Articles Archives - Page 284 of 406

The Wonder Of The Elvis Express

June 28, 2018 by Maggi Barnard

It might be a ‘mystery train’ for the uninitiated, but thousands of fans would happily attest to why the Elvis Express has been awarded the top spot globally.

The extremely popular train journey from Sydney to the Parkes Elvis Festival has been named the top one-of-a-kind rail journey across the globe.

Escape.com.au has revealed the nine top train trips that offer travellers a unique experience with the Elvis Express journey listed as number one.

“Though departing only once annually, the Elvis Express is undoubtedly among the most unique train rides in Australia,” according to the Escape.com.au website.

“Transporting hundreds of Elvis fans each January to the Southern hemisphere’s biggest Elvis Presley festival, the train is a moving celebration of the life and career of rock ’n’ roll’s beloved King.

“Once the doors close on the legendary TrainLink service passengers can expect non-stop performances, games and dressups over the seven hour, 365km ride. With a raft of hip-thrusting Elvis impersonators and bee-hived ‘Priscillas’ singing and shimmying their way to Parkes.”

Parkes Elvis Festival Director Cathy Treasure said: “It’s wonderful to have the Elvis Express experience recognised as the most unique train ride. We work year round with NSW TrainLink to ensure the service offers festival visitors a one-of-akind journey.”

NSW TrainLink Acting Chief Operating Officer Candice Heine said: “We’re very proud to be able to support the Parkes Elvis Festival by offering a unique way to travel to the five-day extravaganza.”

The Elvis Express will once again form part of the 2019 Parkes Elvis Festival with tickets going on sale on the day of the festival program launch on 10th September.

A Step In The Right Direction

June 21, 2018 by Maggi Barnard

Doctor’s Choice Podiatry is pleased to announce that they are now providing podiatry services in the Forbes Medical Centre.

This is in addition to the existing podiatry service provided in Flannery’s Pharmacy and Parkes Pharmacy.

Adam Debenham, originally from Forbes, and Bill Devanney are very excited about this new chapter in providing quality podiatry care to the Forbes and Parkes region.

Adam and Bill offer thorough foot assessments, both vascular and neurological, as well as general foot and nail care, paediatrics, orthotics, footwear advice, diabetic foot care, assistance with foot pain and all other areas of podiatry care.

Initially, appointments within Forbes Medical Centre will be every four weeks on a Monday. It is however anticipated that this will build rapidly to a more frequent service.

There are still a few appointments available for Monday, 16th July. The same service is available at Flannery’s Pharmacy every fourth Tuesday and Wednesday as well as in Parkes Pharmacy Monday -Friday every four weeks.

Bookings are essential, fees apply. Call 0475 074 104 for further details.

Julie Ankers On Her New Book ‘Call Me Frank’

June 21, 2018 by Maggi Barnard

Forbes community members took advantage of the wonderful opportunity to attend a visit from the dynamic Blue Mountains based author and motivational speaker, Julie Ankers at the Forbes Library on Tuesday afternoon.

Forbes librarian, Bronwyn Clark whom had previously hosted Julie with the launch of her first book, said that the talk by Julie was enthusiastically received by guests attending and was followed by a beautiful afternoon tea.

Julie is currently visiting libraries across the Central West to promote her latest book ‘Call Me Frank’. It is a collection of 20 autobiographical stories of men over 50 telling it like it is at this stage of their lives. The stories are honest, sometimes confronting and always inspirational. These heartfelt narratives are also a magnificent response to those sceptics who said that this book would never happen because men don’t reveal their feelings. Julie, along with co editor Kerry Chater, had the men tell their stories in their own words.

‘Call me Frank’ is the companion book to ‘Feisty, Fabulous and 50+’, a collection of 21 “warts and all” autobiographical stories of women navigating their way through their 50’s and beyond.

Julie is an entrepreneur with a passion for promoting and developing people which is why she started a speakers and trainers bureau 25 years ago as well as a company focusing on retraining mature age workers and building effective age-inclusive workforces. This kick-started her interest in the over 50’s.

Five years ago Julie decided to make a tree change and currently lives in the Blue Mountains. She divides her time between presiding over a community radio station, her various board/committee commitments and writing. Not forgetting her obsession with beautifully designed hand-crafted jewellery, her love of a good book with a glass of red, theatre, cinema and the exquisite beauty of the Blue Mountains.

