The Forbes State Emergency Service (SES) has been a hive of activity since Saturday with more than 40,000 sandbags being filled by Tuesday.

Local and visiting volunteers have been preparing for floodwater in Forbes this week. The Lachlan River peaked at 10.35m at the Iron Bridge on Wednesday slightly under the level of 10.55m recorded in the 2012 flood. This level is rated as moderate flooding, but with further rain expected from today this may not be the only flooding that will affect the community in the coming weeks. Wyangla Dam is above capacity at present and water released is being staggered to minimise the severity of flooding and damage.

All residents in low-lying areas were alerted and the Red Bend College was closed on Wednesday. More than forty volunteers have been at the SES depot every day to fill sandbags for delivery to areas expected to be most affected. On Tuesday a massive 55.6 tonnes of sand was bagged into approximately 3,500 bags each weighing 15kg. SES volunteers have come from far and wide to assist Roc Walshaw and his crew. They had only praise for the Forbes community and were amazed by the teamwork and community spirit. Visiting SES volunteers stay for about five days, so anyone with spare time is encouraged to help at the SES depot.

The depot provides regular and accurate information regarding the flooding. Even though the flood levels were lower than 2012, experienced volunteers believe that the density of grasses from the winter season will slow the flow of water causing the water to recede and disappear much slower.

The public are reminded not to drive through any roads signposted as closed, as this could compromise their insurance should they get into trouble.

By Anita Morrison

Mayor Phillis Miller promised a questioner at the Meet the Councillor Candidates evening last week to find out more about the building embargo at the old ambulance station site. She has asked Forbes Shire Council General Manager, Danny Green, to look into the history of the ambulance station. “He is busy to determine what business has taken place to date and will come up with a solution to the owner and advise the public on it,” the Mayor said in the final week of her term before the Local Government Elections tomorrow.

Mayor Miller reminded all residents to vote. “The most important thing about this election is that 17 people had the courage and conviction to put their names forward, and they need to be commended for that.” She said the candidates represented a great gender mix with six women standing, which is 35% representation. “This compares very well considering there is only a 20% representation of women on local councils on average.”

Mayor Miller said the past four years had been trying in some parts, “but we have been able to take Forbes forward in terms of job creation. I have loved every minute of my time on Council and hope I can serve a seventh term as Mayor as I still feel as much passion as I did on my first day.”

First of all, what is financial independence? It means having enough money to pay your living expenses for the rest of your life without having to work. There are many ways to make this happen, but for most of us it’s going to come about from paying off our mortgage and accumulating enough super and investments to one day be able to afford to stop working and pay ourselves a decent income.

Sadly though, most people will never achieve financial independence and for the majority, that is for one simple reason – A LACK OF KNOWLEDGE. This is something everyone can change quickly.

Most of us have a long working life before we retire and will earn a relative fortune over that time. However, much of it slips through our fingers because no one teaches us the things we need to do to make our money work hard for us (or charge huge amounts to do it for us).

Financial independence is within your grasp and the reality is that the sooner you start doing something about it, the easier it will be to attain. And believe me, it’s not just for the wealthy. It’s all about what you spend, not what you earn.

Most of us know we need to be doing something to get ahead financially but aren’t sure what to do and how to get started… or who to trust. At Wealth Train, we believe the BEST PERSON to make decisions about your money IS YOU. That’s why we are teaching people like you the proven strategies to create and protect wealth to give you the best chance possible to achieve financial independence.
Don’t waste another minute!

Cheers,
Daniel

A.A.Blatch in Parkes, founded by Allan A Blatch (senior) in 1952, was recently taken over by Allan A Blatch (junior) and Susie to keep the business in the family for a third generation. Allan and Susie bought out Allan’s parents, Warren and Nancye Blatch, in 2015 after moving to Parkes from England. “Our business is different to many others as we are not just here for a quick sale, but to build relationships with farmers over generations.

Many people remember coming here with their grandparents in the 1950s – so we have fifth generation customers,” said Allan. A.A.Blatch is a one-stop shop for bearings and power transmission, and automotive and agricultural spare parts. “Whether it’s a clutch for a header, a diesel engine rebuild kit for a truck, a suspension lift-kit for a Landcruiser or the world’s finest triple- lip bearings for your prized machinery; A.A.Blatch has you covered.”

In addition it is an exclusive distributor for Black Bearings by NTN Japan, and Tsubaki chains, as well as an official distributor for premium bearing brands including NTN, Timken-Fafnir and NSK. It is also an official distributor for Gates belts, Fleetguard filtration, Drivetech 4X4, All States Trailer spares, Kerrick Pressure Cleaners, Exedy Clutch, Engine Australia, Neil’s Parts, Bareco, Narva and many more.

“At A.A.Blatch we try and minimise customer’s downtime. We have three daily deliveries to Forbes, Peak Hill and Dubbo, two daily deliveries to Condobolin, and a daily plane delivery to Lake Cargelligo. “We have won over many far-flung customers by getting a parcel collected at 8am in Parkes and delivered by 11.30 to Lake Cargelligo on the plane,” said Allan. “We use overnight freight to just about anywhere in Australia!”

Allan and his team are looking forward to the business’ 65th anniversary next year and serving the farming community well into the future.

