It has been a busy week with a host of meetings with NSW Government Ministers including MLA Member for Penrith Karen McKeown, Regional Transport and Roads Minister Jenny Aitchison, Water Minister Rose Jackson, Planning and Public Spac­es Minister Paul Scully and Local Govern­ment Minister Ron Hoenig.

Also in my role as Local Government NSW President, I have been working with several LGAs which have had significant rate variations. Forbes Shire Council is very fortunate we have had a consistent plan of developing our own source rev­enue. Own source revenue prevents us from being solely reliant on rate revenue.

It is good to have other revenue streams rather than having to raise rates over and above rate pegging.

Next week, the Business Chamber is hosting a Networking Night in Forbes on Monday 24 February at Club Forbes.

This event is a fantastic opportunity for Forbes business owners to connect, share ideas, and build valuable relationships- speakers from the Forbes Advocate and 2PK Radio.

All businesses are welcome to attend and be a part of the vibrant Forbes busi­ness community. For more information, contact the Forbes Business Chamber 0436 316 868 or email info@forbesbusi­nesschamber.com.au.

Thank you to the Rural Adversity Mental Health Program for hosting a Flood Recov­ery Check in on Wednesday 26 February at the Rugby Club from 5pm. Our community is still recovering and on the night you will find out coping mechanisms and also have the chance for a FREE physical check up.

Contact Phil Worrad on 0436 921 076 to RSVP.

Remember to come along to one of my favourite nights of the year – the Welcome to Forbes event at the Vandenberg Hotel on Thursday 27 February. Please every­one come along to welcome our newest residents, make sure you invite your new neighbour, colleague or friends.

It is such a fun night and we always get great feedback from our new residents. If you are new to town, please come along and meet our council, staff, community and sporting groups and other new residents.

Until next week,
God blessPhyllis Miller,
OAM

It is great to see some of the many pro­jects we have happening in our town hit­ting milestones in their development. If you have driven past Spooner Oval recently you would have seen the structural steel of its new grandstand going up. This marks a significant milestone in the project, and we will now start seeing the rest of this facil­ity take shape, including the exterior of the building, interior fit outs and the installation of the seats. The project is on track to be completed by September this year and is going to be literally game-changer for sport in Forbes once it’s done.

We are pleased to be a partner in the Rural Adversity Mental Health Program event on Wednesday 26 February at the Forbes Rugby Club. The aim of this event is to check in with our community on how we are tracking two years after the floods.

Come along and have a chat to the servic­es attending and get a free blood pressure and glucose check.

We have our Welcome to Forbes event the next day on Thursday 27 February at the Vandenberg Hotel. This is for all new residents of Forbes and is a great chance to get to know your councillors, other new residents, local community groups and sporting organisations. Welcome to Forbes events are lovely occasions as we really enjoy welcoming new people to town.

We will be celebrating International Women’s Day on Saturday 8 March with a breakfast at Lions Park. We are excited to announce we will have two inspirational guest speakers – Kelly Foran and Belinda Mawhinney. Kelly is the founder and CEO of Friendly Faces Helping Hands, which helps rural families through health crises, and Belinda is a leadership consultant who strives to improve workplace culture. It’s sure to be another inspiring occasion – make sure to book your ticket! Please see our website for details about all these events.

God Bless,
Phyllis Miller OAM

Thank you to all members of the commu­nity who completed the all-important Com­munity Survey for our Community Strategic Plan (CSP). The CSP is a 10-year plan for the future of our shire and sets out the strategies Council will undertake to achieve each item in the plan. The survey was the first stage of updating the CSP, and this was the community’s chance to let Council know what it wants and expects for the fu­ture of Forbes.

To everyone who took the time to complete the survey and have their say, thank you for your effort. I’d also like to say a special “thank you” to the hundreds of local chil­dren who completed the survey – you are the future of our shire, and your input is so important.

Council will now collect all the data from the responses and let the community know “what we heard” as the next stage of updat­ing the CSP. The community will now get another chance to provide more input, so stay tuned for the details. The final stage will see all information collated and the final CSP report created, which will be adopted by Council on 1 July 2025.

