General Interest Archives - Page 102 of 317

Grants, Donations, Help

November 25, 2022 by Maggi Barnard

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet announced a joint Commonwealth and State Government disaster recovery package this week, which includes $50,000 Small Business Grants.

“We congratulate both the Federal and State Governments for moving so swiftly to ensure the Small Business Grant is announced and launched and we are particularly pleased to see that the first $25,000 will be paid out quickly” said Vicki Seccombe, Regional Director – Western NSW, Business NSW.

“Central West businesses are incredibly resilient but these floods have really affected so many businesses and these grants will provide them with the support they need to get the doors back open and running.”

Forbes Floods Donations and Help

Forbes Shire Council has set up a GIVIT donation page to match you up with people who need help. If you want to donate go to www.givit.org.au/donate-items. If you need help call 1300 585 054 or email givit@forbes.nsw.gov.au

Service NSW

If you need to replace your licence, birth, death or marriage certificates after the flood, Service NSW has set up a mobile service in the Lawler Street car park to immediately help residents. This service will be available from 9am – 4pm until today (Friday) and will then be in the Recovery Assistance hub in the Town Hall concourse from Monday.

Fulfil Your Foodie Dream… In Forbes

November 25, 2022 by Maggi Barnard

The fully appointed kitchen installed at the former Lachlan Vintage Village, which will soon be opened as the new Forbes Visitor Information Centre.

As the official opening of the new Forbes Visitor Information Centre is drawing closer, a call has gone out for expressions of interest for the proposed restaurant/café.

The new centre will be housed at the former Lachlan Vintage Village site, which has been fully renovated with a fully appointed kitchen installed.

“This completely rejuvenated space will make a spectacular venue for a unique dining experience, as well as relaxed cosy evenings with a drink next to the original brick fireplace,” said Forbes Mayor Phyllis Miller OAM. “It will also be perfect for functions and gatherings. There is a blank canvas awaiting the right person to bring their flair for interior styling and vibrant flavours to the table.”

According to Mayor Miller the design and fit out of the restaurant will be up to the successful tenant. It is an exciting opportunity to feature and promote local and regional produce.

“Forbes and its surrounding districts are literally a food bowl, and we produce so much beautiful food, whether it be wine, meat, fruit and vegetables, the list is so diverse. This is the perfect opportunity to show what we have to offer,” the Mayor said.

“It is anticipated the restaurant/cafe will utilise the charm of a new outlook of an old building to offer fine dining in a rustic style.

“This is an exciting opportunity for an ambitious tenant to develop their business in a truly exciting location right on the Newell Highway. The Visitors Information Centre will open in the first quarter of 2023.

Expressions of interest for restaurant/café operators will be taken until 5pm on 31st December. Information packages and expressions of interest forms can be downloaded from the Forbes Shire Council website.

For more information email forbes@forbes.nsw.gov.au or call 6850 2300.

Big Or Small We Love Them All – Christmas Tree Festival

November 25, 2022 by Maggi Barnard

The Forbes community is encouraged to let their imagination go in creating entries for the 10th Christmas Tree Festival next month.

Rotary Ipomoema has confirmed that the 10th Christmas Tree Festival will be taking place as planned from Friday, 2nd December to Sunday, 4th December.

All entries need to be delivered to the Forbes Town Hall from 7am on Friday, 2nd December.

Anyone can enter. No matter how big or small, your entry will brighten our community at this time when the spirit of Christmas is really needed.

Your tree could reflect your organisation, the festive season or have a Christmas message. There are no restrictions. A sewing group could decorate their tree with patch work decorations, for example. A school or pre-school can make paper decorations for a tree, while a choir could decorate a tree with musical notes or carols. A sporting group could make lots of ball shapes in Christmas colours. Welders may wish to weld a tree, or builders may like to nail up an entry. The possibilities are endless.

The trees will be open for viewing from Friday afternoon and throughout the weekend. By coming to see the Christmas Tree Festival you will also assist Rotary raising important funds to share within our community at this time of need.

For more information call 0427 201 445 or 6851 5197.

Free Floating Tyres All Over Forbes

November 25, 2022 by Maggi Barnard

About 60 tyres, some weighing up to 200kg, were floating all over Forbes when a fence was broken at Jelbarts Tyrepower during the flood. “The tyres went as far as the ski dam,” said Brody Rumble. “People were letting us know and we went all over town to collect our tyres.”

