Community Notices

Mayoral Notes

October 9, 2020 By editor

The Federal Budget was delivered this week and it has delivered tax cuts for everyone, more support for our aged and welfare recipients and interestingly, incentives for creating jobs. This is great for our Shire in sectors such as manufacturing, infrastructure, medicine, recycling, farming, and tourism. Incentives are being offered to encourage employers to hire staff and invest in growing their businesses. It is a real win for infrastructure, our youth, and small business.

We are asking the community for names of our new subdivision in Edwards Street and we would like to know what you would like to call this estate. Given agriculture is such a strong and important part of the fabric of our community we are honouring that with the street names being grain types. You do need to voice your suggestions through our “Your Say” portal to have your suggestions count. There is a link on our website at the bottom of the homepage, www.forbes.nsw.gov.au.

How great are school holidays in Forbes!

The children have had so many fun activities to go to like laser tag, rock painting, tie dye workshops, and making flower crowns and scrunchies. The Forbes and District Soccer Club held a two-day workshop as well. Having a family in Forbes is made so easy with these wonderful activities available, not to mention all the wonderful parks and playgrounds we have too.

There has been a new sculpture installed in Albion Park and you must all go and have a look. It is beautiful and the message behind it is one we must all take on board. “I Welcome You with Love”, it represents loyalty, love and a sense of belonging, a beautiful message we would like to present to our Shire.

I would like to finish by wishing all the Year 12 students the best of luck with the HSC next week. God Bless.

Your Mayor,
Phyllis Miller

Mayoral Notes

October 2, 2020 By editor

What crazy weather we are having this week. It is like four seasons in one week! All the lovely rain we have had is making the region look so wonderful and our sporting fields are looking magnificent. Congratulations to the two football teams who won their Grand Finals on the weekend, well done.

This week we have opened a survey to the community regarding the tourism of the Forbes Shire. We are using the Council’s “Your Say” platform to gather the community’s feedback. It is so important we plan for tourism and ensure we have the right facilities and attractions to create a unique and sustainable holiday destination. We have always believed Forbes is best suited for year-round tourism, not just one or two events. That is where the sculptures and our beautiful waterways come into play, they are accessible all year round.

When the pandemic resolves and travel is again permitted, the competition will be fierce among destinations. We want to stand out from the crowd!

Plans have begun for celebrating NAIDOC this year. It will take place on 13 November and will be a little different with numbers limited to 150, and the schools will be unable to join the public gathering. They will celebrate the day at their respective schools. We are calling on award nominations so be sure to look at our website for more details. Until next week,

God Bless.
Your Mayor Phyllis Miller

Forbes Gets Its Scrap Together

September 18, 2020 By editor

Forbes residents will be the best in NSW when it comes to recycling their food waste with a new education campaign being piloted by Forbes Shire Council.

Mayor Phyllis Miller OAM said Forbes Shire Council volunteered to test the Let’s Get Our Scrap Together campaign, to get more food waste out of the red lid bin and into the green.

“Having a kerbside food waste recycling service already makes us among the best recyclers in NSW,” Phyllis said.

“This new education campaign will help us to be even better.”

The campaign was developed by the NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) to support its kerbside collection program under Waste Less, Recycle More. It follows research that showed on average, only half the available food waste was being correctly disposed of in the green lid FOGO (Food Organics and Garden Organics) bin.

EPA spokesperson Amanda Kane said the campaign is being piloted in Clarence Valley, Kempsey Shire and Forbes Shire council areas, with each council tailoring it to their own community. It will be delivered over the next three months, telling the story of how the green lid bin recycling benefits local farms, how it can take all types of food waste and is something everyone can do.

Forbes Shire Council will be distributing it through its Facebook page as well as letterbox drops, local media advertising and radio ads.

The results of bin audits conducted before and after the program will be compared to determine the success of the campaign. The ambitious goal will be to get all the food that is currently being wasted in the red lid bin disposed of in the green bin instead.

Mayoral Notes

September 4, 2020 By editor

Wow what a week it has been! Firstly, I am extremely humbled by the award I received on Monday from the Minister for Women in Local Government, Shelly Hancock, for Elected Representative for Regional/Rural Category. It was lovely to be nominated by the staff at Council for starters and I would like to thank the wonderful team of Councillors I work with in Council. To do the important work we do, it really is a team effort, not just one person.