I am looking forward to welcoming new members of our community at our next Wel­come to Forbes event on Thursday 27 Feb­ruary at the Vandenberg Hotel. If you have moved to Forbes Shire I would love to see you there. It’s a great way to meet other new residents and get to know more about Amazing Forbes, Forbes Shire Council, as well as the various community and sporting groups in town. The event starts at 5:30pm.

To RSVP please call Council on 6850 2300 or email events@forbes.nsw.gov.au.

For all residents impacted by the dev­astating 2022 floods, please do not forget to RSVP to the two-year flood recovery check-in event. It is completely free and will include Legal Aid NSW, NSW Recon­struction Authority and NSW Ambulance to give you the guidance you need, and even some free health checks. It will be at the Forbes Rugby Club from 5pm – 6:30pm on Wednesday 26 February. Please RSVP by texting Phil Worrad on 0436 921 076.

Until next week,
God blessPhyllis Miller, OAM
Forbes Mayor

What an amazing weekend we had on Sat­urday 25 January and Sunday 26 January celebrating Australia Day in Forbes, and coming together as a community to cel­ebrate Australia – the greatest country in the world.

I was thrilled to announce our three Citizen of the Year Award winners along­side our Australia Day Ambassador, Ange Clarke, at our Gala Dinner at Forbes Town Hall on Saturday night. Congratulations to Maree Yapp, 2025 Forbes Citizen of the Year, Senior Citizen of the Year, Helen Smith, and Young Citizen of the Year, An­nika Dukes. They are all inspiring individu­als who have made amazing contributions to our community and made a difference to the lives of many.

It was great to see so many people enjoying Australia Day the Aussie way – with a BBQ at our Community Breakfast at Lions Park. Thanks to the Rotary Club of Forbes Ipomoea for cooking the BBQ.

Many returned to Lions Park in the evening to enjoy live music from local buskers, food vans and the spectacular fireworks display from Bates Bridge.

We welcomed five new citizens at our Citizenship ceremony on Sunday, with Karunadheera Gamiathge Sugayana Di­nithi, Methmi Gamage, Githmi Gamage, Kurt Friedrich Drewes and Alexandra Very­an Drewes making the Australian citizen­ship pledge. Congratulations on becom­ing Australian citizens and thank you for choosing to live in Amazing Forbes.

Our two-year flood recovery check-in event has been locked in for 5pm – 6:30pm on Wednesday 26 February at the Forbes Rugby Club. This event is free and is part of the natural disaster two-year recovery stage. Legal Aid NSW, NSW Reconstruc­tion Authority and NSW Ambulance will all be there. If you were impacted by the floods and are still working through the recovery process, you need to attend this event. Please RSVP by texting Phil Wor­rad, the organiser, on 0436 921 076.

Lastly, our next Welcome to Forbes event is on Thursday 27 February at the Vanden­berg Hotel from 5:30pm. If you’re new to Forbes please come and join us! We would love to meet you.

God Bless,
Phyllis Miller OAM
Forbes Mayor

Celebrating the Forbes community will begin on Saturday 25 January with the Citizen of the Year Gala Dinner where the Young, Senior and Citizen of the Year will be announced.

There has been an amazing line up of nominees this year, so thank you to eve­ryone who has formally recognised some of these extraordinary people. It is actually very humbling to find out about the won­derful contributions these pillars in our community make. The Gala Dinner is so much fun, celebrating and acknowledging the amazing community members we have here in Forbes.

Australia Day Celebrations will continue on Sunday 26 January with the traditional Community Breakfast at Lions Park from 8am – 10am, hosted by Forbes Rotary Club.

It is a great way to start the day, down at the lake. Come down and enjoy the festivi­ties and meet our Australia Day Ambassa­dor Ange Clarke. Ms Clarke is an advocate for disability and inclusion and is the found­er of Where There’s a Will – a wonderful business that repurposes cricket bats into art. The official proceedings will begin at 9.15am.

Later in the day there will be a citizenship ceremony in Council Chambers. I love the Australia Day citizenship ceremonies, they are always such a special ceremony for friends and families to celebrate.

Then beginning at 6pm, the Community Australia Day event will be on. Head down to Lions Park to enjoy the buskers, food vans and fireworks at 9pm.

Don’t forget our Community Strategic Plan Survey is open until Friday 31 Janu­ary. We need as many residents as pos­sible to complete this survey so we know what the community wants for the future of Forbes. Survey responses will be the ba­sis for the council’s next 10 year Strategic Plan.

