Australia Day Citizen of the Year Awards: The annual Australia Day Citizen of the Year Awards are about honoring those who selflessly dedicate themselves to supporting and enriching our local communities. Winners were recently announced and congratulations go to Forbes Citizen of the Year Paul Faulkner and Parkes Citizen of the Year Robert Stricklan. Congratulations to our local Australia Day award recipients across all categories. 

Cash On The Way To Help Councils Repair Roads: More than 90 regional councils are set to receive a boost from the NSW Liberal and Nationals Government so they can get on with the job of repairing their roads. NSW Nationals Upper House MP Sam Farraway said, “This is part of the NSW Liberal and Nationals Government’s focus on improving and repairing the roads you use every day, to help keep communities safe and supply chains moving.” 

Mayor of Forbes Shire Council Phyllis Miller said Council will receive $3.3 million to help with the mammoth task of repairing their local road network. “The Forbes community is strong and resilient and we want our road network to be safe.” M

“I’m hoping the Federal Government helps with funding for our councils – to get our roads back up to scratch,” said Phyllis.

Applications Closing Soon For The Y’s NSW Youth Parliament: Calling all thought-leaders, change-makers, trailblazers and inspired young people. Applications are closing soon for the Y NSW’s 2023 Youth Parliament. Young people in years 10, 11 and 12 (or equivalent age) in all 93 NSW state electorates are invited to apply. 

The Y NSW CEO Susannah Le Bron commented that the Youth Parliament program provides an important platform to ensure young people are heard. “If you are a young person in NSW looking for an opportunity to stand up and give a voice to issues that you’re passionate about, I urge you to put in your application for our 2023 Youth Parliament.” 

To apply to take part in the 2023 Youth Parliament, eligible young people should visit ymcansw.org.au/youth-parliament and submit their application before 17th February 2023. School teachers and Members of Parliament can also nominate a young person.

The Parkes Elvis Festival Celebrated Its 30th Anniversary In Style: The 30th anniversary of the Parkes Elvis Festival was celebrated with a 5-day long extravaganza from Wednesday, 4th January to Sunday, 8th January 2023.

Themed “Blue Hawaii,” in honour of Elvis Presley’s 1961 hit musical, the Festival drew in over 25,000 Elvis fans from around the world to the Parkes, which was transformed into a tropical paradise for the occasion.

“We are thrilled to have celebrated 30 years of the King at the Parkes Elvis Festival. This year’s themed ‘Blue Hawaii’ event drew in a record number of Elvis fans from around the world to our regional town,” said Festival Director Tiffany Steel. 

“The Festival is an important economic driver for the region, bringing millions into the local economy and supporting local businesses.”

“Feedback from Festival guests and locals has been incredible and we’re already looking ahead to how we can deliver another stellar event for 2024,” added Tiffany.

In 2024, Parkes Elvis Festival will celebrate its 31st year with the theme Jailhouse Rock. 

Regional Seniors To Save $250 As Applications For Popular Travel Card Open: Seniors across regional NSW could save $250 on the cost of travel thanks to the NSW Liberal and Nationals Government’s Regional Seniors Travel Card.

Deputy Premier and Minister for Regional NSW Paul Toole said applications for the latest round of the highly successful program are now open and encouraged eligible seniors to cash in on the initiative.

“We know how much seniors value this card – it can mean the difference between an extra few trips to visit grandkids, the ease of seeing friends locally or just getting to the shops or attending medical appointments,” Mr Toole said.

The $250 pre-paid Visa card can be used on fuel, taxis, electric charging stations, pre-booked NSW TrainLink regional train and coaches, helping those eligible with the cost of getting from A to B.

Eligible NSW Women Can Claim Fertility Treatment Rebate: Exciting news has been announced that women across NSW who have IVF or other assisted reproductive technology (ART) treatments in private clinics can now claim a $2,000 rebate.

The cash rebate is the first of its kind in Australia and eligible women can apply for it now through their MyService NSW account or in person at a Service NSW Service Centre.

Club Forbes Cinema Presents: Puss in Boots, The Last Wish, Avatar, The way of Water, are playing from next week. Check out our website for program guides. Cub Forbes Manager Adam McGregor recommends seeing Avatar in 3D and said “we have new equipment installed. Testing has been better than expected. Our equipment will produce an experience like no other in the Central West. Our big screen in a smaller cinema, produces brighter images, combined with our active 3D glasses will produce an experience not available in the larger cinemas. Our sound system is also designed for a much larger cinema, providing perfect sound quality and experience. It seems our cinema has been purpose built for a 3D experience like no other.

