NSW Small Winemakers Show celebrated its 25th year of competition with one of the highest medal strike rates. With 548 entries received from 96 small producers that crush a maximum of 500 tonnes annually, the show also saw the largest diversity of wine regions and styles awarded medals in the show’s history. More than half of the entries (51.3%) received a medal – the highest ever recorded at the show – with 6.2% awarded gold, 9.6% silver and 35.5% bronze.

The Orange region came out on top winning 4 of the 17 trophies awarded, with the Hunter Valley and South Coast regions winning 3 trophies each. Other regions to win trophies were Mudgee, Riverina, Hilltops, Canberra District and Central Ranges. Once again, Shiraz, Chardonnay and Semillon classes were strong, with an increase in quality also evident in Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Sauvignon.

“This year really demonstrated the diversity and quality of NSW wines, with gold medals and trophies from a number of regions. It is also really wonderful to see new producers doing so well,” said Chairman of Judges, Mike De Iuliis of De Iuliis Wines.

The major trophy winners are:

Clear Image Best White Wine of Show – 2009 Coolangatta Estate Wollstonecraft Semillon (South Coast); Vintec-Transtherm Best
Red Wine of Show – 2015 Horner Wines Little Jack Cabernet Sauvignon (Central Ranges); Winetitles Best Boutique White Orange Region Top Winner Wine of Show – 2009 McLeish Estate Reserve Semillon (Hunter Valley), Winetitles Best Boutique Red Wine of Show – 2015 McKellar Ridge Shiraz Viognier (Canberra District). For a full list of trophy winners go to www.nswwineshow.com.au

Next week is Women’s Health Week and this year will focus on health, learning more and taking action. Women are great talkers but when it comes to talking about health it becomes a grey area, so this week is all about promoting discussion around specific health issues among women.

This year’s theme is Am I Normal? At some stage throughout every woman’s life this question is asked whether it be about size, image, mental health or sex. These questions are completely normal and women should feel comfortable talking about them.

During the week there is a free online event as well as other live events across the country to encourage women to talk about these issues and to offer advice to assist women. Jean Hailes have been conducting research to find what women are most concerned about when it comes to their health. A survey of over 3,200 women from all ages revealed these top five issues:
• 23% weight management
• 17% female specific cancers
• 15% mental and emotional health
• 9% menopause
• 8% chronic pain

With these issues in mind how many can you relate to? The biggest concern is weight management and it’s no wonder with over 11 million women in Australia, more than half of them are overweight. Most of society wants to loose a few kilograms here and there but why aren’t we doing more? Often we all throw out the excuses that we are too busy or too tired, yet exercising gives you more energy and produces endorphins that trigger a positive feeling, according to WebMD.

Taking the initial step is the hardest but with this being a top concern for women’s health it is an important issue to tackle. Other issues revealed that only 65% of women don’t have regular sexual health checks. This week serves as a reminder to getting these important check ups done to ensure the overall health of your body.

“If a woman is in good health, her family, community and the society around her also benefit,” Jean Hailes said.

MOVIE REVIEW – Me Before You
Me Before You is based on the best-selling novel by Jojo Moyes. Louisa Clark is a 26-year-old woman who lives with her middle-class family in a smallish
house. Louisa worked at the local butter bun bakery until it was forced to shut down. Desperate to find a job, Louisa becomes a caregiver to Will Traynor, a multi millionaire who became a quadriplegic after a freak accident. Will does everything in his power to ensure Louisa has a hard time settling into her new job, while he is also trying to come to terms with his life.

The movie was good, but there were some scenes that made me sad and cry a lot. I give it 3 stars. This film is rated PG.

Maybe you’ve always wanted a beautiful white smile. Or your teeth have yellowed over time. Or you’re not happy with the staining that results from drinking coffee and tea. Whatever your reason for wanting whiter teeth, you’re not alone. There are many reasons for whitening your teeth, including:
• The boost to your confidence and selfesteem that comes from a great smile
• A younger appearance
• A special event such as a wedding, job interview or class reunion
• To make a positive first impression on others
• To simply reverse years of everyday staining and yellowing

People naturally have different shades of tooth colour just like we all have different hair and skin colour. Some teeth are more yellow than others, while others yellow with aging. Your tooth colour can be affected by many factors.
• The natural aging process
• Smoking, drinking coffee, tea and red wine
• Accumulation of plaque and calculus
• Ingesting too much fluoride when teeth are forming, which can give teeth a “mottled” look
• Trauma to the teeth that may cause a brown, gray or black colour
• Discoloured fillings

Before beginning any whitening procedure, be sure to consult with your dentist. Only he or she can evaluate whether you’re a suitable candidate for a particular treatment. Now you can whiten your teeth in the comfort of your own home. With customized take-home whitening trays and Opalescence Whitening syringe, great results are achieved simply, comfortably and cost effectively.

Forbes Family Dentists are offering custom take home whitening at a Special Price of Only $299. Some conditions apply, call 6851 5505.

Jamie Walsh of Tyreright Forbes recently took part in a fishing trip with people from country NSW and Queensland on the Fly River in Western Papua New Guinea. As part of the fee for the fishing trip operators dropped off 200kg of used clothes, medical supplies and school stationery to each village along the way. In addition, the Tyreright head office donated t-shirts and footballs to the local community. Jamie said the look of happiness on the faces of the children was unbelievable. This ensures that not only the tour operators benefit from fishing tourism, but the villagers as well.

The fishing guides come from the villages resulting in flow on effects for the local population. More than 156 black bass were caught on the trip. “We can’t wait to return,” said Jamie. “Next time we will be taking extra items to give to the villagers.”

More than 200 children of early childhood centres and primary schools had many stories to tell after the Forbes Reading Down Town Day last Friday.
Barry Peters, known as the Paul Kelly of underaged music, entertained kids at the Forbes Services Memorial Club, CentaCare and student volunteers read stories at the Library, and some businesses in town opened their doors to story-hungry kids.

The Birth to Kinder mascot was happy to pose for photos with kids dressed up in their favourite characters. Forbes Birth to Kinder organised the event for the tenth year with the theme this year: Australia: Story Country.