Passionate about Forbes… Life Pharmacy Forbes hosted a Biggest Morning Tea last Thursday. Staff members (L-R) Kim Harrison, Kristi-Lee Rugby, Donna Eyre and Melissa Walker not only enjoyed raising funds for Cancer Council but also the opportunity to have a cuppa and chat with customers.

Australians’ $21 billion online shopping spree: More Australians are shopping online than ever with total purchases topping $21 billion for the first time, according to new research from Australia Post. Australia Post released its annual Inside Australian Online Shopping Report, an overview of Australia’s eCommerce market, which identifies who is buying what and where online. The report showed that Australians spent $21.3 billion last year. Local retailers accounted for more than 80% of the total spend. To download a copy of the report, visit auspost.com.au/einsights.

Questacon Competition: Congratulations to Michael Reilly on being the winner of a Family pass to Questacon. Have a great time!

Catch of the Week winner: We have been receiving some great fishing photographs! Thank you for sending them in and please keep it coming! Tyrone Howell was our May winner. If you are a winner and have not yet done so, please collect your $25 voucher prize for Loomzy’s Fish ‘n’ Fix in Forbes, from the Ian Simpson office and enjoy!

Renewable Rooftop Record Smashed: Rooftop solar is surging in Australia, with the rate of installation jumping by almost 60% in 2018. The Green Energy Market’s ‘Renewable Energy Index – April’ shows a spike of 56% in the rate of rooftop solar capacity installations across the nation this year. Climate Councillor and energy expert Professor Andrew Stock said: “More and more Australian homeowners and businesses are turning to clean, affordable and reliable renewables like solar, harnessing the power of the sun and taking control of their power bills. We’ve got a never-ending and widely available power source at our fingertips, which can cut the nation’s rising greenhouse gas pollution and combined with storage, can provide cheap power across Australia on demand, 24/7.”

Sow crops safely near poles and wires: Essential Energy is urging farm machinery operators to stay safe when sowing crops near the electricity network following warmer than average autumn conditions across NSW. Prolonged heat can cause powerlines to sag and reduce line clearance heights from the ground. If machinery does contact overhead powerlines, operators are advised to stay in the cabin of their vehicle and contact Essential Energy immediately on 13 20 80.” Electricity can arc or ‘jump’ across open spaces, so bystanders should remain at least eight metres away and treat powerlines as if they are ‘live’.

Pam and Rad Stevens from Forbes and Norm Barnes from Orange indulging in the delicacies displayed at the Biggest Morning Tea hosted by the Lachlan Valley Caravan Club at the Kiacatoo Hall last Friday.

 

Winners… Forbes Public School hosted a breakfast on Wednesday at the Showgrounds sheering shed for the NSW Bashers. Bruce, William, Josie and Karina Watson were the lucky winners of a helicopter ride sponsored by The Variety Bash.

NSW kids need to get active: With more than half of NSW primary school children now travelling to school by car, the Heart Foundation NSW is calling on the NSW Government to protect the health of the next generation by funding children’s active travel to school. The Heart Foundation is calling for a fully funded five-year active travel to school program to be allocated to NSW schools to improve walking and cycling infrastructure. The charity is also asking the NSW Government to run programs in schools and local communities to help ensure children and their parents build new active travel habits. Heart Foundation NSW Chief Executive, Kerry Doyle said the timing is critical, with more than 20% of NSW school children currently overweight and only one in four getting sufficient physical activity each day.

Biggest Morning Tea: For 25 years, Cancer Council’s Australia’s Biggest Morning Tea has brought together millions of Australians over a cup of tea in support of those affected by cancer. Cancer Council is once again encouraging people across Australia to gather their friends, family or workmates for a cup of tea and a bite to eat whilst raising money to support Australia’s Biggest Morning Tea and to help those af fected by cancer. In 2018, the official day to host a morning tea was Thursday, 24th May but anyone can host at any time in May or June. Those who want to host can register at biggestmorningtea.com.au or call 1300 65 65 85 to receive a free morning tea host kit. Locals unable to host a morning tea can still get involved by donating directly to Cancer Council via biggestmorningtea.com.au.

