Forbes Council Shire have reaffirmed their position to stand alone in response to the IPART assessment of its Fit for the Future proposal at a special meeting this week. The Council’s decision was backed up by Member for Orange Andrew Gee, who says that he fully supports their stance to stand alone.

“Forbes Shire Council has voted unanimously to continue to stand alone, and I have made it clear from the start, I will be backing them to the hilt,” Mr Gee said. “While I accept that people have differing views on the issue, and I, and we as a community certainly need to respect those views, the overwhelming feedback I’ve had at both the community meeting earlier this month, and through a phone survey conducted by Council, is that the communities
of Forbes would rather stand alone.” “Being a local member is about backing your local communities through thick and thin, and while there is no doubt that this is a very tough battle, I’ll be in there fighting for the Forbes community until this thing is done.”

Mayor Phyllis OAM said the response from the community at the public meeting and the telephone survey showed 72% wanted to stand alone.

Local Forbes musician, Jake Ellison who is a guitarist and vocalist from the popular local band House of Tribes, has received quite a prestigious award. Named as Highly Commended in the 2015 Australian Children’s Music Foundation National Songwriting Competition for his song “Underdog”, Jake and his supporters are thrilled with the result.

“I’m really stoked about it and it puts me up with the top composers in the country for my age group,” Jake said.
It was Jake’s music teacher, Don Ruttan who suggested Jake enter the competition. “There were only two days left to enter. Mr Ruttan was about to delete the email. We entered anyway thinking, you never know where it might get you.”

Jake says that Underdog, which is featured on House of Tribes recent debut album Paint it Red, is a song inspired by some of the struggles faced in day to day life. It is a touching and inspiring melody featuring the kind of beautiful acoustics and rising harmonies that give you goosebumps. “I wrote it about bullying. It’s about trying
to stay strong and keep with it,” said Jake. Order a copy of Paint it Red by sending your order to HouseOfTribes@outlook.com.au or listen to House of Tribes on You-Tube.

The Find It In Forbes This Christmas Festival on Saturday 5 December will be a fun-filled day with loads of activities! Cath Adams will be providing live entertainment and there will be activities to keep the kids amused including a visit from Santa! There will be the traditional wheelbarrow races where winners will receive a $500 Why Leave Town Gift Voucher. Contact Amy at Anytime Fitness or Bowns Sportspower to sign up! We’re also looking for
volunteers to help out at the Festival to make sure everything runs smoothly. If you can donate your time please contact forbes.businesschambernsw@gmail.com

Jim Roylance moved to Forbes in 1948, where he became a Spare Parts Specialist for Paddison & Co. Jim married Nea Gunn in 1952, establishing Jim Roylance PTY LTD in October 1955. The first premises was situated at 153 Lachlan Street, starting as a business stocking auto and tractor spare parts and adding lines of household and electrical items.

In 1960, the store moved to a bigger premises at 66 Lachlan Street, and the growth of the business forced another move in 1962 where they purchased F. Rath & Co in Rankin Street. At this time, F. Rath & Co were having their 60th year in business. The store remained there with upgrades along the way until 2001.

The year 2001 saw a move for the store to the Newell Highway where the store is situated today. Chris and Mick Roylance became involved in the family business once leaving school. With a company restructure in 2009, Mick took a new direction to become the owner operator of the outdoor and camping store, known as Blue Sky Outdoor experts. Chris’s son Justin, a third generation family member became a partner with Chris at this time.

Over the years the family has purchased other stores. 1995 saw a partnership in Canobolas Auto One and selling out in 1999. The year 2000 saw the opening of Roylances’ Automotive & Industrial in Port Melbourne servicing the mining and quarry sectors.

The Melbourne branch is going strong and they have seen a move to larger premises in Tullamarine in August 2015. 2008 saw the Roylance brand open a branch in Cobar NSW. After servicing the Cobar region for over 30 years, the family opted to open a branch to service not only the mining community but the local workshops and community. Roylance’s Melbourne and Cobar are continuing strong with the efforts of all five staff involved.

Last year saw big changes for Roylance’s. After 11 years of being independent, the family made the decision to re-join the Auto One group. This has been a positive move for the Forbes store. It has created a one stop destination in the Automotive Industry for trade and retail products within the Forbes and surrounding communities.

The Forbes store hosts 11 employees, all of who are locals. There are also long standing employees who are like family. John Pearce has been employed by Roylance’s for 39 years and Terry Churchill 19 years, just to name a few.
There has been a lot of changes and moving with the times for this family business. For over 60 years they have watched the way of technology change not only with computer systems and the like but also within the Automotive Industry.

The Roylance family are proud that they have been able to service the country over the past 60 years and will pride themselves to do so for many more years to come.

