Articles Archives - Page 151 of 424

Auditions For Mock Crash Youth Actors

June 17, 2022 by Maggi Barnard

The mock crash road safety initiative had seen a 27% reduction in crashes involving young drivers since its inception more than 10 years ago. Amateur actors are invited to audition for this year’s production.

The call is out for amateur youth actors over the age of 16 across the Parkes, Forbes and

Lachlan Shires to star in this year’s NOT A STATISTIC! Youth Driver Education Program.

“We are looking for four new actors to join our team and are holding auditions on Wednesday, 22nd June from 4pm – 7pm at the Parkes SES shed in Clarke Street,” said Melanie Suitor, Road Safety and Injury Prevention Officer for the three councils.

She said this road safety initiative had seen a 27% reduction in crashes involving young drivers since its inception more than 10 years ago.

Following two years of COVID disruption, this year’s mock crash is going to be developed into a training video. The video will replace the live mock crash demonstration for this year but will result in a resource which allows the program to be implemented in other areas and provides a back-up option for future years’ live demonstrations.

Pre-registration for the auditions is essential. Contact Melanie on 6861 2364 or Melanie.Suitor@parkes.nsw.gov.au for more information and to book your place.

Snippets…

June 17, 2022 by Maggi Barnard

To ensure your child restraint is properly fitted make a note of the free child restraint checking day on Saturday, 25th June in the Bunnings carpark from 10am to 2pm.

Free Child Restraint Checks: The annual free child restraint checking day will take place on Saturday, 25th June in the Bunnings carpark from 10am tp 2pm. Forbes Shire Council’s Road Safety and Injury Prevention Officer Melanie Suitor said: “The correct fitting and adjustment of child restraints is vital. Research shows that two out of three child restraints are not being used properly and this puts children at risk of injury in the event of a crash. Bookings are essential, phone 6861 2364 to secure your place. Information about the national child restraint laws, the types of restraints and advice on moving children from one restraint type to the next will be available.

Nominate A Tradie: Remember to nominate your favourite tradie in our exciting Tradie of the Month competition, sponsored by Gunn’s Menswear. Readers can nominate a tradie, male or female, to go into the draw and the winner each month will win a prize from Gunn’s Menswear. Simply drop into Gunn’s Menswear at 83 Rankin Street to nominate a tradie, or message the Gunn’s Menswear facebook page, or send us an email at editor@forbesphoenix.com.au. The closing date for this month is Monday, 27th June.

Calleen Art Award: The Cowra Regional Art Gallery has announced that entries are now open for the prestigious Calleen Art Award 2022 of $25,000.The Calleen Art Award is a national acquisitive painting prize in any subject and style (there is no theme). The award was founded in 1977 by Patricia Fagan OAM and is made possible by the generous support of the Calleen Trust. Selected finalists will be exhibited at the Cowra Regional Art Gallery from 9th October to 20th November. The winner of the Calleen Art Award 2022 will receive $25,000 and the winning artwork will join the Calleen Collection at the Cowra Regional Art Gallery. A non-acquisitive People’s Choice Award of $1,000 is awarded at the end of the exhibition. Entries Close: 25th July 2022.

Long Term Grazing Permits: Livestock producers in the Central West have are invited to make a tender submission for long-term grazing access to select Travelling Stock Reserves (TSRs) for periods longer than 12 months. Tender submissions will close at 11:59pm on Wednesday, 6th July. For more information visit www.lls.nsw.gov.au/tsr and follow the links.

Actor and mental health champion Sam Webb will be speaking at a free mental health event in Forbes on Tuesday, 21st June at Forbes High School from 11:30am to 1:30pm.

Future Forecast For Forbes

June 17, 2022 by Maggi Barnard

The NSW Department of Planning and Environment has projected that Forbes will be one of the highest growth areas in NSW between now and 2041.

Forbes Shire’s population is projected to grow by 32% over the next 20 years, expecting greater growth than the projected rate for the state of 21%.

Overall Forbes is forecast to grow from a population of 10,023 in 2021 to 13,231 in 2041, an increase of 3,208 residents.

Fire Safety A Priority With Icy Weather

June 17, 2022 by Maggi Barnard

PREVENT, PREPARE, PROTECT… Forbes Evening Branch President Robyn Miller thanked Forbes Firefighter Matt Teale for his interesting and informative presentation about fire safety at home. Matt has been a retained firefighter at Forbes Fire and Rescue for nearly 15 years.

We have all felt the chill of winter over the past few weeks increasing the need for heating in our homes.

