The dance program of the Forbes Eisteddfod started last Saturday with more than 850 entries received from all over the region to compete until Sunday at the Forbes High School. Many local dancers from Kristen’s Dance Studio and Stepping Out Dance Factory are taking part under the watchful eye of Amanda Clerke, the adjudicator from Sydney.

The program started with youngest competitors and will end with the group sections on Sunday, which is always a highlight. The day will be split into a morning and afternoon session. The dance sections commenced with soloists starting with 5 years and under participants and will go through to opens competing in classical, jazz, demi-character, song and dance, modern expressive, tap, contemporary and national character, as well as duo/trio groups.

Forbes dancers have been performing very well. When The Forbes Phoenix attended the program on Tuesday, Lauren Neilsen had won the modern expressive category for 12 years and under. Lilly Gharib came third in the same category. Entry to the sessions is $3 for adults and $2 for pensioners and children (5 – 12 years). Sessions start at 9am.

The music, speech and drama sections of the 23rd Eisteddfod were held at the Forbes Town Hall from 18th to 23rd June. Selected winners from both programs will be invited to perform at the Grand Concert to be held at the Forbes Town Hall on Saturday 23rd July commencing at 7pm. Tickets and table groups are now on sale and can be purchased by contacting the committee at forbes.eisteddfod@hotmail.com.

The Forbes Eisteddfod would not be possible without the assistance of their major sponsors, namely Forbes Shire Council, Northparkes Mines, McDonalds and the Forbes Services Memorial Club, plus numerous local business and individual sponsors.

One Great Solution: What a great name for a group of shops located on the corner of Jones Street and the Newell Highway in Forbes. More than 20 people attended a Biz Viz evening hosted by Roylance’s Auto One, Auslec and Blue Sky Outdoor last week. Biz Viz events are run by the Forbes Chamber of Commerce.

The three businesses are very diverse, each with their own story. Auslec, managed by Tanya Godden, is the number three electrical wholesaler group in Australia. They located to Forbes after their store in Parkes burnt to the ground. It was almost like starting from scratch as a lot of business was lost.

Auslec covers the whole Central West from Cobar to Blayney and everything in between. They stock the Heatcraft range, which supplies all heating and cooling products. Auslec also owns a solar business, supplying to both residential and commercial customers with a 25-30 year warranty on their products. “I am happy with trading conditions at the moment, as we are 60% up year on year at the moment,” said Tanya. Our main challenge is pricing and keeping up with cost savings, and how we can help our clients achieve this.”

Moving next door to Blue Sky Outdoors, which has been owned by Mick Roylance for 11 years. The shop has three full time staff, two casuals and trades seven days per week. “We really pride ourselves on our level of service, with over 1, 000 square metres in which to house our vast range of products from camping, fishing, wood burners, baby clothing and household items,” said Mick. Blue Sky Outdoors is not a franchise but a buying group. Mick is one of those people who knows what is happening in every part of his business, keeping up with the figures and making it a ‘destination store’.

At Roylance’s Auto One, Chris Roylance said: “We haven’t looked back since we moved here in 2001.” There have been a couple of name changes along the way, coming full circle from 1990 when it was Roylance’s Auto One. The name then changed to Roylance’s Automotive and Industrial and back again to Roylances Auto One when it rejoined the group in 2014. Roylance’s are the leaders in the automotive business in Australia. “We pride ourselves on our service. We have many long term staff, some having been with us for over 40 years,” Chris said. “Our biggest challenge is cash flow, and the large range of products that we have to have in store.

We also have the latest technology to enhance our high level of customer service. “At the cornerstone of our business is our culture, with new ways of thinking, ensuring that our policies and procedures are adhered to, and allowing our staff to take ownership and pride in what they do.” Next time you are out and about make sure the One Great Solution shopping precinct is on your list.

By Cheryl Newsom

The Local Government election for Forbes Shire Council will be held on Saturday, 10th September when nine councillors will be elected for the next four years. Candidate nominations will open on 1st August and close on 10th August. The primary source of information for candidates is the NSW Electoral Commission’s website at www.votensw.info.

Mayor Phyllis Miller OAM said she encouraged anyone wanting to stand for Council to contact her or any of the current Councillors. “Representing our community as a Councillor is a great experience and if you want to come and have a chat about what is involved, my door is always open,” the Mayor said.

Candidates can contact the NSW Electoral Commission directly on 1300 022 011 or email fdc@elections.nsw.gov.au if they have questions about registration or their election campaign finances. Voting is compulsory for all residents in the Forbes Shire who are registered on the electoral roll. There is no absentee voting in Local Government elections. If you are unable to vote on election day, you can vote either by pre-poll or postal vote.

Pre-poll voting will open 29th August to 9th September in the Council Chambers. Postal vote application forms will be available at http://www.votensw.info/early_voting_options/postal_voting from mid-July.

As required by the Local Government Act 1993, Council’s General Manager must prepare and certify the non-residential roll and the NSW Electoral Commissioner must confirm that those on the lists are able to be enrolled on the non-residential roll.

The Boscars – Forbes Business Awards are on again and it’s time
to consider your businesses entries. Entry in these awards give
you the opportunity to promote excellence in your business to your
customers, staff, suppliers and the wider community. It also provides
a forum for recognition of outstanding staff.

Take the time now to have a look at the award categories and
consider which might be a good fit for you. Seek input from key
staff and sell your story. Don’t be shy about your achievements.
The awards entry period will be during the month of August.
An information night will be held soon to provide guidance with
the awards entry process. Visit forbesbusinesschamber.com.au/
boscars for more information or email forbes.businesschambernsw@
gmail.com.

