Australia Day has a new location and program for all to enjoy on Tuesday, January 26, 2016. A family barbecue and picnic afternoon has been planned at Colin McKenzie Park, Lake Forbes (behind the Bowlie). Starting at 4pm, there will be free children’s rides, local entertainment, food stalls, the announcement of the Citizen of the Year and Junior Citizen of the Year and fireworks.

New to the program is the Ben Hall Gift, which is Forbes’ own Stawell Gift with $3000 in prize money up for grabs thanks to the Forbes Sports and Recreation Club and Walkers Ag n Vet! There will be 100m sprint races in the
categories of men, women, juniors, celebrity and league vs union.

Our Australia Day Ambassador for 2016 is actress Tracy Mann, who has been a familiar face on Australian television, film and theatre for more than 40 years. Tracy has featured in a number of TV series including Blue Heelers, All Saints and Wonderland and was awarded an AFI Best Actress Award for her role in the film Hard Knocks.

She will be attending all of the events on Australia Day and we look forward to welcoming her to Forbes!

This year’s Parkes Elvis Festival theme is the Elvis Presley Mexican film classic, ‘Fun In Acapulco’. So grab your sombrero and head out to Parkes for a hot and spicy good time!

Book tickets now for the 2016 ClubsNSW Keno Feature Concert Series starring leading U.S. Elvis tribute artist Donny Edwards. For the first time in its 24-year history, Parkes Elvis Festival will stage a preliminary round of the 2016 Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artist Contest, officially endorsed by Elvis Presley Enterprises, Inc. Across the Heats on Friday 8 January and the Final on Saturday 9 January, leading Elvis tribute artists from Australia and New Zealand
will compete at Parkes Leagues Club, with the winner to represent Parkes during the Semi Final round of the 2016 Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artist Contest in Memphis, USA, during ‘Elvis Week’ next August. Heats and finals tickets are selling fast.

The 2016 Parkes Elvis Festival offers the annual free Festival favourites, fun for the whole family. Don’t miss the Northparkes Mines Street Parade on Clarinda Street Saturday 9 January at 10am. With Elvisthemed floats, Elvis and Priscilla look-alikes, vintage cars and marching bands, it’s the highlight of the weekend.

The 2016 Elvis Gospel Service transitions to new venue the Cooke Park Main Stage, on Sunday at 9am. Following the Service is the beloved Renewal of Vows Ceremony at 11.30am, where couples renew their vows before an Elvis celebrant. Talented buskers will line The NRMA Festival Boulevard to wow the crowds, and if that doesn’t satisfy your musical fix, head down to the Cooke Park Main Stage where you can relax, grab a bite to eat at the Festival Markets and enjoy four days of free all-ages entertainment and competitions.

The 2016 souvenir program is $6 and available online or through Parkes Visitor Information Centre on 6862 6000.

Australia Day on Tuesday, January 26 will have a completely new format with a family barbecue and picnic afternoon planned from 4pm at Colin McKenzie Park (also known as Frog Hollow) on Lake Forbes behind the Forbes Sports and Recreation Club.

The inaugural Ben Hall Gift, Forbes’ own version of the famous Stawell Gift, will be a feature of the afternoon with $3000 in prize money to be awarded. Sponsored by the Forbes Sports and Recreation Club and Walkers Ag n Vet, there will be 100m sprint races from 5pm in the categories of men, women, juniors, celebrity and league vs union.

The final of the Ben Hall Gift will take place at 7pm. The official ceremony is to be held at 6pm with live music to follow and a fireworks display from Bates Bridge will light the night sky at the end of the evening at 9pm. Throughout the afternoon there will also be free children’s rides, the CWA Damper Cooking Competition, a range of food stalls and a bar.

The traditional Rotary Community Breakfast will start the Australia Day activities from 7am at Apex Park and the Diggers Family Swim will be at the Forbes Town Pool from 11am. Mayor Phyllis Miller OAM said she was looking forward to the celebrations. “While the format is different to previous years for the afternoon activities, the Ben Hall Gift is going to be a lot of fun and there is a great prize pool up for grabs,” Mayor Phyllis Miller OAM said.

“A barbecue or picnic with family and friends is what Australia Day is all about and we are also encouraging you to bring down your own barbecues (fire ban permitting) shade shelters and eskies to have an enjoyable afternoon out by Lake Forbes.” Council is also reminding community members that nominations are now open for the 2016 Forbes Citizen of the Year and Junior Citizen of the Year awards, which will be presented at the official ceremony.

