This week was our last Council meeting for 2017. The year certainly has been a productive one and together we’ve achieved some great things. Our new General Manager, Steve Loane is settling in well and all signs point to an even better 2018 for the Forbes Shire. Amongst the issues discussed at the meeting were the fees imposed on mobile food vans and Council’s 260 and 355 committees. We thank the community for their patience and I hope we’re close to having our committee structure right.

We’ve received a large number of complements on the Christmas decorations that Council recently installed around the CBD. We’re delighted with the results and we thank residents for their positive feedback.

The decorations certainly have helped the community get into the Christmas spirit.

Nominations are now open for our Senior and Junior Citizen of the Year Awards which will be presented on Australia Day.

These awards have a long history and have been presented to many community minded residents of the Forbes Shire. I’d encourage everyone to have a think and nominate outstanding residents for the work they do to enhance the Forbes community.

Last Sunday I attended the ordination of the Reverend Crystal Spindler, who is the new minister at St Johns Anglican Church. I had the opportunity to address the congregation and to wish Reverend Crystal the best in her new role. It truly is a privileged position she occupies in our community.

Mayor Graeme Miller

This has been a very busy week for myself, General Manager Steve Loane and Councillors Jenny Webb, Jeff Nicholson, Phyllis Miller, Steve Karaitiana and Susan Chau attending the Local Government NSW Annual Conference in Sydney.

There were many highlights of the conference and Forbes Shire Council was able to successfully put forward its two motions concerning financial institutions and chain of responsibility. We will prepare a full report on the conference to be presented at Council.

It was certainly beginning to feel a lot like Christmas over the weekend with so many outstanding entries at the Rotary Ipomoea Christmas Tree Festival. There were more than 120 entries this year and the hall was transformed into a Christmas wonderland.

It was very disappointing that Vanfest 2017 had to be cancelled on Saturday due to the extreme weather conditions and major safety concerns. Ticket sales were well above previous years and everyone was ready for a really great event. Great job to staff and the community who organised emergency accommodation in town and helped everyone get out safely. Council staff have already commenced work on the post-event audit. The community will be engaged in due course throughout and following the audit process.

Thank you to the hundreds of families who attended the Carols by Candlelight on Sunday night. The town band did a great job and it was wonderful to have the Town Hall filled with beautiful voices and music. The Christmas spirit was well and truly alive.

Mayor Graeme Miller

Parliamentary Secretary for Western NSW, Rick Colless and Member for Orange, Phillip Donato, presented the Forbes District Soccer Club with a cheque of $146,236 on Monday for the refurbishment and rebuilding at the Forbes Botanical Gardens sportsground.

This is great news for the multipurpose sports facility and will help fund significant improvements in the amenities at the grounds. Council has also committed $150,000 for the project which will include new toilets with disabled access, storage and change rooms.

More than 5,000 weekend passes have been sold for Vanfest this weekend. This is going to prove to be a massive boost for our town. Ticket sales have already exceeded our expectations and we are grateful for this injection of funds into our local economy. Make sure you have got your tickets to be a part of this music festival. I might look a little bit out of place but I will also be there to enjoy it on Saturday night.

I’m looking forward to attending the Rotary Ipomoea Club’s Christmas Tree Festival tonight, starting at 6pm. This is a great way to start the festive season and I look forward to seeing if the club has the 100 entries it was aiming for this year.

A reminder to all, Carols by Candlelight will be on Sunday night. Starting at 7pm, it is a wonderful family evening to spend together and I look forward to seeing you there.

Mayor Graeme Miller

Staff and Councillors bid farewell to interim General Manager, Max Kershaw last Friday.

It was a privilege to have worked with Max, who worked well with staff and Council and kept the Shire on track as well as advancing our targeted principles.

We are also grateful to Max for his very comprehensive handover to our new General Manager, Steve Loane. We welcome Steve to our Council and look forward to continuing our vision for Forbes Shire.

Director of Engineering and Technical Services, John Zannes, and I attended the National Local and Transport Congress hosted by the Australian Local Government Association in Albany, Western Australia.

The conference was an invaluable experience with a great deal of information which will directly impact future road funding and objectives. We are preparing a full and detailed

report for Council.

Work is being finalised on the Grinstead Oval cricket pitch, the pitch has had a major upgrade. Council has contributed $70,000 to the project to ensure the ever popular sport can continue to be played on our top class sporting facilities.

As this year is very quickly drawing to a close, I am inviting everyone to start thinking about those wonderful people in our community who have really made a difference in 2017. Nominations are now being opened up for the Australia Day Citizen of the Year, Indigenous Citizen and Junior Citizen.

Mayor Graeme Miller

would like to welcome the incoming General Manager Steve Loane who will be starting his role on Monday, 13th November. His vast experience in the livestock industry and regional councils will stand him in good stead in Forbes. We’re looking forward to working with Steve to advance our community.

Speaking of community, I was very proud to see so many people generously donate their time and money to CanAssist Dancing with the Stars last Saturday night. A total of $61,000 was raised through this event and the proceeds will be used to help those touched by cancer and their families.

Thank you to those that attended the CBD Masterplan forums at the Town Hall. The data collected from the forums will contribute to the final CBD master plan, which when approved will be implemented expediently.

