It was an honour to be among the 150 may­ors and executives present at the Country Mayors Association meeting on Friday in Sydney. It was an even greater honour to be elected on the Executive Board again to serve another two year term.

While in Sydney I was able to catch up with several State Ministers, including Pre­mier Chris Minns, Local Government Min­ister Ron Hoenig, Roads Minister Jenny Aitchison and Health Minister Ryan Park.

Are you coming along to our first ever International Men’s Day? It will be held on Friday 29 November. Council is invit­ing the community to come down to Lions Park from 7am – 10am to hear from Guest speakers Cr Chris Roylance and a repre­sentative from Talk to Me Bro. Guests can enjoy a BBQ breakfast, dip in an ice bath and enjoy a walk around the lake. For more information on this event, please contact Council’s Event’s Team on community@forbes.nsw.gov.au or 02 6850 2300.

It has been two years since the 2022 floods and I know there has been a bit of discussion about Forbes commemorating the event similar to other local communi­ties. The fact is this time two years ago, Forbes had now suffered three major flood fronts, I was looking back on pics from Oc­tober where some water levels over roads was already at 700mm. I am not quite sure, just as many in the community weren’t sure, when you would mark the date of the Forbes floods? I am also proud that our community has diligently pressed on mov­ing forward rather than looking back. As we have done since every flood event our community has endured.

As the busy season approaches please mark your calendar with Friday 6 Decem­ber for our next Tradies night, this is a great night to celebrate our local trades who have been working hard all year on so many pro­jects throughout the year. We hope to see you all there at the Golf Club from 6pm.

The date for the ever popular Carols by Candelight has been locked in for Satur­day 14 December. There will be live per­formances, Santa will be on site from 7pm and carols will begin at 8pm. There will be food vendors and glow sticks available for purchase. Join us in Victoria Park from 7pm-10pm.

Until next week
Phyllis Miller, OAM – Forbes Mayor

Weren’t the BBQ Championships just amazing. It was a great weekend, it was lovely to have so many people travel to Forbes to enjoy the two day event – looking forward to it being even bigger and better next year.

Did you see the Christmas decorations starting to pop up around Forbes? Aren’t they beautiful? It is a bit scary how quickly this year is drawing to a close, at least we can focus on how special our CBD looks every year around Christmas time.

Forbes Domestic and Family Violence Committee will be hosting the White Rib­bon Day on Monday 25 November at Li­ons Park. The event includes a march from Victoria Park to Lions Park, guest speak­ers, information stalls and a community BBQ, all aimed at raising awareness about men’s violence against women. The march will start from Victoria Park at 10am. Busi­nesses are being asked to stand out the front to show their support as well.

Food from the BBQ will be a $1 donation and proceeds will go to the White Ribbon Day Association.

On Friday, 29 November Council is invit­ing the community to Lions Park from 7am – 10am to celebrate International men’s Day. We will have guest speakers, you can enjoy a BBQ breakfast, have an ice bath and enjoy a walk around the Lake.

For more information on this event, see our website, facebook page or contact Coun­cil’s Event’s Team on community@forbes.

nsw.gov.au or 02 6850 2300.

I know it is early notice but have you booked a ticket for the Citizen of the Year Gala dinner? Join us for the annual Citizen of the Year Gala Dinner, it will be held on Saturday 25 January 2025 from 6pm-10pm at the Forbes Town Hall. Tickets are FREE but you need to book at 123tix.

The Official Ceremony will include the presentation of the Citizen of the Year, Young Citizen of the Year and Senior Citi­zen of the Year award winners and nomi­nees for our 2025 Citizens of the Year.

Talking Australia day awards – have you nominated a worthy winner yet? You can download a nomination form off the web­site on the community pages or collect one from Council’s front desk.

Until next week
Phyllis Miller,
OAMForbes Mayor

It is finally here – the National BBQ Cham­pionships are on again!! What a great weekend of food, live music, markets and a healthy bit of competition.