Where to fuel up when traveling: Drivers are being urged to log into FuelCheck before hitting the road this Christmas after the nation-leading app identified the cheapest petrol on routes in and out of Sydney and in popular holiday spots across the state. If motorists notice the price at the pump in NSW does not match what is shown on the FuleCheck app, they can make a complaint directly to NSW Fair Trading. 

Healthy Heart Hacks: Australians can satisfy their tickers AND their tastebuds this holiday season by utilising the Heart Foundation’s top Holiday Heart Hacks.

Heart Hack #1 – Add canned pears inplace of butter for a better Christmaspudding.

Heart Hack #2 – Fuel up at the start ofthe day.

Heart Hack #3 – Make time for exercisenow, not in the New Year.

Heart Hack #4 – Load up on healthyfoods before end-of-year functions.

Heart Hack #5 – Fill your platters with lotsof fresh produce.

BONUS Heart Hack – Support the Heart Foundation and help to protect your friends and family. Cardiovascular disease is one of the biggest killers of Australians, and yet it is mostly preventable through physical activity and nutrition.

If these Heart Hacks helpful and would like to donate to the Heart Foundation Holiday Appeal please visit campaign.heartfoundation.org.au/holiday-appeal

FuelCheck: The FuelCheck website was launched in 2016 and has received 23 million visits, the app has now had more than 2.3 million downloads. For more information on FuelCheck and to download the app visit: fuelcheck.nsw.gov.au/app 

NSW Government Supports Booming Goat Industry: The NSW Government is delivering the first program in Australia to accelerate the transformation of the goat meat sector from a wild harvested commodity into a long term, high value livestock sector.

Minister for Agriculture and Western NSW Dugald Saunders said the NSW Government will invest $1.2 million into its Going Ahead with Goats program to create a more sustainable industry.

“Australia is the largest exporter of goat meat in the world, and NSW graziers are the driving force behind this rapidly growing industry,” Mr Saunders said.

“Last financial year alone, exports generated a whopping $298 million, providing a critical income for producers in Western NSW.

The Going Ahead with Goats project will be delivered by the region’s Local Land Services staff, who will work closely with the NSW Department of Primary Industries and other stakeholders including Western NSW goat producers.

Free Fun In The Regions These School Holidays: A travelling science exhibition, adventure activities and creative workshops are among the many activities available for regional youth to enjoy during the summer school holidays, thanks to the NSW Government’s Holiday Break Program. 

Minister for Regional Youth Ben Franklin said, “The programs on offer will provide social and recreational outlets to help regional youth become more involved in their local communities, and to show that living in a regional location is not a barrier for young people to try new things.” 

To find events scheduled for Parkes and Forbes go to www.nsw.gov.au/HolidayBreak.

Kids First Aid School Program: A new study shows 81% of aussie parents think 3 year olds should be able to dial 000 to ask for help. To provide a solution, Elastoplast is running its Kids First Aid School Program for its third year straight, equipping teachers with the knowledge to teach basic first aid in schools, and empower students with the skills they require to keep themselves and each other safe. Developed with ACHPER (The Australian Council for Health, Physical Education and Recreation,) the program is useful for all aspects of life and is curriculum approved, integrating first aid knowledge into foundational, Year 1 & 2 learning structures. 

 

New Rules To Help Farmers Build Resilience: Farmers can now repair, restore, and rehydrate dry land without just relying on rainfall, thanks to changes to planning rules announced today by the Department of Planning and Environment. The Department’s Executive Director of Infrastructure Policy Jonathon Schipp said it is now easier for landowners to restore streams on their property through landscape rehydration techniques, without the need for development approval. A step-by-step guide will be released shortly, detailing what approvals farmers need to implement landscape rehydration techniques and rehabilitate eroded streams. For more information, visit www.planningportal.nsw.gov.au/isepp-landscape

Get In Control Of Your Digital Health: The last few years most Australians have spent their holidays in the backyard or on a balcony due to the impact of COVID-19. As the world opens back up, tourism experts are forecasting a bumper holiday season –so if you’re planning on travelling, ensureyour My Health Record is up to date. Theteam at the Australian Digital Health Agency can explain why. For more information go to www.digitalhealth.gov.au

Free Legal Diary And Calendar For Seniors: Avoiding scams, planning for retirement, making a will or getting financial help are just some of the topics included in the free 2023 Legal Topics for Seniors Diary, which is available for collection or ordering online. A free 2023 Legal Topics for Seniors wall calendar is available for seniors which includes important dates such as the NSW Seniors Festival, Grandparents Day and the school holidays. Seniors can collect the 2023 Seniors Diary from their local Legal Aid NSW office, local library, State Member of Parliament’s office, or order online at www.legalaid.nsw.gov.au/publications/order-a-publication