Regional leaders sought: Applications are now open for the new Regional Development Australia (RDA) Central West Board. As the current RDA Central West committee term comes to an end, applications are now open for regional leaders with vision, drive and experience for the next committee. Central West residents from community, business and government with a passion for the region are encouraged to apply. RDA Central West is a highly respected not-for-profit organisation supporting regional development projects and services across 11 local government areas in Central West NSW from Lithgow to Lachlan. To apply for the new RDA Central West Committee, please go to http://www.rdacentralwest.org.au/about-us-2/positions-vacant/. Applications close on Monday, 18 June 2018.

Fiona Howarth, Gabrielle Boland, Jacob Howarth, Jade Carpenter, Brodie Dukes and Samantha Thornton handed over the proceeds of their successful debutante fundraiser to John Schrader from Forbes CanAssist, their chosen charity.

Congratulations… The Western NSW Business Awards were held last Friday in Bathurst. The Excellence in Business Award went to H E SILOS. Well done!

Forbes Handicraft Centre: The Handicraft Centre will be holding a series of basic knitting and crocheting lessons for beginners or anyone wishing to update their skills by learning new stitches. The lessons will be held each Wednesday, commencing at 10am until 12.30pm. The cost is $5 per person, each person is to bring their own supplies (at least one ball of 8 ply wool and a crochet hook size 4.5 or 5.00 or knitting needles). If you are interested in participating please call Marg Maguire on 0478 225 163. Also the next Market Day Stall will be held on 19th May, commencing at 9am until 1pm outside the shop in Lachlan Street. There will be lots of home cooking available,
plants on display, fresh farm eggs, in season produce and many handmade items. The Handicraft Centre’s Biggest
Morning Tea will be on Thursday, 24th May, commencing at 10am until 12 noon at 83 Lachlan Street, for $5 per person. All funds raised will go to the Cancer Council.

Inland Rail Community Consultative Committees: The Australian Rail Trac Corporation (ARTC) is calling for nominations for four Inland Rail Community Consultative Committees in NSW. There will be three committees for the 307km greenfield Narromine to Narrabri section of the project; and a committee for the 37km greenfield North Star to NSW/Queensland border section. People can nominate to join any of the committees in Narromine, Gilgandra, Narrabri and the North Star to Border section. The committees will consist of up to 15 people and each will have an independent chair. Committee meeting dates and locations will be advertised and will be open to the public and the media. More information is available at Inlandrail.com.au or by calling 1800 732 761 or emailing inlandrailnsw@artc.com.au.

Lions Car Boot Sale: The next Lions Car Boot Sale will be held on Saturday, 19th May. This will be held at Lions Park from 8am until 1pm. Admission to the markets is free. There will be varieties of goods for sale, from hand crafted items and produce, to second hand wares. Site fees from the day will be donated to Havannah House. The Lions members will be catering with their barbeque food and also hot and cold drinks. Those wishing to hold a stall on the day are charged $10 and should contact Peter 0439 280 994 or Robyn 6851 2209.

The Red Bend Catholic College Show Team attended the Dubbo Show last week. Lilly Hand took Reserve Champion Junior Judge for 15 to 18 year olds. Lilly, Hannah Brown, Mackayla Cox and Olivia Twyford also did well with parading. Cattle judging day went well with ‘Binky’ winning Champion steer and ‘Norto’ taking Limousine bull.

The sound of music… Forbes High School Year 10 student, Tom Boyd has been invited to be part of the West of the Divide Tour travelling to Italy in January 2019. Tom will be using the opportunity to further develop his musical talents on the flute.

