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 #06 TUESDAY, JULY 18, 2006 22,300 copies every week $1 at newsagents only
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Byron holds out over fluoride Lesley Patterson
Rous Water will add fluoride to the region’s water supply but exclude properties within Byron Shire. This is the recommendation to go before Rous Water’s council meeting this Wednesday. Following support from Lismore, Richmond Valley and Ballina Councils, management from Rous Water are recommending that the organisation doses the public water supply with fluoride, but also ‘requests Byron Shire to reconsider its position on fluoride’. Byron Shire Councillor Richard Staples says the recommendation is ‘totally as predicted’ and told The Echo he was expecting more pressure to be applied to Byron to fall into line with the other councils. ‘I don’t think they will force us to do it if Byron Shire Council stands firm,’ said Cr Staples who, together with Ross Tucker represents Byron Shire on Rous Water’s council. ‘Forcing us to take the fluoride out of the water would be politically untenable because there would be such an outcry among Byron Shire residents.’ The opposition to fluoridation by Byron Shire residents and Council has caused a headache for Rous Water which has said it would prefer to dose at one central point. If Byron sustains its principled position, Rous will be forced to construct four dosing facilities at an estimated capital cost of $1 million, twice that of a central dosing operation. The Department of Health has agreed to pick up the bill for the construction costs however Cr Staples is questioning whether it will baulk at paying for four dosing plants.
‘If a staff recommendation is adopted on Wednesday, at least Rous will be demanding that all capital costs, even for four plants, be met by the Department of Health not Rous,’ said Cr Staples. Rous, or rather its ratepayers, will have to cover the annual operating costs which are in the region of $170,000. In the unlikely case that Byron Shire changes its mind and votes to opt in, the yearly bill would drop to $90,000. Rous Water customers can expect to pay between $1 and $2.60 a year, a charge that will be levied, say Rous, whether a Shire choses to have fluoridated water or not. One more reason why Rous is keen for Byron Shire
Council to reconsider its position concerns our neighbours to the north. A few years ago Rous approached Tweed Shire Council about linking their respective water supplies. During periods of shortage in the Tweed, Rous would send water north and when the dry hits Byron and Ballina, then the Tweed would top up our reserves. The deal has by no means been tied up, however it could be jeopardised or complicated by the fact that Tweed Shire water is fluoridated. The simplest method for Rous to supply Tweed is through Byron Shire and designs for the replacement of the water main between St
Helena and Ocean Shores to enable it to link up with Tweed have already been completed. The problem is that Rous could not supply Tweed with fluoride dosed water unless a separate dosing plant is built to the north and any water Tweed Shire supplied to Byron Shire would contain unwanted fluoride. A rescission motion to overturn Ballina Shire Council’s support for fluoridation has been scheduled for next week’s council meeting, although it is unclear whether it will receive majority support. A group of anti fluoridation campaigners has been collecting signatures to a
The film of The Book Tom Long stars in The Book of Revelation, a psychological mystery, which premieres in Byron Bay next month.
The NSW premiere of a new feature film, The Book of Revelation, will be held at Byron Cinemas on Wednesday August 2 as part of the Writers Festival. Billed as a psychological mystery about a man’s struggle to regain his lost self, the film explores sex continued on page 2 and power, the interplay
A dangerous flight to lunch on Parnassus
Dancer Rochelle Mclean levitates for joy at the thought of reading at Dangerously Poetic Press’s Fifth Annual Poetry Day Lunch. On Saturday July 29, with a cabaret of talented local musicians, actors and poets, Dangerously Poetic will offer a wild feast of poetry and song at the Bay Pavilion restaurant from 11.30am in the Byron Bay Resort. Photo Jeff ‘Just Dangerous’ Dawson
between victim and perpetrator and the redeeming nature of love. Stars of film include Tom Long, Colin Friels, Deborah Mailman and Greta Scacchi. Tom Long will attend the screening and is known for his roles in The Dish, Two Hands and Doing Time for Patsy Cline. Small screen viewers will remember him as Angus in the ABC’s SeaChange. ‘This is a provocative, disturbing, beautiful and challenging movie, as one would expect from the pen of Andrew Bovell, the writer of Lantana, which was based on his own stage play, Speaking in Tongues,’ said Jeni Caffin from the Writers’ Festival. ‘Bovell will join Tom at the premiere, with director and co-scriptwriter Ana Kokkinos and producer Al Clark. Ana’s work includes directing episodes of the compelling television series The Secret Life of Us. Al Clark produced one of the most successful Australian films of all time, The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert and the groundbreaking Chopper, amongst a host of others.’ The program begins at 5.45pm for drinks followed by the screening at 6.30pm. Tickets are available through the festival website www. byronbaywritersfestival.com or from Jetset Byron Bay on 6685 6262.