Spring Photo Competition: It is that time of year again. The Forbes Phoenix is running its annual Spring Photo Competition where we are looking for your best and brightest spring snaps taken in and around beautiful Forbes. This year, Sarah Hodge from Essjay Photography is sponsoring the competition. Sarah is a storytelling genius who loves adventure and finds great joy in capturing special moments. Sarah’s clients are treated more like friends and sessions are laid back in order to capture authentic and unique moments.

Essjay Photography is located in Forbes and has been operating for over ten years. The business is ever expanding and offers family, weddings, business, and personal photography. Winners of the Spring Photo Competition will win a $200 voucher from Essjay Photography. Submissions can be made on the Forbes Phoenix website, or emailed to sales@forbesphoenix.com.au. The Forbes Phoenix will accept entries until the end of October 2020.

Smart Farms, Small Grants: Farmers, fishers, and foresters can now apply for Australian Government funding of up to $100,000 to support their natural resource management efforts. Applications for Round 4 of Smart Farms Small Grants are now open. The popular program aims to benefit farms, the environment and regional communities by providing funding to help farmers, fishers and foresters to address natural resource management issues such as pest control, vegetation management, farm input efficiency, climate and market management, as well as foster the use of new technologies.

There is $6.5 million available under this round of Smart Farms Small Grants to support one to two-year projects that boost best practice sustainable farming awareness, skills, and capacity.

Smart Farms Small Grants is a sustainable agriculture element of the National Landcare Program (NLP). The Australian Government is investing more than $1 billion towards the second phase of the NLP from 2018-2023. For more information and to apply, visit the Community Grants Hub https://www.communitygrants.gov.au/grants.

Drum Muster: From Friday, 11 September and continuing every second and last Friday of the month, the Drum Muster is restarting in Forbes. Bookings are essential and can be made through the Forbes Services Club. Bookings will be made between 9am-12pm for drums to be dropped off at Twin City Recyclers in Sam Street Forbes. For further information please contact Peter Bright on 0419 463 803.

Youth In Mind: Phil Donato visited Forbes on Wednesday and met with Forbes Shire Councillors Steve Karaitiana and Jeff Nicholson to discuss the rejuvenation of the Forbes BMX track. With COVID-19 ensuring that most residents stay put in Forbes this year, Council has led the way in gaining the funding to ensure the youth of Forbes have adequate facilities to keep them occupied and active. Parks and infrastructure upgrades, the skatepark facelift, a ninja park, and upgrades to sporting facilities have all been announced this year and are continuing to be rolled out for the community to enjoy.

The decades old BMX track has long been neglected and Steve and Jeff are pushing for its rejuvenation in order to encourage a new generation of Forbes youth to get in on the sport, with the facilities providing an opportunity for them to stay active and occupied in a healthy way without the need to leave town.

COVID-19 Testing In Forbes: The Western NSW Local Health District (WNSWLHD) drive-through COVID-19 testing visited Forbes, with the mobile service on Thursday this week. While there are still no known cases of COVID-19 in Forbes it is still imperative that people get tested so that the Government has a clearer idea of statistics around the pandemic which will eventually allow for general restrictions around movement to be decreased.

Testing services are free of charge, and referrals and appointments are not required to attend the Harold Street testing service. Testing is fast, easy and results are normally delivered within 48 hours.

Symptoms of the illness include: fever, a sore or ‘scratchy’ throat, a cough, runny nose, shortness of breath, tiredness and muscle aches.

The message is simple; if you have any symptoms, even mild ones, arrange to be tested. If you have any questions or concerns you can ring the National Coronavirus Hotline on 1800 020 080 or healthdirect on 1800 022 222.

Weeds-a-plenty: In the coming weeks the Forbes Shire Council’s Urban Services crew will be out in Forbes parks and sports grounds spraying for weeds that have flourished with the recent rainfall. While the crew are following legislated policy and procedure for the health and safety of all, residents and visitors to Forbes are being advised to give the crew a wide berth.

