The Eisteddfod season is in full ‘swing’ and Kristen’s Dance Studio’s 8 years Troupe were on stage for the very first time at the Cowra Eisteddfod on Saturday. Not only did they absolutely love it, but they received a Highly Commended. They are super keen to get on stage again. Congratulations and well done to Miss Lozzy and all the dancers! (Photo credit: Kristen’s Dance Studio Facebook page)
Mark Coulton and Michael McCormack at the Riverina Campaign Launch in Parkes on Tuesday.
The Riverina Electorate campaign launch for the National Party took place in Cooke Park on Tuesday with Member for Riverina Michael McCormack and Member for Parkes Mark Coulton.
Michael said he would prioritise the labour shortage and cost of living in Forbes and Parkes if he got re-elected. “These are the two major issues for this electorate, and I will be working on programs and projects for both of those.”
He said while there was a whole host of other issues, like action on climate and national security, he’d been talking to business people who just could not fill their positions, and families young and old who were worried about the cost of living.
Michael said the labour shortage was largely because of the 90,000 backpackers the country lost during COVID. “I don’t think people realise our reliance on overseas labour in hospitality, farming, agriculture, meat processing and other positions.”
He said even in the Central West hundreds of backpackers made a huge difference in the labour market. “Often these positions were word of mouth. One person would work on a farm near Forbes and go home and tell their friends about the great farmer where they could go and work. When the backpackers left and did not come back for two years, that word of mouth broke down. The backpackers came here in their droves and spent a lot of money.”
Michael said while the Australian Agriculture Visa (AAV) program introduced to address workforce shortages in the agriculture sector and backpackers were slowly coming back, the Pacific labour hire program still needed to be enhanced.
“The problem is we cannot invite people back to Australia who are not vaccinated and this is impacting the numbers.”
Forbes is hosting the All Australian Ride-on Mower Racing Championships this weekend at the Forbesauto Sportsclub with 82 competitors from four states taking part.
All the action and excitement will take place at 205 Hoopers Road, Forbes from 9am on Saturday with the finals on Sunday after lunch.
Two Forbes locals, Dave Teale and Craig Bratton, not only did all the hard work to get the event here, but will also be competing.
The competitors will be doing laps on a track in different categories depending on whether the mower is standard or was modified. Some competitors do a lot of work to make their mower look spectacular, while some of them have motorbike engines.
Don’t miss the action this weekend!
A citizenship ceremony was held by the Forbes Shire Council last week for three new Aussies. Forbes Mayor Cr Phyllis Miller OAM welcomed Rohitha Patabendige, Kamani Nammuni and their daughter Vindi (7) to the community. The couple’s 15-month-old Australian-born daughter, Sindi was also at the ceremony. Member for Orange Phil Dona-to (left) and Member for Riverina Michael McCormack (right) were also at the ceremony with Forbes Shire Councillors.
Teachers at the Forbes Public School joined thousands of their colleagues in NSW on Wednesday to strike over pay and conditions. It was the second strike in six months by teachers.
The winner of the Forbes Phoenix Easter Colouring Competition 7 – 10 years is Lachie Dent. He was very excited about his prize.
Some call it a spider apocalypse. Many people have noticed a network of spiderwebs in their gardens over the past week as can be seen in Robyne Cowhan’s backyard. (Photo credit: Robyne Cowhan.)
Peter Giles, Project Manager & Sales, with his partner Nartayliah, who is the Director & Compliance Advisor of Giles
Land Development, and their two children Mila and River.
Old Pine Estate is a unique 105ha property located in the beautiful shallow rush area on the western limit of Parkes NSW that is being developed into a residential area for families looking for the beauty of country living. The locally owned and established subdivision is done by Giles Land Development and will comprise six lots of 1.3ha each and 23 lots of 4ha each.
Peter Giles, Project Manager, said the development was named ‘Old Pine’ after the original farm. The development is located adjacent to Moulden Street, Cookapie Street, Back Trundle Road and Gold Rush Road.
Peter said the large blocks were targeted at the family looking for the freedom and lifestyle of country living. “The joys of watching your kids grow up, riding horses or motorbikes, enjoying the outdoors or the older couple looking for a quiet community to retire into, with the added convenience of the town centre only minutes away.”
With the current shortage of property available across the Parkes region and the Central West, Peter and Nartayliah decided it was the perfect time to release this subdivision to the public. “There is currently no other affordable 4ha or 1,3 ha lots available in the area,” said Peter.
“We are very excited to present this affordable and desirable land to the Parkes community.”
All the blocks will have power, sealed road access, new fencing and estate style entryways. There will be no house design or style restrictions, but the standard council regulations for the R5 Zoning code will apply. The 1.3ha lots have town water and street lighting, and all the lots can have a bore installed.
Peter said the response had been great so far, and he and his family were also going to build and live on the estate.
To register your expression of interest and to receive an information brochure scan the QR code in the below image. For up-to-date news, like and share their Facebook page @gileslanddevelopment.
WONDERFUL HERITAGE… The winner of this year’s Forbes Heritage Medal was announced at a ceremony on Tuesday night and it went to the Forbes Historical Museum. At the event were (L-R) Deputy Mayor Chris Roylance, MC Cr Jenny Webb, Forbes Historical Museum representative Bruce Adams, Mayor Phyllis Miller, Cr Brian Mattiske and historical architect Graham Hall.
The Forbes Heritage Medal was awarded to the Forbes Historical Museum on Tuesday night in the newly renovated town hall.
Bruce Adams, who represented the Forbes Historical Museum, thanked the community for recognising the museum and its volunteers for their continuous hard work. “The Forbes Historical Museum continues to be one of the best volunteer run museums in NSW.”
