Northparkes staff had a different type of experience last Thursday when organiser Stacey Kelly arranged a dragon boat paddle for seventeen of her staff members.

Club President, Bill Thomas was happy to skipper the boat, while Bev Williams took on the important role as the pace-setter and Beth Thomas drummed and coached the team of novices. “They paddled amazingly well for first-timers and had a huge amount of fun. It’s such a fabulous idea for staff bonding,” stated Bill Thomas.

The crew were surprised at what a true workout a dragon-boat paddle can be, and some stated they’d be interested in having another go. The Lachlan Dragons would warmly welcome them.

If you’re looking for the unique experience of dragon-boating, call Bill on 0418 616 500 or Chris on 0414 762 775.

Week ending 2nd December

This week’s games delivered great results with 6 members winning their three games on Tuesday. The winning teams being Marj Styles, Veva MacCullagh, Dorothea Croker,John Browne, John Allegri and Kevin Rubie. Excellent results achieved by the teams.

Apologies to Marj Styles for my error in failing to note her three wins of Tuesday, 7th November.

Saturday was a washout and no games were played. Such a disappointing weekend for those attending Vanfest. The town had great hopes for an exciting weekend of camping and music for our visitors.

Don’t forget our Christmas get-together at the Van on Tuesday, 12th December at 12 midday. Wear your brightest, Christmassy gear and be prepared to have an enjoyable time.

By Anne Stewart

The Wagga Wagga Dragon Boat Regatta was the epitome of friendliness with a great time experienced by all.

It started for the Lachlan Dragons with a team barbecue on the regatta eve with a lot of fun and laughs shared by the crew and some friendly rivalry aimed at opposition paddlers who were sharing the area.

The atmosphere continued throughout the Regatta Day with lots of jovial challenges exchanged between competing teams.

The rains fell only on the furthest peripheries and the predicted thunderstorms held off so that the only booming was that of the drums ringing across Lake Albert. Teams of paddlers were egged on by those beating drums as well as by the cheers of their support crews.

The Forbes Lachlan Dragons raced in all three categories: men’s, women’s and mixed. The men’s, combined with the Sudu Dragons of Wollongong, raced a beautiful final to take the third place trophy.

The coaches expressed how happy they were with all races. “You all raced extremely well against very stiff competition,” said Coach Carmen Stephens.

“Your power in the boat and your technique was great,” added Coach Warren Edwards.

The Lachlan Dragons will stay geared up under these two inspiring coaches, with a bit of a break over Christmas, in readiness for the Canberra Regatta in January.

Back home on Lake Forbes, many new paddlers have been turning up for a try and loving it. Most are returning for another go and some are even joining up as members.

If you’re looking for a great sport that fits any age, and is a real workout for any ability or fitness level, come and give it a go.

For more information call Bill Thomas on 0418616500 or Chris Sweeney on 0414 762 775.

Forbes High School has claimed the Ben Hall Shield for 2017, in what was a very competitive and close competition with Blayney High School.

At the end of October, Forbes High School hosted the annual Ben Hall Shield against Blayney High School. In its fourth year this competition is proving to be an exciting opportunity for our students to demonstrate their skills on the sporting fields.

The competition saw Blayney High School take the lead and start off strong against some of the Forbes High School teams defeating their junior girls and boys’ basketball teams and junior and senior girls’ touch football teams.

With the home ground advantage Forbes High School were able to step up and come home with a convincing win, taking out seven of the eleven games. The teams had success in the volleyball, junior and senior netball, senior girls and boy’s basketball and both the junior and senior boys’ touch football.

The Ben Hall Shield proves each year to be a prize both high schools seek out to win and which seems to bring out a competitive nature in all students to want to succeed.

Deputy Principal Jason Nottingham said, “It’s great to see all students from both high schools bring such a competitive spirit to the Ben Hall Shield and strive to do their best. We had a really lovely day hosting Blayney High School and look forward to travelling there next year.”

Week ending 25th November

Weather wise, this day was the pick of the season. Some close games were played, especially an epic battle between John Cole and Bill Scott on the second last game of the day. Winning scores of three games on Tuesday were four women, namely Dorelle Scott, Kathy Broderick, Joan Littlejohn and Robin Polls. They outnumbered the men with scores of three games, namely Mal Smith, Alec Todd and Barry White.

Saturday morning warmed up very quickly and a members vote was taken to hit off at 8:30am on Tuesday and Saturday mornings in order to beat the heat. Winners on the day with scores of three games were Dorothea Croker, Bruce Field and Bob Murray.

A reminder to all members that our Christmas lunch will be held on Tuesday, 12th December.

By Anne Stewart

Australians can begin planning their Queen’s Baton Relay (QBR) experience with the street-level detail and community celebrations now available to explore at gc2018.com/qbr.

People can now see where the Relay will travel, which streets will be lined with crowds, and the celebration dates to mark in their calendars across the 100-day journey in Australia leading up to the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games (GC2018).

After travelling an astonishing 288 days throughout the Commonwealth, the Queen’s Baton will arrive onto Australian soil in Brisbane on 24th December 2017, having shared the dream of GC2018 with over one third of the world’s population.

From its arrival until 24th January 2018, the Queen’s Baton will engage with thousands of Australians at popular summertime events, iconic locations and children’s hospitals around the country, starting in Melbourne on Boxing Day.

The Queen’s Baton will scale Sydney Harbour Bridge, celebrate the Taste of Tasmania festival, be a part of the tennis action in Perth and Brisbane, hit the roads at the Tour Down Under in South Australia and respect the magic that is Uluru at sunset.

From 25th January 2018, the QBR will shift gears to a more traditional relay starting in Canberra, where the Queen’s Baton will join Australia Day celebrations, before continuing in the hands of approximately 3,800 batonbearers through every state and territory.
As the Queen’s Baton travels the length and breadth of Australia, it will not just pass through, but spend quality time in the communities it visits, calling into hundreds of local schools and community celebrations along the way.

The Queen’s Baton will arrive on the Gold Coast for the XXI Commonwealth Games Opening Ceremony on 4th April 2018, where His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales will remove Her Majesty’s message and read it aloud to declare the Games officially open.

Week ending 18th November
When you are in the Forbes Croquet Club amazing things can happen. One of those amazing things was for the club members to celebrate the 90th birthday of Bruce Field. Bruce is a man who would outdo most 50 year olds when it comes to mobility and agility. He is a much loved and admired member of the club. Congratulations Bruce!

Other birthday celebrations this month is Dorothea Croker, Dorelle Scott and Bill Scott. A very happy birthday to you all. We also celebrated a welcome return to Veva MacCullagh who has been on the sick list for a while. Welcome back Veva! Three wins this week in Golf croquet went to Colleen Liebich, Marjorie Styles and Bruce Field.

‘Beat the rain’ was the name of the game when Saturday saw a turnout of 22 stalwart people, and beat the rain we did. Winners of their three games were Joan Littlejohn and Cherylin Cole.

By Anne Stewart