Before summer really hits us, don’t forget to make sure you have everything you need in the way of air conditioning to keep your livings spaces liveable. It’s hard to enjoy summer if you’re stifled by the heat 24/7!

Coles Climate Centre in Forbes is the ideal place to go for all your cooling and heating needs, a local supplier and installation agent. Coles Climate Centre can supply the services you need from the best brands, including Rinnai heating, Bosch hot water systems, Mitsubishi heavy industrial air conditioning and Braemar evaporative refrigerator
systems.

Michael Coles has thirty-five years of experience in the building industry, as well as ten years of experience in the heating and cooling industry. On top of that, he is a licensed gas fitter and builder, and can also cut your keys if you need some spares. Coles Climate Centre is working out of the Coles Hardware and Glass site on the corner of Bathurst and Flint streets. Call now to have your system installed before Christmas which is the busy period. You can
contact Michael on 0427 523 930.

Forbes North Public School held a successful fundraising event on Friday 6th October. Around 85 people attended the Spring Fling Dinner which raised in excess of $3000 which will be used to sustain the school’s Kitchen Program.

The Kitchen Garden Program emerged after grant funding was received through the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Foundation, which enabled the school to build the schools kitchen, employ a cook and establish gardens. The Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden program is designed to help children to form positive food habits for life.

The program provides inspiration, information, professional learning and support for educational institutions to deliver pleasurable food education. Forbes North Public School was the first school to launch the program and staff have witnessed the positive impact that it has had on students and their families. Children have learned how to grow, harvest, prepare and share food, not only improving their food science knowledge but developing essential social skills. The program also explores the origins and history of food and highlights the many cultural influences and flavours available. Many of the successful outcomes of the Kitchen Garden Program can be attributed to the dedication and enthusiasm of the program facilitators, firstly with Julie Bourke and now, qualified chef, Tami Montgomery. Their love of cooking is infectious and the children have enjoyed their experiences. Tami and her team of volunteers are constantly cooking a wide variety of products, including relishes and jams, which are then sold to produce revenue to support the now self-funded program.

Tami was the driving force behind Friday’s event and was responsible for the delicious menu that attendees enjoyed. Mrs Michele Morley, Assistant Principal at Forbes North, commended Tami’s efforts and was grateful for the support shown by local businesses and the Forbes community in general.

Michele would also like to thank the Forbes Golf and Sportsman’s Hotel for being so obliging and helpful with the event.

This year, the Forbes Toy Library held their annual Melbourne Cup Luncheon at the Forbes Racecourse for a fun afternoon of horses, hats and hilarity. All of the ladies in attendance enjoyed a complementary glass of champagne on the lawn before heading upstairs to the Jockey Club. There the guests sat down for a delicious three course meal, with guest speaker Wendy Muffet – founder of Girra Girra Retreat – entertaining the crowd, engaging them with her accounts of making sour dough bread in Forbes.

This year’s theme was “Shimmer and Shine”, so there was a delicate sprinkle of bling over the crowd! Heather Mackinnon won a prize for the best themed outfit, while Muz Easton won Best Headwear and Jackie Wright was
awarded Best Dressed. A silent bottle auction unveiled before the big race, providing plenty of laughs.

The Forbes Toy Library holds their Melbourne Cup Luncheon as their major fundraiser each year. Fundraising is necessary in order to keep membership costs at a minimum, ensuring that access is available to all.

Forbes Toy Library is a not-for-profit organisation run entirely by volunteers who know the importance of play in real life learning. For more information, check out Forbes Toy Library on Facebook, or contact forbestoylibrary@gmail.com.

Everyone has seen the great things the Lions Club can achieve around Forbes and surrounding districts, so it’s no surprise to hear they’ve been quite busy lately getting things done.

They’ve just finished building a carport over the “Ute in the Park”, a WB Holden Ute that was donated to Lion’s Park by the Club in 2012. “It’s been a long term project for our club and the idea was to showcase The Utes in the Paddock out at Ootha, one of our tourist attractions in the Forbes area,” said Lion’s member Peter Bright.

“The carport will provide protection over the Ute and ensure that it is an attraction for years to come.” A few months ago the Lions Club also identified the need for a Handy Bar Entry assist device at the Patient Transport Unit in Forbes. It is a device that locks into the door catch and provides extra support as patients enter and exit the vehicle.

The Condobolin Show Society contacted the Forbes Lions Club a few days before their show to see if the Lions Club could help out with the show gate. Of course, the Lions Club said “yes we can” Then the Drum Muster needed a group to help out with their Forbes program. The Lions Club again said “yes we can” getting another job done without a fuss.

