Some of the new gardens at Forbes North Public School.

Forbes North has completed major beautification of our school grounds and infrastructure with our ornamental gardens and green spaces entering the Forbes Garden Society open gardens in 2024. Our school resembles a botanical garden and major landscaping projects including the centre playground at the heart of the school, the main Thomson Street entrance and gardens located in the northern playground are now all complete. The renovation of 8 classrooms is also complete with painting, carpet and furnishing added to learning spaces to ensure our students have the best facilities on offer for a 21st century primary school. The library is now fully refurbished with the addition of 40 new mobile devices supporting our students in inquiry-based learning and research while visiting and learning in lessons in the library. The recently added branding and signage proudly boasts of our ever-increasing relationship with Forbes High School. 

New accessibility ramps constructed this year now see wheelchair access provided to every section of the school and artist Lakkari Pitt returns in 2024 for more First Nations cultural work near our Facey Street entrance. Two new areas are now home to extensive seating to support morning and afternoon gathering locations for our parents and community entering the school. The wellbeing practices at our school are improving and academic aspirations will continue to accelerate in 2024 with the implementation of the high potential gifted education policy and new curriculum reform agenda, supporting a range of new scholastic and sporting opportunities offered to our students, side by side with community expertise regularly providing a positive impact within our school. Our school has now produced a 2nd edition of the FNPS school magazine, to be known as Giralung Bindaya or Shooting Star, a 76-page colour record of the year that was. Our students successfully hosted the first Community Art Show and participated and performed in School Spectacular in Sydney for the first time. What a year 2024 is now going to be in Thomson Street with our anticipated enrolment of 260 students and another 40 pre-Kindergarten children engaging in Link Up to School which sees our school continue to grow and prosper 

Students at Forbes North Public School this year.

Forbes North Public School is located on the lands of the Galari river people within the Wiradjuri nation on an expansive eleven-acre site, naturally decorated with stands of established endemic trees hosting a variety of native birds and animals, coupled with a large orchard and commercial kitchen which is part of one of Australia’s first schools to pilot the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Program. Since 2009, our expansive ornamental gardens have been maintained and harvested by our students and staff. 

Since 1957, the school has offered quality education in a safe and engaging learning environment from Kindergarten to Year 6. This is inclusive of our best practice Link Up to School program, enabling young children to prepare for school on the same site. Our playground is spacious containing an all-weather undercover court for multiple sports and games, a common playground leading to our Wiradjuri room and Yarning circle shaded by the Aboriginal flag at the heart of the school representing a focus on first nations’ people and culture and supporting the cultural traditions of our 118 Aboriginal students. 

Our new library now contains hundreds of titles in children’s literature and our multi-purpose hall is home to Forbes Learning Ladder after school care and is used four days per week hosting a variety of community engagement events and gatherings. Each day, we offer after school care and school holiday vacation is present all year round. Playground equipment on a large scale has been added in 2023 including a tractor, boat and kitchen café in the infants’ playgrounds next to our canteen preparing nutritious meals five days per week and the Cove where a large indoor play-based area was opened in June. 

Forbes North is a School as Community Centre site offering supported playgroup, transition programs, parenting programs and adult learning courses for our diverse and growing community. Forbes North is consistently praised for its welcoming and inclusive teaching and learning environment with dedicated staff, community volunteers organising programs such as Brekky Club 5 days per week and an energetic Parents and Citizens Association. In 2023, we partnered with Forbes Bus Lines to initiate a first in the Central West with a daily attendance bus which has boosted overall school attendance to above average levels. 

Photo courtesy of President Wendy Dixon.

Our December muster was held on Sunday the 10th, 2023. It was hot so our numbers were down on the day. 

Nevertheless we had a great time and it was great to be able to catch up. 

Walk up artists on the day included Garry Hemming, Freda and Scotty Drinkwater, Sue Gillett, Jan Hurst, Lyn Eccleston, Lyall Strudwick, Keith Noakes, Dave Parkin and Brett Petty. 

Our band consisted of Brett Petty, Wade Dixon, John Roberts (with an appearance by keen drummer Phil Quirk), Dave Parkin and Keith Noakes. Unfortunately our bass drummer Pam Byrne was unable to join us as she was feeling unwell (who could blame her in this heat!!). Thank you to the band for their hard efforts on the day. 

A huge thank you to those who braved the heat and came and supported us. 

Congratulations to all and a huge thank you to Members who donated goods for the Christmas hamper. Thank you to Members for their support and generosity and for buying so many tickets on the day! 

Our first Muster for next year will be held on Sunday the 14th of January 2024 1pm at Club Forbes – All are welcome to come along 

– Steven 

Come and see the full garden – anytime you like. Come and sleep in the garden – Our Summer Glamping season runs from 27 December to 27 January.

Major changes are afoot at Mayfield Garden with the family deciding that it will now open the full 65-hectare garden every day of the year, commencing 27 December 2023. 

You’ll recall that the full garden – including the private family estate -was previously only open to the public during seasonal festivals, which basically amounted to about 12 weeks per year. 

The family has now come to the conclusion that it makes more sense for visitors who have made the effort to come to Mayfield to be given the opportunity to see every highlight and feature of the garden on any given day of the year. 

It is no longer necessary to time your visit to coincide with our seasonal festivals – every day will seem like a festival! 

Which means you can visit our maze, chapel, stumpery, aviary, garden rooms and other major features anytime you walk through the gate at Mayfield. 

We think it is an exciting milestone in the evolution of Mayfield Garden, and it puts us in synch with other major gardens throughout the world. 

Come and see the full 65-hectare garden any day of the year, starting 27 December. 

Summer Glamping Season Starts 27 December, Come and spend an evening in the garden with a Mayfield Garden Glamping Package. 

The luxury glamping experience allows visitors exclusive late-night and early morning access to the entire garden, and you’ll also enjoy an amazing three-course a la carte dinner at our renowned garden café. 

Guests can choose to have a delicious artisanal breakfast delivered to their tent, or for an extra touch of luxury, have a catered sunrise or sunset picnic. 

The beautifully appointed tents are located by Mayfield’s Obelisk Pond, and are fitted with an authentic natural fibre rug, Queen-size bed, high-grade mattress and linen, and other luxury furniture items. 

The Forbes Rotary Club has been contacted by the Rotary Youth Leadership Award (RYLA) program committee to advise that there are still two positions still available for the 2024 seminar to be held at the Warrambui Retreat and Conference Centre in Murrumbateman NSW from Saturday 6th January to Friday 12th January 2024. However, applications must be received by MONDAY 11th December at the latest. 

The Forbes Rotary Club was successful in sending local farm manager, Molly Fuge to RYLA in January this year and Molly returned with an enthusiastic report about the life-changing experiences she had by attending RYLA. 

The current Forbes Rotary membership includes Civil Engineer, John Zannes and local farmer Grahame Uphill who are both ex-RYLA participants. 

For participants to 2024 RYLA seminar the cost is $1250 per person. This cost covers the participant when they arrive onsite (meals and accommodation) until they leave, however travel to and from the venue isn’t covered. 

More information can be found online https://rotary9705.org.au/page/ryla or https://www.facebook.com/District9705RYLA Molly Fuge on 0401 818 986 and Ross Williams (0428 531 123) or Chris Finkel (0429 661 358)