This greater reliance on fire and heating to keep warm over winter comes with the responsibility to prevent, prepare and protect our homes and loved ones against the outbreak of fire. House fires are responsible for approximately 50 deaths per year in Australia, according to Macquarie University’s Bushfire and National Hazards Cooperative Research Centre.

Forbes Firefighter Matt Teale presented a fire safety and awareness program to members of Forbes CWA Evening Branch recently. “Everyone needs to be making sure they are fire aware and protect homes and loved ones by being prepared,” said Matt.

His presentation included fire safety inside and outside the home, evacuation plans, human behaviour in an emergency, operation of fire extinguishers, fire blankets and smoke alarms, the dangers of fat fires in the home and more.

Matt demonstrated how to use a fire blanket, and the most effective way to use a dry powder extinguisher by remembering the acronym PASS: Pull, Aim, Squeeze and Sweep to put out a fire. “It is important to not only have these but also to know how to use them properly,” he said.

Matt emphasised the importance of having a fire plan. “It’s not just in bushfire prone areas that fire plans help save lives. Make sure you know how to get out of the home, where the fire assembly point is for the family to meet, what possessions you want to take, and who is in the house.

“Fire and Rescue can provide free safety visits by contacting Forbes Fire Station or go to https://www.fire.nsw.gov.au/visits/

By Sue Cunningham

Free Heavy Vehicle Forum In Forbes

June 17, 2022 by Maggi Barnard

Registrations are open for this year’s Central West NSW Heavy Vehicle Breakfast Forum at the Forbes Inn on Thursday, 30th June.

Local farmers, contract harvesters, couriers, truck drivers and transport company operators are invited to attend.

“We are really excited to be back and to be able to deliver this format which allows for more two-way discussion about the topics that are affecting the local freight industry,” said organiser Melanie Suitor, Parkes, Forbes and Lachlan Shire Councils’ Road Safety and Injury Prevention Officer.

This year will feature three sessions: 1) Effluent, load restraint and Chain of Responsibility from 7.10 – 8.10am; 2) Heavy vehicle access from 8.30 – 9.40am; 3) PBS vehicles from 10 – 11am. You can register for all of the sessions, just one or two.

The forum is free, but registration is required for catering purposes. To register online at: https://forms.office.com/r/ETBbmuA2K1, via the Councils’ Facebook pages or call Melanie on 6861 2364.

ATO Priorities For Tax Time 2022

June 17, 2022 by Maggi Barnard

The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) has announced four key focus areas for Tax Time 2022.

The ATO will be focusing on:

• Record-keeping

• Work-related expenses. To claim a deduction for working from home expenses, there are three methods available depending on your circumstances. You can choose from the shortcut (all-inclusive), fixed rate and actual cost methods, as long as you meet the eligibility and record-keeping requirements.

• Rental property income and deductions. If you are a rental property owner, make sure you include all the income you’ve received from your rental in your tax return, including short-term rental arrangements, insurance payouts and rental bond money you retain.

• Capital gains from crypto assets, property, and shares.

Assistant Commissioner Tim Loh said: “It’s important you rethink your claims and ensure you can satisfy the three golden rules.”

The golden rules are:

• You must have spent the money yourself and weren’t reimbursed.

• If the expense is for a mix of income producing and private use, you can only claim the portion that relates to producing income.

• You must have a record to prove it.

Queen’s Birthday Holiday Is Not Really Her Birthday

June 17, 2022 by Maggi Barnard

The Queen’s Birthday Holiday was celebrated on Monday in NSW following the celebration of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee from 2nd to 5th June. (Photo: Geo News)

Why did we celebrate the Queen’s Birthday Holiday on Monday, 13th June, when Queen Elizabeth II was born on 21st April 1926?

Even more confusingly, why is it that the ACT, NSW, NT, SA, Tasmania and Victoria celebrate the Queen’s Birthday Holiday on the second Monday of June each year, but in Western Australia and Queensland the holiday is celebrated in October?

It turns out that the holiday has origins long before Queen Elizabeth II. The holiday tradition started in 1788 when Arthur Phillip, the Governor of NSW at the time, established the holiday to celebrate the birthday of King George III, the first European king of Australia.

The birthday was always celebrated on the actual date of the monarch’s birthday until 1936, the year of the death of King George V, Elizabeth’s grandfather. His birthday was 3rd June and the date has since stayed around early June.