I also attended the unveiling of the new Forbes Skatepark artwork on Monday. Whilst there I spoke to a couple of boys who use the park regularly and they impressed me with their suggestions for improvement. Which is why we must encourage and empower our youth to contribute to their community and instil in them a sense of pride and ownership. Please contact the Council to join the Forbes Youth Action Team if you are a young person interested in making a difference.

Finally, don’t forget to subscribe to What’s On in Forbes to keep up to date with all the exciting events happening around town.

Yours Faithfully,

Cr Susan Chau

 

On Monday we received great news with two community groups receiving a substantial amount of grant funding for two important projects.

The Forbes Museum received $64,215 to facilitate the installation of a lift. The funding will be of enormous benefit to the museum as it will allow them to open up the second storey. Access for people with a disability will be vastly improved and the museum will be able to display far more items of historical significance.

The Forbes Jockey Club was also successful in obtaining $100,000 to repair the racecourse grandstand. It’s been a long road for the jockey club with the grandstand having been out of commission for two and half years. This will be of great benefit for race days and the camel races. I am looking forward to the day when we see the grandstand packed full of spectators again.

Our Grants Officer Andrew Rawsthorne, assisted with both these applications. Andrew has done a great job with them and I’d like to remind community groups that

he’s available to assist with grant applications.

The Forbes Men’s Shed continues their efforts to get their new facility funded and built. They have done significant fundraising to bring this vital community project to fruition. I will be meeting with the Deputy Premier and the Parliamentary Secretary for Western NSW and I can assure residents that we will leave no stone unturned in our efforts to assist this vital community group.

Mayor Graeme Miller

We continue to see encouraging news in our efforts to build the Forbes economy. In September almost $22 million worth of Development Applications were lodged with Council. The average yearly value of Development Applications over the last 10 years was $23.3 million, so this really is an amazing result.

What it shows is that the Forbes Shire is strategically placed for investors to start a business and reflects the confidence in our community.

Our search for a new General Manager continues. Max Kershaw is proving an able interim General Manager but we have made significant headway in finding a permanent replacement. On Monday we had the second round of interviews which involved applicants making a presentation in front of the full Council. The decision on a new General Manager is absolutely vital but we’re confident of appointing a competent and committed person who will help us drive this Shire forward.

I attended the Teddy Bears Picnic last Saturday. It was wonderful to see so many children and young people coming together and enjoying themselves. I’d like to congratulate the organisers on the success of the event.  As a Council we are proud to be a part of a family friendly community event.

At last week’s Council meeting we elected to form a number of community committees. The reformed 355 committees will include the Aerodrome Committee, Community Garden Committee and Heritage Committee. Council will be finalising its exact committee structure in November.

Mayor Graeme Miller

On Tuesday I attended the certificate presentation for the mock crash which was run by Council’s Road Safety and Injury Prevention Officer, Melanie Suitor.

The certificates were presented to those who contributed to the day including the actors and emergency services personnel.

Several high schools from across the Forbes, Parkes and Condobolin region took part in the mock crash, which plays a pivotal role in teaching our children to become safer drivers and educating them about the potential dangers they face on our roads. The mock crash is a vital activity and one which Council is proud to play a part in.

Vanfest organiser Matt Clifton has been recognised by his peers for his leadership in the events and hospitality industry after winning a category in the Australia Hotels Association Excellence Awards. This is a further recognition of how lucky we are to have Matt as our Event Manager.

On Wednesday a number of Councillors and I conducted a tour of the pool and met the new pool operators. We were highly impressed with their professionalism and look forward to partnering with them over the next three years to build a top quality community facility.

In our meeting yesterday we decided that we will take a Council meeting to Bedgerebong in 2018 and a meeting to Wirrinya in 2019. This will better enable our village residents to bring their concerns to Council and provide an opportunity for them to gain an insight into the way local government functions.

Mayor Graeme Miller

 

Roads and Maritime are conducting community consultations around the replacement of the Camp Street Bridge. The Camp Street Bridge was built in 1927 and is nearing the end of its life. To get the design right we need as many residents as possible to come in and have their say on the proposed plans. A drop in session will be held at Bernardi’s on Saturday between 9.30am and 12pm. The bridge concept designs are also on display at Forbes Shire Council’s administration office and at the library.

This week Council interviewed applicants for our vacant General Manager position. Out of those interviewed two or three candidates will be invited back to give a presentation to the Council on 26th October. The standard of candidates has been excellent and we are very confident of finding a highquality General Manager.

We are still receiving great comments about our activities over the past two weeks. There truly have been some terrific events including Grazing Down the Lachlan, the Forbes Running Festival, Kalari Lachlan River Arts, the Bedgerebong Country Music Muster, the Forbes Motor Show and Forbes Open Gardens. These events have been great for our town, attracting visitors, stimulating the economy and drawing positive feedback.

Many of you would have seen Forbes Shire Council’s school holiday 3D Art and Mural Painting Workshop held last week in the lane beside the St Vincent de Paul Society. It was great to see the community and the children so engaged in the project. The results are incredible.

Mayor Graeme Miller