It has been a hard week for many residents who have been affected by the flooding. We are still on flood watch. Please remember to call the SES on 132 500 if you need help. The Emergency Operations Centre has been open in the Town Hall since Saturday. I would like to thank the services involved for doing a great job. It is heartening to see
all of the support. There have been many visits to Forbes this week. On Sunday, NSW Deputy Premier Troy Grant and Deputy Leader of the Nationals Senator Fiona Nash visited. On Monday, NSW Premier Mike Baird, Minister
Emergency Services David Elliott and SES Commissioner Greg Newton were here. Minister for Justice Michael Keenan arrived with Troy Grant and Greg Newton on Tuesday and announced disaster assistance for
flood-affected communities across NSW including Forbes.

Information on the assistance available is at disasterassist.gov.au and emergency.nsw.gov.au. Retired NSW Police Deputy Commissioner Dave Owens, has been appointed as the Regional Recovery Coordinator to oversee the clean-up and recovery efforts. We have received many calls of support. Once the recovery process commences, we will know what is needed.

Danny Green
General Manager

At the time of writing this column, the declaration of the Forbes Shire Council election is this morning. Which also means the first Council meeting and the election of the Mayor has been postponed until later in the month. We will keep you updated when this meeting will be. We have had a lot of road closures due to the flooding over the past week and I know that it has been difficult for those affected, but please remember under no circumstances
can Council allow people to travel through closed roads.

The Forbes Show on Friday and Saturday was a fantastic event despite the wet weather. Our council stand won the Forbes PA&H Association Best Commercial Display – Outside for the second year in a row, which was great. Thanks to everyone who stopped in at our stand while at the show.

From September 26 to 30, Council is running its scrap metal, organics and bulky waste clean-up. This service is for all Council residents who are currently receiving a waste and recycling collection service. For the full list of acceptable items and for any enquiries, call Netwaste Customer Service on 1300 725 415.

Danny Green
General Manager

A quick reminder that it is Council Election Day tomorrow and polling will be open from 8am to 6pm. Polling places are Forbes Town Hall, Forbes Tennis Club, Forbes High School and Bedgerabong Public School (at the time of writing depending on road closures and flood water). If you can’t vote tomorrow, please remember prepoll voting is open until 6pm tonight at the Forbes Shire Council Chambers.

The engagement strategy for the review of the Community Strategic Plan will be underway next week with the surveys released online. We will keep you posted with the link to the survey in the next column. The survey will also be sent out with the September Community Newsletter, which will be distributed to all households the week commencing 26th September.

Thanks to all of the residents who helped the SES filling sandbags this week. It was great to see so many people there when I went along on Saturday. Please remember not to drive through flood water. It may not look very deep but the condition of the road underneath the water could be very poor.

At the time of writing this, the Forbes Show is still going ahead today and tomorrow. I hope everyone enjoys the day. Remember to come and visit our Council stand while you are there.

General Manager
Danny Green

The Meet the Councillor Candidates evening organised by the Forbes Business Chamber was a successful night with all 17 candidates presenting their ideas and views to the community. Pre-poll voting for the election is now open in the Council Chambers. Election Day is next Saturday, 10th September and polling places are the Forbes Town Hall, Forbes Tennis Club, Forbes High School and Bedgerabong Public School from 8am to 6pm.

Forbes is one of the LGAs receiving a Natural Disaster Declaration for storms and floods on 20th July. We will be able to apply for funding to help repair the roads that were damaged due to the amount of rain we received. This declaration also means that residents, such as producers, who were affected by the storms and floods can also apply for assistance. Applications are due before 28th February 2017. For more information visit http://www.raa.nsw.gov.au/

Council is preparing its engagement strategy for the review of the Community Strategic Plan. This review will take place over the next six months and looks forward to the next ten years to capture what the community views as its top priorities for the future of Forbes. There will be a number of public meetings, as well as surveys sent out to all households as part of the engagement process. We will keep you updated once the process begins.

The Forbes Show is on next Friday and Saturday. Council will have a display stand with a range of information available. Make sure you visit our stand!

Council’s NAIDOC celebrations were well attended on Tuesday despite a venue change because of wet weather. Congratulations to the winner of the Forbes Indigenous Person of the Year Award, Donna Bliss, and the winner of the Forbes Indigenous Youth of the Year Award, Ethan Markwort. Donna is one of the main driving forces behind Yoorana Gunya Family Healing Centre, while Ethan has shown his love of learning and teaching about his culture by participating in a range of activities.

Last Thursday was the last meeting of the current Council before the election on 10th September. Thank you to all the councillors for their hard work over the past four years. It was Councillor Graeme Falconer’s last meeting as he is retiring after 25 years of service. On behalf of all of Council, we wish Graeme all the best in his retirement.

Pre-polling for the election starts on Monday in the Chambers. There will be a meet the candidates evening run by the Forbes Business Chamber on Tuesday from 6pm at the Forbes Services Memorial Club.

On Sunday the Forbes Golf Club hosted 96 golfers in the Golf NSW Sands/Grass Greens Championships. It was a great event and the course was in pristine condition. We look forward to an ongoing partnership with Golf NSW and Grenfell Golf Club.

