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Forbes Phoenix

CWA Celebrates Centenary

May 6, 2022 by Maggi Barnard

President CWA Oxley Group and Forbes CWA Evening Branch Robyn Miller with Governor of NSW Hon Margaret Bea-zley AC QC at the 100th anniversary morning tea of the NSW CWA.

It is a special year for NSW Country Women’s Association (CWA) celebrating its 100th anniversary. 

A celebratory birthday morning tea was held at Government House in March and attended by President of CWA Oxley Group and Forbes CWA Evening Branch, Robyn Miller. She was invited by the Governor of NSW the Hon Margaret Beazley AC QC to join other dignitaries and representatives of the CWA from across the state for this momentous occasion. 

“It was a beautiful event, and a perfect backdrop of a sparkling Sydney Harbour to celebrate our centenary,” said Robyn. “It was fantastic to catch up with other CWA members from across the state and discuss the history of the CWA in assisting in local communities and disaster relief fundraising.” 

Robyn said she felt privileged to be representing not only Oxley CWA Group but also Forbes Evening Branch.” She also represented the Oxley Group and Forbes Evening Branch by volunteering at the Royal Easter Show Tea Rooms (with Karen Wright and Amanda Dunn) and attended the 100 Year Annual General Meeting and Conference held at Royal Randwick in Sydney last week. 

There are other celebrations occurring across the state to celebrate 100 years of CWA and its work to support rural, regional and remote women, children, families and communities in NSW. 

Little did the small group of women, who met in 1922 to do something about the plight of rural women isolated by distance and lack of services, know that one hundred years on members of their organisation would be celebrating a birthday at Government House. 

The CWA was focused on fighting isolation and a lack of health facilities, members immediately started work on setting up baby health care centres, funding more bush nurses, and building and staffing the likes of maternity wards, hospitals, schools, rest homes, and holiday getaways for rural and remote families. 

Improvements For Wiradjuri Dreaming Centre

April 29, 2022 by Maggi Barnard

Wiradjuri Dreaming Centre received a $11,654 Stronger Communities grant to improve its outdoor space by laying down sand, the installation of turf, seating, a picnic table and new lawn mower. Member for Riverina Michael McCormack (second left) visited the centre last Thursday to make the announcement. He is with members of the centre and Aileen Allen (middle).

$5 Million Boost For Forbes

April 29, 2022 by Maggi Barnard

NEW ERA… Member for Riverina Michael McCormack (left) with Southern Cross Nutrients Operations Manager Ian Collier (right) and representatives of Southern Cross Nutrients Pty Ltd and Forbes Shire Council at the site of the new development in the industrial park in Forbes.

An organic fertiliser producer has received a $5 million Federal Government grant to become the first industry to set up business in the new industrial park in Forbes.

Southern Cross Nutrients Pty Ltd received the grant through the Securing Raw Materials Program, which is supporting businesses move to or expand into regional areas to research and develop innovative and locally sourced raw material supplies.

Southern Cross Nutrients will produce organic fertilisers for farmers from recycled natural nutrients at Forbes. The project will create 15 full-time and four part-time ongoing jobs and a further 25 jobs during two construction stages. It is expected production will start late this year.

Member for Riverina Michael McCormack welcomed the grant last Thursday in Forbes, saying it was another shot in the arm for the Forbes economy and an exciting development in the drive to make agriculture a $100 billion a year industry by 2030.

The Securing Raw Materials Program has a range of benefits, including establishing, securing and strengthening the supply of raw materials to Australian industry, and supporting partnerships between industry and regional universities. Michael said Southern Cross Nutrients Pty Ltd was collaborating with Southern Cross University at Lismore to use organic waste to produce quality compost.

Southern Cross Nutrients will use compost and microbes manufactured in Forbes to produce nutrient and microbe-rich fertiliser to improve soil health, water retention, pest resistance and support increases in crop yields.

More information on the Securing Raw Materials Program can be found at: https://business.gov.au/srmp2.

Snippets

April 29, 2022 by Maggi Barnard

Congratulations to Noah Brunt who won the 0 – 3 years category of The Forbes Phoenix Easter Colouring Competition. The other winners will be featured next week.

