After almost 40 years of addiction, all she saw in the mirror was a sad, angry, overweight, unemployable and ugly person with no self-respect. “I hated that reflection.”

Fast forward 20 months and you meet 52-year-old Robyn Lewis – a picture of health and fitness. She has found a purpose in life and many people guess her to be six or seven years younger than her age.

You’d look far to find a more contrasting before and after story which Robyn is now using to motivate others tackle the long road to recovery to living a fulfilling life. “I grew up in a very violent home with an alcoholic father. I only found out after his death that he was also the victim of domestic violence as a child.”

At 15 Robyn turned to drugs and started using marijuana, which was followed by drinking and smoking. “At 17 I turned to amphetamines and at 18 ran away from home.”

She had a relationship with an older man, also a drug user, “and he got me into needles, which I continued for the next 35 years.”

In 2009 her partner at the time was murdered and she was prescribed an anti-psychotic drug. “I got addicted to that for four years and picked up 30kg.”

She was also on ice for 15 years, had developed a gambling addiction and was drinking heavily.

“I was a complete wreck, suicidal with no self-esteem or self-respect, and very angry.

I had tried all types of rehabilitation, counselling, doctors and psychiatrists. None of them worked for me.

“Those people have no clue what it’s like when you’ve been on ice for five days not eating, drinking or sleeping. I always felt they patronised me. I had no respect for them.”

The turnaround came when her new GP introduced her to the Smart Recovery program. “This program did not label me, there was no judgement and I managed my own recovery with the support of the group.

“The weekly meetings focused on the last seven days and the next seven days.

Through self-management I reached a point one day when I realised I did not need any drugs and threw it all in the bin.”

Robyn has been clean for 20 months and her latest ‘addictions’ are being fit and healthy, and doing speaking engagements to tell her story.

“I have wasted almost 40 years of my life. I feel like I need to tell my story in order to help others. So many people have been really helpful. I’ve had so much reaction and never realised just how big the problem is.”

Robyn receives a lot of calls and emails from family members who are concerned about their loved ones. “People’s stories and tears keep me motivated. I will never go back.”

If you would like to hear Robyn she will be the speaker at the Canowindra Phoenix International Women’s Day event in Canowindra on 8th March, and on 17th March she will be in Bogan Gate during Mental Health Prevent Week.

She has started a Smart Recovery group in West Wyalong where she lives. The group meets every Tuesday from 5:30 to 7pm. Contact her on 0403 523 711 or dunromin1965@hotmail.com

By Maggi Barnard

The Forbes Sportsperson of the Year Association (SOYA) are delighted with the quality of the nominations they have received for the 2017 awards with the Annual Presentation Dinner to be held on Saturday, 24th February at the Forbes Golf and Sportsman’s Hotel commencing at 6.30pm.

The Forbes SOYA is a small, yet hard working committee dedicated to recognising and celebrating the accomplishments of local sports men and women as well as administrators and officials. Sport is an important part of life and the awards are an opportunity to pay tribute to the athletes who excel in their chosen sport. Also, to thank and show appreciation to the many volunteers who give their time to ensure that children and adults of all ages have access to some of the best sporting facilities and competitions in New South Wales.

The awards being contested include the Junior and Senior Sportsperson, All Rounder, Coach/Trainer, Referee/Umpire/ Official, Administrator, Team and of course the Forbes Sportsperson and Runner Up for 2017. The overall winner of the Central West Credit Union Monthly Achievers Award will also be announced on the night along with the President’s Award, Phillip Adams Encouragement Award, Merit Awards, School and Special Sports Awards. The calibre of the nominations received for all the awards was of a very high standard making the job of the independent judging panel extremely difficult.

This year our special guest is Alana Andrews, Australian League Tag player. Alana has a local connection and is the daughter of well-known local man, Adam Andrews. Alana was excited to be asked to be part of the presentation dinner and is looking forward to sharing her experiences representing Queensland and Australia for Oz Tag and League Tag.

The SOYA Awards would not be possible without the generous support of local businesses, allowing Forbes to be one of the last country towns in New South Wales who host a separate sporting awards ceremony.

Tickets are available from Hello World Travel and include a delicious two course meal. To assist with catering, all tickets need to be purchased by 5.00pm Friday, 16th February.

Congratulations to all nominees and the SOYA committee look forward to seeing them, their families and the nominated sporting organisations when the 2017 winners are announced.

To travel overseas and discover the world is something only some students can dream of but at Forbes High School 12 students seized the opportunity to take part in the G’Day USA school program during the summer holidays.

The 20 day program saw students land in Los Angeles and fly out of San Francisco and for Year 12 student, Konnor Ryan it was an opportunity not to be missed. “The trip was fantastic. I had such a great time and seeing parts of America was really a great experience.”

The G’Day USA program provides students with the opportunity to travel to the USA during the Australian school holidays.

Students travel as part of a supervised group with a teacher acting as the group leader. The program is available to students from 14 to 18 years. Students who took part in the program from Forbes High School included Tyrone Clothier, Jessica Ashcroft, Georgia Palazzi, Montana Palazzi, Ethan Markwort, Wally Campbell, Jade Carpenter, Gabrielle Boland Kelly, Fiona Howarth, Kristian Markwort, Tyler Murphy and Konnor Ryan.

“Providing opportunities that help to enrich our students learning and provide a better quality of life is something we strive to do at Forbes High School. The G’Day USA program is something we take part in every 18 months to provide our students with the opportunity to broaden their horizons and see other parts of the world in which we live,” said Relieving Principal Jason Nottingham.

The G’Day USA Program also provides students with the opportunity to live with an American host family for ten days and experience daily life in the United States of America. The tour itinerary also includes four fun-filled days in Los Angeles and three days exploring scenic San Francisco, with a plethora of great activities and landmarks in America for students to participate in and see.

The Life Pharmacy Group, including Flannery’s Pharmacy and Life Pharmacy in Forbes, have committed to raising funds to build a school in Nepal.

“With everything happening around the world I’m sure everyone would agree that we are indeed very fortunate to call Australia home,” said pharmacy owner Michael Flannery.

“As a business, we have been thinking about what we can do to make a lasting impact for change in 2018 and from that was born our ‘Let’s build a new Life Pharmacy Group – School – Change for Change’ school project appeal.”

While the Himalaya region is known to the Western World as a vast adventure playground for trekkers and mountaineers alike, for the local communities, life is anything but easy – with access to basic health and education services often well out of reach.

Without access to a quality education, children in remote communities like the Everest or Solukhumbu region of Nepal remain deprived of the life skills and knowledge gained from education.

“In response to this we are working directly in partnership with the Australian Himalayan Foundation and its flagship Teacher Training and Quality Education (TTQE) program that operates in the poorest region of rural Nepal,” said Michael. “Helping to ensure that post the earthquake all children have access first and foremost to a school and importantly an education.”

They say that by giving the gift of education you can change a generation. The devastating earthquakes in Nepal resulted in 9,000 deaths and injured over 20,000 people.

“The Life Pharmacy Group would like to help rebuild their lives by making a permanent impact in their community by raising much needed funds for a new school,” said Michael, “but we need help from our local communities here in Australia.”

Importantly, the rebuild project will also ensure that the school be made with a steel foundation and structure, becoming a safer shelter for the children and their community.

“The Forbes community is always extremely generous and the whole concept is ‘change for change’ so it doesn’t need to be a huge donation,” said Flannery’s Business Manager, Debbie Prior. “If you would like to help us raise funds for this worthwhile cause, you can donate at either Life Pharmacy or Flannery’s Pharmacy.”