Jan Diprose was guest speaker at the April meeting.

The Forbes Garden Club April meeting was held in the lovely gardens at the home of John Browne. President Marg Dent wel­comed 28 present with six apologies. The guest speaker was Jan Diprose from the Weddin Community Native Nursery at Gren­fell. This volunteer nursery started under the Landcare banner, where seeds are collect­ed sorted and stored. They are grown in hot houses and sold to farmers and Shire Coun­cils. John Browne also spoke on his garden which is home to many unusual plants.

Flower of the month winners were 1st Denise Thurston (Clematis), 2nd Elvy Quirk(Dahlia) and 3rd Marlene (Huf-Rose). Raf­fle winners were Joy Hocking, Elvy Quirk, Janette Thomas, Meg Scholefield and John Browne.

The recent bus trip to visit the Tumbling Downs Olive Grove at Bogan Gate start­ed out with a bus filled with members and friends all eager for an outing in this beauti­ful autumn weather. Participants were wel­comed by Colin and Shelley Nutley with a delicious Devonshire Tea. Shelley spoke of the history of their farm and how they pick and press the olives, before tasting the oil and a variety of jams relishes.

The next stop was visiting three gar­dens at Parkes. The first garden was at the home of Leah Douglas, who had been in­undated with the 2022 floods. The garden featured numerous advanced trees, a large area to explore and tend. The next garden was that of Nancy McColl – a large cottage type garden which led visitors along lots of paths around her home filled with trees and shrubs. The last garden of the day the group visited was Fay and Kelvie Blackstock’s home. This garden featured all manor of cre­ations from old machinery made by Kelvie with succulents planted everywhere. Gar­den Club members are very appreciative of Denise Thurston for planning this fantastic day.

The Gallery Forbes site is a hive of activ­ity as work is progressing on the exterior of the cultural and arts precinct. Construction is well underway on the exterior of the sec­ond storey extension, the roof is now on and some painting preparation is happening.

Chairperson of the Forbes Arts Society Trudy Mallick said, “the exterior will be a balancing act between preserving the old and incorporating the new. Having served as a key civic hub in its former life, first as a bank and then as an ambulance station, we can appreciate the amount of interest in this project.

“It’s heartening and reassuring to see the work being done on site to bring this belov­ed, prominent building back to life. It’s been a long time coming and we’d like to thank the Forbes community for its patience as we continue to progress this very exciting pro­ject forward.”

This stage of the project will take the building to lock up.

The Forbes Cultural Centre (Gallery Forbes) development is part of the ‘Boost­ing the Lachlan Valley Economy Art Project’ which is proudly funded by the NSW Gov­ernment’s Regional Growth – Environment and Tourism Fund, the Forbes Arts Society, Forbes Shire Council, Lachlan Shire Coun­cil and Evolution Mining.

The ‘Boosting the Lachlan Valley Econ­omy Art Project’ aims to foster visual arts throughout the Forbes Shire, grow the visi­tor economy and promote the Lachlan Val­ley region as a premier tourism destination.

The project also includes the Gum Swamp redevelopment and extension of the Sculp­ture Down the Lachlan trail.

For more information about the project and to view the proposed plans, visit www.forbesartssociety.com

Christine Cox, Parkes Vinnies Retail Team Leader – NSW Vinnies Volunteer of the Year.

In recognition of National Volunteer Week (19-25 May), St Vincent de Paul Society NSW held a very special morning tea. It provided the opportunity to thank all of the Parkes volunteers and members and present some special awards.

Christine Cox, Parkes Vinnies Retail Team Leader, was award­ed the honor of NSW Vinnies Volunteer of the Year, Christine was nominated by Tanya Godden West Region Retail Manager. Chris­tine said she volunteers because: “There are plenty of rewards – the company of the volunteers and customers and the opportunity to be able to make a difference to the lives of others.”

After receiving the award Christine said “I’m a bit stunned. It was lovely. I have a very good team of volunteers and if I didn’t have them and my family, I couldn’t do it.” Christines Mum, Frances Charlton, was also a former Vinnies volunteer of 37 years before passing away recently.

Other awards were presented to:

• Krys Szabo, Parkes Conference Member and Retail Volunteer – Life Membership Award on recognition of her active and dedi­cated 30 years of service with the Society.

• Liz Jones, Parkes Conference Member and Retail Volunteer – Life Service Award on recognition of her 20 years of service with the Society.

• Christine Curteis, Parkes Retail Volunteer – 25 Year Service Award

• Marlene Freeman, Central Council Statistician – 15 Year Service Award

• Elaine Charlton, Parkes Retail Volunteer – 15 Year Service Award

• Paula Sutherland, Parkes Conference President and Retail Vol­unteer – 10 Year Service Award

• Irene Trueber, Parkes Conference Member and Retail Volunteer – 10 Year Service Award

• Brenda Davies, Parkes Retail Volunteer – 10 Year Service Award

• Ruth Beuzeville, Parkes Retail Volunteer – 5 Year Service Award

• Trish Prior, Parkes Retail Volunteer – 5 Year Service Award

Learn more about volunteering with St Vincent de Paul Society NSW at: www.vinnies.org.au

On Day 5, Thursday 22 May, the group will travel through Euabalong West and on to Parkes. Day 6, Friday 23 May, the vehicles will be departing Parkes and heading through Bogan Gate.

