The BreastScreen NSW mobile screening van will be in Forbes from Monday 18 Au­gust to Monday 13 October, 2025. Breast­Screen NSW provides free breast screening to all women over 40 to support the early detection of breast cancer.

Deon Adamson, Manager, BreastScreen NSW (Greater Western) says a regular breast screen is one of the most important things women can do for their health.

“Detecting breast cancer early increases your chance of survival while reducing the likelihood of invasive treatment.”

“Around 90 per cent of women diagnosed with breast cancer have no family history.

This is why breast cancer screening is so important.”

Ms Adamson says having a BreastScreen NSW van in Forbes makes it easier for women to attend their recommended twoyearly screening.

“Bringing these vital services to Forbes means more local women can be screened.

Life gets busy and we want women to make their health a priority.”

The BreastScreen NSW van will be lo­cated in Harold Street (near the Ceno­taph), Forbes NSW 2871. An appointment with BreastScreen NSW is free, takes less than 20 minutes and no doctor’s referral is needed. BreastScreen NSW provides free screening mammograms to women over the age of 40. Any woman with a family history of breast cancer should discuss their spe­cific needs with their GP. Anyone with breast symptoms should contact their GP or health worker without delay.

The mobile clinic visiting Forbes is equipped with a lift system to support wom­en with health conditions or disability to have their mammogram. Women with addi­tional needs are encouraged to let us know when booking.

Have your breast screen at our mobile BreastScreen NSW van in Forbes and you will be entered in the draw to win a delicious hamper.

To book a free mammogram visit book.breastscreen.nsw.gov.au or call 13 20 50.

It’s the early hours of the morning and it’s suddenly still and very quiet. The sheep are silent, huddled together, the crickets have stopped their noisy rendition of Mozart; everything is in quiet anticipation. And then I hear it – the patter of the first rain drops on the tin roof. I open the window wide, and smell the scent of rain on fresh lawn, water droplets on eucalyptus leaves, rain sinking deep into the garden beds.

It’s the rain we’ve been waiting for, that we’ve needed for months. It’s finally here. I envisage the patter of rain on the dried up dam beds, the gentle flow of water down a creek bed that has been empty for months.

I know he’s heard it too, “thank you God,” he mutters, the livelihood of a farm at the hands of the weather.

The human body needs water to – and probably more than you think. I read an interesting story about a doctor who found himself in prison in Ukraine. Since it was well known that he was a doctor, people started coming to him for advice for vari­ous illnesses. He didn’t have any access to medication and the only resource available to him to prescribe was water. “Drink a cup of water every hour” he’d say to someone, initially as a placebo effect, maybe it would work. With surprise, he started to see that many illnesses, diseases were improved or eradicated, simply by individuals drinking more water. He was so intrigued that when they let him go, he asked to stay impris­oned to study his findings.

I remember it was always my mother’s “go-to” choice of remedy. Sore throat, l

headache, belly ache, achy joints? “Go have a drink of water.” She’d say. I used to think that it was just out of laziness (and now as a parent myself, I resonate deeply with her approach!) but now I’m wondering if she was on to something.

I know what you’re thinking. This isn’t for me. If I drank more water, I’d be rushing to the toilet all day and all night or my blad­der would leak! Well, maybe you’re already drinking the correct amount of water. Or maybe, your bladder isn’t used to holding large amounts of water and has gotten lazy or is irritated by the caffeine in your diet (ever wondered why you get the urge to go multiple times after coffee or tea? Caffeine irritates the bladder.) Start with half a glass in the morning, be­fore you put the kettle on or warm the cof­fee machine up. Have another half a glass when you feel a bit peckish mid-morning, and again when the post-lunch siesta hits and you wish you lived in a country where it was socially acceptable to knock off work for an hour nap in the middle of the day.

Grab another cup before you reach for your usual evening beverage and swap any caf­feine out for decaf (yes there is caffeine in green tea – sorry!) and you might notice your bladder behaves a bit better overnight.

Cheers to water drinking, not quite as flashy as champagne, but certainly the quiet achiever.

Did you know we offer help with bladder incontinence? To book in, please give us a call.

Rach x