The Byron Shire Echo – Issue 37.34 – February 1, 2023

Edjamakashun pledges

NSW election candidates make their case for addressing declining education standards

Hans Lovejoy

With Labor think tank, The McKell Institute, outlining a sharp decrease in literacy and numeracy skills, and underfunding, throughout state-run schools, NSW Labor have launched an education plan to create a $400 million Education Future Fund, as well as establishing a permanent and ongoing literacy and numeracy tutoring program.

While local Greens MP, Tamara Smith, says a pay rise is instead needed to incentivise and retain teachers, Nationals candidate, Josh Booyens, has mocked Labor’s plan as a ‘magic beanstalk’, accusing federal Labor of not providing the NSW Liberal-Nationals government with adequate funding for NSW schools.

Ballina Labor candidate and Lismore high school teacher, Andrew Broadley, said in Monday’s press release that his party’s fund and program will ‘end the underfunding of public schools’, and ‘ensure that NSW reaches 75 per cent of its schooling resource standard (SRS) by 2025 – two years earlier than the Liberal-Nationals government. This would take NSW Schools funding to 95 per cent of the SRS’.

Broadley says a report released by the McKell Institute in December 2022 ‘showed that NSW public school students are not getting the investment they need’.

The McKell Institute said on Monday that the state’s ‘alarming deterioration in literacy and numeracy standards will worsen, unless the state government matches the opposition’s commitment to

reach 100 per cent of the schooling resource standard (SRS)’.

McKell Institute Executive Director, Michael Buckland, said, ‘In research released last year, the McKell Institute found that the average NSW public school student is currently underfunded by $1,550 to $1,629 every year’.

‘Our economy relies on skills and knowledge, without which we are doomed to falling prosperity and declining living standards. The NSW [Liberal-Nationals] government has unfortunately overseen the state’s decline in literacy and numeracy against other jurisdictions in our region, and around the world. Fully funding our schools should not be a partisan issue and we urge the government to match Labor’s commitment.’

Improve pay and conditions: Greens

Ms Smith told The Echo, ‘As the Greens NSW education spokesperson, and as an educator and member of the NSW Teachers Federation for over 20 years, I can say that Labor’s announcement disappointingly falls well short of the mark.’

‘We need to attract 11,000 new public-school teachers in NSW over the next decade, and retain current teachers who are leaving the profession in droves. The Gallop Inquiry made it patently clear that only through improving pay and conditions, and adequately resourcing students in every public school will

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Survival celebrated Calls to extend temp accom for insured

Australia Day celebrations were held last week, but Mia Thom, Nickolla Clark, Delta Kay and Ella Noah Bancroft instead took part in Survival Day in Byron Bay. It recognises that Indigenous people and culture thrived continuously for around 60,000 years, and since January 26, 1788, mob have survived colonisation, discrimination, theft, massacre, imprisonment and forced assimilation, all of which was ‘lawful’ at the time.

Paul Bibby

The one-year limit on temporary accommodation provided by some insurance companies to people whose homes went under in the flood must be extended.

That was a key point of consensus at a meeting of flood-affected locals in Mullumbimby last week.

As the anniversary of the disaster approaches, some are facing the prospect of losing their temporary accommodation because their insurance companies will only pay for one year of rent.

‘Of the many outcomes, none was

more significant than accommodation,’ said one of the organisers of the meeting, Susan Fell.

‘A further wave of homelessness must be avoided.’

Ms Fell and the other meeting attendees are calling on the Northern Rivers Reconstruction Commission (NRRC) to make direct representations to the CEO of the Insurance Council of Australia (ICA) calling for the deadline to be extended.

‘There needs to be a public announcement by the ICA,’ Ms Fell said.

‘Until insurance companies and

builders resolve the rebuilding of our homes, and our reinstatement, there is an increasingly high level of personal and community anxiety.’

Other key outcomes from the meeting include a request that the NRRC provide official figures on how many homes were affected by the floods, including the number of residents who have been unable to return, and those who are living in substandard conditions.

‘This issue is estimated to affect more than 100 Mullum residents,’ Ms Fell said.

Photo Jeff ‘Mobbed But Not Forgotten’ Dawson

A new state-of-the-art skate park and recreation precinct in Byron Bay near the Youth Activities Centre (YAC) is expected to be open by March 2023, say Council.

According to Council’s website, the construction contract was awarded to Convic, ‘one of the top-rated skate park design and build companies in the world’.

Upgrades of the nearby Sandhills area will ‘make it a vibrant public space that recognises the important cultural values of the site’.

The first stage of the

project is a skate park and recreation hub will: ‘Provide a high quality skate and recreation space connecting the town centre, environmental zones and existing facilities such as the Byron Youth Activities centre and the library; protect and enhance the cultural values of the traditional owners of the site; activate an area that is currently under-utilised’; and, ‘discourage anti-social behaviour’.

The project’s funding is from the NSW government and Council.

Stor y lines Budgeram

Paul Bibby

The two Aboriginal flags that fly high over the Brunswick River Bridge on Invasion Day have become a potent symbol of survival and solidarity for many in the Shire.

So it was with surprise, and in many cases disappointment, that locals woke on Sunday morning to discover that one of the proud emblems had been stolen during the night.

Local campers reportedly witnessed a man stop his car on the bridge at around 3am, take down one of the bamboo poles, and remove the flag before driving off.

The incident may have been recorded by the dashboard camera of a car parked nearby.

As news of the theft filtered through the Shire, locals are questioning whether it was an ignorant prank or a deliberately racist act.

