Karen Wright (vice-president Forbes Evening CWA) and Robyn Miller (president of Oxley CWA Group) are part of the working party planning the CWA’s 100th birthday celebrations and fashion parade.

For those of you who don’t know, the Country Women’s Association (CWA) of NSW has been around for 100 years!

To assist in organising members over the vast distances of NSW the CWA is divided into 17 groups with a number of branches within each group. The branches in the Oxley Group include Forbes Evening, Forbes CWA (Day) Branch, Parkes, Peak Hill, Tottenham, Tullamore Trundle, Condobolin, Myamley, Kiacatoo, Burthong and Bogan Gate. 

Why this information you ask? Well, if you read on you will find out and be given an amazing opportunity.

“Forbes CWA Evening Branch is joining forces with the Oxley CWA Group to bring an amazing birthday party to the Forbes Town Hall at 2pm on Sunday,30th October to celebrate 100 years of the CWA,” said Karen Wright, vice-president of Forbes CWA Evening Branch. 

Oxley Group President Roby Miller said planning was underway with a working party representing all branches in the group. “Organisers are looking forward to presenting guests with an amazing experience.” 

The entertainment will be a fabulous fashion parade with costumes through the decades from 1922 to 2022.

“There will be a special emphasis on wedding dresses over the century,” said Karen. “There will also be other outfits modelled by volunteers, plus a static display of fashion accessories. There will also be a delicious afternoon tea provided for guests.” 

To help celebrate the commitment of volunteering and community work of CWA members over the last 100 years members of the public are invited to attend and enjoy an afternoon tea with friends and a cruise through the fashions of the last century. Tickets will be available through 123 tix shortly. 

The CWA of NSW had its beginnings at the Bushwomen’s Conference held in conjunction with the Royal Agricultural Show in Sydney in April 1922.

By Sue Cunningham

Rhyse Forrestal in the Parkes M & D production of Big. He will host the All Abilities concert with Lisa Martin on 3rd September at the Little Theatre in Parkes at 2pm.

Parkes Musical & Dramatic Society are known for their inclusive culture. Whether it be subtitles for the hearing impaired or Autism friendly relaxed performances so people on the spectrum, or who experience a disability, can come along to watch a production that is adapted to ensure suitability to the audience.

The society often cast people with disability in their productions – even one of their directors, Lyn Townsend, has a hearing impairment which requires adaptation at rehearsals so she can be involved.

About 18 months ago, the society were successful in a grant application under the Department of Social Services and Community Participation Stream to support people with disabilities.

So far, the grant has been used to support a number of people who have been cast in productions, and also for patrons with disabilities (and their carers) to come and watch the shows. A specialised screen was sourced from overseas to show subtitles where appropriate. The most important event to be supported by the grant is the All Abilities concert.

Featuring a combination of individual items and group performances in song, dance, recitation and a short skit, this concert will give people with disability (and their carers/support networks) the opportunity to experience what it’s like to be a theatre star and shine on stage, in their own unique way.

There will be performers from around the district, joined by their city friends from Twinkle Star Dance Studio. They contacted the society and asked to be involved after reading about the event.

The concert will be hosted by well-known identities (with their own unique ‘ability’), Rhyse Forrestal and Lisa Martin who are sure to keep the concert ticking along with their own dash of comedy.

There will be only one concert, on 3rd September at 2pm. Make sure to get your ticket at www.parkesmandd.com.au.

Forbes High School is creating bright futures for all students who enter our gates. Our school environment is rich and filled with diverse experiences that cater for all learners. We are fortunate to have expansive grounds which have recently undergone significant transformation to ensure that our learning environment is inviting and conducive to learning. 

High quality educational experiences are what you find at Forbes High School. Highly experienced educators fill our classrooms who differentiate the learning to support all students. This creates an educational experience that shapes the future of the students, whether that be further study at university, TAFE or employment. All our graduating students are successful in the future career pathways and several of the cohort of 2022 have already secured university placements. 

Our passion at Forbes High School is providing the complete education experience. High quality teaching and learning is paramount, this occurs in an environment rich in extra curricula opportunities and in a highly supportive and inclusive environment. Forbes High School caters for all students and supports their educational pathway, recognising that individual needs must be supported. 

Forbes High School offers public speaking, academic competitions, sporting opportunities and caters to all areas of the Creative and Performing Arts. Recently, we had a very successful Forbes Eisteddfod with our school placed first in the schools point score trophy. 

We work closely with our community partners including Forbes Local Aboriginal Education Consultative Group (AECG), local businesses and our P and C. We have an active parent and community body who work alongside us ensuring that the education received at Forbes High School creates the best possible future for our students. 

EDUCATION WEEK 

Education Week 2022 takes place next week from 1-5 August. This year’s theme is ‘creating futures – education changes lives’ and celebrates quality education and the opportunities available to everyone in NSW public education. 

