Safer Streets Programme funding: Member for Calare John Cobb says local government organisations, community groups, chambers of commerce and eligible incorporated not-for-profit organisations are encouraged to apply for funding under Round 2 of the Coalition Government’s Safer Streets Programme, which closes in just over 2 weeks. $29.4 million is available in individual grants to fund local crime prevention projects to boost safety and deter crime through the installation of security measures such as CCTV and better lighting. “This is an investment in security infrastructure at local crime hotspots, it aims to reduce fear of crime and contribute to greater community safety and resilience in Calare,” he said. “I encourage potential applicants to contact my office to discuss their projects eligibility and to receive all submission details.” To apply, visit: https://www.ag.gov.au/CrimeAndCorruption/CrimePrevention/Pages/ProceedsofCrimeAct.aspx. Applications close 2pm on 17 February 2016.

Funds raised for SES and RFS: Thanks to the generosity of so many Australians, over $497,000 has been raised in support of volunteer fire brigades and emergency services through Bunnings’ annual Aussie Day Weekend Fundraiser BBQ, held nationally on Saturday 23rd January. New South Wales residents helped raise over $130,000 and these funds will go directly to local State Emergency Services (SES) and Rural Fire Services (RFS). Bunnings Managing Director John Gillam, said the Bunnings team was very pleased to show their support and appreciation for
the amazing work these volunteers do.

Free micro chipping day a success: Forbes Shire Council hosted its third free microchipping day last Friday and said it was a great success. Fifty dogs and cats were microchipped thanks to funding Council received through the Responsible Pet Ownership Grants Program to help reunite stray pets with their owners rather than be taken to the pound. Council Ranger Andrew Hubbard said all three microchipping days were well attended.“Hopefully we will be able to continue providing this free service if more funding becomes available.”

Jacinda Horan is the owner of Banksia Grove Florist which recently won the 2016 Calare Small Business Choice Award – Think Big Shop Small. The Award was presented to Jacinda by John Cobb MP Federal Member for Calare on Tuesday 19th January. Jacinda received an email notification advertising the award and shared the link with other businesses, friends and family as well as nominating a Forbes business for the award. The award is a people’s choice award with voting completed online. At the presentation of the award Mr Cobb stated that this was the first time that a Florist had been nominated for the award and, subsequently, won. Jacinda was very excited with the award and proudly displays it in her business located in Rankin Street.

Salsa classes begin! Forty degree heat did not deter enthusiastic locals from coming along to try their hand at Salsa a Rhumba dancing recently. Local lady, Rachel Wythes, planted the seed following her entertaining performance with partner Barry Merritt at the very successful fundraiser, Forbes Dancing with the Stars, last year. Classes are available for singles or couples and will run for a period of eight weeks. The singles class runs from 6.30pm-7.30pm on a Tuesday evening at the Forbes Youth and Community Centre and cater to individuals of all ages and fitness levels. The couples class commences at the conclusion of the first class and caters to people who like to dance with a partner.

Town pool alive with learn to swim: Forbes Town Pool Manager, Maree Rhier, is very happy with attendance figures for the pool this season and with temperatures having soared in excess of 40 degrees and Learn to Swim classes running, these figures will only get better. The Sport and Recreation Learn to Swim nine day program began two weeks ago and enrolments have been excellent. Four instructors are running half hour sessions from 9.00am till 2.00pm each day with numbers ranging between five and eight students per class. The program caters for children
aged 18months and over and covers water confidence, safety and stroke development.

Services Club cinema a huge success: The opening date of the Micro Cinema was Boxing Day 2015 featuring Daddy’s Home, Hotel Transylvania 2 and Bridge of Spies, and other great blockbuster titles are to follow including Alvin & The Chipmunks “Road Chip” screening from Thursday 14th February 2016. The micro cinema will be a valuable asset to the Forbes and surrounding districts providing an entertainment offering that currently requires movie goers to travel to Orange or Dubbo to catch the latest Hollywood blockbusters.

Police appeal to motorcyclists to slow down: Police are urging motorcyclists to adhere to the speed limit and drive to the conditions with three riders dying on the state’s roads since the beginning of the year. “With weather conditions changing on almost a daily basis, from wet and rainy to extremely hot, the impact on the roads is significant, and we’re urging all riders to slow down and drive to the conditions,” Acting Assistant Commissioner Stuart Smith said.

Forbes and District Historical Society named a finalist for the Cultural Heritage Award for their Centenary of ANZAC Display. We wish them luck in taking out this award. If you are interested in becoming a member you can call into the Museum in Cross Street between 2pm-4pm daily or phone 68516600 during office hours.

