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Snippets…

September 18, 2020 by Maggi Barnard

Isla Bailey is learning to gain confidence around horses by grooming, leading and hanging out with the ponies.

Spring Photo Competition: It is that time of year again. The Forbes Phoenix is running its annual Spring Photo Competition where we are looking for your best and brightest Spring snaps taken in and around beautiful Forbes. This year, Sarah Hodge from Essjay Photography is sponsoring the competition. Sarah is a storytelling genius who loves adventure and finds great joy in capturing special moments. Sarah’s clients are treated more like friends and sessions are laid back in order to capture authentic and unique moments.

Essjay Photography is located in Forbes and has been operating for over ten years. The business is ever expanding and offers family, weddings, business, and personal photography. Winners of the Spring Photo Competition will win a $200 voucher from Essjay Photography. Submissions can be made on the Forbes Phoenix Facebook page, or emailed to sales@forbesphoenix.com.au. The Forbes Phoenix will accept entries until the end of October 2020.

Learn To Ride Locally: Nu Walla Equestrian is a horse-riding establishment situated 20 minutes from the heart of Forbes. Owner and operator Amba McGoldrick has had a lifelong passion for horses, dressage and teaching the basic principles of riding and horsemanship to the next generation of young horse enthusiasts, as well as adults wanting to learn or refine their dressage skills.

Lessons are conducted in the 60 by 20 metre sand dressage arena, which is also available for hire. For further details on lesson pricing and availability, view their website www.nuwallaequestrian.com.au.

Harry Awarded: Deputy Prime Minister, Michael McCormack MP, visited Forbes on Tuesday to hand deliver Forbes’ Harry Coggan his 75th Anniversary medallion. The commemorative medallion and certificate are available to all living veterans of the Second World War and Harry was privileged to receive his first-hand on Tuesday afternoon in Victoria Park.

“While Australia can never repay the debt that we owe almost one million Australians who served, this medallion and certificate are a small but meaningful way we can thank living veterans of the largest global conflict of the 20th century. The design of the commemorative certificate complements the medallion. The design includes the Commonwealth Coat of Arms, ‘Australia Remembers’ wording, and the beginning and end year of 75 years of the anniversary, that is, 1945 –2020,” Australia Government Department of Veteran Affairs.

Michael McCormack presented the 75th Anniversary Medallion to Forbes’ Harry Coggan. Photo: Forbes Shire Council Facebook.

Be Road Ready For Harvest Field Day

September 18, 2020 by Maggi Barnard

Updated information for harvesters, farmers, machinery retailers and transporters will ensure all are road ready for harvest.

Farmers, contract harvesters, transport companies and agricultural machinery retailers are invited to attend the Be Road Ready For Harvest Virtual Field Day via Zoom on Thursday, 24 September from 8am.

Forbes, Parkes, and Lachlan Shire Councils’ Road Safety and Injury Prevention Officer, Melanie Suitor, said that while the usual face to face Field Day at the Central West Livestock Exchange wasn’t possible due to the current COVID-19 restrictions, the online delivery will hopefully make it more easily accessible for participants to attend.

“For the first time in about three years it is looking like we are going to have a good harvest. Despite the COVID-19 restrictions, the organising committee realise it is important to refresh people’s knowledge about the new and current rules and regulations for legally and safely moving harvest equipment on the road.”

“Safety during harvest is very important, meaning operators need to be aware of their responsibilities and ensure that during harvest all warning devices and travel requirements are adhered to,” Melanie said.

Regulations have changed since last harvest and access arrangements have been replaced and it is important to understand these changes.

Topics which will be discussed include how to apply for permits, the new National Agricultural Machinery Notice, load restraint, pilots, the Grain Harvest Management Scheme, COVID-19 Safety Plan for silos, border restrictions and much more.

“The first 20 people to register will receive a free cuppa! And by taking part in a short road safety quiz you could win one of threeEngel car fridges valued at $190,” Melanie said.

Registration is free and can be completed via the Parkes, Forbes, or Lachlan Shire Councils’ Facebook pages.

Attendees will all receive a Moving Harvest Machinery 2020 USB, which contains most of the relevant notices and information about moving agricultural machinery on the road.

The Be Road Ready For Harvest Field Day has been running since 2010 and usually attracts about 60 attendees. Organisers are hoping for similar numbers to this year’s virtual event.

To Apply Now For 2021 Country Arts Support Program Funding

September 18, 2020 by Maggi Barnard

Arts OutWest is encouraging local not for profit groups to apply for the 2021 round of Country Arts Support Program funding.

The State Government’s annual Country Arts Support Program (CASP) provides small grants to arts and community organisations in regional NSW to run their own lo- cal arts projects and the 2021 applications close on Tuesday, 29 September 2020.

“CASP funds are a valuable way to start local arts projects,” Arts OutWest executive director Tracey Callinan said. “This funding is about giving regional people access to a diverse range of arts activities made for and by the local community.”

CASP grants of up to $3,000 are available and are primarily to cover professional artist’s fees, travel and accommodation.

