For the children: Forbes Shire Council is offering residents free child restraint checks next week. The inspection will be provided by RMS authorised child restraint fitters from 12 to 2pm on Wednesday, 21st June at Jelbart Dawson. Phone 6861 2364 to secure your place.

Information about national child restraint laws, the types of restraints and advice on moving children from one restraint type to the next will be available. There will also be a free barbecue and a colouring-in competition for kids with a prize worth $50.

Forbes Shire Council’s Road Safety and Injury Prevention Officer Melanie Suitor said the free child restraint checking day, held every year, was usually well patron- ised. “The correct fitting and adjustment of child restraints is vital. Research shows that two out of three child restraints are not being used properly and this puts children at risk in the event of a crash.”

“Last year 80% of the child restraints inspected were found to be installed in- correctly. Most had minor problems that needed fixing to ensure the safety of the child, such as tightening straps, checking clips and replacing loose bolts.

“It is important to have your child restraint checked regularly after prolonged use and installed correctly before use to ensure that your precious cargo is safe.”

Stickers: Forbes Neighbourhood Watch held a barbeque at Acheson’s Home Timber and Hardware for their big sale day recently. It was a fantastic day with Aaron Acheson and his staff going out of their way to help us. We also had our stickers on Domestic Violence and Watch out for your Neighbour for people who wanted them placed on their wheelie bins. If you are interested in a sticker, please call Lyn Ward on 0417 536 619.

Gold Sponsor: The Forbes Services Memorial Club (FSMC) has granted $2,700 to become one of the Gold Sponsors for the upcoming Boscars, which this year are to be held at the Club on 15th September.

President of the Club Wayne Richards presented the cheque to President of the Forbes Business Chamber Chris Roylance, at the Boscars information and networking night last Wednesday. FSMC joins Forbes Shire Council as a Gold Sponsor, and Evolution Mining as overall naming rights sponsor.

 

Planning A New Life: Life after school can be a confusing time for students, however at Forbes High School senior students are offered many opportunities, support and advice to help them. Careers advisor Daniel West ensures all students have access to the right information, while a variety of experiences are also on offer. So far this year many of our senior students have participated in the annual tertiary excursion to various universities, the defence force, CSU, Sydney University Roadshow and attended the Tertiary Awareness Day.

Capture Life In Australia: Amateur and professional photographers are invited to submit images that depict their interpretation of life in Australia for one of the country’s most prestigious photography exhibitions and prizes.

Snappers across the country can enter the City of Sydney’s Australian Life photography competition for the chance to win $10,000 and have their work showcased in an outdoor exhibition.

scale portraits for the exhibition from 14th September to 8th October. Entries open today and close on 28th July. Read more about the competition at artandabout.com. au

Healing Music: Arts OutWest is looking for six experienced musicians in the Central West to work in hospitals and aged care. This is a paid opportunity and applications close 13th June with training in Parkes at the end of the month.

You don’t need to be a professional musician or have music qualifications but must be able to demonstrate accomplishment. It is open to musicians of all styles and genres – although a versatile and wide repertoire is an advantage, as well as instruments that are portable and not extremely loud. The program calls on musicians to work in flexible, fluid, responsive and dynamic ways in hospitals.

The two-day training program includes sessions with UK-based leaders in this field, Opus and with trained music therapist Kerrie Davies. The training includes practical experience in Parkes Hospital with follow up supervised sessions in other local hospitals or aged care facilities. Download the selection criteria from www.artsoutwest.org.au. Contact Arts Out- West executive director Tracey Callinan on 6338 4657 or artsoutwest@csu.edu.au

 

Free Breakfast: A free forum will be held at the Forbes Inn on Thursday, 8th June to explore the current road safety and freight issues affecting the local heavy vehicle in- dustry.

