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

Last week Council received great news in our efforts to grow the local economy. Approval has been received for the construction of a major $5.4 million service centre to be located at the Homemakers Centre.

The development will see the construction of a service station, convenience store, restaurant and car parking. Last week Council also announced that consultants had been appointed to produce a detailed blueprint for the future of the CBD. There has already been renewed demand for shops in the CBD and once complete the masterplan will stimulate significant interest from people looking to set up business in our town.

Forbes Shire Council recently announced changes to the operations of its rural tips. These changes were necessary as we need to protect ratepayers from the potential consequences of unrestricted and uncontrolled access to our village landfills. These changes will come into effect from 6th November. Visit the Council webpage or contact our office for further information. Council is also currently examining options to extend the life of the Daroobalgie landfill.

I’d like to congratulate the organisers of last weekend’s Forbes Motor Show. There was a big crowd in attendance to enjoy the show and the perfect weather.

Finally Roads and Maritime Services have announced a concept plan for the replacement of the Camp Street Bridge. The project team will be out and about in Forbes over the coming months and we encourage all residents to have their say. You can find out more at www.rms.work/forbesbridge

What a weekend we have just had in Forbes. We had two major events with the inaugural Grazing Down the Lachlan and the River Arts Festival lakeside celebrations.

Grazing Down the Lachlan was a wonderful experience and it really showed to our visitors what we can do out here in Forbes. The event was very well organised and I congratulate the committee for doing such a wonderful job.

After the Grazing Down the Lachlan, Maureen and I attended the official opening of the River Arts Festival. The lantern parade was quite spectacular and it was great to see so many children performing at the festival. Congratulations to Margot Jolly and her team. I would also like to mention the great work of the Council staff who helped pack up everything.

At last Thursday’s Council meeting Councillor Jenny Webb was elected Deputy Mayor and I am looking forward to working with her for the next 12 months.

I would also like to mention the presentation Guy Webb made at our Council meeting in regards to his not-for-profit research organisation Soil C Quest. If you get a chance watch the video petition his son has created to invite Elon Musk to back the Soil C Quest 2031 Project.

There are a number of events in the Forbes Shire over the long weekend including the opening of the Somewhere Down The Lachlan Sculpture Trail tonight, the Rural Arts Symposium tomorrow night and the Forbes Motor Show on Sunday.

Mayor
Graeme Miller

 

The Boscars were held last Friday night at the Forbes Services Memorial Club and in my opinion it was one of the best Boscars I have attended. Councillors and Council staff were in attendance and it was a fabulous night to recognise our business community. Congratulations to all of the winners, especially to Forbes Family Dentists for winning the Business of the Year. Council sponsored the Business Leader of the Year award and I congratulate Larry Storm from HE Silos on his win.

Unfortunately I was unable to attend the Central West Rugby Union Blowes Clothing Cup Grand Final in Orange on Saturday but the Forbes Platypi were victorious against the Orange Emus 28-20. From what I have heard the mighty Platypi played very well and I congratulate the players and the committee on a very successful year.

On Saturday night we were back at the Forbes Services Memorial Club for the NSW Small Winemakers Wine Show for the presentation dinner. Most of the awardwinning wineries were in attendance to col lect their trophies and it was a great night with delicious food and wine. Once again congratulations to the organising committee for continuing to recognise the small winemakers industry.

Tomorrow is the inaugural Grazing Down the Lachlan event and it will be a great day out. There are a lot of visitors coming to Forbes and I wish the organising committee all the best for a fantastic day.

Mayor

Graeme Miller