‘If I ever get to meet this guy I’d like to ask ‘what was your motivation brother?’’ said ‘Coda’, the local who, along with a small group of companions, has raised the

The Byron Shire Echo

Volume 37 #34•February 1, 2023

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Editor Hans Lovejoy

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Nicholas Shand 1948–1996

Founding Editor

The Echo acknowledges the people of the Bundjalung nation as the traditional custodians of this land and extends respect to elders past, present and future.

Disclaimer: The Echo is committed to providing a voice for our whole community. The views of advertisers, letter writers, and opinion writers are not necessarily those of the owners or staff of this publication.

‘The job of a newspaper is to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable.’ – Finley Peter Dunne 1867–1936

▶ Continued from page 1

we be able to turn around the chronic teacher shortage.

‘Only the Greens are offering an immediate pay rise for teachers (15 per cent in line with the Gallop recommendations), more time to teach, and 100 per cent of the resourcing required for every student in every public school in NSW. Labor’s announcement will see a generation of teachers and students left behind.’

flags every Invasion Day for the past four years.

‘The irony is so thick’.

‘I mean, think about the treatment of Aboriginal people in this country and what that flag means to them.

‘To have that symbol taken [around] the day that marks the theft of their land, there’s strong symbolism

there.’

Coda believes that, far from harming the cause, the theft of the flag will help to focus attention on the continuing need for justice and reconciliation.

‘It’s inspired us to have more ceremony around the flag raising next year – a smoking ceremony and a Welcome to Country led by mob.’ However, he is also

inviting whoever took the flag to return it.

‘I can always make another one, but that’s not really the point. We’d love this one back.’

The person with the flag is invited to drop if off just inside the front door of The Echo office in Mullumbimby on weekdays during business hours. No questions will be asked.

Nationals candidate, Josh Booyens, did not refute the claims of declining literacy

and numeracy standards, but told The Echo, in part, ‘Labor’s announcement on a $400m Education Futures Fund seems to be a magic money pot that they want to fund an endless list of things from’.

‘While we set out plans that are fully funded, Labor fail to set out any details.

‘So far, Labor have promised that $400M over four years – $100M per year – will deliver an untold number of teachers; an untold number of school counsellors; and a permanent tutoring program (which they have set at a max of $50M per year, compared to the $250M the NSW government has invested this year alone).

‘Under the Coalition, NSW

public schools are on a trajectory to 75 per cent by 2027, with year-on-year uplifts and supports to schools to invest this funding in students.

‘The NSW government has already been topping up school funding, while Labor is letting their federal mates off the hook. It is also their federal Labor mates who have delayed negotiation of the National Schools Reform Agreement by another year.

‘The NSW government made it clear, months ago, our expectation is that schools should be fully funded. NSW is, and will continue doing more than its share.

‘The NSW Liberal and Nationals government led the way in introducing small

Organisers of the Aquarius Festival 50th Anniversary Rainbow Bridge Celebration are looking for vollies for their Channon Market event on Sunday, May 14.

Independent curator, Harsha Prabhu, told The Echo, ‘While most of the

festivities will naturally centre around Nimbin, the Channon Market serves as a cultural cachment for the whole Rainbow Region. The Rainbow Chai Tent will be there, after a long hiatus’.

‘Our program includes music, dance, comedy,

poetry, Welcome to Country, and a big drum up with 50 drums. There are also plans to incorporate a Wellness Expo, including laughter yoga, Tantra workshops, hemp products etc.

‘We also have access to a kitchen, so catering help

group tutoring in response to COVID-19 lockdowns in 2021, and have extended it into 2022 and 2023 as well.

‘Our commitments, to date: 2021: $337M; 2022: $383M (noting that $80M underspend was reallocated for Term One 2023) and 2023: additional $173M to make it $253M for the year.

‘The NSW government have invested almost $900 million in small group tutoring, for the benefit of more than 350,000 students. Under the current approach, all schools, whether they are primary, central, or secondary, receive a tutoring allocation’.

Full comments by Mr Booyens are at www.echo. net.au.

would be welcome.

‘This day is a joint production of Nimbin Aquarius 50, Nimbin Aquarius Foundation, Byron Neighbourhood Resource Centre and the Channon Market’.

Email harshaprabhu55@ gmail.com to get involved.

– always was, always will be

One of the two Aboriginal flags that adorn the Bruns bridge around Survival Day was recently stolen. Jeff ‘Red Flagged And Blue Pilled’ Dawson

Bob Brown packs out Lennox Cultural Centre

Photo & story Eve Jeffery

With hardly a vacant seat in the auditorium, Bob Brown kept the party faithful’s eyes, ears and hearts glued to the stage on Saturday night at the Lennox Head Cultural Centre.

Five hundred tickets were sold for the event, and ‘Saint Bob’, as he is known, delivered so much bang for everybody’s buck that the crowd floated out the door on a magical green mist.

After a heartfelt introduction by Delta Kay, the event’s host, local Greens MP Tamara Smith, said she felt a bit nervous in front of such a large crowd.

‘You are in for an absolute treat tonight. I really want to thank Bob and Paul (Thomas), for giving up their precious time to come up here. Bob is literally just coming up from the Tarkine and a recent arrest.

‘He’s been on the planet seven decades, and he’s still getting arrested, defending our precious wildlife.’

Brown spoke of his love for the environment and its creatures. His absolute dedication to the Tarkine was unmistakable.

The Tarkine is an unprotected area of north west Tasmania that contains significant areas of wilderness, and the largest area of Gondwanan cool-temperate rainforest in Australia.

Brown is insistent that federal Labor Environment Minister, Tanya Plibersek,

was prioritising industry over the environment by not accepting his invitation to tour Tasmania’s Takayna/ Tarkine rainforest when she visited the site of a controversial mining proposal.

