Happy New Year and I hope you all had a lovely Christmas. For the summer holidays Council has organised the Forbes Beach at the Forbes Pool. To open the beach, a beach party was held last Friday night, which was very successful. For the rest of the summer there will be beach volleyball, beach cricket and other beach games as well as a chill out area with deck chairs and a beach theme wall.

The Parkes Elvis Festival started on Wednesday and just a reminder that there is a shuttle bus running from Forbes to Parkes and back each day of the festival for residents and visitors to attend. The cost for the bus is $10 one way, or $35 for unlimited rides. The full schedule is available online at www.forbes.nsw.gov.au and at each of the bus stops. Council has also planned a movie night with the screening of Viva Las Vegas at the Forbes Youth and Community Centre tomorrow night. Doors open at 8pm with the movie starting at 8.30pm. Tickets are $5 and are available at the door.

Nominations for the Forbes Shire Citizen of the Year (26 years and over) and Forbes Shire Young Citizen of the Year (25 years and younger) are open until 5pm on 18th January. These awards will be presented at the Australia Day celebrations at Colin McKenzie Park on Thursday, 26th January. Nomination forms can be collected from Council’s Administration Office or Council’s website at www.forbes.nsw.gov.au.

Mayor Graeme Miller

Council’s last meeting for the year was last Thursday and it was a very productive meeting. One of the items discussed was the aerodrome and we will be proceeding with the first stage of the subdivision in the near future. We also had a presentation from Chief Planner for NSW, Gary White, who discussed the Central West and Orana Regional Plan and provided information on mega trends. It was very informative and we appreciate Gary taking the time to come to Forbes.

Australia Day plans are well underway and our Australia Day Ambassador is former Governing and Artistic Director of the Ensemble Theatre, Sandra Bates. Nominations are still open for the Citizen of the Year awards with nomination forms available at the council office or online at www.forbes.nsw.gov.au Don’t forget to have your say on the Forbes Community Plan 2027 by completing the survey online at www.forbes.localvoices.com.au. You should have also received a hard copy of the survey in the mail with a reply paid envelope. This is your
chance to participate in the future planning for our town. The survey closes on Tuesday, 3rd January.

On behalf of Councillors and Staff, I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Council offices will be closed from 3pm today and will re-open at 8.30am on Tuesday, 3rd January. Mayor Graeme Miller

Council hosted an event to celebrate International Day for People with Disability on Tuesday at the Youth and Community Centre. Everyone who attended had a great day out with games, music and a sausage sizzle. I congratulate Ian Westcott who has just opened Betta Home Living in the former Bernardi’s building. He has made a great investment in our town and the store is much larger than the previous one.

Council’s last meeting for the year was yesterday and I will report more on the meeting outcomes in next week’s column. Last night Council conducted its annual water main scour in the CBD. Businesses and residents should not have been affected due to the timing but if you are in the CBD area and notice any discolouration after 7am this morning, call our Engineering department on 6850 2874.

I attended both Northparkes and Lake Cowal’s community consultative meetings recently. Both mines are doing a wonderful job for our communities and I thank them for inviting me to go along to these meetings. Centroc recently held its AGM and Mayor of Bathurst, Cr Gary Rush, is the new Chairman taking over from Mayor of Cowra, Cr Bill West. Centroc has a number of priorities for the year ahead including water security and business opportunities for the region.

Mayor Graeme Miller

What a fantastic night out at Carols by Candlelight on Sunday. The event was very well attended and Judy Prior did a great job as Master of Ceremoies. It was a pleasant evening and Santa even made an appearance. On Monday I went to West Wyalong with our Director of Engineering and Technical Services John Zannes to attend a Newell Highway Taskforce Forum. We gave feedback as to why flood proofing is needed for the Newell Highway and this will now be
collated and presented to the Federal Government.

The Templar Street footpath is at a standstill at the moment due to the unavailability of pavers. As soon as the pavers are available this work will continue. Unfortunately Council’s Community Newsletter, that was supposed to be delivered to all households, has been lost by Australia Post. The newsletter will now be sent out the week of 19th December.

Just another reminder that there are a number of items on public exhibition and I encourage you to have a look at these documents. These include the draft Community Funding Program Policy and the Pedestrian and Cycling Strategy. Both of these documents are available to view on our website www.forbes.nsw.gov.au or at Council’s administration office.

Don’t forget to have your say on the Forbes Community Plan 2027. Surveys can still be sent back or completed online
at www.forbes.localvoices.com.au. Our December Council meeting will be held in the Chambers on Thursday, 16th
December at 1pm. All welcome to attend.

Mayor Graeme Miller

Congratulations to HE Silos who were awarded the NSW Business Chamber’s Business of the Year, as well as the winner of the Excellence in Innovation category at a black tie gala dinner in Sydney last Friday. Principal Steven Morrison said he was very pleased to have won the award and being a member of the Forbes Business Chamber had opened a lot of doors for the company.

VANFEST on Friday and Saturday was excellent and everyone who attended had a great time. The work the Clifton family has done to bring an event like this to Forbes is quite outstanding. The event is a huge boost to our economy and they should be very proud of another successful year. It was a busy weekend in town with the Find it in Forbes Christmas Carnival and a number of markets on Saturday. There was also the SES Fundraiser Concert at the Forbes Services Memorial Club and the Forbes Choral Group Carol of Christmas Cantata on Sunday afternoon. All of
the events were well supported and it was great to see so many people out and about over the weekend.

