Byron Bay
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 Available early Tuesday at: http://www.echo.net.au VOLUME 22 #16 TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2007 22,300 copies every week
Arts &
R E V E N G E
O F
Splendour in the dark: protest pushes on
T H E
W O R D S
featured on pages 20 & 21
Industry Estate
Dishy weekend for Taste
Victoria Cosford for the Ready Steady Cook The tail-end of Saturday was show, with Anthony Telford rained out, but by Sunday demonstrating puff pastry morning there was only sun- baked with a filling of frangishine and ground-drying pani cream, chocolate and winds for Day Two of the banana. There were LaughTaste of Byron Festival.With, ing Clowns, Juzzy Smith, a for the second year in a row, unicyclist, a vast area of tables the glorious beachfront loca- and chairs where groups of tion, its theme was chillis, people congregated to eat and just about every fifth stall and drink – and there were was a chilli company selling the food stalls. its fiery products – with repUnlike previous years, resentation from as far away there was a conspicuous as Victoria. absence of some of the better As the morning wore on known local restaurants disthe heat lifted and the crowds pensing mini serves of glamswelled – by early afternoon orous dishes; there seemed to Ocean Shores Community Centre blacked out as the meeting started on Sunday. there was the satisfying buzz be a preponderance of curof a successful event. There ries more than anything else. Story & photo Eve Jeffery been estimated at over five carried on the wind. ‘If you was a stage and music and at The winner of the Taste of Over 200 people gathered at million dollars, this figure, in can hear the ripple strips, one point lines of sassy dancByron Signature Dish went the Community Centre in his opinion, is more about you’re going to love Spleners; up the north end was a not even to a restaurant anyOcean Shores on Sunday expenditure than injection of dour,’ he said. crowded tent of spectators way but to catering company afternoon to have their say on funds into the area. He sugJones Road resident and the issues surrounding the gested that the actual injec- neighbour to the proposed DA for the proposed 2008 tion of funds was closer to festival Helen Artup also Splendour In The Grass fes- $200,000 or about ten dollars shared her concerns for fire tival at Yelgun. per head and he questioned and other safety issues. She Former senator Norm the value of what we were said, ‘The DA lied. It said all Sanders welcomed all those getting for our $10. He residents had been contacted. gathered and pointed out to believes not much more than I haven’t been contacted.’ the audience some people of the influx of drunk drivers, Many other speakers stood public interest including drug users with reported up during the afternoon Ballina MP Don Page, Byron increases in violent and alco- including Sue Arnold of AusShire Councillors John Laza- hol related sexual offences. tralians for Animals, who rus, Jan Mangleson, and Tom He went on to say that the commented on the absence Tabart, Greens candidate for type of people attracted by of festival organisers in the Richmond Giovanni Ebono the festival were more likely room. ‘It is really important and later Mayor Jan Barham. tent dwellers than money that you all know that the Mr Sanders then continued spenders. developers were invited but by saying, ‘This is a protest ‘The jobs created are not they declined saying this was meeting, this meeting is not local,’ said Mr Waldersee, a protest meeting, which it is to ask what people think. We ‘about 15 full time local jobs not.’ are here to stand up against are created and the rest of the There were two lone voices this.’ jobs are the musicians and in favour of the event, both at The majority of those in artists etc.’ times inaudible due to heckattendance voiced their Local resident Chris Coady ling from the larger group. assent. At this point the lights was very passionate about his The first, Jan Mangleson, and all power to microphones concerns including those of who felt that the youth needed and amplification went out. fire safety and other social, a cultural outlet and that this The first speaker for the noise and environmental festival was their expression afternoon was Bob Walder- issues. ‘This should be of that culture. She also felt a see, a professor in tourism knocked back on the environ- that youth was unrepresented management at the Queens- ment alone, like Lot 107,’ he at the meeting. The second land University of Technol- said pointedly in the direction was Get Rocked event organogy, who said that though of the mayor Jan Barham. iser Katie Watts who felt com- John Boland of The Byron Bay Chilli Company has a terrible time reports about the cash flow Norm Sanders raised a pelled to respond the accusa- tasting the first of the margueritas made by five different local into the Byron Shire from technical issue of sound inver- tion that the council and bartenders for the Jose Cuervo Marguerita Competition that was continued on page 8 part of the weekend’s Taste of Byron Festival. Photo Lou Beaumont Splendour In The Grass have sion and the nature of noise
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Your Gourmet for their elegant offering of Eggplant Charlotte with Puys lentils and babaganoug – but highly recommended were Lismore’s Zen Sushi for beautifully presented sushi with clean clear flavours; Byron Bay Chilli Company for their immensely popular Fish Tacos served with a choice of one of their award-winning sauces; and, again from Lismore, Fire in the Belly pizzeria whose owner Rod had amazingly managed to convey to the site a two-tonne concrete wood-fired oven from whose volcanic womb he was extracting his fantastic pizzas. The Byron Bay Beach Resort was another popular stall, especially for their signature dish of Nougat Crepe with Raspberry Coulis, a fat parcel bulgey with a creamy, nutty filling in a sea of lollyred berry syrup. Cheese Please was selling little plates of superb cheese pairings with muscatels, and at the Seaton Fire Chilli stand owner Lynne Seaton Anderson from Murphy’s Creek in Queensland was proudly showcasing her own chilli chocolate (using Callebaut), a sublime-looking Chilli Chocolate log cake and chilli cashews among other beautifully packaged chilli products. Disappointingly, there was representation by one coffee company only, Coffeeprince from the Byron Arts and Industry Estate, with a long slow queue of disgruntled punters complaining that, given the region we live in, there should have been several more coffee outlets to service the masses. On the whole, however, it was a well-attended event in a sunny Sunday atmosphere of smiling faces, good smells and festive fun.
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