Articles Archives - Page 332 of 405

A Sight For Sore Eyes

March 30, 2017 by Maggi Barnard

Fiona Hayward, Owner/Manager of Eyewear Specs, opened the doors at 95 Rankin Street in February 2016. “It is so wonderful to see people wearing our glasses and loving them,” said Fiona. “Word of mouth has been a large part of our business success.” It has been so successful that they will be expanding the business to employ a graduate optometrist in the future.

Eyewear Specs also doubles as a mobile optometrist. “We basically pack up shop and move to a location where we’re needed,” said Fiona. “We have worked from Jemalong Residential Village, and travelled to Condobolin, Grenfell, Parkes and Eugowra. We will be working in Canowindra soon following a community request, and we also offer a school screening service.” “Eye care is very important and it is essential that people have their eyes tested every two years. Here at Eyewear Specs there is no cost to you for an eye examination as we Bulk Bill all testing with a valid Medicare Card.”

According to Fiona they offer up to 260 different eye frames and all stock is rotated every three months so you can be sure to pick an individual frame. “We also offer two pairs of glasses for the price of one.” The most popular brand for children and adults are Flexon/Nike. “To see what these glasses can do is nothing but extraordinary. They are made of titanium so they are ultra-strong and flexible,” said Fiona. “That is why they are perfect for children and any form of rural and manufacturing work.

“Please come and see us to have your eyes tested and we will tailor a pair of glasses to suit your individual financial budget.” Fiona said they also worked with Vision Care and Aboriginal Support.

Mayoral Notes…

March 30, 2017 by Maggi Barnard

The draft of our Forbes Shire Community
Strategic Plan 2017-2027 is on public exhibition.
Please make sure you have a look
at the draft plan and provide your feedback.
There will be two public meetings on
Wednesday, 12th April from 3:30 to 5pm or
5:30 to 7pm at the Forbes Town Hall.
Our General Manager Danny Green will
be presenting these meetings and it will
also give residents the chance to ask any
questions. Council officers will also be in attendance
at the Forbes Public School Easter
Fete today from 4:30 to 6:30pm and at
the Rotary Ipomoea Markets next Saturday
and the Bedgerabong Country Fair next
Sunday. The draft plan is available to view
on Council’s website www.forbes.nsw.gov.
au and hard copies are available at Council’s
administration and engineering offices
as well as Forbes Library.
We are pleased to welcome the Armstrong
Siddeley Car Club Rally to Forbes
this weekend. There will be a public viewing
at the Forbes Town Hall tomorrow from 9am
to 12pm so make sure you head down to
have a look. Also on tomorrow is the Forbes Triathlon
Festival, which is sure to be a great event.
Just a reminder that the Forbes Aquatic
Area will be temporarily closed to the public
all day tomorrow.
We farewelled the former Director of Tourism,
Community and Cultural Development
Richard Morgan earlier this week. We wish
Richard the best of luck for his future endeavours.
Deputy Mayor
Grant Clifton

Tea For Two Concert

March 30, 2017 by Maggi Barnard

Former Forbes resident Grant Roberts and friend Maddie Anderson will present an afternoon concert of piano and vocal music in the Forbes Town Hall tomorrow. The concert includes highlights from operatic and music theatre repertoire, along with selected piano favourites and a healthy portion of fun and laughter.

Grant and Maddie have been performing together for over five years, having first met while both were studying at the Australian National University in Canberra. Following the success of their concerts in the Canberra region recently, Forbes music lovers have an opportunity to enjoy the duo’s unique combination of music and laughter.

Doors open at 2:30, and the concert will include a light afternoon tea. Tickets are $30, inclusive of afternoon tea, and can be purchased at News on Rankin on 6852 1008, or at the door.

Cheers To 200 Years

March 30, 2017 by Maggi Barnard

Westpac, Australia’s first and oldest bank, is celebrating 200 years in business on 8th April. Every branch in the country will be celebrating. In Forbes, where Westpac has been open for 146 years, the celebrations will take place on Thursday, 6th and Friday, 7th April. “We will be celebrating this milestone with prizes, giveaways of Westpac promotional items, such as pens, umbrellas, key rings, stubby holders, beach towels, lollies and many more,” said Forbes Bank Manager, Shannon Crowley.

The celebrations on Thursday will be a birthday party complete with balloons, coffee and a massive cake cut at 10:30am. “All customers and the wider community are invited to attend,” said Shannon. Westpac was established in 1817 as the Bank of New South Wales.

