New Forbes Medical Centre registrar Dr Chen-yi Lo has already lived in a number of places in Australia, but says she is enjoying the friendly lifestyle Forbes has to offer. Dr Lo started working at the Forbes Medical Centre this year, along with fellow newcomers Dr Maria Rasool and Dr Farrah Yasmin.

It is her first permanent position in a General Practitioners clinic, with her previous work being in hospitals, apart from a brief three-month period. Dr Lo was born in Taiwan, and spent her school years in Singapore before relocating
to Melbourne in 2002, where she spent six years at the University of Melbourne in medical studies.

Before she moved to Forbes this year, she worked at the Ballarat Hospital in Victoria, and prior to that, she spent seven years working at hospitals in South Australia, where she first started work as a doctor. She is currently in a 12 month rotating working arrangement, and as such, she will move on to another, yet-to-be-determined, medical practice next year.

She said she was enjoying the friendly and easy lifestyle Forbes provided. “Forbes is very different from where I have been before. It’s a long way from the nearest major cities,” she said. “I have worked in rural communities before, so Forbes isn’t really that different in that way, but the distance from the nearest city is what is new for me.”

“The environment in Forbes is really enjoyable, and the people here are really friendly, so it hasn’t been too difficult getting used to living here.” Having worked mostly in cities, such as Adelaide and Ballarat, Dr Lo said there were differences in the environment of working in either setting.

“You get to know your patients a lot better working in a rural GP clinic than a city hospital, as the people will normally always come to see the same doctor,” she said.

By Joshua Matic

The senior citizens of Forbes enjoyed 10 days worth of fun-filled activities recently, as NSW Seniors Week took off across the state. Seniors Week actually ran for 10 days, but in Forbes, activities were held on seven of those days across town.

Friday April 1 saw the event launch with a seniors expo at the Youth and Community Centre, with stalls and information available on how seniors can get involved in the local community. Sunday April 3 had an opera show on at Forbes Town Hall entitled ‘Songs of Love and Loss.’

On Monday April 4 a morning tea was held at Mater Aged Care, while the following day saw Jemalong Residential Village host a morning tea of their own. The Forbes Sport and Recreation Club held a lawn bowls ‘come and try’ day last Thursday, while last Saturday had a dance show and the Forbes Rodeo take place, with seniors discounts on offer. The event ended last Sunday at the Forbes Services Club with the Country Music Muster.

Sally Spence, Lifestyle Therapist at Jemalong Village in Forbes, said the residence’s morning tea was well received. “We had three students come across from Forbes High School who entertained the crowd. They sang and played songs for our residents,” she said. “We were also celebrating two birthdays that day. One of our residents turned 100, and another turned 91.” “The residents really love anything involving music and food. Seniors Week was great for that.”

Forbes Shire Council Community Relations Officer Blake Nicholson organised the Seniors Expo, and said the aim of the day was to display ways seniors could get out and get active in the community. “Stallholders included the Forbes Menshed, Neighbourhood Watch, College for Seniors, Home and Community Care, Flannerys Pharmacy, Australian Unity Home Care Service,” he said.

With organised gaming on the rise, Greenlight Collectables on Welcome Street has become an official venue for competitive Magic: The Gathering play, also known as Magic. Magic: The Gathering is the world’s most popular trading card game with approximately 20 million players. The game can be played by two or more players and each game represents a battle between wizards known as ‘Planeswalkers’ who employ spells, artefacts and creatures depicted on each individual card to defeat their opponents.

As the original concept drew heavily from motifs of traditional fantasy role playing games such as Dungeons & Dragons, the gameplay has substantially more cards than many other card games which make this game not only fun but also mentally challenging.

Magic combines fantasy themes with strategic thinking and is a great social and competitive hobby for people of all ages. On Friday nights players can now compete for prizes, Planeswalker points and become part of a growing gaming community. Magic is a great addition to the competitive schedule
on offer at Greenlight Collectables, who offer a wide range of table top and trading card games. Everything from Dungeons and Dragons to Yu-Gi-Oh is in stock and tables are always open for play. Friday nights at Greenlight Collectables are focused on providing an accessible, fun night out for players
of all ages and ability levels. Come on down, meet some new friends and join the fun!

The Forbes Diggers Harness Racing Club will be one of the main showpieces in Forbes on ANZAC Day. The day will feature six races. People have been flocking to Forbes on ANZAC Day since the 1950’s, as it has been tradition to head out to the pace way on the commemorative day.

While the massive crowds of yesteryear may not be as big as they once were, there is no denying that it keeps a very special part of history close to our hearts. It’s official name, the “ Forbes Diggers Trotting Club”, is very symbolic to locals.

All the committee have been working overtime to ensure that everything is ready for another carnival, run over two weekends, and no doubt come the end of it, they will be enjoying yet another great success. The program will start at 1.00pm with the running of the Forbes 3yo Pace (1680m)

Former Prime Minister of Australia Tony Abbott made an emphatic visit to Forbes this week as part of the annual ‘Pollie Pedal’ tour, on Wednesday. ‘Pollie Pedal’ is an annual cycling tour, undertaken by federal Members of Parliament, to raise much needed funds for the Carers Australia charity.

The tour is now in its 19th year, with this year’s installment seeing the politicians start and finish in Canberra. The politician’s visit to Forbes saw them ride into the town’s Victoria Park, where they met with local school students, Carers Australia representatives, representatives from Forbes Shire Council, as well as local media.

Mr Abbott was joined by Kevin Andrews MP and Angus Taylor MP in giving speeches at the park, as well as Forbes Mayor Phyllis Miller and Carers Australia CEO Ara Cresswell. They then stayed the night in Forbes. Before arriving in Forbes they travelled from Canberra, through Yass, Harden, Cootamundra, Temora and West Wyalong.

After their Forbes stay, they then hit the road again to pass through Canowindra, Orange and Bathurst, amongst other places, before finally arriving back in Canberra. Speaking with The Forbes Phoenix, Mr Abbott said it was a huge commitment by all politicians involved with the ride to cycle
over 1000km and take the time out of their busy schedules for such a good cause.

“We rode from West Wyalong to Forbes today, but took the very long route, and rode 146km. It’s been a very tiring and hot day,” he said after arriving in Forbes. “We’ve raised over $4 million in the 19 years we’ve done this ride, and we’ll be raising $300,000 alone this year.” Ms Cresswell said the tour had huge benefits for Carers Australia, with just under three million unpaid carers in Australia in need of its support.