Tarkine under threat

He says Plibersek visited Tasmania to meet with representatives and workers from the minerals company MMG about their proposal to build a tailings waste dam and pipeline infrastructure in rainforest near the town of Rosebery in the state’s north west.

‘The Rosebery mine has two big waste repositories. These are many football fields in size, with dams built up at the side and the waste has been put there over

those many decades’.

‘They want to put a pipeline across the Pieman River into the cathedral-like Tarkine rainforest, with a dam at the bottom of McKinney’s Creek in this pocket of that rainforest, and fill it with acid mine waste, which will kill every living creature in that forest.

‘Tanya Plibersek is making that decision in the next few weeks.’

Live cross to Viola Barnes

A highlight of the event was when Bob spoke live to a tree-sitter in the Tarkine. ‘Tonight, while we’re here, Viola Barnes is up in the tree on her 40th night – she’s at the centre of the camp

to defend the owls if Tanya makes the wrong decision.’

At the end of the evening, Ms Smith said it was very special to have Brown supporting her election campaign. ‘The crowd were not disappointed’.

‘We watched neverbefore-seen footage of some of these incredible creatures, and crossed directly to one of the protesters in one of the ancient trees that are being felled to mine iron ore.’

‘Bob’s stories highlight a new era of environmental activism and reinforce the need to radically influence the Coalition and Labor who continue to open new mines and side with powerful vested interests over protecting the planet.’

NSW Greens push for pay rise for frontline health workers

Hans Lovejoy

With the state election looming on March 25, the NSW Greens are pushing for ‘a real pay rise for nurses, midwives and paramedics’.

MP and health spokesperson, Cate Faehrmann, said in a press release, ‘this is necessary after a decade, effectively, of pay cuts for frontline healthcare workers under the NSW Liberal-Nationals’.

The Greens plan is to legislate the removal of the wage cap, and institute minimum pay rises in line with CPI. An instant 15 per cent pay rise is proposed, as is locking in the pay rises of two per cent above inflation for the next four years.

Labor fails to reply

The Echo sought comment from Labor candidate, Andrew Broadley, but no reply was received by deadline.

Nationals candidate for Ballina, Josh Booyens, was asked if he supports the pay rise. He replied, ‘Since 2012, the NSW government has grown the health workforce in the regions by more than 10,000 full-time equivalent roles – and there’s more to come. [The NSW LiberalNationals] will invest $4.5 billion to recruit more than 10,100 full-time equivalent staff into its hospitals and health services over the next four years – the largest ever boost to the health workforce in the nation’s history. Of these, 3,800 positions will go into the regions.

‘The NSW Nationals, in government, secured $883 million over four years to implement a major regional health workforce incentives scheme in the largest shakeup of its kind ever undertaken in the state. It aims to attract and retain

staff in rural and regional NSW by transforming the way health clinicians are incentivised in the bush. The scheme will be delivered alongside new training and recruitment pathways, to build a pipeline of regionally-based workers and future-proof healthcare in the regions.

‘The $883 million investment will include funding for, but is not limited to: Tailored incentive programs for healthcare staff to take up and retain positions in regional, rural and remote NSW – which can include a tailored incentive package of up to $10,000, plus additional leave, relocation reimbursement, professional development and study assistance; Increased training positions for nursing graduates, nurse practitioners and medical interns; Expanding rural generalist and procedural training positions; Career

development and secondment opportunities for healthcare workers based in regional, rural and remote NSW, including for those based in metropolitan areas to “try out” working in regional NSW; Increased numbers of Aboriginal nurse cadetships, and a HECS incentive package for allied health professionals.

‘This is a policy that is in place now and working’.

Shocking conditions

Greens MP Cate Faehrmann said, ‘Nurses, midwives and paramedics have worked under shocking conditions throughout the pandemic, including gruelling double shifts and inadequate staffing levels’.

‘It’s therefore a bit of a kick in the guts by the government to sit back and watch as their wages go backwards’.

“An expose of the global COVID-19 cover-up and how we ought to fight back against the corrupt medico-political nexus behind it.” – RajuChacko,ReedsyDiscovery

2353 | 151 River St, Ballina

Local Greens MP, Tamara Smith, with Bob Brown and supporters.

Tributes for songstress Sara Tindley

Eve Jeffery

Hundreds gathered at a small rural property at Lindendale last week to say their final farewells to Sara Tindley, a very much loved personality from the Northern Rivers.

Family and friends had recently been told the news that Sara had passed away around dawn on Sunday, January 15, after a long battle with cancer.

Sara’s brother, Nick Tindley, said everybody knew about Sara because she let everybody in.

‘That’s why there are so many people here today. There’s a lot of similarities between who she was as a young person and the incredible person that she left us as. She was always, always embracing.’

Sara’s daughter, Poppy, read from a letter that her sister Lily (who passed away in 2021) wrote to Sara one Mother’s Day. ‘I think it pretty much sums up how it feels to have Sara as a mum and all the love that goes with that.’

Poppy read: ‘Dear Mum, I am incredibly lucky to have such a strong, compassionate and authentic woman as my mum’.

Poppy added her own postscript to the note. ‘My mum was also beautiful and passionate and powerful.’

Partner, Mark Bailey, said it was hard to put down words about Sara. ‘She wrote about herself in her songs, so a lot of you have an insight – there really

aren’t a lot of words that can sum her up.

‘Sara was someone that looked into herself and asked, “What am I not good at?” And she’d focus on that and then she’d dig around – to herself, to me, and then she’d kind of put herself back together and be a better version of herself.

‘We had a dream together – Sara was diagnosed with breast cancer about ten years ago. We went through that – a year of treatment. And after that, you have to face things. What do you do with life? She just wanted to live – every day, in a community, and be deeply rooted. She said, “I want to be a farmer”. So she took herself off to TAFE. She did a certificate in organic

Boutique family law

horticulture, and we sold up and bought this place, and we created what we are in now.