A total of 403 pairs of spectacles were collected in the Recycle for Sight program run by the Forbes and District Lions Club. The program was run in both the Forbes and Parkes communities. OPSM and Parkes Optical Services in Parkes, and Phillip Wells Optometrists and Eyeware Plus in Forbes acted as drop off points for the program.

It was the fourth time the Lions Club has successfully run the program for the collection of used spectacles and sunglasses. These spectacles will be forwarded to a centre in Brisbane where they will be cleaned, graded and forwarded for use in the Lions Eye Projects in developing nations. Lions would like to thank all those who contributed used spectacles and thank you to the local optometrists who acted as collection points for the project.

“I am very pleased to be here, people have been marvellous and the staff have been so welcoming.” This is what Danny Green, newly appointed General Manager at the Forbes Shire Council had to say on his second day in the office on Tuesday.

Danny said he was keen to make the move to Forbes from the Gloucester Shire Council where he has been General Manager since 2012. “I see this job as a new challenge as I will be working in a bigger and better resourced environment.”

For Danny, who strongly believes in the power of the community, the most rewarding part of his role would be to achieve something for the community. “That kind of achievement gives me a good vibe, and it brings immediate results for the Council.” That is why his immediate plans are to start meeting the staff, as well as key stakeholders in the community “to see how we can support what others do”.

With his experience at various Councils in NSW and Tasmania and qualifications, Danny brings a holistic management style to include financial and business skills, people relations and community involvement. “In my last few positions in a general manager role, one of my strengths has been working with people. I really enjoy it.”

With a strong background in doing volunteer work, Danny cannot stress enough the importance of supporting the community, as it is the backbone of any small town. Looking to the future Danny sees Forbes as a very sustainable community with good education levels that will continue to grow with lots of opportunities at its doorstep, such as the inland rail project, the livestock facility and its ideal location for new developments.

When he is not in the office, Danny looks forward to spending time with his wife Kerrie walking around the lake, playing tennis and reading. Kerrie is also an avid volunteer in the community and is looking forward to getting involved in new ventures in Forbes.

They have four adult children. Danny was appointed by unanimous decision after a comprehensive recruitment process. “We are very lucky to have appointed someone as experienced and well qualified as Danny,” said Mayor Phyllis Miller.

The Nationals’ Federal Member for Riverina, Michael McCormack, has thanked the people of the Riverina and Central West for endorsing him to serve as their representative in Canberra for a third term.

“I am humbled the people of the Riverina have placed their trust in me once more to be their strong advocate in Canberra,” Mr McCormack said.

“With the Riverina’s new boundaries, many people in the electorate have put their faith in me for the first time to deliver for them as their Federal Member. “I am delighted with the result in Riverina and I will continue to be a strong advocate for the region in the next Parliament.”

Mr McCormack also paid tribute to the hard-working volunteers who worked on his successful campaign, as well as the other candidates who stood for Riverina for a hard-fought and respectful contest. “I want to thank my volunteers who gave up countless hours of their time to stand out in the cold helping me at polling booths, both at pre-poll and on election day,” Mr McCormack said.

“The other candidates in the race for Riverina have generated a genuine contest of ideas during the eight-week election campaign and our communities are stronger for having such passionate people wanting to represent them.”

While it will still be a number of days before the nationwide result is finalised, Mr McCormack said earlier this week, the election had delivered a resounding result for The Nationals elsewhere in the country. “Though Capricornia and Flynn in Queensland are still too close to call, the people of regional Australia have overwhelmingly endorsed The Nationals as the party to represent the needs and interests of their communities,” Mr McCormack said.

“I want to congratulate the Deputy Prime Minister, Barnaby Joyce, on a toughly fought and successful campaign in New England, as well as Damian Drum in Murray, who pulled off a spirited victory in a tight three-cornered contest.”

The MP was in Forbes during the election campaign to announce funding for the Wiradjuri Dreaming Centre as part of the Safer Streets program. Two closed-circuit television cameras will be installed at the centre at a cost of $13,600.

The Aboriginal web resource of the NSW Cancer Council is celebrating its first birthday. Launched during NAIDOC Week 2015, the site is designed for Aboriginal people affected by cancer, their community and carers, and health professionals to access information and resources.

“A year after going live, trends for what type of content visitors find most useful have become apparent,” said Annemaree Binger, Regional Manager Cancer Council NSW Western Region. “Aboriginal people told us that they wanted stories about Aboriginal people’s experiences with cancer, particularly stories about people who have survived cancer.”

These stories are popular, as well as stories from the community. One story called Robin Payne’s journey was a particular favourite. Practical pages, such as accommodation information for patients and carers, were also popular, as were research results, according to Annemaree.

Cancer is the second most common cause of death for Aboriginal people, who are 60% more likely to die from cancer than non-Aboriginal people. Committed to reducing these inequalities, Cancer Council NSW investigated the reason behind the increased death rate and assessed the cancer experiences of Aboriginal people in NSW through the Aboriginal Patterns of Cancer Care project (APOCC). Insights from the project have informed the content and structure of the website.

Honorary Professor Dianne O’Connell, lead researcher on the project at Cancer Council NSW, says that the APOCC project has provided Cancer Council NSW with a detailed understanding of the gaps in cancer care for Aboriginal people, including the barriers that are likely to prevent access to appropriate and timely cancer care.

“The information on our website for the Aboriginal community is designed to target the gaps identified by the research in clear and culturally appropriate formats.” Visit Cancer Council NSW’s website for Aboriginal people at: http://www.cancercouncil.com.au/aboriginalcancer/