The survey only takes 10 minutes and is on the front page of the Forbes Shire Council website in the Have Your Say link https://yoursay.forbes.nsw.gov.au/forbescommunity-strategic-plan-review.

Until next week,
God blessPhyllis Miller,
OAMForbes Mayor

A very happy New Year to everyone, I know at Forbes Shire Council we are looking for­ward to another busy and highlight filled year with plenty of projects and develop­ments already planned.

Welcome one and all to the 2025 Elvis Festival – what a tremendous event hosted by Parkes Shire Council.

Recognised as one of the top three fes­tivals in Australia, the festival attracts thou­sands of fans every year to our patch in the Central West. This festival has been pre­dicted to inject around $13 million into the local economies. What an extraordinary ef­fort.

Held in January to celebrate the King of Rock and Roll’s birthday on the 8th of Jan­uary, the 2025 Festival is being held from 8-12 January – the 32nd year for the event.

The Elvis Festival has more than 200 events for fans to shake, rattle and roll their way around and continues to attract more enthusiasts every year. It is a mammoth ef­fort and while the team may make it look like it is “Easy Come, Easy Go”, months of meticulous planning are required to host such an event.

Forbes Shire Council are proud support­ers of the Parkes Elvis Festival, running a shuttle bus for anyone wishing to tour our neck of the woods. Buy a one time pass for unlimited trips between the towns. We are very appreciative that many travellers opt to stay or visit our Amazing Forbes while they are in the area.

To celebrate, we will be again hosting the Amazing Street Breakfast on Friday 10 January – starting at 7am you can swing on down to Templar Street, Forbes, for this free and very popular event.

Enjoy Elvis’ hits with popular entertainers Elvis Roberts, Paul Sun Duo and Ray of Elvis and the ever popular Sydney Swing Katz.

This free event will also have food and coffee vans with local cafes open for out­door dining. For more information go to the Forbes Shire Council website.

You can also find details of the Forbes Art Society’s Elvis Exhibition – Easy Come, Easy Go! Being held 8-12 January, the exhibition is at the Forbes Town Hall. The exhibition is open from 10am to 4pm each day.

Phyllis Miller,
OAMForbes Mayor

It feels like another year has slipped by far too quickly. So I am really looking forward to stopping and savouring every single minute we have with our family and friends over this holiday break.

I think it is easy to get caught up in how hectic the year has been in the lead up to Christmas but I will making a big effort to really enjoy the precious time we all have together and look back over the many, many things we have achieved in the year.

Here at Council we have commenced and finalised several major projects, main­tained and improved a lot of infrastructure and continued to drive the culture of growth and development we are well known for here at Forbes Shire Council.

From a community perspective, it has been a tough year, we have had some tragic losses and we have all rallied to sup­port each other, not overcoming them but getting through these times together.

It was pleasing to see our Council re­main largely the same in the September election. The minimal change reflecting the community’s confidence in our leadership and direction we are taking the Council in.

Politically, it has been a busy year of ad­vocating and working with the State and Federal Governments and as always mak­ing sure Forbes and regional LGAs have been represented and heard.

I am pleased to say we have further ce­mented our working relationships with our local members and a number of ministers we have welcomed to Forbes throughout the year.

We have continued to work with develop­ers to maintain momentum and investment in our community, I am excited about the new opportunities for the Forbes commu­nity next year and beyond.

I wish all of our community and safe and happy holiday – we hope you all have an amazing Christmas and enjoy a well earned break. It is an opportunity to regroup and rest before we face another busy and achievement filled 2025.

God Bless – looking forward to working with and for you all in 2025.

Phyllis Miller OAM
Forbes Mayor

Last week I was in Western Australia to at­tend the 2024 National Local Roads, Trans­port, and Infrastructure Congress which presented a comprehensive program fo­cused on roads, transport, and community infrastructure.

Government leaders, academics, indus­try bodies, and councils discussed key top­ics, such as infrastructure to support future housing, renewable energy deployment and integration, active transport innova­tions and transitioning to a circular econo­my. This Congress provides a valuable op­portunity to expand professional networks and connect with local government suppli­ers who can support our council initiatives.

