THE BYRON SHIRE
The
Volume 23 #36 Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Gathering
Mullumbimby 02 6684 1777 Byron Bay 02 6685 5222 Fax 02 6684 1719 editor@echo.net.au adcopy@echo.net.au www.echo.net.au 21,000 copies every week
Arts and culture feature pages 20 and 21
I F N O T N O W, W H E N ?
If music be the food of love, play on...
Bangalow chamber of commerce to the Red Cross on February 26. The raffle will be drawn on that date and all winners will be contacted by phone. Tickets can be bought from Coast Country Cellars Bangalow, Bangalow Post Office, Foodworks Bangalow and Barebones art gallery. A pancake/crepe breakfast will be held at the Suffolk Park Bistro on Saturday February 21, 10am to noon. All profits will be passed on to the Red
Byron Shire Council has awarded the design and construction contract for the new Brunswick Valley Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) to Brisbanebased civil contracting company Fulton Hogan. At a total cost of around $25 million, site works are due to commence in March 2009. The new STP is located on Council-owned land at the end of Vallances Road, Mullumbimby. Council’s Director of Water and Recycling Management Services, Phil Warner, said the STP will result in better wastewater management practices in the Mullumbimby and Brunswick area and improved water quality in the Brunswick River estuary. ‘The treated effluent, from the new STP, will be available to the Main Arm Irrigation Scheme for dairy pasture irrigation and will significantly reduce the amount of fresh water drawn from our creeks for irrigation purposes,’ Mr Warner said in a press release. Mr Warner said recent surveys revealed the site had at least 133 terrestrial invertebrate species inhabiting the site. This includes 104 bird species (two threatened), 13 mammal species (three threatened), nine frog species and seven reptile species. Works already undertaken at the site include cattle exclusion fencing, reinstating billabong tidal inundation and tree planting. ‘Council in conjunction with grants and subsidies from the NSW Department of Water and Energy, Envirotrust, NSW Department of Primary Industries Fisheries Conservation Unit and the Federal Government Community Water Fund are committed to protecting and restoring the ecological qualities at the site,’ Mr Warner said. Currently Mullumbimby and Brunswick Heads are served by Mullumbimby STP and Brunswick Heads STP built in the 1960s. The scheme
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Bruce McNichol, previously of Silly Symphony and the Captain Matchbox Whoopee Band, loves up the new Bangalow Rose florist with French love songs on his piano accordion on Valentine’s Day. Photo Lou Beaumont.
Locals rally for Victorian bushfire appeal Byron Shire businesses and musicians are rallying in support of fundraising for Victorian bushfire victims. The Hotel Brunswick is looking to coordinate the various fundraising efforts being held in the north of the Shire. The hotel will have an hourglass showing the money raised over the next four weeks and is kicking off the kitty with a donation of $25,000. By coordinating the effort, rather than a number of smaller cheques going to the Red Cross, the people
and businesses involved can be aware of the support they have given as a community and a substantial cheque can be presented to the Red Cross on the weekend of the Brunswick Kites and Bikes Festival, March 22. Trish McCulloch at the Hotel Brunswick would like community groups who are involved in any fundraising efforts or any people who can give a few hours to sell raffle tickets to call her at the pub. All fundraising efforts will be on behalf of the Red Cross appeal.
Crystal and Kalysha from the Bangalow Yogalates Studio started a small raffle ‘and as the response was so generous we decided to ask if any other local businesses would like to be involved. The reaction from local businesses was so overwhelming we have been able to put together some great prize packages for the raffle that will hopefully enable us to generate a significant cash donation to the Red Cross.’ Donations will be passed from the
New STP tender awarded