A good crowd came along to Forbes High School Hall on Friday to support the second MADD night and weren’t disappointed by the program. On arrival they had an opportunity to view the wide variety of artwork created by students before taking their seats to enjoy the rest of the program.

There was an item to suit all tastes and ages. Paige Ellison and Maddison Collits opened the show with songs from the animated movie Frozen and their entrance and mobility throughout the performance surprised the audience. The dance troupe performed two of the pieces which were significant to their recent involvement in the 2015 Schools Spectacular and Kyle Ryan brought the house down with his rap solo.

The support unit performed a number of items, each with a different theme and not only were they entertaining but all of the performers had a wonderful time and really enjoyed themselves. The drama ensemble and individual and
group musical performers were excellent and reinforced the depth of talent which exists at Forbes High. The event was an excellent way to showcase the many talented students and their supportive teachers at Forbes High School.

When School Principal, Mr Charles Dwyer, was asked which of the acts was his favourite, he stated that he could not pick just one but was very impressed with the enthusiasm and impromptu performances of Sam Taylor.

The event was a credit not only to all of the performers but to the teachers who have been preparing the students for many weeks leading up to the night. Students thanked all of their teachers and in particular, Mr Andrew Swan, for their dedication and hard work in creating this event and allowing them to show their family, friends and the community the many learning opportunities available at Forbes High School.

Dianne Decker is an upstanding member of our community who goes above and beyond to promote a great cause and Tuesday was no different when she gladly shaved her head to promote awareness for Mental Health issues.

Dianne not only wants to make people aware of mental health issues but also the impact that it has on the lives of all associated with it and the connection that it often has with domestic violence. Dianne is raising funds for this worthy cause and any money raised will be used to provide training for nurses, doctors, emergency support staff and medical professions at the Forbes District Hospital.

Dr Laksito was on hand to offer encouraging words of support and, along with Olya Willis, provided entertainment through the proceedings. Young hairdresser, Natalie Hocking, who works at Bron’s Hair Design, volunteered her services to shave Di’s head and did a very professional job. Another of Di’s passions is working with the disabled and she has been instrumental in gaining and sustaining employment for many disabled people through her role at OCTEC an organisation which assists people with disabilities to improve their skills and increase opportunities for permanent employment.

After a recent illness and associated complications Dianne found herself in a situation she had not encountered before where she was reliant on others for routine activities. Her determination saw her push through her predicament and she was extremely grateful for the support she received. She is constantly finding ways to support others which was confirmed by Parkes Shire Council Mayor, Ken Creith who has known Dianne for many, many years through a variety of different avenues who described her as a “passionate community member”.

Dianne will succeed at anything she puts her mind to and at the end of the formalities asked all attendees to make a paper plane and fly them for Mental Health.

Do you dare to ride the world’s biggest inflatable waterslide? Big Splash Water World are bringing the biggest inflatable water slide to Parkes from 12th – 19th December and Orange from 26th December – 3rd January, perfect fun for these hot summer days.

The water slide is 55ft high and has not one but three separate slides and anyone from the age of three can ride, under four years old will need to be accompanied by an adult, this is not on for the faint hearted! But don’t worry, Big Splash Water World also have smaller waterslides for the not so brave. The smaller slides have a pool at the bottom to give children a thrill of splashing into the water. All water from the pools is recycled and pumped back to the top of the slides through a filtration system to stop water wastage. Big Splash Water World is also available for hire for corporate functions, fetes and parties.

They will also have a wide range of amusement games, hot food canteens & shade tents with tables & chairs for spectators comfort. So come on down and race your friends to the bottom for an awesome day out!

Kevin Miller, Whitty, Lennon and Co conducted a very successful clearing sale last Saturday at “Galwary”, Eugowra.
Vendors Ian and Anne Burns and property manager Colin O’Connor presented a quality line up of farm machinery, sheep handling equipment and workshop tools which had been used during their 12 year ownership of “Galwary”.