Rotary Ipomoea Market: Rotary Ipomoea have their May market this Saturday, 12th May at Sir Francis Forbes Park in Camp Street from 8am to 12.30pm. The Relay for Life event is on the adjacent oval. Rotary members are hoping that the markets will encourage people to visit the relay site and lend support to the teams as well as visiting the market and enjoying the market atmosphere. Mother’s Day is also on this weekend, so people might like to bring their mothers and grandmothers along to the market and relay events. The Forbes Town Band ensembles will be playing at the market and relay sites to raise money for the Town Band relay team. The Rotary catering van will have a hot breakfast at the market and the coffee man will also be there.

Lions Car Boot Sale: The next Lions Car Boot Sale will be held on Saturday, 19th May. This will be in the pleasant surrounds of Lions Park from 8am until 1pm. Admission to the markets is free. As usual there should be a variety of goods for sale, ranging from hand crafted items and produce, to second hand wares. Site fees from the day will be donated to Havannah House to help with their work. The Lions members will be catering with their barbeque food including the generous Lions burger and also hot and cold drinks. Tickets will be available in their grocery voucher and wood raffles. Those wishing to hold a stall on the day are charged $10 and should contact Peter 0439 280 994 or Robyn 6851 2209 for more information.

Forbes Diggers Harness Racing Club competition: Well done to Joanne McRae and Michael Craft on being our competition winners!

iTunes card scams are doing the rounds: Police have received a number of reports in our area of scammers trying to get iTunes vouchers from potential victims. The scammer contacts a person advising them that their computer may have a fault and they need to be paid to repair it; that the tax office has a warrant for their arrest and they can pay the fine with iTunes cards or to pay a release fee for an additional payment, such as from Centrelink; or other similar stories. If you have been a victim of a scam, please report it via www.scamwatch.gov.au.

The ‘Coffee With A Cop’ event was a great success in Forbes with many community members utilising the opportunity to meet officers from the Central West Police District at The Bakehouse on Tuesday. Everyone enjoyed the event and had some great discussions.

Volunteer of the Year Awards: The Forbes North Public School P&C Association were thrilled to have had a member of their committee nominated and make it to the finals in Sydney earlier this year. Debbie Hodges-Lockwood was nominated by her local P&C and was successful in making it through as the Far West finalist for the P&C Volunteer of the Year awards, held last month. Although, unsuccessful on the night in taking out the overall award for NSW, President of Forbes North School P&C, Natalie Walker said: “We are so proud of Deb making it through as a finalist for the Far West. Deb is a committed volunteer and a strong advocate for public education in our community.”

Building Relationships Through Coffee: Officers from the Central West Police District, Forbes and Eugowra Police Stations and community members will come together in an informal, neutral space to discuss community issues, build relationships, and drink coffee on Tuesday, 8th May. All community members are invited to attend. The events are being held from 11am at Café 51 on Nanima Street, Eugowra and from 2pm at The Bake House in Templar Street, Forbes. Please contact Forbes Police Station on 02 6853 9999 with any questions.

Catch of the Week winners: We have been receiving some great fishing photographs! Thank you for sending them in and please keep it coming! Doug Turriff was our April winner. If you are a winner and have not yet done so, please collect your $25 voucher prize for Loomzy’s Fish ‘n’ Fix in Forbes, from the Ian Simpson office and enjoy!

Drought, It’s A Natural Disaster: Shooters Fishers and Farmers Party Member for Orange, Philip Donato MP this week called on the NSW Government to reinstate uncapped state-wide freight subsidies for stock, fodder and water for drought affected farmers. “I am calling on the New South Wales Government to reinstate state-wide uncapped transport subsidies for stock, fodder and water for our farmers who are suffering drought. Drought is considered by accepted definitions as a natural disaster, however no natural disaster has been declared for the drought despite the official DPI combined drought indicator shows that 11.2% of NSW is now in drought and 26.5% is in the on-set of drought.

Forbes High School welcomed their new principal, Safija Bristina to school this week.

