Young livestock competitors at the 582 agricultural shows around Australia are encouraged to complete a free online course in animal welfare and handling standards offered by Agricultural Shows Australia. The courses are designed for young exhibitors and judges of poultry, cattle, alpacas and sheep and are available on the organisation’s website. It was developed in partnership with the Australian Government’s Department of Agriculture, Water and Environment.

The courses provide training in the basics of animal handling and care, the principles of animal welfare and show ring ethics, safety and animal wellbeing. The courses can be accessed for free online at agshowsaustralia.thinkific.com

Jenny and Greg Maher from Nashdale visited the new CWA Op Shop in Eugowra last Saturday.

A new Op Shop opened in Eugowra last Saturday after lots of hard work put in by members of the CWA. 

The day was a great success and the next opening days are on 6th and 20th August. Donations for the shop may be left on meeting days, on the second Friday of the month or with members. 

Earlier in the month the CWA catered for the Rural Advisory Mental Health Program in the CWA rooms. Phillip Worrad the presenter, talked about “Responding to suicide risk in our community”. He spoke about what you can do to avoid getting to a stage where you would want to end your life. 

We learned about box breathing – hands together, breathe in for four as you take them above your head, hold for four as you take them wide, lower hands as you breathe out counting to four, and finally bring your hands together counting to four. 

Phil also touched on mindfulness and positive reframing – turning negative thoughts into positives. 

The fundamentals for good mental health include six to eight hours of sleep, a healthy diet, regular exercise, regular breaks from work, a relaxing hobby, and moderate caffeine and alcohol intake. 

There are many services available for mental health or contact Philip.Worrad@health.nsw.gov.au or call the Mental Health Line 1800 011 511. 

By Janet Noble 

Lauren Liebich, Caitlin Dean and Iesha Sinclair are excited about the introduction of Quiet Hour to Service NSW Forbes.

The Forbes Service NSW Centre has introduced Quiet Hour for customers to ensure a lower-sensory experience, with quieter and less stimulating environments. 

The changes may include the volume of music and customer ticket announcements being turned down and requesting customers to turn their phones to silent. Service NSW also offers hearing loops, low counters, and other accessibility features. 

The Quiet Hour times in Forbes will be on Tuesdays from 9am to 10am and Thursdays from 10am to 11am. Forbes is one of eight service centres across NSW where Quite Hour will be piloted for three months according to Service NSW Chief Executive Officer Damon Rees. The other centres are Auburn, Dubbo, Edmondson Park, Engadine, Erina, Lithgow and Queanbeyan. 

“Some people have sensory processing issues and may find sound and light overwhelming,” said Damon. “Major retailers across the country, including Coles and Woolworths, have successfully introduced Quiet Hour and customers have called on Service NSW to offer a similar experience.” 

For more information about Quiet Hour visit www.service.nsw.gov.au/about-us/our-organisation/supporting-customers-disability 

By Brett Sale 

A Forbes family is singing the praises of members of the Forbes Men’s Shed after they’ve done and exceptional job for them.

The Glasson family will be forever grateful for the assistance given to them by two Men’s Shed members over a period of about four weeks.

“There was a lot of machinery and stuff to sort out and I did not know what to do,” said a member of the Glasson family. “I ended up going to the Men’s Shed to ask for some advice, and they ended up offering their assistance.”

The two men would help out whenever they had some spare time. “It was an enormous job and they just worked tirelessly in the cold weather to see it through to the end. I just can’t express enough how wonderful they’ve been and how they went out of their way to help.

“It is just wonderful that we have such a great organisation in our community as they’ve been exceptional to our family. The Glasson family would like to give them our thanks and appreciation.”

The Forbes Men’s Shed is located in Union Street and new members are always welcome to join. 

The prized artwork at Spotlight was removed last week for treatment and storage to keep it safe and ensure its conservation. (Photo: Forbes Shire Council)

The precious woollen mural that was installed on the external wall of the Spotlight building was taken down last week. 

The artwork comprising 15 larger than life size portraits of well-known local farmers was designed by local artist Rosie Johnston and was part of the 2012 Sydney Royal Easter Show Western District display, which won the People’s Choice award. 

The artwork of the farmers represented the essence and diversity of farming in the district. 

After the win at the Sydney Royal Easter Show the mural was purchased by the Forbes Shire Council and installed on the external wall of the Spotlight building. The artwork remained intact thankfully when the building was extensively damaged by fire in March. 

Council reported on its Facebook page last week that local builders and glaziers worked with Council to remove the glass, and packed down and stored the art wool panels. The panels will be treated and stored to keep it safe and conserved. 

Several people commented that the panels should be displayed at the new tourist information centre or somewhere else in town.