An emergency accommodation project to support women and children leaving domestic violence is reaching major construction milestones at Condobolin.

Bishop Columba Macbeth-Green, CatholicCare Wilcannia-Forbes and the Condobolin Catholic parish have united to transform a church property for the new purpose.

The planned facility will bring much-needed support to the Lachlan local government area (LGA), which ranked 14th highest in the state for domestic violence assaults in 2022 in NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research (BOCSAR) data.

BOCSAR figures show the LGA recorded 54 reported incidents in 2022, but its largest town, Condobolin, is 100 kilometres away from the nearest women’s shelter at Forbes.

Project manager CatholicCare Wilcannia-Forbes secured $800,785 from the Australian government’s Safe Places Emergency Accommodation Program for the capital works and local builder John Adams was engaged to lead the project.

The Catholic Diocese of Wilcannia-Forbes has made a generous in-kind contribution of the land and building at Condobolin. Renovations are on track for the church property to start its next chapter within the coming months.

Bishop Columba Macbeth-Green, parish priest Father Getulio Goncalves, and representatives from CatholicCare Wilcannia-Forbes and the Condobolin parish visited the property in March to view progress.

“Women and children experiencing domestic violence in western NSW need and deserve access to safe emergency accommodation, which is what this new facility will deliver,” CatholicCare Wilcannia-Forbes chief executive officer Anne-Marie Mioche said.

Through the Condobolin project the Diocese of Wilcannia-Forbes seeks to welcome and care for the vulnerable and promote peace, and dignity.

NSW Nationals Upper House MP and Shadow Minister for Regional Transport and Roads Sam Farraway has launched a petition in the Central West and Western NSW to stop the NSW Labor government from cutting the $250 Regional Seniors Travel Card. 

Mr Farraway said he hopes the petition will save the seniors travel card from being cut. “Travel cards allow seniors to take a trip to visit friends and family, travel for a doctor’s appointment, or visit the shops to pick up groceries”. 

“We all know someone in our community who benefits from the Regional Seniors Travel Card, and we all have an important reason to sign this this petition,” Mr Farraway said. 

“Over the coming weeks I will be asking people to share this petition far and wide to save our Regional Seniors Travel Card so seniors in our community can continue to do things they love and need to do. 

“The NSW Labor Government has prioritised Sydney projects over regional seniors, and we hope this petition will convince the Minns government keep it in place,” Mr Farraway said. 

To sign the petition go to: www.nswnationals.org.au/save-the-travel-card/

What an incredible term here at Forbes North. As we reach the halfway point of 2023, we can celebrate an enormous number of achievements where our students participated in cultural, scholastic, artistic and sporting opportunities across Forbes and beyond.

Our great school has accumulated an impressive amount of meetings, excursions, and community events such as the ANZAC Day Service held in Victoria Park and a school commemoration at Forbes North. 

Our school leaders attended the GRIP Leadership Day in Dubbo where all our school parliamentarians and leadership team came home inspired. 

The FNPS Cross County held at Forbes Racecourse was a huge success and our school was then selected to host the Lachlan PSSA Small Schools Athletics Carnival welcoming Eugowra, Quandialla, Bogan Gate, Bedgerabong and Caragabal students to our school.

Forbes North were proud to attend the MADD Forbes High School musical extravaganza and concert the same week we participated in the Peachey Shield Rugby League gala day in Condobolin before receiving a musical incursion from Goobanji Indigenous performances.

Our school is a great place to host an occasion and the 2023 Biggest Morning Tea and Mother’s Day Breakfast raised over $1,000 for the NSW Cancer Council and made our deserving mums feel special. 

The list of guests coming to our school continued with Forbes Shire Council executive staff coming for a school tour and morning tea hosted by Mr McGaw in our Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden rooms. 

We also hosted the Forbes Junior and Senior Aboriginal Education Consultative Group meeting in our new refurbished library space. 

