Red Bend Catholic College student, India Draper has been selected as part of the Australian Schoolgirls Hockey Team. India has been playing for the NSW All Schools team in Adelaide over the last week, where she was the leading goal scorer for NSW scoring 14 goals over 9 games. The touring team will be representing School Sports Australia at the international hockey test match series in South Africa from 29th June to 14th July 2018.

Australia Day Nominations Open: Forbes Shire Council is calling for nominations for the Citizen and Young Citizen of the Year to be presented at the 2018 Australia Day celebrations. The awards recognise and reward community members who have achieved excellence or made a significant contribution to our community. Nominations are open for the Forbes Shire Citizen of the Year (26 years and over) and Forbes Shire Young Citizen of the Year (25 years and younger). Nominations close at 5pm on 19th January.

BYO Cup Winners Still To Collect Their Prizes: The Forbes Phoenix ran a competition in September to win a BYO cup. Most of the winners have not yet picked up their cups from The Pantry Café & Catering at 8 Templar Street. The following winners can pick up their prize cups until Thursday, 21st December: Jack McKinley, Karen Wright, Steven Cook, Aileen Hansen, Vanessa Rose, Michael Daaboul, Sahejin Siddiqui, Laura Power, Natalie Walker, Tom Roose, Allan Morrison, Johnson Page, Chris Sindermann, Garry Smith, Jessica Bennett, Tyson, O’Rourke-Halls, Andrew Khotsimeuang, Vinson Peng, Laura Torry, Cathi Nicol, Renee Ballantyne, Luke Day, Melissa Westcott, Robyn Stephens, Steve Lewis, Belinda Suttor, Monica Hubele, Danielle Woods, Dinesh Peethamparam, Stuart Blakeley, Morgan Blysouth, Michael Simpson, Vivianne Vandenberg, Leda Nguyen, Jane Gardam, Damian Jensen, Lauren McClure, Robert Coel, Christian Hill, Amy Ward, Lucy Kliem, Daniel Lawrence, Cassandra Watts, Brian Butler, Brian Wong, Kylie, Walmsley, Stephanie Koufalas, Ros McFarlane, Tom Lockett, Conor Cadden.

A Little Extra Special: Clients and supporters have been waiting and asking for it… Little Extras Lifestyle has gone the extra mile and launched its online store! If you cannot make it to the store, just go online and browse. Everything is there from clothing, shoes and handbags to accessories. If you are still looking for Christmas presents, there are vouchers too. If shopping with all your senses is still your therapy, Little Extras will be open seven days a week until Christmas: Monday to Friday from 9am to 5:30pm; Saturday from 9am to 2pm and Sunday 10am to 1pm.

Dancers Captivate Audience: Kristen’s Dance School hosted their Concert Day at Red Bend last Saturday. Countless students graciously danced across the stage leaving their audience in awe of their splendorous talents.

Congratulations… Major award winners of Kristen’s Dance Studio is Olivia Beasley – CWA Dancer’s Dancer, Lil Hodges – Most Outstanding Overall (donated by Wayne Jones), Abby Hunt – Sportspower Most Improved and 2017 Scholarship winner, Jenna Redfern. (Photo:Anita Redfern)

 

Great Work… The Goodstart Early Learning Preschool children have documented their learning in a book they wrote based on experiences they participated in throughout the year. Several of the Preschool children proudly presented a copy of their finished book “Larry the Rooster” to Bronwyn at the Forbes Library.

Australia Day Nominations Open: Forbes Shire Council is calling for nominations for the Citizen and Young Citizen of the Year to be presented at the 2018 Australia Day celebrations. The awards recognise and reward community members who have achieved excellence or made a significant contribution to our community. Nominations are open for the Forbes Shire Citizen of the Year (26 years and over) and Forbes Shire Young Citizen of the Year (25 years and younger). Nominations close at 5pm on 19th January. Forms can be collected from Council’s Administration Office or downloaded from the website.

St John’s Anglican Church: The Anglican Parish of Forbes will have a double celebration in St John’s Anglican Church on Sunday, 10th December. The Right Reverend Ian Palmer, Anglican Bishop of Bathurst, will commission Reverend Crystal Spindler as Priest-In-Charge of the Anglican Parish of Forbes. Reverend Crystal was previously the Vicar of the Parish of Parkes.