Education Week is your chance to celebrate the achievements of your school, students or learning community. “This year NSW public education continues to celebrate the journey students and learners take throughout the NSW Education system, focusing on how we are creating futures for our students, staff and families. 

“From the first days in child care to post-school pathways, our education system is preparing young people to be agile thinkers and lifelong learners.” 

Rebecca Wilson with her favourite painting of Kate called Carte De Visite. Calling cards, or Carte De Visite, were all the rage from France from the 1860s. An original calling card of Kate’s was listed for auction for $5,000 – $8,000 in recent years, and showed Kate in her riding habit. (The Kate Kelly Exhibition is on at the Coventry Room until 6th August.)

Many people might only know her as the little sister of Australia’s infamous bushranger Ned Kelly, but Kate Kelly was incredibly famous in her day.

“Kate was absolutely Kardashian famous! Everybody knew who Kate Kelly was and by 1882 she had her own wax replica on display at the wax works that were quite popular in those days.”

Artist and former Forbes resident Rebecca Wilson entertained the audience with some incredible stories about Kate’s life at the opening of her exhibition in Parkes last Friday.

Rebecca spent ten years researching the life of Kate after a conversation over Christmas lunch. “I was thinking why don’t I know these stories, and that set me off on an investigation of over 10 years.”

As a painter, she was drawn to Kate’s story because of the Forbes connection, but also because it was such a visual story. “I wanted to paint her story, but first had to do research.”

Rebecca discovered a woman who was extremely loyal to her family and friends. “She was feisty, adventurous, brave, intelligent, and a highly skilled horse woman. It was important for me that more people learn about Kate’s story and how she was involved in a very important part of Australian history.”

Rebecca discovered so many impressive things about Kate and all the adversaries she had to deal with until the tragedy of her death in Forbes. She was only 14 or 15 when she was riding through the bush as a decoy for the Kelly gang, delivering messages, getting supplies and information to help the gang stay at large. She ended up witnessing the Glenrowan siege in 1880 when her brother and two friends were killed and Ned was captured.

She campaigned and raised 30,000 signatures to try and spare Ned’s life and even met with the Governor when she was only 17. It was a showman called Flashjack Donovan who contributed to her fame when he convinced Kate and her brother Jim to tour with him across regional Victoria, South Australia, and up to Sydney. Thousands attended their performances, but the police could not stand it so they shut them down.

Eventually the fame and ridicule she received in the press, led to her wanting to escape Victoria, and she ended up in Forbes at age 22 under the alias of Ada Hennessey in 1885 and worked as a domestic servant. She married, had six children and was found dead in the lagoon on the outskirts of Forbes at the age of 35, perhaps suffering from peri-natal depression. 

Rebecca not only created a beautiful cohesive body of work about Kate, but also wrote a book telling her story. “The incredible and amazing story of Kate Kelly is a story you can’t not know as it has a lot of relevance for us now.

“In a way our society has changed, but there are still many of those fundamental things that haven’t changed. We are still struggling for more rights and recognition for women, there’s still poverty, and a class structure.”

Rebecca said while she was doing the research she had a sense of real gratitude to all the women who have gone before us. “They’ve made my life a lot easier and we should not forget that as they worked really hard. And I hope our modern generation will be leaving some kind of legacy and be improving things for the next generation too.” 

The Kate Kelly exhibition at the Coventry Room at the Parkes Library and Cultural Centre will be open to the public from Saturday, 16th July to Saturday, 6th August.

The incredible story of Kate Kelly, sister of Australia’s infamous bushranger, came to life last year when a Forbes author published her debut book.

Rebecca Wilson wrote ‘Kate Kelly, the true story about Ned Kelly’s little sister’ after she made a discovery about Kate. When Kate was a teenager, she had ridden as a decoy and delivered news and supplies to the Kelly gang when they were on the run in north-east Victoria from 1878 to 1880. “I was instantly intrigued, and jumped down the rabbit hole of research, hot on Kate’s heels,” Rebecca told The Guardian newspaper when her book was launched.

Rebecca has also completed a collection of paintings on Kate, and the official opening of her exhibition takes place tonight, 15th July in the Coventry Room at the Parkes Library and Cultural Centre at 6:30pm.

Rebecca, who is the first person to uncover the full story of Kate after years of research and investigation, will be hosting the opening of the exhibition.

The exhibition celebrates the retold story of Kate Kelly and her life as sister to infamous bushranger, Ned Kelly. 

Manager Cultural, Education & Library Services, Kerryn Jones said: “Kate became quite a celebrity until she vanished. Rebecca uncovers the story of this amazing woman’s life, 14 years of which she lived in Forbes.” 

The exhibition will be open to the public from Saturday, 16th July to Saturday, 6th August. Tickets for the official opening can be purchased at parkes.nsw.gov.au or via Parkes Shire Council’s Facebook page. Alternatively, you can book your tickets by visiting the Parkes Library & Cultural Centre.