Generosity… Leo Curran, Neil and Jane Gilmour and Mayor Graeme Miller presenting a cheque for $370 to John Schrader of CanAssist Forbes. This being the proceeds of the variety concert held by Forbes Shire Council during Seniors Week.

Forbes Special Sports Day: The annual Forbes Special Sports Day will be held on Wednesday, 2nd May at the Red Bend Catholic College gym. This will be the 37th year for this sports day and contestants come from as far as Orange, Dubbo, Condobolin, Parkes and Forbes. The official opening begins at 9.30am with morning tea and a march led by Brian Tisdell (bagpiper) and the College drummers. There will be novelty races and some serious competition. Everyone is welcome! Some of our disabled contestants have attended every one of these events.

 

Celebrating 25 years of Australia’s Biggest Morning Tea: For 25 years, Cancer Council’s Australia’s Biggest Morning Tea has brought together millions of Australians over a cup of tea in support of those affected by cancer. This May, Cancer Council is once again encouraging people across Australia to gather their friends, family or workmates for a cup of tea and a bite to eat whilst raising money to support Australia’s Biggest Morning Tea and to help those affected by cancer. In 2018, the official day to host a morning tea is Thursday, 24th May, but anyone can host at any time in May or June. Those who want to host can register at biggestmorningtea.com.au or call 1300 65 65 85 to receive a free morning tea host kit.

National Zoo & Aquarium Canberra competition: Congratulations to Sandra Albertson for WINNING our National Zoo & Aquarium Canberra competition last week!

NSW Farmers hit by driest period in a decade: Farmers across the NSW Central West are battling what is being described as the driest period in at least a decade. Some areas have received around a third of their average rainfall. It is not just the lack of rain, but also the heat, with recordbreaking temperatures close to 10 degrees above average. The dry start to 2018 follows a record dry winter last year and a spring where rainfall levels were lower than average. Emu Swamp farmer John Blunt said it was as dry as he had seen it since at least 2007. “Most of us are supplementary feeding and there are costs associated with that. We’ve been taking a risk and planting oats, but the only saviour will be if there’s soaking rain soon.”

New Job Helps Charles Live Like A Prince: Charles Hamer is a great example of dedication and resilience. From having no job, living in shared accommodation and no licence, the Currajong Disability Services (CDS) client is now ticking all the boxes, not only because of his drive, but also due to the tremendous support from his carers. “I am now in my first month at McDonalds, living independently and have a full licence,” he said. “It has been a real boost to my confidence and I can say I have never been happier! I am actually contemplating doing some TAFE courses and study to further my hospitality skills and add to my existing skill set. I just take one day at a time and keep doing the best that I can,” he said.

Charles Hamer with Donna Little from the Currajong Disability ervices.

 

The Forbes and District Relay For Life: Event will take place from 12th to 13th May at the South Circle Oval. This year’s theme for the Relay For Life is ‘Forbes Farming Games’. A nod to the agricultural industry in the area with a competitive edge, after experiencing all the Commonwealth Games action. Come along to a team information night to find out how you can make a difference through participating in Relay For Life. It will be held on Tuesday, 24th April at the Services Club Auditorium 6pm or Saturday, 5th May at the South Circle Oval 6pm. For more information visit www.relayforlife.org.au/forbes or call Cancer Council NSW Orange Regional office on (02) 6392 0800.

Competition: Don’t forget to enter the latest Phoenix giveaway on the front page. You could WIN a double pass to the Forbes Harness Racing Carnival of Cups on 6th May. You can also enter online at www. forbesphoenix.com.au

Immigration Good For Western NSW Businesses: Research prepared by the Federal Treasury and Department of Home Affairs has confirmed what the state’s peak business organisation, the NSW Business Chamber, has always said – a targeted skilled migration program is making a valuable contribution to our economy and business. “Across Western NSW, businesses are struggling to fill key positions, and while there can be no doubt that we need to do more to train a greater number of our young people, Australia’s skilled migration program provides essential support that has kept many businesses afloat,” Ms Seccombe said.