‘I Luv Local’ app to be launched: I luv local is an exciting new app being launched in Forbes on the 24th of February at the Forbes Services Memorial Club. The app is a new way to reach clients through technology with promotional and product material created by you. To find out more information please call into the Forbes Phoenix office or stay tuned.

Nominate our sporting champions: The Forbes Sportsperson of the Year Committee are calling for all local sporting organisations to submit nominations for the annual awards before the end of January. If you need further information and would like to submit a nomination please contact Anita Morrison on 0405 364 512 or morrisonaj68@gmail.com.

Ben Hall Gift: Australia Day is less than a week away and a new feature for the day’s program is the Ben Hall Gift- a 100m sprint event with a prize pool of $3000. Heats start at 5pm and there are three categories each for men and women in 15-17 years, open and celebrity. There will also be a League vs Union category. The final of the Ben Hall Gift will take place at 7pm.

Forbes Handicraft Market Day: The Forbes Handicraft Centre is holding its first Market Day for 2016 on 16 January 2016 outside the shop in Lachlan Street, Forbes. There will be lots of fresh produce available such as home grown tomatoes, cucumbers and fresh farm eggs. A wide variety of home made cooking is also available. For the gardener a huge selection of plants will be on display.

‘Thank you’ to local paramedics: Thank you for the prompt action by our local ambulance staff, also to the ambulance helicopter staff and the staff of emergency services at Orange Base Hospital for their care and attention given to me on Monday  following my fall. We were very impressed as the accident happened at 9.20 am and
Orange Base Emergency staff phoned my wife at 12.30 to let her know that I had not suffered any serious injuries. Often you get complaints but you could not ask for any better service than this – John MacCullagh

Scammers are on the job: Just a quick heads up that there has been reports of calls alerting to potential scams occurring across the Calare electorate. The latest one involves scammers imitating Department of Human Services or Centrelink officers trying to trick you into handing over your money or personal details. It is important to note that the Department of Human Services does not send formal correspondence to private email accounts. Formal correspondence is only ever sent as either hardcopy mail to an individual’s nominated address or as electronic mail to their myGov account. As always, never give out your personal details over email or the phone. If in doubt contact the organisation they are purporting to be directly. And if you believe it to be a scam please report it online at www.
scamwatch.gov.au or by calling 1300 795 995.

Get down to Bunnings on Saturday 23 January and help support the local volunteer fire brigades and emergency services through their annual Aussie Day Weekend Fundraiser BBQ.

Moes for Movember fundraising organized by McClintocks of Forbes raised $2594.50. The winner of the raffle was drawn by Cr Liz McGlynn of the Bland Shire Council. The lucky winner was Brian Greenwood of Yass. What a great effort by the team at McClintocks.

Generous support by local fishermen. The Forbes Services Memorial Fishing Club generously donated the proceeds of the fundraising efforts to local organisations last Friday evening with a cheque presentation at the Forbes Services Memorial Club.

CanAssist Forbes Branch, Forbes Breast Cancer Support Group, Forbes Women’s Refuge, Forbes State Emergency Services, Forbes Central Rural Fire Brigade, Havannah House Ministries, Leukaemia Foundation, Forbes Sunshine Club, Salvation Army and the Forbes Torchbearers for Legacy were are beneficiaries and were
extremely grateful of the support afforded to them. The funds raised came directly from the weekly raffles held at the Services Club every Wednesday and Friday night. The raffles are part of the Club’s Community Chest program with a different organisation receiving the profits of the raffles each month. CanAssist Forbes branch have been named for the month of November followed by Torch Bearers for Legacy for December. Community organisations are welcome
to apply for their opportunity to benefit from the program and can call into the club during business hours for further information or to submit an application.

FHS held Purple Day for PBL where staff and students dressed in purple to promote the PBL Draw which will occur next week after the end of year presentation assembly. Christine Crawford and Robyne Cowhan, the canteen ladies, won the best dressed for the staff while Erin Turner was the best dressed female student on the day. PBL stands for Positive Behaviour for Learning which is a reward program for students who display good behaviour
and display the PBL values of Respect, Responsibility, Honesty and Doing your Best. Students are given a purple slip by teachers and staff when they are practicing these values. The slips go into the draw to win a major prize twice a year. The PBL committee with assistance from the Student Representative Committee provided everyone with a free sausage sizzle and ice cream at lunch on Purple Day.

So guess who we found serving drinks on Friday night at Vanfest, none other than our local mayor Phyllis Miller who volunteered to help out.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Congratulations to Forbes High School’s NAIDOC Debating Team who came Runners Up in the State Competition
at Sydney Parliament House earlier this month. While they were in Sydney, the students enjoyed a cruise around Sydney Harbour and a dinner on Cockatoo Island. Well done!