So, do you have any “little things” that need doing? The Forbes Lions Club want you to ask them, or even attend their meetings with your ideas if you like. You are invited to join the Lions Club and help to implement your own project.

The Forbes Lions Club meets on the second and fourth Tuesdays at the Vandenberg Hotel at 6:30pm for a 7pm start.

It’s been a big few weeks for Ray White Rural Forbes! They held yet another successful auction day on Friday 30 October with three properties being on offer. They were “JEML Park”, “Pine Flash” and Lot 511 Pullabooka. There was a great atmosphere in the auction room on the day, with a total of 17 bidders registered. Two of the properties sold on the day; Pine Flash sold for $340,000 to a local Forbes buyer, and JEML Park sold for $1,300,000 to a couple from Glenn Innes.

Ian Simpson from Ray White Rural Forbes said the auction day had great results with satisfied vendors. The purchasers of JEML Park, Jim and Lorraine Nugent said the auction day was great, with friendly people who were willing to chat with them about the properties on offer. They also commented on how well Ray White Rural Forbes marketed the property in such an enticing way. “Angus McLeod (auctioneer) was great and he never let the crowd lose interest,” said Jim, thanking the team at Ray White Rural Forbes for the great job that Ian, Ned and Stacey all did on the day. The Nugents are looking forward to moving to Forbes.

The ball keeps rolling with Ray White Rural holding their next lot of auctions on 16 December at the Forbes Services Memorial Club. This will be the first time that the use of online auctions will be available to regional Australia, an event property buyers won’t want to miss. The Ray White Rural Forbes team also attended the Australian National Field Days 2015 – the first time the team have decided to showcase their business at the event.

In the lead up Ray White Rural Forbes gave away free tickets with Alice Muffett being one of the lucky winners.
The event was a fantastic opportunity for the team to showcase their business and represent the entire Ray White brand at such a high profile event. The team recently joined up with Forbes North Primary School with a school partnership program. After purchasing a Yellow Ray White Bike, a raffle was held for the bike with a gold coin donation the only cost to enter.

After a number of weeks, showing off the bike outside the Ray White office, riding it up and down the main street to promote it, even taking it along to the Australian National Field Days, the lucky winner of the yellow bike was Forbes’ Karen Delaney. From gold coin donations only, a fantastic $650 was raised in the raffle which was donated to Forbes North Primary School. This Christmas, Ray White will continue its popular tradition of giving with the return of a little Ray of giving.

The inspiring Christmas campaign will see Ray White Rural Forbes partner with Ronald McDonald House in Orange to help disadvantaged children who may need a little extra light in their festive season. Every year, Australians are asked to donate a gift for a deserving child and drop it into one of their participating Ray White offices.

“The gift drive is a really simple way to help put a smile on the face of children and families who may need some extra cheer at this time of year,” said Ian Simpson. “It’s a really simple way to put a smile on the face of a young child who might otherwise go without this Christmas,” he said, adding that just a small gift can make the biggest difference to families who are struggling at an expensive time of year.

All you need to do is wrap up your present, drop it under the tree at 88a Lachlan St and inform the team if the gift is for a boy or a girl as well as the suitable age group. The team will ensure the gift is delivered to a disadvantaged child to help put a smile on their face this Christmas.

Beyond the Range, Central NSW Council’s (Centroc) major regional health workforce recruitment campaign was launched on Wednesday 4 November at Jemalong Regional Education Centre.

Fiona Nash, Federal Minister for Rural Health led the launch of the destination and lifestyle focused health workforce recruitment campaign, which is driven at a community level by Centroc.

Beyond the Range is a destination and lifestyle focused regional health workforce recruitment campaign driven at the community level by local government. It includes a website, a 30 page Council Toolkit, and a Facebook page, and brings together a diverse range of organisations from tourism, arts, universities and government agencies among others.

The Forbes Jemalong Regional Education Centre was an ideal setting for the launch being an excellent example of a regional council and community’s proactive approach to improving health infrastructure and attracting crucial health workforce. “This is about destination marketing and providing a quality service to people thinking about relocating to Central West NSW,” said Centroc Executive Officer Jenny Bennet. “That’s why organisations such as Central NSW Tourism and Arts Out West also feature on the Beyond the Range website – to illustrate just how culturally rich and diverse the region is.”

In 2012, a report from the NSW Rural Doctors Network found that 88% of rural towns among Central NSW Councils were considered vulnerable to the catastrophic loss of GP workforce. According to Centroc, the number of rural
GP proceduralists in regional NSW is declining at an alarming rate, and that all indications are that the rural medical workforce numbers will not improve unless more action is taken. “We can’t afford to keep hiding our heads
in the sand when it comes to regional health workforce,” said Chair of Centroc and Mayor of Cowra Shire, Bill West.