For the fifth year, the Central West NSW Heavy Vehicle Breakfast Forum, attracts almost 300 attendees and is part of the annual road safety calendar for Parkes, Forbes and Lachlan Shire Councils. The forum will include a workshop about the new safety rules coming into effect next year with regards to chain of responsibility.

There will also be presentations about compliance and enforcement, a proposed low volume gate access scheme and the councils’ achievements in the past 12 months in improving access and educa- tion. For catering purposes registration is required – contact 6861 2364 or Melanie. Suitor@parkes.nsw.gov.au .

Arts Funding: Local groups with arts pro- jects in mind can apply for the 2018 round of Country Arts Support Program funding.

The annual program of State Government provides small grants up to $3,000 to arts and community organisations in regional NSW to run their own local arts projects. Applications close Thursday, 27th July.

Arts OutWest executive director Tracey Callinan said: “This long-running funding program is about giving regional people access to a diverse range of arts programs – activities that are made for and by the local community.”

In 2018 it’s expected there will be around $18,000 to distribute in the Central West region. Priority areas are arts and health, Aboriginal arts, and cultural tourism and lifelong learning (education or training projects for any age). The funding is open to all incorporated associations, not just those focused on the arts. Groups wishing to apply must discuss their project with Arts OutWest before submitting an online application.

To apply, read the funding criteria at http:// regionalartsnsw.com.au/grants/casp/ and contact Arts OutWest on 02 6338 4657 or email artsoutwest@csu.edu.au

Wonderful Concert: Forbes Town and District Band invite you to attend a con- cert showcasing the talents of the young musicians of the Sydney Youth Orchestra (SYO) on Saturday. Forbes Town band members will join with the SYO for two items at the Forbes Town Hall at 7pm. Tickets are available at the door.

SYO has a long history of delivering ac- tivities across regional NSW through its outreach project to increase participation and engagement in orchestral music.

 

New Pound: Forbes Shire Council has resolved to move to the next stage of plan- ning for a new pound to be built in Angus Street at Landrace Estate. Director Environmental Services and Planning Paul Bennett said Council had been saving to build a new pound for the past five years.

“We have looked at a number of sites and with the Landrace Estate site been decided as the preferred option, we are in the process of developing the plans for the new pound.” Paul said it would be built in the next 12 months. “As with all public facilities Council needs to plan to upgrade or replace infrastructure as it reaches the end of its usable lifespan. The new pound will provide modern facilities for the operator making it a safer and more user friendly facility.

Mock Crash: Auditions for amateur youth actors over 16 in Forbes will be held on Thursday, 11th May at the Parkes Shire Council Chambers for this year’s mock crash demonstration. “Youth actors will take part in both filmed and live ab-lib exercises,” said the Councils’ Road Safety and Injury Prevention Officer, Melanie Suitor. Pre-registration for the auditions is essential. Contact Melanie on 6861 2364 or 0428 400 627 or Melanie.Suitor@parkes. nsw.gov.au.

Send us your news: The Forbes Phoenix is available in Trundle, Tullamore and Bogan Gate every Friday. You can pick up your free copy at the Trundle Newsagency, Casho’s Café in Tullamore and the Railway Hotel in Bogan Gate. Let us know what is happening, send us your news and photos to editor@forbesphoenix.com.au

#Montefamousreview:
The Skill of Inspiration Through Music Fiona Kernaghan – The Art of Being The Art of Being is the latest album from Fiona Kernaghan. The album is filled with incredible lyrics and melodies. “The Art of Being” is a lyrical amalgam of ideas and philosophies that resonate with Fiona and will most certainly tell you a story with each track. A strong world flavour permeates throughout the album. Part pop, part coun- try, part folk, The Art of Being is a feel good album, uplifting your mood and will easily be a source of inspiration. It’s the perfect album to have playing when you’re in a creative mood

Learner drivers: A free workshop for parents and supervisors of local learner driv- ers will be held at Red Bend Catholic Col- lege in Forbes on Wednesday, 10th May at 6pm. The two-hour workshop, Helping Learner Drivers Become Safer Drivers, will offer parents and supervisors hands- on advice on how to provide the most ef- fective driving practice for learner drivers. Forbes Shire Council’s Road Safety and Injury Prevention Officer, Melanie Suitor, will present the workshop.