The congregation will also celebrate the 140th anniversary of the completion of the Nave of St John’s Anglican Church. Mayor Graeme Miller will attend on behalf of the Forbes Shire Council.

New Policing Model For Central West: NSW Police Commissioner Mick Fuller outlined a new policing model for the Central West. The model provides that the current 34 Local Area Commands in regional NSW will be replaced by 26 Police Districts. Canobolas and Lachlan Local Area Commands will be reformed as the Central West Police District. Police Districts will have a District Superintendent with varying spans of control, while each Police Station will have an Officer-in-Charge model. Parliamentary Secretary for Western NSW Rick Colless said the new structure was designed to put more boots on the ground. “It is important to note that under this restructure no Police Stations will be closed. Police will also have the capability and flexibility needed to respond to crime, major events, and emergency management.”

Landcare Wins Award: Central West Lachlan Landcare (CWLL) won the Environmental Partnership of the Year Award at the glittering 35th awards gala of Skillset held in Bathurst recently. CWLL has hosted three very successful Green Army Projects over the past 18 months in partnership with Skillset. CWLL Co-ordinator Marg Applebee said they were thrilled to be recognised with this award.

Marg Applebee (middle) received the award for Central West Lachlan Landcare. She is with Graham Stirling and Thomas Staff, both from Skillset.

 

 

 

White Ribbon Day: The White Ribbon March held to combat violence against women saw many school students, members of the public and staff of North Parkes Mine in attendance.

Calling All Golfers: Golfers are encouraged to sign up for The Longest Day, a 72-hole golf marathon, to raise funds for Cancer Council NSW. The Longest Day will officially take place on Monday 18th December. Choose a day and contact your club to book four tee times, then head to www.longestday.org.au to register and start fundraising.

Get It Sorted Winners: The three lucky winners of the Woolworths gift vouchers in the Get It Sorted competition are: 1st prize Anne McLennan – $100; 2nd prize Melissa Gafney – $70 and 3rd prize Dorothea Croker – $30. Congratulations and happy

Christmas shopping with your vouchers! Rotary Ipomoea Christmas Tree Festival: Members of the community are invited to the official opening of the festival on 1st December at 6pm, which will see the trees light up.

Market Day Postponed: Due to severe storm and flash flood warnings issued for Forbes for the weekend the Forbes Market Day hosted by Forbes Public School has been postponed to 24 February 2018. Save the date in your diary

Share the Dignity: There are 85,000 homeless women who need your help this Christmas. You can help. It’s simple. Give a handbag full of personal hygiene products to a homeless woman in need this Christmas. Go to https://www.sharethedignity.com.au/.

Changes To Payment Policy: Small businesses in the Riverina and Central West will benefit from changes to Government’s payment policy. Member for Riverina Michael McCormack has lauded the change saying Government will now be required to pay invoices for contracts worth up to $1million within 20 calendar days, instead of the current benchmark of 30 days. “This is good news for small business. Cash flow is crucial in allowing small businesses to thrive. Government is leading the way and big business should do the same.” By July 2019, all non-corporate Commonwealth entities are to pay invoices for contracts up to $1 million within 20 calendar days on receipt of a correctly rendered invoice.

Kick-Off For Forbes Soccer Club: Forbes District Soccer Club received a cheque of $146,236.00 on Monday, following their successful grant application to the NSW Asian Cup Legacy Fund. The funding will go towards building their planned new amenities, change room and meeting room at the Botanical Gardens. The new building will be multipurpose and used by other sporting organisations that also use these grounds.

Eugowra CWA members Margaret Swift, Dorothy Jones and Shirley Heinzel with their orchards at the last meeting for the year. The orchid is CWA of NSW’s plant of the year.

Oh what a night… Forbes Preschool were represented at the recent State Business Awards in Darling Harbour. Committee members and partners Lara and Charlie Dwyer, Carly and Darren Keane, Lisa and Randal Grayson, Forbes Preschool Director and State Finalist Amy Shine, Sandy Paterson, Steven and Lisa Jarick enjoyed the evening.

Calling All Golfers: Golfers are encouraged to sign up for The Longest Day, a 72-hole golf marathon, to raise funds for Cancer Council NSW. The Longest Day will officially take place on Monday 18th December, but participants can hold their event at their local golf club anytime during December. Participants are challenged to play four rounds of golf in one day at their own club with their friends and fellow members. Choose a day and contact your club to book four tee times, then head to www.longestday.org.au to register and start fundraising.