Forbes Heritage Festival: After the madness of the Elvis Festival last weekend, the Forbes Heritage festival will bring something completely different to town tomorrow (Saturday) in Victoria Park in the heart of Forbes’ heritage district from 10am to 2pm. There will be live demonstrations from heritage trades including blacksmiths, cheese making, woodturning and more, displays on our town’s rich heritage from the Forbes Historical Society and Forbes Family History Group, and some tall tales at the Bush Telegraph stage. Get up close and personal with some amazing vintage vehicles from the Forbes Historical Machinery Association, while the roving bushrangers from the interactive theatre troupe Convict Footprints will set your heart racing with their daring adventures, and the Swamp Dawkins Bush Band are sure to have you dancing. Don’t miss out on the Annual CWA Damper Competition, and demonstration cooked over real coals on site! Deliver your damper entry to the CWA stall at Forbes Heritage Festival in Victoria Park before 10am tomorrow to be in the running. Make sure your entry is on a paper plate with your name and contact number on the bottom.

Vintage and Collectables Fair: In celebration of Heritage Week, Rotary Ipomoea is holding a Vintage & Collectables Fair at Forbes CWA Hall from 10am – 4pm tomorrow with all day tea and scones, and gold coin entry. This is the first time Rotary Ipomoea have tried to hold a vintage and collectables Fair. It will be a great event for those interested in history and collecting, and some items for sale.

Brain and Body Workshops: The 2022 Grease and Oil Change Workshops will return for the 7th consecutive year as a free event. These not-for-profit gatherings were started by Cherie Quade in 2015 as a way of creating conversation in our community about mental health, wellbeing and real-life stories of how people in rural communities stay afloat when the rest of the world seems like a lot. Rather than having one large gathering, there will be several smaller workshops to accommodate different schedules and needs. The next one-hour workshop will be an online event on Sunday, 8th May from 7:30 – 8:30pm presented by Amanda Bainbridge. Join in to turn off the fight or flight reflex and treat the symptoms of your stress in the privacy of your own home. Find out more and register for this FREE event here: https://stressrecovery.eventbrite.com.au/

Don’t miss out on the Annual CWA Damper Competition in Victoria Park tomorrow that forms part of the Heritage Festival.

Forbes Young Judge Second Best In Australia

April 29, 2022 by Maggi Barnard

The 2021 Merino sheep judging winners are (L-R) first place Ben Hartwich (VIC), runner-up Campbell Rubie from Forbes (NSW), third place Sym Hood (TAS), and fourth place Will Hacker (QLD).

Campbell Rubie (18) from Forbes is the second best young judge in Australia after being named runner-up for 2021 in the prestigious Agricultural Shows Australia young judging championship. Campbell competed in the Merino Sheep judging category.

Ben Hartwich (22) from Bullygrogran (Ararat), Victoria and Patrick Davis (18) from Harden, New South Wales have taken out Australia’s top spot in the competition at the Sydney Royal Easter Show for 2021 and 2022 respectively.

Agricultural Shows Australia (ASA) staged the national championships of young judges and paraders competitions with finalists from each state of Australia and New Zealand.

Campbell have grown up on a family farm, which is a mixed farming enterprise, with the major focus on Merino and Poll Merino Stud. “I am actively involved in all farming activities, including sheep work, machinery work and many other activities.”

The Red Bend Catholic College student plans to work on the family farm after school, with a trade under his belt.

He competed for the first time in 2020 in the junior judging competition, when he qualified for the Royal Easter Show, and came first in the Merino sheep section in April 2021.

“My Dad (Glen Rubie) and my brother (Mitchell Rubie) have had a huge influence on my judging.”

Judging is objective, while there are characteristics about an animal to look for, what the judges will be paying close attention to is how clearly competitors express their decision and how they validate it. A competitor’s appearance is also important and judges can mark down for poor presentation.

The national championships are held in a different location each year. This year, the Sydney Royal Easter Show, celebrating its bicentenary, hosted the 2022 championships including the 2021 finalists who were unable to compete at Ekka due to COVID cancellations.

The National judges and paraders competition brings together the best young judges and paraders aged from 15 to 25 in each state to compete at the national finals. Qualification is via success in competitive regional and state competitions.

