It looks like Winter has finally made its way to us with this cold snap coming through this week. I would like to start this week’s column by recognising the great work being done by Nell’s Pantry. If you haven’t heard about this great service it’s a pop up supermarket for farming families to come in and pick up essential pantry items all donated by local people. It is open to farming families every Tuesday from 1pm to 3.30pm, except on public holidays. We have so many wonderful people in our community wanting to help our farmers get through this horrible drought. If you’d like to
donate I’m sure Nell’s Pantry would love to accept your donation.

It was great to see the amount of people who headed to the showground to see the Ranch Sorting and Penning competition on the weekend. It’s a sport that is growing in popularity and we definitely have the talent here in Forbes. Another sport doing well is the Forbes Netball. How good do the Forbes Netball courts look? Work will be completed this week but you will see some fencing will remain until the grass re-establishes itself. Here at Council we are very pleased to be able to support our sporting groups in this way.

This Friday we will be holding the first of our Welcome to Forbes events. We all know how hard it can be moving to a new town and not knowing anybody. We wanted to provide new residents with the opportunity to meet fellow councillors and community groups to establish who’s who and where they can go for help if needed.

Have a great week.

God Bless.
Your Mayor Phyllis Miller

Can I start by saying how wonderful I think Forbes is as a place to live and raise a family? There are so many job opportunities available with the Intermodal at Parkes, Cleanteq Mine at Fifield, expansion of the Northparkes Mines, Evolution Mine and a possible international freight airport at Parkes.

In Forbes you can have the best of both worlds with skiing, fishing, great schools, a great hospital and shops to provide for all your needs. We also have our Lachlan River and Lake Forbes.

I believe people choose to live in Forbes because of all the opportunities mentioned, as well as the many new developments currently happening in and around town, like at the Central West Livestock Exchange and the Homemakers Centre. This shows the confidence investors have in the Forbes market.

Our CBD is vital for our future! We must keep it the focus of attention as a Council.

We all know how easy it is to slip over to other towns or purchase items off the internet, but the CBD has to understand that the shoppers have to be considered too.

Lastly to our magnificent farmers, enduring these drought conditions for this great length of time, you and your families have my greatest respect. You are the life blood of our community and when I think of the challenges you face, I know it must be hard when you have no say on when it rains.

Your Councillor,

Steve Karaitiana

How good was Vanfest for the town? Congratulations to Matt Clifton and Secret Sounds for a fabulous music festival production. The weather on Friday night was a bit chilly but Saturday was absolutely fantastic. I spoke with many people from all over Australia and they absolutely loved Forbes and the hospitality they received here. On Saturday morning the CBD was very busy and we have information from businesses that the festival is a wonderful boost to the local economy and one that the community desperately needed during the tough period they are having due to the drought.

Our farmers are still waiting for the much needed rain, sooner rather than later to help the newly sown crops well on their way for the season. I ask everyone to keep their thoughts and prayers in the front of their minds for our very important farming community.

May Council meeting was held on Thursday and there was a lot on the agenda.

Most importantly we will adopt our 2019/20 budget, which will now go out on exhibition. I also had the pleasure of presenting a gift at the meeting to two of our retired staff members Peter McLuckie and Trevor O’Malley. Between the two of them they have notched up 82 years of service. They have been very loyal and wonderful employees.

Have a great week.

God Bless.

Your Mayor,

Phyllis Miller

The political race has stepped up a notch with the Meet the Candidates for the seat of Riverina held on Tuesday night. Pre-polling starts in Forbes on 11th May and will take place at St John’s Anglican Church from 9am to 4pm, not Town Hall as it has in previous years.

Forbes Shire Council hosted the Mining and Energy Related Councils meeting this week. Mayors and General Managers from 22 councils converged on Forbes to discuss various subjects including the Voluntary Planning Agreement we are a part of, the adoption of the Coal Seam Gas Policy and discussions on university partnerships on modelling social licence.

This week was Heritage Week in Forbes and what a wonderful celebration of our town’s history it has been. Congratulations to the Forbes Post Office for receiving the auspicious Forbes Medal for their wonderful renovation of this magnificent building. I have also heard great reports of the Permabulating in the Park session conducted by our local historian Rob Willis last Sunday.

It wouldn’t be complete without the final instalment of Doctor’s Panels being presented last night. This year, the panels tell the story of the Forbes Hospital, Private Hospitals and Aged Care in our town. I encourage you all to pop up to the hospital and have a look at them all.

To finish the week, please join me in welcoming many more visitors to town for Vanfest.

I hope you all enjoy the festival and our lovely town.

God Bless.

Your Mayor,

Phyllis Mille

Vanfest is getting closer and they have a great line up this year. If you haven’t got your ticket yet please go online and get one. We need local support of this fantastic event. The enormous benefits to our local retail and hospitality sector are extremely important.

Anzac Day was absolutely sensational last Thursday and our local school children were out in droves. Thank you to all our volunteers in Forbes. We can’t thank you enough for the enormous contribution you make to the fabric of our lives.

You have to take your hat off to the farming community. They just keep on going. It is looking promising for the latter part of the week but we need to keep our rain prayers going.