Projects could include workshops, arts activities as part of festivals or events, artist-in-residence programs, public art and design projects, exhibitions, forums or seminars or other local arts initiatives. Projects can be designed to be face-to-face or online.

“Of course, 2021 will probably be a different version of ‘normal’, but if you’ve got a great project in mind, and the capacity to deliver it, we think you should apply,” Tracey said.

The funding is open to all incorporated associations, not just those focused on the arts. Unincorporated groups or collectives of artists can find a local organisation to auspice their funding. Likewise, if an individual artist has a project in mind they can team up with a local group.

There were six projects funded by CASP in the Central West in 2020.

To apply, groups must discuss their project with Arts OutWest before submitting an online application. Read the full criteria at https://www.create.nsw.gov.au/funding-and-support/arts-and-cultural-funding-program/casp/ and contact Arts OutWest on 02 6338 4657 or artsoutwest@csu.edu.au.

The Country Arts Support Program is a NSW Government program through Create NSW.

Wenz Collection Moves

September 18, 2020 by Maggi Barnard

The Paul and Hettie Wenz Collection of books that has resided at the Forbes Library since the early 1960s has been relocated to the Forbes Museum and is now under the care of the Forbes & District Historical Society.

Volunteers from the Forbes Museum collected the boxes of books this week. A written assessment of the Wenz collection was published in 2005 by Consultant Historian Dr Stephen Gapps, and is available online.

The Forbes and District Historical Museum is located at 11 Cross Street, Forbes. Opening hours are 2.00pm to 4.00pm daily and other times by arrangement. The Museum houses a large display of old historic machinery including an Ivel tractor. Showcased is an array of items depicting all facets of the history of Forbes including Aboriginal artefacts, furniture, tools, clothing, and household wares. A large selection of historical photographs are also on display. The Museum’s digital photographic database can be viewed online at www.pictorialforbes.org.au.

Men’s Shed On The Home Stretch

September 18, 2020 by Maggi Barnard

Treasurer Peter Norris and President Norm Haley have worked tirelessly to see the new facility complete.

The new Forbes Men’s Shed is in its final stages of completion since its inception in May 2018. Members were able to move into the new shed on Monday, 3 August 2020 however they are still working on improvements for the facility.

The new facility, which is self-sufficient with water and run partially by solar power, can now comfortably host 50 people in their new dining room. Along with workshops, cards, and health programs, the space will also be used for relaxation with a small library in the works.

Since the start, some 13 years ago, membership has steadily grown however, COVID-19 restrictions which limited activities of the organisation saw numbers decrease this year. President Norm Haley predicts numbers will rise again and is also encouraging younger residents of Forbes to join, with the shed accepting members from ages 12 and up. “It’s here for anyone wanting to join,” Norm says.

The new Shed is well equipped to be utilised by its members for a variety of activities. “It’s expanded our foresight for work related jobs, with room to adapt new health programs which will hopefully be an enormous asset to men in Forbes,” said Norm.

The Men’s Shed members are currently working on a number of repair and construction jobs for the Forbes community and are always up for a challenge.

By encouraging mateship and open communication about both physical and mental health, the Men’s Shed is an invaluable community resource.

New Collaboration To Tackle Mental Health In Forbes

September 18, 2020 by Maggi Barnard

Di Gill, Tom Norris, Mayor Phyllis Miller, Claire Nicholson, Mayor Ken Keith, Ross Williams and Marg Applebee. Photo: Jenny Kingham

An exciting new collaboration between Gotcha4Life, Landcare NSW, the Rural Adversity Mental Health Program (RAMHP) and Surf Lifesaving NSW has led to the opportunity to bring new programs to the Parkes and Forbes Shires with a focus on building mental fitness.

The four organisations saw the opportunity to work together in regional, rural, and coastal areas in NSW by delivering workshops and training focussed on the concept of ‘prevention through connection’.

Forbes Shire Mayor, Cr Phyllis Miller and Parkes Shire Mayor, Cr Ken Keith OAM have expressed the support of both Councils for the outlay of programs. After several years of drought and then COVID-19, now is the time to continue working on these important aspects of our community health.

Gotcha4Life is a not-for-profit foundation dedicated to connecting corporate Australia, government, community and NFP to help prevent and reduce instances of poor mental health in Australia.

Founder of Gotcha4Life and television and radio personality, Gus Worland said:
“Our vision at Gotcha4Life is a world where people are open, honest and supportive in their relationships and comfortable to express themselves when they are not ok. We envisage a society in which everyone has a Gotcha4Life mate who they can open-up to and rely on no matter what.”

Marg Applebee, Coordinator for Central West Lachlan Landcare, and Di Gill, RAHMHP Consultant are pleased to be working with Gotcha4Life to help activate these programs in the Parkes and Forbes Shires.

The RAMHP currently has 20 Coordinators who live and work across NSW who connect people to local services and information.

RAMHP Manager Tessa Caton said continuing to find new ways of building mental fitness and capacity in rural communities was absolutely essential after the challenges 2020 has brought.

