General Interest Archives - Page 97 of 326

Changed Traffic Conditions For Anzac Day On Great Western Highway

April 21, 2023 by Roxane Manley

Motorists are advised of changed traffic conditions on Tuesday, 25 April, on the Great Western Highway through the Blue Mountains for Anzac Day services.

Glenbrook: There will be no access to Hare Street from Great Western Highway between 5:15am and 11:45am. There will be no access to Ross Street from Great Western Highway between 10:00am and 10:50am. Great Western Highway will be closed in both directions between Hare Street and Ross Street for up to 15 minutes between 10:35am and 10:50am.

Lawson: The westbound left turn lane from the Great Western Highway will be closed into Honour Avenue between 4:30am and 12:30pm.

Blackheath: There will be no access to Govetts Leap Road from Great Western Highway between 9:30am and 11:00am.

Motorists are advised to take extra care, drive to the conditions and follow the directions of signs and traffic control.

Transport for NSW thanks motorists for their patience. For all the latest traffic updates download the Live Traffic NSW App, visit livetraffic.com or call 132 701.

10th Anniversary Of Last Post Ceremony

April 21, 2023 by Roxane Manley

The Last Post is now associated with remembrance but originally was a bugle call to sound the end of the day’s activities in the military.

The Australian War Memorial is marking the 10 year anniversary of the daily Last Post Ceremony, held in the Commemorative Area. The first official ceremony, held on 17th April 2013, commemorated the service and sacrifice of Private Robert Poate who was killed in Afghanistan in 2012.

Each ceremony shares the story behind one of the names on the Roll of Honour. To date, the Memorial has delivered over 3,300 ceremonies featuring individual stories of service from colonial to recent conflicts. It would take over 280 years to read the story behind each of the 103,000 names listed.

“The Last Post Ceremony is our commitment to remembering and honouring the legacy of Australian service,” Memorial Director Matt Anderson said.

“Through our daily Last Post Ceremony, we not only acknowledge where and how these men and women did, but we also tell the stories of who they were when they lived and of the families who loved and, in so many cases, still mourn for them.”

Last Post stories are researched and written by the Memorial’s military historians, who begin the process by looking at nominal rolls, attestation papers and enlistment records before building profiles that include personal milestones and military experiences.

Tickets are required if you want to attend the Last Post Ceremony. Tickets are free and can be booked on the Memorial’s website: www.awm.gov.au/visit

Mental Health Should Feature Strongly In The Measuring What Matters Approach

April 21, 2023 by Roxane Manley

Beyond Blue is calling for mental health and mental wellbeing to feature strongly in the Federal Government’s new framework that aims to accurately gauge and understand how people’s lives are tracking in Australia.

The government is developing a Measuring What Matters Statement and Australian Wellbeing Framework to discuss how Australia might measure its success in ways that will go beyond traditional economic indicators such as productivity and growth.

In its submission, Beyond Blue states mental health is central to overall wellbeing and national prosperity. Beyond Blue recommends mental health and mental wellbeing indicators are included in the national framework to better measure overall wellbeing, due to the significant impact our mental health has on the way we live.

Beyond Blue CEO Georgie Harman said the framework was a chance to consider how social conditions influence our mental health and wellbeing.

“The framework must include ways to measure and better understand how employment, housing, racism, discrimination, and social inequality impact people’s mental health and wellbeing in Australia,” Ms Harman said.

“And it must be based on thorough consultation with communities, especially those experiencing mental health conditions and suicidal thoughts, and people impacted by homelessness, unemployment, racism, and poverty.”

Beyond Blue Support Service: 1300 22 4636 or beyondblue.org.au/getsupport.

Head To Eugowra This Anzac Day

April 21, 2023 by Roxane Manley

The Mates4Harness Flood Relief Anzac Day Race meet will bring the community together to celebrate the Anzac spirit while supporting local flood victims.

A family focused event, the race day will have something for everyone from live music, auctions, free kids amusements, mobile rides, mini trots, ice-cream, free facepainting and of course harness racing action and a drivers invitational race.

Anzac day will also be commemorated with a parade at the course and 2 Up, where punters can try their luck off the track as well.

The day will kick off at 12.15pm at the Eugowra Showground Paceway.

It is great to see the Eugowra community bounce back after the 2022 floods. The huge community and Council effort to get the infrastructure of Eugowra back in shape to host such events is commendable.

If you are looking for something different to do with the family this Anzac Day, head on over to Eugowra to support the community In their recovery efforts.

For more information on the Mates4Harness Flood Relief Harness Race Day, head on over to www.eugowraharnessracing.com or check out Eugowra Harness Racing Club Facebook Page.

Anzac Day Events In Forbes

April 21, 2023 by Roxane Manley

5.15am Dawn Service

Lights out in Templar Street, Lachlan St, Harold St and Victoria Park, organised for 5am – 6am. Assemble at 5.15am in front of Club Forbes. March to Cenotaph Harold Street 5.20am. Club Forbes open approximately 6am for breakfast.

10.30am Mid-Morning March

Assemble at 10am in Cross Street: Flag party, Forbes High School, Red Bend Catholic College, Forbes Public School, Forbes North Public School, St Laurence’s Primary School, local Preschool’s, St Johns First Aid Service, Forbes Town Band, Returned Service men and women and relatives of Returned Service men and women, vintage cars, Ambulance Service, Rural Fire Services, SES Members and safety vehicle.

The Service at the Cenotaph starts at 10.30am with wreath laying and concludes approximately 11am.

Luncheon at Club Forbes available in the club Bistro.

2pm Two-up at Club Forbes in the club auditorium.

5pm Lowering of flag at cenotaph

New Education Program To Help Solve Australia’s Big Challenges

April 21, 2023 by Roxane Manley

Director, CSIRO Education and Outreach, Ruth Carr.

CSIRO, Australia’s national science agency, has launched a five-year, multimillion-dollar STEM Together program that highlights the importance of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) thinking in Year 5-10 students. It encourages them to build transferable skills like innovation, problem solving and critical thinking. It aims to boost representation for student groups, including students from regional schools, girls, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students and those from less advantaged areas.

Director of CSIRO Education and Outreach, Ruth Carr, said STEM skills will play a critical role in Australia’s future. “As a country, we must ensure our young people have the skills to face the challenges the world throws at them and make sure Australia remains globally competitive. If we don’t do this we’re going to fall behind,” Ms Carr said.

By valuing strengths like curiosity, critical thinking, perseverance, we hope CSIRO’s program will encourage more students to see themselves in STEM subjects and career paths,” she said.

Nominations for the STEM Together Future Shapers program are open until 2nd May.

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.

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