We have more than 20 teams from Forbes and around Australia competing over the two days for the National BBQ ti­tle for grilling or to the win the Australian Barbecue Alliance’s Smoking competition – the winner of which will have the opportu­nity to represent Australia in the Jack Dan­iel World BBQ contest.

On Saturday, the event will be official­ly opened at 12.30pm with live cooking demonstrations by Guest Chef Mat Blak who has travelled from the UK to judge the event. On Saturday night there will be live music throughout the day with Cam­eron Sharpe and then Josie Laver and Kate Jayne (remember her from Sundown Sounds) playing into the night.

On Sunday, the Australian Barbecue Al­liance will be training up local volunteer judges (you can enrol on our website) to

be a part of tasting the cooking of some of Australia’s best smokers.

It is all happening at Grinsted Oval – there will be markets, entertainment for the kids and plenty of food trucks. Bring your hat, bring a chair or a picnic rug and come and support Australia’s BBQ best.

A date for the diary – Forbes Domestic and Family Violence Committee will be hosting the White Ribbon Day is on Mon­day 25th November at Lions Park. The event includes a march from Victoria Park to Lions Park, guest speakers, information stalls and a community BBQ, all aimed at raising awareness about men’s violence against women.

The march will start from Victoria Park at 10am. Businesses are being asked to stand out the front to show their support as well. Food from the BBQ will be a $1 dona­tion and proceeds will go to the White Rib­bon Day Association.

Until next week
Phyllis Miller, OAM – Forbes Mayor

Don’t forget it is our cutest event of the year on Saturday 2 November – the Teddy Bears Picnic. Head down to Lions Park from 10am until 1pm to enjoy a fun family day for all.

Don’t forget to bring your teddy so they can go on some fun adventures with you. There will be bandage a bear, you can go on a fire truck and enjoy lots of bear themed craft activities. Throughout the day there will be games, actives, craft, facepainting and a jumping castle.

Another favourite is our very own National BBQ Championships next weekend on the 9 and 10 November. Have you nominated a team? It will be an amazing couple of days with plenty of live music, a bar, food trucks, cooking demonstrations, BBQ stalls and celebrity chef Mat Blak. We have joined up with the Australian Barbecue Alliance and will be inviting volunteer judges to partici­pate on Sunday 10 November. Training will need to be completed on Sunday morning at 8.30am before the event.

While we are talking great Aussie icons have you thought about someone to nomi­nate for the 2025 Australia Day Awards.

Nominations are NOW open. The award categories are Citizen of the Year, Young Citizen of the Year and Senior Citizen of the Year winners will be presented at a gala dinner on Saturday 25 January 2025. Any resident is eligible for Citizen of the Year, while Young Citizen of the Year is open to residents aged 25 or younger. Anyone aged 65 years or older is eligible for Senior Citi­zen of the Year.

This is the perfect opportunity for residents who have displayed excellence, made a sig­nificant contribution to the community or had an outstanding achievement to gain recog­nition in their own community. There are so many remarkable residents in our shire who have helped our community thrive. To nominate go to https://www.forbes.nsw.gov.au/community/our-community/australia-day and download the nomination form. Copies are also available from Forbes Shire Coun­cil’s office at 2 Court Street, Forbes. Forms can be returned to Council by email at com­munity@forbes.nsw.gov.au or by mail to PO Box 333, Forbes NSW 2871.

Award winners will be determined by a judging panel made up of members of the Forbes Shire community.

Until next week
Phyllis Miller, OAM – Forbes Mayor

What are you doing on Saturday? Join us at beautiful Lions Park for a Community Fishing Day. The event has been organ­ised by our Community Recovery Officers in collaboration with the River Dreaming Aboriginal Corporation to celebrate 2024 Gone Fishing Day. It is a reminder for us all to relax and unwind and enjoy the great outdoors.

There are major prize packs to win – you will need to be registered on 123 tix to be eligible and be present when it’s drawn.

Every child attending will receive a special gift, there will be a community BBQ and fishing workshops. No fishing experience needed. Come along and enjoy a fun fam­ily day – throwing in a line or two.

