The Bogan Gate CWA recently held their International Day, with Poland being CWA’s country of study for this year. International Officer, Heather Veal hosted a delicious Polish lunch for members and her guest speaker was Mick Harris from Parkes.

The highlight of the day and a very big surprise for one of the members, Esther Moore, was when she was presented with Life Membership by another Life Member, Ida McIntyre.

Bogan Gate CWA President, Marion McIntyre said: “Esther has been a loyal member of Bogan Gate since the transfer of her membership when the Yarrabandi branch closed. She consistently attends meetings even though age and distance can be tiring.

She is our quiet and reliable worker. Always willing to help where necessary, always assists with caterings and can usually be found with a tea-towel in her hands.”

Esther first attended CWA as a child, accompanying her mother to meetings and joined as a full member at the age of 21.

She held the position of Yarrabandi treasurer for at least 21 years as well as being a vice-president and a councillor or delegate to group functions. She has also represented Bogan Gate as a councillor and delegate to group.

As part of Small Business Month, Forbes Shire Council is hosting a ‘Taking Care of Your Business’ seminar and Trade Night.

The seminar will be presented by Glen Leet from Inspired Trades Business Coaching who is also on the board of the HIA. Glen will offer advice that will be invaluable for the direction and success of trade businesses. The Trade Night will be a great networking opportunity and will showcase various government agencies and local businesses.

This free seminar will be held at Forbes Town Hall on Tuesday, 16th October from 5:30pm and it will provide helpful information on operating and working in your trade industry.

A follow-up workshop held on Wednesday, 17th October at the Forbes Town Hall from 8am to 2pm is also available. This will concentrate on optimising profit, workflow and cashflow for the trade industry. Workshop fee is $39.

To register go to www.takingcareofyourbusiness.floktu.com by 9th October.

Local Lions Club member and Vice-District Governor for the area, Peter Bright was awarded a Melvin Jones Fellow award at the District Changeover function held in Bathurst recently.

It is the highest award a Lion can achieve and is awarded for dedicated service to the Lions Club and the community.

Peter was stunned to receive the award and during his acceptance speech noted that it really belonged to the Forbes and District Lions Club, to Elaine, his long suffering wife and perhaps in there somewhere a little bit belonged to him.

Peter spoke about his time as a Lion and of the rewarding experience in meeting a young mother a few months after the Lions had a hearing loop installed in a classroom at a local primary school.

She had just come from the school and had seen her hearing impaired son participate in the classroom for the first time. This was a truly rewarding experience for him.

Peter is looking forward to next year when he will assume the role of Governor of District 201 N4, which covers about half of NSW.

The Forbes and District Lions Club is well represented on the District Cabinet this year with Gayle Williams as District Environment Chairperson and Neil Lambert as District Peace Poster Contest Chairperson.

With some planning and a bit of creative thinking, there are plenty of activities you can do with your kids. Here are some ideas to get you started.

Plant a vegetable garden: Even if you only have a small outdoor area you can create a simple vegetable patch with your kids. If you don’t have a yard, you could plant seeds in pots and even decorate the pots. It is a good idea to choose fast growing plants so the kids can see the results quickly.

Camp out: Why not set up a tent in the backyard and have a night out camping? If the weather is bad you could set up your tent inside the house instead.

Cooking: Plan a day of cooking or baking with your kids – you could even have a cooking competition with members of the family. This is usually a popular activity because you get to eat the results.

Movie night: Borrow some movies from your local library, pop some popcorn and you’ll have an authentic cinema experience in your home.

Arts and crafts: Try face painting, paper mache, building a collage, painting or making masks or beaded jewellery.

Build a cubby: Who doesn’t love a pillow fort? Try building a cubby out of boxes, sheets or other things around the house. Putting sheets or blankets over a washing line or kitchen table can be a quick, fun way to make a hideout for your kids.

Treasure hunt: Hide some things around the house or yard and write some clues or create a treasure map to lead your kids on an exhilarating adventure with a prize at the end.

Stay active

Enjoy a game of squash at the Forbes Squash & Sporting Club. It’s not only a sport for all seasons but also for all ages and levels. Or for a real treat visit the Pee Wees Play Centre in Orange. Your kids won’t believe their eyes when they see the large threelevel play structure, jumping castles and ball pits!

Get Tapping These School Holidays

Ever been interested in learning how to tap dance? Kristens Dance Studio will be running a one-day beginner tap workshop for juniors and seniors at their studio on Friday, 12th October! The very talented tapper, Savanna Guglielmino from Griffith, will be conducting the tap classes.

The junior workshop will run for an hour and a half in the morning and the senior workshop will run for two hours in the afternoon. An array of tap related topics will be covered.

Contact Kristen if you are interested in attending the workshop on 0437 181 519.

Twelve nervous young people took to the dance floor to the delight of their families and friends to raise valuable funds for the Forbes Breast Cancer Support Group last Saturday.

The debutantes and their partners along with their gorgeous flower girls, Evie Nikolic and Sienna Gibson, and page boys, Jarrod Thornton and Maison Campbell, were presented to Denise Jelbart, representative of the Forbes Breast Cancer Support Group. Denise expressed her extreme gratitude that the group had chosen to support this worthy organisation and raised in excess of $1,500.

Dance instructor, Kate Ralph choreographed a beautiful dance to Parallel Lines by Keith Urban and Maria Bullock performed the duties of Master of Ceremonies for the evening.

The debutant group consisted of Jodi Williams and Xander Williams, Tahlia Harpur and Jack Peters, Zoe Willis and Corey Williams, Brielle Thornton and Jack Cole, Georgia Palazzi and Kyle Bolam and Bree Schaefer and Joe Fisher. They conducted fundraising barbeques, 100 clubs and raffles to raise money for their chosen charity and looked absolutely amazing on the night according to the event coordinator, Anita Morrison.

“I could not be happier with how this group has conducted themselves in the lead up to and on the day of the event. Families and friends of these young people should be extremely proud of what they have achieved in such a short amount of time,” said Anita.

With school holidays approaching, motorists are being reminded that double demerits will be in force. Police will be targeting speed, seatbelts, mobile phone use and motorcyclists not wearing helmets.

Double demerit points will be in force for four days commencing on Friday, 28th September and ending on Monday, 1st October (inclusive).

Parkes Highway Patrol Sergeant, Dearne Jeffree said there will be more police on the road which means a greater chance of drivers being caught if they are doing the wrong thing.

“Police enforcement figures show that double demerit points do deter motorists from speeding and not wearing their seatbelt/ helmet when roads are at their busiest.

“Drivers are reminded that the demerit points increased for mobile phone offences to five in mid-September, so drivers caught illegally using their phone could be at risk of losing their licence,” said Jeffree.

Parkes, Forbes and Lachlan Shire Councils’ Road Safety and Injury Prevention Officer, Melanie Suitor said: “Small reductions in speed can make a large difference to impact speeds, stopping distance and the time you have to take evasive action to avoid a collision occurring. All these things can mean the difference between life and death.