Skin Cancer Action Week: In NSW alone, 17% of adults admit to having been burnt on summer weekends. This is an estimated number of 881,000 people. This year, everyone is invited (in particular adults) to join the #SunSmartGeneration this National Skin Cancer Action Week.

Firearms Legislation Changes: There have been recent changes to the requirements in relation to the safekeeping of firearms. These changes relate to the storage of firearms and the location at which they are stored. You are now required to store your firearms at your primary residential premises. In simple terms, your primary residence is the address where you most often reside. This change in legislation comes because of a significant amount of firearms thefts from rural properties while those properties are unattended. Police
are asking that firearms owners make changes to their storage arrangements immediately to comply with these changes to the legislation.

Rotary Ipomoea Christmas Tree Festival: Anyone can get involved in designing and creating a Christmas tree of any shape or material that reflects their love of Christmas time. Members of the community are invited to the official opening of the festival on 1st December at 6pm, which will see the trees light up. Enter a tree by phoning Helen on 6851 4930 or Sue-anne on 6851 5197, or send an email to sueanne.nixon@hotmail.com. Entry fee is $5. Anyone can enter any type of tree.

Forbes Public School Market: For the third year running, the market has tripled in size. Lots to do. Live local entertainment, kids zone, pony rides, face paint and much more. Taking place on Saturday, 2nd December from 9am to 2pm in Lachlan Street. Everyone is welcome to join in for a fun filled shopping family day.

Birthday celebrations… Michael Flannery, Debbie Prior and Sarah Hazel at the ribbon cutting of the diamond anniversary and opening of the new-look store of Flannery’s Pharmacy last Thursday.

Calling All Golfers: Golfers are encouraged to sign up for The Longest Day, a 72-hole golf marathon, to raise funds for Cancer Council NSW. The Longest Day will officially take place on Monday 18th December, but participants can hold their event at their local golf club anytime during December. Participants are challenged to play four rounds of golf in one day at their own club with their friends and fellow members. Anyone can register for The Longest Day and raise funds for Cancer Council NSW. A minimum of two players are needed to form a team. Choose a day and contact your club to book four tee times, then head to www.longestday.org.au to register and start fundraising.

Home Safety And Expo Raffles: Winners of the Home Safety and Expo held at Acheson’s Home Timber and Hardware are: 1st is Peter Bourke (TV); 2nd is Phyllis Miller (wheelbarrow and other garden goodies); 3rd is Jeff McRae ($100 gift voucher); 4th is Trevor Curry ($75 gift voucher); 5th is Jeanette Hodge ($50 gift voucher) and 6th is Nancy Parry (sensor light and keyless lock). Thank you to all who purchased a ticket from the volunteers. Thank you to Bernardi’s, Woolworths and News On Rankin for allowing to sell the tickets outside their shops.

Licensing Changes For Young Drivers: Changes to the state’s Graduated Licensing Scheme are set to ensure new drivers become safe drivers. Changes will come into effect from Monday, 20th November 2017. They are designed to improve the way the scheme prepares novice drivers – in particular young drivers – to be safe. The Graduated Licensing System takes drivers from their learner licence to full licence with restrictions and conditions that are designed to ensure they build their skills and knowledge so they understand risks and are safe on the roads. The three main changes include: Learner drivers will now be required to complete the Hazard Perception Test before undertaking the practical driving test; Provisional 1 drivers (red P Platers) no longer have to undertake the Hazard Perception Test to graduate to their provisional 2 licence (green P’s) and The Driver Qualification Test has been removed for P2 drivers to graduate to a full licence, though a six month extension will be imposed if a P2 driver receives a suspension for unsafe driving behaviour. To find out more visit www.rms.nsw.gov.au/licence.

Parkes, Forbes and Lachlan Shire Councils’ Road Safety and Injury Prevention Officer, Melanie Suitor, can be contacted for further information about the licensing changes.

 

And the winner is… Louise Allen for her shot entitled “Spring Destruction – The Aftermath of a Spring Wind Storm”. Louise has won our Spring Photo Competition with this image and is the winner of a picture donated by Aerial Antix! Well done Louise, and thank you to everyone who entered!

