Shop Small – Think Big! Federal Member for Calare John Cobb launched Shop Small last week, an initiative to encourage people across the Central West to shop small this Christmas and support local small businesses. You can get involved with Shop Small by nominating your favourite local business before December 30. The most
successful small business will be presented with an award recognising their excellence. Visit www.johncobb.com.au to vote for your favourite business today.

Forbes Neighbourhood Watch volunteers have been out and about, giving assistance where needed at various community functions. This group is very community minded and happy to assist any school or organisation. Since their highly successful Home Security Expo night, they have been working with Crime Prevention Office Constable Daniel Greef, coordinating free home security assessments. Call Neighbourhood Watch on 6851 2716 or Daniel on 6862 9936 for more info.

Movember is back for the 13th year this month, flying the flag for men’s health and recruiting Mo Bros and Mo Sistas to join the good fight. If you or someone you know is taking part in Movember 2015, let us know at editor@forbesphoenix.com.au today!

The Friends of the Hospital were pleased to welcome a new member to their last meeting for the year. “We wish to thank the community for their contributions at the hospital opening day towards our fundraising for future medical equipment. We will be holding a generous monetary raffle at Woolworths during this month which will
be drawn in good time to purchase goodies for Christmas. Our Christmas luncheon is on 4 December after which we will be in recess until the first Friday in February. New members would be most welcome. A Happy Christmas to all.”

Unite to Light the Night on Sunday 22 November in Victoria Park from 5:30pm to raise money for the Leukaemia Foundation. Register today at www.lightthenight.org.au

The fifth Rotary Ipomoea Christmas Tree Festival is coming up and Forbes Rotary Ipomoea is inviting everyone to enter with a Christmas tree or Nativity scene. Your tree can be made and decorated using bought or recycled materials. Register your entry by Friday 27 November by contacting the Festival Committee on 6851 5197, 6851 4930 or by emailing sueanne.nixon@hotmail.com

The Remembrance Day Service was well attended by the Forbes community on Wednesday at Victoria Park. Michael Walker conducted the ceremony which included the unveiling of two new war memorials. The World War II Memorial was donated to the community by the Walker Family, who were present to perform the unveiling. The 2016 School Captains from Forbes High School and Red Bend Catholic College read out the names of fallen soldiers before Aaron Parry performed the last post at 11 o’clock.

Ninety people attended the Melbourne Cup Luncheon at Forbes Services Memorial Club, with all proceeds going to the Forbes Breast Cancer Support Group, a community organisation providing support for community members who have been diagnosed, treated or are recovering from breast cancer. Coleen Clifton won best hat or fascinator, and Karen Betland won best dressed. Raylene and Lindy were instrumental in the event’s success.

Unite to Light the Night on Sunday 22 November in Victoria Park from 5:30pm to raise money for the Leukaemia Foundation. Register today at www.lightthenight.org.au

The fifth Rotary Ipomoea Christmas Tree Festival is coming up and Forbes Rotary Ipomoea is inviting everyone to enter with a Christmas tree or Nativity scene. Your tree can be made and decorated using bought or recycled materials. Register your entry by Friday 27 November by contacting the Festival Committee on 6851
5197, 6851 4930 or by emailing sueanne.nixon@hotmail.com

Free community Tai Chi lessons are on offer until Tuesday 17 November at Forbes Town Hall from 10am to 11am. For people aged 16 years and over, Tai Chi is an empowering but gentle form of low impact exercise. Wear comfy clothes, flat shoes and bring a water bottle. No registrations needed, just turn up and demonstrations will be provided. Morning tea will be provided after class.

The Forbes Fashion and Homewares Market, now in its third year, will be held at Forbes Town Hall this Saturday, with all money donated to Angel Fight. This is the first year the market has combined fashion and homewares, bringing a larger variety of stalls for shoppers. Like the Forbes Fashion Markets on Facebook to stay updated.

Movember is back for the 13th year this month, flying the flag for men’s health and recruiting Mo Bros and Mo Sistas to join the good fight. By committing their top lip for 30 hairy days, Mo Bros can effectively become walking, talking billboards and through their Mo growing efforts, raise vital awareness and funds for prostate cancer,
testicular cancer and mental health. If you or someone you know is taking part in Movember 2015, let us know at editor@forbesphoenix.com.au today!