Work continues this week on the Bogan Way constructing a three kilometre footpath to connect north Forbes to the CBD. Part of this project has been installing a footbridge on the Bogan Gate Road between York and Chruchill Streets. Accessible footpaths remain a priority to ensure access to the CBD and around town.

Have you registered your team yet for the National BBQ Championship on 9 and 10 November. There are two days of competi­tion for grilling and smoking this year. It will be an amazing couple of days with plenty of live music, a bar, food trucks, cooking demonstrations, BBQ stalls and celebrity chef at Blak.

I encourage all BBQ enthusiasts to regis­ter their teams and join in the competition.

For those who may not want to compete, we invite you to come out and support the teams – it is great entertainment.

We have joined up with the Australian Barbecue Alliance and will be inviting vol­unteer judges to participate on Sunday 10 November. Training will need to be com­pleted on Sunday morning at 8.30am be­fore the event.

Talking nominations, have you thought about who should be the Forbes Citizen of the Year, Young Citizen and Seniors win­ners. Nomination forms are now available – we can’t wait to celebrate another round of recipients in our amazing community in 2025. You can find details for these events and nomination forms on our website at forbes.nsw.gov.au

Until next week
Phyllis Miller, OAM
Forbes Mayor

It is that time of the year again to nominate some of our outstanding citizens for the 2025 Australia Day Awards. Nominations are NOW open.

The award categories are Citizen of the Year, Young Citizen of the Year and Senior Citizen of the Year winners will be present­ed at a gala dinner on Saturday 25 January 2025.

Any resident is eligible for Citizen of the Year, while Young Citizen of the Year is open to residents aged 25 or younger. Any­one aged 65 years or older is eligible for Senior Citizen of the Year.

This is the perfect opportunity for resi­dents who have displayed excellence, made a significant contribution to the com­munity or had an outstanding achievement to gain recognition in their own community.

There are so many remarkable residents in our shire who have helped our commu­nity thrive and there is no better to time to share their story and celebrate them than on Australia Day.

To nominate go to https://www.forbes.

nsw.gov.au/community/our-community/australia-day and download the nomina­tion form. Copies are also available from Forbes Shire Council’s office at 2 Court Street, Forbes.

Forms can be returned to Council by email at community@forbes.nsw.gov.au or by mail to PO Box 333, Forbes NSW 2871.

Award winners will be determined by a judging panel made up of members of the Forbes Shire community.

Don’t forget it is our cutest event of the year on Saturday – the Teddy Bears Picnic.

Head down to Lions Park from 10am until 1pm to enjoy a fun family day for all – don’t forget to bring your teddy so they can go on some fun adventures with you. There will be bandage a bear, you can go on a fire truck and enjoy lots of bear themed craft activities.

Throughout the day there will be games, actives, craft, facepainting and a jumping castle. Children are invited to bring along their favourite teddy bear and participate in the Teddy Bear Parade.

Until next week
Phyllis Miller,
OAMForbes Mayor

There is still time to apply for the 2025 Traineeship Program, applications do not close until Monday 21 October to study and learn. Start your future now with Forbes Shire Council.

Have you reserved your ticket yet to the Sculpture Down the Lachlan official open­ing on Saturday? Since 2011, the sculpture project has been an objective of the Forbes Art Society to develop a permanent inland public art trail stretching for 100 kilometres between Forbes and Condobolin.

Council has partnered with FAS since 2014 – launching the acquisition prize of Ingrid Morley’s Shadows on the Landing now located at Wheogo Park. It was also in October 2014 that we all got to glimpse the first red letter a – which has now become the community’s own signature for Amaz­ing Forbes. In August this year, Brett Gar­ling’s latest sculpture Brumbies Run was installed at Waroo marking the completion of this very significant destination project.

It really has been an ‘amazing’ project and will continue to be the reason many people travel to Forbes. So let’s all cele­brate on Saturday – to acknowledge more than a decade of work to establish this trail, tireless (and sometimes contentious) com­munity support, the birth of a major region­al event Grazing Down the Lachlan to raise funds for the trail and other art and cultural initiatives.