There were a total of 160 bidders who registered on the day, having travelled from as far afield as Bourke, Merrygoen, Dunedoo, Trangie, West Wyalong, Young, Yass, Crookwell and Bathurst, as well as the local area.

Those who attended recognised the wellmaintained condition of the items, and with many lots in as new condition, some strong prices were recorded throughout the sale. With a large crowd of buyers and quality items, a total clearance of all lots was also achieved.

And as with most clearing sales, it was also a good day out for the locals to catch up and grab a steak sandwich to support the Eugowra Lions Club, who manned the barbeque.

The Rotary Club of Forbes Impomea hosted its annual Christmas Tree Festival over the weekend with many people calling in to the Town Hall to peruse the wonderfully creative trees on display. Now in its 5th year the festival attracted 92 entries, a number that has been steadily increasing since the 50 they received in their first year.

Organisers of the event were pleased, once again, with the support of the community and were excited by the new entries they received this year. “There has been an increase in the number of families who submitted trees this year” Sueanne Nixon said which is a great contrast to the many regular businesses, schools and community groups that have supported the festival since the very first year.

News On Rankin, who have entered each year, were very enthusiastic again this year accepting the invitation to attend within the first 24 hours and were the first to set up their entry for the year. Sueanne made special mention of Forbes North Public School, who have always been strong supporters of the event, this year an entry was received from every class at the school as well as an entry from the school’s Principal, Steve McAlister. Every entry was
unique and shows great imagination.

Along with regular visitors to the event, many Vanfest visitors called in to take a look at the wonderful display. Many commented on what a great town Forbes is and that the Tree Festival and Christmas Markets were excellent adding something extra to the whole weekend and making their stay more enjoyable.

Rotary Club of Forbes Impomea meets on the 1st & 3rd Tuesday of each month at 7.00am for breakfast at the Plainsman Motel and welcome new members at every opportunity. The group raise valuable funds which support many local projects each year including:

An Agricultural cropping and cotton growing program for students at Forbes High School and Red Bend College, Can Assist, Havannah House, Salvation Army, St Vincents De Paul, Church in the School Yard, Awards for local school presentation assemblies, John Flynn Remote Medicine – support for trainee doctors in Forbes, Polio Plus as well as other local appeals. A special project they are currently working on is to raise funds to support a dollar for dollar grant to purchase and install seating around the new section of the walking track around our beautiful lake.

Organisers wanted to thank the local community for their continued support of the Christmas Tree Festival and in particular Forbes Shire Council for providing a wonderful venue to house this magnificent display.

International Day of People with Disabilities is held on December 3 each year and aims to promote an understanding of people with a disability and encourage support for their dignity, rights and well-being.

Forbes Shire Council and House With No Steps hosted an afternoon tea on the 3rd December at the Youth and Community Centre to increase public awareness, understanding and acceptance of people with a disability. It was also a chance to celebrate the achievements and contributions that they make within the community. House With No Steps is one of Australia’s leading providers of disability services, dedicated to ensuring people with disabilities have greater choice, control and freedom.

Forbes is lucky to be associated with this organisation and provides employment opportunities for people with disabilities with Aussie Biscuits, Home/Business Maintenance and in the Office located in Rankin Street. Around 40 people attended the afternoon tea event and enjoyed the delicious food which was catered for by Cassandra Tyack and provided by council before engaging in some activities.

The Schools as a Community Centre provided the ability sports kit for the afternoon which was put to good use with everyone enjoying the modified volleyball and other modified games.

Waiting times to see a doctor are improving in Forbes since the inception of the towns Medical Centre with doctor’s numbers doubling in the town over the past five years. The Forbes Medical Centre has evolved from being a “suburban general practice” to a sustainable large general practice that is attractive to graduate doctors.

The Forbes Medical Centre has evolved from being two small general practices in the town to a large teaching and academic general practice. Local Patient Neil Biddle visited the centre on the opening day five years ago and has been very impressed with the development of medical services in Forbes since,

“The new facility is great with practice nurses available and a lot more services,” Mr. Biddle said. “Plus the hospital is right across the road making everything very accessible.” Following surveys conducted in the early 2000’s, local GP’s identified the need to develop one large facility in order for Forbes to be more attractive for young doctors graduating from university. It was at the same time Forbes was down to five permanent doctors.