The Pyramid Sculpture copped a yarn bombing last week and while no one has taken the credit yet, the leading suspect is the River Arts Festival Committee. This sculpture never seems to escape controversy and is once again the talking point of the town! This weekend is set to be massive with lots of music, dance, theatre, visual arts, crafts, stalls, boating and great food and wine.

Young people will benefit from reforms to the way families are tested with regard to youth income support payments. The family assets test and the family actual means test will be removed, enabling more regional and rural students to qualify for Youth Allowance. “A family’s assets don’t always represent their financial situation correctly,” said Federal Member for Calare John Cobb. “There are a lot of costs associated with going to university.” Around 1,200 more young people will be receiving Youth Allowance for the first time. These changes are set to come into effect in the beginning of 2016.

Mayor Phyllis Miller OAM has been reelected to the Board of Local Government NSW. “Being on the Board allows me to gain knowledge to bring back to our Council and also be a voice for rural and regional councils,” Mayor Miller said.

The fifth Rotary Ipomoea Christmas Tree Festival is coming up and Forbes Rotary Ipomoea is inviting everyone to enter with a Christmas tree or Nativity scene. Your tree can be made and decorated with bought or recycled materials. Register your entry by Friday 27 November by contacting the Festival Committee on 6851 5197,
6851 4930 or by emailing sueanne.nixon@hotmail.com.

Don’t miss the Melbourne Cup Luncheon and Fashion Parade at Forbes Services Memorial Club on Tuesday 3 November, raising funds for the Forbes Breast Cancer Support Group. A raffle will run with great prizes and gold coin donations will be taken at the door. The luncheon will be a 2-course buffet of main and dessert. Tickets
are $35 for non-members and $25 for FSMC members. All tickets include a $3 Mystery Trifecta ticket and a glass of bubbly on arrival. Fashions will be by Target Forbes and there will be prizes for best hat and fashions from the field. The race will be displayed on the big screen making this the best place to catch all the Melbourne Cup action!

The Mayors and General Managers of the Mid Lachlan Alliance – which includes Forbes, Weddin, Lachlan and Parkes Shire Councils – met on Tuesday afternoon to discuss the Fit for the Future Proposals. The consensus was to seek feedback from their communities before the November 18 deadline for responses. A survey will be conducted in each Council community to ensure the final submission is consistent with the views of the community. All Councils agreed that the views of their communities are very important. The survey will
give community members the chance to give their feedback with regard to standing alone or merging with another Council.

Apologies to Dancing With the Stars for letting the cat out of the bag in last week’s issue. The dancers in the competition were meant to be kept a secret! Luckily, all is not lost because this is set to be one of the best fundraising nights of the year!

Unite to Light the Night on Sunday 22 November in Victoria Park from 5:30pm to raise money for the Leukaemia Foundation. Register today at www.lightthenight.org.au

BBQ Championships Committee says thanks to Bernardi’s for their support and generosity towards the event. “The quality of meat supplied by Bernardi’s was second to none,” said President Chris Roylance. “The committee and competitors were very impressed with the competition cuts of meat and spectators also commented on the quality of the tasting meat as well as how much was available to sample.”

Congratulations Liam Bosma (pictured above) who has received the award for Central West 2015 Youth Volunteer of the Year. The seventeen-year-old from Forbes has been involved in many youth events and activities, as well as having an instrumental role in Youth Week events. Liam is now in the running for the overall 2015 NSW Youth Volunteer of the Year Award which will be announced in Sydney on 4 December.

The Fifth Rotary Ipomoea Christmas Tree Festival is coming up and Forbes Rotary Ipomoea is inviting everyone to enter with a Christmas tree or Nativity scene. Your tree can be made and decorated with bought or recycled materials. There are no size restrictions and lights can be added. Register your entry by Friday 27 November by contacting the Festival Committee on 6851 5197, 6851 4930 or email sueanne.nixon@hotmail.com

Mayor Phyllis Miller OAM has been awarded for 20 years of service to Local Government. Mayor Miller was presented with an Outstanding Service Award in appreciation of her services at the Local Government NSW Annual Conference Dinner in Sydney last week. During her 20 years with Forbes Shire Council, Mayor Miller was Deputy Mayor from 1999-2004, Mayor from 2008-2012 and 2015, Shires Association of NSW Executive from 1998-2007
and 2012, President of the Shires Association of NSW from 2003-2005 and Local Government NSW Director from 2014- 2015. “The past 20 years have been an amazing journey,” she said. “I am not sure where that time has gone, but I have loved every minute.”