Next Thursday, Council is hosting a Prostate Cancer Awareness Night in partnership with CanAssist at the Forbes Services Memorial Club at 6.30pm. For more information contact Blake on 6850 2300.

Danny Green
General Manager

Census night was on Tuesday, 9th August, but don’t panic if you haven’t received your form yet or have not completed it as there is still time left until 21st August as long as it is a reflection of Tuesday night. The last Council session to help community members with their Census will be next Wednesday at the library from 9am to 12pm and 1 to 4pm. If you need any assistance, call Amy or Blake at the Council on 6850 2300.

Council is currently updating its text messaging system as another means of communicating with the community. The messages will include information such as closure of sporting fields, upcoming event notifications, road closures and important information in times of flooding. If you want to be on the text message database, contact Amy on 6850 2361 or email amy.millerd@forbes.nsw.gov.au.

As the Council election is on 10th September this will be my last column due to the rules and regulations of the Office of Local Government. You will be hearing from the General Manager, Danny Green until after the election of the Mayor on 15th September.

I would like to thank everyone for their support during the past four years. Please remember to take voting seriously as Local Government is the government closest to the people. So make sure to vote on the 10th on your way to the Forbes Show, or on your way home.

Have a great week, stay safe and God bless.
Mayor, Cr Phyllis Miller OAM

Last week I attended the Australian Livestock Markets Association Saleyards Conference in Bendigo with Councillors Graeme Miller and Brian Mattiske and Director Engineering and Technical Services, John Zannes. One of the highlights was having Tess and Andrew Herbert speak about the relationship of saleyards to feedlots. Tess gave a great presentation and did us all proud on behalf of the region.

On Wednesday night we held our meet and greet night for our new General Manager, Danny Green. It was great to see so many community members come along to join us in welcoming Danny.

Next Tuesday is Census night! Please help us to make sure everyone in Forbes is counted by completing your form. Council is hosting three fill in a form sessions to help residents complete their forms. These will be held on Monday, 8th August at Forbes North and Thursday, 11th August and Wednesday, 17th August at the Forbes Library. Sessions will be between 9am to 12pm and 1 to 4pm. If you are having any problems completing your Census form, give us a call or come along to one of the sessions.

The Council elections are on 10th September and nominations are now open for candidates. Nominations close on 10th August and if you have any questions about becoming a Councillor, don’t hesitate to contact me or any of the current Councillors. The website for a range of information is www.votensw.info

Have a great week, stay safe and God bless.
Mayor, Cr Phyllis Miller OAM

We have had some minor flooding across the Shire this week and a number of roads have been closed. Please remember that it is not only an offence to drive through a road closed sign, it is also dangerous as the condition of the road is not known and there could be submerged logs in the water.

Before our July Council meeting last Thursday, Councillors and executive staff had lunch with John Cobb and his wife Lisa to give our thanks and appreciation for his time as our Federal Member. John was always at the other end of the phone when we needed him and always did his best for Forbes and for that we are very grateful.

We are now looking forward to working with Member for Riverina Michael McCormack, who is also our new Small Business Minister. I am sure that he also will be there to assist us when required. We presented some of our top foodies with their five star Scores on Doors certificates at the Council meeting last week.

This program is a great initiative that rewards excellence in food handling and hygiene. Free sample testing, to find out if your home contains loose-fill asbestos, is currently taking place for owners of pre-1980s residential premises in our area. To register, or for more information, call 13 77 88. Don’t forget our meet and greet night for our new General Manager, Danny Green is on next Wednesday, 3rd August. RSVP for catering purposes by Monday by calling 6850 2361.

Here’s hoping the sun begins to shine and the rain lets up long enough to prevent any further flooding!

Have a great week, stay safe and God bless.
Mayor, Cr Phyllis Miller OAM

Wasn’t the weather on the weekend great? It was so nice to sit in the sun and feel alive again. The sun didn’t last long though with more rain upon us. Just a reminder for when you are driving around the shire, there are a number of roads that have been affected by rain creating soft edges and potholes so please make sure you travel with care. We will be completing the repairs as quickly as possible.

Our July meeting was held this week and it was our new General Manager Danny Green’s first Council meeting since arriving in Forbes. Please mark Wednesday, 3rd August in your diaries as we are having a welcome function for him at the Forbes Services Memorial Club from 5.30pm to 7pm.

This is a great chance for everyone to come along and say hello, enjoy a nibble and drink. Everyone is welcome, please RSVP for catering purposes by calling 6850 2361. Another event to mark in your calendar is the Forbes NAIDOC Week celebrations on 23rd August. NAIDOC Week is a great opportunity for everyone to come together and celebrate with our traditional owners as one united Australia.

As you know, the Census is being conducted on 9th August and field officers are still needed for our area. If you are interested in these paid positions visit www.abs.gov.au. Last Thursday, Evolution Mining announced $12,500 in funding for Forbes Wheelchair Basketball. This is fantastic news and will allow for five specialised wheelchairs to be purchased as well as other equipment.

Have a great week, stay safe and God bless.
Mayor, Cr Phyllis Miller OAM