It was lovely to catch up with some of our local tradies at the BUILD Forbes Tradies event on Friday night. We love our tradies and as I said on the night, we are very keen to get them listed on our new directory, a great resource for all local businesses and to upskill local trades so they can win coun­cil contracts and work. Looking forward to our next event in May.

This week concludes our first week of nose in parking – I know there has been a lot said about this but as I was standing in the street watching traffic on Monday, it was great to see (almost) all the cars nose in. Traffic flowed smoothly and our courte­ous Forbes drivers shared the road well. It has been a long time since it the CBD mas­terplan but it really was thoroughly consult­ed. The work itself has been a bit delayed with Covid and the flood. Let’s see how we all feel in 12 months.

With such a busy finish to the year, it re­ally is exciting that it is beginning to feel like Christmas. The decorations look amazing and the special Christmas lights and show is again being shown at Town Hall from 8.30pm until 11pm. Don’t forget to tune into 88.7FM on your car radio for the full audio-visual experience. It is Carols by Candlelight are on Saturday night. A really lovely family night in Victoria Park, it starts at 7pm – there will be live performances, Santa and plenty of food vendors. Carols begin at 8pm.

Until next week
Phyllis Miller, OAM
Forbes Mayor

The big news this week is the change to nose in parking in Lachlan Street from Brownes Lane to Rankin Street. New lines will be painted during nightworks on Sun­day 8 December and Monday 9 December, so as of next week the residents of Forbes will be parking nose in. It’s a win for local businesses, as not only will they not be disturbed by the works but there will be ad­ditional car parks in Lachlan Street for the busy December trade.

More parks will be needed around the new cultural centre (former ambulance sta­tion) as when that is ready mid next year.

There will be two disabled parks allocated in the northern and southern ends of Lachlan Street. One will be outside the cultural cen­tre and the second will near the former NAB.

Nose in parking in Lachlan Street has been discussed since the CBD master­plan (2020) and following the success of the Templar Street trial over two years ago.

The recommendation was passed by Coun­cil’s Traffic Committee, with representatives from Transport for NSW, the community, Po­lice, the Roads Safety Officer and Forbes Shire Council. For those with questions, you can meet with Director of Engineering, Richard Jane, on the corner of Lachlan and Templar Street on Friday morning to ask any questions or find out more.

Is there a tradie in your household? Are they coming to the Build Forbes Tradies Night on Friday 6 December. To be held from 6pm-9pm at the Golf Club – the night is for tradesman and developers to find out more about Forbes development trends and contracting opportunities. There will also be agencies offering business support servic­es, as well as a chance for tradies to find out more about how to work with Council. Free tickets can be booked at 123 tix.

Thank you to all who participated in our first ever International Men’s Day event last week. I was unable to attend but was given good reports from those who were. What a great opportunity to acknowledge the men in our community. International Women’s Day has always been a very successful event in Forbes so it is nice to see the men taking the opportunity to organise an event as well.

Thank you to the Deputy Mayor Chris Roy­lance for leading this event for the council and community.

Until next week
Phyllis Miller, OAM – Forbes Mayor

There was a soft launch at the Forbes Mul­tipurpose Equestrian Centre (MEC) with representatives from the many horse user groups, local contractors and enthusiasts.

The MEC is a grand facility, measuring 80m x 60m, located between the showground and the racecourse and is the first step in what we hope to develop as an amazing horse precinct in future years.

There has been so much interest in this specular facility, it has already been booked for its first event this weekend. We are all looking forward to continuing to dvelop and attract funds to make this facility even more amazing.

The MEC was completed on time and on budget by the Forbes Shire Council with funding from the NSW Government Office of Sport Multi Sport Community Facility Fund.

What a win for the community, it’s not every day a town our size can build, with local contractors, a facility this size which will be able to house many horse and out­door events under cover.

Forbes will be hosting our first ever Inter­national Men’s Day event on Friday. Start­ing at 7am at Lions Park the morning will include a free breakfast, ice plunge, walk around the lake and some inspirational speakers. This event has created a lot of interest and we look forward to seeing you all down there.

Our EV chargers were commissioned on Wednesday. After substantial delays due to industrial action, Essential Energy was able to connect our new chargers. These funded chargers are located near the CBD to enable tourists to wander around our town while they get their vehicles charged.

Great news for local electric car owners and travellers alike.

Until next week
Phyllis Miller,
OAMForbes Mayor