Overall there are nine categories for judging and parading each year under the Agricultural Shows Australia national competition program: beef cattle, dairy cattle, alpaca, poultry, Merino sheep, meat breed sheep and Merino fleece judging, as well as parading competitions in beef and dairy cattle.

Dr. Rob Wilson is chairman of ASA, the peak body overseeing 572 agricultural shows in Australia which attract six million visitors annually and contribute nearly $1billion to the national economy. Rob says the competition is designed to recognise the best new talent in livestock judging nationwide.

“It’s an extremely prestigious event and positions at the nationals are keenly contested,” he said.

“These young people are the future of agricultural show competitions which are crucial to the continual improvement of Australia’s food and fibre. The national competition is a coveted opportunity to grow personally and professionally by practising skills against the cream of the crop.”

The Merino sheep and fleece judging competitions are sponsored by Australian Wool Innovation.

Mayoral Notes

April 29, 2022 by Maggi Barnard

What an amazing weekend in Forbes. As an Elvis Festival travel partner we hosted a couple of fantastic Elvis events including our Amazing breakfast and the very popular Swinging Speedway night at McFeeter’s car museum.

See all the pics on our Amazing Forbes facebook page. Events like the Elvis Festival mean so much to communities like ours – it was wonderful to see people out and about again.

Federal Member Michael McCormack was in Forbes last week to announce a $5 million Federal grant to Southern Cross Nutrients, a compost and natural fertiliser maker who will be starting production at the Central West Industrial Park in Forbes. This is the first of many industries to be established at our new industrial park and Forbes Shire Council has been busy working to attract businesses like Southern Cross Nutrients to our area.

We have a very busy schedule of road resealing and a dedicated program of trimming trees. After all the rain, so many of our trees have had increased growth and our team is working from our CBD out to maintain trees.

Last week alone our engineering department resealed 18 sections of road within our town limits to keep up with continually improving our streetscapes. A big thank you to all our residents who moved cars and kept the streets clear for the work to go ahead. A shout out to the teams who completed the work as they worked early and quickly to cause minimal interruptions.

Your Mayor,
Phyllis Miller

Elvis Rocks Forbes Mornin’ And Night

April 29, 2022 by Maggi Barnard

With the Parkes Elvis Festival tentacles reaching into the Central West, Forbes residents did not hesitate to dust off the blue suede shoes and boogie in the street last weekend.

Forbes hosted some fantastic Elvis events including the Amazing breakfast in Templar Street on Friday morning and the sold out Swingin’ on the Speedway event at McFeeter’s Motor Museum on Saturday night.

Who said an early morning boogie and breakfast in the CBD is a crazy idea? It was funky and the best way to get the weekend starting with wonderful music by ‘Ray of Elvis’ and Georgia Sideris.

For those still with itchy feet Swingin’ on the Speedway on Saturday night continued the fun with a sit down dinner catered by Eat Your Greens, drinks by Club Forbes and toe tapping tunes by Gracey Denham-Jones, Nic ‘The King’ Nicolas and Jake & the Cadillacs, who ensured everyone danced the night away at Mcfeeters Motor Museum. The dance performance of the incredible Sydney Swing Katz was a show stopper to marvel at.

“It really was an incredible night. We had a blast,” said Monica Wren on facebook. “A massive thanks to everyone invovled. What a success.”

As the Parkes Elvis Festival Director Tiffany Steel said: “I think people had been missing that shared connection and celebration over the last two years, and it felt like a moment where we could all come together, see old friends, make new ones and just have a party fit for The King.”

The Sydney Swing Katz and their incredible dance moves vowed audiences in Forbes and Parkes during the Elvis Festival.

 

A dance floor in Templar Street to have a breakfast party for Elvis, yes it’s all part of the fun of the festival.

 

Gracey Denham-Jones performed in Forbes and Parkes during the festival.

(Photos: Amazing Forbes NSW facebook page)

Stay And Explore

April 20, 2022 by Maggi Barnard

Whether you have some down time between concerts, a few extra days to explore or plan to visit again in the future, Amazing Forbes has an abundance of activities for every kind of explorer.

