THE BYRON SHIRE ECHO
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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 #53 TUESDAY, MAY 30, 2006 22,300 copies every week $1 at newsagents only
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Bangalow loses a much loved identity Lesley Patterson Bangalow identity Kaye Hall was one of life’s ďŹ ghters, but one battle she couldn’t win was her three year struggle with lung cancer. Last Friday night Kaye died at 57 years of age after spending her last days in Byron Bay Hospital. ‘Kaye died without any fear of death,’ said her sister Helen Bebbington, ‘she knew her time was up. She didn’t want to leave her kids but she was so accepting of her illness. ‘Up until Friday she was still in good spirits and laughing. She was someone who loved life but she didn’t want to leave it,’ Helen told The Echo. ‘She had a lot of heartache in her life, with [husband] Terry dying, but she told me she had pretty
much done everything she wanted to.’ Kaye will be most widely remembered as a tireless worker for the Bangalow community and a writer for the Bangalow Heartbeat and The Byron Shire Echo. Earlier this year she was named the Ballina Electorate’s Woman of the Year for her volunteer work for the Bangalow Chamber of Commerce, the Christmas Eve Carnival, the Lions Club and Billycart Derby. ‘She was a great organiser for fundraising events for a whole range of good purposes,’ said Ballina MP Don Page, who nominated Kaye as Woman of the Year. Mr Page accompanied Kaye to Government House to meet the Premier for the awards
ceremony, and despite her illness she was still ďŹ ghting for her local community. ‘She told the Premier we wanted out train back,’ said Mr Page. ‘She was a very special person.’ Her role as mother to her three children, Amy, Ben and Tom was also an important part of her life, as were her relationships with her brothers and sisters.Tragedy struck Kaye’s life early when her husband Terry died suddenly on NewYears Day 1996, after just 12 years of marriage. The eldest of ďŹ ve children, Kaye moved to Bangalow when she she was a young girl. The bright lights of Sydney drew her away for a while, but after the excitement of overseas travel and a good job paled she returned to settle down in her home town and raise a family. Increasing awareness of cancer and its treatment was a priority for Kaye during the past few years. Bangalow’s inaugural Relay for Life raised around $65,000 for the Cancer Council and Kaye’s involvement ensured the event was ‘electric’, according to Carolyn Forbes from the Cancer Council. Michael Malloy from the Bangalow Chamber of Commerce described it as ‘one of the most successful community events ever held in Bangalow’. Kaye’s children and family will undoubtedly miss her, and the passing of Kaye Hall will also leave a big hole in the Bangalow community. A funeral for family and friends will be held Tuesday this week at 2.30pm at Bangalow Catholic Church.
C O N V E N I E N C E
A way to go in journey of healing
Alex McAuley The Byron Community and Cultural Centre came alive last Friday with an enthusiastic group of people who gathered to celebrate reconciliation with a Journey of Healing Day hosted by Sisters for Reconciliation and the Arakwal Corporation. A packed program of traditional Arakwal dance, ceremony, art and craft intermingled with guest speakers and performance from local school children created a vibrant atmosphere in which to reect on the progress that is being made in our journey of reconciliation.With indigenous and non indigenous Australians represented equally, the possibilities of real progress towards reconciliation were almost tangible. The theme for this year’s Reconciliation Week was ‘Take The Next Step’, and
Gavin Brown (above left), Delta Kay and Byron Shire Councillor John Lazarus spread the word about reconciliation at Journey of Healing Day last week. Photo Jeff Dawson
this was reiterated in a talk by Professor Judy Atkinson of Gnibi College at Southern Cross University. Following a delightful performance from Kindergarten and Year 1 children from St Finbarrs Catholic School – which included audience participation in a ‘knee trembling’ number that brought the house down – and just as everyone was beginning to feel warm and fuzzy about how well we are doing in our journey of healing, Prof Atkinson gave us a somewhat brutal reminder that there is still a long way to go. ‘I do not hold any of you responsible for the past,’ she said, ‘but we are all responsible for the future.’ She went on to describe the behaviour of geese in their
migratory habits and how humans, who think we are so clever, could learn a great deal from these creatures. ‘Geese y in formation as they realise that while they can achieve a great deal alone or in pairs, when they work in a collective they generate 70% more power,’ said Prof Atkinson. ‘When the lead goose grows tired, it drops back and allows another to take a turn at the front creating interdependency and shared leadership. If a goose falls to the ground because it is sick or injured, two other geese will follow it and stay with it until it is well enough to y again or dies. ‘Perhaps the most important lesson is how geese honk. continued on page 2
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