Forbes Mayor Phyllis Miller said she was very proud of the local community. “I think it is important to remember the people and places every year so we do not lose sight of the wonderful heritage we do have in Forbes.”
The Forbes Heritage Medal has a long and proud history of recognising the people who are working hard to ensure the preservation of the town. The medal is presented to a person or organisation who has made an outstanding contribution to the community and its heritage.
The three nominees were presented by local heritage advisor and historical architect Graham Hall. The other two deserving nominations were for the Forbes Tennis club and the Forbes Bandstand Rotunda in Victoria Park.
Several guest speakers spoke at the occasion, including local MC Jenny Webb and Sheryl Barton from the Forbes Family Historical group.
The Heritage Festival, cancelled last week because of the rain, will continue tomorrow in Victoria Park. The day will include heritage displays, bush poetry, damper cooking display and competition, historical vehicles and more. Make it a family outing and be prepared to have your curiosity provoked.
By Brett Sale
Member for Riverina Michael McCormack presented Red Bend Catholic College students Ava Curr with a book prize as a winner of the annual Anzac Day writing competition.
BOSCARS Cancelled: The Forbes Business Chamber executive committee took the decision to cancel the BOSCARS for this year due to a lack of available committee members and volunteers to organise the event. “We look forward to holding this event in 2023,” said Fiona Ferguson, Admin & Marketing Coordinator.
HSC Exam Timetable: The HSC exam timetable was released this week marking the final stage of the school journey for Year 12 students. HSC written exams will start on Wednesday, 12th October for 76,000 NSW students with English Paper 1 and finish on Friday, 4th November. Management of the HSC is no small feat, with this year’s schedule running across 18 days, for 126 exams and 780 exam centres.
Seniors Scams: Senior Australians are urged to stay vigilant against scams, as the total cost swindled from older consumers skyrocketed to over $11 million last year. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) received 16,915 reports from seniors in 2021. A total of $6.7 million had been lost through false billing scams, while online shopping scams cost Australian seniors $1.8 million last year. A common example is the purchase of a motor home online via fake websites. NSW Fair Trading guide with up-to-date information for seniors about their consumer rights and how to deal with unscrupulous operators are here visit: www.fairtrading.nsw.gov.au/help-centre/youth-and-seniors/seniors. The Aging and Disability Commission available resources are here www.ageingdisabilitycommission.nsw.gov.au
Seedling Bank Grants: Applications are open to school and community groups around Australia for National Tree Day grants and close on Friday, 27th May. Just log in and add your application to your registered 2022 National Tree Day event. The Seedling Bank funds projects of all sizes. There is no upper limit to the amount of funding you can request! To register your event, get more information on The Seedling Bank or apply for a grant, visit treeday.planetark.org.
Observation Survey Results: The 2021 observation surveys measuring seatbelt wearing rates and illegal mobile phone use in Parkes, Forbes and Condobolin are in with mobile phone usage improving 2%. Only 13 people were observed using a mobile phone compared 85 from the previous survey. The seatbelt wearing rate decreased 3%, with 84 people observed not wearing a seatbelt. The best advice when you are driving is to put your mobile phone on silent or activate the ‘Do Not Disturb While Driving’ function on your phone.
Member for Riverina Michael McCormack presented Red Bend Catholic College students Alana Folau with her prize for getting a highly commended in the annual Anzac Day writing competition.
A total of 250 cars worth less than $1,000 will take part in this year’s Shitbox Rally covering 3,600km and passing through Forbes tomorrow afternoon.
The Central West will see the 250 cars taking part in this year’s Shitbox Rally when the 500 participants will pass through Forbes tomorrow afternoon on their way to Trundle where they will overnight.
The teams of two will leave Wollongong on Saturday, 7th May in cars worth less than $1,000 (aka shitboxes) and travel 3,600km to cross the finish line seven days later in Mackay, Queensland. The rally is the largest independent fundraiser for the Cancer Council with over $30 million raised since the rallies began. The $2 million target for this rally is well in sight with current fundraising totals at over $1.7 million.
James Freeman who founded Box Rallies (Shitbox and Mystery Box Rally) after losing both of his parents to cancer within 12 months of each other said: “Shitbox Rally is not a race, but a reward for fundraising efforts. This is a chance to explore Australia, drawing teams from around the country to help achieve the extraordinary. This year will be another incredible rally starting for the first time in Wollongong and finishing in Mackay. As with all rallies though, the route will be on the roads less travelled as we make our way into the Outback.”
The impact of COVID in 2020 and 2021 has made it particularly difficult for teams to fundraise and Box Rallies has seen its expected fundraising total for the period cut by as much as $7.2 million. Rallies are the reward for raising vital funds for cancer research but when the reward is unable to take place, the fundraising slows considerably.
The rally cars are expected to go through Forbes from around 4pm and can be spread out over two to three hours. Arrival time in Trundle is from 5pm.
Judi Driscoll.
Forbes midwife Judi Driscoll has been announced as one of nine nominees for the Midwife of the Year Award by the Western NSW Local Health District (WNSWLHD).
Winners of the WNSWLHD Nurse, Midwife and Team of the Year Awards are nominated to represent the District in the NSW Excellence in Nursing and Midwifery Awards. The awards acknowledge the significant skill, passion, and contributions of nurses and midwives from across the District.
Judi is described as extremely caring and a deeply passionate midwife. Her team speaks very highly of Judi and thoroughly enjoy working with her. She goes above and beyond, not only for her patients but for colleagues as well.
People describe Judi as highly conscientious and diligent in her practice. Judi always follows policy and best practice methods. She provides an outstanding level of care, ensures patients are safe, and advocates for all patient needs.
Judi is the heart of the maternity unit. She is kind, and her calming nature centres the team during challenging and at times difficult cases, which truly makes her a delight to work with.
Congratulations to Judi on her nomination and good luck!