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 21 #01 TUESDAY, JUNE 13, 2006 22,300 copies every week $1 at newsagents only
O N LY
O N E
D E G R E E
Residents oppose Mullum Ck quarry plans Michael McDonald Last Wednesday night residents of the Mullumbimby Creek valley expressed their opposition to a development application (DA) for extensive extraction from the Bower quarry near the corner of Left Bank Road and Frasers Road. The meeting called on Byron Shire Council to extend the submission time on the DA by two weeks, and to investigate the legal status of its advertising of the DA and the status of the quarry’s existing use rights. Residents also voted to form a committee to contest the DA. Council’s planning director Ray Darney later told The
Echo that Council believed it had advertised the DA correctly and would provide a better property description to notify residents. He also said the DA would not be determined until August – after the Councillors’ winter break – and residents would be given more time to make submissions. About 80 residents turned up to the meeting at Shearwater Steiner School and heard from Mr Darney, Council’s planning consultant Paddy Dawson and independent ecologist Mark Fitzgerald. Brendan Healey, president of the Mullumbimby Creek
O F
S E PA R AT I O N
National whale day takes to the beach
Progress Association, chaired the meeting. Deputy Mayor Peter Westheimer was the only councillor present. Mr Healey said the applicant Max Bower was invited to attend but chose not to. Mr Darney told the meeting that Mr Dawson had been hired to clear up a backlog of old DAs including those for three quarries and the Byron Bay bypass. The Bower quarry DA was 11 years old, Mr Darney said, and ‘should have been determined six or seven years ago’. Activists turned up at the Mr Dawson confirmed beach at Byron Bay last that, should the DA be Wednesday in a national day approved, extraction from of action in support of whales continued on page 2 and against whaling. A further protest against whaling, including a call for a boycott of Japanese prodMarj Storer volunteering at the ucts, is planned for June 20 in Brisbane. A bus will leave Red Cross store in Brunswick Railway Park at 8.30am – to Heads on the weekend. reserve a seat call Dean JefPhoto Louise Beaumont ferys on 6684 0002 or email Born and bred local lady shaman@byrononline.net. Delegates at the IWC meetMarj Storer has been awarded the Order of Australia in this year’s Queen’s Birthday Honours in recognition of her service to the Alex McAuley communities of Brunswick Byron Shire Council has Heads and Mullumbimby called a community meeting through service, school and for Thursday June 15 to disagricultural show organisa- cuss the progress being made tions. to eliminate odours from the Marj has served on many Sunnybrand Chicken committees over the years processing plant. It is almost including the Mullumbimby exactly one year ago that Show Society, the Brunswick Freedom From Fowl Odour Heads Memorial Hall Com- Org (FFFOO) convened the mittee, Brunswick Heads first public meeting about Girl Guides, and held the the smells and Ray Darney, position of manager of Director of Planning and Mullumbimby High School Environment Services at canteen for 19 and a half Council feels that it is time to years. But her most impres- review the situation. sive achievement by far is ‘Sunnybrand was sent a continued on page 2 notice by Council requiring
Marj’s Red Cross work rewarded
Surfers for Cetaceans Howie Cooke and Dave Rastovich at the adoption of Byron’s iconic whale ‘Yumbalehla’ last Wednesday. See more at www.surfersforcetaceans.com. Photo Jeff ‘Don’t Make Me Blubber’ Dawson
ing can be lobbied via www. flightofthehumpback.org. The annual Humpback whale migration has begun in recent weeks with pods of whales passing Cape Byron as they make their way to warmer tropical waters. Cape Byron Headland Reserve manager Sue Walker
said the whale migration is a ‘spectacular event and one worthy of celebration’. The trust invites the community to celebrate the migration of the Humpback Whales at a free Whale Information Morning at Cape Byron Lighthouse on Sunday continued on page 2
Public meeting on Sunnybrand future
",).$ -/4)6%
them to conduct an odour audit and provide a detailed plan on how they would reduce the odours,’ said Mr Darney. ‘What they have done is to remove the chickens altogether for the next three months, which of course has eliminated the odours. However, should the chickens return in summer, the the odours are likely to return and it may be necessary for Council to order another audit.’ In a press release from Sunnybrand, General Manager Andrew Young confirmed that the sheds are
now empty and will remain so until mid Spring. ‘We have agreed to close down two sheds by December 31, 2006 subject to the availability of alternate shedding,’ said Mr Young. ‘We will attempt to leave the sheds empty over winter 2007 then will close down the remaining four sheds by December 31, 2007.’ Mr Young goes on to explain that the cost of relocation and closure of the shedding will be recouped through a reduction in staffing levels and estimates that continued on page 3
INTERIOR
&OR FREE MEASURE QUOTE CALL
OR VISIT OUR SHOWROOM AT #ENTENNIAL #IRCUIT "YRON "AY 2EMOTE MOTORISED SYSTEMS AVAILABLE