Skate, Scooter And Bike Facilities For Parkes And Trundle: Parkes Shire Council has secured $500,000 from the NSW Government through the Stronger Country Communities Fund (SCCF) and $300,000 from the Federal Government through the Local Roads and Community Infrastructure Program (LRCIP) Phase 3. The funding will be used for the development of the Trundle Skate Park, the Parkes Pump Track and to upgrade the Parkes Skate Park. Councillor Jacob Cass said, “Facilities like these are hugely popular amongst youth in the community and offer a space for them to learn new skills, build friendships.”

$15 Million To Fix Roads: The Forbes and Parkes Shires are part of the eight councils in central and western NSW to receive $15 million in emergency funding fast-tracked by the NSW Government for urgent road repairs to restore access to flood impacted areas. Deputy Premier and Minister for Regional NSW Paul Toole said the funding would allow councils to start repairing critical infrastructure and support future recovery works. “With harvest underway, we also need to ensure roads are up to the task of carrying the additional truck and heavy machinery to get this crop off and to receival sites,” said Paul. “This cash is being directed straight to councils which, with their detailed knowledge of their local region and roads, are best placed to identify those critical priority areas. 

More Help For Roads: On Tuesday NSW Regional Roads Minister Sam Farraway announced the NSW Government would deploy 200 people and heavy machinery to the Central West and Murrumbidgee to assist with the mammoth task of reconnecting the road network. According to local councils about 10,000km of roads had been flood-affected. NSW Farmers Business, Economics and Trade Committee chair John Lowe welcomed the extra help, but said roadworks would be needed for many months to come. “Rural people are dismayed at how quickly the road network crumbled, and it’s pretty clear that we need to rebuild better so we can avoid these sorts of headaches in the future. 

Flood Funding: Last Friday recovery grants to help begin immediate clean-up and recovery costs, and to repair extensive damage, were increased from $25,000 to up to $75,000 for primary producers. The grants were made available to all of local government areas (LGAs) that had been disaster declared since 14th September. 

Dangerous Mould: As the devasting floods start to subside, they leave a mess, including dangerous mould. National Asthma Council Australia spokesperson and GP, Dr Joel Ten said it was critical that mould wasn’t left to grow unchecked. “Reducing the amount of moisture as soon as possible is the best way to control mould growth, so do a thorough clean and open all the doors and windows to dry out the area as quickly as possible. If you can, use fans or dehumidifiers to speed up the process,” he said. For more information visit nationalasthma.org.au 

The Battle To Recover: Business NSW (Western NSW) believes businesses impacted by the current and ongoing weather events across Western NSW will need to be able to access the full range of financial support to reopen and recover. “We thank all levels of government and all the volunteers for their dedication and hard work so far to help our community through these current and unfolding natural disasters,” said Regional Director Vicki Seccombe. “Flood affected businesses in Western NSW will need access to grants such as the $50,000 small business grant that assists with the clean-up, stock losses and the reinstatement of a small business that were provided this year to businesses along the NSW Coast and Sydney. Western NSW businesses have shown incredible resilience to survive the past number of years, but these recent and evolving events could well mean they have little choice but to close for good.”

Reconsider All Travel: Motorists are urged to reconsider their travel plans, after floodwaters closed or damaged major roads and highways across the Central Tablelands, Central West, Orana and Far West. Minister for Regional Transport and Roads Sam Farraway said heavy storms on Sunday and Monday caused significant damage to roads, bridges and transport infrastructure. “We are asking all motorists to reconsider the need to travel to flood affected areas,” Sam said. “Many roads across the region are closed and others are likely to close with minimal notice. He said it was vitally important that motorists were extra vigilant on the roads and to never drive through floodwaters. He added potholes and damaged road surfaces also created hazards.

End of an era: The last service for Cookamidgera Uniting Church will be held on Sunday, 20th November. Only a small group of people have been worshipping in the building for a number of years and the decision has been made by those people to join the Parkes Congregation. The church was built for the Methodist Congregation by AR Davis of Parkes for £475. The church opened on 12th February 1930, and has over the years hosted services of several denominations, as well as weddings, funerals and special celebrations for local families and the community. The closing service at 10:30am will be followed by a BBQ. Local community and anyone with past connections to the Cookamidgera Church are welcome to attend.

