HARD WORK PAYS OFF… The Forbes Rugby Club President’s Lunch saw its biggest year yet, with over 1,000 guests attending the fundraiser held last Saturday on the Forbes rugby grounds. An event of this magnitude can only be successful when organised by a great team such as the one pictured here.

A fun day of sports for the disabled: The annual Regional Sports for the Disabled will be held again this year for the 38th year in a row. This is always an exciting and happy day for all ages and all people with a disability. The occasion will be held at Red Bend Catholic College starting with morning tea at 9:30am followed by a March Past to the pipes of Brian Tisdell and the magnificent Red Bend drummers. This will be followed by walking races and novelty individual races for all ages and some team events as well. Molly Neilsen and a team of helpers, many whom are Red Bend students will serve up the morning tea. If you are on a special diet then you better bring it with you! Red Bend students all buck in and help with the starting whistle and the finishing ropes. All participants will receive a ribbon but there is always only one winner! Many participants have been known to help the other participants to get over the finish line with them. Come along and join in the fun on Wednesday, 8th May at Red Bend College Gymnasium. Participants can even compete in musical chairs and at the end of lunch when everyone has had enough there might even be a disco dance. Want to know more, call Dianne Decker on 6852 2902 or Jacqueline Coady on 6853 8153. All welcome.

Arts OutWest calls for Board members: The Central West regional arts development organisation Arts OutWest seeks applications from people with a range of skills and backgrounds interested in becoming members of their board. Details can be found on artsoutwest.org.au.

Join the largest global movement for the environment: Australia is home to some of the world’s most iconic and breathtaking natural landscapes and wildlife. But climate change is putting all this at risk. To protect our unique species and their habitats, we need Australia to step up now and take stronger action on the promise we made at the 2015 Paris Agreement. The latest government data shows that Australia will miss its 2030 targets. We risk losing our beautiful natural heritage – forever. We don’t have a moment to lose! Sign up to switch off at 8:30pm on Saturday, 30th March and join millions of people in over 180 countries to show the need for stronger climate action. It’s time to switch off and #Connect2Earth. Go to https://www.earthhour.org.au/ to find out how you can become involved.

Forbes Sports Person of the Year Awards: Leisa Burton was awarded the 2018 Senior Sportsperson of the Year title at the annual Forbes SOYA Awards held last Saturday. She placed equal third in NSW after contesting the State Champion of Champions title this year. Leisa was also successful in qualifying for the Australian Open Lawn Bowls event. She competed in the singles and won her three qualifying games but was knocked out of the competition by last year’s runner-up. Leisa then went on to compete in the pairs competition where she and her partner won the three qualifying rounds once again.

Bernardi’s Launch New $50,000 Sponsorship Program: Bernardi’s have launched a new sponsorship program ‘Building Better Communities’, which will see a total of $50,000 donated in 2019. After receiving over 100 applications for the first round of their new Building Better Communities program, Bernardi’s have chosen three beneficiaries for each of their five stores in Forbes, Bathurst, West Wyalong, Blayney and Wagga. The initiative is designed to get customers involved in the sponsorship process, and to give them ownership over who Bernardi’s support as a business.

Catch of the Week winners: Thank you for sending in your great fishing pics and please keep it coming! Keith Mackay was our January winner and Abbey Fuge was our February winner. Please claim your $25 voucher prize from Loomzy’s Fish ‘n’ Fix in Forbes.

Wings out West Bush Dance Competition Winners: Congratulations Bronwyn Horan from Forbes and Cherie Simpson from Parkes on winning our Wings out West Bush Dance Competition!

2019 NSW State Election: Tomorrow, 23rd March from 8am to 6pm for the 57th Parliament of NSW, including all 93 seats in the NSW Legislative Assembly and 21 of the 42 seats in the NSW Legislative Council. On Election Day, voting can be made at the following locations: Bedgerabong Public School, Forbes High School, Forbes Tennis Club and Forbes Town Hall. For more information on the election please see: www.elections.nsw.gov.au.

Arts OutWest calls for Board members: The Central West regional arts development organisation Arts OutWest seeks applications from people with a range of skills and backgrounds interested in becoming members of their board. Details can be found on artsoutwest.org.au.

Attending the announcement by Member for Orange, Phil Donato, for a successful funding application by the Forbes Sports and Recreation Club on Tuesday were (L-R) Cr Steve Karaitiana, Peter Mackay (Treasurer), Phil Donato and Rob Priest (Secretary).