Glitz, Glamour And Pageantry At Wrestling

June 21, 2018 by Maggi Barnard

International Wrestling Australia (IWA) Pro Wrestling Live is returning to Forbes tonight on the Wild West Tour as part of its 20 Year Anniversary celebrations. It promises to be a great family fun-filled two-hour show that is a slick combination of comedy, athleticism and drama – the physical embodiment of comic book superheroes and villains! The performance includes crowd favourite Cowboy Chris Abbott, who grew up in the western region of NSW, as well as Australia’s most talented and accomplished performers, some of whom have performed for the global juggernaut WWE, along with other major wrestling companies from around the world. The cast of characters will appeal to the whole family from terrifying heavyweights, to awe-inspiring aerial artists, tag team specialists and even battling femme fatales!

All the glitz, glamour, pageantry, posing and spandex of wrestling’s yesteryear remain, but presented in a fresh, family-friendly format relevant to modern audiences complete with gripping storylines of tragedy and triumph and stage production that provides an experience you’ll never forget.

Don’t miss out tonight at the Forbes Services Club at 7:15pm VIP doors, and 7:30pm general doors, show at 8pm. Tickets $25 VIP, $18 adults and $14 kids.

Do You Suffer From Hip Pain?

June 21, 2018 by Maggi Barnard

Studies have shown that one in four women over the age of 50 suffer from pain on the outside of the hip, and this is particularly true for active women. Gluteal tendinopathy or more specifically, gluteus medius tendinopathy is a common cause of lateral hip pain.

Your gluteal tendons are the tough fibres that attach your gluteal muscles to the hip bone. It is thought that gluteal tendinopathy is more common in women over 50, due to the shape of the female pelvis and hip bones, along with the hormones that influence the female body during menopause.

Tendinopathies develop when load to the tendon is increased too quickly such as an increase in exercise particularly in sports like running or hiking.

When tendons become stressed small micro tears form, which encourage inflammatory chemicals and swelling. These will quickly heal if managed appropriately.

However, if the loading continues (working through the pain), the formation of these micro tears can exceed the rate of repair. The result is a tendinopathy, causing pain and dysfunction.

Unfortunately, many gluteal tendinopathies are misdiagnosed and incorrectly treated as a bursitis with corticosteroid injections. Whilst this may provide some temporary pain relief, it is only useful if the pain free time is used to exercise and strengthen the tendon appropriately. If injections are not combined with strengthening exercises for the gluteal muscles the tendinosis is likely to continue with return to activity.

A gradual loading programme aimed at strengthening the gluteal muscles and improving the biomechanics of the female hip is the most effective treatment for long term relief of lateral hip pain.

For the fitness of you.

Linda Reilly

SNIPPETS…

June 21, 2018 by Maggi Barnard

Going, going and gone… The day for Marg Stirling to shave her hair for charity had finally arrived last Saturday. Andrew Hubbard got to take the first snip off Marg’s hair at the Rugby Ladies Day. Marg has been raising funds for women living in Forbes and surrounding areas that are going through breast cancer and who are in the care of Lachlan Health Services.

Girls Day Out: The Forbes Business Chamber’s Girls Day Out is in full swing today with the Forbes Shopping Frenzy beginning this morning with many local businesses participating with great specials and offers in store. Look out for the pink balloons, streamers and posters displayed in windows. Be sure to make your way to News On Rankin for a book signing opportunity with renowned author Nicole Alexander between 9.30am to 11.30am, free of charge. Following will be the ‘Lunch with an Uncommon Woman’ where Nicole will present her story.

Improving drought support for Australian farmers: The Coalition Government will extend the Farm Household Allowance (FHA) from three to four years to help the nation’s farmers with a more effective drought support. Minister for Agriculture and Water Resources David Littleproud said the changes followed the drought listening tour with the Prime Minister a fortnight ago. “Farmers said extending FHA was a sensible measure which would help them, and we listened,” said David.