ANZAC Day Writing Competition: This year the National Party’s Member for Riverina, Mr Michael McCormack, invited students from his electorate to contribute an imaginative piece of writing on “ANZAC Day in the Riverina and Central West.” Several of the Year 9 and 10 students from Red Bend Catholic College entered pieces. Mr McCormack, who is also the Deputy Prime Minister of Australia, visited Red Bend last week to present awards for this competition. He spoke of his love of history and writing, especially in his former job as a journalist and newspaper editor. He encouraged the students to strive to achieve their best, setting the bar higher rather than lower. There were over 700 entries in the competition. Sienna Emseis of Year 9 was the winner in the high school category, while James Finn of Year 9 received a highly commended award.

 

Lachlan Valley Caravan Club members Elaine Bright, Nessa Dowton and June Dolle preparing baskets for raffles at The Biggest Morning Tea, to be held at Kiacatoo Hall on Friday, 25th May.

Aero Spectacular: The Parkes Aero Club was formed in 1948 shortly after the RAAF Station was decommissioned. The club represents one of the oldest continuously operated aero clubs in Australia. Don’t miss out on the club’s 70th anniversary on 14th April with a spectacular air display, including the famous Air Force Roulettes. Apart from the air display, there will be on ground static displays of antique aircraft and cars, merchandise and food stalls, jumping castle and other attractions for children. Gates open 10am, air display from 12 to 3pm.

Entry fees $60 (2 adults 2 children), adults $25, to 18 years $10. Congratulations to the winner of The Forbes Phoenix competition Kaye Craft.

Nominate outstanding volunteers: Local communities will get to have their say in nominating local volunteers in this year’s local health awards. The ‘Volunteer of the Year’ will be awarded as part of the Local Health District’s ongoing commitment to quality and safety improvement. There are more than 400 volunteers across our 39 health facilities that help out in a range of activities from gardening to running exercise classes and assisting in kiosks and hospital auxiliaries. To nominate a local volunteer from your local health facility, please contact your local health facility. A list of local health facilities can be found on the Health District website. The Health District is always looking for new volunteers, so if you’ve ever thought about volunteering, please talk to your local hospital. Applications for ‘Volunteer of the Year’ nominations close on 19th April.

WOW Day: Wow, it’s around the corner! Join the thousands of people across Australia who wear orange and take the time to say thank you to the SES volunteers who give so much. On ‘Wear Orange Wednesday’, 23rd May is your chance to show support for all State Emergency Service (SES) volunteers around Australia. There are more than 9,000 dedicated SES volunteers in NSW alone, who give their personal time to respond to emergencies across the State, 24 hours a day. Learn more http://www.wearorangewednesday.com.au/.

Golf Dates: Saturday, 14th April we have an 18-hole Par comp, with the Stableford Medley on Sunday. On Saturday, 21st April is the 4BBB Stableford Medley for the Hawke Trophy, for which you will need a partner. Sunday is the 18-hole Stableford Medley.

 

Vanessa Herdigan presenting the prizes to the Summer Sixes winning team ‘Bush Divas’, assisted by Simon Houston.

 

 

Aero Spectacular: The Parkes Aero Club was formed in 1948 shortly after the RAAF Station was decommissioned. The club represents one of the oldest continuously operated aero clubs in Australia. Don’t miss out on the club’s 70th anniversary on 14th April with a spectacular air display, including the famous Air Force Roulettes. Apart from the air display, there will be on ground static displays of antique aircraft and cars, merchandise and food stalls, jumping castle and other attractions for children. Gates open 10am, air display from 12 to 3pm. Entry fees $60 (2 adults 2 children), adults $25, to 18 years $10. Enter our competition on page 2 to win a double pass.

Thumbs Up: To Mel and her team in the Woolies deli. Always happy and helpful.

