Parkes, Forbes and Lachlan Shire Councils’ ‘Load Restraint Education Project’ has been heralded a success according to Project Coordinator and the Councils’ Road Safety and Injury Prevention Officer, Melanie Suitor.

“The results of the project show that load restraint awareness amongst the target group (farmers and transport companies) did improve over the course of the project and we have seen load restraint breaches decrease 69% this year, with no incidents occurring,” said Ms Suitor.

The project was funded by the Commonwealth Government through the NHVR’s Heavy Vehicle Safety Initiative (HVSI) and was supported by NSW Police, NSW Farmers and Transport for NSW, with assistance from NSW Rural Fire Service, SafeWork NSW and NSW Health’s Rural Adversity Mental Health Program.

Project results include:

• More than 100 farmers attended the Load Restraint Village Tour and all provided positive feedback about the program

• The how-to videos have had more than 1,000 views

• 1,100 additional load restraint packs have been distributed to the local community

• 311,740 people were reached through social media posts and there were 5,070 engagements – this is across five Facebook pages

• Police enforcement figures up to August 2021, show that local load restraint breaches have decreased 69% on the 2020 figures and 54% based on the 2019 figures, with no load restraint incidents recorded thus far in 2021.

NO VACCINE OR CURE FOR MOZZIES: The Sentinel Chicken Surveillance Program is used to provide an early warning of increased flavivirus activity in Australia. The Arbovirus Lab is located at Westmead Hospital. Across the state, flocks are established in Bourke, Deniliquin, Griffith, Hay, Leeton, the Macquarie Marshes, Menindee, and Moree. Forbes is classed as a central location in the Central West for this surveillance to occur and has had high activity since the floods.

Forbes Shire Council General Manager, Steve Loane, wants the community to know their health and well-being is a top priority, post-flood. Each year during the warmer months Council partners with NSW Health to carry out Arbovirus Surveillance, to monitor for Mosquito-Borne Diseases in the Central West. Importantly to identify any virus in the region. Forbes is strategically located in the heart of NSW and the Central West, monitoring the entire Lachlan Valley.

“To ensure our community remains safe, Council monitors for mosquito-borne diseases in our area via two methods, the blood sampling of a sentinel flock of chickens and mosquito trapping,” said Forbes Shire General Manager Steve Loane.

“When chickens are bitten by mosquitoes they don’t get sick, unlike humans, this is why they are used to pick up such diseases as Ross River Fever, Murray Valley Encephalitis, Barmah Forest virus, and Kunjin virus.”

The Sentinel Chicken Surveillance Program is used to provide an early warning of increased flavivirus activity in Australia. The Arbovirus Lab is located at Westmead Hospital. In NSW, Forbes is classed as a central location in the Central West for this surveillance to occur.

“Council is spraying its public spaces, sporting fields, parks and gardens until February 2022 to keep the numbers at bay. We encourage the community to be vigilant during the next few months.”

STILL AMAZING: While 2021 had some highlights including Forbes belated 150 year celebrations and visits from dignitaries, many have more reason to be optimistic about 2022. This photo of the Amazing sign west towards Condobolin by Emma Baxter is not only a reminder of how amazing Forbes is but also the hard reality of what we are facing. Like we have always done, we will do it all again tomorrow. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from everyone at the Forbes Phoenix!

In what can only be described as another ‘eventful’ year, 2021 still had plenty of local highlights from 151 year gala celebrations to Taste On Templar.

The beginning of the year saw many negotiate their way through COVID restrictions with home-school, flexible working arrangements, QR codes, masks and vaccinations all topics of the day. Most events were postponed or cancelled as local businesses came to grips with new ways to trade as the NSW Governor General Margaret Beazley visited our amazing Mensshed.

We had a change within the National Party after Barnaby Joyce won a spill over our federal member, Michael McCormack. Frost and Fire was a shining light in a long, wet winter as was Charlie Staines Penrith Panthers. KHub also came to town!

Local sports competitions were able to commence, albeit before more restrictions in Spring and then came the floods. Floods that destroyed a potential record winter harvest and put pay to summer returns. Many are still surrounded by water.

Staines and his Panther teammates won the NRL grand final 14-12 over South Syd-ney while our new Premier, Dominic Perrottet popped in not once but twice. So too did Prime Minister Scott Morrison to thank our SES volunteers and cook lunch.

We finally had our council elections, some five years after the last. With numbers still being counted at time of print, Phyllis Miller again is safe with Steve Karaitiana, Jenny Webb, Marg Duggan and Aiden Clarke also in strong positions. Chris Roylance and Maria Willis also look well-placed with only 88 votes separating 8th from 13th. See you in 2022!

For many Australians, pets are important members of the family and they can bring immense joy, but also a lot of responsibility. People are urged to consider carefully before buying a pet this Christmas, said Forbes Shire Council Ranger, Mat Wallis.

“They are cute and cuddly, and everyone loves a puppy,” said Mat.

“But we urge residents to consider the responsibility that comes with a new pet, and the time you have available to look after them properly. In NSW all cats and dogs (except exempt dogs and cats) must be microchipped over the age of three months of age or before being sold or given away. If the owner is under the age of 18, a parent or guardian will be deemed the legal owner.”

Similarly, for registrations, all cats and dogs must be registered by six months of age. Registering your dog or cat greatly improves their chances of being returned to you if they become lost.

“It is mandatory you register your dog or cat because if you don’t you are actually committing an offense and action may be taken against you. The registration fee is a once-only payment, regardless of any changes in ownership,” Mat said.

“You need to consider the ongoing costs of having a pet demand. You owe it to your pet to provide them with a quality diet. In fact, the better the food, the less poop they produce, so that is an incentive! Pets are amazing, but they require time, patience, and dedication – not to mention a lifestyle change for your family. They are a lifetime commitment and if given the chance they will love you for life.”

Forbes Shire Council has information on their website regarding pet ownership and registration; www.forbes.nsw.gov.au/residents/animals/pet-registration.

Featured are some of the lovely animals at the RSPCA NSW Orange Shelter waiting to be adopted.

All animals are available for adoption via rspcansw.org.au/adopt

IMAGE CREDIT: https://www.facebook.com/topsoilorganics

It’s so true what they say – one man’s trash is another man’s treasure and there is no truer case of this than with Central Western business Topsoil Organics.

Topsoil Organics, a Forbes based company is revolutionizing the way people think about their food waste and has made it a key mission of their business to focus on educating people on how to ensure their food waste stays out of landfill.

“Once the food scraps are on the ground here at the Central West Nutrient Return Centre – our team works to create a beautiful rich compost which can be used in our agricultural market on farms for crop and feed growth,”

Topsoil Organics Business Manager Dan Nicholson said. Topsoil Organics prides itself on leading the way in agricultural innovation and works on the ground to closely monitor the process to develop a high-quality premium compost from its natural state.

“The product is decontaminated, put into windrows, mixed with green waste, temperature checked, watered and turned over for three months and then tried and tested,” Dan said.

“It’s at this point where it is ready to be returned to the farm to grow our food once again.”