General Interest Archives - Page 82 of 311

023 Forbes Sportperson Of The Year Nominations Open

April 21, 2023 by Roxane Manley

Nominations for sporting achievements for the 2023 awards are now being taken. Each time you see a notable sporting achievement, on or off the field, complete the nomination form and send to the addresses provided.

Nominations can be submitted for the following categories:

• Senior Sportsperson

• Junior Sportsperson

• Coach/Trainer

• Team

• Administrator

• Referee/Umpire/Official

• All Rounder

All Nomination forms must be submitted by 31st January 2024 and forms can be obtained by contacting the Secretary via email: morrisonaj68@gmail.com

Helping Build Strong, Resilient Communities In The Wake Of Disaster

April 21, 2023 by Roxane Manley

Guest speakers Tracey Spicer AM – author, journalist and broadcaster, Shane Fitzsimmons AO AFSM.

There is a stellar line up of guest speakers at next week’s Disaster Resilience – Australian Local Government Women’s annual conference which is being held in Forbes.

Starting on Thursday 27th April, city and regional council representatives will be travelling to Forbes to enjoy discovering our town. Guests will participate in tours and morning walks around the lake before settling in to share and learn about building stronger and more resilient communities in the wake of disaster.

On Friday, key speakers will be Tracey Spicer AM – author, journalist and broadcaster, Shane Fitzsimmons AO AFSM, Jo Beadle – GIVIT National Manager, Major Matina Jewell CSP and Elizabeth Rushbrook, Disaster Relief Australia.

On Saturday, guest speakers will include Heidi Stratford – NSW Reconstruction Authority and ANU’s Prfessor Tanya Jakimow.

Local speakers are Eugowra resident Jess Eijkman, Bailee Harrison and Paul Faulkiner who will share their first hand accounts, experiences and recovery from the 2022 central west floods. Rebecca Miller and Louise Bernardi will also be empowering conference guests with presentations.

There will be a Gala Dinner on Saturday night and everyone is welcome to attend – tickets are available for purchase at 2023 ALGWA NSW Branch Annual Conference Tickets (123tix.com.au).

Limited sponsored tickets are available for Forbes businesses and individuals impacted by the flood to attend the main addresses on Friday and Saturday. Please contact Briony Ferguson on 6850 2300 to discuss and make arrangements to attend or for more information regarding the event.

Fuel Standards Could Increase Costs For Farmers

April 21, 2023 by Roxane Manley

NSW Farmers has warned the federal government against hiking costs to operate trucks and tractors in the proposed Fuel Efficiency Standard.

Energy Minister Chris Bowen and Transport Minister Catherine King announced a Fuel Efficiency Standard would be introduced as part of Australia’s first National Electric Vehicle Strategy, aimed at driving cleaner, cheaper to run vehicles.The ministers said Australians households and businesses are missing out on more efficient vehicles, which could save motorists $519 per year in fuel costs.

Farmers were fearful, however, that the fuel standards could make it more expensive to run the diesel vehicles that form the backbone of Australia’s farm sector and transport fleet, in turn increasing the cost of food and goods for consumers.

NSW Farmers Energy Transition Working Group chair Reg Kidd said there were no commercial alternatives to diesel-powered trucks and tractors, and Australia’s large size meant electric vehicles were still not an option to keep the country running.

“There’s a lot of promise in electric vehicles, but the farm and transport sectors are a long way from broad-scale adoption, the technology’s just not there yet,” Mr Kidd said.

“People can choose to drive an electric car to get around town, but you still can’t drive from Dubbo to Broken Hill in one – the distances between charging stations are too great.

“We want people in rural, remote and regional communities to be involved in this discussion, not sidelined as a consequence of a narrow thinking.”

“Genuine engagement and consultation is critical here, because what works even in a large center like Orange doesn’t work further out at West Wyalong,” Mr Kidd said.

“Good intentions alone just won’t cut it, people are keen to do their bit in reducing pollution, but we need to be careful we don’t also reduce our ability to feed ourselves.”

Sneaky Sound System The Headline Act For This Year’s Frost And Fire

April 14, 2023 by Roxane Manley

Aussie pop sensation Sneaky Sound System are the headline act at this year’s Frost and Fire.

It is official – Sneaky Sound System is the headline act for this year’s Frost and Fire at Forbes Ski Dam, along with a swag of local and regional performing talent.

“Frost and Fire has very quickly embedded itself into the Forbes calendar, selling out quickly each year and drawing visitors from around NSW and interstate,” said Forbes Mayor, Phyllis Miller, as she officially announced the events 2023 launch.

