There has lately been some national media publicity about lost monies in electronic conveyancing (also known as PEXA). Money went missing due to fraud in the new electronic conveyancing settlements system.

PEXA is owned by the major banks and runs the system. They have now (after much adverse publicity) agreed to provide a PEXA Residential Seller Guarantee (guarantee) to all vendors of land (sellers) as and from 29 June this year (2018) to reimburse for loss up to a limit.

The key points are:

1. The seller has the option to make a claim under the guarantee, rather than seeking to recover the loss by alternative means;

2. The guarantee applies to sellers in respect of the settlement of residential property where the seller’s funds are misdirected after the seller’s legal practitioner has entered the correct bank account details into the PEXA platform;

3. There is a $2 million cap on PEXA’s liability per settlement;

4. You must be represented by a lawyer or conveyancer that is registered with PEXA, such as Matthews Williams Solicitors; and

5. The seller through his or her lawyer or conveyancer makes a claim within three business days of the transaction.

An important point with this is that the guarantee does not apply to commercial properties. Sellers of residential property should check their bank account next day to make sure funds went into the bank account so that they can make a claim.

If we can help further at Matthews Williams please contact us on 6862 1766.

By Mark Olson

Parents and supervisors of local learner drivers are encouraged to attend a free workshop which will be held at Forbes High School on Tuesday, 21st August.

The free two hour workshop, Helping Learner Drivers Become Safer Drivers, will offer parents and supervisors hands-on advice on how to provide the most effective driving practice for learner drivers.

Forbes Shire Council’s Road Safety and Injury Prevention Officer, Melanie Suitor said the workshops offer practical advice to parents and supervisors on how to help learner drivers become safer drivers.

“Parents and supervisors of learner drivers have a crucial role to play in making our roads safer. That is why Forbes Shire Council have teamed up with Roads and Maritime Services to hold these free two hour workshops.

“The workshop covers the changes to the licensing system that came into effect last November, how to use the Learner Driver Logbook including the use of digital logbooks, licence conditions for learner and P-plate drivers, the benefits of on-road driving sessions, tips on supervising a learner driver and more.

“Parents and supervisors who have attended this workshop in the past have found that it boosted their confidence, helped them better plan driving sessions and allowed them to share their experiences with other parents and supervisors,” said Melanie.

The Helping Learner Drivers Become Safer Drivers workshop will be held at Forbes High School on Tuesday, 21st August commencing at 6pm.

Light refreshments will be available during the workshop.

Bookings are essential and can be made by calling Melanie on (02) 6861 2364. For further information please call Parkes, Forbes and Lachlan Shire Councils’ Road Safety and Injury Prevention Officer, Melanie Suitor on (02) 6861 2364.

Community members are invited to attend Vietnam Veterans Day, which will be held at the Cenotaph in Victoria Park on Friday, 18th August commencing at 11:00am.

The commemorations for the Battle of Long Tan this year will honour all Australians who served their country during the Vietnam War.

Some 60,000 Australians served their country in the Vietnam Conflict from 1962 until 1975.

Australian suffered 521 dead and more than 3,000 wounded during this conflict and many more veterans suffered, and continue to suffer, as a result of their service. It was a war, though undeclared, that Australians did not seek, but they were young, proud, determined and confident. They had wonderful qualities and values taught to them by a previous generation who had also seen war.

As young men and women, they lived in a time when draft-dodging was a dirty word and the domino theory was a constant theme. Service of country was never questioned. Australians were involved in many engagements, including Operation Crimp in January 1966, the Battle of Long Tan 18th August 1966 (and, hence, the date for this day of Remembrance), 1968; heavy fighting around Bien Hoa and Long Binh during Operation Coburg at the time of the Tet Offensive, the battles for Fire Support Bases Coral and Balmoral, actions during Operation Goodwood around Hat Dich in 1968-69, the battle of Binh Ba in 1969 and in 1971 the Battle of Long Khanh.

We must never forget the price that our Vietnam veterans paid for their service.

The bravery, tenacity and sacrifice of the Australian and New Zealand soldiers in the Battle of Long Tan, and the support provided to them by the RAAF and by artillerymen from Australia, New Zealand and the United States are remembered as one of the Vietnam War’s defining moments.

Have you noticed any changes to the old shed at 38 Dowling Street in Forbes? Well, it’s now a shed filled with interesting old furniture awaiting restoration and repair.

Forbes Furniture Restorers have moved into the shed and are people with a passion for furniture restoration. From upholstery to French polishing, they have master craftsmen to complete any restoration job.

Paul and Lyndee Lynch are the owners of Forbes Furniture Restorers and bring 40 years of experience in furniture restoration to the Forbes district. Their business was established in Gilgandra in 1980, where after they purchased the upholstery business from Harry Waddington in November 1989 and moved it into the Aussie shed. Paul and Lyndee have always been thankful to the people of Gilgandra, their many customers and Paul’s parents, Vilma and Wally, for all their support during the start-up years. In 1991 they relocated to Mudgee and after 26 years they had restored nearly all of the old furniture in the district.

Paul is a French polisher by trade and still uses shellac, the natural polish used specifically for antiques. He is a master craftsman with all repairs and resetting chairs, recaning seats, repairing recliner rockers and is qualified to carry out furniture warranty work.

Lyndee, is the upholsterer and is also an expert at repairs and recovering of dining chairs, lounges, cushion covers and foam for your seats. She has a great range of fabric and vinyl samples or bring your own fabric. She can do your industrial sewing jobs and has foam which can be cut to size plus webbing and upholstery supplies for the do it yourself restorers.

Call in to discuss your furniture restoration needs with Paul and Lyndee or phone them on 6851 2490.

With 99 percent of NSW suffering extended drought conditions, the NSW Business Chamber is examining the flow on effects to regional communities and businesses.

Whilst it has been pleasing to see both federal and state government responding with farm aid packages, the extended drought has much broader implications.

“The Western NSW Business Chamber believes there is clear evidence the impacts of drought flow on significantly to regional businesses that support and make up the fabric of our rural and regional communities.

We know many of our members are already struggling with increasing cost pressures in areas such as fuel, gas and electricity prices, then on top of that comes the impact of the drought resulting in falling sales, stifled business growth and employment in the region,” said Vicki Seccombe, Regional Manager, Western NSW Business Chamber.

In order to better understand the broader situation, the Chamber recently introduced a survey, which seeks to understand the impacts of drought on businesses that support our regional and rural communities.

The survey can be found on the following link and is open until Thursday, 16th August. https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/nswbcdroughtsurvey

“We urge all regional business owners and operators to complete the survey. In times like this, we need to come together to support all our businesses, both farming and non-farming business and look for solutions that help our communities to remain strong and viable during this time.”

“The NSW Business Chamber will ensure our state and federal governments have a clear picture of the impact across our regional communities, and can implement strategies to address these issues with our support,” said Vicki.