THE BYRON SHIRE ECHO Advertising & news enquiries: Mullumbimby 02 6684 1777 Byron Bay 02 6685 5222 Fax 02 6684 1719 editor@echo.net.au adcopy@echo.net.au http://www.echo.net.au VOLUME 20 #27 TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2005 22,300 copies every week $1 at newsagents only
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Pollies weigh in on highway upgrade munity,’ Mr Cohen said. ‘These trucks are tearing the community apart. The distress residents are feeling is understandable. The whole safety of the district is under threat. ‘Two weeks ago Country Labor joined in passing a motion calling for a 12 month moratorium on B-double use of the north coast section of the Pacific Highway. Two weeks later Macquarie Street ALP has let down their country cousins. ‘The government cannot just sit on its hands and hope to ride out the storm,’ Mr Cohen said. ‘The north coast community is galvanised by this issue in a way I haven’t seen for a long time. They will not be going away.’ Clarence, Lismore and Ballina MPs Steve Cansdell, Thomas George and Don
Page said they received a fair hearing when they met with NSW Roads Minister Joe Tripodi last week to push for an inland route proposal for the PaciďŹ c Highway between Tyagarah and Grafton. The three MPs initially said the meeting was conducted in a congenial atmosphere where there was a free exchange of ideas, but later changed their view after Mr Tripodi was quoted in the media saying the inland route would stall planning for highway upgrades. Don Page accused Mr Tripodi of playing party politics rather than considering the inland Pacific Highway route between Tyagarah and Grafton as a serious proposal. ‘He did express some concerns about the inland route
One hundred hurrahs for Hannah Hannah Tilley celebrated her 100th birthday on Friday with a morning tea at Feros Village Bangalow, followed by a big family celebration on Saturday at the Bangalow Bowls & Sports Club. Hannah Tilley (nee Davidson) was born in Lanarkshire, Scotland on November 18, 1905. The Davidson family migrated to Australia when Hannah was about nine and settled near Ipswich. Hannah married Benjamin Tilley in 1924 and they moved to Mt Isa. In 1931 Benjamin died as a result of an accident at the Mt Isa Mines and at 26 Hannah was widowed with three boys, the youngest six weeks old. Hannah and her sons returned to Ipswich in 1941,
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Shopaholics head to Bangalow Show
Kaye Hall Pouring rain early on Friday morning gave way to brilliant sunshine and balmy evenings for the thousands who ocked to the Bangalow Show on Friday and Saturday. There was much to entertain and record entries in continued on page 2 many categories including dairy and beef cattle, poultry, champion dogs, camp draft and show jumping. Ron Weir, past president for 27 years and celebrating 50 years on the committee, ofďŹ cially opened the show. Abbie McKeown was
The pressure was on but the five-year-old Lennox Legends anchor came through. He ran home first to edge out the other four teams in the shopping relay at the Bangalow Show on Saturday. Photo Jeff ‘Panicked Merchant’ Dawson
changing fortunes in the Ironman Event with Steve Jarrett’s team ďŹ nally taking out the title, and thrills and spills in the rodeo. The 16 strong troop of the Northern Horsemen all carrying Australian ags put on a magniďŹ cent display to the tune of Still Call Australia Home and My Island Home before the Grand Finale – the best fireworks display Bangalow has ever staged.
crowned Miss Showgirl. While Sideshow Alley was packed the majority found a seat ringside for the popular Saturday events. The Gumboot Throwing competition raised a few laughs, the kids were great in the Shopping Relay, the Tugo-War was exciting, we saw amazing horsemanship in the Belt Buckle and Boot Cup, $2,600 raised in the Farm Produce Auction,
Schoolies disrupt retirement village residents
Hannah Tilley with sons Stan, left, and Ben, right, at her 100th birthday party. Photo Jeff ‘Stantilly Lace’ Dawson
where she ran a cafe until the late 1980s, when she moved to Ballina to live with her son Stan, one time coach of swimming star Petria Thomas. After a fall in 1992
when she broke her hip she became a resident of Feros Village at Byron Bay and three years ago was transferred to Feros Village at Bangalow.
Lesley Patterson While police reportedly said it was a quiet weekend in Byron Bay for the start of schoolies week the residents of the Cape Byron Estate Retirement Village wouldn’t agree. Residents of the village in Cooper Street called police at 3am on Monday morning after being woken by the rowdy behaviour of a group of schoolies in a holiday let behind the village. Manager of the village, David Goldstraw, said that
police suggested ringing the Holiday Letting Organisation’s (HLO) complaints hotline to quieten the group of girls, however the hotline conďŹ rmed that the property, Bodhi’s Bungalow in McKellar Street, was not a member of HLO. ‘The police came around and told the tenants to shut up, but I’ve spoken to the [village] residents, one of whom was in tears, and they are very upset,’ said Mr Goldstraw.
Earlier this year Byron Shire Council started compliance action against the owners of Bodhi’s Bungalow after repeated noise complaints from the Retirement Village. Mr Goldstraw said holiday letting ceased for a few months, but started once more this weekend. ‘I spoke to the tenants in the bungalow and they told me they are paying $6,000 a week. It is just unethical and completely devoid of any
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North coast MPs launched three separate campaigns to force action over the PaciďŹ c Highway last week, but not all are aimed at the same outcome. In the NSW Legislative Council last week Greens MP Ian Cohen was successful with a motion against Bdouble truck use of the PaciďŹ c Highway. The upper house passed a motion recognising the danger posed to residents and motorists on the Pacific Highway by interstate freight (especially on non-upgraded sections), and condemning the government for allowing B-doubles on the Pacific Highway, as gazetted in August 2002. ‘Residents are rightly up in arms about these mammoth trucks being allowed to plough through their com-
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