To reward great behaviour from our students we held two fun days, namely a PBL Pyjama Day and Crazy Hair Day either side of National Walk to School safety day.

One of the highlights of term two was the Doing it for Rural Aussie Kids concert by Tania Kernaghan and Jason Owen in our school hall which was outstanding. This was followed by the visit of the Life Education Program starring Healthy Harold the famous giraffe. 

Our community minded school hosted Launching Rocket Learners sessions for existing and future FNPS parents and our year 5 and year 6 visited the Junee Chocolate Factory with our senior girls then travelling to Dubbo for Girls in Aviation. 

The Forbes Eisteddfod is a community highlight and Forbes North took out the overall point score, perpetual shield and $500 first prize with our commitment to the creative and performing arts giving our kids so many opportunities.

Forbes North is committed to Aboriginal Education and our successful Reconciliation Week and NAIDOC Week celebrations focusing on cultural immersion and Wiradjuri language leads the way in public education. 

Term two was super, and we look forward to term three in Thomson Street.

A near capacity crowd from around the region and interstate passed through the Forbes Ski Dam gates during the Fosy and Fire event. The vibe was pumping, fire pits were roaring, food, refreshment vendors were busy and social media was bombarded with amazing images. There was no better place to be.

Forbes Mayor Phyllis Miller OAM said improvements made to the format this year, including a new layout, were well received.

“It was a great crowd, great weather, great vendors and I thank all for your support. It was fantastic to see local vendors and businesses take advantage of this opportunity, and our guests really enjoyed what was on offer,” Mayor Miller said.

She especially thanked the RFS and SES volunteers for their role in ensuring the safety and wellbeing of all those in attendance.

“Birdee, an amazing musician born in Parkes and schooled in Forbes, was so impressed with the event, saying it was bigger and better than she expected,” Mayor Miller said.

“I have only heard positive feedback from those in attendance. Just looking around at the crowd on the night, at the groups gathered around the firepits, it was truly heartwarming to see the coming-together and friendships, the putting aside of worries for one special evening,” she said.

“The entertainment was phenomenal, and I am so proud of our local and regional talent holding their own with Sneaky Sound System, a group with international acclaim. Each just set the scene, got the crowd pumping, it was amazing.”

Entertainment was provided by Grenfell’s Belinda Day, locals Em, Jo and Cler, the Dyagang Boys Koori Dance Group, Birdee, Sneaky Sound System, Sydney Fire Dancers and of course the breath-taking moment the Frost and Fire effigy was lit. The effigy was created by Rick’s Timberworks and photography by Rachael Lenehan.

Senior students from Forbes High School spent time learning about the effects of alcohol, drugs, fatigue and distractions on driving. They have participated in an extremely important program provided by the Rotary Clubs of Parkes and Forbes, and Neighbourhood Central.

“Students experience two training modules on a driving simulator” said Ken Engsmyr of Parkes Rotary.

“The program is not about teaching driving skills. Rather, the program enables students to experience – in a safe way – the effects of impairment and distraction on driving ability.”

“With the ‘impaired driving’ module a participant first drives for about five minutes to practice on the simulator while experiencing normal driving conditions. Then they stop and we switch the simulator into impaired driving mode. The screens blur, the scenery wobbles, and delays are inserted into braking and steering controls. The participant drives again for about five minutes.

The difference between normal and impaired driving is compared by means of a statistical report. The experience provides a powerful demonstration of the effects of drugs and alcohol on driving ability. It’s an experience that participants cannot – at least should not – experience ‘for real’ with real drugs or real alcohol in a real vehicle on a real road.

The simulator used at Forbes High was acquired recently. Local member Phil Donato supported a grant application that in large part funded the equipment.

“The advantage of having a simulator located locally is we can provide a better response to local schools” said Ken.

After two years of trials there is little doubt now about the usefulness of simulator training to compliment other safe driving programs for learners and newly licenced drivers: the high rate of road fatalities for young drivers make it clear that still more needs to be done to improve the safety of young drivers on our roads.