Last Saturday December 4th, a presentation morning tea was held at the Forbes Riverside Community Gardens to acknowledge and donate to five special community groups as well as recognise two new life members for their selfless contributions over many years.

In front of a massive crowd the Forbes Riverside Community Gardens Committee, fresh from elections of a new Executive and Committee, were all on hand to give back to the people and organisations of Forbes who have supported them. From assisting with planting tips to selling local produce, everything was covered however the main purpose of the day was to celebrate and they did it in style with flummeries, music from the Forbes and District Town Band and all things gardening.

Committee member Heather Moore was ecstatic with the response after a tumultuous year that has involved a COVID pandemic and floods.

“The purpose of the morning tea was to present five local community groups with donations from the profit raised from our Costa Open Day on May 29, 2021,” said Heather Moore of Riverside Community Gardens.

Forbes and District Town Band and Forbes Toy Library both received $1000 while 97.9 Valley FM Community Radio was awarded $500. Both Forbes Lions and Forbes Rotary Club received $250 each.

The Riverside Community Gardens also presented Anne Hodges and Graham Falconer with Life Membership presented by Leo Curran.

“Both have been tremendous contributors to the gardens,” Mr. Curran said.

The day also showcased bright “new look” T-shirts and promotional flags that you can see at the gardens each weekend on display.

With just two weeks to go until Christmas, Council is urging children to get their letters to Santa as soon as possible so he can check he has all those gifts in stock and send a reply to everyone.

“Santa is always very careful with his gift-giving to ensure he is being fair to all children in the Forbes Shire,” said Forbes Shire Council General Manager, Steve Loane.

“It has been a particularly difficult year for some students with home-schooling and now the floods preventing time together with friends. Council has partnered up with Santa to provide letter templates and a post box located in the reception area of the Forbes

Council Administration Building. We encourage the children to tell Santa how they have been good this year,” he said.

“This simple activity is a great way for children to practice their literacy skills and bring back traditional communication methods of letter writing, which has quickly disappeared from our society,” said Mr. Loane.

The template letter can be downloaded from Council’s website; https://www.forbes.nsw.gov.au/community/community-services-and-information/families-and-youth-services/youth-programs

Santa requires all letters to be posted prior to 20 December to ensure a reply.

With counting resuming Monday, over two thirds of the votes have been tallied in the Forbes Shire Council elections with Phyllis Miller OAM receiving an extraordinary 1731 of those 4663 (37.12%) formal votes so far. Jenny Webb (10.17%) and Steve Karaitiana (10.14%) sit second and third while Marg Duggan (7.96%) and Aidan Clarke (7.76%) round out the top five and while nothing is official, should be safe.

Maria Willis is next with 4.85% of the vote while a real gridlock has developed with all remaining candidates still with a chance to take a spot on the next council. Over 2.8% didn’t register a formal vote.

For Phyllis Miller, who has campaigned on an outstanding track record of achievement, the vote is a strong vindication of the progress made by the last council during the pandemic and floods. Since the 2016 elections, ironically also during floods, Forbes has become a regional retail hub and the envy of many rural towns. Miller and

the previous council, as well as those former councillors running in these elections such as Jenny Webb, Chris Roylance, Jeff Nicholson, Graeme Miller, Michele Herbert and Steve Karaitiana can also lay claim to this success as well.

Count at time of publication is as follows:
Aidan Clarke: 362 or 7.76 per cent
Margaret Duggan 371 or 7.96 per cent
Jeff Nicholson 123 of 2.64 per cent
Chris Roylance 213 or 2.85 per cent
Steve Karaitiana 473 or 10.14 per cent
Phyllis Miller 1731 or 37.12 per cent
Brian Mattiske 136 or 2.92 per cent
Graeme Miller 139 or 2.98 per cent
Michele Herbert 120 or 2.57 per cent
Maria Willis 226 or 4.85 per cent
Emma Henderson 162 or 3.47 per cent
Jenny Webb 474 or 10.17 per cent.

Go to Forbes – Councillor Election results (nsw.gov.au) for virtual updates

 

Residents, farmers and businesses in Lockhart, Parkes and now Weddin Shires will be able to access disaster assistance to help recover from recent severe weather events. Federal Member for Riverina Michael McCormack said Lockhart and Parkes Local Government Areas have been added to the Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements (DRFA) along with three other Riverina Electorate LGAs: Cowra, Forbes and Weddin

“This is about getting support to the places most affected by the recent heavy downpours and flooding events as a result of the rain,” Mr McCormack said.

