Ian Simpson of Ray White Rural said he always wanted to get involved in the town and help the community further and he is doing just that. “Our aim is to support the needs of kids, families and the community,” Ian said.

“We are volunteering to help out with everything, from reading to kids, to helping out with major fundraising projects. The company will be contributing to programs, being a part of them instead of just writing a cheque,” Ian said. This week the team from Ray White Rural helped put on a BBQ for Education Week at Forbes North Public School. The boys cooked five hundred sausages and the women buttered hundreds of bread slices. The school is currently working on a beautification project which includes creating an all new front yard for the school. A new disabled ramp has also been installed, an important feature the school never had before.

Ray White Rural has acquired two vintage bicycles; one will be raffled to raise funds for Forbes North and the other will be first prize in a colouring competition for Kinder to Year 2 children in the wider communities.

Woolworth’s popular Earn & Learn campaign is back, giving everybody the chance to contribute some amazing new educational equipment to schools and early learning centres across Australia.

Country towns like Forbes really benefit from these kinds of programs and they give locals the chance to think about education in the community and contribute to the skill growth of children. The last program reached 14,500 schools
and early learning centres, enabling them access to a whole new range of educational equipment.

Anybody who shops with Woolworths can take part because every $10 you spend there will earn you 1 Earn & Learn Sticker. Instead of throwing them in the bin or simply not accepting them at the checkout, stick them to a Woolworths Earn & Learn Sticker Sheet. These are available at any Woolworths store and at your local schools as well as online at www.woolworths.com.au.

Once your Sticker Sheet is full, simply put it into a collection box at your local school or at Woolworths. That’s all it takes to contribute, so start collecting today and support your local schools!

The Forbes Country Bakehouse formed in June 1990 as a family business, starting out with a single baker and four day staff. In less than two years Kerrie had taken over, raising three girls – Amity, Giselle and Olivia – and running a successful business. You might call her a modern-day super woman.

25 years on, the team has grown to 4 bakers and 17 day staff. They now do large deliveries to other stores and businesses in the region showing how popular their menu has grown.

“I have watched so many different generations of families grow into the people they are today,” says Kerrie. “Different travellers that pass through the same time every year; you know you’re doing it right if you have people always coming back.” “We love to support the local community. We have pie drive fundraisers, savoury and
sweet, for clubs, committees, schools and sporting groups. Pie drives go from Forbes to Canowindra to Tullamore and everywhere in between.”

Over the years The Bakehouse has grown and expanded with Xtension, serving hot and cold drinks, pies, cakes and breads baked fresh daily. There is a full salad bar for your sandwiches and rolls, cooked meals like melts, delicious spuds, hotdogs, gourmet burgers, schnitzels and more. “All ingredients and products are sourced locally or handmade by us,” says Giselle, “support locals to feed locals.”

Their space caters for everyone, including a kids corner and their “read and relax” section where a gold donation is all it costs to borrow a book. Alternatively, customers are welcome to simply stop in for a coffee and a little bit of reading. Open from 6am to 5:30pm weekdays, and 6am to 12:30pm on Saturdays, don’t forget to pre-order your Friday sushi by Thursday. The Bakehouse is one of the fantastic nooks in Forbes to check out.

The Come and Drive It Day sponsored by Forbes Machinery and New Holland will be held at Forbes Showground on Tuesday 28th July. This is the first year of the event, which is being held all across the Central West. It is a great opportunity for local farmers to test drive and have a good look at some of the tractors and harvesters in action. Try
before you buy!

The full New Holland range of tractors will be on display, including the T8435 Smart Trax which is designed to reduce soil compaction when sowing or using for other purposes. There will also be one of the new Combine
CR9090 harvesters which can be used for summer and winter crops as well as slashers from Dominator, and a plough from Southern Cross.

Peter Nixon, Sales at Forbes Machinery said that rsvp’s are required to ensure nobody misses out, and there will be giveaways, lucky door prizes and the opportunity to go into the draw to win $4000 Blue dollars to spend on New Holland products, parts or service at your local dealer. You can also enjoy a free sausage sizzle lunch.