“Parents and supervisors of learner driv- ers have a crucial role to play in making our roads safer,” said Melanie. “The workshop covers topics such as the new licence con- ditions for learner and P-plate drivers, how to use the Learner Driver Logbook, the benefits of on-road driving sessions and tips on supervising a learner driver. “Par- ents and supervisors who have attended this workshop in the past have found that it boosted their confidence, helped them bet- ter plan driving sessions and allowed them to share their experiences with other par- ents and supervisors,” Melanie said. Light refreshments will be available. Bookings are essential, call Melanie on 6861 2364.

Mock crash auditions: Auditions for amateur youth actors over 16 in the Forbes, Parkes and Lachlan Shire Council areas will be held on Thursday, 11th May at the Parkes Shire Council Chambers for this year’s mock crash demonstration. The demonstration is the cornerstone of the NOT A STATISTIC! Youth Driver Education Program.

“The auditions will give participants an overview of all aspects of the project. Youth actors will take part in both filmed and live ab-lib exercises,” said the Councils’ Road Safety and Injury Prevention Officer, Mela- nie Suitor. Local actor Krystle-Lee McMur- ray, who has been involved in the project for the last few years said: “This project is such a great experience. It’s a really in- teresting mix of acting in front of a cam- era as well as a live audience of over 500 year 10 students. The cast and crew are really friendly and professional. But most importantly we are trying to save lives – so even if we reach just one person – we have done our job.” Pre-registration for the audi- tions is essential. Contact Melanie on ei- ther 6861 2364, 0428 400 627 or Melanie. Suitor@parkes.nsw.gov.au.

Double demerits for Easter: Double demerit points will be in force for five days over the Easter holiday period across the state starting today until Monday, 17th April. Double demerit points will apply to all speeding, seatbelt, mobile phone and motorcycle helmet offences. NSW Police will also be targeting dangerous driving be- haviours such as drink driving and driver fatigue.

“Drivers should be warned they are at greatest risk of losing their licence dur- ing this period. There will be more Police on the roads and therefore more chance of getting caught and losing points,” said Parkes, Forbes and Lachlan Shire Councils’ Road Safety and Injury Prevention Officer, Melanie Suitor.

“I ask all drivers to remain vigilant over the Easter period. We all have a part to play in reducing the amount of crashes and risks.”

Australia’s Biggest Morning Tea: This May, Cancer Council NSW is encouraging people across western NSW to organise an Australia’s Biggest Morning Tea event to help raise $4.9 million in NSW to help beat cancer.

Now in its 24th year, the day is one of Cancer Council’s leading fundraising events

and the largest, most successful event of its kind in Australia. Funds raised help sup- port life-saving cancer research, preven- tion, advocacy and local support services. While the official date is Thursday, 25th May, people can register to host their own event any time until the end of June.

Simply register online as a host, set a date and start sending out invites. An event can be anything from a small gathering at home or in your workplace to a community bake off competition in your local area. Register at biggestmorningtea.com.au or call 1300 65 65 85 to receive your free morning tea host kit.

Business Awards finalists: Five Forbes businesses are among the finalists of the 2017 Western NSW Regional Business Awards. They are Samantha Leonard of Forbes Smash in the Young Entrepreneur category, Amy Shine of Forbes Preschool – Business Leader, H E Silos – Excellence in Business, News on Rankin – Employer of Choice and Central West Glazing – Excellence in Business Ethics Regional cat- egory. The winners of these categories will be announced at a gala dinner on Friday, 5th May at the Savannah Room, Taronga Western Plains Zoo, Dubbo. Congratulations!