Parents and supervisors of local learner drivers are encouraged to attend a free workshop which will be held at Forbes High School on
Wednesday, 29th November. The free two hour workshop, Helping Learner Drivers Become Safer Drivers, will offer parents and supervisors hands-on advice on how to provide the most effective driving practice for learner drivers.

Forbes Shire Council’s Road Safety and Injury Prevention Officer, Melanie Suitor, who is presenting the workshop says it is well worth
attending. “Parents and supervisors of learner drivers have a crucial role to play in making our roads safer. That is why Forbes Shire Council have teamed up with Roads and Maritime Services to hold these free two hour workshops to offer practical advice to parents and
supervisors on how to help learner drivers become safer drivers.

“The workshop covers the changes to the licensing system that came into effect 20th November 2017, how to use the Learner Driver Logbook including the use of digital logbooks, licence conditions for learner and P-plate drivers, the benefits of on-road driving sessions,
tips on supervising a learner driver and more.

“Parents and supervisors who have attended this workshop in the past have found that it boosted their confidence, helped them better plan driving sessions and allowed them to share their experiences with other parents and supervisors,” said Melanie.

The Helping Learner Drivers Become Safer Drivers workshop will be held at Forbes High School on Wednesday, 29th November commencing at 6pm. Light refreshments will be available during the workshop. Bookings are essential and can be made by calling Melanie on (02) 6861 2364. For further information please call Parkes, Forbes and Lachlan Shire Councils’ Road Safety and Injury Prevention Officer, Melanie Suitor, on (02) 6861 2364.

The third and last Skillset Green Army team graduated at the beginning of this month after 20 weeks of valuable environmental work in the Forbes and Parkes Shire Council areas.

The team consisted of six participants between the ages of 17 and 24 years, overseen by team supervisor, Darrin Kopp.

The team did planting work at the Gum Swamp Painted Snipe Project site and at the Forbes National Tree Day site, Parkes National Tree Day site, Memorial Hill Parkes and Parkes Solar Farm. They also obtained work health safety, First Aid and other training, and assisted at Eco Day at the Central West Livestock Exchange.

“The team did well to make the most of the opportunities, and maintaining and improving biodiversity in our local area,” said Central West Lachlan Landcare (CWLL) Co-ordinator, Marg Applebee. She thanked the Parkes and Forbes Shire Council staff for their support over the 18 months of the program.

“It has been a pleasure to work with Skillset to provide work opportunities for young people in our community.” Marg said she hoped it was the beginning of many great things for the participants and that they would be able to build on the skills they have obtained.

Darrin who worked very closely with the team every day, was rather overwhelmed when he thanked them. “Although you pushed me to the limit at times, I really enjoyed it. It was fantastic!”

The participants all agreed they had gained a lot of knowledge of and a much deeper appreciation for nature.

The focus was on increasing the biodiversity and connecting Grey Box Grassy Woodlands corridors to increase habitat for native species.

CWLL will be taking applications as part of the National Landcare Programme (NLP) initiative. Landholders are encouraged to contact Marg on 6862 4914 if there is a project

that would fit the NLP guidelines.

By Maggi Barnard

The Forbes Riverside Community Garden will be hosting its Open Day this Saturday. The Open Day is an opportunity to showcase the Community Garden and to announce the winners of two competitions that they have been running.

The two competition categories to be judged are Best Scarecrow and Best Individual Vegetable Garden Bed.

Approximately 30 scarecrows have been entered into the competition. The judging will be done by popular vote and will take place at the Community Garden in Reymond Street (site of the old Forestry Nursery) between 9am and 1pm.

There are around 20 entries in the Best Individual Vegetable Garden Bed and these will be judged by Darren Kopp.

The presentation of awards will take place between 11.30am and 12.30pm. Prizes for the competition winners have been generously donated by local businesses.

Along with the competitions there will be plant sales, tours of the garden and a sausage sizzle. Entry is free. Sausage sandwiches are $2.00 and cold drinks are $1.00.

Enquiries regarding donating towards the Forbes Riverside Community Garden (a not for profit organisation) can be directed to Anne Hodges on the day.

For the majority of people their first exposure to the criminal justice system occurs when they are charged with offences that are dealt with at the Local Court. It is important that defendants (i.e. those charged with an offence) understand the broad range of penalties available to Magistrates.

• Fines are the most common in addition to good behaviour bonds. A maximum of 28 days is given to pay the amount in full. If a defendant refuses to pay, it may possibly result in the seizure of assets, wage deductions, an order of community service, or for to traffic fines, suspension or cancellation of driver’s licence or vehicle registration.

• Good behaviour bonds obligate defendants to be of good behavior. The court may also impose further conditions including supervision of the defendant by an officer of the Community Corrections Office. Other conditions could include counselling to treat an alcohol or drug abuse problem.