Forbes High At Schools Spectacular

November 25, 2022 by Maggi Barnard

Good news from Forbes High School is that six students and staff left for Sydney on Tuesday to take part in the School Spectacular Extravaganza. The group used the rest of the week for dress rehearsals and will be doing two performances today and two tomorrow. A bus load of students will also be going to Sydney today to watch the performance. On the photo are (L-R) Emma Dick, Angus Carpenter, Sarah-Jane Sullivan, Chloe Cowell, Logan Harvey and Hailey Mckeon Ovington.

$20,000 Of Prizes To Encourage Local Shopping

November 25, 2022 by Maggi Barnard

The Trees are out. Each participating business will have a wonderful timber Christmas Tree out the front of their business or close to their front door.

“We are so pleased to be able to offer $20 000 in prizes this year,” said Aaron Acheson of the Forbes Business Chamber. “It has been a tough year so the Forbes Business Chamber is delighted to have kept the draws to encourage local shopping.”

Due to the floods and businesses needing to clean up, the draws will begin on Thursday, 1st December with the first $500 being electronically drawn. Please make sure that your electronic entry is filled out correctly. All you need to do is scan the QR Code and fill in the details. There are 7 x $500 up until Christmas Eve and then 10 X $500, 1 x $1500, 2 x $2500 and 1 x $5000 which will be drawn on 24th December.

Major sponsors and participants: Forbes Shire Council and Forbes Business Chamber. Gold Sponsor – Bernardis, Silver Sponsors -Terry Bros Carpet Court and the Forbes Phoenix. Bronze Sponsors – Flannery’s Pharmacy, Gunn’s Menswear and Embroidery, MD Steel, Steele Technology, Walkers Ag N Vet and WA Knights. “All the sponsors will have a QR code for you to scan when you shop in their business.” For those people who don’t have a phone, there will be a sign-on-sheet. Your details will be entered manually prior to each drawer.

Participating businesses: All of the above plus Acheson’s Mite 10, Allure On Main, Blue Sky Outdoors, Betta Home Living, Blush Organics, Bowns Sports Power, Brons Hair Design, ChapterTwo, Forbes Automotive Services, Forbes Central Butchery, Forbes Small Engines, HelloWorld, Hozpots Garden Centre, Isabel’s Place, Jessica’s Beauty, Life Pharmacy, Little Extra’s Lifestyle, Loomzys Fish n Fix, Made Of Fridays, McMillian Industries, News On Rankin, Phillip Wells Optometrist, Robbs Jewellers, The Bakehouse, The Book Dispensary, Turners Furniture One and Undercover Sleepwear and Lingerie.

“We hope the Find It In Forbes Christmas Promotion and Christmas Carnival will bring some fun and happiness to all,” said Aaron.

Forbes Christmas Carnival on 9th December from 5 – 9pm.

Titanic Task Ahead After Flood Destruction

November 25, 2022 by Maggi Barnard

AN ARMY OF VOLUNTEERS… The ADF and loads more volunteers helped out at Forbes Public School on Tuesday, while the students have been accommodated at Forbes High School. Right: Principal Meg Staples had a huge task managing the clean-up.

As the flood water started receding this week Forbes started the mammoth task of cleaning up for the second time in two weeks.

A horror picture of the devastation and destruction were unfolding with everything covered in mud and debris, but fortunately the pure determination and grit of the community did not wash away.

“It is all a bit overwhelming,” said Forbes Public School principal Meg Staples on Tuesday still managing a smile as she managed over 100 volunteers, including parents, teachers, ADF, RFS and Forbes Shire Council volunteers.

“We prepared really well,” she said, after the school was inundated only 11 days earlier, but it was still a huge task to get about 17 rooms, including the front office, kindergarten classroom, toilets and library, cleared and deep cleaned. Carpets and nails had to be removed, floors, walls and halls washed and everything sorted.

“All the support has been absolutely fantastic,” said Meg looking at the beehive of activity to get the school ready for the kids to return as soon as possible.

The same intensity of activity was seen all over town at businesses, sport clubs and private homes. “We did not lose anything really valuable, but there is so much cleaning to be done,” said Rex Barton at the Forbes Historical Museum. He was very grateful for the help they had received from the ADF and RFS on Monday.

“The old pieces of furniture have done really well, but we have some display cabinets damaged as the water came up to about half a metre right through the museum and higher in the back rooms.”

The plan is to only reopen next year to give the volunteers enough time to get it all back to normal.

