Over the long weekend we welcomed the 40th National Sunbeam Car Rally to Forbes. We hosted an official welcome on Friday night in the Town Hall and it was a great event. On Saturday morning the rain held off long enough for the show and shine in Harold Street and there were some great cars on display.

The participants in the rally were so pleased with their time in Forbes and I enjoyed a great night out at their social dinner on Saturday.

The Sydney Weekender episode featuring Forbes is set to air at 5.30pm on Prime7 on July 10! Make sure you tune in to watch Mike Whitney venture around Forbes! We have had quite a few economic development enquiries and we are working with the interested parties to achieve the best outcome possible for the community.

All of the enquiries have been very positive and we will keep you posted when we have something concrete to report.

A background paper on the Joint Organisations model has been released and is currently on exhibition. If the model is right, Joint Organisations will be beneficial for regional collaboration and planning throughout regional councils.

Tonight the Western Region Academy of Sport is hosting a Regional Athlete and Coach Education Workshop at the Forbes Sports and Recreation Club from 6.30pm to 7.30pm. The workshop will provide a range of valuable information to athletes and is free to attend.

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

On Monday night we held a public meeting to present our draft operational budget for the next 12 months. We are very pleased that we are delivering an all-time record, balanced budget at $38 million. At the moment we are looking at delivering $15.5 million in capital works and almost $12 million through the general fund. It is going to be a big year.

A $600,000 pledge to rehabilitate the netball courts if the Turnbull Government is re-elected was announced on Saturday morning by Riverina MP Michael McCormack and Senator Fiona Nash. The netball community are so excited about the pending grant.

Forbes Preschool was officially opened by Deputy Premier Troy Grant on Friday and we cannot thank him enough for his involvement in this project. Through a very solid partnership with the preschool, the State Government and Council, we’ve been able to deliver a state of the art preschool that will take us into the next 60 years.

Sydney Weekender host Mike Whitney and his crew were in Forbes on Tuesday and Wednesday to film an episode on our town! It was great to have them here and I can’t wait to watch the episode! I will keep you updated when we find out when it will be aired on TV.

Due to the wet weather, the completion of the resurfacing work in the CBD has been delayed. We thank you for your patience while this work continues.

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

If you haven’t heard the news yet, Council has appointed Danny Green as our new General Manager. Danny will start on Monday, July 4 and we are very confident that Forbes will go ahead in leaps and bounds under his management. Danny has been the General Manager of Gloucester Shire Council since 2012 and brings with him a range of experience and qualifications.

He is very enthusiastic about moving to Forbes and is the kind of General Manager that really cares about the community he works in and the team that works for him. Council’s draft 2016-17 Operational Plan is currently on exhibition and a public meeting will be held at 6pm on Monday, June 6 at the Town Hall to answer any questions you may have. Once all the feedback is received, we will consider it again at the next meeting on June 17.

Today is the official opening of the new Forbes Preschool which is very exciting. The preschool has been open for a few weeks and it is just fantastic that we have this great facility in town. The official ceremony takes place at 9.30am and the preschool will be open for people to look through from 9am to 2pm. It is definitely worth a look!

At 6.30pm next Wednesday a public meeting will be held at the Bedgerabong Community Hall with Councillors and staff. A number of items are on the agenda including the Rural Waste Facilities Option Plan and how groups can access grant funding. I encourage all Bedgerabong residents to come along.

I have been appointed as a committee member to the State Weed Committee for the next three years. The committee’s purpose is to reduce the impact of weeds on the community, primary industries and environment by providing consistent and transparent state level leadership, coordination and accountability for weed management throughout NSW. I am looking forward to working with the other committee members to achieve this.

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

Forbes Heritage has been a great success and for those who were able to get along to the events, there was plenty happening. A lot of hard work was done by various community members in bringing Forbes Heritage together. Their dedication and stewardship to our heritage is second to none.

