“Shoes on kids!” He’d yell as we all grabbed a Zooper Dooper and piled in the car to drive to town.

It was a Christmas tradition.

A summer night spent staying up past our bedtime to walk around town and see the Christmas lights. We knew the streets that pulled out all the stops, and we’d walk up and down, gazing at the twinkling lights, smiling Santas on a sleigh on rooftops and the smell of cinnamon in the air.

Dad loved it just as much as we did. An evening stroll, chats with people out the front of their houses and no doubt a strat­egy to wear out his three kids ready for bedtime. We’d run ahead, excitedly find­ing the next light show, zigzagging our way through our little town.

Legs moving, faces red from the exer­cise, hearts full with the thrill of Christmas.

What are your Christmas traditions? See if you can swap out screen time for family connection, balance indulgent eat­ing and drinking with active fun, and create joyful memories together this Christmas season. From an evening walk to backyard cricket, it’s the perfect time to embrace movement and connection.

We hope you have a happy and safe Christmas, from the Kerin Health Team.

The Forbes Community Strategic Plan is a ten year plan for the whole of the Forbes Shire.

It’s an opportunity to share your ideas, hopes and plans for future Forbes. Your ideas will help set the goals and plans for the Council and ensure Council services can meet your wants and needs. This in­cludes major infrastructure projects, attrac­tions and events in our shire, services you want for your home, things our town could do better.

The Forbes Community Strategic Plan community survey is now open and closes on 31 January 2025. All community mem­bers are encouraged to have their say to plan for our town at https://yoursay.forbes.nsw.gov.au.

Council will clarify any survey results and prioritise items, collate all data and use the information to create the new Community Strategic Plan.

Find out more by attending a Town Hall drop in session on Wednesday 18 Decem­ber, 1pm – 3pm.

For details contact Council’s Communi­ty and Tourism Team on 02 6850 2300 or community@forbes.nsw.gov.au

The Caravan Industry Association of Australia is calling on every­one to keep safety top of mind this summer, whether you’re plan­ning your trip, heading out on the road, or enjoying our beautiful countryside at your favourite camping spot.

As we approach the major holiday period of the year, Caravan Industry Association of Australia is encouraging caravaners this holiday to focus is focusing on Pre-Planning: Emphasising the importance of vehicle servicing and safe towing practices. Road Safety: Highlighting measures for staying safe while travelling on the roads, and taking regular breaks. Water Safety: Promot­ing awareness around staying safe in and around water. Caravan Holiday Park Shared Spaces Safety: Encouraging responsible be­haviour and safety in communal areas within caravan parks.

We know from the rising death tolls on our roads, 1063 Austral­ians have lost their lives on our roads this year alone, up 12% on 2023 (ABS). The top three contributing factors leading to this loss of life is the fatal three, inattention, speed and fatigue.

Road Safety Research indicates: Road users are most likely to have a crash on Monday or Sunday as drivers return from their holidays. Crashes are most likely to occur between 10am and mid­day. Whilst crashes are more likely to occur in urban centres, fatali­ties are more likely to occur on regional roads.

We want to make sure caravan and campers have the most amazing summer break, but most importantly, we want everyone to get back home safely . Towing handbooks are distributed free of charge each year. https://www.letsgocaravanandcamping.com.au/safety/ https://coexist.org.au/

With temperatures rising into the thirties across the state, SafeWork NSW is urging workers and businesses to start planning now for how they will stay safe during the heat this summer.

Employers have the primary duty of care for employees and are encouraged to de­velop a workplace heat management plan in consultation with their health and safety representatives and workers to ensure everyone stays safe when the temperature rises.

Heat related illnesses happen when the body starts to overheat due to working too hard. Symptoms can include a range of progressive conditions such as dehydra­tion, fainting, heat rash, heat cramps, heat exhaustion and heat stroke.

Employers who have workers completing tasks outside must do their best to elimi­nate extended periods of sun exposure.

This can be achieved by providing shade, rotating tasks to reduce exposure, sched­uling work to cooler times of the day and providing personal protective equipment such as hats, long sleeve shirts and also sunscreen.

Any worker who feels that their work­place is unsafe can make contact anony­mously and report their concerns directly to SafeWork NSW on 13 10 50 or via the ‘Speak Up Save Lives’ app.

Forbes Shire Council has partnered with men’s mental health service Talk 2 Me Bro to host its first International Men’s Day event and lake walk at Lions Park on Fri­day 29 November 2024.

International Men’s Day aims to bring men together to recognise and raise awareness of the social and health issues men face.