“It embodies everything that is great about winter – the old-fashioned country bonfire, mates, great food and drink. Frost and Fire is about celebrating the winter solstice – the shortest day and longest night of the year, and what better way to do this than under the canopy of perfect, starry skies at Forbes,” Mayor Miller said.

“Organise your friends and family to come along, share warm and hearty food and boutique brews next to cosy fire buckets as winter temperatures knock.”

Joining Aussie pop sensation Sneaky Sound System on the line-up is a mix of local and regional support acts. Grenfell’s Belinda Day kicks off the evening, followed by Forbes locals Cler, Em and Jo, back by popular demand, and indee-pop newcomer Birdee, originally from Parkes and now making waves on the international music scene.

Sydney Fire Dancers will also add to the evening’s entertainment, along with the lighting of the grand effigy.

“Mark Saturday June 17 in your calendar, book your tickets, pack your chair and picnic rug, and bring your fun along to Frost and Fire,” Mayor Miller said.

Tickets cost $15 for adults, 18 years and under are free but must register and are available through 123tix.com.au.

Free shuttle buses will run every 20 minutes from Forbes Town Hall and Renfree Street to the Ski Dam. Onsite parking is limited, and costs $10 per vehicle.

The lighting of the effigy at last year’s Frost and Fire.

The Golden Plough

April 14, 2023 by Roxane Manley

The Golden Plough will be held in Wongarbon on Saturday, 22nd and Sunday, 23rd April. This competition was first held in 1976 and has been fiercely contested ever since. This is the first year it will be hosted in the Dubbo region.

The Western Branch of the Australian Draught Horse Stud Book Society hosts the two-day annual event which includes, horse working classes, obstacle courses, wagon rides, horse-driven chaff cutter demonstrations along with ladies, junior, novice and veteran ploughing competitions and culminates with the fiercely contested Golden Plough.

Horse drawn ploughing involves skilfully guiding one or two draught horses, pulling a single furrow plough, to create a straight plot of eight runs (minimum) which are judged on linear accuracy, depth, sharpness of cut, total width and how the soil is turned.

Watch the ploughmen and women battle it out for the Golden Plough trophy, see horsemanship at its best. Bring your family and friends for a great weekend of horsemanship, demonstration events,food stalls and stay longer for fire-side stories, poetry and a camp oven dinner. Day, dinner and weekendpasses available.

For further details go to: www.facebook.com/thegoldenplough or get your and tickets at www.123tix.com.au/events/38544/the-golden-plough

Showtime For Forbes Screenwriter

April 14, 2023 by Roxane Manley

Forbes resident, Dane Millerd celebrates the success of new film Avarice.

Forbes resident, Dane Millerd is celebrating a massive success after first securing a streaming deal with US channel Showtime and now Paramount Plus for his film Avarice.

Millerd, who helmed and produced There’s Something In The Pilliga in 2015, also co-wrote Avarice and is an Associate Producer on the project.

“The script was penned by Adam Enslow, Andrew Slattery, John V Soto, and myself and was originally birthed from a draft of another script I had written in 2015,” Dane said.

“John read it, liked it and asked if we could develop it further, now we have Avarice.”

On the back of the streaming deals, the film now ranks in the top 40 worldwide movies on Amazon Prime.

“It’s great to see my hard work pay off. This industry isn’t easy to crack and can be brutal and there are no guarantees especially if you don’t put in the work,” Dane said.

As for what’s next, Millerd remained relatively tight lipped but hinted at a series on infamous female killer Katherine Knight.

“It’s a project many know I’ve been working on behind the scenes for a while and now we just about have everything and everyone in place to develop and produce this series,” he said.

Save Medicare Heart Health Check

April 14, 2023 by Roxane Manley

The good news is that heart disease is largely preventable. The bad news is that the best tool for heart disease prevention – the Medicare Heart Health Check – is about to expire.

The Heart Foundation is seeking a guarantee from the Australian Government that funding will continue beyond 30th of June this year.

Nearly 440,000 Australians have seen their GP for a Medicare subsidised Heart Health Check since they were introduced.

The Heart Foundation is asking the Government to invest $11.5 million per year, to continue subsidising Heart Health Checks into the future.

This is a relatively small investment compared to the $1 billion in healthcare costs that could be saved with broad uptake of Heart Health Checks in high-risk Australians and more importantly, the 67,000 heart attacks, strokes and heart disease related deaths that could be prevented over five years.

It’s not too late for people to take action: Help save Medicare Heart Health Checks by signing our petition, writing to local MPs and sharing the petition with friends and family.

