Forbes and District Historical Society President, Bruce Adams, with the Jemalong Shire Council Revenue and Cash book 1935 – 1943, which was part of a donation to Forbes Museum from Forbes Shire Council On Thursday 3 October.

Forbes residents will be able to find records of family members dating back generations thanks to a donation from Forbes Shire Council to the Forbes and District Histori­cal Society (FDHS).

Council donated 29 books of records dat­ing back to 1917 on Thursday 3rd October, including revenue and cash books, rates billing records, correspondence registers, letter registers and newspaper clippings.

The records are from the former Jema­long Shire and Forbes Municipal Councils, which merged to form Forbes Shire Coun­cil in 1981, and will be held in the Forbes Museum, which is managed by FDHS.

Forbes Shire Council Mayor, Phyllis Miller, said the records gave an amazing insight into the history of Forbes.

“They show what residents paid for rates over 100 years ago, letters written between the Councils and residents and how they communicated before telecommunications took over,” she said. “For residents whose families have lived in Forbes for many gen­erations, they will also be able to view re­cords of their ancestors.”

“Forbes Museum is a wonderful asset to our community and the FDHS does an amazing job displaying our shire’s history for the public to enjoy.”

FDHC President, Bruce Adams, said it was a coup for the museum to be able to preserve these important records. “They’re a very important addition to the museum and we’re very appreciative of Forbes Shire Council for its donation,” he said.

“We’re providing a secure location to store them, and while they won’t be per­manently displayed, anyone can view them privately by contacting us to make an ap­pointment.”

Forbes Museum is located at 11 Cross Street, Forbes. Open daily between 2pm and 4pm. To contact just phone 6851 6600 or email forbesmuseum@gmail.com

With the local government elections now complete, the focus shifts to the upcoming federal election. I have decided to step down from NSW Parliament to give my full attention to representing the peo­ple of Calare as Nationals candidate.

I will deliver my valedictory speech in the November sitting before formally resigning from the Parliament. It has been an in­credible honour to serve in the NSW Parliament, where I’ve held various roles, including Deputy Government Whip, Parliamentary Secretary, Cabinet Minister and Shadow Minister.

Now, I believe the best way to deliver for our community is to represent them as their Federal MP.

One of my proudest achievements has been getting the Bet­terment Fund up and running—a program that provides essential funding to rebuild regional transport and road infrastructure after natural disasters.

These are initiatives that matter. They are about more than poli­tics; they are about real people and real change for the communi­ties I’ve always been passionate about representing.

To my colleagues and friends, both in and out of Parliament, your friendship, encouragement and belief in me has helped me through some of the toughest moments and have made the wins even sweeter. I leave knowing that the work we’ve done will con­tinue to make a difference in the lives of people across the state.

Thank you to everyone who has believed in me, and to the peo­ple of the Central West—you will always have my deepest respect and appreciation.

And lastly, to my family—my mum, sister and brothers—you’ll never know how much your love and support has meant to me.

The awning at Forbes Station was trimmed by 300mm and the track was slewed laterally by more than half a metre during the September possession to enable the safe passing of double-stacked freight trains.

After more than 100 hours of round-the-clock activity, Inland Rail has completed a gruelling schedule of work which puts the Stockinbingal to Parkes section well on the path towards completion.

Starting last Saturday, 13 September, at 6am and finishing on Thursday 19 Septem­ber, at 10am, teams from Inland Rail and principal contractor Martinus Rail complet­ed work at four key sites during a 100-hour shut down of the Australian Rail Track Cor­poration (ARTC) line from Forbes to Goo­bang Junction.

To get this work finished on time, up to 240 rail workers across the four sites completed shifts which began ahead of the shutdown and finished after the line reopened.

James Kennedy, Delivery Director, Albury to Parkes (A2P), Inland Rail, said “The work we have carried out this week can only be done safely when the line is closed.

“Safety is our highest priority and so we make the most of the two available track possessions which take place each year.

“To do that we undertake rigorous and methodical planning, working hand in hand with Martinus Rail, to ensure we complete our work and return the line to the operators on time.

“I would like to thank the communi­ty for their patience and understanding while we carried out these construction tasks.”Treaven Martinus, Martinus Rail CEO and founder, said “The successful comple­tion of this super possession is a testament to the dedication and planning of both the Inland Rail and Martinus teams.

“Across multiple locations, from the instal­lation of turnouts to extensive earthworks and track formation reconstruction, every task was executed with safety and efficien­cy as our top priorities.

“We are grateful for the community’s sup­port and patience.

“Martinus remains steadfast in our mis­sion to deliver this landmark project safely, effectively, and with a focus on creating last­ing value for Australia’s future.”

A tamper packs down the ballast supporting the newly installed rails at the Wyndham Avenue road bridge, where the rail line was lowered by two metres during the September possession to enable the safe passing of double-stacked freight trains.