Say Goodbye to the old lights: The old lights on Camp Street Bridge have been switched off and replaced with temporary lighting until the bridge replacement. The existing lamp posts on the bridge will be reused in the landscaping approaches on the new bridge and the remaining lights will be gifted to Forbes Shire Council. Work to relocate the power and water utilities from the bridge has been completed and temporary solar lighting has started being installed to maintain pedestrian and road safety.

‘Tackling Rural Crime’ handbook: It’s hard enough working on the land at the best of times without also having to deal with the threat of trespassers, illegal hunting, livestock theft, equipment and property theft and other preventable crimes. As rural crime is costly, preventing it is an integral step to building a long-term prosperous agricultural, pastoral and aquaculture industry and vibrant regional community. That’s why the NSW Police Force and the NSW Farmers have been working together to improve the ways rural industries assess the security of their property to reduce the risk of rural crime. In October 2018, 26 ‘Tackling Rural Crime’ workshops were held around the State to help farmers detect and prevent the major security risks facing their business, property and family. This included options to increase security infrastructure, ways to improve asset protection and surveillance to reduce trespass and new ways to report rural crime. Farmers came away from the workshops better equipped to report any criminal activity, with the intention of ultimately reducing crime. During and since the workshops 1,000’s of ‘Tackling Rural Crime’ handbooks have been handed out. To ensure that everyone gets the chance to use this handy reference guide, it is now available electronically. View https://www.police.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0019/623602/BOOKLET_interactive_Police_Rural_Crime_Web_FINAL.pdf to get your copy.

Election Day: Will you be away on Election Day? NSW Election Pre-Polling is available from the 16th March to 22nd March at the Forbes Town Hall. Mon/Tue/Wed/Fri, 8am to 6pm and Thurs 8am to 8pm and Saturday 9am to 5pm and Sunday closed. On Election Day, 23rd March, voting can be made between 8am to 6pm at the following locations: Bedgerabong Public School, Forbes High School, Forbes Tennis Club and Forbes Town Hall. For more information on the election please see: www.elections.nsw.gov.auorganisation.

RAISING FUNDS AND HOPE… Kylie Spice (right) presented a cheque to John Schrader from CanAssist recently. The cheque was made up from half the proceeds raised from the recent Ladies Night Fundraiser. The proceeds were shared between CanAssist Forbes and the Northside Chapel.

Work continues to develop options for the future of Warroo Bridge: Development work is progressing on the upgrade of Warroo Bridge across the Lachlan River. The NSW Government has committed $10 million in funding from Bridges for the Bush program to upgrade the bridge. Parliamentary Secretary for Western NSW, Rick Colless said Warroo Bridge was built in 1909 and due to its age is in poor condition. The bridge is 63 metres long and has one Dare timber truss span and only a width of 4.5 metres between traffic barriers, and is limited to general mass limit vehicles. “The bridge is narrow and does not meet current load standards and limits options for freight and local farmers moving equipment within the region, we need to develop a plan to provide a longer lasting and safer bridge for all road users,” said Rick.

Australia’s Climate Report Card: Newly released figures from the Environment and Energy department show there’s been a 0.9 percent increase in greenhouse gas pollution in the year to September 2018. Greenhouse gas pollution has now been rising for more than three years. “There’s been no leadership on climate change and this is the result,” said Climate Council CEO, Amanda McKenzie. “Last week we’ve seen the Federal Government recycling a failed policy, the Emissions Reduction Fund. Today’s data tells a very clear story. Without effective policy, Australia’s pollution will keep rising. We are further away than ever from meeting our 2030 Paris climate commitments,” said Amanda. “Australia has great opportunities to tackle climate change, but we have had no effective Federal policy,” she said.

Milk price index review: The Milk Price Index will face a thorough examination with a review into how well it meets the needs of farmers and processors. Minister for Agriculture, David Littleproud said: “I’m not convinced the index is working as well as it can for farmers so I want to know if that’s the case and what can be done to make it better. The Milk Price Index is to let farmers compare farm gate prices, to encourage competition among processors. I encourage all dairy farmers and processors to take part in the review.” The review runs until April with a report due after Easter. To take part in the Milk Price Index review visit: https://haveyoursay.agriculture.gov.au/ organisation.

The Senior’s Week Concert held last week, completed this year’s Senior’s Festival in Forbes and saw 150 guests attending the event at the Forbes Town Hall

NOT WITHOUT A FIGHT… Andie Hodder was the December recipient of the Central West Credit Union Sports Achiever Award. Andie competed and placed first in the Full Contact Division 12 & 13 Years at the International Karate Association National Championships at the Australian Institute of Sport Combat Centre in Canberra. This is the third winning title she has achieved at this particular national championship. Andie received her award from Bruce Facey at the Forbes CWCU.