The disaster assistance will help the Cowra, Forbes, Lockhart, Parkes and Weddin councils cover the costs associated with the operational response and repairing damaged essential public assets.

Local residents will also receive support to get back on their feet, including grants to replace essential household contents or repair structural damage to homes.

Assistance available under the DRFA may include:

Help for eligible people whose homes or belongings have been damaged (eligibility criteria apply);

Support for affected local councils to help with the costs of cleaning up and restoring damaged essential public assets;

Concessional interest rate loans for small businesses, primary producers and non-profit organisations;

Freight subsidies for primary producers;

Grants to eligible non-profit organisations.

For information on personal hardship and distress assistance, contact Service NSW on 13 77 88.

Club Forbes have shown once again what great supporters they are of CanAssist Forbes with a generous donation last week to help those locally battling the scourge of cancer.

“Club Forbes have been great supporters of CanAssist for many years and their support is greatly appreciated by all at CanAssist and the Forbes people affected by cancer that we support,” a statement from CanAssist read.

“The committee and members of CanAssist Forbes thank Club Forbes for their magnificent donation.”

CanAssist Forbes was the first country branch established in 1956. The branch raises funds to provide financial assistance to people in the Forbes community who are undergoing cancer treatment.

“We are very well supported by members, volunteers and the community of Forbes. We believe the community of Forbes are so supportive because they know all the money raised and donated is used to assist Forbes and district cancer patients.”

Areas serviced include: Bandon, Bedgerebong, Bundaburrah, Calarie, Carrawabbity, Corinella, Cumbijowa, Eugowra, Fairholme, Forbes, Garema, Grawlin, Gunning Gap, Jemalong, Mulyandry, Ooma, Warroo, Weelong, Wirrinya and Yarragong.

 

Member for Riverina Michael McCormack has stood up in Federal Parliament to praise and thank those defending Forbes in the face of a flooding Lachlan River.

“I want to say thanks this morning to all of those who helped willingly and voluntarily, doing what they could for their colleagues in the town and, indeed, for strangers who they may never have met before,” Mr McCormack said in a Constituency Statement.

“I have to say thank you also to all the volunteers who came from all parts of New South Wales to render assistance. They came to lend a hand to the people of Forbes.”

Mr McCormack witnessed Forbes residents banding together and the support of first responders and emergency volunteers when he visited the town twice last week.

“That town on the Lachlan River has, of course, been besieged by rising floodwaters. Hundreds of homes were under threat. Many of them had water running through them.”

Mr McCormack thanked the many businesses which have provided free coffee and free care packs, from the smallest coffee shop in town right up to Woolworths and Telstra.

“Fifty thousand sandbags were filled by the State Emergency Service. I also want to acknowledge the outstanding effort by the mayor, Phyllis Miller, and her Shire Council team. Phyllis Miller is one of the great mayors in my electorate, if not the State.”

Mr McCormack warned the flood crisis was not over yet.

 

When Kim and Wendy Muffet decided to move from their farm 60kms west of Forbes, for the more tranquil and idyllic surrounds of Gum Swamp where they established the green living retreat known as Girragirra, Wiradjuri for “Be Well, Be Happy, Be Merry”, they knew there would be some challenges living on the floodplain.

Despite the third setback in less than a decade of living on and then running their small green eco-tourism business, Kim and Wendy, believe Girragirra will always be a magical place for guests to experience no matter what the season brings because it has been designed to be safely embedded in the beauty of the floodplain.

As former landholders and farmers themselves, the Muffet’s feel the pain of the loss and despair floods can bring. On the back of a COVID pandemic, Wendy acknowledges that for many, the losses will be devastating and she hopes that they can bounce back leading into Christmas.

“While we may have lost some bookings and other local businesses have lost thousands, our farmers have lost millions and they are the heart of the valley,” Wendy said.

“The river is the lifeblood and sadly, these disasters can happen in the floodplain.”

Three times in nine years in fact but Wendy isn’t prepared to let it destroy the dream of Girragirra Green Living.

“I love it out here. We both do and we understand floods contribute to the ecological health of the floodplain,” she said.

“Hopefully the water recedes soon enough and things start getting back to normal here at Girragirra and for everyone in the Forbes Shire,” Wendy said.

“Our heart goes out to all those impacted by the floods and we want to thank everyone who messaged us well wishes – we appreciate it!”

Go to www.girragirra.com for more info.