A Passion For Poultry

March 23, 2017 by Maggi Barnard

Organising poultry auctions does not top the list of things to do for most 15-year- olds, but Sam Mackay has found his passion early on.

He and his friend, Jarrad Morrison are organising their seventh auction at the Forbes Showgrounds on Sunday.

Sam’s uncle, Andrew Milford said: “Sam was 10 when he organised his first sale in 2013.” When asked why he thought to hold his own auction Sam simply said: “We own poultry and had an excess, so I thought it would be good to hold one.”

He sold a total of 300 chooks at the first auction. “There was paper everywhere,” laughed Andrew. Since then they have upgraded and “Uncle Andrew has developed spreadsheets, so we are now electronic,” said Sam. “No more paper.”

Just as well as 1,000 head of poultry are expected to be sold on Sunday. “We hold the first poultry auction in Central West NSW when it cools down a little so we can be sure the poultry don’t become stressed,” said Sam.

“In fact, we are not like any other sale because Jarrad and I and some helpers, cage the poultry and make sure they are ok and have water. That is important as animal welfare carry out inspections.”

Sam appreciates the coaching Andrew and his aunt Trish Milford provide. “They are the backbone,” he said. Sam also wanted to mention his Aunty Kerry as she “helps massively on the day.” What a team Sam and Jarrad make!

By Dianne Collie

Planting Peas For Peace Of Mind, Heart And Soul

March 23, 2017 by Maggi Barnard

Among the many friends of the Forbes Riverside Community Garden are two families spanning three generations with grandparents, daughter and partner and grandsons actively.

Meeting with some of the founding members, The Forbes Phoenix wanted to learn what attracted people to join. “It’s so peaceful here, and sheltered from the wind and weather,” said Leo Curran. Anne Hodges agreed adding: “We are just so blessed to have this space.”

According to Denis Irvine, friends can choose what they would like to grow, “however we do encourage the growing of clean, organic food.”

The community garden is a picture of perfect health with an array of raised garden beds bursting with fresh vegetables, herbs and flowers. There is a passionfruit vine, citrus and mulberry trees as well as mounds where pumpkins, rockmelons and asparagus grow.

“We cater for people of all abilities, ages and walks of life, and love to share our gardening knowledge. Mind you there is never a day where we don’t learn something new,” said Leo.

The community garden falls under the auspices of the Forbes Shire Council, and has been successful in attaining two grants. However nowadays they supplement the grant money with the sale of sea- sonal fruit, vegetables, potted vegetable and herb seedlings and dried herbs. “We have also received excellent support from many Forbes businesses, farmers and producers, we are very grateful to,” said Denis.

The Community Garden is always looking for new friends and open to anyone wanting buy fresh seasonal vegetables and herbs. The gardens are located within the former State Forest Nursery in Reymond Street and are open from 9 to 11am Monday to Saturday.

Visiting the garden you will easily understand the friendly volunteers’ motto: Plant three rows of peas; peace of mind, peace of heart and peace of soul.

By Dianne Collie

President’s Lunch A Celebration Of Community

March 23, 2017 by Maggi Barnard

Stand-up comedian Vince Sorrenti was taken aback last Saturday that a small country town like Forbes could organise such an outstanding event.

The sixth Forbes Rugby Union Club President’s Lunch has been described as the best ever with 820 guests joining in a spirit of friend- liness, politeness and generosity. “The food was magnificent, the crowd unbelievable and the weather was great,” said Chris Sweeney, chairman of the organising committee.

The Eat Your Greens Gourmet Dinner for 10 went for $10,000, a surprise Dinner with Vince for 10 at Ester in Sydney went for $9,500, the Wallaby jersey reached $2,000, a painting $6,000, a red gum mirror $2,200 and the winners of the $1,000 Platypus Charity Draw opted to donate the funds to the Garland Family.

“The support for auction items was just amazing and we are able to donate $10,000 to Batyr, far exceeding our expectations,” said Chris. While Vince’s entertainment was rated by many as the funniest they had ever seen, the comedian was equally impressed by the way the Forbes community look out for each other.

