Forbes Central West Livestock Exchange had some unu-sual visitors last week. Around 100 Jerusalem Donkeys (named for the cross on their backs) stayed in the yards overnight enroute from the Northern Territory. (Photo: FCWLE)
June Public Holiday Renamed: In recognition of the reign of King Charles III, the NSW Government has amended the Public Holidays Act 2010 to rename the Queen’s Birthday public holiday the King’s Birthday public holiday. The amendment has been gazetted and will be effective from 13th January next year. The holiday remains the same, save for a change in name. This means the King’s Birthday public holiday will still be recognised on the second Monday in June. Although Queen Elizabeth II’s actual birth date was 21st April 1926, in keeping with Royal tradition, official celebrations in the UK were held in June when there was a greater likelihood of fine weather for the Birthday Parade or Trooping of the Colour. NSW followed in that tradition.
New Skills For School Leavers: The ‘Class of 2022’ will be given the opportunity to access fee-free training to help them rapidly gain new skills for summer jobs in industries experiencing labour shortages such as hospitality, construction and early childhood education. The Summer Skills program will deliver 4,000 fee-free courses, with a focus on school leavers. Summer Skills courses will be available through TAFE NSW and other registered training organisations for people between 16 and 24 who have left school. For more visit www.skills.education.nsw.gov.au/initiatives/summer-skills.
Real-Time Traffic Updates: The NSW Government announced the first regional expansion to its LiveTraffic system, with the status of roads across 22 local government areas now available for navigation software such as Google Maps and Apple Maps. NSW Farmers Business, Economics and Trade Committee chair John Lowe said the widespread heavy rain and flooding had caused major problems for many local roads, posing a safety risk. “There are potholes you could hide a cow in at some places, and getting them back up to standard quickly and efficiently will be a big problem for authorities. It’s great to see the first stage of the NSW Government’s LiveTraffic upgrade come online for some of these flood-impacted areas.” He said people in the Central West and Riverina would be very keen for their area to come online sooner than later. “In the meantime, everyone needs to drive to the conditions, take extra care and remember: if it’s flooded, forget it!
Parkes Christian School could not have asked for a better day of sunshine for their Spring Fair on Saturday to celebrate the school’s 40th anniversary. There was a huge turn out and great entertainment, with Emma Baker having a cuddle with this cutie. (Photo: PCS)