This week I attended the State Memorial Service in Sydney to pay my respects to those lost in the fires, and to honour service men and women for their bravery in fighting the horrendous fires. It was a great opportunity to show our appreciation to the amazing fire fighters who have worked tirelessly over many months to protect lives and property. I cannot thank Rural Fire Service Commissioner, Shane Fitzsimmons, and his people enough for the leadership he has shown throughout this very difficult time.

You may have noticed people with clip- boards wandering around our sporting fields and parks this week. They have started surveying our recreation and open space areas to help us plan for the future. ROSS Planning are conducting the survey and will be leading the consultations with the public. Please take the time to answer their questions if you are asked to participate, as this will provide Council with valuable information in planning out these areas and form part of our Strategy moving forward.

It was fantastic to see the rain hang around for a couple of days last week and provide good rainfall. However, this does not mean the drought has been broken, but it is a good start nonetheless. There have been a lot of tractors busily ploughing of late and I wish every farmer the best for 2020.

Bedgerabong Races were fantastic last weekend with a very healthy crowd. There were some absolutely stunning outfits on both men and women. On Saturday evening we had the launch of Regional Lifestyle Magazine Autumn edition in the Town Hall. This edition features Forbes and Parkes, showcasing many beautiful and informative stories from both our Shires. Make sure you get yourself a copy, it’s a fantastic read.

It was so good to have rain this week, I was excited even though it makes my hair curly! Grinstead Cup celebrations were fantastic last weekend with around 200 people attending the 100-year celebrations. Special guests Rodney Hogg, Simon Taufel and Chris Anderson were all sensational to meet. Congratulations to Ross Williams and his band of workers for a great night.

This week I have been busy trying to get some rate relief for farmers and businesses affected by this drought. If ever there was a time where State and Federal Governments should be working together as a team, it is now. I acknowledge there are great packages on offer for farmers when the drought breaks, but relief is required now. Local Government can’t give rate relief. If we did, we wouldn’t be able to provide services. The State Government has paid the Local Land Services rates for farmers, so they are doing their bit.

Council has been busy preparing budgets for the 2020/21 year. Lots of work for staff and Councillors to make sure the balance is right.

It has been another busy week with lots of discussion around our Lake, playgrounds and parks. We want to ensure our Lake area remains green and inviting as this is a tremendous asset for our town, for residents and visitors alike. Forbes is a green oasis with neighbouring towns suffering from the drought, we want to maintain this whilst still conserving water during this drought.

Stage two of Homemakers Centre is coming along beautifully. The Canopy overhead is almost complete , the project is on track for completion in late March 2020. This is another great asset for our community bringing many new jobs to town.

I look forward to celebrating 100 years of the Grinstead Cup this weekend. Cricket has played an important role in our community and it is rumoured to be the oldest continuously contested cricket competition in NSW. I imagine many incredible stories will be told of its rich history during the reunion dinner.

What a fantastic National Day of celebration Forbes experienced this year! A big thank you to our amazing staff who did an excellent job with the organisation of the day. It was lovely to welcome our ambassador, Bob Fitzgerald to our town for the celebrations. He is a very humble, kind man and mixed so well with everyone he met along the way. He thoroughly enjoyed his time in Forbes.

I must congratulate our Australia Day Award recipients; Kim and Wendy Muffet for their wonderful contribution to our community over many years. Our Senior Citizens of the year; Allan and Pamela Toole for their incredibly long contribution to our community and our Youth Citizen, Lilyann Mason-Spice who was on her way to Sydney to start training with the NSW Waratahs women’s team, but made a special effort to be in Forbes on Australia Day to accept the honour.

The Parade, though small, was a big hit! Everyone is talking about it and already planning next year’s float, which is great.

After a nice break with family and friends it’s back to the grind for another year. Firstly, I must pay tribute to the amazing work the RFS and Fire & Rescue crews have done in this most tragic fire season.

