Articles Archives - Page 134 of 412

Snippets…

August 5, 2022 by Maggi Barnard

Progress with the installation of outdoor equipment be-hind Forbes Public School was well on track this week.

Outdoor Gym: Forbes Shire Council is installing new outdoor gym equipment after receiving funding from the NSW Public Spaces Legacy Fund for the Lake Forbes Activation Plan. There will be two stations at Lake Forbes. One behind Forbes Public School and another on the other side of the lake at Lions Park with five pieces of equipment at a station. The installation will take approximately two weeks to complete. The area will be fenced off but will not disrupt walking around the lake.

Faulty Streetlights: You can now report a faulty streetlight and receive updates through Essential Energy’s website. With the new easy-to-use reporting tool, you can help make your streets safer by letting them know when there’s a streetlight that needs to be repaired. Seen a flickering light? Click this link to report it: www.essentialenergy.com.au/outages/streetlight

Nominate A Tradie: Our Tradie of the Month competitions in Forbes and Parkes, sponsored by Gunn’s Menswear and Totally Work Wear respectively, continues this month. Readers can nominate a tradie, male or female, to go into the draw and the winner each month will win a prize. Simply drop into Gunn’s Menswear or Totally Work Wear with your nomination, or send us an email at editor@forbesphoenix.com.au or editor@parkesphoenix.com.au.

Digital Seniors Card: Seniors in NSW are continuing to embrace the digital card with more than 100,000 people now taking advantage of the digital Seniors Card. While there would always be a non-digital version, many seniors are taking advantage of the digital option to access discounts and benefits on dining out, entertainment and travel. The Seniors Card has become the largest program of its kind in Australia since it was first introduced in 1992. To learn more visit service.nsw.gov.au/campaign/nsw-seniors-card-program

Mullets for Mental Health: Serious warning! Mullets are set to take over local communities in an 80s influx you won’t be able to resist! The Black Dog Institute’s Mullets for Mental Health campaign is officially back for 2022 and Aussies are encouraged to start growing those luscious locks for the month of September to raise much needed funds for mental health research. Almost 80% of Australians claimed their mental health had worsened due to the pandemic.

Hephner the Alpaca paid Parkes and Elvis (!) a visit this week as part of a road trip to raise awareness and funds for beyondblue. Hephner also visited The Dish and the library and pre-school in Peak Hill. Hephner has his own facebook page and this is a link for donations to beyond-blue. https://beyondblueinmem.raisely.com/chicken.

Knit ‘n Natter With Love All Over The World

August 5, 2022 by Maggi Barnard

Some of the women at the Knit ‘n Natter event held at the Craft Corner last week. Holding the rugs are Rosemary Mitchell and Rhonda Redenbach from the Craft Corner and Dianne Percy from Orange.

There was a lot of catching up to be done after two years of ‘silence’ at the Knit ‘n Natter event at Craft Corner last week.

About 40 women from Orange and Bathurst joined locals from Parkes and surrounds to not only natter over a cuppa and cake, but also knit squares for the Wrap with Love project that provide warm wraps to vulnerable people all over the world.

“We donate wraps to overseas charities, but also donate to 12 local charities including to the women’s refuge, nursing homes, oncology department and more,” said Dianne Percy, co-ordinator of Wrap with Love in Orange.

The annual even at Craft Corner, going for more than 14 years, is a great way of bringing people together, but members of the public are knitting at their homes and with friends right through the year for the project.

“One rug is made up of 28 squares, and we have 604 completed so far this year,” said Dianne. All the knitted squares from the Central West go to Orange and since the start of the project a total of 7,000 rugs have been made so far.

Wrap with Love was started in Melbourne in 1992 and donations have been sent to people in more than 75 countries.

Craft Corner members and anyone else keen on knitting are encouraged to drop off their knitted squares at the Craft Corner in Parkes. The squares should be 25cm square, knitted in 8 ply yarn with no. 8 (4mm) needles in garter stitch all plain rows.

