Articles Archives - Page 205 of 424

Mayoral Notes

April 1, 2021 by Maggi Barnard

With Easter approaching please travel safe. The roads will be very busy. If you are tired please take a break! We want every-body safe and sound. Easter is an amazing time to spend with family and friends, go to church and eat lots of nice food.

We had road closures with the recent rain event and I want to remind everyone not to go through road closure signs or you will negate your insurance.

Last week we painted the town red for Ronald McDonald House (RMHC). Lots of businesses had donation buckets in their premises for a few days. Thank you to everyone who donated. The service RMHC provides to the Forbes community is simply amazing. They are a volunteer organisation that provides care and compassion to families in need at very tough times of illness and trauma.

With school holidays starting there will be heaps of activities for the kids to do. To name a few we have the Paddle Boats back on the Lake, Obstacool in Lions Park, Clay workshop and a fishing workshop. There will also be an outdoor movie night. Find out more on Council’s website or Facebook page.

Don’t forget to try out the new Ninja Park over the school holidays. The fence will be down just in time for Easter.

I hope you all have a happy Easter and stay safe.

God Bless.
Your Mayor, Phyllis Miller

Forbes Preschool Making Life Easier For Parents

April 1, 2021 by Maggi Barnard

HELPING HAND: Child and Family Health Nurse Jane O’Malley, with Jackie Wright from Forbes Preschool and Child and Family Health Nurse Denise Hopkins measure Myra Davis to see how much she has grown to track her health and development milestones on Tuesday in the Forbes Preschool community rooms, a new space for Child Health appointments.

Forbes Preschool is again making it easier for parents to meet the five crucial domains for early childhood development with Child and Family Health nurse appointments available every Tuesday at the preschool.

“We know how crucial the first 2000 days are of a child’s life and tracking health and development milestones is an important part of that – we also know how incredibly busy those first 2000 days are and by having child health appointments available in our beautiful new community space at preschool we hoped it would make it all that little bit more easier and accessible for parents,” Forbes Preschool Director, Amy Shine said.

Last year the NSW Government announced Brighter Beginnings, a portal dedicated to information and services as well as parenting life navigations tools – we are in the ideal position to be able to compliment this service by having it all under one roof here at Forbes Preschool,” Ms Shine said.

“We continue to develop and run specialised programs to address the other four key domains for early childhood development such as social competence, emotional maturity, language and cognitive skills as well as communication skills and general knowledge, so including another speciality just completes our ability to offer whole child support in the safe, fun and trusted preschool space,” she added.

The Child and Family Health appointments are open to all community members, your child does not need to attend preschool.

Every Tuesday (during the school term) from 9am to 3pm parents can drop in with the two Child Health Nurses available. You can book appointments on 6850 7300.

Yoorana Gunya Partners With Western Area Health

April 1, 2021 by Maggi Barnard

Yoorana Gunya Family Healing Centre.

The Partnership of Yoorana Gunya Family Healing Centre and Western NSW Aboriginal Health to improve health and wellbeing outcomes for Aboriginal people in Forbes was formalised last week.

“Over the years the needs of the Forbes Aboriginal community have changed and the focus of our organisation today is pre-dominantly on providing primary health care and wellbeing services,” said CEO Donna Bliss.

“This partnership will extend our services even further without losing our common goal, providing a range of health, education and family programs to both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people.”

The service provides a full range of primary health care services. The team includes; general practitioners, registered nurses, Aboriginal health workers, counsellors, domestic violence specialists, suicide prevention workers, social and emotional well-being workers.

“It is critical our services are culturally appropriate and are physically, emotionally and spiritually safe and that we work in partnership with people when providing care and treatment,” Ms Bliss continued.

The partnership will ensure safety, quality of care and improved health outcomes for Aboriginal peoples of Forbes and surrounding areas for the foreseeable future.

Forbes Domino’s Feeding The Knead

April 1, 2021 by Maggi Barnard

FEED THE KNEAD: Forbes Domino’s Marketing Manager Tre Griffen with co-owner Shannon Langlands. Domino’s have really delivered post-COVID to help local communities.

Local Domino’s Forbes franchisees William Cody and Shannon Langlands are dedicated to helping those in ‘knead’ – providing safe, hot meals to locals in the Forbes area who are doing it tough due to COVID-19.