Dancing Stars Success: Forbes Can Assist members are ecstatic over the incredible success of Dancing Stars which saw $61,000 being raised. Thank you to Terese, Cassandra and crew for their many hours of organisation, to the dancers for their absolutely brilliant performances and most importantly, the incredible generosity of the audience and the community of Forbes. A huge thank you must also go to the Forbes Services Club who did everything possible to ensure that the night was such an outstanding success. Thank you to everyone who helped, attended or assisted.

New General Manager Appointed: Forbes Shire Council announced the appointment of Steve Loane as the new General Manager. Steve comes to Forbes Shire Council after six years as the General Manager of Warrumbungle Shire Council. He has extensive experience in senior management with Naracoorte Lucindale Council. In addition he also spent years at the helm of the Australian Livestock Marketing Association and is the organisation’s first life member. He is a licensed stock and station agent, has a Diploma of Agriculture and spent years as the Director of his stock and station agency. Steve will commence duties on Monday, 13th November.

Forbes White Ribbon Day: Annual community march in support of Australia’s campaign to stop men’s violence against women. Meet at Cross Street in front of Carpet Court on 24th November at 10am and finish in Victoria Park. Youth will share their thoughts on why it is important to stand up and speak out against violence and how together we can make Forbes a safer community. All of Forbes community are invited.

Sweet Three Vintage Van: Friends and family can enjoy a relaxing atmosphere over weekends at the Lions Park. With a Sweet Three Vintage Van picnic rug or bean bag, enjoy one of their Belgium waffles, vintage milkshakes or soft drinks, while utilising the beautiful lake and park.

Keep An Eye Out: Police from the Lachlan Local Area Command are reminding people to take extra care of their personal possessions when out and about. Phones, wallets and handbags can be popular items targeted for theft due to their size and concealability, and often having value inside these items, such as cash or forms of identification. Everyone can take simple precautions to ensure their property isn’t targeted by criminals. For further information contact the Crime Prevention Officer, Lachlan Local Area Command on 6862 9999.

The Forbes High School show team have ended the season on a high. Kyle Bolam won first place in the experienced paraders class and Champion parade. He has qualified for the Sydney Royal Easter Show paraders competition in 2018

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Christmas Showcase Ball: Stan and Stela Alexander and their local Dance Sports students Suzette Sheiles and Jade McGovern, will head the list of Forbes performers at the Christmas Showcase Ball, a Royal Far West authorized fundraiser. On 7th December from 7pm at Forbes Golf & Sportsmans Hotel. For any information or enquiries, please call Stela on 0411 796 323.

Forbes Branch Can Assist: Will once again be doing the cleaning at this year’s Vanfest on the 1st and 2nd December. We will be looking for volunteers to boost our numbers to help our members do the job. If you can donate some time and give us a hand it would be much appreciated. We will be looking for helpers Friday late afternoon and night, Saturday and Saturday night and the final clean up on Sunday. Contact John on 0404 155 247 if you would like to volunteer.

Letter of Appreciation: The Forbes Rotary Club would like to thank all the sponsors for their generous donations to the charity golf day held on 29th October. All funds raised will be donated to the Forbes High School Wellness Hub. Thanks also go to Alan Rees, Lyn and Beryl Roberts from the Golf Club for their help. A special thanks to all who played and hope that everyone enjoyed the day.

Forbes White Ribbon Day: Annual community march in support of Australia’s campaign to stop men’s violence against women. Meet at Cross Street in front of Carpet Court on 24th November at 10am and finish in Victoria Park. Youth will share their thoughts on why it is important to stand up and speak out against violence and how together we can make Forbes a safer community. All of Forbes community are invited. A free sausage sizzle will be provided for all participants.

Winners of the Close the Loop Competition are: 1st prize Alison Haley – a $100 Woolworths gift voucher. 2nd prize Kathy Bray – a $70 Woolworths gift voucher. 3rd prize Lyn Goodwin – a $30 Woolworths gift voucher. CONGRATULATIONS, we hope you enjoy your shopping!

Forbes Racecourse Receives Funding: The Forbes Racecourse was awarded a $100,000 NSW Government heritage grant to go towards a renewal of the Forbes Racecourse, Parliamentary Secretary for Western NSW, Rick Colless announced on Monday.