Calling On Photographers: Rural Aid is calling all photographers for their inaugural Bush Photo Competition. The ‘life on the land or in the bush’ competition is open until 3 September 2020. If you are a photographer or a budding photographer and you have a love for rural Australia, then this is the competition for you. Rural Aid are looking for images, ground level or aerial, of our Aussie farmers and their families, and a depiction of what their life is like on the land or in the bush. There are also great prizes to be won.

To enter, participants can submit their entries from 10 August to 3 September 2020 by posting high-resolution images on Instagram with the hashtags #RAPhotoContest and #SpiritoftheBush and tagging @ruralaid in the image. Alternatively, submissions can be emailed to images@ruralaid.org.au. The photos will then be added to stories and a highlight reel on the Rural Aid Instagram page.

Lachlan Water Restrictions Lifted: The NSW Department of Planning, Industry and Environment have announced the lifting of temporary water restrictions for general security account water in the Lachlan regulated river water source.

Recent rainfall has provided sufficient inflows to both Wyangala Dam and Lake Brewster which have increased by a combined 115 gigalitres (GL) in July and are still rising.

Based on the inflows so far, there is now enough water to meet critical human and high priority needs. Under these circumstances, water security has been restored so the temporary water restriction applied in the public interest is no longer required and has been repealed. The lifting of the temporary water restriction also means that normal water sharing plan and accounting rules now apply.

Road Closures: As predicted, the rain that fell over the weekend has resulted in roads in and around the Forbes Shire being closed to traffic. Water over the road and damage to roads means Littles Road and Forest Road are open to local traffic only. Pinnacle Road is closed to all traffic with no detour in place. Seymore Armitage Road is also closed. All unsealed roads in the Forbes Shire are closed to vehicles over 4.5tonne, excepting school buses, Council road plant and emergency vehicles. Concessions are available upon request by contacting Council’s Engineering Department on 6850 2300 and choosing option two. More information can be found online: https://www.forbes.nsw.gov.au/residents/emergency-information/road-closures.

Daroobalgie Tip Going Cashless: From 1 September 2020 the Forbes Shire Council Daroobalgie Landfill site will only accept card payments. Due to the continued COVID-19 situation, Council is moving to a card only system for the Daroobalgie Landfill site and no cash payments will be accepted after 1 September.

Forbes Shire Council General Manager Steve Loane is urging residents to pay by card in order to help the fight against COVID-19. Steve went on to remind residents that Daroobalgie is a business that takes it’s responsibility to keep its employees, and the community, safe. By ceasing the handling of cash, Daroobalgie will keep the transfer of disease and germs at a minimum.

“The inconvenience is highly regrettable but our community safety is the key priority and the decision has been made to ensure the ongoing health and safety of all persons involved,” Steve said.

The Daroobalgie Waste Facility is operational seven days a week between the hours of 8.30am – 5pm. Visa or Mastercard and EFTPOS or Tap-and-Go will be accepted.

The Forbes Shire Council encourages all members of the community to dispose of their waste correctly and to only send waste to landfill that cannot be recycled or recovered any other way. For more information please contact Forbes Shire Council or go to www.forbes.nsw.gov.au.

Motorists Advised Of Heavy Rainfall: Motorists are advised to prepare for ad- verse driving conditions and expected road closures due to heavy rainfall forecast across far west NSW.

Transport for NSW Director West Alistair Lunn said the Bureau of Meteorology has advised heavy rainfall is expected this week with potential widespread impacts on the 2850km network of unsealed roads in the Far West NSW, with many expected to close. Motorists are advised to delay travel unless necessary, to check the road conditions before travelling, and to be extra cautious in driving to the conditions.

“While some closures are necessary for the safety of motorists and workers during and after heavy rainfall, Transport for NSW endeavours to maintain access along all major corridors within affected areas,” Alistair said.

