THE BYRON SHIRE ECHO
Nimbin’s 16th MardiGrass
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 #46 TUESDAY, APRIL 29, 2008 22,700 copies every week
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Locals commemorate Anzac Day in poetry and memory
Top left: Though the main Mullumbimby Anzac Day address was delivered by Mullumbimby Bloke, Ray Essery, he then introduced Ocean Shores storyteller Dean Travaskis. Dean recited a poem dedicated to his grandfather Hec Hetherington after
he had retraced Hec’s war time steps on the Kokoda Track. Called ‘ The Power of Kokoda’ Mr Travaskis’ words moved the assembled crowd, as it obviously had the judges of Tamworth’s Blackened Billy Bush Poetry competition
who awarded him ďŹ rst prize this year. Top right: Frank (Franny) Mills and John Maslen remember the friendships and the hardships of war after the Brunswick Heads dawn service. In July Mr Mills will travel to Canberra to
meet Prime Minister Kevin Rudd as part of the 60th anniversary of the Australian Armed Forces (then known as the CMF). Franny was the ďŹ rst volunteer from this region to sign up in 1948. Photos Jeff Dawson
Writers’ centre funding under threat Jann Gilbert A review of Arts NSW Cultural Grants Program funding may have significant ramiďŹ cations for the Northern Rivers Writers’ Centre (NRWC). In September 2007, NSW Minister for the Arts, Frank Sartor, commissioned an independent review of the program, although Byron Writers’ Centre Director Jeni CafďŹ n and her counterpart at Lismore, Lois Randall, say they received no notiďŹ cation of the review. ‘I actually found the review by accident,’ says Jeni. ‘I was going to the Arts NSW website and I saw this hot news item, “Arts NSW to strengthen cultural grants programâ€?, and I thought, great, more money in the pot!’
Unfortunately Arts NSW’s deďŹ nition of strengthening the cultural grants program did not include more funding for regional writers’ centres. On the contrary, one of the ďŹ ndings of the review states that ‘consideration should be given to ceasing to fund the smaller NSW Writers Centres or devolving them to local government.’ The relevant recommendation is that ‘funding for regional Writers Centres be reviewed and that better outcomes may be achieved by addressing the needs of regional writers online.’ More remote-control government from Macquarie Street. ‘The only stated exemption to this is Varuna, which is the Blue Mountains writers centre,’ says Jeni. ‘One of
the people commissioned by Frank Sartor to perform this review is Sandra Yates, who is named as Director of the Sydney Writers Festival, but it’s not mentioned that she’s also on the Board of Varuna. I just think this is very wrong. It’s such a Sydney-centric review, as though culture stops at the Harbour Bridge. I thought we’d moved beyond that but apparently now funding stops there too.’ Similarly consultation, regional interests, past performance and a host of other democratic rights stop there also. ‘They haven’t even spoken to their own regional body, Arts Northern Rivers,’ says Jeni. ‘There’s no analysis; it’s all supposition, hearsay and opinion. There’s actually no
deep analysis at all.’ In fact, Jeni believes the recommendations in the review directly contradict the NSW State Plan, which is supposedly about building audiences and cultural pathways, and supporting regional arts programs. The NRWC plays a valuable role in the community and one of the most puzzling elements of the review is, of all the funding cuts that might be oated, why writers’ centres? ‘There’s no mention of anything other than writers’ centres,’ says Jeni. ‘It just seems so bizarre and inaccurate. It mentions what a marvellous job the Australian Writers’ Centre is doing with online services but noone’s ever heard of it. It doesn’t exist.’
The current grant funding represents less than 10% of the Centre’s total turnover but it is an essential component of its sustainability. Like other smaller arts bodies, the funds are used to pay staff wages and administration costs. And, as Jeni points out, the cuts in funding will also affect other regional arts bodies such as Screenworks. Arts NSW maintains that the review is just that, however, it’s difďŹ cult to believe given that Sartor has endorsed the ďŹ ndings and writers’ centres across NSW have been put on notice that 2008 is a ‘transition’ year. Presumably this means a transition to no funding. The NRWC has created a submission and enlisted the support of local members
Don Page and Janelle SafďŹ n to plead the case for writers’ centres. ‘The problem is, we don’t know whether it’s already happened,’ says Jeni. ‘We don’t know whether we’re going to have funding next year or not. As far as this Sydney-centric report is concerned, regional equals marginal.’ You can help the NRWC campaign by writing to the Director General of the Department of Arts Sport and Recreation, Ms Carol Mills, at mail@arts.nsw.gov. au putting Ms Mills’ name in the subject line. Your voice is essential to ensure continued funding of the Centre as a valuable, and hitherto healthy, expression of arts and culture in the Shire.
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