The stress fracture is a common overuse injury seen in athletes who participate in endurance and high load bearing activities. Stress fractures in the lower limb account for between 80 to 90% of all stress frac- tures, and in runners contributes to almost 16% of all injuries.

During periods of relative inactivity, with osteoporosis or eating disorders, the den- sity of bone decreases. If loads on the bone become repetitive or abnormally high, and the bone is not given enough rest to allow for adaptation, the rate of stress-induced microfractures in the bone exceeds the rate at which the bone can repair, and stress fractures develop.

The typical complaint with stress fractures is of a gradual onset of pain. Initially there is just pain with activity that subsides with rest, but returns when the aggravating activity is resumed. Local tenderness and swelling is often found at the fracture site and pain is easily localised as opposed to shin splints, which produce a more diffuse pain.

Treatment initially involves rest from the aggravating activity for approximately four to six weeks. It may also require bracing or the use of a cam boot. In some cases surgery may even be required. Return to sport should be gradual to allow time for adaptation within the bone. It is important that all biomechanical and nutritional causes be addressed to prevent recurrence. Cross training and participating in a variety of different sporting activities can help minimise the risk of stress fractures.

It is important to remember if you recognise the symptoms early and treat them ap- propriately, you can return to sport at your normal playing level.

“For the fitness of you”

Linda Reilly

Forbes Shire Council has commenced the process to purchase the 72-hectare site of the former Lachlan Vintage Village.

It was resolved at Council’s March meeting that the Mayor and General Manager would negotiate a purchase price with the owner.

“These negotiations were successful and at the April Council meeting, Council re- solved to go ahead with the purchase.” Mayor Graeme Miller said. “The contracts have been drawn and it is hoped they would be close to exchanging very soon.”

“Once the purchase is finalised, Council will consider the proposed uses prior to making a resolution. A master plan for the land will then be developed, which will include consultation with the Forbes community. This is a truly exciting opportunity for Forbes.” said the Mayor.

“The large site will allow Council to consider drainage and stormwater solutions for the area.” he added. “The site also has a number of zones that can potentially lead to residential and tourism developments. There are no other opportunities for residential development in this area, therefore the purchase of this site is a huge step for more land to be made available for residential development.”

The Mayor said the master plan would de- fine the concept and maximise the potential of the site.

The Lachlan Vintage Village was established in the early 1970s on land bordering the Newell Highway that was originally goldfields. The village was a historically authentic recreation of the NSW gold mining and early farming era. It is recorded that during the 1990s there was a down-turn in interest in Australian colonial history. Due to this, the Old Sydney Town, north of Sydney set out according to James Mee- han’s map of Sydney in 1803, closed to the public in 2003, and the Lachlan Vintage Village closed in 2004.

By Dianne Collie

The majority of drivers in the Parkes, Forbes and Lachlan Shire area are law abiding when it comes to wearing seatbelts and using mobile phones.

The latest observations results indicate a combined 99.1% seatbelt wearing rate and a 0.8% mobile phone usage rate.

The surveys are conducted bi-annually. Councils’ Road Safety and Injury Prevention Officer, Melanie Suitor, said survey staff conducted observations for an hour in the morning and an hour in the afternoon.

According to Melanie the seatbelt wearing rate is higher than the state average of 98%. The best location was the Parkes Highway recording 100% compliance in the afternoon. The worst location was the Forbes Urban locatin with a 96% wearing rate in the afternoon with 14 people observed un-restrained.

“While our seatbelt wearing rate is better than the state average, it is disappointing to report that 59 people were observed not wearing a seatbelt,” Melanie said.

The combined mobile phone usage rate was 0.8%, with three survey locations recording 0%: Condobolin Highway, Parkes Urban and Parkes Highway. Forbes Urban was the worst location with a 4.2% usage rate as 13 people used a phone whilst driving.

Are you happy with your current financial situation? Is your current financial situation so good there’s no room for improvement? If the answer to either question is ‘no’, then there are plans you can put into place that will provide a clear pathway to a better financial future.

Deep down, you probably already know you could be making better use of your money, but if you’re like most people the problem is knowing what to do. Everywhere you look there are people trying to sell you products that will magically make more money for you. Here’s the thing… the best person to trust is YOU!

DIY money management is the way to make sure that the decisions you make are in YOUR best interests. And the way to make better decisions is better information. As Benjamin Franklin once said: AN INVESTMENT IN KNOWLEDGE PAYS THE BEST INTEREST.

When it comes to your money and your financial future, the wiser you are about money, the better financial decisions you’ll make. The higher your financial IQ, the wealthier you’ll be. The more wealth you can create, the more options you and your family will have.

Therefore, make financial education your next investment.

In the words of motivational speaker Jim Rohn, “Formal education will make you a living. Self-education will make you a fortune.”

We know it’s hard to trust anyone when it comes to money, so find out how Wealth Train financial education is empowering people in regional NSW to make better financial decisions at our free information session:

DATE: Tuesday, 23rd May 5.30pm to 6.30pm
VENUE: Forbes Services Memorial Club BOOKINGS ESSENTIAL: Please call 0411 484 464 to reserve your place.

The quad bike at the Central West Live- stock Exchange has been replaced with a side by side vehicle (SSV) under the NSW Government’s Quad Bike Safety Improvement Program.

The Forbes Shire Council is advocating the importance of safety in agribusiness and decided on the SSV as it is designed for use in an agricultural environment. It is also fitted as standard with operator protective devices including roll over protection and three point seat belts.

Director Engineering and Technical Services John Zannes said it was extremely important that the team at the Central West Livestock Exchange had the SSV for use, especially in the wake of more deaths and injuries from quad bike incidents in the past six months.

“The quad bike is used at the Central West Livestock Exchange on a regular ba- sis and it is important that we have the safest option possible,” John said.

“Along with the replacement, those who will use the SSV have also undertaken a quad bike safety course and interacted with a SafeWork NSW Officer about quad bike safety.”

To find out more about the NSW Government’s Quad Bike Safety Improvement Program visit www.safework.nsw.gov.au

The date for the Forbes Business Chamber Boscars Gala Dinner has been set for Friday, 15th September at the Forbes Services Memorial Club.

Entries for all the categories will open in June. With some great success stories from businesses in Forbes from last year’s Boscars, the event for 2017 will be one not to be missed.

Save the date in your diary and when ticket sales are announced be sure to get in early as last year some businesses missed out on attending. The larger capacity of the Forbes Services Memorial Club will mean numbers can be increased.

For further information please call Fiona Ferguson at the Forbes Business Chamber on 0407 380 936, or Cheryl Newsom, Media Liaison, on 0411 211 065.