I just want everyone to know we as Council are very passionate about getting a new operating theatre for our hospital here in Forbes and we will not settle for anything less than a new building for this theatre. The Forbes community deserves only the best healthcare and it needs to be kept up-to-date and operating well into the future. We saved the Government over $1 million when we completed the works on the hospital previously, and it did not include an operating theatre, now it is time to build this theatre!

This week I attended a mass to celebrate 200 years of Catholic Education in Forbes at Red Bend Catholic College. The Catholic Education Wilcannia-Forbes has a special place in my heart having worked for them for many years and I know the great work that they do in educating and raising our children to be wonderful young adults.

You may have heard on the grapevine Council has purchased the Presbyterian Church next door. It was very important Council do this to ensure this beautiful heritage-listed building is kept safe and the public has access to it. The building is over 144 years old and registered with the National Trust so we will endeavour to look after it and may it have another 144 years. We are very excited to launch a new sculpture next week, this one is called “Bird in the Hand”. We will share more details soon!

God Bless.

Your Mayor
Phyllis Miller

I just want to assure our community that affordable housing is on Council’s agenda, contrary to a recent media article. We govern for all residents with complete social inclusion. Despite the new Goldridge Estate not including social housing in the scheme we actively lobby our State and Federal Governments to find ways of improving the situation for our community in the township of Forbes. In recent weeks Council has been working closely with local community groups to provide facilities for the homeless to enable them access to kitchen, bathroom and laundry facilities.

On a brighter note, how exciting is it that the Ninja Park is going in this month! The recent rain has delayed the installation of equipment, regardless, it will go in and be complete by the month’s end. There is so much excitement for this park, not only for recreation purposes, but also as a fitness course. This will be a unique attraction for our town and the region, providing healthy outcomes for all ages. The nearest similar venue is in Dubbo, so we have a very wide pool of people to appeal to.

Another one of our amazing parks, Jenny Murphy Park, is set to receive a new flying fox next week. Our Youth Officer is currently meeting with our town youth to find out what other kinds of play equipment the children would like to see in this park.

God Bless.

What a wonderful week it has been and thank you to everyone for joining us for Australia Day on Tuesday, whether it was in-person or on Facebook Live. We are so lucky to live in this great country and we need a day such as this to celebrate the wonderful citizens of our Shire. I want to congratulate Murray Brown for his Citizen of the Year Award, Norm Haley for his Senior Citizen of the Year Award and Krystle-Lee Brown for Young Citizen of the Year Award. All very worthy recipients and I applaud the great work they do for our community. Some of you may have noticed work has begun on Stephan Field with the installation of the Ninja Park. This is going to be such a great asset for our town and one I am sure will be used by many. The project is set for completion by the end of February and I will be the first down there to show it to you when it does open.

This Friday I will be meeting with the Maritime Police and Roads and Maritime Services to look at our Ski Dam and make sure the rules are suitable in ensuring the safety of users to the park. I will report back to you on the discussions we have. In the mean-time, I ask everyone to please take care on the water and follow the rules regarding rope length and equipment being used on the waterway. We want to ensure everyone is safe using this wonderful resource we have in our Shire.

It was sad to lose one of our young residents this week and my thoughts and prayers are with the Adams family during this difficult time. God Bless.

Your Mayor,
Phyllis Miller

I do hope everyone has been busy shopping locally for the festive season. We are so lucky to have the amazing retailers we have here in town, there really is nothing you cannot get here in Forbes. I recently went into every shop to film them all for a promotion we have on Facebook and I couldn’t believe the selection out there to choose from, it really is amazing!

Our town is looking so fantastic at the moment and I encourage you all to take a drive around at night to see all the wonderful light displays we have installed throughout town; they are even down at Lions Park. We also have the Santa Koala Christmas story projected onto Town Hall, which is a must to take the kids to see.

I wish you all a very merry Christmas and a fantastic New Year. I hope 2021 will be a better one for us all. Our farmers look like they have achieved a very successful harvest season after many not-so-successful seasons. I want to remind everyone to stay safe on the roads this holiday season, drive carefully and if you have had a drink please do not get behind the wheel of a car.

That’s all for this year. God Bless.

Your Mayor,
Phyllis Miller

You can really feel the Christmas spirit in Forbes, can’t you? I’m loving all the shop windows dressed up and inviting people to shop in our wonderful town. This week we have shared a sneak peek on social media, inside all the wonderful retailers in town and what they have in store this Christmas. We really do have the best shopping in the state and I say we are the “retail hub” of the Central West.

Just an update on the Heated Pool. The initial prices have come in higher than budgeted for, so the project is now under-going re-scoping to fit within the budget. In the New Year we hope to have plans in place, and we will keep you updated as we progress.

This week we will be removing the Johnny Woods raised crossing. The structure is showing its age and has extensive damage. It is also dangerous in numerous ways especially during a flood. The concrete will be crushed and reused in the road base for future projects. This is all part of our Lake Forbes Activation Project and 2021.

Road safety is something I ask you all to keep in mind this Christmas and New Year period, I know a lot of you will be travelling to see family and friends over this time. Do not drink and drive, and if tired please pull over for a break and refresh before getting back behind the wheel.

That’s all for this week.
God Bless.