Catch of the Week winners: We have been receiving some great fishing photographs! Thank you for sending them in and please keep it coming! Keith Mackay was our March winner. If you are a winner and have not yet done so, please collect your $25 voucher prize for Loomzy’s Fish ‘n’ Fix in Forbes, from Kate Small at the Ian Simpson office and enjoy! Colette Middleton, Jack Cole and Che Che Bilog still have vouchers waiting for them.

Forbes CWA March Activities: The members of the Forbes CWA would like to thank the community of Forbes for supporting their recent fundraiser. Thanks also go to Bernardis for allowing part of their entrance for the selling of tickets. The raffle was drawn on Friday, 23rd March. The winner was Annette Lyle from Forbes. Recently the CWA had their group craft and cooking day at Bogan Gate. Forbes branch won the Christmas decoration challenge. Many thanks go to Dawn Ible for her ideas and encouragement. Dawn also received 1st prize for her rhubarb cake, Robin Pols gained 1st prize for her coconut cake and congratulations to Jan Ridley for her 1st prize with her sponge. Jan’s cross stitch was selected to go on to the next level and Elaine Bright had a felted hat selected for the next level of judging as well. New members are welcome! If you are interested you can attend the meetings on the 1st Friday of each month at the CWA Hall in Lachlan Street at 1.30pm.

Kelsey Muller (far right) from Forbes Show came 5th in the State Grain Young Judges Competition of the Sydney Royal Easter Show! Heather Earney from group 10 took 1st place, 2nd was James Williams from Merriwa, 3rd Sarah Townsend from Grenfell Show and 4th Megan Seis from Dunedoo Show Society.

Grace and beauty… Congratulations to our Forbes Showgirl Grace Allen on being awarded second runner up in The Land Sydney Royal Showgirl Competition at the Sydney Royal Easter Show last Sunday! First runner up was Pollyanna Easey of Quirindi and the winner was Nikki Gibbs of Wauchope.

Aero Spectacular: Don’t miss out on the Parkes Aero Club’s 70th anniversary on 14th April with a spectacular air display, including the famous Air Force Roulettes. Apart from the air display, there will be on ground static displays of antique aircraft and cars, merchandise and food stalls, jumping castle and other attractions for children. Gates open 10am, air display from 12 to 3pm. Entry fees $60 (2 adults 2 children), adults $25, to 18 years $10. Enter our competition on page 9 for your chance to win a double pass.

Daylight Saving: Daylight saving will end at 3am on Sunday, 1st April. So remember to turn your clocks back one hour when you wake up on Sunday morning.

Sydney Royal Easter Show Competition Winner: Well done to Melissa Shaw on winning our Sydney Royal Easter Show competition!

Forbes Special Sports Day: The annual Forbes Special Sports Day will be held on Wednesday, 2nd May at the Red Bend Catholic College gym. This will be the 37th year for this sports day and contestants come from as far as Orange, Dubbo, Condobolin, Parkes and Forbes. The official opening begins at 9.30am with morning tea and a march led by Brian Tisdell (bagpiper) and the College drummers. There will be novelty races and some serious competition. Everyone is welcome! Some of our disabled contestants have attended every one of these events.

Eugowra Pony Club News: The Eugowra Pony Club held their annual Jumping, Sporting and Dressage Day on Sunday, 18th March. With 49 riders attending from the local area, there was some great competition across the various age groups. Eugowra Pony Club member, Makaylah McMaster was the 11 to 13 years Age Champion.

New Members Sought: Essential Energy is seeking people to represent customers and key consumer groups on electricity network issues as part of its Customer Advocacy Group. To apply, visit essentialenergy.com.au/cag. Applications are open until 5pm Thursday, 12th April.

‘Seventy for 70 Thousand WALK’: As reported in last week, Kerry Dunstan’s ‘Seventy for 70 Thousand Walk’ fundraising initiative for the Can Assist Forbes branch and the Forbes Breast Cancer Support Group, has raised $44,000 with more donations still coming in. If you would like to donate, there is still time to do so.