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Changed Traffic Conditions For Anzac Day On Great Western Highway

April 21, 2023 By Roxane Manley

Motorists are advised of changed traffic conditions on Tuesday, 25 April, on the Great Western Highway through the Blue Mountains for Anzac Day services.

Glenbrook: There will be no access to Hare Street from Great Western Highway between 5:15am and 11:45am. There will be no access to Ross Street from Great Western Highway between 10:00am and 10:50am. Great Western Highway will be closed in both directions between Hare Street and Ross Street for up to 15 minutes between 10:35am and 10:50am.

Lawson: The westbound left turn lane from the Great Western Highway will be closed into Honour Avenue between 4:30am and 12:30pm.

Blackheath: There will be no access to Govetts Leap Road from Great Western Highway between 9:30am and 11:00am.

Motorists are advised to take extra care, drive to the conditions and follow the directions of signs and traffic control.

Transport for NSW thanks motorists for their patience. For all the latest traffic updates download the Live Traffic NSW App, visit livetraffic.com or call 132 701.

Snippets…

April 21, 2023 By Roxane Manley

Head along to the next Tullamore CWA morning tea on Friday, 12th May.

Take Time Out To Enjoy A Cuppa: On Friday,14th April Tullamore CWA had a very enjoyable morning catching up with friends and new members of the community. In these times, it is important for men and women to have face time to catch up, have a laugh and enjoy a morning together. The next morning tea will be held on Friday, 12th May at 10am at the Tullamore CWA Rooms. The CWA plan to hold a morning tea on the second Friday of each month and look forward to seeing you there.

CSIRO Study Uncovers The Secret To Long Term Weight Loss Success: CSIRO, Australia’s national science agency, has revealed that regular self-monitoring behaviours and tracking tools are the secret to losing weight – and keeping it off.

The study initially mapped the total weight loss of 6602 CSIRO Total Wellbeing Diet members that had completed the 12-week program. It found 64 per cent lost a clinically significant amount (>five kilograms) of weight at one year, with a sustained average weight loss of 10.6kg, or 11.9 per cent of their starting body weight.

CSIRO research scientist Dr Gilly Hendrie said using tools and support frameworks to educate around diet and nutrition was critical for ongoing societal health and lifestyle improvements, especially given that 67 per cent of Australians are currently overweight or obese.

Find out more about the CSIRO Total Wellbeing Diet at www.totalwellbeingdiet.com.au

Fully Funded Drone Training For Farmers: Following the hugely successful training days in the region, the team are coming back again in May. If you own a farm or work in agriculture, you should be eligible for an AgSkilled fully-funded place to attend this course. The course aims to develop knowledge and skills in:

• Safe and efficient operation of dronesin an agricultural context

• Australian laws related to the use ofRemote Pilot Aircraft’s (RPA) for private use

• Collecting and processing data for usein creating a crop planting map or precision fertiliser program.

The course will be held in Tomingley on 8th May and in Parkes on 9th May. For more information contact Sharon Leach on 6951 2695 or email enquiries to: sharon.leach@dpi.nsw.gov.au

Operating a drone is like any other precision control system – with proper planning, set up and confidence to operate safely, it can provide real on-farm benefits.

Parkes Painting Group Annual Exhibition

April 21, 2023 By Roxane Manley

This Painting by local artist Margaret Marshall will be raffled at the Parkes Painting Group Art Exhibition opening on he 21st April in the Coventry Room

The Parkes Painting Group 2023 Annual Art Exhibition will be officially opened this evening, Friday 21st April by Parkes Mayor, Ken Keith OAM, at 6.30pm in the Coventry Room of the Parkes Shire Library and Cultural Centre.

President of the Parkes Painting Group, Kerry Davis said it is expected to be a fantastic evening for all who attend.

“The Mayor will be there on the night to give a speech and other Councillors are also attending. There will be a pianist from Peak Hill playing classical music throughout the evening,” said Kerry.

Tickets cost $20 and include wine, finger food, tea, coffee and sweets. Bookings can be made on Humantix or paid at the door.

The exhibition will run for two weeks from Saturday, 22nd April to Saturday, 6th May and it is a free exhibition to the public. Be sure to check out the range of local artistic talent on display.

Fuel Standards Could Increase Costs For Farmers

April 21, 2023 By Roxane Manley

NSW Farmers has warned the federal government against hiking costs to operate trucks and tractors in the proposed Fuel Efficiency Standard.

Energy Minister Chris Bowen and Transport Minister Catherine King announced a Fuel Efficiency Standard would be introduced as part of Australia’s first National Electric Vehicle Strategy, aimed at driving cleaner, cheaper to run vehicles.The ministers said Australians households and businesses are missing out on more efficient vehicles, which could save motorists $519 per year in fuel costs.