There are a wide variety of bonds available, such as the bond in section 9 of the Crimes (Sentencing Procedure) Act 1999 (NSW), which allows Magistrates to direct offenders to enter into a good behaviour bond for less than five years, after convicting them of an offence. If the conditions of the section 9 bond are breached or the defendant commits another offence, the Magistrate may cancel the bond and impose a sentence.

Section 11 bonds, which allow Magistrates to find an offender guilty, but suspend the sentence for a period of 12 months to assess capacity and prospects for rehabilitation, to demonstrate that rehabilitation has taken place or for any other reason the court considers appropriate. If you have questions contact any of the Solicitors at Matthews Williams.

You might have heard him on community radio, or seen his reviews in The Forbes Phoenix every week – whichever way Monte and his famous hashtag have become a household name over the past two years.

He got his big break in radio and will be moving on soon. The Forbes Phoenix caught up with him just before he left town.

1. When did you start at 2LVR and how did your show evolve over time?

I started on 26th January 2015 doing a rock request show called Monte Rocks Your Friday Night. A few months later I started to find all this great independent music by Australian artists that we just didn’t get to hear. A friend said I should make a show focusing on this music. I then had the idea of interviewing the artists and my new show, Montefamous Mondays, was born.

2. What was the highlight of your time at 2LVR?

The biggest would be being invited to attend and present an award at the Music Oz Independent Music Awards last year. To actually meet so many of the artists I had interviewed was a big deal for me.

3. What did you learn that you will take with you?

Always be yourself on air, be authentic as listeners can tell when you’re faking it. If you are excited to be interviewing someone, let it show.

4. How many interviews did you do during your time at 2LVR?

After 90 episodes I have interviewed 270 independent Australian artists.

5. What are you going to do next?

I am moving to Inverell to become the breakfast announcer on 2NZ. I have achieved a dream, to be a paid announcer on radio.

6. Is this a big challenge?

It is going to be a huge, but fun challenge.

7. Where do you see yourself going as a presenter on radio?

I want to keep my passion for Australian independent music alive, so I will be moving Montefamous Mondays to a podcast in the new year. I would love to turn it into a national show one day.

Monte also wanted to thank the people at 2LVR for believing in him, and the Forbes Phoenix for publishing his reviews weekly. “It has meant a lot to me and the artists.”

The research is clear. Sitting too much is seriously bad for your health. We are now seeing that people who spend most of their day (8+ hours) sitting have doubled the risk of cardiovascular disease and an increased risk of diabetes and early death.

Whether it’s time spent sitting at the office or school, driving, eating or watching TV, a sedentary lifestyle causes serious threats to your health.

Additionally, sitting a lot burns very few calories and many studies have linked it to weight gain and obesity.

Human bodies weren’t designed to sit all day, they were designed to move. Muscles and bones both require regular movement or low level activity to maintain strength and help prevent osteoporosis. Reducing sitting time is linked to a lower risk of cardiovascular disease, heart attack and reduced incidence of neck and lower back pain.

It’s a common misconception that exercise can compensate for prolonged sitting. Even if you exercise for 30 minutes four times per week, you are still subject to the negative impact of too much sitting. This is a major problem for office workers since they spend most of their day sitting. Low intensity activities like standing and walking are more important than most realise.

Fortunately the use of standing desks is becoming increasingly popular. Standing desks allow you to alternate between sitting and standing. You can either get a kit that allows you to convert your existing desk to an adjustable desk or better still replace it with a sit- stand desk. For optimum health benefits it is recommended to alternate between sitting and standing every 30 minutes.

For the fitness of you,

Linda Reilly

The Forbes Historical Museum has been awarded a $64,215 State Government grant. This funding announcement was made by Parliamentary Secretary for Western NSW, Rick Colless at the museum on Monday.

The Forbes Museum was one of almost 40 recipients to be awarded a grant under the latest round of the Government’s Heritage Near Me Activation Grants Program. Rick said this grants program provided support to heritage items that were open to the public.

“This funding doesn’t only mean we can invest in protecting and preserving our local heritage but it means we’re giving more people the opportunity to appreciate their local history,” said Rick.

“These grants acknowledge and support the vital role owners and managers of locally listed heritage items play in protecting our local heritage.”

This grant will see the installation of a new elevator at the Forbes Museum. Several non-structural walls on the first floor will be removed by volunteers from the Forbes Historical Society to create a new display area increasing the museum’s floor space by 30%.

Heritage Minister Gabrielle Upton said the funding was designed for local government, businesses and community organisations to reactivate and preserve local heritage spaces and precincts.

“This funding will help communities build on the knowledge they have with their heritage. Nobody knows their heritage better than the locals who live and breathe it,” said Gabrielle.

The Heritage Activation Grants, which are part of the Heritage Near Me program, are specifically for items listed on council Local Environment Plans.