To take action, please visit www.heartfoundation.org.au/save-heart-checks

Tickets Selling Fast For PMJRLC Sportsmans Fundraising Dinner

April 14, 2023 by Roxane Manley

On Monday 10th April, rugby league legend, Royce Simmons set off from Dubbo on his Big Walk to raise funds for Dementia.

Royce is set to walk into Parkes next Thursday, 20th of April and the Parkes Marist Junior Rugby League Club (PMJRLC) is holding a Sportsman’s Dinner to assist in Royce’s fundraising efforts. Some of the funds raised on the night will also go back to the PMJRLC.

Guest speakers at the dinner will include rugby league legends, Royce Simmons, Terry Lamb and Garry Jack, with former local boy and NRL star Luke Goodwin.

An auction with some great signed sporting memorabilia on offer will be supported by raffles, lucky door prizes and a Q&A session with the special guest speakers.

The Sportsmans Dinner will start at 6.30pm at the Parkes Services Club and tickets cost $35pp. If you have not yet organised a table and purchased tickets, be sure to do so quickly so you don’t miss out.

Tickets are available at www.123tix.com.au/events/38306/royces-big-walk-parkes

Share Our Air

April 14, 2023 by Roxane Manley

Balloons gracing our autumn skies, ready for the Canowindra International Balloon Challenge. Image courtesy of Farmpix Photography.

The annual Canowindra International Balloon Challenge kicked off on Wednesday, 12th April, with balloons gracing the skies at both sunrise and sunset over the rolling hills of Canowindra.

Canowindra’s biggest festival brings the community together to welcome thousands of visitors, who trek from across the country to celebrate all things ballooning.

There is so much more than just ballooning on offer. Kick off the weekend with the street parade from 10am on Saturday, 15th April.

The main event, the Canowindra Balloon Glow will start at 3pm with plenty on offer for everyone. A true family friendly event, with live music, food, drink and market stalls. It will be an evening not to be missed with Golden Guitar winners, Darlinghurst Band performing alongside local artists.

Festival updates will be posted on the Canowindra International Balloon Challenge facebook page. Get your tickets at 123tix.com.au

The Hansen Family Are Synonymous With Optometry

April 14, 2023 by Roxane Manley

Come in and meet the team at Hansen Optometrists in Clarinda St, Parkes. The Hanses stores in 1905 (top) and in 1930 (below).

The Hansen family have the distinction of being the oldest family operated and continuous running optometry practice in Australia, having provided eye care to the people of the central west for six generations.

Their story began in the 1890s when Henry Hansen, a Danish immigrant and watch-maker opened his business in Orange. Henry Hansen sold ready-made spectacles as part of his inventory.

Fast forward to the early 1900s, and his son Frederick began working at the family business, advertising himself as a “Scientific Optician”, performing rudimentary eye examinations and prescribing spectacles.

This tradition continued with his sons Lel and Bob, taking over the business after completing their optometry studies. This saw the evolution of the family business from a humble jeweller and watchmaker that dabbled in providing spectacles, into Western Optical Pty Ltd, with optometry practices in Orange, Parkes and Wellington.

They also started the first lens grinding laboratory west of the Blue Mountains in NSW. This laboratory provided the lenses for spectacles all over central west NSW and further abroad.

Over the next 50 years, the scope of the Optometry profession steadily evolved as did Hansens, with the next generation of Hansen optometrists entering and running the business.

In 2008, the fourth generation of Hansen Optometrists began working in the practice. Soon after in 2012, they purchased an existing optometry practice at 267a Clarinda Street Parkes, which became Hansen Eyecare Plus Parkes.

They soon expanded operations, providing an optometrist five days a week, increasing staff and giving a much needed injection of new technology to better service the eye care needs of the people of Parkes.

Hansens continues to defy current trends by remaining a fully independent, family owned optometry practice in a sea of foreign owned, corporate optometrists. They have survived the test of time, continuing to evolve and staying at the forefront of optometry with the latest advances in technology and eye care innovations. This allows them to provide the highest quality of eye care to their patients.

They also pride themselves on their strong involvement in the local community, providing vision screenings to primary schools, after hours services, home visit to the elderly, sponsorship to local charities and spectacles to the less fortunate.

Hansens delves into many of the sub-specialties of optometry including children’s vision, dry eye management, specialty contact lenses and orthokeratology.

With optometry in their DNA and a fantastic team of support staff, there is little doubt that Hansen’s will continue to support the people of Parkes and the surrounding community for generations to come.

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