Residents across the Central West and Or­ana region of NSW are invited to have their say on the future of transport in their area through a series of public drop-in sessions.

“The Central West and Orana population is expected to grow by 11 per cent up to 2041 and we want to hear people’s ideas on how transport services and networks can change to support that growth.” Transport for NSW Acting Executive Director Partner­ships and Integration West Holly Davies said.

Residents are invited to view the draft SRITP and speak with Transport for NSW staff at the following public drop-in sessions:

• Forbes: Town Hall, 4.30pm-7.30pm on Thursday 27 November

• Parkes: Cooke Park Pavilion, noon-3pm on Thursday 4 December

The draft Central West and Orana SRITP and supporting materials are available at www.haveyoursay.nsw.gov.au/sritp/central-west-and-orana, while copies of the draft plan are available at local libraries.

Submissions on the draft close at mid­night on Sunday 14 December and can be made via the Have Your Say webpage, www.haveyoursay.nsw.gov.au/sritp/central-west-and-orana by emailing engage.srit­ps@transport.nsw.gov.au.

Clean Up Australia Day returns on Sunday 1 March 2026, and we’re calling on indi­viduals, families, schools, and community groups across the country to register now and get in on the action to be part of Aus­tralia’s largest environmental movement.

Since its inception, over 23 million vol­unteers have joined the Clean Up effort.

In 2025, over 800,000 people volunteered across 8,000 events nationally during the Clean Up Australia Day campaign period.

Registrations for Clean Up Australia Day 2026 are now open. Volunteers can receive a free Clean Up kit, containing gloves, bags and other resources, with packs for indi­viduals, families, community groups and schools available (businesses are asked to pay a small fee to cover costs).As an added bonus, if you register your Clean Up Australia Day event before 31 December, you will automatically be en­tered into an early bird competition to win one of five donated $500 Coles vouchers.

Terms and conditions apply.

With Business Clean Up Day on Tuesday February 24, 2026 and Schools Clean Up Day on Friday February 27, 2026.

Register now at cleanup.org.au for Clean Up Australia Day March 1, 2026

The much-loved Teddy Bears Picnic will be held this Saturday, 1 November from 10am to 1pm. With redevelopment works un­derway at Lions Park, the popular annual event has been relocated to Frogs Hollow in 2025.

Forbes Shire Council Mayor Phyllis Miller OAM said the event continues to be an im­portant day on the community calendar.

“The Teddy Bears Picnic is a special tra­dition in Forbes, giving families the chance to come together and enjoy a day of joy, play and imagination with their children,” the Mayor said.

“While Lions Park is currently out of ac­tion, Frogs Hollow is a wonderful setting to host the event and we look forward to see­ing plenty of teddies out and about.”

The picnic will feature children’s enter­tainment, activities and story time, with families encouraged to bring their favourite teddy bear, picnic rug and snacks. Food and refreshments will also be available for purchase.

Come along to this free event on Friday 1 November from 10am – 1pm at Frogs Hollow, corner of Riley and Lawler Streets (next to Forbes Sports and Recreation Club bowling greens). For more informa­tion, visit www.forbes.nsw.gov.au.

The large crowd that attended last year’s Pink October Ladies Night at Flannery’s Pharmacy.

Everyone is invited to join the Flannery’s Pharmacy team for their annual Pink Octo­ber Ladies Night on Thursday 30 October, 6pm at Flannery’s Pharmacy. There will be something for everyone, so head along and get some information, whether it’s for yourself, a friend or loved one.

Information on the evening will cov­er heart disease – the leading cause of death for women worldwide, osteoporosis, healthy living to help in these areas,in addi­tion to breast cancer.

All attendees on the evening will receive a free pink goodie bag packed with infor­mation, samples and pamper goods to take home. There will be merchandise for sale, and nibbles and bubbles from 5.30pm, so arrive early.

Forbes’ Flannery’s Pharmacy Pink Oc­tober Ladies Night started in 2023 when a NSW Women’s Health Nurse was visiting the store periodically and Flannery’s Phar­macy wanted to get the word out about how she could support the female commu­nity throughout the different stages of life.

In order to cover a wider range of health issues, they also invited Physiotherapist, Matiese Byrnes and Naturopath, Alice Flannery. The aim was also to discuss the importance of Pink October, so breast cancer nurse Di Green also joined in to discuss the importance of regular breast screening and self checks. Di will be there to explain it all again this coming Ladies Night on 30 October. There’s no cure for cancer and early detection is key as this dramatically improves survival rates and treatment optionsCustomers can call to put their name down or head to www.eventbrite.com.au to book online. Bookings are preferred as refreshments will be provided on the night.

There are just 100 spots available.

Flannery’s are also running a raffle through the month of October with an evergrowing hamper of goods, head in store to purchase your tickets.