This theme for this year is “Men’s Health Champions” which highlights building healthy communities, looking out for your mates, taking action to stay healthy and building a healthier future.

The 2024 event will include speeches from Forbes Shire Council Deputy Mayor, Chris Roylance, Brad McMillan from Talk 2 Me Bro, a BBQ breakfast, ice baths and a walk around Lake Forbes.

Cr Roylance said it was important for lo­cal men to come together to socialise and talk about the issues they face.

“In Australia 50 men per day under the age of 75 die from preventable causes.

On average, men die seven years younger than women in Australia and three out of four suicides in Australia are men,” he said.

“Men’s health is everyone’s business, and we can all be men’s health champions by looking out for our mates, particularly when they’re doing it tough, and a group walk like the one planned is a great way of starting a conversation.”

We are encouraging all men from in and around Forbes to attend this event which will run from 7:30am to 10am, with the lake walk starting at 9am. For more information you can contact the Forbes Shire Council Events team at community@forbes.nsw.gov.au or alternatively you can phone them on 6850 2300.

Artists of all ages and abilities are welcome to join the Forbes Arts Society’s Painting Group.

Join The Creative Community

The Forbes Painting group meets each Thursday at Northside Chapel, between 11am and 3pm. The cost is $5 per week which includes morning tea. Bring along your own art supplies. For more informa­tion, reach out via hello@forbesartssociety.com

Sculpture Down the Lachlan Opens

Final sculpture unveiled, “Brumbies Run” by Brett Garling. the bronze sculpture fea­tures four wild horses running, kicking, far­ing nostrils and leaping – representative of the freedom, spirit and enthusiasm of Aus­tralians. Sculpture Down the Lachlan fea­tures 25 permanent installations and can be viewed all year round for free.

Funding Opportunities

This funding supports creative develop­ment and presentation of new work by in­dividual artists, arts and cultural workers.

Applicants are encouraged to drive and develop partnerships with arts and cul­tural organisations to support their new works. Grants are available from $10,000 to $100,000. Find out more at www.nsw.gov.au/grants-and-funding/creative-steps-new-work

CFC Foundation Community Grants

The Foundation is responsive to requests that contribute to increasing access to op­portunities and is dedicated to supporting charities, non-profit organisations, and so­cial enterprises that work within the Arts & Culture area. Find out more at cfc.com.au/foundation/

Forbes Community Funding Program

This program provides financial and in-kind support to encourage and assist commu­nity groups and organisations to make a positive and ongoing contribution to the community’s wellbeing, cultural life and environmental sustainability. Funding is available for Culture and the Arts projects.

Community groups and organisations can apply for up to $5,000 per project. Find out more at https://www.forbes.nsw.gov.au/community/grants-and-support/community-funding-program

Active Kids Voucher

Eligible families can now apply for a sec­ond $50 voucher to use towards sport, rec­reation, creative or cultural activities with a registered provider. Any eligible families who applied for voucher 1 and have not yet redeemed it, can apply for voucher 2 and combine these to save $100. Find out more https://www.service.nsw.gov.au/active-and-creative-kids-voucher

Dolly’s Dream School Workshops. Online safety and anti-bullying workshops for students of all ages, delivered in schools nationally. www.dollysdream.org.au/what-we-do/school-workshops.

We know that bullying can cause deep and lasting harm, affecting a young per­son’s confidence, mental health, and even their future. Dolly’s Dream was founded in the wake of tragedy in 2018 when 14-yearold Dolly Everett took her life because of relentless bullying, and we are saddened by the recent tragic loss of more young lives due to bullying.

“We established Dolly’s Dream because we didn’t want other families to ever have to go through the heartache we have ex­perienced. It breaks my heart to hear more precious lives have been lost due to bully­ing and more families are suffering,” said Kate Everett, Dolly’s mother and founder of Dolly’s Dream.

A report from The Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) found that Australian school students were most bul­lied among comparable English-speaking countries with around one in six students saying they’ve been made fun of by peers.

A recent survey of our Dolly’s Dream audience via social media revealed that 89% of the 2,214 respondents said they had been bullied at school, with 74% be­ing teenagers. Evidently, the problem is not going away.

Dolly’s Dream has worked tirelessly for six years delivering support and education to communities and will continue to fight to put an end to bullying – in memory of Dolly and the other lives that have since been lost.

So far this year, Dolly’s Dream has deliv­ered over 450 workshops, reaching more than 19,500 students across all year levels, in metropolitan, regional, and rural areas.

Visit our website to learn about Dolly’s Dream www.dollysdream.org.au