With temperatures rising it is important to be aware of the damage the sun can do. Remember to Slip, Slop, Slap, Seek and Slide when out and about. You can check the UV level for your area by using the SunSmart UV Alert app or checking the Bureau of Meteorology Website. Have a safe summer!

The Forbes community gathered to Light the Night on Sunday 22 November in Victoria Park, raising over $3,400 to support and raise awareness for individuals and families suffering from blood disorders.

Calling for volunteers! The Find It In Forbes This Christmas Festival is on Saturday 5 December from 9am to 2pm and the committee is looking for volunteers to help out on the day. They need help setting up and ensuring things run smoothly. If you can lend a helping hand, contact Jess at forbes.businesschambernsw@gmail.com
or on 0407 380 936.

Citizen of the Year Award nominations are now open in Forbes Shire providing the perfect opportunity to recognise the hard work of volunteers within the community. The awards recognise and reward those Forbes community members who have a consistent record of excellence, who have made outstanding achievements in their
field and have contributed in a significant way to our community. Nominations are open until 5pm Monday 18 January, with forms available at Council’s administration office at 2 Court Street, or online at www.forbes.nsw.gov.au

Did you know eating Christmas cake can support the community? Buy a Lions Christmas Cake or Pudding this year and you will be supporting the local community. Cakes have been a major fundraising project of Lions Australia since 1965, raising in excess of $52 million overall. All proceeds from the cake sales are used by the Lions Club for community and humanitarian projects. Cakes are available at a number of local retailers, including NRMA,Forbes Shire Council, Lakeside Takeaway, St George Bank and Baa Moo Oink. They will also be available at the Carols by Candlelight in Victoria Park. The Forbes & District Lions Club is grateful for your support.

 

Carols By Candlelight will be held on Sunday 6 December at Victoria Park in Forbes where the kids can meet Santa and the whole family can enjoy local performers on stage. Performances start at 7pm with the carols kicking off at 8pm. Bring a chair or blanket, get a feed at the Lions BBQ and purchase your glow candle for a great night! In the case of wet weather, Carols By Candlelight will be held at Forbes Town Hall.

 

Shop Small – Think Big! Federal Member for Calare John Cobb launched Shop Small last week, an initiative to encourage people across the Central West to shop small this Christmas and support local small businesses. You can get involved with Shop Small by nominating your favourite local business before December 30. The most
successful small business will be presented with an award recognising their excellence. Visit www.johncobb.com.au to vote for your favourite business today.

Forbes Neighbourhood Watch volunteers have been out and about, giving assistance where needed at various community functions. This group is very community minded and happy to assist any school or organisation. Since their highly successful Home Security Expo night, they have been working with Crime Prevention Office Constable Daniel Greef, coordinating free home security assessments. Call Neighbourhood Watch on 6851 2716 or Daniel on 6862 9936 for more info.

Movember is back for the 13th year this month, flying the flag for men’s health and recruiting Mo Bros and Mo Sistas to join the good fight. If you or someone you know is taking part in Movember 2015, let us know at editor@forbesphoenix.com.au today!

The Friends of the Hospital were pleased to welcome a new member to their last meeting for the year. “We wish to thank the community for their contributions at the hospital opening day towards our fundraising for future medical equipment. We will be holding a generous monetary raffle at Woolworths during this month which will
be drawn in good time to purchase goodies for Christmas. Our Christmas luncheon is on 4 December after which we will be in recess until the first Friday in February. New members would be most welcome. A Happy Christmas to all.”

Unite to Light the Night on Sunday 22 November in Victoria Park from 5:30pm to raise money for the Leukaemia Foundation. Register today at www.lightthenight.org.au

The fifth Rotary Ipomoea Christmas Tree Festival is coming up and Forbes Rotary Ipomoea is inviting everyone to enter with a Christmas tree or Nativity scene. Your tree can be made and decorated using bought or recycled materials. Register your entry by Friday 27 November by contacting the Festival Committee on 6851 5197, 6851 4930 or by emailing sueanne.nixon@hotmail.com

The Remembrance Day Service was well attended by the Forbes community on Wednesday at Victoria Park. Michael Walker conducted the ceremony which included the unveiling of two new war memorials. The World War II Memorial was donated to the community by the Walker Family, who were present to perform the unveiling. The 2016 School Captains from Forbes High School and Red Bend Catholic College read out the names of fallen soldiers before Aaron Parry performed the last post at 11 o’clock.