The Forbes Museum received $64,214 to facilitate the installation of a lift.

The funding will be of enormous benefit to the museum as it will allow them to open up the second storey of the historic Osborne Hall in Cross Street. 

Access for people with a disability will be vastly improved and the museum will be able to display far more items of historical significance, donated by our local community, along with photos and stories to explain how they were used before that knowledge is lost.

The Forbes Jockey Club was also successful in obtaining $100,000 to repair the racecourse grandstand. It’s been a long road for the jockey club with the grandstand having been out of commission for two and half or three years.

This will be of great benefit for race days and the camel races and I am looking forward to the day when we again see the grandstand packed full of spectators.

Our Grants Officer, Andrew Rawsthorne, assisted with both these applications.

Last financial year he was successful in obtaining $3.3 million to make our community more liveable.

Andrew has done a great job assisting with these applications and I’d like to remind community groups that he’s available to assist should your organisation require a helping hand with grant applications.

The Forbes Mens Shed continues their efforts to get their new facility funded and built.

They have done significant fundraising and will be making grant applications under the Stronger Country Communities program.

This is a vital community facility and brings a whole range of benefits.

I will be meeting with the Deputy Premier and the Parliamentary Secretary for Western NSW today and I can assure residents that we will leave no stone unturned in our efforts to assist this vital community group.