Santa’s North Pole Mail Express is making its annual stop at Forbes Shire Council.

From Monday 17 November, children can drop off their letters to Santa in his special red mailbox, located in the Council Admin­istration Office.

To receive a personalised reply from San­ta himself, make sure your letter is posted by Wednesday 10 December 2025. Don’t forget to include your name and return address so Santa and his helpers know where to send their response.

Forbes Shire Mayor Phyllis Miller OAM said the North Pole Mail Express has be­come a much-loved local tradition that captures the joy and wonder of the festive season.

“It’s always heart-warming to see the ex­citement on children’s faces as they post their letters to Santa,” the Mayor said.

“We’re thrilled to help keep the Christmas magic alive in our community.”

So, get your pens ready and let Santa know what’s on your wish list this year.

Santa letter templates and envelopes are available from Council’s Administration Of­fice, or can be downloaded from Council’s website, www.forbes.nsw.gov.au/santa-letters-2025.

For more information, visit www.forbes.nsw.gov.au or follow @ForbesShireCouncil for updates.

October hosts were Jane and Darryl Hurley.

Our hosts for the October meeting, Jane and Darryl Burley, welcomed 36 members and provided us with a roomy shed out of the rain.

President Marg Dent asked for apologies and Lloyd Gerdes presented the financial report.

The next meeting will be our Christmas Luncheon and Marg has booked the Van­denberg Hotel at a cost to members of $30 payable to Treasurer Lloyd. This will be for 12 – 12.30pm on Tuesday 25 November for a two course meal. Members are asked to dress with a touch of Christmas. This will be our last meeting for the year.

Noel Hocking thanked all those who vis­ited their garden to view the irises and sup­ported Can Assist with donations. Noel is walking from Bedgerabong to Forbes to raise funds for CanAssist and it was decid­ed to donate $100 to help.

Our guest speaker was Wendy Muffet who spoke on her life moving to a farm at Wirrinya. On retirement, she and her hus­band bought a small block of land, built a home and started a bed and breakfast. They planted trees and vegetables using organic methods to control pests and composting to keep weeds at bay. Lee Sanderson thanked Wendy with a small gift.

Flower of the month winners were first Denise Thurston (Hippeastrum), second Clare Haley (Bauhinia) and third David Sanderson (Begonia). The raffle was won by Meg Scholefield, second prize went to Sue Robinson.

After the meeting, members enjoyed walking around the garden. Janette Thomas invited members to her garden across the road to view her roses .We are looking forward to seeing you all at the Vandenberg Hotel on Tuesday 25 No­vember.

By Green Thumb

Get involved at Ronald McDonald House Central West – volunteer, donate, become a corporate partner or find out if you or a close friend or relative is eligible to stay with us.

Staying close to treatment when a child is ill or injured is vital for families when they need it most. Our accommodation, programs and services are provided free of charge to the families of sick and injured children, and women experiencing a high risk preg­nancy – helping them when they need it most. We strive to serve more families, better and enable parents and carers to stay close to each other and vital treatment in the Central West.

Our purpose built House is located on the Hospital grounds in Orange and our Hospitality Cart in Dubbo visits families at their child’s bedside in the Paediatric Ward and Special Care Nursery so that they can close and together.

Our families come from across the region so that their children can receive treatment in our major hospitals in the Western Health District in Orange and Dubbo.

We rely on fundraising for 79% percent of our funding to keep the House and our programs available to families when they need it most – caring for a sick or injured child needing treatment in our region.

To find out more about what Ronald McDonal House Charities Central West do, or to get involved, please follow the link cwn­swfundraising.rmhc.org.au/event/redtember-2025 or visit www.rmhccwnsw.org.au

The new play equipment and 3 metre picnic table at Forbes Lake Ski Dam.

Completed just in time for summer, the expanded Lake Forbes Ski Dam Nature Playground is now open and ready to explore.

Forbes Shire Council invites the community to come along and celebrate the completion of this exciting project, which has trans­formed one of Forbes’ favourite recreation spots into an even more engaging and family-friendly destination.

The project included drainage improvements, installation of new play equipment and bark chip soft fall, refurbishment of existing equipment, new seating, and landscaping.

The space now offers more fun, age-appropriate play experi­ences for young children and is expected to attract more families and visitors to enjoy the Ski Dam and its surrounds.

Mayor Phyllis Miller OAM said the project is another great exam­ple of investing in spaces that enhance liveability and community wellbeing.

“The Ski Dam is such a special place for our community – a spot where families gather, children play, and visitors enjoy the outdoors,” the Mayor said.

“This expansion has made it even better, offering more ways for everyone to enjoy this beautiful space.”

The project was proudly funded by the NSW Government through the Local Small Commitments Allocation Program and de­livered by Forbes Shire Council.

To celebrate, Council will be hosting a community opening event on Friday 7 November at the Ski Dam, commencing at 12 midday.

For more information about the Ski Dam Nature Playground, visit www.forbes.nsw.gov.au.

Noel and Joy Hocking were hosts for the September meeting.

Forbes Garden Club President Marg Dent welcomed 42 members to the September meeting with nine apologies. The minutes of the previous meeting were read by Sec­retary Robin Lyell, and Treasurer Lloyd Gerdes presented us with his report.

Michelle Mahlo informed members that we have two Facebook pages and en­couraged members to share their pictures on the Forbes Garden Club page. Show flower convenor, Bev Green acknowledged many members who had won prizes at the recent Forbes Show which added to make a beautiful display.

Our hosts were Noel and Joy Hocking who made their garden open for our meet­ing. Members were amazed to see this beautiful garden of irises, roses and flow­ers in bloom of all colours. Several times it has been hit with floods and is very well cared for with lots of fertilizer. Noel gave us tips on pruning and white fly control. Noel and Joy will also be opening their garden twice more during the month of October for those wishing to view more iris flowers in bloom. Janette Thomas thanked our hosts with a small gift.

Flower of the month winners were first Denise Thurston (Ranunculi), second Lee Sanderson (Freesia) and third Robyn Liebich (yellow Tulip).There was plenty of raffle winners drawn, winners included Lee Sanderson, Meg Scholefield, Loris Stewart, Denise Thurs­ton, Marian Murray and Robin Lyell.

Our next meeting will be held in the gar­den of Jane and Darryl Burley at 11 Church Street on Tuesday 28 October at 2pm. Our guest speaker on the day will be Elsie Ma­hon. Everyone is invited to come along, and new members are always encour­aged. Please bring along a chair, hat and cup and have a cuppa with members after the meeting. See you all there.

By Green Thumb