As part of Domino’s community based program ‘Feed the Knead’, which aims to provide localised support in the form of free pizza, Mr Cody is proud to have donated more than 100 piping hot pizzas to locals in need, including frontline health workers at Forbes District Hospital; Jemalong Resi-dential Village; pharmacy; and SES.

Mr Cody said Domino’s Forbes is committed to giving back to the community, and encourages individuals to ‘nominate someone in knead’ by submitting a Feed the Knead form via the Domino’s website.

“As a small business owner, I understand it is a privilege to be able to operate and safely feed those in the community during this time.

“That is why we are doing everything possible to live up to that privilege and to return the support that our community has so generously shown us,” Mr Cody said.

“So, whether you have lost your job due to COVID-19, are struggling to put food on the table, or know an individual, business, charity or organisation doing it tough, we want to do what we can to help.

“We know that pizza can’t solve all of the world’s problems, but it can bring a small slice of joy to a bad day, and in these times of extreme stress and uncertainty that’s never been more important.”

For more information about Domino’s ‘Feed the Knead’, program visit www.dominos.com.au/feed-the-knead

Wettest Month In A Year For Forbes

April 1, 2021 by Maggi Barnard

FLOODED FARMS: Farmer From Down Under Brad Shephard captures flooded farms west of Forbes last week and the devastation they have caused farmers.

ROAD CLOSURES: Forbes received approximately 186mm rain – the same as April last year and three times as much as the same time last year. The rain caused flooding and numerous road closures.

Grab A Free Cuppa This Easter

April 1, 2021 by Maggi Barnard

If you’re travelling this Easter in regional NSW, make sure you check out the ‘Free Cuppa for the Driver’ website, plan your trip, have regular breaks and collect your free cuppa at one of more than 100 participating businesses.

At freecuppa.com.au drivers can search for the nearest participating business as well as find useful information on the scheme, which is operational until 31 May 2021.

Parkes, Forbes and Lachlan Shire Councils’ Road Safety and Injury Prevention Officer, Melanie Suitor, said drivers were entitled to a free cuppa at participating businesses if they were more than 100kms away from home.

“The second biggest killer on NSW roads is drivers who are tired. This scheme encourages drivers to stop, have a break and enjoy a free cuppa,” said Ms Suitor.

“Remember that coffee is no substitute for rest. Take a break,” Ms Suitor said.

Free cuppas are available from a broad range of businesses with varied opening hours, making regular breaks and free cuppas more accessible than ever.

Top tips to avoid driving tired include:
• Get a good night’s sleep
• Avoid driving at night when your body will naturally want to sleep
• Arrange to share the driving
• Avoid long drives after work
• Plan to take regular breaks from driving
• Stay hydrated and eat healthy snacks
• Check if any medicine you are taking may affect your driving
• Know what the early warning signs of fatigue are and take a break

“Please travel safe this Easter and take advantage of the ‘Free Cuppa for the Driver’ scheme,” Ms Suitor said.

Snippets…

April 1, 2021 by Maggi Barnard

PLANNING THE FUTURE: Wiradjuri Council of Elders recently met in Parkes to discuss ways to better manage water and the next generation of elders.

Wiradjuri Council Of Elders Meet In Parkes: Last Friday and Saturday saw the first meeting for some time of the Wiradjuri Council of Elders in Parkes.

This is not the first collaboration between Parkes Shire and Wiradjuri Elders though one of the first since COVID. Zoom link was trialled successfully and connected Elders from Lithgow Associates of Wiradjuri.

Mayor Ken Keith OAM was on hand to welcome the Elders as discussions held throughout the meeting ranged from water management to emerging Elders.

The boundary of the Wiradjuri Nation extends from Coonabarabran in the north, straddling the Great Dividing Range down to the Murray River and out to western NSW.

Wiradjuri traditional country includes the townships of Dubbo, Condobolin, Orange, Bathurst, Wagga Wagga, Albury, Narrand-era, and Griffith.

The Wiradjuri Council of Elders is comprised of Elders from all over Wiradjuri Country and had their first meeting in 1989 and hopefully will continue well into the future.

30 Years of Service Celebrated: Last week Forbes Shire Council celebrated 30 Years of service with the Forbes Railway Arts committee. “I would like to thank all the amazing volunteers we have had at the Railway Station Arts and Tourist In-formation Centre over the last 30 years,” said Forbes Shire Council Mayor, Phyllis Miller OAM. “Such an amazing milestone to reach and we at Council appreciate your dedication and service to the community over those three decades.