For guidelines on safe media reporting about suicide, mental ill-health and alcohol and other drugs, head to Mindframe on https://mindframe.org.au/

Forbes Gets Its Scrap Together

September 18, 2020 by Maggi Barnard

Forbes residents will be the best in NSW when it comes to recycling their food waste with a new education campaign being piloted by Forbes Shire Council.

Mayor Phyllis Miller OAM said Forbes Shire Council volunteered to test the Let’s Get Our Scrap Together campaign, to get more food waste out of the red lid bin and into the green.

“Having a kerbside food waste recycling service already makes us among the best recyclers in NSW,” Phyllis said.

“This new education campaign will help us to be even better.”

The campaign was developed by the NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) to support its kerbside collection program under Waste Less, Recycle More. It follows research that showed on average, only half the available food waste was being correctly disposed of in the green lid FOGO (Food Organics and Garden Organics) bin.

EPA spokesperson Amanda Kane said the campaign is being piloted in Clarence Valley, Kempsey Shire and Forbes Shire council areas, with each council tailoring it to their own community. It will be delivered over the next three months, telling the story of how the green lid bin recycling benefits local farms, how it can take all types of food waste and is something everyone can do.

Forbes Shire Council will be distributing it through its Facebook page as well as letterbox drops, local media advertising and radio ads.

The results of bin audits conducted before and after the program will be compared to determine the success of the campaign. The ambitious goal will be to get all the food that is currently being wasted in the red lid bin disposed of in the green bin instead.

Return Of A Beautiful Curse

September 11, 2020 by Maggi Barnard

Beautiful but deadly Paterson’s Curse has exploded around the Ski Dam in Forbes.

Residents and regular Ski Dam walkers in Forbes will have no doubt noticed the beautiful sprawling weed around the Ski Dam and around paddocks in the Shire, the beautiful purple hue reminiscent of the picturesque lavender fields of Provence, France. However, this local version must not be mistaken for such.

Echium Plantagineum, more commonly known as Paterson’s Curse, Riverina Bluebell and Purple Viper’s-Bugloss is an invasive weed which is extremely harmful to livestock. Rumoured to have been named after the Paterson family of Cumberoona, NSW who planted it in their garden in the 1880’s, only to watch in horror as it spread across pastoral and agricultural land. Paterson’s Curse’s poisoning symptoms range from loss of appetite, abdominal swelling, weight loss, diarrhea, constipation, and sleepiness, to more severe symptoms that can result in death due to liver damage.

While livestock tend to ignore Paterson’s Curse, contaminated hay bales or feed is more often to blame for the consumption of this toxic weed. In 1988 and 1994, the CSIRO released moth, root weevils, flea beetles and two more types of beetles in South Australia which is said to have significantly contributed to the decline in the abundance of the weed as both the moth and beetle species can kill the plant before it flowers. In human’s the plant can cause skin irritation so please give this smiling assassin a wide-berth if and when you might come across it.

Grants To Support Youth

September 11, 2020 by Maggi Barnard

Member for Riverina and Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack

Member for Riverina and Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack is encouraging individuals and organisations supporting young people to consider applying for funding of up to $20,000 through the Youth Action Projects Grant Scheme.

“Young people are our future and at this most difficult time in our history it is vital we give them as much support as possible to ensure they continue to have a bright future,” Michael said.

“A small boost for a youngster might just be enough for them to realise their dreams down the track and this will benefit not just them as individuals but our community as well because we are all enriched when even one person succeeds.”

As part of the program, grants of between $5,000 and $20,000 are available for projects which respond to the social challenges facing those aged 15 to 24.

Projects need to be either new initiatives that recognise and respond to the hardship young people face now and will face in the future, or existing initiatives which already provide a valuable on-going service to young people, but which need further funding to continue.

Funds can be used to pay for any type of project including but not limited to staffing, equipment purchase, consumables or marketing.

While grants will be used for projects which support young people in a variety of ways, there will be a particular focus on employment, transportation, mental health and the impacts of COVID-19 and last summer’s bushfires. Successful grant recipients are expected to deliver projects over the 2020-21 financial year.

The grant round closes Wednesday, 7 October 2020. For more information and to download the application form, visit the website www.fya.org.au/yapgs

Well Deserved Award For Mayor

September 11, 2020 by Maggi Barnard

Sam Farraway presented the Award to Mayor Phyllis Miller in Victoria Park on Tuesday. (Credit Sam Farraway Facebook)

On Tuesday, Nationals Member Sam Farraway visited Forbes to Officially present Forbes Shire Council Mayor Cr Phyllis Miller OAM with the Ministers Award in Local Government-Elected Representative Award for Rural and Regional NSW. Sam, who has worked extensively with Phyllis in supporting many projects throughout the Shire, said the award was “very well deserved.”

Phyllis received the Award virtually, via a live ceremony on Youtube at the end of August, for which she said she was “incredibly honoured” before acknowledging and thanking her fellow Councillors and Council’s General Manager Steve Loane.

Council staff and family were there to share in the excitement. (credit: Sam Farraway Facebook)

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