You still have time to pay new membership fees before the big rush for the cut off date on Wednesday, 7th September. The membership fee is absolutely worth the money, and allows you to get the full benefit of all of the happenings at the Show. Annual membership is $40, which covers entry for you, one guest and school-aged children on both days of the show, plus parking in the Pony Club Grounds. Single membership is $30 and covers one adult and three school-aged children.

Make your dollar go further and buy a $30 sheet of tickets for only $25 no later than Thursday. These tickets can be used for rides, as well as showman’s food stalls and sideshow alley. For people entering the Pavilion events, avoid the Thursday morning rush for entry tickets by picking them up at the Show Office between 9.30am to 3.30pm on week days, or from the Glass Menagerie on Templar Street. Remember to check the schedule for the exact time sections close if you are bringing entries in on Thursday morning.

The entertainment programme will be posted on the Forbes Show Facebook page, as well as any updates. For any enquiries call Julie Hurkett on 6852 1311.

One of the biggest crowds ever turned up for the Meet the Councillor Candidates evening at the Forbes Services Memorial Club on Tuesday night when more than 180 people attended. The evening was organised by the Forbes Business Chamber with Margaret Duggan acting as facilitator.

All 17 candidates were present and each person had two and a half minutes to present a case for why they should be elected as a councilor at the Local Government Elections on 10th September. Eight of the candidates are current councilors standing for re-election. The candidates talked passionately about a variety of issues they would focus on with tourism, economic development, housing, rural and water issues the main ones.

There were several promises to work towards a more transparent council that would listen to residents and involve them more in decision making, working on further improvement of medical services, being a voice for the youth, helping people, better internet services, keeping government services in town and long-term employment opportunities for young people.

During question time there was a lot of discussion about the importance of attracting smaller businesses to town, selling Forbes as a tree change destination and the need for more local education opportunities.

NSW Small Winemakers Show celebrated its 25th year of competition with one of the highest medal strike rates. With 548 entries received from 96 small producers that crush a maximum of 500 tonnes annually, the show also saw the largest diversity of wine regions and styles awarded medals in the show’s history. More than half of the entries (51.3%) received a medal – the highest ever recorded at the show – with 6.2% awarded gold, 9.6% silver and 35.5% bronze.

The Orange region came out on top winning 4 of the 17 trophies awarded, with the Hunter Valley and South Coast regions winning 3 trophies each. Other regions to win trophies were Mudgee, Riverina, Hilltops, Canberra District and Central Ranges. Once again, Shiraz, Chardonnay and Semillon classes were strong, with an increase in quality also evident in Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Sauvignon.

“This year really demonstrated the diversity and quality of NSW wines, with gold medals and trophies from a number of regions. It is also really wonderful to see new producers doing so well,” said Chairman of Judges, Mike De Iuliis of De Iuliis Wines.

The major trophy winners are:

Clear Image Best White Wine of Show – 2009 Coolangatta Estate Wollstonecraft Semillon (South Coast); Vintec-Transtherm Best
Red Wine of Show – 2015 Horner Wines Little Jack Cabernet Sauvignon (Central Ranges); Winetitles Best Boutique White Orange Region Top Winner Wine of Show – 2009 McLeish Estate Reserve Semillon (Hunter Valley), Winetitles Best Boutique Red Wine of Show – 2015 McKellar Ridge Shiraz Viognier (Canberra District). For a full list of trophy winners go to www.nswwineshow.com.au

Next week is Women’s Health Week and this year will focus on health, learning more and taking action. Women are great talkers but when it comes to talking about health it becomes a grey area, so this week is all about promoting discussion around specific health issues among women.

This year’s theme is Am I Normal? At some stage throughout every woman’s life this question is asked whether it be about size, image, mental health or sex. These questions are completely normal and women should feel comfortable talking about them.

During the week there is a free online event as well as other live events across the country to encourage women to talk about these issues and to offer advice to assist women. Jean Hailes have been conducting research to find what women are most concerned about when it comes to their health. A survey of over 3,200 women from all ages revealed these top five issues:
• 23% weight management
• 17% female specific cancers
• 15% mental and emotional health
• 9% menopause
• 8% chronic pain

With these issues in mind how many can you relate to? The biggest concern is weight management and it’s no wonder with over 11 million women in Australia, more than half of them are overweight. Most of society wants to loose a few kilograms here and there but why aren’t we doing more? Often we all throw out the excuses that we are too busy or too tired, yet exercising gives you more energy and produces endorphins that trigger a positive feeling, according to WebMD.

Taking the initial step is the hardest but with this being a top concern for women’s health it is an important issue to tackle. Other issues revealed that only 65% of women don’t have regular sexual health checks. This week serves as a reminder to getting these important check ups done to ensure the overall health of your body.

“If a woman is in good health, her family, community and the society around her also benefit,” Jean Hailes said.

MOVIE REVIEW – Me Before You
Me Before You is based on the best-selling novel by Jojo Moyes. Louisa Clark is a 26-year-old woman who lives with her middle-class family in a smallish
house. Louisa worked at the local butter bun bakery until it was forced to shut down. Desperate to find a job, Louisa becomes a caregiver to Will Traynor, a multi millionaire who became a quadriplegic after a freak accident. Will does everything in his power to ensure Louisa has a hard time settling into her new job, while he is also trying to come to terms with his life.

The movie was good, but there were some scenes that made me sad and cry a lot. I give it 3 stars. This film is rated PG.