Nomination forms are available online at www.forbes.nsw.gov.au or you can pick up a form from Council’s administration office at 2 Court Street.

Victoria Park came to life on Sunday night when the Forbes Town Band and Forbes Shire Council presented the Annual Carols by Candlelight event to the delight of the Forbes Community.

The event was well attended by people of all ages and regular attendees said it was the largest crowd they have seen in many years. The standard and quality of the featured artists was top notch and the Forbes Town Band did an amazing job accompanying the vocalists.

Mayor Phyllis Miller welcomed everyone to the perfect evening and wished everyone a safe and happy Christmas. Special guest, Emily Pavey led some of the community carols along with many of our local talents including, James Whalan, new singing teacher with the Mitchell Conservatorium of Music, Emily Ragg and the
delightful trio of Maddison Collits, Paige Ellison and Chelsea Turner. The Youth Band also performed some upbeat numbers which really got the crowd involved.

The inclusion of the Spectacular Screenings inflatable screen which displayed the carol words was a great edition to the event and enabled attendees to see the words even when it is normally too dark to see.

Events such as this are not possible without the assistance provide by council and the hard work of our volunteer organisations, the Forbes Town Band and the Forbes Lions Club who provided hot food, refreshments and battery operated candles.

A good crowd came along to Forbes High School Hall on Friday to support the second MADD night and weren’t disappointed by the program. On arrival they had an opportunity to view the wide variety of artwork created by students before taking their seats to enjoy the rest of the program.

There was an item to suit all tastes and ages. Paige Ellison and Maddison Collits opened the show with songs from the animated movie Frozen and their entrance and mobility throughout the performance surprised the audience. The dance troupe performed two of the pieces which were significant to their recent involvement in the 2015 Schools Spectacular and Kyle Ryan brought the house down with his rap solo.

The support unit performed a number of items, each with a different theme and not only were they entertaining but all of the performers had a wonderful time and really enjoyed themselves. The drama ensemble and individual and
group musical performers were excellent and reinforced the depth of talent which exists at Forbes High. The event was an excellent way to showcase the many talented students and their supportive teachers at Forbes High School.

When School Principal, Mr Charles Dwyer, was asked which of the acts was his favourite, he stated that he could not pick just one but was very impressed with the enthusiasm and impromptu performances of Sam Taylor.

The event was a credit not only to all of the performers but to the teachers who have been preparing the students for many weeks leading up to the night. Students thanked all of their teachers and in particular, Mr Andrew Swan, for their dedication and hard work in creating this event and allowing them to show their family, friends and the community the many learning opportunities available at Forbes High School.

Dianne Decker is an upstanding member of our community who goes above and beyond to promote a great cause and Tuesday was no different when she gladly shaved her head to promote awareness for Mental Health issues.

Dianne not only wants to make people aware of mental health issues but also the impact that it has on the lives of all associated with it and the connection that it often has with domestic violence. Dianne is raising funds for this worthy cause and any money raised will be used to provide training for nurses, doctors, emergency support staff and medical professions at the Forbes District Hospital.

Dr Laksito was on hand to offer encouraging words of support and, along with Olya Willis, provided entertainment through the proceedings. Young hairdresser, Natalie Hocking, who works at Bron’s Hair Design, volunteered her services to shave Di’s head and did a very professional job. Another of Di’s passions is working with the disabled and she has been instrumental in gaining and sustaining employment for many disabled people through her role at OCTEC an organisation which assists people with disabilities to improve their skills and increase opportunities for permanent employment.

After a recent illness and associated complications Dianne found herself in a situation she had not encountered before where she was reliant on others for routine activities. Her determination saw her push through her predicament and she was extremely grateful for the support she received. She is constantly finding ways to support others which was confirmed by Parkes Shire Council Mayor, Ken Creith who has known Dianne for many, many years through a variety of different avenues who described her as a “passionate community member”.

Dianne will succeed at anything she puts her mind to and at the end of the formalities asked all attendees to make a paper plane and fly them for Mental Health.

Do you dare to ride the world’s biggest inflatable waterslide? Big Splash Water World are bringing the biggest inflatable water slide to Parkes from 12th – 19th December and Orange from 26th December – 3rd January, perfect fun for these hot summer days.