‘Her wish for this day was to have this in her garden.’

Sara’s wish came true, and she was carried along the creek through trees and flowers, with a long trail of people in her wake, marvelling at her beautiful regen work.

Impromptu concert

Everyone was then treated to an amazing impromptu backyard concert by Sara’s friends, the likes of which hasn’t been seen in the Northern Rivers – probably ever.

Vale Sara Tindley, 14.11.66 – 15.1.2023

Ocean Film Festival World Tour screens March 4 in Lennox

The Ocean Film Festival World Tour returns to Byron Shire for its tenth anniversary, and organisers say a one-off family friendly event will be held at the Lennox Head Cultural Centre on Saturday, March 4.  Organisers say, ‘The two and a half hour program,

showcasing films from independent filmmakers worldwide, has been hosted annually in 14 countries over a ten-year period, touching countless lives, in and out of the ocean’.

For more info and to book tickets, visit oceanfilmfestivalaustralia.com.au/tickets.

Huge Warehouse Sale

Photo Jane Rantall

A new boutique law firm has opened in Byron Bay’s Habitat, located in the Arts and Industry Estate, having expanded from their Gold Coast, Brisbane and Sunshine Coast offices. Anton Richardson and Stephanie Murray (pictured) head the firm Richardson Murray, and they and their team say they ‘practice exclusively in family and relationship law’.

Photo supplied

Ripples becomes a tsunami

Sarah Webb

‘From catastrophe to ultimate beauty’ is how the owner of Global Ripple has described the journey from her store being burnt to the ground late last year to finding a new home.

The new home of the much loved not-for-profit secondhand thrift store is also located in Byron’s Arts and Industry Estate, close to where the original store was, before the fire in early December 2022. You can now find them at 2 Grevillea Street, right next to Bunnings.

Owner, Jacqui Boyett, who was also last year’s Byron Citizen of the Year, says, ‘We’re extremely excited; it’s gone from catastrophe to ultimate beauty and we’re busting at the seams already’.

Indeed, they are so busy, that Jacqui is asking for helpers in the store. She says, to apply, just come into the store, or call her on 0490 451 746.

Jacqui says they received help to rebuild from many businesses, in particular Kennards Hire in Byron, who provided equipment to refurbish the store.

Both Jacqui and manager, Jenni Scarpella, say they were touched by the many fellow op-shops who came

and gave support.

Global Ripple supports many not-for profit businesses and projects, such as the Fletcher Street Cottage, Animal Rescue, the 2022 flood appeals, and I Love India. They also fund a hospital in Vanuatu and offer interest free loans for those in need.

Feeling the…

Jenni says, ‘We’re different in that we like to have direct impact [and] support smaller organisations. Funds go directly to the people that need it, instead of big corporations, where not much goes to anyone.’

Sarah Webb is doing Echo work experience.

V-Day returns to Byron Bay, February 14

A mass global action, One Billion Rising, which aims to end violence against women and children, is planned for V-Day on February 14, Main Beach, Byron Bay from 7am. Co-organiser, Zenith Virago, says the ‘V’ stands for Victory, Valentine and Vagina.

She says, ‘The truth is shocking – according to the United Nations, one in every three women will be physically or sexually abused in her lifetime – that’s more than one billion women across the world’.

‘Every February, women and others rise in countries across the world to show our local communities and the world what one billion

people looks like.

‘We rise through dance to express joy and community, and celebrate the fact we have not been defeated by this increasing violence.

‘We rise to show we are determined to create a new kind of consciousness – one where violence will be resisted until it is unthinkable.

‘Since 1998, the V-Day movement has raised over US$100 million.

‘V-Day activists donate 100 per cent of their proceeds to groups in their community who are doing anti-violence work at rape crisis centres and domestic violence shelters; groups

working with incarcerated and formerly incarcerated women; with refugee women and with women affected by climate catastrophe’.

For more information, visit www.onebillionrising. org and www.vday.org.

Fundraisers

Meanwhile, the Vagina Conversations fundraiser, supporting Byron and Tweed Shire women escaping intimate partner and family violence, will be held at the Byron Theatre (February 14, 15) and Murwillumbah’s Regent Theatre (February 16).

Virago says Vagina Conversations ‘is a more contemporary evolution of the

Vagina Monologues, bringing a courageous fresh local flavour to our community’.

‘After sold out performances seven years running, this informal, diverse collective of some of Byron Shire’s powerful, creative women and non-binary people with vaginas, are presenting their pieces, some are personal or professional or political stories which inspire and educate, they empower and support.

‘It’s funny, sad, courageous, challenging and celebratory’.

She adds, ‘Approximately 100 women were murdered in the last 12 months by their intimate partners’.

Mullum’s iconic Love sign on Argyle Street needs some, um, love. The Paddock Project’s much loved plywood sign went underwater during last year’s flood, and is falling apart. With a view to creating a more substantial, longer living Love sculpture, the paddock is planning a little fundraising; and so Love Fest is planned for February 11, just before Valentines Day. They plan to have flower picking, photography with the sign, food, music and, lots of love. Jeff ‘Lovers’ Dawson

Young tradie loses tools, car to theft

A GoFundMe to help a young Mullum carpenter apprentice get back on his feet after his car and tools were stolen has so far raised $1,395.

Fund organiser and dad, Craig Saunders, said Tasman’s uninsured Nissan Patrol was stolen from the front of their house at the

start of the year. He says, ‘Inside the car were all the tools that Taz needs to start his carpentry apprenticeship at the end of January 2023’. Craig adds that Taz has borrowed a car for work. For more info, visit www.gofundme.com/f/helpreplace-tazs-stolen-tools.