Western Australia chooses to forgo the holiday in June since the previous Monday is already set aside for Foundation Day. In Queensland, the Labor Bligh government changed the Queen’s Birthday in 2012 from the traditional June date to the first weekend of October to better spread out the public holidays in the second half of the year.

Honour’s lists are proclaimed twice a year in Australia. The Australia Day list is on 26th January, and the Queen’s Birthday Honour’s List is proclaimed on the June date each year.

Do You Recycle Your Receipts?

June 17, 2022 by Maggi Barnard

Check if receipts are thermal. Run your fingernail firmly across the paper and if its thermal it will leave a mark. Make sure you check both the front and back side of the receipt.

Thermal receipts cannot be recycled. The ink used on the ‘thermal’ type paper contains BPA (now banned in specific types of plastic) and is tricky to remove during the recycling process. Due to the type of ink used that contains BPA it is easily transferrable and contaminates what it comes into contact with.

Unfortunately thermal receipts need to go into general waste, or you can refuse receipts and ask the business to email them if you need to keep them for record purposed.

Actor Sam Webb In Forbes For Mental Health Expo

June 17, 2022 by Maggi Barnard

Actor and mental health champion Sam Webb will be speaking at a free mental health event in Forbes on Tuesday, 21st June at Forbes High School from 11:30am to 1:30pm.

Actor and mental health champion Sam Webb will be the guest at a free mental health event in Forbes on Tuesday, 21st June.

Community members are invited to the Forbes Mental Health Expo organised by CatholicCare Wilcannia-Forbes at Forbes High School Hall from 11:30am to 1:30pm.

Sam, who is known for his appearances in Home and Away, Neighbours and Australian Survivor, co-founded the mental health charity LIVIN in 2013 after the death of a good friend to suicide.

“We’re thrilled that Sam Webb has come on board,” said Kate Shambrook, CatholicCare Wilcannia-Forbes mental health programs manager.

“He is committed to helping people and organisations understand the importance of mental health and making wellness a priority. We think the community will gain a lot from his talk. “Mental health as an issue is growing in communities, especially in young people and it is an area of concern.”

Kate invited schools, parents, carers, students and other community members to the expo. Representatives from mental health support providers at Forbes will also be at the event for community members to meet and talk to. It is free to attend, but people are asked to register through Eventbrite.

Snippets…

June 10, 2022 by Maggi Barnard

Pop into the Forbes Handicraft Shop for a wide variety of homemade items. Jan Facey was hard at work in the shop this week.

Double Demerits: A reminder to all motorists that double demerit points will come into force this long weekend from today, 10th June until Monday, 13th June (inclusive) for all speeding, mobile phone, seatbelt and motorcycle helmet offences. Parkes Highway Patrol Sergeant Martin Ling said Police would also be targeting the ‘four Ds’ – drink, drug, dangerous and distracted driving. “Our message is to be patient, obey the road rules and drive to conditions. “There will be more Police on the road which means a greater chance of drivers being caught if they are doing the wrong thing.” The illegal use of a mobile phones will be picked up with mobile phone detection cameras with fines of $352 and 10 demerits. Restricted licences holders including learner, P1 and P2 drivers and riders are not permitted to use their phone at all, including the use of hands-free and Bluetooth functions.

Mayors Agree On Changes for Rural Health: A total of 15 positive changes were agreed upon when the Mayors of Central NSW met at the end of last month for the Country Mayors Association (CMR) Rural Health Forum in Sydney. They discussed the recommendations of the Legislative Council report into health outcomes and access to health and hospital services in rural, regional and remote NSW. Chair of the Country Mayors Association Cr Ken Keith OAM of Parkes said: “We would like the government to consider including short-term measures to improve rural health including the development of systems to maintain the retention of internees in rural areas and to get international doctors into rural communities. In the long-term, we need to look at establishing more medical schools to train doctors in rural regions.” It was resolved that the government will collaborate on the issue of doctor shortages in the rural health system.

Nominate A Tradie: Our exciting Tradie of the Month competition, sponsored by Gunn’s Menswear, kicked off last week. Readers are invited to nominate a tradie, male or female, to go into the draw for the Tradie of the Month. The winner each month will win a prize from Gunn’s Menswear. Simply drop into Gunn’s Menswear at 83 Rankin Street to nominate a tradie, or message the Gunn’s Menswear facebook page, or send us an email at editor@forbesphoenix.com.au. The closing date for this month is Monday, 27th June.

Author Justin Smith will be at the Forbes Library on 21st June at 1pm to talk about his book Cooper Not Out.

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