Time to reel in old movies: Remember the days of home movies? If you have any Lying around at home that are of national significance you can be part of the ‘Last Great Film Search’. Conrad Mill of Reel Smoke, a Parkes production company and advertising agency, is keen to get residents of the Central West to rummage around to see if they can find any reels of film in boxes, sheds, under the house or in cupboards and to contact him on 0431 967 365 for an assessment on the contents. “There are two types of film that may be gathering dust,” said Conrad. “Home movies which are usually on the standard 8, super 8 or 9.5mm, or 16mm reels that were dearer. Commercial films screened in cinemas or at events were generally 16mm and 35mm.” Conrad is working with the National Film and Sound Archives (NFSA) in Canberra and will not charge to assess commercial films. The NFSA preserves our film history and they are interested in anything from newsreels and commercials to full or partial feature films. “They are not interested in home movies unless it is of national significance, like the opening of the Sydney Harbour Bridge for example.”

Ella Richards features as ‘The White Witch’ in the much anticipated ‘The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe’ play presented by Parkes Christian School next week. The Forbes community is invited to share in this production by purchasing tickets from the school office.

Reverend Jeffrey Back In Forbes

June 21, 2018 by Maggi Barnard

Retired Archbishop Jeffrey Driver will be visiting the St John’s Anglican Church Hall in Forbes on Wednesday, 27th June at 7pm.

Reverend Jeffrey will be speaking of his work and putting on a slide show of a theological college restoration in New Guinea.

Jeffrey originally from Cowra, first came to Forbes as the Editor of the Forbes Advocate during the 1970’s. He became involved with the Anglican Church under the wing of the late Father Doug Peters. Jeffrey went on to study with the Anglican Church in Victoria but was still a regular visitor back to Forbes.

Jefferey became involved with the youth church services and Teen Challenge Drug Rehabilitation in Forbes. Later he went on to serve in Orange and many other parishes in NSW and Victoria. He also has done a lot of work in Africa, written much and has became the Archbishop of Adelaide until he partially retired in Victoria… to go fishing.

At the request of the Anglican Mission Board, Jeffrey has spent much of the last 12 months working at restoring the Popondetta College in New Guinea.

The living conditions are difficult with no running water, little power, cottages falling down and infected with all sorts of creatures. The college is changing slowly for the better.

Come along, be encouraged and support this amazing ministry! Jeffrey will share with the community about the work being done up there. There is also an opportunity for a keen group to go assist with this important work.

A light supper will be provided and the opportunity to contribute to the work.

Local Agent Receives National Award For Rural Sales

June 21, 2018 by Maggi Barnard

Local agent for Landmark Harcourts, Ainslie Toole was recognised for her exceptional rural property sales results over the last year at the recent National Real Estate Conference & Awards held at the Gold Coast in Queensland.

For the last quarter, Ainslie has been named number one agent in Australia for Landmark Harcourts. Not only this, but for the last year she has been placed in the top 10 nationally, finishing sixth. It comes as no surprise then that she has also been named three times the number one sales agent for NSW.

Ainslie has been selling rural properties in the Forbes and surrounding districts for 20 years. She has sold almost 300 farms in the area; some of these she has sold multiple times.

“Repeat business like this, is the biggest compliment you can give an agent,” said Ainslie.

Ainslie remembers 2008 as the biggest year, when she sold 28 rural properties in just 12 months. “This was in a time when we thought we were short of listings. It wasn’t a great season. We were still in drought but the livestock, particularly sheep prices were at record highs and interest rates had dropped to record lows,” said Ainslie.

Ainslie says she never planned on being a rural property agent. “When I returned from working and living in England for a few years, I wanted to move back to Forbes so I applied for every job that was available.

My first day back, I had the interview and the second day I was in Sydney doing the training. I started selling farms with an English accent which confused most people.”

Ainslie has had many highlights over the last 20 years of her career. “It is obviously exciting to win state and national sales awards and to be recognized amongst your peers but some of my fondest memories are where we sold some of the tougher listings that created challenges.”

“When I started, I sold a small farm on the edge of town that for as long as I could remember had been for sale. I’ve had buyers that it took up to seven years to find the right farm and since, they have bought three more through me,” said Ainslie.

Through her work, Ainslie has met a lot of very interesting people. “I have met a few famous people and made many friends over the years. There aren’t many country roads that I haven’t been down in the district.”

Ainslie feels that whilst she works in what is still a male oriented industry, she has never seen that as a disadvantage… until she needs to change a tyre! She grew up on a local family farm and started helping out as soon as her feet could reach the pedals. She typically did all the choice jobs that no one else wanted to do such as chipping burrs, drenching sheep and raking hay. So this, combined with 11 years as a trainee and retail manager in Sydney and England after leaving school, meant she was ready for a change.