I had a wander around our retail shops this week and boy oh boy, we are so lucky!

There is not one thing you can’t buy in town and the ladies in the fashion houses are second to none on both style and price – try local first!

You will notice down on the lake the grey nomads are on the move. Stop and say ‘hello’. They are great people and are a huge part of our economy.

I’ll be chairing a Meet the Candidates evening at the Forbes Services Memorial Club on Tuesday, 7th May at 7pm. Come on down to hear from our local candidates in the upcoming Federal election.

Have a great week.

God Bless.

Your Mayor

Phyllis Miller

Easter is upon us again and boy oh boy this year is going by so quickly.

The Council meeting was held on Thursday, with lots of great decisions made, especially our Budget workshop that has achieved a balanced budget, even a small surplus.

We had the most amazing Youth Week celebration this year. I must congratulate the 23 award nominees and I commend the winners of the awards. I also thank all the wonderfully talented artists who performed on the day.

I met with the organisation, Boys to the Bush this week. They are a not-for-profit organisation working with disengaged boys.

One of the co-founders is Adam Demamiel – a local boy. Their mission is to provide an environment and opportunity for young males to learn the importance of becoming a good bloke. They run camps for boys in the bush and give the kids an opportunity to experience what we take for granted. There will be an information night soon. Take a look at the website www.boystothebush.com.au.

The Camel Races will be on Good Friday.

What an amazing family day out! It truly has something for everyone and draws a huge crowd from all over NSW.

Easter is a wonderful time for families.

Please be careful if you are enjoying our beautiful waterways. For those that are travelling on our busy roads, please take care.

Easter is also a great celebration for our Christian community with services available over the Easter break.

God Bless.

Your Mayor,

Phyllis Miller

I am so pleased to be bringing the column to you this week. Many of you would know I am a very proud member of the Forbes community and own a business in town.

I’m keen to play a part in Forbes’ continued development and improvement. Whether it be with the many volunteer organisations I am involved in or the fantastic sporting groups I am a part of. I really want to promote Forbes as an amazing town to do business in and with. My goals in Council are to focus on economic support to the local businesses in the Shire and to keep Forbes businesses and community competitive.

I also believe we have a great tourism product in Forbes, with the amazing waterways we have and boutique retail sector.

The lake and the surrounds are truly unique and beautiful. The continued improvements and developments currently in development with these facilities can only make this better. You will all know of my involvement with Vanfest. This event provides a great opportunity to support the music industry and provide world class entertainment for everyone. It is bringing outside money to town, in a time we all really need it. I continue to work with my son in bringing this event to Central NSW and encourage the town to welcome and take advantage of the increased number of people visiting, to show them they are welcome… and need to come again.

Your Councillor,

Grant Clifton

I would like to start by thanking Deputy Mayor, Jenny Webb for running the ship while I was away on a break. I have heard nothing but great reports on her handling of the business and Council meeting during this time.

This week I will be travelling with Councillor Jenny and our Community Relations Officer, Kimberley Harris to the ALGWA (Australian Local Government Women’s Association) State Conference in Liverpool.

This conference is an amazing opportunity to discuss the challenges women face in local government and how we can exchange ideas, network and collaborate in promoting gender equality in local government.

The Federal Budget was announced this week and I can report it looks like local councils will benefit from the promises. Big investments in natural disaster response, more road funding including $400 million for the Newell Highway and money for transport infrastructure will allow for regional development in our area. We will now have to wait to see if they are voted in at the next election. At a state level, I would also like to congratulate Phil Donato for being voted back in for the electorate of Orange.

Youth Week celebrations begin today with a movie screening at Bedgerabong Public School and continue through next week.

It is so important for us to interact with our youth to ensure they feel connected and celebrate their achievements in the community. Please get behind these Youth Week events.

God Bless.

Your Mayor,

Phyllis Miller

What an amazing time we had in Forbes last weekend! On Saturday there was the Forbes Rugby Club President’s Lunch, with a record number of 1,000 people being wined and dined and entertained by comedian and artist Anh Do in a marquee on our spectacular South Circle.

We had the inaugural Forbes Ranch Sorting competition at the Forbes Showground, which saw 100 competitors in over 700 events. There was the Forbes Farmers Market at Lions Park, the NSW State Election and if you were looking for something a bit more laid back, the cheese and yogurt making classes held at the magnificent heritage Carrawobitty Rural Retreat.

Sunday morning saw many people out and about having coffee with hardly a free seat to be seen at the local coffee houses. Next Monday will see the first of three budget sessions for Councillors. The budget aims to reflect the priorities, requests, expectations and aspirations of the Forbes community. At the last council meeting we deferred the decisions regarding 2019/2020 Community Funding Program requests to be included in the budget process. To ensure a balanced budget, an increase to one service will need to be funded by a reduction in other services.

We received good news for Forbes on securing $300,000 from the Safe and Secure Water Program to undertake a scoping study to upgrade the Forbes Water Filtration Plant. Council will also contribute up to $200,000 for this study.

Your Councillor,

Jenny Webb