If you have any 8 ply yarn lying around at home, feel free to drop that off at the Craft Corner too.

Dianne’s group meets at the Orange City Library every Thursday from 9 to 12 in the morning. She said the group also made beanies for homeless people, twiddle muffs for people with dementia and children with disabilities, outfits for stillborn babies and trauma teddies for hospitals.

By Maggi Barnard

New Footbridge At Wiradjuri Dreaming Centre

July 29, 2022 by Maggi Barnard

A new footbridge with a fishing platform will be erected at the Wiradjuri Dreaming Centre as part of the Lake Forbes Activation project. The new footbridge will be higher and wider with improved accessibility, while the fishing platform areas will have balconies to enjoy the ‘serenity’.

Forbes Shire Council posted on its Facebook page that this exciting stage of the activation project would begin in the next few weeks and it was expected to take several weeks to complete.

Neighbours in the vicinity may experience some initial noise while pile driving occurs. Pedestrians will still be able to walk around the lake as the old footbridge will remain in place until the new one is complete. There will be signage to indicate changes to the pathway.

Once the new hardwood decked bridge is commissioned, the old bridge will be dismantled with all materials recycled or reused where possible. The project is part of the Public Spaces Legacy Fund.

If you’ve not taken a walk on that side of town recently, go and have a look. A new toilet block has been added as well as tree and shrub planting.

Local Government Week 2022

July 29, 2022 by Maggi Barnard

Local Government Week runs from Monday, 1st August to Sunday, 7th August and is designed to showcase the work councils do in their local communities, including the wide variety of services they provide.

The week also includes the annual Local Government Week Awards and this year the Forbes Shire Council has again been shortlisted for a major award. The winners will be announced at the Local Government NSW Gala Awards Night on Thursday.

Forbes Shire Council’s Youth Program is again a finalist in the Local Government Awards. Council’s Youth Program was announced last week as a finalist in the Best Small Council with the Most Outstanding Youth Week Program.

Youth Week was celebrated in April in Forbes and the program consisted of 12 events with 2,908 participants.

The events included a Youth Week Mega Fun Day, inflatable obstacle courses, cultural art sessions, laser tag fun, movies, fishing, tabletop games, clay workshops and learn how to fish sessions.

All Local Government youth finalists and winners are selected by Local Government NSW. Forbes Shire Council has been shortlisted more than seven times for its innovative and enthusiastically supported Youth Week and Youth Programs.

In 2021, Forbes Shire Council won the Best Small Council with the Most Outstanding Youth Week Program and was a finalist in the Most Innovative Youth Week Program, Best Small Council with the Most Outstanding Youth Week Program and Best Local Youth Week Program.

In 2019, Forbes Shire Council was awarded the overall winner in the Best Local Youth Week Program, a finalist in the Best Small Council and the Most Innovative.

Forbes Shire Council was also nominated for the R H Dougherty for its master plan consultations and the Senior’s Festival events, as well as the Leo Kelly OAM Arts and Culture award for the partnership with Forbes Arts Society.

All award winners will be announced at the Gala Awards night on Thursday, 4th August at the Fullerton Hotel in Sydney. Forbes Shire Mayor, Phyllis Miller and General Manager, Steve Loane will be in attendance.

Youth Officer Sarah Williams with Forbes Shire Council’s past Youth Awards.

Neighbourhood Central Expands Community Transport Services

July 29, 2022 by Maggi Barnard

Neighbourhood Central has announced it will be taking over the reins of community transport services in Lake Cargelligo from the 1st of August.

Clients will see the same friendly volunteers and deal with the same familiar staff who worked for Lake Cargelligo Community Transport that provided the service on behalf of Transport for NSW. The services will also be delivered from the same office location at 28 Uabba Street.

Neighbourhood Central will continue to help people access medical appointments, social outings and cultural events to local and regional centres as well as to Sydney via Regional Express Airlines.