Best All Rounder Award: Forbes High School has announced Year 12 student, Nicholas Mulligan as the school’s recipient of the 2017 Caltex Best All Rounder Award, one of Australia’s most prestigious secondary school prizes. Nicholas receives this award for excellence in studies, on the sports field and for work in the community. He has been the recipient of this award for two years in a row.

Spring Photo Competition: The Forbes Phoenix has teamed up with Aerial Antix to launch a spring photo competition. With Spring all around us, you can point your camera just about anywhere to get a scenic shot. We would love to see the great photos our readers can come up with. A wonderful prize is up for grabs – a picture donated by Aerial Antix! The competition will run until the end of October, with entries to be submitted to The Forbes Phoenix by Tuesday, 31st October. Entries can be sent to sales@forbesphoenix.com.au or via our Facebook page.

Service Providers Information Day: Presented by The Forbes Interagency Group on 31st October at Victoria Park from 10am to 2pm. Please come along to find out more about the multitude of services in the community. BBQ and giveaways on the day. Services available: Meals on Wheels, Community Transport, Centacare and many more. The Australian Government Mobile Service Centre will be on location to help rural families, older Australians, students, job seekers etc.

#Montefamousreview: Diana Anaid – My Queen. Dedicated to all the strong woman in her life, each of the 11 tracks brings a message of empowerment and determination. Diana’s vocal range on the album demonstrates how versatile she is. At times sounding like Kate Bush mixed with Alanis Morissette with a sprinkling of Kate Ceberano and Kasey Chambers, you are in for a journey of music euphoria. The feel of the “My Queen” is one of homage to the great female rock albums of the 90’s dragged dazzlingly into 2017. The album will get you dancing, humming and motivated and wanting to play it on repeat all day. It is the #Montefamous must have album for November!

Forbes open for business: The Forbes Shire has set a new record with the value of development applications in September reaching almost $22 million. In total 10 development applications and 1 modified development application were lodged, with the 11 applications totalling $21,735,946. Over the past decade, the yearly average for development application value sits at $23.3 million dollars.

The Red Bend Catholic College League Tag teams playing in Grenfell on Wednesday.

Forbes High School welcomed new SRC leaders for 2017/2018. The new school Captains are Mitchell Ashcroft and Chelsea Turner and the new Vice Captains areClaire Maslin and Connor Ryan.

2LVR wants to hear from you: For nearly 30 years you have listened to 2LVR (97.9Valley FM), and now they want to hear from you. In partnership with McNair Ingenuity, 2LVR is conducting a community survey to see how they can improve their service. You can complete the survey online on the website or via their Facebook page 97.9 Valley FM, or contact the station for a hard copy. The survey closes on 14th November.

Spring Photo Competition: The Forbes Phoenix has teamed up with Aerial Antix to launch a spring photo competition. With Spring all around us, you can point your camera just about anywhere to get a scenic shot. We would love to see the great photos our readers can come up with. A wonderful prize is up for grabs – a picture donated by Aerial Antix! The competition will run until October, with entries to be submitted to The Forbes Phoenix by Tuesday, 31st October. Entries can be sent to sales@forbesphoenix.com.au or via our Facebook page.

DonateLife Thank You Day: Sunday, 19th November is DonateLife Thank You Day – a national day to acknowledge all Australians who make organ and tissue donation possible. Show support by posting a message on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram using hashtags #ThankYouDay #DonateLife

Cancer Council’s Girls’ Night In & Pink Ribbon: Support those affected by breast and gynaecological cancers this October. Visit www.girlsnightin.com.au to register and get your free Girls’ Night In host kit. Visit www.pinkribbon.com.au to register your Pink Ribbon Fundraiser.

Your say on the future of our CBD: Forbes Shire Council is inviting residents to have their say on the future of our CBD. Council has selected consultants to complete a comprehensive masterplan for the central business district. Community input is now being invited with the survey having opened to the community. The survey will close on Tuesday, 24th October and can be found at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/ForbesCBDMasterplan.

Forbes Rotary Charity Golf Day: Forbes Rotary will be hosting a Charity Golf Day of which the proceeds will go towards the Forbes High School Wellness Hub. The day will be held on Sunday, 29th October at the Forbes Golf Course, 9am shotgun start. $35 per person includes green fees and a BBQ lunch. Book at the pro shop as a team or individually. Entries close on 27th October.