Permanent signs will be used to provide motorists with traffic information. For the latest traffic updates call 08 8082 6660 for a recorded message road conditions, available 24 hours a day, 132 701, visit livetraffic. com or download the Live Traffic NSW App.

Forbes Shire Council Celebrates 150 Years: On Thursday, 23 July Forbes Shire Council celebrated 150 years after the ordinary July Council meeting. Celebrations began with previous Mayor of Forbes, Alistair Lockhart reading the first Council Meeting minutes from July 7, 1870.

The Councillors and staff members had gathered various mementos to be placed in a time capsule which was buried in the Chambers courtyard. Some of the mementos included in the time capsule were a copy of the Mayor’s Column, Council necktie and a facemask to recognise the interesting times we live in, plus more cultural and time reflecting items.

The small crowd then moved over to Victoria Park to plant a tree representing the special occasion. The tree is to symbolise the legacy of Council and all that they have achieved over the last 150 years.

Bulky Waste Collection: Next week, from 3-7 August is the annual bulk waste kerbside collection. Council will be collecting bulk waste on their yearly collection drive for items that can no longer be used. Fridges, washing machines, microwaves and stoves must have doors removed. Televisions, mattresses, furniture, and carpets are all accepted. Items that cannot be accepted are building waste, car parts, furniture exceeding two cubic metres in dimension, liquids, or any hazardous waste products. Please place waste items neatly to the edge of the kerb without blocking the footpath this weekend and separate into three piles, general bulky waste, bundled organics and finally, scrap metal, white goods and e-waste.

DonateLife Week: Despite most Australians saying they support organ donation, only one in three are registered. Registering as an organ donor gives hope to the 1,600 Australians and their families that are currently waiting for a life-saving organ transplant. Many more Australian lives can be transformed through tissue donation. Registering is quick and easy at donatelife.gov.au. It only takes a minute with your Medicare card. In NSW, you can no longer register via your driver’s licence. DonateLife Week runs from Sunday, 26 July to Sunday, 2 August 2020 and is the national awareness week for organ and tissue donation.

Changes To Visitors At MPS’s: NSW Health has implemented new measures due to the current risk of COVID-19 now in the community. Anyone with fever or respiratory symptoms, even mild, is excluded from the facility. Any visitors who have been in Victoria in the last two weeks are excluded from the facility. Until the end of July, any visitors to any residential aged care facility who have been in Liverpool, Campbelltown, Camden, Wingecarribee and Wollondilly areas in the last two weeks are also excluded from the facilities. It also remains in place that visitors may not enter facilities if they have; returned from overseas in the last 14 days, returned from the greater Melbourne area in the last 14 days or have been in contact with a person confirmed to have COVID-19 within the last 14 days. To protect aged care residents, visitors must show evidence of 2020 influenza vaccination.

Fresh produce and pantry goods charity, Foodbank visited Forbes on Wednesday to distribute fresh produce and grocery hampers to people who are in need and struggling to afford basic food items. The Foodbank team leader Adam Loftus said the turn out was good, with a steady flow of families and farmers who came down on the day.

The charity, which runs off donations from farmers, the Sydney markets, and Waste Not Want Not, provides 22 million meals annually in NSW and ACT. The charity has seen an 80% increase in demand in 2020 alone, with 33% of donations distributed to regional NSW.

“This day could not have gone ahead without the help we have received from the Forbes CWA,” said Adam. Havana House, the CWA, Salvation Army and Nells Pantry have partnered with Foodbank to distribute any produce left-over on Wednesday.

“Farmers are so generous, so we like to pay it back,” Adam said about the Foodbank’s work in regional NSW. The organisation has seen new demographics of people attending the pop-up events and is working to connect local people with organisations in Forbes for ongoing support.

Share the Dignity In Forbes: Share the Dignity are once again running their biannual drive to collect sanitary products for women and girls experiencing homelessness, fleeing domestic violence or doing it tough. Share the Dignity are asking for volunteers in the Forbes Shire community to help with collection, counting and distribution of these products.