Everyone in the Forbes and surround­ing districts are invited to attend the official opening on Saturday 12 October – starting at 9.45am until 11.30am at the site of the Sonata and Brumbies Run Sculptures. We hope to see you there.

As students head back into term four, it is time for our little people to enjoy the ever popular Teddy Bears Picnic on Saturday 19 October at Lions Park – there will plenty of activities for the whole family. Don’t forget to bring your teddy, so you can be a part of the Teddy Bear’s Parade.

Another fun family event will be the Com­munity Fishing Day, being held on the beautiful Lake Forbes – Lions Park, prizes, learn to fish lessons and so much more.

See our website for details.

Until next week
Phyllis Miller, OAM
Forbes Mayor

Our new Council has been declared and on Wednesday afternoon Councillors took the oath and affirmation to fulfil our duties in the best interests of the people of Forbes and to fulfil functions, powers, authorities and dis­cretions to best of our ability and judgement.

Congratulations to our new Council­lors Aidan Clarke, Steve Karaitiana, Jenny Webb, Marg Duggan, Chris Roylance, Michele Herbert, Brian Mattiske and Sarahl­ee Sweeney. I look forward to working with you all over the next four years to continue to build on the success and growth of our community.

I had the honour of officially launching the Binaal Billa Domestic Violence month activities on Tuesday, there was a good crowd at Victoria Park to honour the victims of Domestic Violence and to take a moment to consider the harrowing statistics of DV across our nation. I also took the opportunity to again call for our community’s need for 24 hour policing. There will be more activities over the month of October, including busi­nesses being encouraged to wear purple to work on Tuesday 15 October to help spread awareness, like the little purple hands dot­ted around our CBD.

October is also Small Business Month and the Forbes Business Chamber got off to a great start on Tuesday night with a Learning and Networking event. The speak­ers were Paige Thomas from Service NSW and Dr Belinda Mawhinney a leadership and executive coach. Matt Armstrong from NBN was also on hand to talk communica­tions and the upcoming fibre optic updates starting in Forbes next month. It was a really good night for business owners to connect and learn, the chamber is hoping to host these quarterly – keep an eye out for the next event.

October is filled with events so make sure you find out the details on Council’s website or social pages for Council’s Traineeship info night on Thursday 10 October, the of­ficial opening of the Sculpture Down the La­chlan at Warroo on 12 October now the final sculpture has been installed and the ever popular Teddy Bears Picnic on 19 October.

There are several Community Recovery Events including Women’s Wellbeing Work­shops and a Community Fishing Day on 26 October.

Hope to see many of you there.

Until next week
Phyllis Miller, OAM – Forbes Mayor

What are you doing to celebrate the end of the school term? There is a family fun movie night at Bedgerabong Public School on Friday 27 September. Starting at 4pm, families can enjoy playing soccer darts, a jumping castle and a giant slide before the movie the Bad Guys starts at 7pm. Bring your own chairs and blankets to enjoy the outdoor movie screening.

There are plenty of holiday activities on as usual, check the Forbes Youth Action Team facebook page for details.

Do you own or work in a small business in Forbes? Have you booked your free ticket to the Forbes Business Chamber’s Small Business Network Night on Tuesday, 1st October at Club Forbes?

October is NSW Small Business Month, it includes a month program for small busi­nesses across New South Wales to attend events aligned to their individual business interests. This program has been designed to provide small businesses with quality opportunities to network, develop skills and gain knowledge.

The Forbes Business Chamber is host­ing and supporting events through the month, starting with the networking and learning event. Beginning at 6pm and fin­ishing at 8pm the night includes guest speakers, including leadership consultant and executive coach Belinda Mawhinney, then attendees can network with other businesses, managers and staff from the Forbes business community.

It is free to attend the event, you can re­serve a ticket at 123TIX. This event is for all Small Businesses in the community, members and non-members of the Busi­ness Chamber.

Until next week
Phyllis Miller, OAM – Forbes Mayor