it seems to be thriving, and the great people out here are digging into their pockets every time we see them,” he said.
Mr Perry, who was one of the organisers for this year’s tour, said it was enlightening for him and the other NRL legends to spend time with budding junior footballers, who do not normally get the chance to meet them, in rural communities.

“That’s one of the reasons why we come out. We get to meet the kids, and we get a lot out of that too. We’re lucky to be able to do what we do and we’re doing it every year now.”

Mr Fittler said he hoped more former players would keep joining the tour in the years to come.

The Forbes Medical Centre has welcomed three new registrars to the practice. Dr Maria Rasool, Dr Chen-Yi Lo and Dr Farrah Yasmin are now seeing patients and have joined the team as a part of their two year placement in completing their GP specialist training and bring with them other specialists training including Obstetrics, Women’s and Children’s Health.

The registrars are all fully qualified doctors who have completed six years of medical school and a couple of years as interns in the hospital system. Forbes Medical Centre Principal Dr Neale Somes said this is an excellent opportunity
for the trainee GP’s and said the Forbes Medical Centre has developed its reputation as a centre of excellence for teaching. “Medical Students and Registrars are keen to come to our practice because they know they will receive a well-rounded training experience,” Dr Somes said. “Each registrar is assigned to a senior Doctor as a supervisor and we provide both formal and informal teaching opportunities.”

The Forbes Medical Centre is located across the road from the Forbes Hospital giving registrars the opportunity to offer a better continuity of care by being able to follow through with their patients from diagnosis to treatment and follow up, something registrar’s do not experience working in larger metropolitan centres. “Our registrars will gain experience in General Practice including seeing patients in the clinic, working in the emergency department at the hospital, and doing surgical procedures, “ Dr Somes said.

Dr Maria Rasool studied medicine in Pakistan before moving to Australia and has worked in Sydney hospitals. She has also done her diploma in children’s health as well as certificate in Emergency medicine and is currently completing her certificate in women’s health.

“I look forward to developing a healthy relationship with the community of Forbes as I have moved here with my husband and three young children and I’ve already spotted a few attractions for myself to do socially along with activities for the children,” Dr Rasool said.

Dr Chen-Yi Lo is training to be a GP Obstetrician and will be available to see local pregnant women who can book appointments with her. She has worked and lived in Singapore, Melbourne and Adelaide. “I have experience in many aspects of medicine and will be stepping up from being a hospital medical officer to a GP Registrar.” Dr Lo said.

Dr Farrah Yasmin is also training to be a GP obstetrician and most recently worked in Wagga before moving to Forbes. She will work closely with Dr Hemant and Dr Whittaker to further develop her training in General Practice and Obstetrics.