Community Transport Services are available to a wide range of people who require transport to recreation and shopping areas, medical and social services. Community transport can be provided for:
• people who are financially disadvantaged, isolated, lack public transport or have a mobility impairment
• older people who are frail aged and their carers
• people with disabilities and their carers.

The Lake Cargelligo Community Transport management committee thanked its many volunteers over the years for their tireless dedication to their community, and the clients for their support and patronage. For any further information contact the Lake Cargelligo office on 6898 2078 or the Parkes office on 6862 2825.

Creating Futures At Forbes North Public School

July 29, 2022 by Maggi Barnard

Forbes North Public School is committed to ‘creating futures with education changing lives’ as a true reflection on what our school believes while celebrating the theme for Education Week 2022.

Throughout Education Week and across the month of August our school is offering multiple opportunities for wider community including parents, carers, and extended family to visit the school, enjoy meaningful celebrations and acknowledge the importance of public education.

Starting this week by celebrating ‘100 Days of School’, our 30 Kindergarten students dressed as if they were 100 years old to celebrate 100 days of primary school with parents and grandparents coming to school for a picnic in the sun on the common green area with a special cake cutting ceremony.

NAIDOC 2022 was celebrated with a cultural immersion inviting local Aboriginal cultural group ‘River Spirit’ onto our grounds for a full day of authentic cultural activities.

Next week during Education Week on Tuesday 2 August our school is open to our families from 10.00am until 3.30pm as our community comes to school at a time suitable to them to enjoy the playground sports and games, have lunch at the canteen, visit our classrooms and see first-hand what a day in public education really looks like.

Our students will also commence a unique sports program including golf and squash at Forbes Golf Club, lawn bowls at Forbes Bowling Club and cycling around Lake Forbes.

During August our senior students are attending an Eco Day in Parkes, hosting ‘Reading Up North’ previously known as Reading Downtown and Northparkes Mine are installing 20 roosting boxes in our mature trees allowing our students to observe and monitor breeding native birds including the Grass Parrot, Eastern Rosella, Currawong, Honey Eaters, other species and, we are hoping to attract rare birds such as the Swift Parrot to our playground.

Parents and carers will also have the opportunity to attend Mathematics workshops over two evenings as our staff are currently focusing on place value and whole number as an area of interest and improvement across Kindergarten to Year 6 numeracy.

Forbes North is also celebrating Education Week in August with a massive book sale combining the love of reading and the annual book week celebrations around the theme ‘Dreaming with Eyes Open’. Education changes lives and every student at Forbes North will have the opportunity to proudly celebrate public education in the coming weeks.

Top Astrophotography Entries On Show At The Dish

July 29, 2022 by Maggi Barnard

Left: Old Giant in the Fog by Ian Inverarity was named the overall winner of the David Malin Awards. Right: The Photo Editor’s Choice went to Jarrod Andrews for ‘Beams at the Arctic Henge’.

A South Australian photographer was named the overall winner of the prestigious David Malin Awards in astrophotography at the Parkes Radio Telescope on Sunday.

Ian Inverarity entered the Nightscapes category with his image called ‘Old Giant in the Fog’ for which he won the top prize.

The Photo Editor’s Choice Award was won by Jarrod Andrews from Victoria for his image titled ‘Beams at the Arctic Henge’. Jeff Darmanin, a News Corp picture editor, judged the Photo Editor’s Choice awards.

The competition received entries from every state and territory of Australia and as the premier competition of its kind in Australia, a panel of distinguished Australian astrophotographers judged the category entries. Dr David Malin judged the overall winner from the list of these winners, as the best in show. The judging panel included Phil Hart and Alex Cherney, previous winners of the David Malin Awards, and of numerous other national and international astrophotography competitions.