Farmers were fearful, however, that the fuel standards could make it more expensive to run the diesel vehicles that form the backbone of Australia’s farm sector and transport fleet, in turn increasing the cost of food and goods for consumers.

NSW Farmers Energy Transition Working Group chair Reg Kidd said there were no commercial alternatives to diesel-powered trucks and tractors, and Australia’s large size meant electric vehicles were still not an option to keep the country running.

“There’s a lot of promise in electric vehicles, but the farm and transport sectors are a long way from broad-scale adoption, the technology’s just not there yet,” Mr Kidd said.

“People can choose to drive an electric car to get around town, but you still can’t drive from Dubbo to Broken Hill in one – the distances between charging stations are too great.

“We want people in rural, remote and regional communities to be involved in this discussion, not sidelined as a consequence of a narrow thinking.”

“Genuine engagement and consultation is critical here, because what works even in a large center like Orange doesn’t work further out at West Wyalong,” Mr Kidd said.

“Good intentions alone just won’t cut it, people are keen to do their bit in reducing pollution, but we need to be careful we don’t also reduce our ability to feed ourselves.”

Helping Build Strong, Resilient Communities In The Wake Of Disaster

April 21, 2023 By Roxane Manley

Guest speakers Tracey Spicer AM – author, journalist and broadcaster, Shane Fitzsimmons AO AFSM.

There is a stellar line up of guest speakers at next week’s Disaster Resilience – Australian Local Government Women’s annual conference which is being held in Forbes.

Starting on Thursday 27th April, city and regional council representatives will be travelling to Forbes to enjoy discovering our town. Guests will participate in tours and morning walks around the lake before settling in to share and learn about building stronger and more resilient communities in the wake of disaster.

On Friday, key speakers will be Tracey Spicer AM – author, journalist and broadcaster, Shane Fitzsimmons AO AFSM, Jo Beadle – GIVIT National Manager, Major Matina Jewell CSP and Elizabeth Rushbrook, Disaster Relief Australia.

On Saturday, guest speakers will include Heidi Stratford – NSW Reconstruction Authority and ANU’s Prfessor Tanya Jakimow.

Local speakers are Eugowra resident Jess Eijkman, Bailee Harrison and Paul Faulkiner who will share their first hand accounts, experiences and recovery from the 2022 central west floods. Rebecca Miller and Louise Bernardi will also be empowering conference guests with presentations.

There will be a Gala Dinner on Saturday night and everyone is welcome to attend – tickets are available for purchase at 2023 ALGWA NSW Branch Annual Conference Tickets (123tix.com.au).

Limited sponsored tickets are available for Forbes businesses and individuals impacted by the flood to attend the main addresses on Friday and Saturday. Please contact Briony Ferguson on 6850 2300 to discuss and make arrangements to attend or for more information regarding the event.

Marnie’s Great German Adventure

April 21, 2023 By Marnie

Marnie Noakes is enjoying her third month abroad in Germany as an exchange student.

It’s Marnie, and here is another update from Germany. Wow! Three months already, and what an amazing three months it has been. I have done so many amazing things and have made so many amazing memories. Here are just some of them.

I went to a town called Rothenburg for the day with my first host parents. There is a wall surrounding the town and we walked through part of it, which was really cool. We also went to the Christmas museum.

I attended a Rotary meeting which was the three clubs in my town combined. It was a great evening and I met lots of people.

I also met a man and his wife who have lived in Australia, they were very nice and they invited me over for an evening. One evening we went to a castle about 10 minutes out of Würzburg and then went back to their home for dinner.

Easter is a lot bigger here in Germany, it is very common for family to travel and meet up like we would for Christmas. I did two egg hunts, which is quite common and very fun. Another traditional German celebration I took part in was eating my brightly coloured boiled eggs.

I went to a Roman museum in Osterburken with my current (second) host family and we also went to Stuttgart to see a museum with special architecture.

I have just arrived back from Berlin, the capital of Germany. We went there for four days and it was amazing. My host mum and I saw and did so many things, just two of them being the remains of the Berlin Wall and an Egyptian museum with the very famous bust of Nefertiti.

I’m having an amazing time, and I hope you enjoyed my update!

Marnie

Free Online Child Car Seat Safety Workshops

April 21, 2023 By Roxane Manley

Parents, carers and grandparents of young children are invited to attend one of two free online workshops being held next week to provide important safety information about child car seats.

Workshops are being conducted by Parkes, Forbes and Lachlan Shire Councils in partnership with Transport for NSW West Region. The workshops will be held via MS Teams, on Tuesday 2 May at 10am and on Wednesday 3 May at 7pm, and will run for about an hour.

Councils Road Safety and Injury Prevention Officer, Melanie Suitor, said the correct selection, installation and adjustment of child car seats is vital in ensuring children’s safety when travelling in vehicles. “The workshop will cover the National Child Restraint Laws, types of child car seats available, correct installation and adjustment, when to move to the next car seat, accessories, tips for secondhand car seats and much more.”

