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 #09 TUESDAY, AUGUST 8, 2006 22,300 copies every week $1 at newsagents only
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More than words to excite the mind Michael McDonald By Sunday the Byron Bay Writers Festival was taking on the air of a grungier event – huge gusts of wind and rain threatening the white tents, pads of straw barely protecting the muddied grass. Against this the enthusiasts persisted, high on ideas rather than music or mindaltering substances. Seekers after truth and fiction had their day throughout the festival, sometimes in the same book. At opposite ends of the chronological spectrum both The Chaser team and artist Margaret Olley attracted big crowds. There was plenty to intrigue the mind. In the East Marquee I stalked Larry Buttrose as he participated in a panel on research for nonfiction and chaired the discussion on poetry as ‘a willfully stubborn art form’. At the former, biographer Jenny Hocking gave a fascinating account of Frank Hardy’s correspondence with the actor James Mason. Buttrose recalled picking up Hardy from prison where he had been sent for failing to pay hundreds of parking fines. (The softly-spoken Buttrose was also mid-jihad on postmodern theory, and judging by the appalling definition of history he read out, he has a righteous cause which he enjoined the audience to take on.) At the latter, the making of poetry was investigated in erudite and amusing detail by Dorothy Porter, Jaya Savige and Peter Goldsworthy filling in very capably for John Kinsella. Porter rejoiced that her poem to a giant squid had been immortalised at a display in the South Australian museum, Goldsworthy challenged us to remember a fragment of a poem, which I think I did: ‘The big
Living treasure and artist Margaret Olley talking about her colourful life at the Writers Festival on Sunday. Photo Jeff ‘When I Plant My Masterpiece’ Dawson
number 4 broke through the pack/ Wearing his IQ on his back’, or something to that effect. More movingly he spoke of the urge to make pattern and metaphor and cited the example of the gorilla Koko who, deprived of a treat, drank from a puddle with a straw and described it in sign language as ‘sad elephant drinking’. Later at the North Marquee Roger McDonald, Peter Corris and Jenny Hocking explored creating characters and ‘is telling the truth essential?’ under the firm guidance of NSW Writers Centre director Irina Dunn. We learnt more of Hardy’s arrest – sprung from the paddy
wagon by Doc Neeson of The Angels (Hocking herself performed in a band called Elvis Wore Nappies) for a drink at the bar of the famous Harold Park Hotel while dozens of police struggled to restrain an affronted pub crowd outside. By then, in the space of three hours, I had imbibed as much as I could from the continued on page 2
Satiristic worship: young bucks Dominic Knight, Chris Taylor and Julian Morrow from The Chaser team pay homage to Satiric Masters Max Gillies and Mungo MacCallum at the writers coven on Saturday. Photo Jeff ‘Rum Chaser’ Dawson
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Freight route tipped for Bangalow to Lismore Rd Lesley Patterson The upgrading of the Lismore to Bangalow Road as an alternative freight route to the Pacific Highway is being investigated by an independent panel coordinated by the RTA. The Lismore to Bangalow Road could form the northern segment of the proposed Summerland Way upgrade from Grafton to Bangalow which is being supported by the NSW Nationals in a bid to remove heavy goods traffic from the Pacific Highway. Nationals leader Andrew Stoner told The Echo that the upgrade of the Summerland Way ‘between Grafton and Lismore would be a road engineer’s dream as there aren’t many hills to negotiate. It would be significantly cheaper than upgrading the Pacific Highway. ‘The Lismore to Bangalow stretch is somewhat problematic because of the topography.There is a requirement to upgrade the exisitng road to
some extent already. It may involve an upgrade or an entirely new road,’ he said. Mr Stoner said the Nationals are supporting a partial upgrade of the existing Pacific Highway to fix black spots and bypass towns and villages such as Ballina, Broadwater and Woodburn. Coupled with the creation of a freight route from Grafton to Bangalow using the Summerland Way, the Nationals believe this could provide an alternative to the RTA’s proposed upgrade options. ‘There are a number of people and communities along the coast who have concerns regarding the proposed [RTA] Pacific Highway upgrade. They don’t want a motorway through their area or heavy vehicles rumbling through their community,’ said Mr Stoner. While some property owners along the existing highway might welcome such a move, the noise and heavy traffic burden in Byron Shire
would be transferred to residents in the Lismore to Bangalow Road corridor, many of whom are not aware of the implications of the Summerland Way upgrade. Northern Rivers freight and industry representatives are also supporting the investigation of a Grafton to Bangalow freight route. ‘They have told me the current Lismore to Bangalow Road has its limitations which means that trucks can’t use it so have to go via Alstonville and Ballina to access the Pacific Highway to travel north,’ said Mr Stoner. The RTA has confirmed that an independent panel is assessing the viability of two options involving the Summerland Way. The first runs from Grafton to Beaudesert, which has been identified as a major freight hub, and the second links Grafton to the Pacific Highway at Bangalow via Lismore. continued on page 2