Share the Dignity founder, Rochelle Courtney says that with an increased need, and a decrease in the April drive donations, it is crucial to have help on the ground. “At Share the Dignity, our volunteers are called ‘Sheroes’ and ‘Heroes’, they are the heart and soul of our organisation and we couldn’t do it without them.” Every woman in Australia deserves to be able to manage their period with dignity, and donations will be collected in Forbes Woolworths in August. For more information on how to become a volunteer with Share the Dignity you can visit their website. www.sharethedignity.com.au

Have Your Say: Last week Forbes Shire Council unveiled a new community consultation website to allow community members to have their say on important issues.
Adam Loftus, Karen Wright from Forbes CWA, driver Gary Thomas and Cassie Bush were at the Showgrounds on Wednesday to distribute fresh produce to those in need.

Your Say Forbes will allow anyone with a connection to the internet to make their voice heard and have an impact on Council decisions.

The new site will allow Council to gather community opinions using a variety of purpose-built tools that go beyond the usual survey, including interactive mapping, quick polls and more.

Want to get involved? Head over to www.yoursay.forbes.nsw.gov.au to have your say. To participate in discussions you’ll need to register, but it’s a quick and easy process, and will help Council keep you in the loop about conversations that might interest you in the future. There are three consultations currently running, including an Events Review, a Recreation and Open Space Survey, and the opportunity to make a submission on the Forbes Local Strategic Planning Statement – a vision for the future of Forbes. For more information please contact Council’s Community Relations Officer on 02 6850 2300.

Restrictions Remain In Forbes Health Services: Western NSW Local Health District (WNSWLHD) has been monitoring the COVID-19 situation and reviewing hospital visitor rules to help ensure the safety of patients, staff, and other visitors. Visitors to hospitals or health services should check in advance to make sure they know and understand the rules at that time, and follow the directions of staff. Visitors may not enter if they have; returned from overseas in the last 14 days, returned from Victoria in the last 14 days or have been in contact with a person confirmed to have COVID-19 within the last 14 days. The safety of health service staff, patients and visitors must be prioritised and all visitors and staff need to undergo applicable screening processes in place. For more information call the National Coronavirus Helpline on 1800 020 088 or Healthdirect on 1800 022 222.

Good News For Gardeners: The Forbes Garden Club has some long awaited good news, much needed after the last few months. Elvy and the committee have been working hard to organise an exciting year for garden enthusiasts in Forbes. The club is having their first meeting since lockdown, on Tuesday, 28 July at 1.15pm for a 1.30pm start. The meeting will take place in the downstairs area at the Forbes Golf Club .

There will be a surprise guest speaker followed by a show and tell by creative members who have kept busy during lockdown with crocheting, sewing, patchwork or other crafts. Perhaps some have been working on a new garden. Please bring a photo where it is not feasible to bring the item. The committee will also have their competition for the most popular flower of the month. Please write your name and that of the flower on a small piece of paper and place under the container and please bring your own mug.

Text And Rest: Western NSW Local Health District (WNSWLHD), Health Protection Manager, Priscilla Stanley, is urging anyone having a test for COVID-19 to ask whether they are able to receive negative test results by text message. If you are having a COVID-19 test in a public hospital or in the mobile services operated by the Western NSW Local Health District, then you are eligible to register to receive negative test results by text message. Everyone who has a test is asked to isolate until they receive their results. The messaging service is easy to register for and those tested should receive their negative result within 24 hours. If people have a positive result, they are contacted by a public healthcare worker who will provide information on what happens next.

The Trees Go In: This week saw the first two of eight beautiful palm trees planted near the new Camp Street bridge. The construction is in its final stages with Forbes residents excitedly anticipating the convenience of its reopening. The landscaping work around the bridge and lake will continue to take shape over the coming months and promises to make this much utilised area better than ever, with far reaching benefits for the economy, health and wellbeing of the residents of Forbes.