Council Comments Archives - Page 18 of 49

Mayoral Notes

February 10, 2023 by Roxane Manley

I cannot impress how excited I am to welcome the Australian Local Government Women’s Association annual conference to Forbes in April. The impact of women in local government, and in leading recovery in the wake of disaster is immense, as we are only too aware.

The women of Forbes have our own stories to tell, but it is going to be amazing to listen to the wisdom and expertise of others in our field. More information will be available as we get closer to the event, but I cannot wait to welcome these women to our town as they learn, explore, build networks and fall in love with Forbes.

It is satisfying to see the confidence organisations have in Forbes, its people, and our council in bringing major events such as this to our region. It is timely in rejuvenating our town and region, and promoting what we have to offer.

CENTROC (the Central NSW Regional Organisation of Councils) will be meeting in Forbes at the end of this month, so again bringing representatives of the member councils: Bathurst, Blayney, Boorowa, Cabonne, Cowra, Harden, Lachlan, Lithgow, Oberon, Orange, Parkes, Upper Lachlan, Weddin, Wellington, Young and Central Tablelands Water, to our town.

Finally, please be aware as work has recommenced on the former Pitt Stop Café site for remediation and demolition of the building. Barricades, detours and signage will be installed.

Enjoy your week, and God bless.

Phyllis Miller, OAM
Forbes Mayor

Mayoral Notes

February 3, 2023 by Roxane Manley

We are celebrating our seniors with the 2023 Give it A Go Festival here in Forbes. We have coordinated a really busy itinerary to encourage our seniors to ‘Give it a Go’ – to learn a new skill or revisit an old one, meet new people and see new places. So give it a go – I don’t think you will be disappointed! See our website for all the events and details.

Just a reminder – we are still very much in recovery or reconstruction phase. We are waiting on parts and components for barbecues, pool surrounds and more, so please be patient. We will advise as soon as facilities are functioning again.

A shout out this week to the wonderful organisations Blaze Aid and Disaster Relief Australia here to help us get on our feet again after the floods. Blaze Aid is well known to Forbes and the surrounding communities. They have been a massive help to farmers with fencing and debris removal.

DRA is a wonderful organisation, many ex-service personal, who are here to help individuals and home owners with with any post flood assessments and repairs. They can help with general flood clean up, removing furniture and walls, debris management and removal. If you see any of these volunteers around – thank them from the bottom of our hearts, they are helping us to make our community great again.

Enjoy your week, and God bless.

Phyllis Miller, OAM
Forbes Mayor

Mayoral Notes

January 27, 2023 by Roxane Manley

Welcome to the new year, although it is hard to believe we are already more than halfway through the first month.

What a way to bring in the new year than with all the Elvis celebrations in Forbes and Parkes. The Elvis breakfast in Templar Street on Friday morning was so energetic and it was wonderful to see an even bigger crowd than last year, jiving, slipping on their blue suede shoes and enjoying our boutique retail centre.

The Lakeside Luau on Lake Forbes absolutely rocked – perfect weather, perfect location, perfect food and drinks, and of course perfect company and entertainment. I cannot wait to see what next year’s festival brings, make a note in your diary not to miss it.

A special congratulations to our Amazing team for all their hard work, and innovation in celebrating visitors in what could be considered one of the quieter times of the year.

Make sure you look up this week as the Forbes Flatlands Hang Gliding Championships grace our skies once again. We welcome the return of our national, international visitors – competitors, drivers, organisers, support crew to our beautiful town and wish them all the best in their endeavours. The competition kicked off with a practice run on Wednesday (17 January), and the last day of competition is on Thursday, January 26, Australia Day. Australia Day celebrations were enjoyed by all.

Enjoy your week, and God bless.

Phyllis Miller, OAM
Forbes Mayor

Forbes Mayor Phyllis Miller Breathes A Sigh Of Relief

December 23, 2022 by Roxane Manley

Forbes Shire Mayor Phyllis Miller OAM

After almost two months, and the biggest flooding this area has seen in seven decades, the highway linking Victoria and Queensland has finally reopened south of Forbes.

Forbes Mayor Phyllis Miller has welcomed the reopening of the Newell Highway. “It is so important for the Newell Highway to be open, and never more timely as schools are breaking up and travellers are on the move for the Christmas and holiday season,” Cr Miller said.

“It will be a great benefit to our township. It will be wonderful to welcome back even more tourists, families, freight operators as our town itself recovers from the prolonged floods,” Mayor Miller said.

“There are sections with reduced speed limits and damaged surfaces so please be aware of these. Most importantly, drive to the road conditions and plan ahead,” Mayor Miller said.

She thanked all the road crews who have worked tirelessly, and will continue to do so, Weddin and Bland Shire and Deputy Premier the Hon Paul Toole MP.

“Paul Toole is always mindful of looking after our regional areas. Many thanks to him for his ongoing support during these difficult times,” she said.

Mayoral Notes

December 16, 2022 by Roxane Manley

Hello, can you believe it is less than two weeks until Christmas, how the year has flown by.

It was absolutely wonderful to see the crowd in attendance at Saturday’s Carols in the Park, so wonderful to see the spirit of the season and the community shining so bright throughout the evening. I have to take my hat off to our fantastic staff for creating a Christmas wonderland. So many positive comments, so good to see a happier ending to the year.

The Christmas carnival was also amazing with a great crowd in attendance – so many faces, so much joy. There were also many people making one of their first trips to town since the flooding has eased and what a great way to welcome them back with open arms. It is also heartening how many people are supporting our region by shopping locally. As the region rebuilds and recovers from so many losses, it is important to keep these businesses in town for so many reasons.

