Topsoil Organics employees with the Small Business Award at the awards night were (L-R) Kylie Martin, Siobhan Ber-mingham, Lan Nicholson, Dan Nicholson, Stephanie Crowe and Eloise Clayton.

An innovative and young Forbes business took out the Small Business award at the 2022 Western NSW Business Awards held at Taronga Western Plains Zoo recently. 

First time entrants Top Soil Organics shocked and surprised themselves by winning the most competitive category on the night. 

“We are very excited about this award,” said Director Dan Nicholson. “It’s been very tough as a new business through COVID, but this award gives us a feeling that we must be on the right path. It gives us reassurance for the future.” 

After exponential growth over the past 12 months for the composting making business and the staff compliment growing from two full-time employees to 19, Dan said he foresaw business tripling in size over the next three years. 

He said the company had four vacancies at the moment, and if winning the award made them stand out to attract good employees, it would be a further win. 

Topsoil’s composting facility opened last year and provides an environmentally compliant facility for the receival and reuse of food and green waste. The facility processes food and green waste from supermarkets in metropolitan areas, mainly Sydney, into compost that is sold to farmers in the Central West as fertiliser. 

“There is a massive demand for the end product, and as food waste needs to be diverted from landfill, there is an opportunity to keep growing,” said Dan. He is looking to expand his processing capacity from 30,000 tons to 150,000 tons. 

“We are looking at equipment from Europe to depackage the plastic on food products. Once we’ve found an end market for the plastic, we will complete the circular economy loop from supermarket to farmer and the farmer’s produce back to the supermarket. 

“We are very proud where we’ve come from,” said Dan. 

By Maggi Barnard

Board members at Forbes Rotary’s 75th Annual presentation dinner (L – R) David Rhodes (treasurer), Greahame Uphill (secretary), Chris Finkel (president), Gary Pymont (immediate past president), Ross Williams (youth director), Chrissie Hawke (bulletin editor) and Peter Norris (vocational director). Absent: Michael Jelbart and John Zannes.

As the Rotary Club of Forbes held its 75th annual presentation dinner recently it also launched a project to assist the people of Ukraine. 

The club is raising funds through the sales of sunflower seeds – the sunflower is Ukraine’s national flower. Little blue and yellow packets of sunflower seeds for Ukraine have been placed at local businesses for the public to support the project. 

A few dollars as a donation for these seeds will help Rotary International fund much needed assistance for the war-torn people in Ukraine to regain their independence and freedom. 

“Planting the seeds in your garden will not only provide a colourful display in the streets of our town but will provide much needed support for those impacted by war in Ukraine,” said club president Chris Finkel. 

“It’s one more way Rotary is supporting communities both here and abroad – as a group of faithful Forbes volunteers has now been doing for three quarters of a century.” 

Forbes has two Rotary Clubs, and next year the Rotary club of Forbes Ipomoea will be celebrating 20 years of service. Forbes Ipomoea was chartered in 2003 and meets once a month on a Tuesday at 7am, while the 

The two Forbes Rotary clubs are encouraging more people to join them “to do good in our world, to do good in Australia and do good in our region”. 

President Chris Finkel, his board and Rotary members would love to welcome more people to join them. 

If you’re looking for something incredible to be part of, Rotary is a good place to start. Contact Chris on 0429 661 358 to talk about provisional membership if you’d like to try it out first. 

“I’ve made many friends through the world… involving myself in humanitarian Rotary projects and I invite members of our community to join our Rotary club and share the enjoyment and satisfaction one receives in pursuit of helping others,” he said. 

An artist’s impression of the pergolas to be installed in the CBD this weekend.

The CBD is going to look very different after the weekend with the installation of pergolas this weekend. Forbes Shire Council reported on Wednesday that earthworks had started in preparation for the pergolas, which is part of the CBD masterplan and funded by the Australian Government’s Building Better Regions Fund. 

The installation of the pergolas will take place over the weekend to minimise the disruption to business and traffic. Traffic controls will be in place and the plan is to only close one end of the street at a time. Take care near the works and follow all signs to ensure your own safety and the safety of the crews. 

Some of the women at the Knit ‘n Natter event held at the Craft Corner last week. Holding the rugs are Rosemary Mitchell and Rhonda Redenbach from the Craft Corner and Dianne Percy from Orange.

There was a lot of catching up to be done after two years of ‘silence’ at the Knit ‘n Natter event at Craft Corner last week.

About 40 women from Orange and Bathurst joined locals from Parkes and surrounds to not only natter over a cuppa and cake, but also knit squares for the Wrap with Love project that provide warm wraps to vulnerable people all over the world.

“We donate wraps to overseas charities, but also donate to 12 local charities including to the women’s refuge, nursing homes, oncology department and more,” said Dianne Percy, co-ordinator of Wrap with Love in Orange.

The annual even at Craft Corner, going for more than 14 years, is a great way of bringing people together, but members of the public are knitting at their homes and with friends right through the year for the project.

“One rug is made up of 28 squares, and we have 604 completed so far this year,” said Dianne. All the knitted squares from the Central West go to Orange and since the start of the project a total of 7,000 rugs have been made so far.

Wrap with Love was started in Melbourne in 1992 and donations have been sent to people in more than 75 countries.

Craft Corner members and anyone else keen on knitting are encouraged to drop off their knitted squares at the Craft Corner in Parkes. The squares should be 25cm square, knitted in 8 ply yarn with no. 8 (4mm) needles in garter stitch all plain rows.

If you have any 8 ply yarn lying around at home, feel free to drop that off at the Craft Corner too.

Dianne’s group meets at the Orange City Library every Thursday from 9 to 12 in the morning. She said the group also made beanies for homeless people, twiddle muffs for people with dementia and children with disabilities, outfits for stillborn babies and trauma teddies for hospitals.

By Maggi Barnard