So if you haven’t booked a space, give Peter a call now on 02 6852 3211.

Community not-for-profit organisations in Forbes are being encouraged to apply for funding through the Community Building Partnerships program. “A total of $200,000 is available for community groups within the Orange electorate for building and improving community facilities,” Member for Orange Andrew Gee said.

“The Community Building Partnership program allows for community infrastructure to be built, refurbished or enhanced, making an important impact on the day-to-day lives of our local communities,” Mr Gee said. “In many cases the funds will go to much needed social infrastructure with sporting, youth, cultural and community clubs all benefiting from the project funding.”

Applications will be assessed on merit against the project criteria and should demonstrate how their project will benefit their local community. The applications period closes at 5pm on Friday 7 August. Applications can be lodged
at www.communitybuildingpartnership.nsw. gov.au where additional information about the program and the types of projects that will be eligible for funding are also available.

After a short hiatus in 2002, the Friends of the Forbes Hospital Auxiliary reformed in 2004, and currently has 14 members on the committee. This Auxiliary was commenced in 1927 and was then known as the United Hospitals Auxiliary- Forbes Branch.

The current members, some of whom have been there for many years, come from a multitude of backgrounds, and bring together a wealth of experience. One lone male, Norm Haley, joins the enthusiastic group, so come on blokes get along to the AGM on 7th August and join in.

In the past the Auxiliary has raised funds for a range of pieces of equipment, including larger items such as a new theatre table, emergency trolleys and some new maternity equipment, so they provide an essential part of ongoing welfare for the community. Their fundraising is done by running raffles at major times of the year, including Easter
and Christmas. Around $2500 has been raised in the past year and at this point in time even though the money has not been earmarked for anything in particular, they will receive a ‘wish list’ from the Hospital which they will review carefully before deciding where their efforts are best placed.

There are many generous benefactors in the town including Woolworths and people who are celebrating a special occasion who request donations to the Auxiliary rather than receive presents. This is a great way to support a charity of your choice. The spirit of a local town is very evident in Forbes and people are very supportive and generous in their time and in donations.

We all know that the backbone of a lot of regional towns is the necessity to have a fully equipped local hospital as it plays such a vital and essential role. The Auxiliary are looking forward to the refurbished hospital being officially open, which should be in the next couple of months.

The Men’s Shed is a local committee of the Forbes men who get together from 9am to 12pm every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, and they are always looking for new members – ‘the more the merrier’. “We believe in mateship, helping the community and a good cuppa for morning tea” said President Norm Haley.

At the moment the men are working on restoring furniture that the people of Forbes have kindly donated to the shed, including chairs, cabinets and a large garden setting and any leftovers or scrap is being recycled and used as kindling which the men sell for $6 a bag, which has been quite handy in this weather of late.

The committee has been lucky enough to have signed a running two year contract with the Honey Bee Factory, making wood box presentation packages, which look incredible! “We make 200 boxes per month, and 250 of our packages have recently been sent all over the world, that’s very exciting” said Norm. “We are organising guests such as health and lifestyle speakers to come along and talk Local Blokes Loving Life to us, as we like to get one per month. Last month was Australian Hearing and some of us ended up with hearing aids by the end of the day”.

Fundraising is a massive part of what the blokes at The Men’s Shed do. If you would like to help out, the men are running a 100 Club with tickets being sold at Bernardi’s IGA and Woolworths. A garage sale will take place this weekend at the Showground, starting at 9am and a sausage sizzle will also be on offer. There will also be a sausage sizzle held at Bunnings in August, September and October but the dates have not yet been confirmed.

All the fundraising and donations are going towards deserving charities close to the men’s heart as well as their organisation to help them achieve their goals. “We wish to build our own shed someday in the future”. Anyone wishing to join can simply turn up. Alternatively, please contact the Men’s Shed President Norm Haley on 0428 638 665 or Secretary Leo Butler on 0415 180 059.