The Forbes Farmer’s Markets have a new location! The Markets will now be held at Forbes’ Victoria Park from 8am to 12pm on the fourth Saturday of the month. Don’t forget to check it out this weekend!

The NBN is powering ahead with construction on 3,400 homes in Forbes expected to begin in 2017 as part of a three year construction plan to network 49,700 homes in the Calare electorate.

The Forbes Services Memorial Club Melbourne Cup Luncheon and Fashion Parade will raise funds for the Forbes Breast Cancer Support Group. The luncheon will be held on Tuesday 3rd November and will include a 2-course buffet with main and dessert and a raffle with some great prizes. Tickets are $25 for FSMC members
and $35 for non-members with $2 of every ticket sold donated by FSMC to the cause. Ticket prices include a free sweep, $3 Mystery Trifecta ticket and a glass of bubbly on arrival.

Forbes Aboriginal and Community Working Party held their last meeting on 12 October at Forbes Services Memorial Club. They moved to adjust their meeting times to 6pm-7:30pm and Draft Terms of Reference were tabled. David Acheson was also nominated for Chairperson. The next meeting will be held on Monday 9 November. Everyone is welcome to attend.

Congratulations to the major award winners at Forbes High School: Cameron Herbert won the Blue and Gold Citizenship Award; Megan Morrison and Melanie Cowhan won the Citizenship Awards; Reuben F Scarf went to Megan Morrison; Cameron Herbert won the Carmel Hodges Humanitarian Award; Isaac Stewart won the Vocational
Education & Training Student of the Year; Outstanding Academic Award went to Daniel Stevenson; the Principal’s Award went to Brittany Morrison; Merrin Isbester received Dux of Year 12.

1500 volunteer mentors are needed by Christmas to deliver The Smith Family’s 2016 iTrack online mentoring program, an initiative providing guidance to high school students on their post school options. The program will commence in two busts in May and July next year. The mentoring relationship will run for 18 weeks. Register now at
www.thesmithfamily.com.au

Water Park is ready to use! Get out and enjoy the warm weather at Forbes Water Park with a custom-made dragonfly shower and spraying bulrush pole feature. After an increase in dog hair and detergents in the filters last summer, Council want to remind residents that the facility isn’t a place to wash dogs.

Don’t forget we’ve moved! Our new office space can be found at 19 Templar Street. Feel free to drop in and say hello!

Join the world’s biggest garage sale! Households, schools, local organisations, charities and community groups are encouraged to host a garage sale on Saturday 24 October as part of the fifth annual Garage Sale Trail. Mayor Phyllis Miller OAM said being involved in this event was a unique opportunity to promote reuse and community building in a fun and creative way. Registration is free and includes a seller webpage. Visit www.garagesaletrail.com.au for more information.

Congratulations to Esme’s Coffee Shop who have won an amazing $600 advertising package as part of the Destination Forbes promotion, given by The Forbes Phoenix.

The Sky Muster NBN satellite was launched last Thursday in South America. When operational, the satellite broadband service will cover more than 400,000 homes and businesses across Australia. The second NBN satellite is scheduled for launch in early 2016 and users will be able to connect broadband and voice services following beam commissioning and product testing. “The wait for access to the National Broadband Network is almost over for many remote communities,” Federal Member for Calare John Cobb said.

Real Men Move is a government initiative designed to get men who are over 40 years of age off the couch. Member for Orange Andrew Gee says the program was created to inspire men to increase their participation in physical activity, and that it provides exercise options for all interests and fitness levels. The Real Men Move website offers ideas on how older men can start exercising immediately in the comfort of their own home, the social and health benefits of exercising in a group and resources for community groups such as Men’s Sheds to get their members
moving. Check it out at www.realmenmove.org.au.

