The Chair of Central NSW Joint Organisation of Council (CNSWJO), Cr John Medcalf, OAM has hit back at claims that the NSW Government is stepping away from the Wyangala Dam expansion project in favour of non-infrastructure options to secure water supplies in the Lachlan River and broader Central West.

“How quickly people forget that little over 12 months ago many of our communities faced a day-zero crisis with town water supplies fast running out,” said Cr Medcalf, Chair of the Central NSW Joint Organisation and Mayor of the Lachlan Shire Council.

“Minister for Water, Melinda Pavey has been a strong supporter of the Wyangala Dam project and the region’s Mayors have welcomed her vision and solution focus,” he said.

“While supportive of non-infrastructure options, the reality is that we know from the many studies done to date that there is a limit to what these can achieve in securing town water supplies.”

Medcalf believes increased storage is needed so we can store water during times of good rain to prepare for drought.

“It’s disappointing given all the talk about working collaboratively with regional NSW on risks to town water supplies that the bureaucrats have not spoken to us about these non-infrastructure solutions being investigated. Maybe they need to be out in the region to experience our pain. We cannot afford to back away from the Wyangala Dam expansion. We owe it to our communities.”

Parents, carers and community members supporting young people experiencing mental health challenges can register to attend a free mental health workshop hosted by headspace, thanks to a $1.2 million investment by the NSW Government.

NSW Upper House MP, Sam Farraway said the workshops will help parents and carers better understand the unique challenges facing young people and how to access appropriate support.

“This is about improving mental health literacy in the community in areas such as recognising danger signs, learning share-able coping skills and accessing local support services.”

Minister for Mental Health Bronnie Taylor said the sessions will benefit the whole community.

“These sessions are for any parent or carer who is worried about their child and doesn’t know how to start a conversation about what’s going on in their lives,” said Mrs Taylor.

Headspace CEO Jason Trethowan said understanding suicide will also be a key part of the training. “Many young people have thoughts of suicide when life seems unbearable and they can’t imagine another way out,” Mr Trethowan said.

“The vast majority of these young people will not act on those thoughts, but we want parents and carers to be able to talk about such thoughts in a way that doesn’t inadvertently shame the young person or encourage them to stay silent.”

PARKES – NSW Parent and Carer Mental Health Education session registration – Tuesday 24th August at 12:00pm. To book visit: www.eventbrite.com.au/o/headspacenational-youth-mental-health-foundation-30549822220

The ‘Abstract Distractions’ exhibition opened at the Platypus Gallery last Saturday, showcasing a collection of experimental works by eleven novice artists from the Forbes Shire.

Aptly named the “Puggles”, the group was formed earlier this year by Forbes Arts Society member, Coralie Crouch with the intention of encouraging younger members of the Forbes community to pursue creative endeavours.

Recently, the group has gathered on a casual basis to learn about different methods, techniques and mediums. For many of the participants, the ‘Abstract Distractions’ exhibition is their first opportunity displaying their work publicly.

“The brief was to create abstract work – totally devoid of any reference to reality,” Coralie said.
“The biggest achievement of the group was overcoming the fear that their work is not good enough to exhibit. They have produced art works which display experimental use of colour, new techniques for paint application, and above all, confidence.”

The ‘Abstract Distractions’ exhibition will run until 29 August 2021. All artworks will be available for purchase. For more information visit www.forbesartssociety.com

As winter continues to provide consistent rainfall, one of the flow-on effects of above-average July precipitation is the filling of dams.

Airspace in Wyangala Dam has now been created and if rain continues to fall, we may all have no choice but to isolate. While no one is calling floods yet in Forbes, Wyangala sits over 95% with two floodgates open.

Forbes recorded approximately 85mm – twice its average and June was more than twice its normal falls with 117mm. The rainfall has caused flash flooding at Cottons Weir, road closures and redirections not to mention the impact on our roadways.

According to BOM, Forbes has been wet more than half the month with dipping temperatures (-2 only a nine days ago on July 28). Only three days later we had our hottest day with a top of 21 degrees.

Yet most attention remains on Wyangala Dam given that more rainfall in August could mean a very damp Spring.

Wyangala Dam is situated on the junction of the Lachlan and Abercrombie rivers about 48 kilometres upstream from Cowra in Central West NSW. The dam is about 320 kilometres west of Sydney and its storage capacity of 1,217,000 megalitres is more than twice the volume of Sydney Harbour.

The dam is named after Wyangala Station, one of the properties on which it was built. By the early 1900s it was clear that further development of the Lachlan Valley required a dam to regulate variable river flows. Following completion of NSW’s first dam for irrigation – Burrinjuck on the Murrumbidgee River – work started in 1928 on the state’s second major irrigation dam, Wyangala on the Lachlan River and was completed in 1935.

Today the dam provides water for a far larger area following the dam’s enlargement in 1971 and fourfold increase in storage capacity.

Back in June, Woolworths and FareShare launched the 2021 Feed Appeal to help meet the 47% increase in demand for food relief in communities across Australia in the past 12 months.

One hundred percent of all funds raised in NSW are being distributed to local food relief charities either as grants, or the direct donation of ready-to-eat meals – including any from Forbes during June. Feed Appeal grants enable local charities to purchase equipment like fridges, freezers, ovens and vans, building their capacity to receive, prepare and distribute more food.

This year’s funds will also support many local charities with the direct donation of FareShare meals, freshly prepared in one of their two charity kitchens, the largest in Australia.

Last year’s Feed Appeal raised more than $1.5 million, enabling 52 cash grants of up to $50,000 to be provided to food relief charities across all States and Territories of Australia.

Woolworths now donates the equivalent of over 22 million meals in surplus fresh food per year to food relief, and supplies half of the fresh fruits, vegetables and meats donated to FareShare.

Woolworths Forbes Store Manager Kathryn Simpson said – “We thank those Forbes Shire customers who made a donation to the Feed Appeal – that 50c means a meal can be placed in the hands of an Aussie in need.”