Record-breaking Rain: The Bureau of Meteorology’s October national and state climate summaries show a record-breaking month of rain. Rainfall in October was the 2nd highest on record with rainfall above or very much above average for most of Australia, while Australia’s national area-average mean temperature was 0.19 °C above average for October. NSW had its wettest October on record with cooler than average days and warmer than average nights. Forbes received 143.4mm in October and a total of 838.2mm so far this year. Parkes is slightly less with 142.4mm in October and a total for the year so far at 816.2mm. By Tuesday Parkes had already received 64.4mm in the first 7 days of November.

Access To JE Vaccine: NSW has widened access to free Japanese encephalitis (JE) vaccine to a broader group of people. JE vaccine is now recommended for people aged two months or older who live or routinely work in Forbes and Parkes, with identified JE risk who: Spend significant time outdoors (four hours per day) for unavoidable work, recreation, education, or other essential activities, OR are living in temporary or flood damaged accommodation (e.g. camps, tents, dwellings exposed to the external environment) that place them at increased risk of exposure to mosquitoes, OR are engaged in the prolonged outdoor recovery efforts (clean up) of stagnant waters following floods. The key to protecting yourself from JE and other mosquito borne infections is avoiding mosquito bites. JE vaccine is available through local General Practitioners (GPs). People who meet the eligibility criteria should make an appointment and let them know it is for the JE vaccine. Some GPs may need to order the vaccine.

Mosquitoes: Protect yourself and your family against mosquitoes by: covering openings such as windows and doors with insect screens and checking there are no gaps in them; removing items that might collect water (such as old tyres, empty pots) outside your house where mosquitoes can breed; improving drainage on your property so that water does not become stagnant; wearing light, loose-fitting long-sleeved shirts, long pants and covered footwear and socks, especially around dusk and dawn; applying repellent to all areas of exposed skin, using repellents that contain DEET, picaridin, or oil of lemon eucalyptus; re-applying repellent regularly, particularly after swimming, being sure to always apply sunscreen first and then apply repellent; and using insecticide sprays, vapour dispensing units and mosquito coils to repel mosquitos (mosquito coils should only be used outside). For further information on JE virus and ways to protect yourself visit: https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/mosquitoes

Help For Flooded Farmers: Rural Aid is offering immediate financial assistance to primary producers impacted by the recent flooding events. Eligible, registered farmers in NSW can now apply for a $500 pre-paid visa card from Rural Aid. Farmers can register at www.ruralaid.org.au or by calling 1300 327 624. 

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!

Thanksgiving Service: On Sunday, 6th November the Alectown Annual Thanksgiving Service will take place in the Alectown Soldiers Memorial Hall at 4pm. The event has been held annually for many years just prior to harvest to give thanks for the upcoming harvest and for all the blessings received throughout the year. Quite often rain is needed to finish crops off, but this year has been extraordinary and we pray for fine weather to dry out the soil so that the crops can be harvested. Afternoon tea is served afterwards and everyone is welcome. 

Funding For Country Arts: Applications are now open for Arts OutWest’s Country Arts Support Program (CASP), a small annual funding round supporting arts activities in the NSW Central West. Grants of up to $3,000 are available that will help to generate new arts activities. Applications for 2023 close at 5pm on Monday, 5th December. Projects could include (but are not limited to) arts or heritage-based workshops, classes, performances, installations, exhibitions, tours, screen/film making, writing or composition, development of new work, tours or talks, artist-in-residence programs, recordings or podcasts, and new arts activities attached to festivals or events – as long as they have some element of public outcome. 

Arts OutWest will run a free grant writing workshop in Parkes on Wednesday, 2nd November and an online CASP information session on Wednesday, 16th November. To apply you must discuss your idea with Arts OutWest before submitting an online application. Read the full criteria at www.artsoutwest.org.au/pf/casp/ and contact Arts OutWest on 6338 4657 or artsoutwest@csu.edu.au 

Help Improve The Great Outdoors: Residents of Central West are encouraged to help shape the future of open spaces by completing the NSW Regional Outdoor Survey. The survey will only take about ten minutes to complete. To have your say go to www.planning.nsw.gov.au/nsw-regional-outdoor-survey. 

New Rules To Boost Agritourism: More farmers across NSW will soon be able to welcome visitors thanks to a new policy that makes it easier to set up agritourism opportunities. Deputy Premier and Minister for Regional NSW Paul Toole said: “We’re making it cheaper and easier for our farmers to diversify their income by starting, running and growing agritourism experiences, such as farm stays, cafes, cellar doors, retreats, roadside stalls, fruit picking and small wedding venues.”