Forbes High School student, Emily Gartner, was among 12 other local students who were awarded a scholarship at the Proudly Public! Celebrating Excellence in Public Schools awards night held at the Sydney Town Hall on Wednesday evening.

They were among more than 131 public school students and educators from across NSW to receive scholarships as part of the Public Education Foundation (PEF) national awards.

Since the launch of Public Education Foundation’s scholarships program 10 years ago, more than 1,000 students have been supported with life-changing scholarships. During that decade the Public Education Foundation has disbursed more than $3 million in scholarship funding.

The Secretary of the Department of Education, Mark Scott, thanked the Public Education Foundation for its ongoing support of public education in NSW. He said the scholarships aimed to remove barriers to achievement created by social and economic disadvantage.

“These scholarships are about recognising and rewarding student excellence to encourage high-achieving students to continue to maximise their potential,” said Mark. “I congratulate our students, teachers and leaders who have won scholarships – it is their efforts that combine to create the extraordinary public education system we have in NSW.”

David Hetherington, Public Education Foundation executive director, said the awards were about celebrating “enduring values of our public education system, a system that provides the greatest of all opportunities for young people to succeed in life”.

“It has been an enormous privilege to work with so many inspiring students and educators who recognise the transformational power of education,” said David.

Forbes Shire Council will host a special morning tea to thank all the hard working community volunteers during National Volunteer Week.

The morning tea, held on Wednesday, 22nd May at 10:30am in the Forbes Town Hall is open to all volunteers within the Shire. The morning will include live music from local artist, Lily Gaffaney as well as a sumptuous morning tea.

“It is so important that we thank our wonderful volunteers here in town,” said Mayor of Forbes Cr, Phyllis Miller OAM. “We are blessed to have so many people in town who give up their precious time to help others.”

“National Volunteer Week is a perfect opportunity to thank our volunteers who contribute so much to the fabric of our amazing town.”

The Volunteer Morning Tea is free to attend but RSVP’s are essential. To RSVP send an email to community@forbes.nsw.gov.au or phone 6850 2300.

Forbes Preschool Director, Amy Shine has applauded the highlighting of preschool education in the Federal election with a proposal to commit 15 hours of subsidised preschool to every three year old in Australia.

“It is music to our ears to hear politicians universally acknowledging that 90 percent of a child’s brain development occurs before the age of five, so funding quality early education is one of the smartest investments our nation can make,” said Amy.

“Forbes Preschool is firmly committed to making sure we can maximise the benefits of preschool, particularly for those at risk of educational disadvantage.”

“We make it our priority to create an inclusive and accessible facility, we consistently keep our operating costs to a minimum so we can provide substantially subsidised or free preschool services for low income or financially slighted families,” said Amy.

Through persistently seeking funding and grants, Forbes Preschool is able to offer excellent early education and complementary services for $5 or less a day. It also has a history of waiving entire term fees for families during times of drought and other financial stressors.

“It is just one way we can give back to our community who are always so generous and supportive of our preschool,” said Amy.

Forbes Preschool is recognised as an industry leader and the Federal election proposal to slash childcare fees and introduce subsidised preschool is further evidence the organisation is continuing to operate proactively rather than reactively.

“It is really significant that all children have some kind of preschool or early education.

We make it our objective to try to ensure all children living in or around Forbes have access to quality early learning, either at our preschool or one of the other quality centres in town,” added Amy.

Jo Boyton with her catch on Straney’s Bridge near Forbes on the Lachlan River.

Forbes Diggers Harness Racing Club held a successful meeting last Thursday on Anzac Day and are looking forward to their TAB Carnival Of Cups Meeting on this Sunday, 5th May.

Gates open at midday with on course bar and canteen facilities. The committee would definitely recommend that you get in early for a steak sandwich.

With our upcoming meeting, Club President Lex Crosby would like to thank all the volunteers that help the club to prepare for both race days. Also, a special thanks to the sponsors that continually support Harness Racing in Forbes.

Feature races for this meeting are the Forbes Services Memorial Club Final and The Ted Clifford Memorial.

Races on Sunday, 5th May include:

• R1 – TAB.COM.AU Three Year Old Pace (3c0 To 3c1.)

• R2 – Forbes Livestock & Agency Co./ Walkers Ag n vet Forbes Pace (C0 To C1.)

• R3 – Kevin & Kay Seymour Ladyship Pace (C1 To C2.)

• R4 – Forbes Shire Council Club Dubbo Golden Gig Heat

• R5 – Forbes Services Memorial Club Final (C0 To C1.)

• R6 – Club Menangle Where Horses Fly Heat (C1 Only.)

• R7 – Ted Clifford Memorial (C2 Only.)

• R8 – Club Menangle Country Series Heat (C3 To C4.)

Central West Lachlan Landcare (CWLL) is pleased to be hosting a workshop with a focus on managing soils for climate and market change.

CWLL is proud to have guest speakers Guy Webb and Callen Thompson presenting the latest information on cover cropping, increasing soil carbon and climatic expectations moving forward.

Chairperson, Ben Kerin said: “This is not only a chance to learn more about the opportunities to increase soil carbon and look at the possibilities to adapt farming systems, but to gain a greater understanding of using these options to increase productivity and profitability.”

Guy Webb is an agronomist with Agriwest in Forbes and the Founding Director of Soil C Quest, a not-for-profit organisation that has been researching ways to empower farmers to draw down carbon, combining knowledge of microbiology and agricultural systems.

Callen Thompson is a Senior Land Services Officer with CWLL Services heading up their National Landcare Program project with a focus on assisting landholders to adapt their enterprise to meet the changing climatic conditions.

Workshops are being held in Parkes (12:30pm – 3pm) and Forbes (5pm –7:30pm) on Wednesday, 8th May. RSVP is essential to Marg on 0418 611 053 or cwllpo@hotmail.com.

Business conditions have fallen sharply as the NSW economy slows down, with the largest drop in business confidence recorded since July 2010 according to the latest quarterly survey by the NSW Business Chamber.

“It’s no surprise that the impact of the drought is a major factor in Western NSW. Respondents in our region are experiencing cash flow challenges and responding with reduced spending,” said Western NSW Business Chamber Regional Manager, Vicki Seccombe.

“The Far West and Orana reported some of the worst business conditions in the state, with more than half of the businesses surveyed reporting deteriorating conditions, falling revenues and profits. In the Central West, it wasn’t much better, with around 45% of businesses reporting worsening conditions and falling profits.

“As a result, about one-third of business across the Far West and Orana report cutting staff this quarter, while more than a third are expected to reduce staff the next quarter.

“There is an urgent need to help offset the devastation brought on by the drought.

All levels of government need to provide targeted measures to support our businesses,” said Vicki.

Alex Boyton with his catch on Straney’s Bridge on the Lachlan River recently.