Jacqui Boyett with partner Luke McDermott and Global Ripple staff. Photo Jeff Dawson

News from across the North Coast online www.echo.net.au

Environment law fails to protect threatened species

A University of Queensland finding says that the federal environmental laws are failing to mitigate against Australia’s extinction crisis.

Tweed Council celebrates citizens new and old

Tweed Shire Council celebrated members of the community, old and new, with an award ceremony.

The Citizen of the Year Award went to refugee advocate Joan Henderson of Urliup.

Big cheque for WardellCORE

Wardell’s Community Organised Resilience Effort was awarded $10,000 by Southern Cross Credit Union to start a community garden program.

Police find body of missing Elanora woman

Detectives attached to taskforce Victor Arum investigating the disappearance of 61-year-old Elanora woman, Wendy Sleeman, have recovered a body and vehicle at Wilston in Brisbane’s inner north last Friday.

Interested in starting a business along the Tweed rail trail?

People interested in starting a business along the Tweed section of the Northern Rivers Rail Trail can now register their interest in joining the Rail Trail Partner Program.

Sydney Dance Company in Lismore teaching young dancers

The prestigious Sydney Dance Company joined forces with NORPA last week to mentor young dancers from the Northern Rivers in a weeklong dance intensive held at Southern Cross University in Lismore

Man dies in highway crash at Chinderah

Just before 12.30am Tuesday, 24 January, emergency services were called to the northbound lanes of the Pacific Highway, at Chinderah, following reports of a two-vehicle crash.

Agricultural advocacy comes to north coast

Aslan Shand

NSW Farmers have a new branch for their organisation, and it is based here on the north coast ‘heralding a new era for agriculture in Byron Shire and the Tweed Valley’.

More than 30 local cattle, sugarcane and horticultural producers recently attended the branch’s first meeting in Murwillumbah.

‘We are really looking forward to getting this group together,’ Burringbar farmer and Chair of the NSW Farmers Far North Coast Branch, Craig Huf, told The Echo

Engagement

‘Having a local branch of the state’s peak agricultural advocacy body would improve engagement with policy makers from all levels of government, and deal with rural land issues stemming from poor policy developed without adequate input from landholders’.

‘NSW Farmers has a great track record of farmer advocacy, and it’s very comforting

to be part of an organisation that is covering you while you are head down in the paddock at work each day,’ Mr Huf said.

‘While everyone relies on farmers for their food, all too often we see decisions made that make it harder to produce that food and that erode the sustainability and resilience of agriculture and food production in the region’.

‘People need to be aware that more and more imposts on Australian farmers makes them less competitive; and

Duck Creek Mountain Bike Park reopens

David Lowe

Just off the road between Alstonville and Ballina, the spectacular Duck Creek Mountain Bike Park has reopened, bigger and better, after an injection of funding and lots of hard work from dedicated volunteers.

The rebuilt tracks were getting a steady stream of enthusiastic two-wheeled visitors when The Echo visited recently. The park is managed by Northern Rivers Dirty Wheels Mountain Bike Club Inc. Pete Sugden is the club’s president.

Mr Sugden said NRDWMBC was founded eleven years ago, before there were any local mountain bike trails, to give people a place in the Northern Rivers to ride. Now the club manages both the MTB park at Duck Creek and the trails at New Italy.

He said Duck Creek has been in development for several years, and is on land owned by Ballina Shire Council, along with the disused quarry next door, currently the subject of feasibility and environmental studies to see if it could be added to the Mountain

Bike Park. Mr Sugden said the existing Duck Creek site covers 18 hectares, with 9.5 kilometres of trails, including ‘probably’ about thirteen descending trails.

‘We’re always looking to build more, and we’re trying to fit more in on the current site, to make the most of the available land,’ he said.

It’s an exciting time for the club, with growth in members and support from different levels of government. ‘Last year we received $50,000 from Ballina Council,’ said Mr Sugden. ‘That’s helped us to repair the trails after the storms. We’ve also got another $50,000 as a club, and a lot of that’s going to be spent in New Italy.’

He said the money would also be used to replace undermined bridges at Duck Creek, as well as building new railings and other improvements.

Most recently the Northern Rivers Dirty Wheels Mountain Bike Club received $122,000 of additional funding for business and strategy development, announced by Ballina MP, Tamara Smith.

For more info visit www. nrdw.com.au.

from being sued by trespassers who injured themselves, was proof that membership was worthwhile.

‘That catchcry of “Stronger Together” couldn’t be more true – we’ve seen how important it is to stick together over the past year or two,’ Mr Huf said.

Planning challenges

that ultimately means more imported overseas product on supermarket shelves.

‘We’re keen to tackle those issues. We want to really improve genuine consultation and communication and stop the continued erosion of our ability to be productive farmers.’

Mr Huf said the work done by NSW Farmers to secure more support for floodaffected farmers and communities last year, and the work to protect landholders

‘The Far North Coast increasingly has land planning challenges for rural landowners, with the massive bushfire mitigation, safety and weed control headaches arising from the rezoning of rural land into “E Zones”.

‘Our farming area is unique since we have a high density of lifestyle owners, which is great for our rural villages, schools and communities.

‘Farming alongside lifestyle residents sometimes presents unique challenges, and we need to improve communication and upfront information so rural residents can better understand the seasonal timing and weather demands

of running a farm.’

The new branch identified seven key areas of focus for the next 12 months, and Mr Huf said he would love to see more people get involved to deliver what the region needs.

‘I think rural landowners and farmers should have a louder voice in the management of weeds, like camphor laurel, which poses a risk not just to farmers but towns as well as it’s flammable.