One of the events I attended was the unveiling of the Discovering Our Doctors interpretive panels at the Forbes Medical Centre. Dr McDonnell and Dr Palmer were both recognised and it was really interesting to hear from one of the medical students from the University of Wollongong, Tristan Scott, who is also Army Reserve personnel. Dr McDonnell was a medico in the Boer War and World War I and Dr Palmer was a medico in World War II. Tristan related his experience to the evolution of medicine and how the compromises you make while out in the field have become innovative medical practices.

Another great event during Forbes Heritage was Rob Willis’ Down Memory Lane walking tour on Sunday. I have had numerous people tell me how good it was and hopefully Rob will be able to do a few more tours next year!

I was privileged to attend the Forbes Heritage Awards Presentation Evening on Tuesday night. It was great to see so many people in attendance as well as a great showcase of artwork from both young and old. The prestigious Forbes Medal was awarded to ‘Our Anzacs’ Centenary Exhibition at the Forbes Museum, which was just wonderful. The Heritage Volunteer Award recipient was John Fisher, whose historic machinery displays have become something of an institution in Forbes.

Have a great week, stay safe and God bless.

Mayor, Cr Phyllis Miller OAM

Anzac Day on Monday attracted a huge crowd and the exciting part about the numbers was the amount of young people that were involved. Whether they were marching or just attending the service, the amount of youths in attendance who were all there to honour our brave soldiers that fought for freedom and the life that we have today, was just great.

We also welcomed a bikie crew, The Veterans, from Canberra, who were all returned soldiers from past conflicts and wars.

Our new Director Corporate Services, Alison Coe starts on May 2. We are all looking forward to welcoming her to town and working with her.

Before our April Council meeting on Thursday there was a presentation from the NSW Department of Planning and Environment on the draft Central West and Orana Regional Plan. This plan will allow Councils in the area to make a more strategic approach into regional funding, giving us more opportunities to get Government funding into our region.

Extensions have commenced on the Forbes Medical Centre, which will sure up students from the University of Wollongong into the future. A big thanks to the doctors for getting the $250,000 in grant funding, which has made it all possible.

For the month of March, just over $5 million worth of development applications were lodged. If the development applications keep tracking like that, we will have an enormous amount of investment in our Shire.

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

We had another 2016-17 budget workshop on Monday night and everyone is working really hard to deliver a balanced budget, which is common practice each year. On Tuesday afternoon I attended a meeting in Sydney with Centroc executives, Local Government Procurement and the president of Local Government NSW in relation to the joint organisation initiative.

I will talk more about this meeting in next week’s column. I took part in the Walk to D’Feet Motor Neurone Disease on Sunday and it was very well-attended. MND is such a terrible disease and Pat Duncan and her band of helpers do an amazing job with the organisation of the event. People come from near and far to attend this event and some people had to stay in Orange and drive over that morning as accommodation in Forbes was completely
booked out. I also know that because I ended up with a mother and three children from Wollongong staying at my house.

Last Wednesday night, Councillors and staff travelled to Wirrinya to meet with residents and we had a great turn out. It was a good opportunity for Councillors to hear the issues the residents are experiencing out there. We also provided those in attendance with an update on the Rural Waste Facilities Option Plan. Council’s Grants Officer Andrew Rawsthorne was also at the meeting to discuss grant funding available to community groups. If you are looking for grant funding for a project or need help with an application,
don’t hesitate to make an appointment with Andrew by calling 6850 2327.

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

On Monday I attended the Newell Highway Task Force meeting in West Wyalong. There is quite a substantial investment being put into the Newell Highway and so there should be. It is one the busiest highways in Australia and it certainly needs a boost in investment. The Newell Highway brochures have a tiny hiccup this year with the Fit for the Future planning and possible amalgamations. It was decided that new brochures won’t be printed until amalgamations are confirmed.

I went along to the Forbes Rodeo on Saturday and I’ve never felt so proud. For a committee as small as it is to put on such an amazing event, Troy Read and his band of workers and committee deserve a big pat on the back. It was a great family event with great weather and everything was perfect. Only one change for next year – can we have some more food outlets, we were 50-deep and all hungry.

