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 #51 TUESDAY, MAY 16, 2006 22,300 copies every week $1 at newsagents only
Y O U ’ V E
G O T
T O
K N O W
Nothing to do, cry youth at forum Hans Lovejoy A youth forum was held last Wednesday at the Youth Activities Centre (YAC) in Byron Bay to address the recent spate of violence in the town. Around 40 attended and included a crew of young people and representatives from Byron Bay police, the Chamber of Commerce, Byron Shire Council, Byron Bay High School, youth workers and concerned parents. In a frank look at the problems facing young people and the town, Street Cruise coordinator Deb Pearse opened discussion and asked the teenagers to speak. ‘There’s nothing to do and no facilities for youth at night’ was the overwhelming response. Addressing the specific incidents of fighting, the teenagers said that ever since the Rex Hunt incident, many tourists have been coming here looking for fights. ‘They provoke us,’ one teenager said. ‘They spit at us, throw
rubbish at us and on the ground and that makes me angry.’ Most of them agreed that they wanted somewhere away from licensed premises but near food and drink outlets. Mayor Jan Barham followed the discussion with a call for mutual respect and to acknowledge that the town is reliant on tourism. Police Inspector King echoed her comments and added that he has a ‘duty of care’ for the whole community, both the tourists and locals. He was particularly concerned about the underaged drinking by young girls. The media was also a hot topic for discussion; the teenagers said they were not getting a fair go from mainstream media. Recent stories of riots were exaggerated and assertions that text messages were circulated encouraging rioting were dismissed as lies. ‘None of us ever have [phone] credit’ was one
W H E N
T O
F O L D
M E
Billycarts help build community
response. Another teenager said his words were taken out of context and manipulated. The exaggerated number of those fighting (around 300) was also dismissed by Inspector King. Po s s i b l e solutions included skate parks at the Butler Street Reserve and at Baywood Chase. The Mayor also mentioned that Apex Park at Main Beach could be developed into a designated youth area. The Youth Centre could be a night club venue for young people. Previously C-Moog night club (which is now called Play) did regular underaged events but problems arose when the teenagers didn’t go inside and instead hung around the carpark. A festival for youth was also mentioned, in the style of Rukkus, the skate event in Mullumbimby last April. ‘It was an amazing meeting and we thank everyone that came,’ Deb Pearse later continued on page 2
Banoo Cockatoo has just removed a rather large spanner from the works as the Goonengerry Goer gets ‘tuned’ for Sunday’s Bangalow Billycart Derby. Howard Furner, Elijah Anstey and Django Tricker make a few adjustments under the bonnet. Photo Jeff ‘Wheels On Fire’ Dawson
Alex McAuley Howard Furner is busy fine tuning his classic homegrown billycart in preparation for his tenth year of racing at the Bangalow Billycart Derby. Nicknamed ‘The Goonengerry Goer’, Howard’s original cart is one of three
he intends to enter in this year’s derby. ‘As well as the original homegrown cart, I’ve got one that I found at the tip that needs a bit of work and a three wheeler that I’ve revamped for the professional race,’ said Howard.
Howard, who lives in Goonengerry (hence the name of his cart), has a longstanding friendly rival in his ex-Federal neighbour Paul Dunn, owner of the infamous ‘Federal Flyer’. Both Howard and Paul have made the lead-up continued on page 2