‘We are actually advocating for policy to support commercialising the harvesting of camphor laurel.

‘If we allow it to be removed more easily by commercial operators, we’ll create economic activity, reduce the burden of management on farmers, and reduce the risk to residents – that’s what I call a win-win-win!’.

For more information on the NSW Farmers Far North Coast Branch email farnorthcoastNSWF@gmail.com or register at NSW Farmers. The first branch meeting will be held February 7.

Dr Philip Nitschke to visit Lismore

Founder and director of the pro-euthanasia group, Exit International, Dr Philip Nitschke, will hold a free public meeting on NSW’s new Voluntary Assisted Dying Act at the Lismore Workers Club on Saturday from 11.30am.

The meeting will be followed by a closed workshop for Exit Members.

Nitschke says the purpose of the meetings is to explain how elderly people can ensure they have end-of-life options, when they fall through the cracks of NSW’s new voluntary assisted dying (VAD) laws.

‘Exit is approached every week by people who tell us that they are surprised and frustrated when they find out that they will need to be terminally ill with less than six months to live, to get a good death under the new law’, he said.

‘Most people think that Australia’s various VAD laws will provide dignified choice for the elderly at the end of life, but this is not the case’.

Nitschke says you need to be almost dead to use the new law. ‘This means that most older people are excluded.’

Nitschke says, in the past, he has pleaded with both the WA premier and the Qld Law Reform Commission to look to the Swiss model, ‘instead of blindly following the restrictive medical model of Victoria, where more people are excluded than helped by their VAD law’.

‘Instead, NSW has passed the same tired law, which leaves the vast majority of the elderly feeling discriminated against and let down. We can and should do better.’

Nitschke says that in Switzerland where assisted suicide is very carefully regulated, there are only two safeguards. Neither safeguard requires a person to be terminally ill, which is ‘much more equitable’.

Swiss laws states that assisting someone to die is legal so long as: the person is of sound mind – they have mental capacity and they do the action that brings about their death themselves.

‘This the fairest and safest approach that a country can take to regulating assisted dying, by far.’

In 1996, Dr Philip Nitschke became the first doctor in the world to administer a legal, lethal, voluntary injection under Australia’s Rights of the Terminally Ill Act in the Northern Territory.

Law overturned

Four of his patients used this law before it was overturned by a conscience vote in the Federal Parliament of Australia.

Since 2015, Dr Nitschke has lived in the Netherlands.

Of the Dutch situation he says that after 20 years of voluntary euthanasia legislation, the debate has shifted from a focus on terminally ill people to whether all over-75s should be issued lethal drugs as their fundamental human right.

This, says Nitschke, is the ‘best common sense approach to regulating the community’s right – and especially the elderly’s right – to a good death’.

Burringbar farmer, and Chair of the NSW Farmers Far North Coast Branch, Craig Huf. Photo supplied

Dr Philip Nitschke. Photo en.wikipedia.org

Paul Bibby

The new head of the Byron Community College (BCC), Chantal Abouchar, has been awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for her contributions to business and the media.

In a coup for the college as Term One gets underway, Ms Abouchar was recognised in this year’s Honours List just three months after taking the helm at the BCC.

‘I’m honoured and excited to be part of the college and the vibrant creative Northern Rivers community,’ Ms Abouchar said.

‘BCC is a much-loved and valued organisation in the Byron Shire and beyond.’

Ms Abouchar was given the OAM for the significant contribution to the Australian and global community she has made during her extended career.

Beginning her career at ABC Television in Sydney, she worked as a cinematographer, producer and director specialising in factual and documentary programs.

In 1997, she received a

Walkley Award for a story about East Timor and its resistance to Indonesian occupation.

Featured on ABC’s Foreign Correspondent program and screened internationally, it detailed the East Timorese fight for independence.

Other work included Dying to Leave, a Logie- and Walkleywinning documentary series which explored global stories of people smuggling and human trafficking.

Later, Ms Abouchar began

helping people on their entrepreneurial journey, founding The Studio, a not-for-profit organisation that became a leading creative business and technology incubator, providing community and networking for entrepreneurs and industry professionals.

A regular visitor to the Shire for 40 years, Ms Abouchar said the

opportunity to work and live in the community was too good to miss.

‘My vision for the college is for it to continue to deliver world class education and evolve to meet the needs of the community,’ she said.

‘We have some exciting projects underway or in the idea stage, including a demonstration garden and arts and cultural initiatives.’ For more information on the college visit www. byroncollege.org.au.

to a conciliation conference

Paul Bibby

A group of Suffolk Park residents will this week have the chance to address the Land & Environment Court about the controversial mixed-use development proposed for the town’s main street.

Sydney-based developer, Denwol Suffolk Park Pty Ltd, is proposing to build 23 residential units, along with retail and hospitality premises, on a property at 9-15 Clifford Street.

A significant number of Suffolk Park locals opposed the development and Byron Council agreed, refusing the proposal outright on 17 separate grounds, including that it was in breach of multiple planning rules, and not consistent with the village’s character.

Rather than submitting a revised application, the developer appealed the refusal decision in the Land & Environment Court.

This Friday, a compulsory conciliation conference will be held at the site of the

proposed development at 9.30am.

While the general public is not permitted to attend the conference, around six of the 80-plus locals who made submissions on the project will have the opportunity to express their concerns to Commissioner Tim Horton.

Lynne Richardson, a member of the Suffolk Park Progress Association (SPPA), said the community would vigorously support the Council’s refusal of the development at the conciliation conference.

She expressed great concern with the manner in

which developers such as Denwol Suffolk ‘proceed to subvert community consultation, collaboration, and input through their elected representatives by appealing directly to the LEC’.