The water slide is 55ft high and has not one but three separate slides and anyone from the age of three can ride, under four years old will need to be accompanied by an adult, this is not on for the faint hearted! But don’t worry, Big Splash Water World also have smaller waterslides for the not so brave. The smaller slides have a pool at the bottom to give children a thrill of splashing into the water. All water from the pools is recycled and pumped back to the top of the slides through a filtration system to stop water wastage. Big Splash Water World is also available for hire for corporate functions, fetes and parties.

They will also have a wide range of amusement games, hot food canteens & shade tents with tables & chairs for spectators comfort. So come on down and race your friends to the bottom for an awesome day out!

Kevin Miller, Whitty, Lennon and Co conducted a very successful clearing sale last Saturday at “Galwary”, Eugowra.
Vendors Ian and Anne Burns and property manager Colin O’Connor presented a quality line up of farm machinery, sheep handling equipment and workshop tools which had been used during their 12 year ownership of “Galwary”.

There were a total of 160 bidders who registered on the day, having travelled from as far afield as Bourke, Merrygoen, Dunedoo, Trangie, West Wyalong, Young, Yass, Crookwell and Bathurst, as well as the local area.

Those who attended recognised the wellmaintained condition of the items, and with many lots in as new condition, some strong prices were recorded throughout the sale. With a large crowd of buyers and quality items, a total clearance of all lots was also achieved.

And as with most clearing sales, it was also a good day out for the locals to catch up and grab a steak sandwich to support the Eugowra Lions Club, who manned the barbeque.

The Rotary Club of Forbes Impomea hosted its annual Christmas Tree Festival over the weekend with many people calling in to the Town Hall to peruse the wonderfully creative trees on display. Now in its 5th year the festival attracted 92 entries, a number that has been steadily increasing since the 50 they received in their first year.

Organisers of the event were pleased, once again, with the support of the community and were excited by the new entries they received this year. “There has been an increase in the number of families who submitted trees this year” Sueanne Nixon said which is a great contrast to the many regular businesses, schools and community groups that have supported the festival since the very first year.

News On Rankin, who have entered each year, were very enthusiastic again this year accepting the invitation to attend within the first 24 hours and were the first to set up their entry for the year. Sueanne made special mention of Forbes North Public School, who have always been strong supporters of the event, this year an entry was received from every class at the school as well as an entry from the school’s Principal, Steve McAlister. Every entry was
unique and shows great imagination.

Along with regular visitors to the event, many Vanfest visitors called in to take a look at the wonderful display. Many commented on what a great town Forbes is and that the Tree Festival and Christmas Markets were excellent adding something extra to the whole weekend and making their stay more enjoyable.

Rotary Club of Forbes Impomea meets on the 1st & 3rd Tuesday of each month at 7.00am for breakfast at the Plainsman Motel and welcome new members at every opportunity. The group raise valuable funds which support many local projects each year including:

An Agricultural cropping and cotton growing program for students at Forbes High School and Red Bend College, Can Assist, Havannah House, Salvation Army, St Vincents De Paul, Church in the School Yard, Awards for local school presentation assemblies, John Flynn Remote Medicine – support for trainee doctors in Forbes, Polio Plus as well as other local appeals. A special project they are currently working on is to raise funds to support a dollar for dollar grant to purchase and install seating around the new section of the walking track around our beautiful lake.

Organisers wanted to thank the local community for their continued support of the Christmas Tree Festival and in particular Forbes Shire Council for providing a wonderful venue to house this magnificent display.

International Day of People with Disabilities is held on December 3 each year and aims to promote an understanding of people with a disability and encourage support for their dignity, rights and well-being.

Forbes Shire Council and House With No Steps hosted an afternoon tea on the 3rd December at the Youth and Community Centre to increase public awareness, understanding and acceptance of people with a disability. It was also a chance to celebrate the achievements and contributions that they make within the community. House With No Steps is one of Australia’s leading providers of disability services, dedicated to ensuring people with disabilities have greater choice, control and freedom.

Forbes is lucky to be associated with this organisation and provides employment opportunities for people with disabilities with Aussie Biscuits, Home/Business Maintenance and in the Office located in Rankin Street. Around 40 people attended the afternoon tea event and enjoyed the delicious food which was catered for by Cassandra Tyack and provided by council before engaging in some activities.

The Schools as a Community Centre provided the ability sports kit for the afternoon which was put to good use with everyone enjoying the modified volleyball and other modified games.