Drew Barter and Grace Powley from Forbes have semi-lead roles in the Parkes M & D production of Big the Musical. Grace plays Billie Kopecki, the main character, Josh Baskin’s best friend, and Drew plays Josh as a child.

Local theatre returned to Parkes in a ‘big’ way last weekend after another year of lockdowns, interruptions and postponements. 

With a cast and crew of 50 the Parkes Musical and Dramatic Society’s production of Big the Musical once again highlights the abundance of talent in the Central West community putting on a fun-filled musical for all the family full of high-energy songs and dancing. Forbes is well represented with two cast members in semi-lead roles and more in the ensemble. 

“It’s been such a long time coming, all of us so glad to be back in the theatre,” said Lisa Ramsay as director of her third musical with the M & D. 

The production required a good dose of perseverance from Lisa as it had to be postponed twice, there were long breaks between rehearsals over the festive period and the April holiday and Elvis Festival, while managing changes in roles, finding new supporting crew members for choreography and set construction and coping with cast members getting COVID during the concluding weeks of rehearsals. 

The final result sees the Overture star from Grenfell, Henry Best in a huge lead role as Josh Baskin. Based on the 1987 smash-hit film with Tom Hanks, Josh is a frustrated adolescent who magically becomes an adult, and discovers that life is not simply child’s play. 

The other lead roles are played by Jess Morgan as Susan, Kate Walsh and Hannah Connell, with new comer Blake Martin and Forbes locals Grace Powley and Drew Barter in semi-lead roles. Grace plays Billie Kopecki, the main character’s best friend, and Drew plays Josh as a child. 

The musical includes the iconic floor piano dancing scene from the movie, and thanks to the ingenuity of two locals, Steve McGrath and Dave McCrae, the Parkes production has a giant floor piano too. “Our piano has three octaves and all the keys light up when you stand on them,” said Lisa of one of the biggest challenges of the set production. 

Whether you want to support local talent, or see the floor piano, make sure to get your tickets online for the shows this weekend and next, or buy tickets at the box office at the Little Theatre on Sundays from 10am to 12pm. NSW Discovery and Family Vouchers are accepted. 

The iconic floor piano dancing scene in Big performed by Kate Walsh, owner of the toy store, and Henry Best in the lead role as Josh Baskin.

Volunteering at St Vincent De Paul Op Shop this week were Anne Redfern and Val Maunder.

This week is National Volunteer Week and a chance for all of us to celebrate and recognise the vital work of volunteers and to say thank you.

Volunteering brings people together; it builds communities and creates a better society for everyone. Together, through volunteering, we are changing communities for the better. We are, Better Together.

There are plenty of volunteers helping the make the Forbes community better for everyone, and we would like to say thank you to all of them.

Volunteers at the Salvation Army in Forbes are (L-R) Joanne Sharrock, Mary Elliot and Ian Hacret.

Yellow ribbons have become synonymous with National Road Safety Week which starts on Sunday with Forbes Town Hall lit in yellow for the week.

Forbes, Parkes and Lachlan Shire Councils will be getting behind this initiative with a range of activities to help raise awareness of road safety as they’ve done since 2017. This includes honouring the memory of the 1,200 lives lost and more than 44,000 seriously injured on Australian roads each year.

During the Week, road users are encouraged to take the pledge to Drive So Others Survive, including not being distracted while driving, not speeding and to never drive under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

“During National Road Safety Week 2022, yellow ribbons will be displayed all across the country to remember those we have lost on the roads and to remind us to drive safely,” said Parkes, Forbes and Lachlan Shire Councils’ Road Safety and Injury Prevention Officer, Melanie Suitor.

“Our fleet vehicles and staff will proudly display yellow ribbons. Members of the public are encouraged to pick up a vehicle sticker and/or lapel ribbon for free from our administration offices in Parkes, Forbes, Condobolin and Lake Cargelligo.

“Our email signatures will display the National Road Safety Week artwork for the week. In Parkes the monument on Memorial Hill and the Sir Henry Parkes statue will also be lit in yellow.

“We are encouraging our staff and locals to sign the pledge to Drive So Others Survive www.roadsafetyweek.com.au,” Melanie said.

The Forbes Public School will be a hive of activity on Wednesday morning when they host the participants in the 30th Variety NSW Bash for breakfast before 100 cars will depart at 8am on the next leg of the rally to Ardlethan.