Next Generation $20 Banknote Design Reveal: The Reserve Bank revealed last week, the design of the new $20 banknote, which will be released into general circulation in October 2019. As with the existing banknote, the new $20 features portraits of Mary Reibey and Reverend John Flynn. Governor Philip Lowe said of the new banknote: “Improved security and ease of recognition are important characteristics of the new $20 banknote. The same innovative security features from the previously released $5, $10 and $50 banknotes have been incorporated to help keep them secure from counterfeiting.” These features include a top-to-bottom clear window that contains dynamic elements, including a flying kookaburra that moves its wings and changes colour, and a reversing number ‘20’. The $20 features Acacia buxifolia and a Laughing Kookaburra (Dacelo novaeguineae). The new banknotes also has a ‘tactile’ feature to help people who are blind or who have low vision to distinguish between different denominations of banknotes. On the $20 banknote, this is three raised bumps on each of the long edges of the banknote.

A billion reasons to celebrate: Return and Earn has given NSW a great first year birthday present – one billion containers were returned through the scheme by December 2018. The NSW Minister for the Environment, Gabrielle Upton said she was pleased to see the program achieving these huge milestones. Gabrielle said that Return and Earn has been an outstanding success and changed the way people dispose of empty drink containers. More than half the drink containers brought into the marketplace by beverage suppliers (54 percent) are now being recovered, compared with the 32 percent that was being collected through yellow bins before Return and Earn kicked in. Minister Upton said the figures for Return and Earn’s first year speak for themselves. To learn more visit https://returnandearn.org.au.

Celebrating A Decade: The Forbes and District Lions celebrated their 10th birthday. Lions members, Peter Perry and Anne Jones from Guerie, presented chevrons and commendations to 17 Lions who have been members for more than 10 years. To make the night more special, Aidan Clarke was inducted as a new member into the Lions organisation.

Celebrating a Century: The Bedgerabong Picnic Race Club Committee celebrated the 100th anniversary of the Bedgerabong Picnic Race Club Cup last Saturday.

Huge Boost To Support Student Welfare And Mental Health: Every public high school across the Orange Electorate will have two dedicated experts to ensure students have access to vital mental health and wellbeing support. Nationals Candidate for Orange, Kate Hazelton said an $88 million statewide investment by the NSW Nationals will mean that every public high school student in the Orange Electorate will have access to highly-qualified mental health professionals that they can confidentially speak to about bullying, anxiety, stress or any other difficult issue they may face. Up to 100 additional fulltime school counsellors or psychologists, as well as 350 student support officers, will be employed across NSW public high schools. Importantly, these experts will have the ability to refer students who require greater assistance to mental health services. Deputy Premier and Minister for Regional NSW, John Barilaro said the investment would provide vital support for communities in regional NSW.

Forbes Paves the Way Forward For Agriculture: Forbes Shire Council identified in 2017 the need for a strategy to manage how the Shire moves forward in the agricultural sector. GHD Consultants were commissioned to facilitate an Agricultural Strategy with the aim of driving continued growth across primary industries in the Forbes local government area and unlocking new market and growth opportunities. “The strategy is multi-faceted in its approach; considering land-use planning, land capability and water availability,” said Forbes Mayor, Phyllis Miller. Online surveys, targeted interviews and two community consultation workshops took place with the public to develop this strategy. A reference group worked closely with Council and GHD to formulate this document. On the 25th February, Forbes Shire Council along with Deputy Prime Minister, Michael McCormack and NSW Minister for Primary Industries, Niall Blair will launch the strategy at the Forbes Central West Livestock Exchange.

Youth Week Award Nominations Now Open: Young people play a vital role in making Forbes the vibrant and strong community that it is. Every year as part of Youth Week, Forbes Shire Council celebrates their achievements, contributions and hard work in our society. Nominations open on the 1st March. There are three awards categories; Youth Citizenship Award, Sports Volunteer Award and Brighter Future Award. The awards are open to all young people between the ages of 12 and 24 who live, work or study in the Forbes Shire area. Nomination forms can be found on the website www.forbes.nsw.gov.au/youthweeknominations.