Friends of the Hospital held their meeting on Friday 2 October at the Forbes Services Memorial Club. They excitedly discussed the opening of the newly refurbished hospital and looked forward to continuing to provide
much needed medical equipment with the support of our generous community. Friends of the Hospital will be at the Opening Day and a collection tin will be inside the foyer to take donations.

Australia Post will honour international humanitarians, all who have been officially honoured by Australia for their acts of courage, compassion and leadership: Mother Teresa, Nelson Mandela and Raoul Wallenberg.

Congratulations to the winners of the Destination Forbes promotion. The lucky people were Genevieve Howard winning first place, Kaye Griffiths taking second and Leanne Lewis winning third prize.

1500 volunteer mentors are needed by Christmas to deliver The Smith Family’s 2016 iTrack online mentoring program, an initiative providing guidance to high school students on their post school options. Anyone considering becoming a volunteer mentor is urged to sign up to make a positive difference in a student’s future. The program
will commence in two bursts in May and July next year. The mentoring relationship will run for 18 weeks. Register now at www.thesmithfamily.com.au

Check out our new location! Our new office space can be found at 19 Templar Street. Feel free to drop in your stories, photos, say hello and pick up the next issue of the Forbes Phoenix. It’s local and it’s free!

Congratulations to the winners of our school holiday competition! Penny Newell (Forbes) has won the family pass to Taronga Western Plains Zoo and Amy Carpenter (Canowindra), Amparo Gomez (Canowindra), Natalie Pace (Canowindra) and Jodie Straney (Forbes) have all won double passes to Odeon 5 Cinema in Orange to watch either Pixels, Pan or Blinky Bill! Thank you to everyone who entered.

With warmer weather predicted this weekend Forbes Olympic Pool is the place to be when it officially opens for the season on Saturday. Opening hours are 10am to 7pm every day in October. Entry is $3.80 for adults, $2.60 for children and concessions and $2.50 for guardians. Season tickets and monthly passes are also available.

If you’re looking for work make sure you check out Jobs in the Central West on Facebook. There are currently some great jobs going in the area!

Entries for the 2016 Parkes Elvis Festival Photography Competition are open and if you’ve snapped a great photo at the Parkes Elvis Festival over the years, you could win a cash prize! Entry is free and open to all ages. There are two categories: photos taken on iPhones and photos taken on digital cameras. Entries close 5pm Friday 16 October.

October is Australia’s Breast Cancer Awareness month. Take the time to find out what you need to know about breast awareness and share this important information with your family, friends and colleagues. Breast cancer remains the most common cancer among Australian women. Did you know that 15,600 women and 145 men will
be diagnosed with breast cancer this year? Celebrate female friendship and support Pink Ribbon by hosting a Girl’s Night In or selling merchandise. Call 1300 656 585 or visit www.pinkribbon.com.au to get started.

The only public diamond mine in the world is in Arkansas, USA. People can search for diamonds and keep what they find. Since it opened in 1972, tens of thousands of diamonds have been found there.

The Bedgerabong School Spring Fair and Market Day will be held at the school and hosted by the Bedgerabong Public School P&C on Saturday 10 October between 10am and 2pm, coinciding with the Country Music
Campout. A jumping castle, petting zoo, pony rides, face painting, haunted house, market stalls and much more will be there, as well as a cake stall and a great raffle. This will be a great family day out so make sure you get out there for a look!

Strengthen your body and relax your mind with Tai Chi, an empowering but gentle form of low impact exercise. From 22 September to 17 November, free Tai Chi lessons will be running at the Forbes Town Hall for
all ages from 16 years and up. Classes run between 10-11am with morning tea provided after class. Dress in comfy clothes, flat shoes and bring a water bottle. Phone 6851 2099 or 6852 2772 for more information.

Office space wanted! The Forbes Phoenix now requires a small office space to be taken on by the end of September. If you can help, please contact Cheryl Newsom on 0411 211 065.

In Britain a study suggested that only 1 in 10 British men say they would take a male contraceptive pill, strongly believing that is a “woman’s responsibility”.

Still got Show Fever? The Eugowra Show will be held this weekend from 18-19 September. Gates open from 7pm so prepare yourself for a big day with tractor pull, yard dog trials, fireworks, harness racing, Showgirl competition, demolition derby, a special ANZAC presentation and heaps more!