The primary purpose in establishing the Forbes Medical Centre was to meet these wishes of young doctors and in doing so make Forbes an attractive destination. “An unexpected bonus is that with the critical mass of Doctors, the Forbes Medical Centre has also been able to attract visiting specialists, multiple allied health professionals, university funding, enhanced administration plus other services,” Forbes Medical Centre Practice Manager Beverlie Gardiner said. “The challenge for the centre now is to maintain the small doctor’s surgery feel for patients despite being a large medical centre.”

The Forbes Medical Centre now employs 28 staff including Doctors, Nurses, Reception and Administration Staff as well as engages a number of contractors including bookkeeping and IT services, Nurse Practitioner, Dietitian, cleaners and handyman services.

Will you be alone this Christmas? Are you or someone you know struggling with financial, relationship or other problems this holiday season? A fantastic community tradition is back this year and the whole town is invited.
Havannah House are once again hosting the community Christmas Day Lunch at the Forbes Town Hall. An invitation is extended to one and all and there will be presents for both young and old, plenty of food and fun for everyone.

Havannah House is a local community organisation that provides emergency accommodation as well as emergency food hampers to those in need. Many clients are referred to the service by the Department of Housing, Department of Community Services and the Women’s refuge. Clients also have access to counselling and budgeting services.

Previously Havannah House was affiliated with Anglicare but is now controlled by a body corporate after the Combined Churches Association purchased the building. This community facility is not government funded and relies on fundraising and revenue raised through its two businesses, greeting card verse printing and screen
printing, to sustain the valuable support it provides. The centre holds two to three garage sales per year which provides a major part of the funds necessary to maintain the property. Donations of good quality second items are always being sort and Havannah House would be grateful for any assistance.

The services four managers, Geoff and Caroline Wells along with David and Julie Virtue, live on site and are able to provide support and referrals to meet the needs of their clients. The majority of the food for the Christmas luncheon is donated or purchased through donations of money received. Based on previous years organisers will be catering for 150 guests. The event is well supported by the community and Forbes Shire Council provide the venue free of charge. Doors open at 12noon with lunch being served at 12.30pm. Bookings are not essential but encouraged to assist with catering. Volunteers are also welcome to assist on the day so please give Caroline, Julie, Geoff or David a call on 6852 1366 for further information on the lunch or other activities they hold throughout the year.

2014 National Barbeque Champions and local ladies, Veronica Rebellato and Ann Tildsley may not have made the finals of the new reality show, Aussie Barbeque Heroes, but they have done themselves, their families and their community proud with their efforts on the Seven Network television series.

The National Barbeque Championships president, Chris Roylance, was approached by the network to submit teams to audition for the show earlier in the year. A number of teams were submitted and the process began in May and continued until filming commenced in September. Veronica and Ann cooked every day for three months, experimenting with different flavours and cooking techniques. Every stage was documented with photos and recipes which was all part of the competition process.

Finally, nine teams of two were chosen and accepted the challenge to test their cooking skills against one another with contestants hailing from all around Australia. Three teams compete each week in the heats and every dish they produce must possess the three elements the judges, Robert Murphy, Jess Pryles and Ben O’Donoghue are looking
for; flavour, presentation and technique.

The girls featured in the first episode and met the two timed challenges, Prawn Supremacy and Gang-Lamb Style, head on. The ladies had to prepare and cook the two different types of meat and present them to the three judges complete with a side. They had a full pantry of fresh and packaged ingredients to choose from and Veronica and Ann were impressed with the quality of the ingredients.

Although a little disappointed that they did not make it through the first heat, the ladies have really enjoyed the experience and have made some great friendships with the other contestants.

Aussie Barbeque Heroes will continue on Wednesday night on PRIME7 commencing at 7pm and viewers can follow the progress of the teams and the eventual naming of the 2015 True Barbeque Hero.