‘The appeal to the LEC was not unexpected,’ Ms Richardson said.

‘Nevertheless, it constitutes poor faith with claims by this particular developer to have gone ‘above and beyond’ with requirements regarding community consultation, and then to disregard that community’s expressed

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concerns and fears.’

‘Residents in Suffolk Park have spoken. The village does not want Denwol’s huge development putting public safety, amenity, and ecological communities such as the koala and glossy black cockatoo at considerable risk.

‘Nor does it want very high ecological value vegetation destroyed, or community reserve land transferred and managed by private interests.

Conciliation

‘It is hoped that the outcome of the conciliation conference will lead to more authentic and respectful engagement with the community as a more appropriate DA is designed – one that is consistent with regulations and community sentiment. The SPPA looks forward to that.’

SPPA and other key stakeholders such as representatives from Friends of the Koala and Landcare will be present as observers at the site during the hearing.

Khentrul Rinpoche returns to Byron Shire!

Renowned scholar and teacher of Tibetan Buddhism, Khentrul Rinpoche, will give a public talk on The Power of the Mind

Thursday February 23, 6 – 7:30pm.

Byron Theatre, 69 Jonson Street, Byron Bay

Includes signing of Rinpoche’s new book with The Book Room at Byron.

Tickets $4.50 Book online at Byroncentre.com.au

All proceeds to Byron Community Support.

WEEKEND TEACHING:

Taming the Wild Horse of the Mind

Saturday and Sunday 25 and 26 February 10am–noon, 2–5pm, both days. Free Admission Marvell Hall, 37 Marvell St, Byron Bay

A continuation and conclusion of teachings delivered in 2019. All welcome, no prior attendance necessary. This will be Rinpoche’s final discourse here on this topic. Limited space, pre-register online: katog.org/product/tamingthe-wild-horse-of-the-mind/

Questions: email juliabevins@hotmail.com.

A large Suffolk Park DA is before the L&E court after being rejected by Council. Photo from DA documents

Byron College director, Chantal Abouchar AOM, with permaculture tutor, Lauren O’Reilly, and horticulture student, Stephanie Nedosyko. Photo Jeff ‘Honourhorriffics’ Dawson

Food prices are up, and so is…

The Byron Shire Echo Volume 37 #34 • February 1, 2023

It’s not the fossils, it’s the fools

Humans have been muddling along in cities for around twelve thousand years, says Wikipedia, although if you count using an alphabet of some kind as the criterion of civilisation, the time span drops to a mere fifty centuries.

Still, long enough for the swirl of politics, religion, economics, art, philosophy, science and sheer accident to shake us all up in the cosmic blender, with no sign of purpose or design.

But fifty years ago a new ingredient appeared in the historical flux.

Nobody in the previous fifty centuries had been able to predict the future, owing to the vast and chaotic variables involved. However, if one variable were to grow dominant and overpower all other possibilities, the shape of the future might indeed be discerned.

That variable is the manifest damage we are doing to the planet. All the rest of our activities, our achievements, hopes and plans, life itself, are as nothing compared to the apparently irresistible current sweeping us into an ever-narrowing channel, which even the blindest oracle can predict will end in destruction.

Until we became numerous enough and powerful enough to foul the sky and poison the sea, the damage humans did, however disastrous, was insignificant on a planetary scale.

The Romans extended the Sahara Desert by over-farming North Africa.

Americans exterminated the buffalo and the passenger pigeon and made a dustbowl of the prairies. The Soviets destroyed the Aral Sea with intensive irrigation and industrial pollution, and thousands of other local environmental tragedies have played out in history, through greed or necessity, and usually through ignorance.

The difference now is that we are not ignorant, and the damage is no longer local. The danger of ecological systems collapsing worldwide has been known to scientists and politicians for fifty years.

It has also been known for fifty years to

the owners of oil, gas and coal industries.

Today, everyone knows the principal reason for this potential collapse is the Greenhouse Effect – the heating of the atmosphere and the oceans through burning fossil fuels.

What changed human affairs a few decades ago was not the onset of the Greenhouse Effect.

What changed was not even the power to destroy the world; that power has existed since atomic weapons were invented. Fortunately, nobody’s pockets would be lined by their use, so they have remained an unexecuted threat.

What changed was that a tiny number of people decided that increasing their own wealth was more important than the survival of humans and other species on this planet.

Admittedly, nobody else in history has ever been presented with this choice.

Even the most brutal Mongol or Conquistador did not think that their invasions would destroy the world.

But the creatures who own and run the fossil fuel companies made the decision to fight science, humanity and common decency just so that they could profit from extracting every last barrel of oil and tonne of coal from the earth before it burns away.

Because it just looks like business as usual, the essential evil of these people is disguised, although their crimes against humanity are many times greater than those of Hitler, Stalin or Pol Pot.

While they count their, largely untaxed, profits they encourage governments to enact ever more punitive laws against protest and dissent, and in the meantime they build bunkers and buy islands to escape to when society breaks down.

Dante imagined levels of Inferno for treachery, fraud and violence, and he placed Satan, frozen, in the centre of Hell. But imagination fails to conjure a suitable fate for those who consciously choose to destroy the Earth rather than give up one cent of pocket change.

David Lovejoy, Echo co-founder

Iwas shocked to see the cost of local bread I buy in Mullumbimby had risen 40 per cent. That particular loaf is becoming a luxury item.

‘Give us this day our daily bread’ – but at what price? There was no wheat in the bread, so the steep rise probably wasn’t caused by the ongoing war in Ukraine.

The price of vegan dumplings we sometimes buy had also risen by over 30 per cent.

