The Jemalong Residential Village (JRV) will hold its first ever Market Day on Tuesday, 6th December. The market will run from 10 am to 2pm and offer a variety of stalls with crafts made by residents over the past 12 months, plants, Christmas toys, homemade cakes and jams and some commercial products offered by businesses from town. There will also be a bbq and a raffle for a king size quilt.

According to Gwen Barnard of JRV the residents initiated the idea for a market day, after the annual fete had to be cancelled because of the floods. “We hope to get a good attendance. We have 91 residents and they all have family who would come, but the whole community is welcome,” said Gwen. The money raised from the event will
be used to buy one or more special chairs with wheels residents can use when eating.

“It is much easier to push them in on these chairs and is a much safer option for both the residents and the staff,” explained Gwen. She said one chair cost between $700 to $800. “We have already raised about $700 with the raffle, so we might be able to buy two chairs.” The JVR hope to make it an annual event.

Six students from the Forbes High school will be part of the Schools Spectacular Guiness World Records attempt in Sydney this weekend. The Department of Education will attempt to set a new Guiness World Record today from 11am to 2pm for the Largest Amateur Theatre Cast. The record attempt is part of a campaign by Schools Spectacular to celebrate the biggest year ever in the event’s 33 year history with over 5,500 students performing at the Qudos Bank Arena.

With the theme Dream Big, the new venue at Sydney’s Olympic Park has enabled more student performers than ever to be part of the show. The students from Forbes are able to dream big thanks to the generosity of local community organisations in town and fundraising efforts by students and staff. The Forbes students will be taking part in the D’Arts Ensemble dance item. The D’Arts Dance Ensemble is a vital part of the show, which includes students with special needs. They have been working hard at their dance routine since July this year and rehearsed choreography via videos uploaded online three times a week. They left earlier this week for Sydney to attend two days of rehearsals in preparation for the two matinee and two evening performances today and tomorrow.

Principal of Forbes High School, Charles Dwyer said: “It is important to us as a school to ensure that all of our students have access to a quality education and opportunities. We have a fantastic group of staff in our support unit who have worked extremely hard to support the students to attend the Schools Spectacular this year. The support from the Forbes Services Club, Forbes Lions Club and Forbes Shire Council has really helped our students to be able to experience a once in a lifetime opportunity.”

More than 30 schools from western NSW form part of more than 500 schools taking part in the Schools Spectacular. The annual show is unparalleled in the world in terms of numbers taking part. It engages and showcases students of different ages, cultures, skills and socio-economic backgrounds from metropolitan, rural and remote regions of NSW.

The show will be broadcast on Channel Seven.

It’s never too late to learn. This was the most important lesson for the students of a senior’s IT course. They completed Certificate I in Information Technology on Tuesday, after nine months of attending weekly classes.
Some of the students started the course having never even turned on a computer. It was a challenging prospect, but teacher, Steve Welsh said the biggest problem was self-doubt. “People think they can’t handle it and they lose heart. But with patience and perseverance it all just falls into place,” he said.

The course was initiated by Monica Wren of Neighbourhood Central. She said it stemmed from a client who wanted to be able to shop on the internet and felt left out of the technological age. “These days everything is online, even essential services like MyGov. This means people are reliant on others to access government services, which obviously creates privacy issues,” Monica said.

Home and Community Care (HACC) is focussed on helping people remain independent, and technology training was one aspect of increasing independence. More clients wanted to learn to use technology, but Monica felt she didn’t have the skills or the time to provide instruction, so she looked to TAFE. The students studied six units on modern technology. The module Digital Devices taught them to use items such as phones and cameras; even printing photographs is daunting for someone who has always used film.

Ann Williams bought a tablet and needed to learn how to use it. “I felt I was getting behind and wanted to learn how to Skype my grandchildren, and communicate with friends,” she said. The course will run again next year, and fee exemption is available for senior students. Student support is also available for students with additional needs, such as impaired hearing or reduced mobility.