I would also like to encourage women to get involved in local government as it is important that we have equal voices being heard on issues relating to our community. I strongly believe if we all work together great things can be achieved.

I would like to thank everyone who contributed to the Your Say poll on naming the Edward Street subdivision. Please continue to use the Your Say portal often to let us know your input into the direction of projects and decisions that affect our community. The more voices the better!

It is so simple to register and it will allow you to contribute your ideas, participate in surveys, discussion forums and quick polls. Simply go to our webpage www.forbes.nsw.gov.au and down the bottom of the page click on the “Have Your Say” and this will take you to the page where you can share your thoughts with us.

Until next week God Bless.

Your Mayor
Phyllis Miller

Letters…

July 24, 2020 By editor

Letter To The Public

Police are urging residents to lock their vehicles and secure their possessions in response to a recent spike in opportunistic thefts.

Officer in charge of Parkes Police, Chief Inspector Dave Cooper has a simple message for everyone, “Lock your vehicles.” Recent incidents have been very opportunistic in nature, whereby offenders are checking cars parked on the street or in driveways, and if they are unlocked, they have entered the vehicles and stolen anything of value. If the cars are locked, the offenders have move on.

The same principle applies with property that has been left unattended in a front yard or on a veranda. If it is easy to grab, the offenders may target it. If it is locked away, they won’t get the chance.

Unfortunately, the days of leaving our cars and homes unlocked, due to our laid-back country lifestyle, are over. We need to target harden and make it difficult for offenders. Police are also urging residents to be vigilant, if you see or hear something that does not seem right, call the Police.

Police will be increasing proactive patrols in response, but they just cannot be everywhere, we are calling on our community to do their bit and lock up.

With thanks
Chief Inspector David Cooper Central
West Police District

Applications Open For Community Funding

June 5, 2020 By editor

Forbes Shire Council’s annual Community Funding Program is now open for applications from community organisations, sporting groups and not-for-profit organisations within the Shire. Applications in Round 1 will be accepted until Monday, 31 August.

The program, which is only accepting online applications through the new Forbes Shire Council SmartyGrants portal, offers an opportunity for groups to access funding to support events, activities and infrastructure. Up to $5,000 is available per applicant with a total of $100,000 available in two rounds across the financial year.

“We are offering two rounds of Community Funding to give groups in the Shire more opportunity to plan for their activities,” said Mayor Phyllis Miller. “The first round has just opened and funding for successful projects will be available from October 2020. The next round will be assessed in March 2021 with funding available in April.”

“As always, our amazing Grants Officers will be available to assist groups with completing and submitting applications to ensure applicants have the best chance of success,” Phyllis said.

Funding Guidelines are available on Council’s website or can be downloaded from the SmartyGrants portal at http://forbesshire.smartygrants.com.au. Call 02 6850 2300 for more information.

Community Funding Program To Open

May 1, 2020 By editor

Forbes Shire Council announced this week that the annual Community Funding Program applications will be open for community organisations, sporting groups and not-for-profit organisations within the Shire from Monday, 1st June, with applications accepted until Monday, 31st August.

The program, which will only accept on- line applications through the Forbes Council’s SmartyGrants portal, offers an opportunity to access funding to support events, activities and infrastructure. Up to $5,000 is available for applicants with a total of $100,000 available in two rounds across the financial year.

“We have decided to offer two rounds of Community Funding to give groups in the Shire more opportunity to plan for their activities,” said Mayor Phyllis Miller. “The first round is opening in June and funding for successful projects will be available from October 2020. The next round will be assessed in March 2021 with funding available in April.”

Grants Officers will be available to assist groups with completing and submitting applications to ensure applicants have the best chance of success.

Additional information including Funding Guidelines and Frequently Asked Questions will be released closer to the opening date. Please contact Council’s Community Relations Officer on 02 6850 2300 for more information.

Mayor Asks Residents To Remain Calm

March 27, 2020 By editor

Mayor of Forbes, Phyllis Miller OAM

The Mayor of Forbes, Phyllis Miller OAM has asked residents to remain calm and not to panic. The Coronavirus COVID-19 is in NSW but not in the Forbes Shire at present.