From its stunning natural environment, including the Lachlan River, Lake Forbes and Forbes Wetlands (Gum Swamp bird hides) to exciting public art trails, history and Wiradjuri culture.

Sculpture Down the Lachlan is an exciting trail of larger-than-life sculptures situated along the Lachlan River from Forbes to Condobolin (including the towering goanna sculpture at the Forbes Wetlands). Discover more sculptures and murals in town, including sculptures and Story Poles at the Forbes Wiradjuri Dreaming Centre on Lake Forbes. Why not stop in for a yarn and discover more about Forbes’ Wiradjuri heritage?

Forbes boasts a rich and colourful history, and gold rush past – a giveaway is the magnificent architecture that lines the streets to this day. Many of the buildings are part of the Heritage Trail (and several appeared in the hit film ‘The Dish’).

Not to be underestimated is the unique boutique shopping district where you’re bound to find something amazing. So, when will you next Find Yourself… in Amazing Forbes?

He Was There – Charles Stone And His Time With Elvis

April 20, 2022 by Maggi Barnard

Don’t miss this once-in-a lifetime opportunity to hear from Charles Stone at the Parkes Elvis Festival and ask questions in two informative sessions. See him at the Parkes Little Theatre at 1pm on Friday, 22nd April and 4pm on Sunday, 24th April.

For the first time in Australia, and only at the Parkes Elvis Festival, you will be able to listen to stories from Charles Stone.

Charles joined forces with Elvis and his manager Colonel Tom Parker in the 1970s and toured around America. He took care of business until Elvis’ death in 1977.

Charles has worked with many amazing talents throughout his career, and has years of memories and personal stories to share, but nothing compares to his time spent on tour and in Vegas with Elvis, the Colonel, and all the enthusiastic, supportive fans.

There is nothing he enjoys more than having the opportunity to relive his Elvis years as he shares his memories and experiences during frequent speaking engagements around the world.

How did you get connected with the Parkes Elvis Festival?

I have always wanted to visit Australia and my friend Alicia Dean at Graceland recommended me to the festival and we were able to work something out so I could come this year.

How do you feel about coming to the Parkes Elvis Festival?

I am so excited to be coming and just cannot wait to be there. It has been on my bucket list for a long time. Bruce Jackson was one of my best friends.

What have you heard about the Parkes Elvis Festival?

I really had not heard much about it until Mark Anthony told me about it. He said it was one of the best Elvis festivals anywhere. I look forward to meeting Elvis fans and sharing my stories with Elvis and the Colonel.

Are you surprised that a small country town in the middle of Australia has such a big Elvis Festival?

When I looked Parkes up on the map, I was totally amazed that such a large festival was in the middle of nowhere so to speak. I live in Texas and we have places in the middle of nowhere as well but not as big as Australia’s.

When you were touring with Elvis, did you ever think his legacy would live on for so many years and all over the world?

Touring with Elvis, none of us ever thought that his legacy would live on like it has all over the world. I don’t think he ever thought it would be what it is.

Why do you think Elvis has such an enduring legacy after all these years?

Elvis was one of a kind. He was not only the greatest singer in the world, he made rock and roll worldwide. And for the girls of course he was a very good-looking man.

What is your favourite memory of your time with Elvis?

My most memorable time with him was when he asked for my wife and daughter to come to the dressing room at a concert and take a photo with him.

Do you have a favourite Elvis song, or one that brings back good memories?

I don’t really have one favorite song but I do like ‘If I could Dream’ and ‘Laudy Miss Claudy’.

Fill Up Your Passport

April 20, 2022 by Maggi Barnard

The Forbes Business Chamber is pleased to support the Parkes Elvis Festival and the Tourism and Events team of the Forbes Shire Council by introducing a Shopping Passport. One thousand copies of the Passport have been put into the Elvis promotional bags and handed out to participating businesses. The passport is to encourage visitors to explore the CBD and businesses. The Elvis Festival is one of the larger events which Forbes is lucky to be able to piggy-back on by offering accommodation, events and activities that encourage visitors to stay longer and enjoy our beautiful town,” said Marg Duggan, President of the Forbes Business Chamber.

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