It has come time to bid our wonderful Farm to Trade team goodbye. When Council received the $1 million drought funding from the Federal Government, we chose to employ farmers. This has helped them both financially and mentally through the last six months and they must be proud of the wonderful work they have achieved. We wish to thank them for the picket fence around Grinstead Oval, the Solar lights around Lake Forbes and fencing jobs out at the Central West Livestock Exchange expansion.

Have you seen the news lately about a few of the buildings in Sydney that have been authorised by private certifiers and now they are finding numerous building faults? Fortunately for us we have great building inspectors who work for Forbes Council. I know sometimes people get annoyed with rules and regulations, but it’s for this very reason we have these laws, to protect you, the consumers.
How exciting the old Aussie Pub site has a new business opening soon. The other new business coming to town will be the 24 hour service station, next to the Homemakers Centre. Work is currently being completed on the service easement and then the site work for the service station can begin.

I can report design work for Templar St is well underway. It is so important we get the drainage levels right for this area, and work is projected to begin in September. I will keep you updated.

God Bless.

Your Mayor
Phyllis Miller

What a great week – Sunrise was a great surprise for our community! Thank you to everyone that came down to Lions Park and especially the Dragon Boat Club members – you were fantastic! Destination NSW instigated the visit from Sunrise and for that we thank them very much. It all helps to put Forbes on the National Map for Tourism.

Thank you to our amazing staff who did a fantastic job with the logistics.

The new Fishing Platform at Lions Park is a huge hit and the kids are absolutely loving it! I received a photo on the weekend of kids fishing off it having a lovely time. It’s great that everyone in our community – as well as visitors to the lake – will have the chance to catch a fish!

I was very sad to discover this week that Ladybird Boutique will be closing down. It is a very sad day for this to happen, but it is totally understandable that the time has come for Brian and Marg to enjoy their life in the slower lane. To Brian, Marg, your family and team – you have done an amazing job and we thank you whole heartedly.

The farmers who have been doing a lot of work for Council under the Farm to Trade program have now finished. We farewelled them last Friday with a BBQ at the Forbes Shire Council Depot. On behalf of Council and the community, I thank you for all of the great work you have done over the last few months.

Farmers are doing it so, so tough- if you know of a farmer that is doing it hard mentally and/or physically, please give them the helpline phone number – 1800 011 511 On that note, have a great weekend and pray for rain. God bless.

Your Mayor
Phyllis Miller

How good was last weekend’s Frost and Fire? Thank you for supporting this wonderful event. It’s quite clear an event like that was just what the doctor ordered for our community. We’ll be back next year with more food and drink vendors, amazing artists and performers, as well as fun for the kids. When times are tough, events like that bring people together. Thank you, Forbes and visitors, for your support.

The Flood Study Committee has met with Local and State Government representatives to discuss our future regarding how floods affect our Shire and ways to improve the effects on the community.

This week work has begun in Templar Street as part of the beautification of the CBD. All efforts will be made to avoid disrupting businesses and traffic. The work will include irrigation for the 12 mature Claret Ash trees to be planted in garden beds in the centre of the road. Solar lights will also feature along the street creating an attractive avenue to entice people off the highway and into the CBD.

Forbes will be hosting the Australian Local Government Women’s Association executive board meeting. This sees female Mayors, Councillors and Council staff from local governments across NSW meet and discuss ideas. It’s an honour to host them.

Excitingly on Saturday we will have the weather crew from Sunrise here at the Wirradjuri Dreaming Centre at 7am. They’ll be featuring our beautiful Lake and attractions. Come down and show Australia what a great town we have.

God Bless
Your Mayor
Phyllis Miller

Councillor Jenny Webb, General Manager Steve Loane and myself attended the National General Assembly this week in Canberra. This is a great opportunity for Councils across Australia to come together and agree upon issues that we will take to the Federal Government regarding our communities. We had an opportunity to speak with the Honourable Mark Coulton, our new minister for Local Government. He has hit the ground running and has been a breath of fresh air. Our local member the Honourable Michael McCormack, Deputy Prime Minister addressed our conference and there was lots of positive feedback.

The theme for this year’s event is Future Focused and we have discussed ways in which our Council can be ready for all the challenges, changes and opportunities that lay ahead. We also put forward several motions on issues such as drought support, childcare and support for Anzac Day.

I’m sure you have been as upset as I have regarding the disintegration of medical services at Parkes Hospital, especially in obstetrics. Last week I had a very productive meeting with Scott McLachlan, Local Health District Chief Executive, about these services in our region. We will continue to advocate for restoration of these vital services to our local hospitals and keep doctors in our towns.

I am looking forward to Frost and Fire this weekend. Make sure you come along with your family and friends to experience a good old fashioned bonfire with great food, warm bevies and a great line up of entertainment. There are reports we are in for snow on Saturday!

God Bless
Your Mayor, Phyllis Miller

Can I begin by thanking everyone for their kind words and congratulations regarding the surprise award I received last week for Highly Commended in the Elected Representative from a Rural or Regional Council.

I believe strongly in maintaining gender balance in all levels of government, and I encourage the up-and-coming young girls in our community to step up when their time comes.

Last Friday I attended the Black Tie & Boots Rural Aid Ball in Sydney with staff from Council. It was a great chance to showcase our wonderful area to the city folk and remind them that our community, along with many others in the state, are still suffering the impact of the drought.

How good was the footy on the weekend? It was a shame our boys peaked a little too early and couldn’t pull off a win. Forbes celebrated 100 years of Rugby League and many old faces were in town again.

This week John Barilaro, Deputy Premier, announced an additional $300 million in drought relief funding. This includes $70 million in transport subsidies, $50 million to waive Local Land Services rates, $30 million to waive fixed charges for NSW Water Licences, $15 million for emergency water carting and $10 million to waive interest charges for Farm Innovation Fund loans.

The Flood Study is due for completion in November. It is so important for the planning of our town especially for the Bathurst Street and River Road precincts. The study needs to ensure it can be easily maintained and include all possibilities during a flood.

God Bless.
Your Mayor
Phyllis Miller

The weeks are rolling by very quickly and we are almost half way through the year.

The cold snap was a little bit of a shock but expected at this time of the year. The rain was very welcome and let’s hope it keeps up.

There has been some confusion in the community about the Templar Street beautification project. In order to clarify what will be happening with the 3B option that Council resolved to go with at the March meeting, we have put together a DL brochure with the Consultants artistic impression and plan. These will be delivered to each household this week. If anyone has any questions or comments please don’t hesitate to contact me, councillors or staff.

I have had a lot of positive comments in relation to the solar lights being installed around the Lake. This will allow people to walk safely around the lake after dark, whether it is winter or the evenings in the heat of summer. The ground work is progressing quickly at the homemakers centre site and the construction team will commence work next month, with a completion date around November.

The next Council Meeting is on 13th June so make sure you tune in and watch the webcast on Facebook. There have been a lot of rumours around about the hospital services and maybe cuts to both Forbes and Parkes hospitals. Minister for Health, Brad Hazzard has assured us the services will remain the same. This does not mean we can be complacent. We need to keep advocating for both State and Federal Governments to partner with local government to ensure rural and regional areas are attracting doctors in healthy numbers.

The Forbes Magpies 100 year reunion is on this weekend. How much fun will that be? Lots of former players will be home and to top it off the local derby of Forbes and Parkes is on in Parkes, on Sunday. On that note enjoy your weekend.

God Bless
Your Mayor
Phyllis Miller

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