Our Acting General Manager Max Kershaw has fitted in very nicely into the organisation. His experience has allowed him to come in and keep everything moving along. Don’t be afraid to introduce yourself to him or if you have any issues to talk to the General Manager or myself about, don’t hesitate to make an appointment. It’s business as usual.

Next Thursday is our April Council Meeting and there is a lot on the agenda. The meeting starts at 1pm at the Council Chambers. Have a great week, stay safe and God bless.

Mayor, Cr Phyllis Miller OAM

This week has been a busy one with a number of events taking place and visitors to our town. On Monday, I went to a luncheon at Northparkes Mines, which NSW Minister for Planning, Rob Stokes MP, attended. Minister Stokes visited the mine to inspect how well mining can integrate into communities such as Parkes and Forbes. It was also a good opportunity for me to discuss a number of planning matters that are frustrating for Forbes Shire Council.

On Monday afternoon, we had a visit from the sitting Federal Member for the Riverina, Michael McCormack. With the new electorate boundaries, Forbes will now be sitting in his electorate and it was a great chance for Councillors to ask him a number of questions. He reassured us that he is here to represent his entire electorate and not just the southern area.

We had Golf NSW in town on Wednesday to make the announcement of a very special event for both Forbes and Grenfell with Australia’s first ever Sands/Grass Greens 36 Hole Championship for both men and women, which will be held on August 20 and 21. We’re very honoured to be a host partner and look forward to welcoming the golfers to town that weekend. Golf NSW
also announced that Forbes will host one of the 2016 NSW Open Regional Qualifying Tournaments on October 8 and 9, which is also excellent news.

Have a great week, stay safe and God bless.

Mayor, Cr Phyllis Miller OAM

I hope everyone had a lovely Easter and a nice break. The Camel Races on Good Friday were great and the numbers were excellent. Even though Orange has their Camel Races on Easter Sunday now it doesn’t make a difference to our numbers, it actually makes it more viable for the camel owners by having two meetings over one weekend.

The Federal Court decided on Tuesday that the Local Government NSW Board has been dissolved and a new vote for the 13 board members, including myself, will be conducted by a postal ballot. Our Acting General Manager Max Kershaw started with Council on Tuesday and has a long and highly respected career in Local Government. We look forward to working with him over the next few weeks to months and I welcome him to Forbes on behalf of the community. Seniors Week starts today and there are plenty of activities to celebrate. Among the events is a Seniors Expo at the Forbes Youth and Community Centre and a concert, Songs of Love and Loss, on Sunday at the Forbes Town Hall. There are also a number of come and try days and morning
teas at the Mater and Jemalong Residential Village.

Next Wednesday the Pollie Pedal will be stopping over in Forbes. They are arriving at about 3.30pm in Victoria Park so come down and show your support. There are a number of politicians taking part including Tony Abbott.

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

Our March Council meeting was held last Thursday and Council resolved to recruit a new General Manager after the resignation of Brian Steffen. We wish Brian well in his future endeavours and in the interim Council has been fortunate in obtaining the services of Mr Max Kershaw who has a long and outstanding career as a General Manager. Max will commence on Tuesday,
March 29.

Our Director of Corporate Services Amity Howe had her last day with Council on Thursday. She has been an outstanding Director of Corporate Services and will be sadly missed by all.

Council also resolved at the March meeting to extend the pool season for another four weeks until Sunday, April 24. This means that families will be able to continue enjoying the pool during the Easter school holidays.

I attended Stuart Livingstone’s funeral on Tuesday morning. Stuart was one of our local born and bred people of the area that had a stellar career in policing. Sadly Stuart was taken from us way too early but he will always be remembered for his common sense approach to policing and his sense
of humour.

On Tuesday afternoon, Council took part in the Let’s Stand Together to Prevent Suicide event at Parkes Showground. It was a joint collaboration between a number of organisations and Councils in the Lachlan
Area Command.

Have a Happy Easter, stay safe and God bless.

Mayor, Cr Phyllis Miller OAM