Ainslie admits that real estate isn’t always as easy as it looks. Her phone typically rings non-stop from 7am to 9pm and sometimes even later with the finalising of a sale.

“That means we don’t ever go home and finish for the day.”

“I have met all our top national and state high achievers by attending the National Conference & Awards previously, so I have colleagues and friends that I can converse with all over. This has helped a lot.”

Girls Day Out Event Set To Entertain

June 14, 2018 by Maggi Barnard

The Forbes Business Chamber is looking forward to bringing renowned author Nicole Alexander to Forbes for their Girls Day Out event and they are offering a few options for you to enjoy the experience.

For a fun filled cocktail evening join Nicole Alexander, the Forbes Business Chamber Executive Committee and members of the Forbes Art Society at the Platypus Gallery on Thursday, 21st June from 6pm to 8pm. Nicole spent a number of years working in Australia and abroad in divergent fields before returning to agriculture. Her writing has been published in various countries and she is the bestselling author of eight novels.

During the cocktail party, Nicole will mingle with guests and do a short presentation about her life, writing and her awards.

All guests will receive drinks, grazing table and the opportunity to speak with Nicole during the evening. Tickets are limited to just 40 guests and available from Little Extras, ChapterTwo and Undercover Sleepwear at $45 per person.

The exciting Forbes Shopping Frenzy will coincide with the Nicole Alexander visit to Forbes. Participating businesses throughout Rankin, Templar, Lachlan Streets and Parkes Road will be offering a variety of specials, discounts and quirky rewards on Friday, 22nd June from 9am to 12pm. Look out for the pink balloons, streamers and posters displayed in windows.

Be sure to make your way to News On Rankin for a book signing opportunity with Nicole between 9.30am to 11.30am, free of charge. Following will be the ‘Lunch with an Uncommon Woman’ where Nicole will present her story. The luncheon will be held at the Forbes Golf Club at 12pm and catered by Eat Your Greens. Cost is $75 per person, tickets available at Little Extras, ChapterTwo and Undercover Sleepwear.

Centenarian Winifred Brown

June 14, 2018 by Maggi Barnard

For Winifred Brown, last Sunday afternoon was filled with balloons, flowers and cake in celebration of her 100th birthday.

Win, as she’s affectionately known, saw her milestone 100th birthday on the 6th June. She was honoured by family and friends through a ‘Thanksgiving Celebration’ held on Sunday at the Jemalong Residential Village (JRV) where she resides.

Approximately 120 family members came from far and wide to attend the special occasion.

Win was born in Manildra on 6th June 1918. She was the second of six children born to Frances and Roy Doust who lived at Burdett near Canowindra.

Her education commenced at Burdett Public School, a one teacher one room school of 20 to 30 pupils in 1923.The family moved to a farm at Garema in 1928 where Win’s schooling continued. She was awarded a bursary at the end of primary school and was able to board at the Forbes St John’s hostel and attended Forbes High School.

Following high school, Win started working as a governess on a property near Bedgerabong supervising correspondence lessons. It was during this time in 1935 that she met a young farmer from a neighbouring property. Following a friendship and courtship that lasted nearly 10 years, Win Doust and Edgar Brown announced their engagement and were married at the Forbes Methodist Church on 4th July 1945.

They made their home in a very roughly built cottage on the property “Glamis” and had no electricity or refrigeration. Recalling one of the many memories, was when trying to keep their butter from melting, they decided that the coolest place would be down a well. The butter was put in a hessian sugar bag and lowered down the well.

What they didn’t realize was at midday the sun shone directly down the well and the butter melted anyway.

The couple started their family and three sons were born by 1950. In 1959 their daughter arrived. Win was a devoted wife and mother. Edgar only had one hand so she was called on to help him in many ways.

From very early years, her Christian faith and a love for God influenced her life. She faithfully taught Sunday school for many years and regularly attended church services at Bedgerabong and Forbes.

Win was also involved in many community organisations including school P&C associations, CWA and Meals on Wheels, holding executive positions in these organisations.

In addition to four children, Win has 11 grandchildren and 21 great grandchildren.

She was married for 43 years until Edgar died in 1988 and has been on her own since.

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