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 #27 TUESDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2007 22,500 copies every week Printed on 100% recycled paper
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C H A R G E
F O R
I R O N Y
Plans to explore for minerals in hinterland
Domestic violence cards on the table
From left, domestic violence officer Senior Constable Sharon Boulton, Kassa Bird of the Women’s Resource Centre with the domestic violence card, and Tweed/ Byron LAC commander Superintendent Michael Kenny. Photo Jeff ‘IdentiKitten’ Dawson
Jann Gilbert As part of the 16 Days of Activism to Stop Violence against Women, Tweed/Byron LAC police commander Superintendent Michael Kenny joined Women’s Resource Service and DoCS staff to launch a new local referral card for victims of domestic violence. ‘It’s mandatory for police to hand out a card for referral services when they’ve been called to a domestic violence incident,’ says Kassa Bird from the Women’s Resource Centre. ‘For the past two years the cards given out by local police carried Tweed or State wide contact numbers. Our domestic violence outreach worker Julie Souter and I approached Michael to see if we could produce cards with Byron Shire contact details so that Byron police could hand out cards for local resources.’ Kassa and other welfare colleagues are hoping to encourage greater use of referral services
within the Shire with the introduction of the local resource card. ‘Until today these cards have had STD numbers on them and the services have been 45 minutes away,’ says Kassa. ‘Now they’ve got cards with local or free numbers so there’s much more access. Women can simply drop into the Centre or make a local call.’ Apart from the resources for women the card also carries contact details for the Ocean Shores Parent Resource Centre, which deals with both men and women particularly when there are issues around parenting. The Centre assists with family separation and encourages parents to learn about children’s development and other skills to improve their parenting. ‘The cards have been used for quite some time with a great deal of success,’ says Supt Kenny. ‘They are provided to the victim as a first point of contact, which is generally when police attend the family home.
‘The card is designed to provide information on where to get help, specific to the Byron Bay area. It fits easily into a purse or a wallet without screaming “domestic violence” at you. ‘Police attend in a primary role, in relation to a possible crime or to
look at Apprehended Violence Orders or Domestic Violence Orders for the protection of, usually, women and children. The card is the next step. It allows police to pass on information on behalf of other agencies that are able to help families.’
Shark patrol under way Two shark alarms, three rescues and dangerous surf conditions kept the Australian Lifeguard Service busy during their first day of shark patrols at Byron Bay last week. The patrol is an initiative of Byron Shire Council. A lifeguard on board a rescue jet ski patrols beaches from Belongil to Watego’s. The jet ski is equipped with rescue, first aid and communications equipment. The lifeguard is also able to respond to swimmers in difficulty. The Byron Bay Surf Life Saving Club will provide patrols on the
Christmas Shopping
weekend and the Lifeguard Service commenced its normal summer patrols on Monday. Cr Barham said the service ‘will hopefully allay some of the fears that have been generated by sensational media reports. I thank the Australian Lifeguard Service and the Byron Bay Surf Lifesaving Club for their commitment to provide this service.’ Also last week three teenagers were rescued by the lifeguard in separate incidents after they were caught in a rip at the western end of Main Beach.
Lou Beaumont An exploration licence application (No 3127) for diamond, ruby, sapphire and corundum (Group 6 minerals as classified by the Department of Primary Industries) has been lodged with the DPI for an area of land about 300 square kilometres in size 20kms north west of Byron Bay. The applicant is Gregory Pooley of Nea Kameni Pty Ltd, a company based in WA that specifically explores for diamonds and other commodities. The area in question includes hinterland communities such as Federal,Wilsons Creek, Main Arm, Montecollum and others. The DPI guidelines into exploration licences and landholders rights (www.dpi. nsw.gov.au/minerals/titles) state that exploration methods can range from ‘non-ground disturbing’ to ‘intensive drilling’. However, any invasive methods require separate permission. Mr Pooley of Nea Kameni told The Echo, ‘There was reportedly a gem found in the area and my company and two NSW based geologists will be investigating. At this stage all we will be doing is driving around the area, following the major creeks, doing a bit of mapping and take stream sediment samples. We will be allowed to take some prospecting and hand tools but our methods won’t be disruptive. ‘We are giving the possibility of finding Group 6 minerals due diligence and at this point it is just an initial reconnaissance survey. The area being looked at is one of many currently being surveyed in NSW, the area represents a gap in the geological mapping of the state and we need to fill it and make sure all doors are closed on all possibilities.’ Mr Pooley said initially trap sites in streams would be targeted. These are often found where rocks accumulate in creeks and often near roads as they are most frequently positioned in gullies. The geologists will be looking for continued on page 2