This year the event will be held on December 1 and 2.

I believe this is a massive win for Forbes and we need the community to support the event and welcome all visitors to our beautiful town.  

The event and the music may not be everyone’s cup of tea.

But there’s no denying the benefits to Forbes.

Up to 7000 people attend the event each year and these visitors bring an enormous economic injection to the Forbes Shire.

This year Vanfest has a massive line up with the likes of Amy Shark, Tash Sultana, Thundamentals and Dune Rats.

Now I haven’t heard of any of these bands but young people from across the state have and tickets sales are already exceeding any previous Vanfest.

I’d like to see us all band together and work to make this year’s Vanfest the most successful yet.

This week is Local Government Week, where NSW Councils highlight the importance of local government to our everyday lives.

This year’s theme is ‘Discovery, Diversity and Democracy’ and we’ve had a number of groups discover more about Forbes Shire Council.

On Monday we had a visit from Goodstart Early Learning, on Tuesday we had a visit from Forbes Learning Ladder and on Wednesday we had the Morning Magpies craft group.

Learning Ladder in particular discussed some important matters and while learning about local government passed a resolution to have ice cream for afternoon tea.

The motion was carried unanimously.

Last week we also had pause to acknowledge some of our Council employees who have demonstrated outstanding commitment to our Shire.

Numerous employees celebrated milestones but of particular note was Peter McLuckie, who now has 45 years’ service with Council, and Ian Prior who was acknowledged for his 35 years of service.

Congratulations to everyone who was acknowledged on the day.

Also don’t forget about Forbes Shire Council’s bulky waste clean up.

Residents are asked to put their bulky waste neatly on the kerb on the evening of Sunday, August 6 for collection between Monday and Wednesday.

For further information visit the website or call us on 6850 2300.

Planning for Australia Day is just about to kick off and Council will soon be calling for nominations from community members who want to help organise this community event.

As you all know Australia Day is a passion of mine so I’d like to see as many community members as possible get in and help make the 2018 Australia Day celebrations bigger and better than ever.