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 23 #02 TUESDAY, JUNE 17, 2008 22,700 copies every week Printed on recycled paper
V E G E TA R I A N
A L P H A B E T
s p U Warm
S O U P
PAGE PAG PA GE 20
Byron Forum uncovers anxieties
Jann Gilbert Above all the paradoxes, contradictions, controversy and angst, it was courage, vision and a call to action that characterised the first Byron Social Forum last weekend. Beginning with a panel discussion on Friday night, chaired by ABC 7.30 Report presenter Kerry O’Brien, the forum posed the question, ‘Is another Byron possible?’ Given the pressure cooker of issues that fill the letters pages of local media every week, the packed house at the event, which overflowed into the courtyard, was hardly surprising – likewise the passionate and lively debate that many of the issues raised on Friday night and across the weekend. In opening proceedings and introducing the panellists Mr O’Brien confessed to feeling that, while he’d faced John Howard and other seasoned politicians, given the topic and its implications, the night ahead was likely to be one of the hardest in his career. Each panellist was given five minutes to express ideas on the question posed that was followed by a further 10 minutes of questions from the audience. The six panellists represented views from across the community with Yvonne Stewart speaking on behalf of the Arakwal nation, Eka Darville representing youth, Jan Dawkins on social issues, John Gudgeon representing the business community, Cheze Darville representing cultural issues and Dailan Pugh representing the environment. Needless to say the issues that raised the most ire and debate centred around social, cultural and environmental concerns regarding the impacts of tourism and development, and the lack of infrastructure. The subject of holiday letting generated a rowdy and passionate volley between community members and panellist, John Gudgeon,
whose other hat (as President of the HLO) he seemed disinclined to wear for the evening. Yvonne Stewart’s response included issues such as the inequity in employment and training opportunities for Aboriginal people in the Shire, the difficulty of caring for elders, and in healing much of the trauma of Aboriginal people given the negative press generated by the intervention and an ongoing lack of resources. Ms Stewart pointed out that over the past 14 years much of the Arakwal nation’s time and energy had gone into securing Native Title, and that this process had in fact saved a great deal of land around Byron Bay by classifying it as National Parks, Marine Parks and Nature Reserves. It was also revealed later in the evening that the Arakwal nation had recently donated the land to Council on which the new library is to be built. On behalf of youth Eka Darville posed an eloquent and intelligent response, raising issues including venues, activities, transport and employment. Eka’s other Byron called for sufficient funding for youth programs and venues (such as Street Cruise and the YAC), and a commitment to making youth a priority rather than ‘a problem to be fixed’. Jan Dawkins’ response on social issues raised questions of the plight of the homeless in Byron, mental health, drug and alcohol abuse, financial hardship and the cost of housing, and also highlighted the ratio of visitors to locals and the strain on services and residents as a consequence. Cheze Darville called for the reinstatement of cultural values, venues and spaces, and an increased tolerance for the diversity of culture, which originally brought people to the area, to overcome the grow-
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The Panel: Yvonne Stewart, Eka Darville, Jan Dawkins, Kerry O’Brien, John Gudgeon, Cheze Darville, Dailan Pugh.
ing homogenous face of the town. Dailan Pugh completed the panel presentations with an impassioned plea for the environment and development of a stronger community voice to balance the increasing boom of vested interests. In closing, Mr O’Brien aptly identified that, while many of the issues raised were intertwined, clearly Byron was ‘a town of contradictions’ where wealthy vested inter-
est and community had made for uncomfortable bedfellows. In summary, ‘not indicative of a healthy culture.’ Following the Friday night session, workshops held on Saturday at the YAC looked at many of the issues raised. With organisaton provided by Paul Spooner, Pavita and a host of volunteers, participants broke into groups to discuss the topics, and come up continued on page 3
The Pink Ladies bow out
The Pink Ladies of the Byron Bay and District Hospital Auxiliary met for one last hurrah at the Brunswick Heads Hotel yesterday afternoon as guests of the Cornells. After 32 years of volunteer fundraising, flower arranging and seasonal decorating, the ladies are calling it quits as the current group is ageing and they simply can’t find any younger recruits. Auxiliary President Phyllis Barnes said it was sad the see the end of an era. ‘We are all getting too old to keep the Pink Ladies going but there have been no young ones to take our place. John and Delvine invited us to lunch as recognition for the work we have done. The Ladies will finish up at the end of the month.’