“It will be a great refresher for grandparents, as child car seats and the rules have changed a lot since they had their children, but also for parents and carers as they are navigating their way through their child or children’s growth.”

“Local checking day events show that around 80% of the child car seats we checked were incorrectly installed. Transport for NSW research shows that children who are not restrained correctly are seven times more likely to sustain life-threatening injuries in a crash than those who are properly secured. It is so important to ensure your precious cargo is safe,” said Ms Suitor.

To book your place, visit the event listing on the Councils Facebook pages or call Ms Suitor on (02) 6861 2364.

Head To Eugowra This Anzac Day

April 21, 2023 By Roxane Manley

The Mates4Harness Flood Relief Anzac Day Race meet will bring the community together to celebrate the Anzac spirit while supporting local flood victims.

A family focused event, the race day will have something for everyone from live music, auctions, free kids amusements, mobile rides, mini trots, ice-cream, free facepainting and of course harness racing action and a drivers invitational race.

Anzac day will also be commemorated with a parade at the course and 2 Up, where punters can try their luck off the track as well.

The day will kick off at 12.15pm at the Eugowra Showground Paceway.

It is great to see the Eugowra community bounce back after the 2022 floods. The huge community and Council effort to get the infrastructure of Eugowra back in shape to host such events is commendable.

If you are looking for something different to do with the family this Anzac Day, head on over to Eugowra to support the community In their recovery efforts.

For more information on the Mates4Harness Flood Relief Harness Race Day, head on over to www.eugowraharnessracing.com or check out Eugowra Harness Racing Club Facebook Page.

Snippets..

April 14, 2023 By Roxane Manley

Show your support for the Forbes & District Band at their flood relief concert fundraiser on Saturday, 13th May.

Forbes Flood Relief Concert Fundraiser: The Forbes Town & District Band in conjucntion with the Brisbane Water Brass Band will be holding a fundraiser to assist with the maintenance needed for the Forbes Town Band’s Hall in Rankin Street that was flooded twice in 2022. The event will be held at Club Forbes on Saturday, 13th May from 7pm – 9pm. Children under 5 are free, children aged 5-16 cost $10 and adults cost $20. Head along and enjoy a great night of music while supporting a great local cause.

Research Funding To Tackle High Rates Of Dementia In Rural Areas: Thanks to a grant from the Dementia Australia Research Foundation, researchers will examine why people living in rural and regional areas are three to five times more likely to develop dementia than their city dwelling counterparts and what can be done to reverse this trend.

Dr Ashleigh Smith said the Mid-Career Research Fellowship, worth $365,000, would enable her team to create dementia prevention strategies specifically tailored for rural and regional communities. “There are 12 modifiable risk factors for dementia including smoking, diet, exercise and social isolation and we have collected good data on how these risk factors impact people living in Australian cities. This Fellowship will enable us to go to regional and rural areas to collect data around these risk factors,” Dr Smith said.

For support, please contact the National Dementia Helpline on 1800 100 500. People looking for information can also visit dementia.org.au

Boost up for Winter: If your last COVID-19 vaccine dose or confirmed infection (whichever is the most recent) was six months ago or more, you may be recommended to receive an additional COVID-19 vaccine booster dose.

A booster dose is recommended for:

• Anyone aged 65+

• People aged 18-64 years who are at higher risk of severe illness from COVID-19

The following groups are advised to consider a booster dose in discussion with their vaccination provider:

• People aged 18-64 who are not at higher risk of severe illness from COVID-19

• Children and adolescents aged 5-17 who are at higher risk of severe illness from COVID-19.

Book your booster today by contacting your doctor or local pharmacy. For more information on the 2023 booster, visit: www.nsw.gov.au/covid-19/vaccination/get-vaccinated/boosters

Boost up for winter and book your Covid-19 booster shot today by contacting your doctor or pharmacy.

Share Our Air

April 14, 2023 By Roxane Manley

Balloons gracing our autumn skies, ready for the Canowindra International Balloon Challenge. Image courtesy of Farmpix Photography.

The annual Canowindra International Balloon Challenge kicked off on Wednesday, 12th April, with balloons gracing the skies at both sunrise and sunset over the rolling hills of Canowindra.

Canowindra’s biggest festival brings the community together to welcome thousands of visitors, who trek from across the country to celebrate all things ballooning.

There is so much more than just ballooning on offer. Kick off the weekend with the street parade from 10am on Saturday, 15th April.

The main event, the Canowindra Balloon Glow will start at 3pm with plenty on offer for everyone. A true family friendly event, with live music, food, drink and market stalls. It will be an evening not to be missed with Golden Guitar winners, Darlinghurst Band performing alongside local artists.

Festival updates will be posted on the Canowindra International Balloon Challenge facebook page. Get your tickets at 123tix.com.au

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