“I am extremely proud and happy to lead such a tremendous committee who can put together such a great event. All the happy, smiling faces at the event made me very happy,” said Chris

Snippets

March 23, 2017 by Maggi Barnard

Ava fundraiser: The music-themed fancy dress fundraiser for Ava Garland and fam- ily, and the McGrath Foundation raised $7,260 with 92 people attending. The Pink Ladies won the Name the Tune game, re- ceived a prize for the first to pay for table tickets and won best dressed group. Best dressed table went to Sally Duff’s team as Groovy 60s/70s. Best dressed man was Michael Butler as Kermit the Frog and best dressed lady Krystal Hanley as Baby Spice. The Man game winners were Nic Rebellato and Phil Peterson. The Ladies game was fairly close but Heidi Stewart beat Veronica Rebellato by three seconds. The auction was done by Tye Stewart for various donated items.

Win a double pass: Charlie Siem, one of today’s foremost young violinists, is in Australia for the first time. He is giving a concert with the Omega Ensemble on 1st April at Borrodell Vineyard in Orange. Born in London to a Norwegian father and Brit- ish mother, he began to play the violin at the age of three after hearing a broadcast of Yehudi Menuhin playing Beethoven’s violin concerto. He was educated at Eton College, before reading music as an un- dergraduate at Cambridge University. From 1998 to 2004 he studied with Itzhak Rashkovsky in London at the Royal College of Music, and from 2004 he has been mentored by Shlomo Mintz.

Charlie has appeared with many of the world’s finest orchestras, including the Lon- don Symphony Orchestra, Royal Philhar- monic Orchestra, Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, Czech National Symphony Orchestra, Bergen Philharmonic Orches- tra and the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra. Book tickets for the show at borrodell.com. au/events or call 6365 3425.

You can win a double pass in our competition today on page 11.

Seminar for farmers: SafeWork NSW has doubled safety rebates to farmers. Forbes Small Engines is holding a seminIaNr oTnER Tuesday, 4th April at 2pm that will count as an eligible interaction so farmers don’t need to do the online webinar.

SafeWork NSW and Tocal College (Quad bike safety training) will deliver the seminar. Contact 6852 3228 to book or for more information.

Spoons + linen: Drop your pre-loved and unwanted spoons (soup and dessert) and linen (napkins, table cloths and sheets)
at the Platypus Gallery in Forbes for the Grazing Down The Lachlan event.

Barry Tells You How to Travel And Work

March 23, 2017 by Maggi Barnard

Image sourced from World Travel Guide

Barry Brebner had a lot of time to think and reflect whilst recovering from cancer in hospital. Reminiscing about the eight editions of Workabout Australia he wrote until 2011, Barry was motivated to start writing again. “During those years I met so many people who told me the most amazing travel stories,” said Barry. “So I set to work and here is the result,” he said proudly holding a copy of Workers on the Wallaby.

Barry was in Forbes last Thursday with his latest book meeting people at News on Rankin. He was happy to sell a book to a reader from his hometown of Dubbo, an- swered questions from the public and chatted to Forbes local, William Hodson who told him about his time working as a trailer driver in Cape York.

Workers on the Wallaby is a collection of 11 factual and very personal stories of people’s adventures whilst travelling Australia. Barry tells of how one traveller who felt God’s presence at Devil’s Marbles, and of a couple who raised and educated their children on the road and how important their journey was to their childrens’ education.

“Workabout Australia, is a book that every person thinking of travelling and or working around Australia should have,” said Barry.

By Dianne Collie

A Pulled Calf Is A Muscle Tear

March 23, 2017 by Maggi Barnard

The calf muscles are commonly injured in sports that involve quick acceleration, de- celeration or sudden changes in direction.

Many people describe a sudden sensation of being struck on the back of the leg. A calf muscle tear is often referred to as a strain or a pulled muscle.

The calf comprises of two large muscles, gastrocnemius and soleus. They both join to form the Achilles tendon, which inserts into the heel bone. The gastrocnemius also helps to bend the knee and together they contract to point the toes.

Tears to the calf muscle can range from a small partial tear with little pain and minimal loss of function to a complete rupture, which may require surgery. Recovery time and re- turn to sport depends upon the severity of the injury.

The immediate treatment for all calf inju- ries consists of the RICE protocol – rest, ice compression and elevation.

The No HARM protocol should also be applied – no heat, no alcohol, no running and no massage. This is aimed at reduc- ing bleeding and secondary tissue dam- age within the muscle. If you are unable to walk without a limp, the use of a heel raise or wearing shoes with a small heel will de- crease pain without further stressing the muscle. A compression bandage or wear- ing SKINS over the injured area helps limit bleeding and swelling.

As pain decreases gentle exercise and stretching can begin in addition to treatment recommended by your friendly sports phys- io. It is important not to ignore a calf strain as return to activity too soon could make the injury worse.

For the fitness of you.

Linda Reilly

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