Raising Issues With The Pollies: It is an ideal time to remind politicians when they come to visit of the things the community would like to see in their town. Some of the issues discussed last week during Phil Donato’s visit were 24 hour policing, Early Childhood Education subsidies, improvements with LEP (Local Environment Plan) timeframes and regional doctors’ shortages.

Bedgerabong Picnic Races Competition Winner: Congratulations to Ryan Carnie who was our winner of a double pass to the Bedgerabong Picnic Races.

Sharing the road with horse riders: Horse riders and horse drawn vehicles also have rights to share our roads. Watch out for ridden, driven or led horses. When you come across horse traffic remember: Horses can be unpredictable, so slow down and give them plenty of room. Never sound your horn, rev your engine or pass a horse at high speed. Slow down or stop if a rider is having difficulty with a horse.

Further Boost To Small Businesses: About 18,000 small businesses in the Riverina and Central West are set to benefit from taxation reforms to boost the national economy. The instant asset write-off threshold has been increased from $20,000 to $25,000, effective immediately. The popular tax write-off has also been extended for another year beyond its existing June 2019 end date, giving small businesses with an annual turnover of less than $10 million the opportunity to access the new $25,000 incentive from now until 30th June 2020.

Come and try an instrument: Would you like to try to learn a musical instrument? ‘Come and try’ days will be conducted during Term 1 at the Forbes Town Band Hall at 165 Rankin Street (opposite Bernardi’s). Learn to play flute, clarinet, trumpet, saxophone, trombone, tuba, xylophone or drums. The ‘Come and try’ date is on 18th February from 6pm to 7pm.

Meaghers Lane Upgrade: You may have noticed work going on down Meaghers Lane this week. This is all part of the CBD upgrades. In this stage 1, the water main is being replaced and minimal access is available for traffic or pedestrians during this time. Works will take place between the hours of 7:30am to 5pm Monday to Saturday.

This stage is due for completion by 9th March. Stage 2 will see the lane paved to tie in with the CBD upgrades.

AWARDS SUPPORT… Rayleen Paradowski and Forbes Services Memorial Club General Manager, David Fitzgerald presented a cheque to the Boscars Committee Chairman, Michael Jelbart and Elle Barry. The RSL is a Gold Sponsor for the Boscars business awards.

Latest Competition: Don’t forget to enter our latest competition and you could be off to the Bedgerabong Picnic Races. Complete and return the entry form on Page 9 or enter online via our website www.forbesphoenix. com.au for your chance to win a double pass to the Bedgerabong Picnic Races, including a race booklet. Entries close Wednesday, 13th February at 2pm.

Lions Club Car Boot Sale: The Lions Club quarterly Car Boot Sale will be held on the 16th February at the Lions Park from 8am to 1pm. People are welcome to set up tents and tables retailing second hand goods, fresh produce, craft items and handmade goods. Sites cost $10. Site fees from this sale will be donated towards the Northside Chapel FACE group. For further information contact 0468 819 659.

Aboriginal Disability Services: Parliamentary Secretary for Western NSW Rick Colless announced grant funding of $158,000 to Orange Local Aboriginal Land Council to help them deliver services to Aboriginal people with disability under the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) in the Orange region. “The grant funding will allow them to establish a Support Coordination Service for Aboriginal people with disability that is accessible and delivered by local Aboriginal people.” With the funding they will be able to accommodate 40 Aboriginal NDIS participants and deliver an additional 600 hours of service per month.

Come and try an instrument: Would you like to try to learn a musical instrument? ‘Come and try’ days will be conducted during Term 1 at the Forbes Town Band Hall at 165 Rankin Street (opposite Bernardi’s). Learn to play flute, clarinet, trumpet, saxophone, trombone, tuba, xylophone or drums. The ‘Come and try’ dates are on Monday, 11th and 18th February from 6pm to 7pm. Parents are welcome to stay with their children and may wish to learn along with their children and join the band as well. Suggested age for a student to start band is 10 years. Adults are also very welcome to join learner’s band. You are never too old to learn! Community members that can already play an instrument are most welcome to come along and join the band at 7pm any school term Monday.

To do further bank stabilization work, the ski dam work continued this week at the Forbes Aquatic Park. All work is said to be completed today.

COOK-OFF… Neil Lambert was presented with the Best Damper Champion title and trophy by Elaine Bright. This was for the CWA versus Lions Damper Competition held at the Australia Day celebrations in Lions Park on Saturday to celebrate the traditional Australian bread.