“Once upon a time….”Are they not the most glorious words in the English language? And how much time, do we as parents spend reading with our children? It is just so important.

A headmaster was heard telling someone at a local school, “Far too often, parents tell me their child is ‘not a reader’. But that’s a copout. It’s a kid’s job to read and a parent’s job to persist for as long as it takes.” The key is to regard reading as a delight rather than a duty. Start early with your children and be theatrical when you read out
loud to your children (and grandchildren). Be animated and alive, however most importantly, be present. If you’re not interested and you don’t sound like you care whether Hairy Maclary from Donaldson’s Dairy gets frightened by Scarface Claw or not, your child will know the difference.

Some children want to read the same book over and over again, then great let them do this. A lifelong relationship with a story is a lovely thing. For those long trips, audio books are marvellous. Remember a trip to the local library can be a weekly occurrence to choose a new book and audio.

So I would like to challenge all the mums and dads, and the grandparents, to take the time to read with your children and grandchildren and take yourself back to your childhood. Let us know what books your children like and how much time you spend with them reading. If you are part of a children’s reading group then perhaps you would like to share the details. Send us your story and the best story wins a voucher from Woolworths to the value of $50.

Woolworths is once again proud to be supporting education for Australian kids. Earn & Learn is back for 2015 and will offer early learning centres, primary schools and secondary schools the opportunity to benefit again, until September 8. Details of how to participate are available in stores and sticker sheets can be dropped into a collection box at your school or local store.

As part of an initiative of the Forbes Chamber of Commerce, the Chamber invites local businesses to portray their business, their challenges and what their plans are for the future. This week it was Linda Rees turn from Esme’s Coffee Shop which she has owned for 15 years after purchasing it from the Curry’s in November 2000.

Linda said she “thought it would be an easy job”. It has turned out to be very labour intensive, and particularly with her food, as everything is home cooked. She concentrates on ‘plain’ home-cooked food and admits they do very well with this type of food. It is particularly appreciated by the older clientele who visit regularly. The biggest change in her business has been the uptake in coffee sales. When Linda changed her brand of coffee to Bills Beans she saw an immediate rise of approximately 25% in sales. Esme’s is the fastest growing coffee reseller of Bills Beans in the Central West. Bills Beans would only allow her to sell their coffee if she agreed to make it the way that they wanted her to make it, as they didn’t want people having coffee served which wasn’t up to their standard. And it has
obviously worked for her with sales improving each month.

“One of my main challenges, as I am sure is the same with most businesses is finding, training and keeping the right staff. A surprising number of people, either through absent-mindedness or some other motive, also simply forget to pay. We have put in new technology and this is helping us streamline how we operate.” If you are looking to take over a great business in Forbes, this business is up for sale, but if you are simply looking for a great cup
of coffee then head to Esme’s.

BreastScreen NSW Greater Western has launched its new mobile breast-screening unit, servicing women across the Western NSW Local Health District. The unit is part of a NSW Government investment of $8.8 million to upgrade the existing BreastScreen NSW fleet with state-ofthe- art vehicles and screening technology.

The Federal Government contributed $4.4 million. Enhancements in the new vehicles include:
• Upgraded digital mammography equipment.
• Secure wireless communication system for instant transfer of diagnostic images to the statewide BreastScreen service for analysis by radiologists and breast physicians.
• Improved air-conditioning and wheelchair accessibility.
The mobile unit will visit Parkes, Forbes, Tottenham, Tullamore, Trundle, Peak Hill, Narromine, Molong and the Orange Aboriginal Medical Service between now and the end of the year.

It will be in Forbes from August 17 to September 28 in Victoria Park, behind the Cenotaph on Harold Street. “A woman diagnosed with breast cancer in NSW today has among the highest chances of survival in the world,” said Sarah McGill, Director Cancer Institute NSW. “However, we know that early detection is the key to survival.”

“It is vital for all women aged between 50 and 74 to have a mammogram every two years at a BreastScreen NSW clinic. It is a free service that could save your life. Women should call 132 050 to book a breast screen today.”