Forbes Town and District Band will be there to provide music to sing along to at the 50 year anniversary of Carols by Candlelight in Victoria Park.

Carol committee volunteers from the Forbes Town and District Band are excited to present a wonderful line-up of guest singers and musicians to perform in their 50 year anniversary of Carols by Candlelight. The fun filled event will be held in Victoria Park on Saturday, 14th December from 6pm, with Carols commencing at 8pm and continuing until late.

With the support of Forbes Shire Council, this year aims to be more inclusive for families by including crafts and activities for children as well as a visit from Santa. The sound system has been improved to ensure that attendees can spread throughout the park without compromising on sound quality and this year will also include the large screen with lyrics.

Glow candles and light up headbands will be available again this year and there will be plenty of fantastic food on offer.

The committee regrets the clash of dates with other community events, it is unfortunate that there are families who won’t be able to make it and the committee understands that it is a busy time of year. However, residents of Forbes are urged to come along and support this night which promises to be bigger and better than ever before. In the case of wet weather, the Carols will be held in the town Hall which has been done successfully before.

Heather Earney (left) and Molly Fuge (right) were presented with cheques by Karen Wright of the Forbes CWA.

Part of the core business for the Country Women’s Association (CWA) is community involvement and being a voice for women, families and rural communities. Continuing the support of this, the Forbes CWA branch is again sponsoring the Miss Showgirl competition entrants Molly Fuge and Heather Earney, Forbes Miss Showgirl and Bedgerabong Miss Showgirl respectively.

At the November meeting both young ladies were presented with cheques to assist with their preparations and expenses in attending the zone finals. The zone finals of the Miss Showgirl Competition will be held in Dubbo on 22nd February next year.

Before then they will be participating in a Deportment weekend in Dubbo where all entrants from the zone are expected to attend to get guidance on how to present themselves.

Miss Showgirl provides a rural voice, especially for rural women, as well as promoting our area so when they represent this area, they are keeping issues of concern to much of our community in the public eye.

Forbes CWA President, Karen Wright and representatives of the Forbes Evening and Day Branches attended a meeting with the Acting Regional Director of Health regarding the concerns surrounding the present and future situations of Forbes and Parkes Maternity Units.

They discussed these concerns and how they will work going into 2020. Karen said that the outcome of this meeting was a positive one. The CWA is concerned with many issues around health and the lack of services in rural areas.

If you would like to join the Forbes CWA, they meet every second Thursday evening at 6.30pm for a meal, meeting and socialising at the Vandenberg Hotel. Come along and see what it is all about if you are not sure. Please note their next meeting will be on Thursday, 13th February next year.

Drought-hit farmers in the Forbes Shire may be able to access one-off payments of up to $3,000 due to the Federal Government’s Drought Community Support Initiative Round 2.

Riverina MP and Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack said the payments would provide relief to some of the worst-hit farming families. “We know farmers are doing it tough during this prolonged dry spell and we want those who are struggling to know we have their backs – always have, always will,” Michael said.

The Drought Community Support Initiative is a measure that aims to ease financial hardship by assisting farmers in covering their day-to-day cost of living. The money may be used for things like groceries, power bills or car servicing. The government has partnered with The Salvation Army to deliver this money to farmers living in the Forbes Shire.

Registrations are now open for drought-affected farmers, farm workers, contractors and suppliers in the Forbes Shire.

Eligible applicants should apply through The Salvation Army by visiting www.salvationarmy.org.au/drought or by calling 1300 551 030. Applicants need to be over the age of 18 and live and work in an eligible Local Government Area.

Forbes Riverside Community Gardens held their annual Scarecrow competition last weekend and the entries did not disappoint. Entries were judged within four categories, consisting of Seniors, Juniors, Community groups and Preschools. With entry numbers up significantly since last year thanks to entries from Forbes Preschool, Bright Beginnings Early Learning Centre, Good Start Early Learning Centre, Forbes Learning Ladder and Forbes North Primary School, judges were delightfully overwhelmed and hard pressed to choose winners from a sea of talent in each category.

Scarecrows were constructed using a variety of materials, some were sculpted from recycled metal while others were made of the more traditional straw. More than 100 visitors came through the Riverside Community Garden gates to delight in the spectacle of the weird and wonderful creations that showcased the talent and creativity of Forbes residents.

Wanita Smith’s Woody in Scarecrow form won the Juniors category.

Rhonda Livingston, ACECQA National Education Leader and General Manager, with Forbes Preschool Director Amy Shine and educators Shirley Duke, Tahlia Horvat and Codie Smith.

Reconciliation Australia was delighted to announce Forbes Preschool had won the Narragunnawali Awards 2019 in the early learning category at the awards ceremony held on Ngunnawal Country on Thursday last week.

Held biennially, the Narragunnawali Awards represent Australia’s first national awards program for reconciliation in schools and early learning services. The Awards have been designed to recognise and celebrate educational environments – across the Government, Catholic and Independent sectors – that have implemented outstanding and genuine reconciliation initiatives.

The ceremony was attended by many leading figures of government and early childhood education. Forbes Preschool Director Amy Shine received the award on behalf of the preschool, thanking Forbes Shire Council and the Forbes community in her acceptance speech. “Forbes Shire Council have been so supportive,” Amy said. “We’ve engaged with lots of people in our community and I believe it is such a team effort.”

Officer Karen Mundine said that each year the Narragunnawali Awards judges had a tough time separating the nominees from the finalists. “We are so inspired by the contributions that students, teachers and broader communities are making to progress reconciliation between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and non-Indigenous Australians.

Karen said the judges applauded Forbes Preschool for its approach to reconciliation in a relatively challenging local cultural context. “Courageous conversations are being had not only in the classroom, but also with families and community members.” The Narragunnawali: Reconciliation in Education program, in partnership with the BHP Foundation, enables Australian schools and early learning services to foster knowledge and pride in First Nations histories, cultures and contributions.

The Narragunnawali Awards are Australia’s first and only national reconciliation in education awards that aim to recognise commitment to reconciliation in schools and early learning services.