Giving Blood Feels Good: The mobile blood service will be visiting Forbes in Harold Street behind the Cenotaph in Victoria Park on the 4th, 5th and 6th of February from 9:45am to 2:45pm. To make an appointment call 13 14 95 or visit donateblood.com.au. Please bring photo ID with you. Have 3 or 4 glasses of water or juice in the hours before you donate and have a good sized breakfast or lunch.

The bell has rung and it’s back to school: As young people have returned to school, National Youth Mental Health Foundation, headspace, reminds young people and their families that this time can be emotionally turbulent. Young people can feel a range of emotions when they’re back at school, which include feelings of excitement, anticipation and nerves. Some students can adjust to the changes and settle into things quickly. However, some young people may find this a daunting and challenging time. Vikki Ryall, Executive Director of Clinical Practice at headspace, said that the anticipation of trying to make new friends, pressure to get the best marks and dealing with difficulties like bullying are some reasons young people may feel uncertain at this time. “Parents can tell when something is out of the ordinary, so it’s good if you can check in regularly with your young person to see how they’re feeling and to endorse the positives of going back to school,” she said.

Come and try an instrument: Would you like to try to learn a musical instrument? ‘Come and try’ days will be conducted during Term 1 at the Forbes Town Band Hall at 165 Rankin Street (opposite Bernardi’s). Learn to play flute, clarinet, trumpet, saxophone, trombone, tuba, xylophone or drums. The ‘Come and try’ dates are on Monday, 11th and 18th February from 6pm to 7pm. Parents are welcome to stay with their children and may wish to learn along with their children and join the band as well. Suggested age for a student to start band is 10 years. Adults are also very welcome to join the learner’s band. You are never too old to learn! Community members that can already play an instrument are most welcome to come along and join the band at 7pm any school term Monday.

Northparkes Community Investment Program announced the latest recipients of $40,000 for the second round of 2018. The successful applicants were: Adavale Lane Community Hall, Bogan Gate Public School, Currajong Disability Services Ltd, Forbes District Soccer Club, Forbes Veteran Golfers, Friends of Parkes Hospital, Parkes Community & Allied Health Service, Parkes Community Choir, Parkes High School, Parkes Touch Association, PCYC Parkes, Peak Hill Domestic Violence Committee, Relay for Life Parkes & Districts, St George’s Toy Library, Tottenham Late Notes, Trundle Central, Tullamore Bowling & Citizens Club, and Tullamore PA&H Association Inc. The next round of funding will close on 30th April. Contact Ali Standen on 6861 3621.

Giving Blood Feels Good: The mobile blood service will be visiting Forbes in Harold Street behind the Cenotaph in Victoria Park on the 4th, 5th and 6th of February from 9:45am to 2:45pm. To make an appointment call 13 14 95 or visit donateblood.com.au. Please bring photo ID with you. Have three or four glasses of water or juice in the hours before you donate and have a good sized breakfast or lunch.

Catch of the Week winner: Thank you for sending in your great fishing pics and please keep it coming! Scott Barrass was our December winner. Please claim your $25 voucher prize from Loomzy’s Fish ‘n’ Fix in Forbes.

Four Days Of Double Demerit Points:

As we get ready to celebrate Australia Day and school holidays are coming to an end, drivers are being reminded that double demerit points will be in force from Friday, 25th January to Monday, 28th January (inclusive) for all speeding, seatbelt, motorcycle helmet and mobile phone offences.

Chief Inspector David Cooper from NSW Police is encouraging all road users to pay attention to road conditions and allow plenty of travel time. “The road toll over the Christmas/New Year period fell from 31 in 2017/2018 to seven this year – and whilst the message seems to be getting through, that’s still seven families affected by the loss of a loved one.

Keep cool and hydrated to beat the heat: Temperatures have again risen this week with another heat wave forecast across the Western NSW Local Health District (WNSWLHD) lasting up to the weekend.

The WNSWLHD is reminding everyone to take precautions to beat the heat and take particular care against dehydration, with a number of people presenting to hospital over the last week suffering this heat-related illness.

It’s Back to School Time: The new school year is set to resume for thousands of local students next week and Councils are reminding local drivers and parents about children’s safety around schools. There are 40km/h school speed zones in existence around all schools in NSW. Most school zones are operational between 8am to 9:30am and 2:30pm to 4pm on school days, or when the lights are flashing. Road Safety around schools is everyone’s responsibility.

Parkes, Forbes and Lachlan Shire Councils’ Road Safety and Injury Prevention Officer, Melanie Suitor is reminding everyone to keep to the school speed zones as students head back to their desks next week