As the global pandemic sweeps across the world residents are asked to stay vigilant in abiding by NSW Health guidelines of washing our hands and coughing into our elbow.

Mayor Miller stated, “We have taken steps to cancel many of our events and postponed others to ensure we comply with the Government’s advice. I can assure you Council will be open for business as usual with essential services continuing for our community.”

“We are working with Western Area Health to ensure our Shire is set up should the virus turn up in our area with emergency plans being locked in place. But this is only if it does come to our Shire, we need to be prepared.”

“Please check in on our elderly residents from time to time. A quick phone call to make sure they are ok. They may need help with getting supplies.”

As of 23rd March, Council has closed the Visitor Information Centre, Forbes Pool and the Youth and Community Centre.

New Water Restrictions For CTW

January 24, 2020 By editor

Level 4 water restrictions are in place as of 1 January 2020. The decision was made to implement the changes at the Central Tablelands Water (CTW) meeting in December last year.

Gavin Rhodes, the General Manager of CTW pointed out that Lake Rowlands, in particular, had seen a rapid reduction of 3% in a period of just two weeks over the peak summer demand period. Due to a long-term forecast of unfavourable drought conditions, the decision was made to implement a more responsible water restriction level in order to manage the water.

Under CTW’s current Water Restrictions Policy, Level 4 restrictions are put in place when Lake Rowlands falls to 40%.

CTW’s Deputy Chairman, Cr Kevin Walker stated, “Although Lake Rowlands is currently at 44%, we anticipate that it will continue to fall at a rapid rate as the warmer weather endures and the forecasted rainfall for the upcoming months is negligible at best. The CTW Board have been unanimous in deciding to implement Level 4 restrictions and are fully supportive of the CTW Senior Management Team and staff in managing this precious resource”.

Level 4 restrictions consist of:

• The watering of gardens on Wednesday and Sunday evenings between 6pm and 8pm for a maximum of one hour.
• Watering of lawns is not permitted.
• Additional approval has been granted by Council for the use of a handheld trigger hose for up to one hour per allocated watering day to water gardens only.

CTW will continue to closely monitor the level of Lake Rowlands and implement strategies to gain access to the dead storage of the dam in the future.

CTW has expressed thanks to water consumers for their understanding of the importance of using water wisely during this period of intense drought.

For further information, see page seven, call CTW’s administration office on 02 6391 7200 or visit their website at www.ctw.nsw.gov.au.

MAYORAL NOTES

August 24, 2017 By editor

Last Friday I was able to attend Vietnam Veterans Day at the Cenotaph while the park was full of children for Reading Down Town Day. I was impressed with the respect the children showed the veterans.

On Saturday Cr Webb, Cr Herbert and I attended the Bedgerabong Show. It was great to get out and give residents the opportunity for a chat and feedback.

I’d like to thank Cr Miller for representing Council and presenting at the Sand and Grass Greens golf tournament. The event was very successful and looks likely to continue to grow.

On Sunday Maureen and I attended the Orange Male Voice Choir performance. The choir were again magnificent, but I’d also like to congratulate the young dancers from Kristen’s Dance Studio, who were simply fantastic.

Our current General Manager, Danny Green, will depart this time next week. Acting General Manager, Max Kershaw, will begin the same day so we can ensure continuity of service. We’re looking forward to working with Max and continuing the good work Danny started during his time with us.

On Tuesday, Matt Clifton was in town to meet with stakeholders and discuss Vanfest. At this time of year ticket sales normally haven’t started, but in excess of 6,000

have already been sold.

There are still some tickets left for Grazing Down the Lachlan. This has all the makings of an extremely successful Forbes event and I encourage everyone to purchase their tickets at www.grazingdownthelachlan.com

Graeme Miller

Mayor, Forbes Shire Council

Mayoral Notes

Mayoral Notes

Forbes Gets Its Scrap Together

Mayoral Notes

Letters…

Applications Open For Community Funding

Community Funding Program To Open

Mayor Asks Residents To Remain Calm

New Water Restrictions For CTW

MAYORAL NOTES

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