As the year does wind up, I also ask you to consider taking the time to look at the Forbes Housing Strategy, which will allow us to plan for the future of Forbes. Where do you see yourself in five years? Ten years? This sort of information can help guide Council in its future planning of resources, and development. You are able to have your say on the strategy until 20th December, for more information please visit our wonderful website; www.forbes.nsw.gov.au/council/tenders-public-exhibitions-and-expressions-of-interest/public-exhibitions

Enjoy your week, stay safe, and God bless.

Phyllis Miller, OAM

Mayoral Notes

December 2, 2022 by Maggi Barnard

What a couple of months we have had. As I write this column, the weather is starting to look a little more like summer – the sun is out and the temperatures are slowly starting to creep up.

The immediate flood emergency has now thankfully passed and with it the initial adrenalin rush. With the physical clean-up, and the economic burden, we will start to now see evidence of the huge emotional cost.

Things are very raw at the moment for our community, if you weren’t physically affected by the floodwater – your friends, family, work colleagues were. Our region was very much the focus of national media attention. It is sad to see that focus move on in the respect that we are left with the physical mopping up and the push for funding to rebuild, restore and areas that are still very much affected. It is no longer the mindset of our city cousins that we are still suffering.

I just ask you, as we head into the Christmas season, to be gentle with yourselves. Remember that it is not just about the presents under the tree, it is the presence of those we love and cherish, and the wonderful community that we live in. Don’t be afraid to reach out for help, our website emergency page has contacts for mental health, financial assistance and more.

Thank you to all who have so generously donated – whether it be time or money or goods. I love living in Forbes. I love our community.

Mayoral Notes

November 4, 2022 by Maggi Barnard

We have weathered floods before and I know that we will rise through this one again. Remember to stay in touch, listen to warnings, look out for your neighbours, family and friends and of course if it is flooded, forget it.

Our town is again preparing for a major flood with predictions of a 10.8 peak predicted. As I write this, the flood situation is unfolding. Warnings from the Bureau of Meteorology have indicated we may see levels of 10.8m at the Iron Bridge, the same as that of June 1952.

With this warning in mind, it is time to make sure you are ready – ensure you have stocked up on medicines, essential food items, pet care needs and the like.

Know the capacity of your property – whether it be rural or in town and take the necessary actions, raise pumps, move stock, put important papers up high. Protect your property if you are in an area that is likely to get water – sandbags are available through the SES, and delivery can be arranged if you need it.

It is likely that with an already saturated catchment, these waters may hang around for some time, so we may need to be patient. Until then, Forbes, stay safe and remember to call SES on 132 500 if you need assistance. In a life-threatening emergency ring 000.

Smoke Testing Helps Sewer System

October 28, 2022 by Maggi Barnard

Smoke testing of stormwater and sewer connections in south Forbes has been completed by Forbes Shire Council and the results will now form the basis of future works.

Council, in conjunction with a contractor, conducted smoke testing of almost 400 sewer connections last month and found less than half had minor issues, according to Manager Water and Sewer Melanie Slimming.

Sewer manholes, used for access to the sewer system, were also inspected, and the majority were found to be in reasonable condition. A few manholes were found to have minor issues, and ten manholes were in poor condition and will require refurbishment.

“Our sewer crew will use this information to prioritise and schedule their works program to address all of the defects,” said Melanie.

“Additionally, all properties with defects will have letters sent to home owners requesting they address the non-conformance. In most instances this could be as minor as taking a photo of your boundary trap and sending it through to Council’s team,” she said.

“In a few instances, there may be some plumbing redirection required. Council will work with individuals as needed.”

Mayoral Notes

October 21, 2022 by Maggi Barnard

What a great community we have. Everyone has worked so well together during these trying times and we will need to again as we brace for potentially more rain and flooding.

The roads everywhere around our shire are extremely damaged – please be careful, slow down and do not drive through floodwater. Drive to the conditions of the road – which is mostly very poor after all the water over them.

Another reminder to stay clear of the flood water – there are all sorts of dangers under the surface, and given how much water is about that is flowing fast, makes for very dangerous conditions.

As always it is a privilege to see the professional emergency operators working through the major flood and preparing for potentially more flooding. Don’t forget to give a hand at the SES to help fill sandbags. Call the SES if you need sandbags or flood assistance on 132 500.

Forbes Shire Council is here to help and advice, make sure you are signed up to our SMS Flood Warning System – you can all on 6850 2300 or email communications@forbes.nsw.gov.au

Our website is being updated regularly and all road and other updates are being shared on social media and through our other channels.

Our thoughts are with the Bedgerebong, Jemalong and Condobolin communities which are now at very high flood levels.

This is a time when our community works well together – I am so proud of how everyone pitches in to support

Mayoral Notes

October 7, 2022 by Phyllis Miller

You will have no doubt by now seen some unsettling rainfall predictions for the remainder of this week, and we know that things are already very wet. I can tell you that whatever rain does come our way, Forbes has faced floods before and as a community we are in a great position to face again with our trademark resilience and community spirit.

It is perhaps a timely reminder to have an emergency plan prepared, move your stock, pumps and other items above flood level, and if it is likely that you will be isolated, make sure you have enough essential items.

I encourage you to subscribe to Council’s emergency Flood Warning SMS system for the latest updates on road closures and areas of concern. To subscribe, email communications@forbes.nsw.gov.au or contact Forbes Shire Council office and one of our friendly staff will be more than happy to help. If you are in need of emergency help in floods and storms, the SES can be contacted on 132 500, or in life threatening emergencies, ring 000. On a lighter note, wasn’t it amazing to take a little step back in time with all the vintage cars in town over the past week. The love and care put into restoring and showing these vehicles never ceases to amaze me. It was wonderful to see so many visitors to our town and the warm welcome they were greeted with.

Your Mayor,
Phyllis Miller

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