The Bash will visit rural and remote communities bringing much needed tourism revenue and equipment for schools. More than $45,000 worth of grants will be given to regional NSW schools, while more than $12,000 is spent at each lunch stop along the route and more than $70,000 at each overnight stop, including Forbes.

Variety Bash cars are renowned for bringing fun and excitement to the communities they visit with themed cars from Paw Patrol, Bob the Builder and Hot Wheels to Lightning McQueen, Scooby Doo and The Flintstones.

This year’s event starts on Sunday, 15th May at Foreshore Park Newcastle and will head to Spring Ridge, Dubbo, Ballimore, Quambone, Cobar, Condobolin, Forbes, Ardlethan, Wagga Wagga, Wyangala, Bathurst, Wattle Flat, Hunter Valley before finishing back for the Family Fun Day in Newcastle on Saturday, 21st May.

The breakfast at Forbes Public School will be open to the community who can come and view the cars. 

Robyn Miller busy making scones at the Royal Easter Show. Karen Wright irons the many CWA aprons for volunteers working in the tea rooms.

Two Forbes CWA members worked at the ever-popular Tea Rooms at the Royal Easter Show this year for their fourth time after a COVID break of two years.

It is a major fundraising activity for the CWA, and after two years of no show, the CWA members were excited to be baking scones and selling produce again.

Forbes CWA Evening Branch President Robyn Miller and Vice-President Karen Wright worked the morning shifts on Saturday, 9th April and Sunday, 10th April. 

“It was terrific to be able to get back to the show for a milestone year as the Royal Easter Show celebrated their 200th anniversary and CWA its 100th,” said Karen. Robyn said: “Our jobs in the tea rooms this year included ironing the CWA aprons worn by each volunteer (about 60 members per day are needed to staff the Tea Rooms), packing items into the inaugural CWA show bags, cutting of scones and putting them onto oven trays for baking and working on the promotions table selling raffle tickets, merchandise and homemade goodies.”

“The shifts each day were only four and a half hours long but were ‘jam packed’ as the Tea Rooms are so popular with show goers,” said Robyn.

“There were often long lines of people patiently waiting for the next hot fresh batch of scones to come out of the oven,” said Karen.

They were both were very excited and privileged to attend the official opening of the show by Princess Anne. “This was full of pomp and ceremony with her arriving in a horse drawn carriage, having groups of the defence forces marching and a flyover by the Air Force Roulettes,” said Karen.

Support the local CWA’s Open Garden at Helen and Kingsley Green’s property Booklyn on Victory Rd on Saturday, 21st May from 2-4pm. Entry is $10 including afternoon tea. 

By Sue Cunningham

A total of 250 cars worth less than $1,000 will take part in this year’s Shitbox Rally covering 3,600km and passing through Forbes tomorrow afternoon.

The Central West will see the 250 cars taking part in this year’s Shitbox Rally when the 500 participants will pass through Forbes tomorrow afternoon on their way to Trundle where they will overnight.

The teams of two will leave Wollongong on Saturday, 7th May in cars worth less than $1,000 (aka shitboxes) and travel 3,600km to cross the finish line seven days later in Mackay, Queensland. The rally is the largest independent fundraiser for the Cancer Council with over $30 million raised since the rallies began. The $2 million target for this rally is well in sight with current fundraising totals at over $1.7 million.

James Freeman who founded Box Rallies (Shitbox and Mystery Box Rally) after losing both of his parents to cancer within 12 months of each other said: “Shitbox Rally is not a race, but a reward for fundraising  efforts. This is a chance to explore Australia, drawing teams from around the country to help achieve the extraordinary. This year will be another incredible rally starting for the first time in Wollongong and finishing in Mackay. As with all rallies though, the route will be on the roads less travelled as we make our way into the Outback.” 

The impact of COVID in 2020 and 2021 has made it particularly difficult for teams to fundraise and Box Rallies has seen its expected fundraising total for the period cut by as much as $7.2 million. Rallies are the reward for raising vital funds for cancer research but when the reward is unable to take place, the fundraising slows considerably.

The rally cars are expected to go through Forbes from around 4pm and can be spread out over two to three hours. Arrival time in Trundle is from 5pm.