Ken South was helping at the Forbes Vet Clinic where his wife Sue Brown works. The clinic had moved to temporary accommodation to continue its work. “There’s been some losses, but not as much as some other businesses,” said Ken. “Everyone has been so terrific in coming to help, including the ADF and RFS.”

Forbes resident Peter Walsh also had some assistance from the RFS on Tuesday to wash all the mud from his partner’s house in Renfree Street. “This flood just beat us. For pensioners the loss is just devastating.”

Peter said although they had prepared really well, things like the kitchen and bathroom cupboards would still need to be replaced. “There is a lot of assistance offered to farmers and businesses, but I’m not sure what is on offer to us.”

Despite all the mud and damage, Peter was happy to see the return of frogs in the garden. “We’ve not had them for years, and we found some crayfish in the house!”

Flood In Focus

November 25, 2022 by Maggi Barnard

Tim Welsh and Luke Evans are part of the Forbes Shire Council team doing a massive clean-up and recovery job all over town. They were busy working on the flattened fence at the Forbes pool on Tuesday.

Rex Barton points to the flood level almost over his head at 1.8m at the back of the Ben Hall Motor Inn.

Freak Flood Worst Ever In Parkes

November 18, 2022 by Maggi Barnard

FLOOD RAVAGED… The Billabong Creek bridge on the Orange road suffered severe damage as flood waters raged over it on Monday morning. Only one lane of traffic is allowed across the bridge at the moment. (Photo: NSW RFS- Parkes HQ Brigade)

A shock wave rippled through the community of Parkes on Monday as the extent of the worst flood to ever hit the town unfolded.

Torrential rain across the Central West on Sunday with 106mm measured at the Parkes airport created conditions for a ‘freak flood’ which inundated hundreds of homes. Residents on both sides of Billabong Creek and further away towards Kelly Road woke up around 4:30am with water running through their homes.

All the main roads into Parkes were closed on Monday and the town was cut in two as the Billabong Creek bridge on the Orange road was severely damaged. Emergency services were only able to reach flood affected residents by Monday night.

With water gushing 1.7m over the Lake Endeavour spillway, and every other little creek feeding into it filled to capacity, the 4m water marker at the creek crossing on the Eugowra road was completely submerged. The water spread far over the creek banks creating flood plains in places people would never have imagined in their wildest dreams it would get flooded. A resident who had just built a new home on Emerton Road said the water came about 1.5m higher than the one in 100-year flood event level.

Many homes along Nash Street were also inundated and parts of the road was closed because of flooding.

Parkes Shire Mayor Ken Keith said the devastation was unbelievable. He praised the community for the kindness shown in helping each other saying it was really inspiring.

‘The Worst Flood I’ve Ever Seen’

November 18, 2022 by Maggi Barnard

The Globe Hotel was surrounded by flood water on Wednesday morning. (Photos: Forbes Shire Council Facebook page)

Less than two weeks after the worst flood in decades, Forbes residents watched the water rise again this week to flood levels predicted to reach the record of 1952.

At the time of going to print the water had already gone past the previous week’s levels and was on its way to the predicted 10.8m. On Wednesday morning about two-thirds of the town was inundated.

“Residents can’t believe it could happen twice in such a short period of time, but they are resilient and everyone was working to fill sandbags,” Forbes Shire Mayor Phyllis Miller told ABC TV on Tuesday morning. “This is the worst flood I’ve ever seen. It is really heartbreaking. Our farming community and businesses are suffering terribly. We’ve got the Newell Highway closed, it’s terrible for the economy of a small rural town.”

Residents poured their hearts out on social media echoing the Mayor’s feelings. A post by Forbes Medicine & Mind read: “It’s really cruel doing this again 11 days after the last flood. There is so much uncertainty. So much destruction already and we know there is still so much more water to come. There is so much loss. So much grief.”

The RFS had to rescue 14 people from the roof of the Plainsmans Hotel in Forbes overnight on Tuesday, while an elderly couple, their daughter and their two dogs were rescued by a helicopter when their home was threatened by rising waters.

The SES again had to transfer critical health workers to the hospital via boat as it was the only means for them to get to work.

Recovery work from the previous flood was also hampered on Monday when the Newell Highway was closed between Forbes and Parkes and emergency crews could not make it to town. The rescue helicopters were also stuck at the Parkes airport as the Billabong Creek bridge was badly damaged in flash flooding at Parkes early Monday morning.

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