Year 12 students are busily preparing for their HSC exams at the end of their high school days. To assist students in deciding on what to do next, a School Leavers Guide has been put together to offer information about education and training programs, finding employment, scholarships, financial support, enrolling to vote and getting a tax file number.

Barcodes have passed their use-by-date now basic barcodes are out and “data bars” are in!

Forbes Horticultural Society and Garden Club will be holding their 9th Open Gardens event on Saturday 3 and Sunday 4 October between 10am and 4pm, rain, hail or shine. The event is a non-competitive festival of gardens generously shared with you by their owners. A $15 ticket covers all gardens with individual gardens at $5 a ticket.

It’s NSW Bike Week and a new booklet for bike riders has been launched by Roads and Maritime Services covering bike safety, choosing the right bike for you, bike maintenance and road rules. “A Handbook for Bicycle Riders” gives you everything you need to know to safely bicycle anywhere in NSW. Find your copy at www.transport.nsw.gov.au

Back in 1971 there were 202 Australians aged 100 years or over. In 2015 there are 4252!

A new sculpture will be unveiled at the Albion “art park” in conjunction with the Sculpture Forbes 2015 Acquisition Prize at 6pm on Thursday 1 October. Enjoy music, food and wine. Bring your family and tell your friends!

Jemalong Wool weekly market update: A small rise in the market tended to mask a reasonably turbulent week which initially rose strongly before losing ground by the close. Despite Wednesday’s overwhelming positive tone, Thursday followed up with a sharp reversal in direction for the medium and broader microns, while the finer microns were less effected and even displayed a firming tendency for the more stylish 40nkt types. Merino skirtings followed a similar pattern, opening with moderate rises before easing back on the final day. Crossbreds were driven higher on both days on the back of a small offering. The limited 25/26-micron range recorded strong growth, mainly on the last day when they jumped 30 cents. The Merino Carding Indicators posted another steady result, continuing their climb back to the 1100-cent level. 40,755 bales are expected next week nationally, including a three day Melbourne sale.

Nominations are open to recognise rural women in the 2016 Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation Rural Women’s Awards. These awards provide financial assistance to the recipients, allowing them to further their contributions to rural communities. Women committed to making a difference to the community are encouraged to apply. Applications can be found online at www.rirdc.gov.au/rural-women’s-award and nominations close on Saturday 31 October.

Don’t forget the second Relay for Life Expo Night will be held on Wednesday 16 September at Forbes Services Memorial Club. Register or join a team, browse the stands, meet the committee, ask those burning questions, choose a campsite, purchase merchandise and collect kits and shirts. Stay for a little or a long while and find out
all about Relay for Life.

145 million people used Facebook in 2008 but seven years later, 1.5 billion people are using Facebook in 2015.

Want to honour that special grandparent in your life? Nominations for Grandparent of the Year Awards are open until Sunday 20 September with three categories: Grandparent Carer of the Year, Community Grandparent
of the Year and Grandfriend of the Year. To nominate, go to www.grandparentsday.org.au. The award winners will be announced on Grandparents Day, Sunday 25 October.

An innovative radiotherapy technique that has the potential to revolutionise the treatment of early breast cancer became available at the start of the month and is affordable for all eligible women under Medicare.

51% of Australians are expected to be available to work outside their official hours according to research by global recruitment firm Randstad. The global average is 57%.

A new sculpture will be unveiled at the Albion ‘art park’ in conjunction with the Sculpture Forbes 2015 Acquisition Prize at 6pm on Thursday 1 October. Enjoy music, food and wine. Bring your family and tell your friends!

It’s show time! The Forbes Show is on but if you just can’t get enough show culture, don’t forget the Eugowra Show will be held 18-19 September with yard dog trials, demolition derby, fireworks and plenty more.

The Stronger Communities Grant Program expressions of interest are still open. There is $150,000 of funding available in Calare to be allocated on a competitive basis to worthy community-based projects. A number of strong applications have been received so go to investment.infrastructure.gov.au/funding/ for more information.

40.45kg is the weight of wool shorn from a sheep found wandering on the outskirts of Canberra last Thursday. The wool was estimated to be five years’ growth and weighed over 10kg more than the heaviest fleece on record.