This weekend is another busy one with the Rotary Ipomoea Christmas Tree Festival at the Town Hall today, tomorrow and Sunday, and Carols by Candlelight on Sunday night at Victoria Park. Don’t forget to have your say on the Forbes Community Plan 2027. Surveys can still be sent back or completed online at www.forbes.localvoices.com.au

Mayor Graeme Miller

At our November Council meeting last Thursday, our Section 355 Committees were adopted. There will be five mainstream committees focusing on the key elements of our Community Strategic Plan, which are Infrastructure, Natural Environment, Economic Development, Community and Places and Leadership.

Other committees that will continue separately are Floodplain Management, Saleyards Advisory and Audit, and Risk and Improvement. We will be seeking community representatives for each of these committees and we will let you know when nominations will be taken.

We have a number of items that are on public exhibition after Thursday’s meeting including the Forbes Pedestrian and Cycling Strategy as well as Council’s Community Funding Program Policy. These are both available to view online or at Council’s Administration Office. Nominations are now open for the Forbes Shire Citizen of the Year (26 years and over) and Forbes Shire Young Citizen of the Year (25 years and younger). These prestigious awards recognise residents who have made a significant contribution to our community.

Nominations close at 5pm on 18th January and the awards will be presented at our Australia Day celebrations on 26th January. Today is the White Ribbon Day March from 10am and I encourage you all to participate by marching or showing your support at the event. The march will conclude at Victoria Park about 10.45am where there will be guest speakers, including Nova Peris OAM, as well as a barbecue lunch.

Don’t miss out on VANFEST today and tomorrow! Tickets are still available!

Mayor Graeme Miller

The Legend of Ben Hall movie premiere was absolutely fantastic on Saturday night. A presentation was made by me on behalf of the community to the cast and crew to show our appreciation for bringing the premiere back to our town. The Long Lunch by the Lake on Sunday raised over $20,000 and was a great credit to Debbie Roylance and her committee. Now Forbes and Parkes will have their own physio touch machines as there was a fundraiser in Parkes the night before that raised money for the machines as well.

On Sunday afternoon, the Nissan Golf Classic was held at the Forbes Golf Course and it was a success with players from across NSW attending. Well done to Forbes’ John Betland who won the event. Vanfest is next weekend and the grounds are in top order. Tickets are still available, make sure you get yours!

Yesterday was our November Council meeting and l will report on the outcomes next week. Don’t forget to have your say at one of our Forbes Community Plan 2027 workshops. Visit www.forbes.localvoices.com.au or call Council on 68502300 to find out the dates. Please fill in the survey that was delivered to your home this week either by reply paid envelope or online at the website above.

This will help create a plan for the next ten years that is reflective of what the community wants Council to achieve.

Mayor Graeme Miller

The first community workshop for the Forbes Community Plan 2027 is on Tuesday from 6pm to 7.30pm at the Forbes Town Hall. There will be another two held in Forbes as well as Bedgerabong, Wirrinya and Ootha over the next fortnight. This is your chance to have an input into the way Council operates and what the focus
areas will be over the next ten years. For days and times of the workshops visit the website www.forbes.localvoices.com.au.

As part of the engagement process there is also a survey for all residents to fill in. This survey can be completed online through the website mentioned above and it will also be delivered to all households in the Shire from Monday.
Tomorrow night is the world premiere of The Legend of Ben Hall. This is a very special event for our community to be hosting.

If you haven’t got your tickets yet visit www.stickytickets.com.au/44586. Tickets will also be available at the gate on the night. We have a busy weekend in Forbes with the Nissan Classic at the Golf Club and on Sunday the Long Lunch by the Lake Fundraiser is being held at Lions Park. Don’t forget to vote in the NSW Seat of Orange By-Election. Election Day is tomorrow and pre-polling is also available today at the Town Hall.

Mayor Graeme Miller

The Boscars were a great success last Friday night and I congratulate John Davis Motors on winning Business of the Year. Congratulations to all the other businesses who won awards and to the Forbes Business Chamber for putting on such an outstanding event.

The Newell Highway between Forbes and West Wyalong will reopen today at 9am. This is great news for our business community and the travelling public. This means all roads into Forbes are now open after the flood event.

Pre-polling starts tomorrow in the Town Hall for the NSW Seat of Orange By-Election, and will continue all week with Election Day next Saturday. Don’t forget to vote! If you haven’t purchased your tickets for The Legend of Ben Hall world premiere at the Forbes Showground on next Saturday, get yours at www.stickytickets.com.au/44586. This is an event not to be missed and we are very lucky to be hosting the world premiere.

If you haven’t got your tickets for VANFEST yet, make sure you get in quick. The two-day festival on 25th and 26th November will have many new features this year! The engagement process for our Community Strategic Plan starts on 15th November. There will be a number of workshops for community members to have their say on the future of our Shire. We also have a survey for residents to fill in. This will be sent to all households. To fill out the survey online or to register for a workshop, visit www.forbes.localvoices.com.au

Mayor Graeme Miller