The iconic Variety NSW Bash is back for its 33rd year, aiming to raise $1 million to support children who are sick, experienc­ing disadvantage or living with a disability.

From Sunday 18 May to Saturday 24 May, 78 colourful cars and 255 participants will embark on the exhilarating seven-day road trip, congregating at Mount Panorama and ending in Newcastle.

The Variety NSW Bash is a one-of-a-kind motoring adventure that unites car lovers from all walks of life in a colourful celebra­tion of community and cause. Spanning just over 3,000km, the event is packed with fun, friendship, and purpose — with $41,647 in grants to be awarded to rural schools and communities along the route.

Participants are encouraged to decorate and theme their vehicles; from Men in Black, Scooby Doo, SpongeBob SquarePants, Pokémon to Minions, all while raising criti­cal funds for Variety–the Children’s Charity NSW/ACT.

Stops along the way include Bathurst, Young, West Wyalong, Weethalle, Coleam­bally, Hay, Pooncarie, Broken Hill, Ivanhoe, Griffith, Euabalong West, Parkes, Bogan Gate, Yeoval, Mudgee and finishing with a Family Fun Day in Newcastle.

“We’re thrilled to bring the Variety NSW Bash back for another year,” said Tony Warner, CEO of Variety NSW/ACT.

“It’s more than just a road trip, it’s a pow­erful fundraising event that directly sup­ports kids who are sick, disadvantaged or living with disability right across NSW.”

This year, school beneficiaries include Weethalle Public School, Kalinda School, Coleambally Central School, Pooncarie Public School, Ivanhoe Central School, Euabalong West Public School, Yeoval Central School. Each school will receive between $3,000 and $5,000 for education­al resources and sporting equipment such as projectors, workbooks, sensory play equipment, EDU classroom drone kit, and even a Variety Sunshine Coach!For more information or to donate, visit: https://fundraise.varietynswact.org.au/event/nswbash25

Transport for NSW will carry out geotechnical slope assessments at multiple locations across the Central West as part of ongoing efforts to maintain a safe road environment.

From Monday 12 May, crews will assess slopes on the Great Western, Castlereagh and Mitchell highways as well as on So­fala Road, The Escort Way, Chifley Road, Trunkey Road, Jenolan Caves Road and Duckmaloi Road.

A Transport for NSW spokesperson said the work is crucial for identifying potential issues and informing decisions about risk management and mitigation.

“Assessors will be looking for slope instability and the potential for landslides. This routine work helps provide a safe road environ­ment now and into the future,” the spokesperson said.

“Slope management is vital for the upkeep of our road network and to maximise safety for all road users.

“Motorists may notice our assessment teams working on foot in these areas and we ask that they drive with added awareness and caution.”

Work will take place between 7am and 5pm on weekdays and is expected to take five days to complete, weather permitting. For the safety of workers and motorists, single lane closures, intermittent stopping and a reduced speed limit of 40 km/h may be in place during work hours. Access for residents and emergency services will be maintained at all times.

Motorists are advised to drive to the conditions and follow the di­rections of signs and traffic control. Transport for NSW thanks road users for their patience. For the latest traffic updates download the Live Traffic NSW app, visit livetraffic.com or call 132 701.

Pam Baass hosted our garden club meeting.

At our last meeting President Marg Dent welcomed 29 members with five apologies. Our hosts Pam and John Baass made us very comfortable, seated under large trees in their beautiful, well estab­lished garden.

After the reports and birthday wishes, extended general busi­ness was discussed. Denise Thurston has organised a bus trip for Thursday 15 May leaving at 9.30am to visit the Tumbling Downs Olive Grove at Bogan Gate where a Devonshire tea will be en­joyed, before proceeding on to Parkes to visit three gardens and a picnic lunch at Cooke Park. At least 30 members will be needed to make this a success and the cost will be $35. Families and friends are all welcome. Money will need to be collected at the April meet­ing in an envelope, or given to Treasurer Lloyd at 7 McMillan Place if you are unable to attend the meeting. Enquiries can be made by calling 0428 540 272 or emailing forbesgardenclub@gmail.com

Our guest speaker was Yvonne Tracey from Orange who spoke on Dahlias. Her collection of different varieties was outstanding and her knowledge takes her overseas as a judge to many coun­tries, although she said Australia has the best dahlias in the world! She provided valuable tips on growing them that were much ap­preciated. Denise presented Yvonne with a thank you gift.

In the flower of the month competition, first went to Denise Thurston (Dahlia), second was Janette Thomas (Rose ‘Bloomfield Abunda’) and third was John Browne (Canna Lily).The raffle was won by Jan Stewart with Lee Sanderson second.

President Marg thanked Pam and John for making their garden available for our meeting. The next meeting will be held at 111 Flint Street at the home of John Browne on Tuesday 22 April and don’t forget a chair, hat and a mug, and flower of the month.

By Green Thumb