By Raen Fraser

NSW Health is urging people to safeguard against mosquito bites after a marked increase in detections of the mosquito-borne Ross River and Barmah Forest viruses. Stephen Doggett, Senior Scientist at NSW Health Pathology, said recent flooding had caused a proliferation in the number of mosquitoes. “With added swarms of mosquitoes we have detected Ross River Virus and Barmah Forest Virus in mosquitoes in Forbes, Griffith, Leeton, and Moama.”

Ross River and Barmah Forest viruses are spread by bites from mosquitoes that have fed on animals that carry the virus. These viruses are not fatal to humans but they can cause persistent and debilitating symptoms such as joint aches and pains, fever, chills, headache and sometimes a rash. The rash usually disappears after seven to ten days, but some people may experience these symptoms for weeks or even months.

“So far 63 cases of people with Ross River and Barmah Forest virus have been confirmed. The best way to avoid infection is to avoid being bitten by mosquitoes.” Simple steps to avoid mosquito bites include:
• Screening all windows and doors to prevent mosquitoes from coming inside.
• Avoid being outside unprotected, particularly during dawn and dusk.
• Apply mosquito repellent regularly to exposed areas. Repellents containing DEET or Picaridin are best. Repellents
containing oil of lemon eucalyptus or p-Menthane-3.8-diol (PMD) also provides adequate protection.
• Don’t use repellents on children under the age of three months. Instead use physical barriers such as netting on
prams, cots and play areas for babies.
• Light mosquito coils or use vaporising mats indoors.
• When mosquitoes are inside, use insecticide sprays, especially behind furniture and dark places.
• When camping, use flyscreens, or sleep under mosquito nets.
• Get rid of items that hold water or empty containers around the house.

The NSW Rural Fire Service (NSW RFS) is requesting landholders and harvesting operators in Mid Lachlan Valley Team area to make use of the new Voluntary Grain Harvesting Guide to enable them to determine if it’s safe to harvest. NSW RFS Superintendant Ken Neville said those operating harvesting machinery needed to take a proactive approach to minimise the risk of fire in certain conditions.

“Each year, fire fighters attend a number of fires on farms, which have been started as a result of harvesting operations. Many of these fires have the potential to destroy homes, crops and livelihoods,” Ken said. “The NSW RFS appreciates the cooperation of farmers on days of heightened fire danger. A few hours of down time lowers the risk of fires breaking out and can prevent a great deal of damage,” he said. “Listening to the concerns of the current broad area cease harvesting requests, this guide was developed in partnership with NSW Farmers and Australian Custom
Harvesters to overcome some of the downtime this has caused for local land holders and contractors.

“The Voluntary Grain Harvesting Guide is designed for farmers and contractors to make an informed decision at the local level, based on a set of identified weather conditions.” Ken said using this step by step approach can determine if the current conditions need harvesting operations to stop until the weather is safe to return to the paddock.
“The Voluntary Grain Harvesting Guide is easy to use and compact enough to have readily accessible, whether it’s in the harvester cabin, shed or home.”

You can access and download the guide through the NSW RFS website, with current and forecast fire danger ratings also available at www.rfs.nsw.gov.au

With the Find it in Forbes promotion well underway in all participating stores, it is a great incentive for locals to buy from the local stores participating. The Why Leave Town Cards can be purchased from five stores in town, including News on Rankin. You can give them as a gift voucher for a Christmas present when you are looking for something
for that person who has everything. With stores like Undercover Sleepwear, who have a great range of sleepwear, underwear, swimwear and now children’s swimwear, Marg is the person to drop in and see. Over at Little Extras you can find that special bag, piece of jewellery or pair of shoes, as well as choose from their great range of clothing for every occasion. Melissa and her team at Blush have put together some great specials, particularly easy for the man of the house who is wondering what to give his loved one for Christmas.

At Gunns, for the lady of the house, Greg and his team will be able to find something special for your man, from casual to sporting apparel. Then on the other side of Rankin Street, there are always flowers from Banksia Grove Florist and if you are looking for a fantastic table setting for your Christmas dinner, why not ask Jacinta to make one up for you. All the best selling books can be found at News on Rankin, as well as toys, gift wrapping paper, cards, parker pens and for that person dreaming of a holiday, a scratchie is always something people appreciate receiving. Make sure you visit these great stores now.