The Rotary Club of Forbes is calling on employer groups in Forbes or employees in the 18 to 28 age group to nominate candidates to attend the 2023 Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA). 

The 2023 RYLA will be held from Saturday, 7th January to Friday, 13th January at the Warrambui Retreat and Conference Centre in Murrumbateman NSW.

Employers are invited to nominate staff members in this age group or employee applicants can approach their employers to support their attendance in this week-long program.

Young people in our district have been hugely affected by the 2014/19 drought, the COVID-19 Pandemic and the current record high flooding of the Lachlan River, so now is the perfect time to support them in their leadership development.

Two of the current members of Forbes Rotary Club are past attendees of RYLA, farmer Grahame Uphill and civil engineer John Zannes. They have great memories of the RYLA experience and can’t speak highly enough about the benefits of this Rotary program.

Participants can complete an online application form by accessing https://forms.gle/bYo1tqn8GduCJ3kL9 The sponsorship fee for each participant is $950, which includes a generous subsidy from Rotary District 9705. This fee includes meal and accommodation costs, travelling expenses for inspirational speakers and support staff, and may also attract a further subsidy from the Forbes Rotary Club depending on the applicant’s financial situation. 

For further information please contact the Forbes Rotary Youth Director Ross Williams on 0428 531 132.

Forbes resident Mamata Pun Rama’s waters broke and the SES helped her cross flood-waters with her partner Chitra to the Forbes Hospital where they welcomed son Imaan on Saturday. They are with midwife Jud Driscoll. (Photo: Western New South Wales Local Health District)

 

Volunteers at the SES yard in School Road on Friday morning worked very hard to fill sandbags. More than 25,000 bags were filled in just two days.

 

With all the Forbes schools closed from Friday, the youngest SES volunteer in Forbes Jakaylia Ware (8) was on duty at the sandbagging machine. She showed Member for Member for Orange Phil Donato, NSW Premier Dominique Perrotet and Minister Steph Cooke the ropes.

 

SES Volunteer Kerry Locke with Minister for Emergency Services and Resilience and Minister for Flood Recovery Steph Cooke MP.

PHOTOS: FARMPIX PHOTOGRAPHY

 

 

 

 

By Tuesday the floodwaters had started receding enough for people to return to their homes and businesses to assess the damage caused.

The state of the dance floors at Kristen’s Dance Studio in Rankin Street came as a huge shock to owner Kristen Aspey.

“The water came knee deep through the whole building and ruined all our sprung flooring in all three dance studios,” said Kristen. The wooden floors are all wobbly and will have to be ripped up.

“We have some furniture damaged too, but the flooring is the biggest worry.” Kristen did not want to start thinking about the cost of the damage on Tuesday as they tried to clean out the big mess. “The costs will be insurmountable.” She said replacing the sprung flooring would probably cost over $100,000.

“We were confident the plastic and sandbags would keep the water out, as it had worked in previous floods over the past three years, but this time it was different. It looks like the water was the same depth inside as it was outside.”

The end of the year is also the busiest time for her studio preparing for the annual concert. She did not see them returning to the studio this year, and she’d had to find an alternative space.

Kristen and her two sisters Aimee and Eliza Woods found some solace in the support they had received from the community. “We had about 20 people who came to help today. We are so appreciative of our Forbes community and our dance school supporters,” said Kristen.

 

 

 

 

A Major Concert presented by the Forbes Town and District Band on Sunday saw an appreciative crowd of 120 people attending despite the challenges of floods and road closures. It was a great day featuring bands from across the district.