“I would like to pay special tribute to our life members; Pearl Maguire, Merle Churchill and Anne Nixon who attended last Wednesday. You all were at the inaugural meeting on 18 June 1990 at the Forbes Golf Club,” continues Mayor Miller.

“Danie Doolan, the driving force and dedicated founding member, must also be acknowledged. Without her initial push the Forbes Railway Arts & Tourist Centre committee would not have come to fruition.

“We must also not forget Judith Taylor and Lyn Simmonds who also have been working at the centre for 30 years,” continues Mayor Miller.

In total the Railway Station Arts and Tour-ism Information committee has had a total of 111 members over the thirty years. Currently the committee are non-committal on the future for the Railway Arts committee as COVID-19 has changed the circumstances in which they operate.

THIRTY YEAR MILESTONE: Councillor Chris Roylance, Councillor Graeme Miller, Mayor Phyllis Miller, Merle Churchill, Pearl Macguire, Yvonne Collits and Anne Nixon.

CSI Launch New Sila Program

March 26, 2021 by Maggi Barnard

Four major Australian foundations – The Myer Foundation, the Sidney Myer Fund, the Vincent Fairfax Family Foundation and the Paul Ramsay Foundation, have come together to fund the five-year, $9 million SILA program. In doing so, these organisations have unlocked potential to improve the wellbeing of all Australians.

Excitingly, CSI (Centre for Social Impact) have allocated a large portion of the funding to rural and regional participants. CSI strongly encourage participants in regional and rural parts of Australia to apply and will provide travel assistance. There is also funding to support people from diverse backgrounds to participate in SILA.

The program is first launching in ACT and NSW. This means that social impact leaders from Forbes, NSW are eligible SILA participants and are provided with the opportunity to further influence the for-good space.

“It is critical that we develop a truly national program. By broadening our reach in this way, we are ensuring we will be available to a diverse group of leaders and organisations from across Australia,” Jenny Wheatley, CEO of the Vincent Fairfax Family Foundation said.

For too long, rural and regional parts of Australia have been under-recognised in such spaces. CSI is excited to ensure that leaders from rural and regional areas are adequately represented in the sector and that the impacts of their work are amplified on a national level.

The program will include a series of immersive and dedicated training opportunities, all focused on supporting not-for-profit leaders to build their capacity and continue driving positive change.

More information about SILA can be found here: https://silaprogram.com.au/

Rain Here To Stay But No Sign Of Flooding…Yet

March 26, 2021 by Maggi Barnard

ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT: Forbes SES has been fortunate so far as the rest of NSW continues to battle flash flooding.

While the rest of the state is largely on high alert due to the torrential rain coming from the Northern Territory in the past week, Forbes, unlike other towns in the Central West, remains unscathed.

At the time of publication, Forbes SES had reported no incidents despite the deluge of rain which as of March 22 had exceeded the monthly rainfall from 2020 with still over a week left in the month.

Roc Walshaw, Forbes SES Local Area Commander said that at current river and dam levels, there was no need for concern.

“The dam isn’t anywhere near capacity however if we keep getting strong showers in concentrated spots it can change quickly,” Walshaw said.

With most of NSW declared a natural disaster zone from the Mid-North Coast to the Illawarra, Forbes, notorious for flooding has been one of the luckier locales.

“Trust me when I say you’ll know if it’s going to happen here,” Walshaw said.

“We will be prepared and we have a great unit,” he said. “It’s all about preparation so when we need to perform during times of crisis like floods we are ready to go!”

Walshaw did caution people to be careful in floodwaters especially when driving and to take care.

“Don’t mess about in floodwater,” he said. “It’s not worth it.”

For more info or if you require assistance due to flood, storm and tsunami emergencies, please phone NSW SES on 132 500.

‘Bird In Hand’ Unveiled Along The Sculpture Down The Lachlan Trail

March 26, 2021 by Maggi Barnard

The phrase ‘a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush’ is the inspiration behind the latest sculpture to be unveiled as part of Sculpture Down the Lachlan (SDL) extension. ‘Bird in Hand’ by Gold Coast sculptor Michael ‘Mike’ Van Dam represents the profound responsibility of environmental preservation, sustainability and development bestowed upon humans. The 6.5 metre, 3.5 tonne piece depicting a hyper-realistic hand cradling a great white egret, was unveiled Wednesday at Straneys Bridge 37 kilometres from Forbes.

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