On behalf of the Forbes Community we send our thoughts and prayers to all concerned. We at Council are offering our assistance wherever possible. There have been many fire fighters from the Forbes area who have gone into battle at the fire front and I truly thank them.

The Elvis Festival was a great success and we thank the Parkes Council and Mayor, Ken Keith for their hard work over the years that has grown to be a significant part of the Forbes Calendar as well. It provides a huge economic boost to our Shire so we are thankful to Parkes Council and community.

Australia Day Festivities are promising to delight all. With the Street Parade returning we hope you all get in and participate.

I would like to wish everyone a wonderful Christmas and New Year and I hope you all enjoy this special time with family and friends. Maybe Santa will bring us some rain! Make sure you all stay hydrated dur- ing the hot times ahead and limit your activity outdoors, especially during those smoky days we have been experiencing lately.

Council offices will be closed for the Christmas period with doors closing at 12pm on Tuesday, 24th December and opening again on 2nd January 2020.

I will be taking a break from writing this column until the 24th January, when I will let you know all the exciting events we have organised for Australia Day 2020.

Take care and stay safe on the roads.

God Bless
Your Mayor Phyllis Miller

I’m back on deck and can I start by thanking Councillor Jenny Webb for helping while I was away on holidays. It was a great break and such a shock to get back and be greeted by this awful smoke and hot weather.

Please join me at the fantastic Christmas Carnival tonight and spend your money in our lovely town. The retailers need your help with the drought taking its toll on businesses.

We welcomed new citizens this week including Father Simon who is drawing the largest crowd ever to one of our ceremonies. For anyone thinking of becoming an Australian Citizen, get in touch with us, it is a lovely ceremony and an honour to bestow the recipients.

I urge everyone to support our Australia Day Parade. Please fill in your forms which will enable us to plan this day well ahead. We are seeking parade participants and volunteer parade marshals with huge prizes to be won! It will be a fantastic day for all ages. We also need nominations for the Citizens of the Year Awards, more information is available on our website.

I had a very interesting time last week at- tending the Centroc Board Meeting in Canberra. I met with our Deputy Prime Minister the Hon Michael McCormack, Hon Mark Coulton, Hon Josh Frydenburg and Hon David Littleproud. The meeting included discussions on increasing federal assistance grants for rural regions, regional water security and drought assistance and recovery packages.

This week the RMS have started investigation work on site for the proposed new Warroo Bridge. This bridge was built in 1909 and has served our community for 110 years. Following investigations it has been removed from this list and a concrete bridge will be installed instead.

It was lovely to take part in International Day of People with Disability on Tuesday and to see so many people join in the fun for the day. The Forbes High School Graduation Dinner last Friday was also lovely and inspiring, and I wish all graduates the best in their future endeavours.

I love the Ipomea Christmas Tree Festival at Town Hall and this year my staff have been working on our very own version of an X-Ray Christmas Tree, so please check it out this weekend, along with all the other amazing, quirky trees. Our final Council Meeting for the year is next Thursday, make sure you tune in.

It was a busy week for me. On Tuesday I attended the Local Government Transport Forum Western Region in Dubbo. There were presentations regarding fixing local roads and country bridges and road safety awareness and initiatives. Last year, an astounding 44 people died on our Western NSW roads, 20% were not wearing seatbelts. Statistics shouldn’t be this high and I think we can do something about this situation.

I also attended the Central NSW Joint Organisation (JO) in Canberra this week, as our Mayor, Phyllis Miller is on a well-earned holiday. Our region JO consists of 10 local council members and they are transforming the way the NSW Government and local councils collaborate, plan, set priori- ties and deliver important projects on a regional scale. United we are a strong voice that advocate at state and federal levels. Our region’s main priorities include Roads and Transport Infrastructure, Water Infrastructure, Health, Telecommunications, Regional Economic Development and the continuing drought and rural support.