It was not just technical skill that was awarded. The prizes went to pictures that captured the beauty of the sky and the intrinsic interest of astronomy in an aesthetically pleasing manner. Celestron Australia supported the competition with prizes to the value of $10,000.

The finest images will be exhibited in two parallel exhibitions. The first will be on show at the CSIRO Parkes Observatory’s Visitors Centre for the entire year. The second exhibition, organised by the Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences, will tour Australia beginning in October. Last year’s received over 200,000 people Australia-wide making it the largest photographic exhibition in the country.

New Courthouse Café Opens This Weekend

July 29, 2022 by Maggi Barnard

The collection of cafes in Forbes is further expanding this weekend with the opening of the new Courthouse Café inside the Vandenberg Hotel. The opening hours will be 8am to 12pm on Saturday and Sunday. See you there!

Snippets…

July 29, 2022 by Maggi Barnard

The Rotary Clubs of Parkes and Forbes have joined a District project initiated by the Rotary Club of Coolamon to support the Ukraine Appeal. Community members can purchase sunflower seeds for planting. The sunflower is the National floral emblem of Ukraine, so purchasing them will provide financial support, but also show solidarity with Ukraine. Funds raised will go to the Rotary’s Ukrainian Aid Fund, which has already received around a million dollars in donations.

Nominate A Tradie Today: Today, 29th July, is the closing date for this month’s Tradie of the Month competitions in Forbes and Parkes, sponsored by Gunn’s Menswear and Totally Work Wear respectively. Readers can nominate a tradie, male or female, to go into the draw and the winner each month will win a prize. Simply drop into Gunn’s Menswear or Totally Work Wear to nominate a tradie, or send us an email at editor@forbesphoenix.com.au or editor@parkesphoenix.com.au.

Community Funding: Not-for-profit organisation in the Parkes Shire can apply for funding. Round 1 for the 2022/23 Community Financial Assistance program is now open! The Parkes Shire Council is encouraging groups and organisations to apply for a donation, a waiving of fees and charges, seed or growth funding. Applications close at 5pm on Friday, 13th August. For more information visit https://bit.ly/3yIjI9W

Charity Ball: Northparkes Mines will be hosting a Frontline Charity Ball at the Parkes Leagues Club on Saturday, 20th August to raise funds and celebrate the emergency services within our local communities. The evening will consist of a sit down dinner, live music by Gabemusic and auctions. It will also feature special guest hosts The Eighth Mile Consultancy Pty Ltd. Tickets available via: https://bit.ly/3uTGIlh

Aboriginal Language For Personal Use: TAFE NSW Forbes is taking Expressions of Interest in Certificate I in Fundamental Aboriginal Languages for Personal Use. TAFE is looking at starting a part time course on a Wednesday night that would run for 17 weeks at the Forbes campus. This would be a fully subsidised course and is open to all students. Learn the foundations to reading and writing in your local language and join your community in protecting and promoting traditional languages for generations to come. Register your expression of at: https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage

AFL Trees: Fans of AFL and the environment will be pleased to hear that Planet Ark and National Tree Day major sponsor Toyota Australia are teaming up with the AFL to plant trees around Australia. During rounds 17-19, the AFL’s sustainability rounds, a native Australian seedling will be planted for every point scored across all games!

It is National Tree Day on Sunday and to celebrate Forbes Shire Council’s Urban Services and Events teams planted 50 native eucalypts to create enhanced bird habitats.

Check Your Child Restraints

July 29, 2022 by Maggi Barnard

The recent free child restraint checking event held in Parkes and Forbes discovered that the majority of seats were incorrectly fitted.

The most common mistakes included shoulder straps needed adjustment, the seatbelt path was wrong, there wasn’t a large enough gap between the back of the front seat and the child restraint and capsule tether straps were used incorrectly.

If you missed this annual event, local fitters can install and check child restraints for a small fee. Find them in Parkes at Col Fletcher Ford and Kia and Parkes Tyrepower, and at Jelbart Dawson in Forbes.

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