I asked the woman at the checkout, ‘How do people manage?’. She then proceeded to tell me how bad things were in New Zealand where she had family. She said stealing is up, as people simply couldn’t afford the high prices.

I’ve asked a few people how they are managing with the hike in food prices.

They are being more careful about what they buy and they’re eating less. They’re buying cheaper cuts, if they’re meat eaters, and basically having to cut their coat according to their cloth, as the old saying goes.

Those of us lucky enough to have acquired a piece of land when prices were really cheap are able to grow more of our own food. I planted hundreds of Davidson’s plum trees years ago, and now they are beginning to fruit abundantly. I’ve made loads of jam and given away thousands of seeds for people to grow their own. They’re local, and endangered in the wild. They take up very little room in a garden. Every time we eat a pineapple, we plant the top and a new pineapple grows like magic.

They love the local growing conditions. Apparently, three hundred years ago, pineapples were so rare and prized in England they cost the price of a townhouse. Next time you see a pineapple, imagine it’s worth a million dollars. Luxuriate with every bite! Better still, plant it and grow your own.

So many food plants can be grown successfully in quite small spaces, even in containers.

‘Nearly two-thirds of all global wealth produced last year went to the one per cent, the other third

Richard Jones

Our farmers’ markets are a good source of fresh, clean, local produce – and without all that throwaway plastic packaging.

Some people seem to forget they pay hard-earned money for single-use packaging.

It’s not just food costs, of course. Rents are quite ridiculous, a probem exacerbated in our community by so many properties being bought as holiday lets. It’s quite iniquitous as these residential units and houses were never built as commercial properties. They were built for families to live in them full time.

Understandably, people are quite disturbed when the place next door in a quiet residential street suddenly becomes a holiday house with short-term rentals and raucous parties. It can wreck the amenity of the whole street. It really is so wrong this has been allowed to happen.

Governments are reluctant to interfere in the so-called ‘marketplace’. Both Liberal and Labor are still in thrall to neoliberal economic policies, introduced by Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan.

It has produced the ugliest form of capitalism possible.

Nearly two-thirds of all global wealth produced last year went to the one per cent, the other third went to the 99 per cent. Surely, this is the stuff of revolutions. Why do the 99 per cent allow this ridiculous level of inequity and inequality? Why do people accept that it is okay for Gina Rinehart, for example, one person, to make $40 billion out of resources owned by all Australians? She hasn’t invented anything, she doesn’t make things. She just pays people to dig up minerals and export them.

Billionaires who flew in their

private jets to the recent World Economic Forum (WEF) at Davos asked to be taxed more. Well, yes, that’s obviously necessary, but will it actually happen?

We’ve heard nothing from the Albanese government yet about raising taxes for the super wealthy. Corporations still hold sway over the federal government. We’ve seen no evidence of that changing.

One significant environmental test is coming up for the Albanese government.

Dr Bob Brown detailed it at the launch of Tamara Smith’s campaign to retain her seat of Ballina in the upcoming NSW election.

The magnificent Tarkine wilderness, clearly of World Heritage status and home to endangered species, such as the Masked Owl, is under threat from the Chinese governmentowned MMG mine. They want to clear ancient forest and site a poisonous tailings dam in it!

Will Environment Minister, Tanya Plibersek, favour the corporation over endangered species?

Will the coming state election change anything, or will we be swapping one set of conservatives for another? With a bit of luck, Independents, Greens and the Animal Justice Party (AJP) will hold the balance of power in both houses of parliament.

Then, we might just wrestle control of the agenda from corporations and start getting far better action on inequality, community housing and the environment. We won’t have a genuine democracy until the people have real power and priority over big business.

Richard Jones is a former NSW MLC, and is now a ceramicist.

The Voice

I’ve been ruminating and researching on how best to support a ‘Yes’ response on the Voice referendum. I always come back to principles… devoid of details.

To me the overarching principles are:

What do Indigenous folk need to give them hope and a pathway to better lives?

How can Australia as a nation best acknowledge and begin to correct the injustices that flowed from the false assumption of British sovereignty in 1788?

If successive governments have failed to close the gap effectively isn’t it time for a different approach?

Should a Constitution be able to ‘move with the times’, as far as practicable, and leave it to the governments of the day to adapt to changing circumstances?

If you agree with these principles then your choice is obvious.

Frank Lynch Wilsons Creek

Read Storylines – the Voice, it’s time p11.

Dear Byron Shire Council

Why, oh why, did you not add a traffic calming device when you recently sealed Clay Rd, Mullumbimby?

This was a beautiful, quiet lane, that many people, including children, enjoyed walking and riding their bikes on. It will now be a street that people drive fast along.

Council, please use common sense when you upgrade roads. Road safety is a concern that Tallowood community members all agree on – help us out by not making it easier to speed.

Marissa Treichel Tallowood

Not sure what Cr Swivel is doing. But while he appears to be providing support for both sides of the community/business coin, his support for either of just those options does constrain the process to a limited coin toss of either 90 or 180 days, when the State Government Planning Panel

has the authority to shut down the game entirely (the EP&A Act gives the State Government Planning Panel the authority to ‘request the minister to determine that the matter not proceed’, i.e. the panel can recommend that the entire short-term rental legislation be revoked and that tourist accommodation planning be handed back to councils). Is his intent to give the impression that he publicly supports restrictions, but at least, at the very worst, designed to get something for the shortterm rental industry, to position himself for the next 2024 Council elections?

I note that Swivel’s Habitat Estate office is around the corner from the Habitat Estate office of A Perfect Stay holiday letting agency (who are also closely aligned with the holiday letting peak agency body Australian Short Term Rental Association). Councillors are cautioned on privately meeting with ‘developers’, [but Swivels’

Letters to the Editor and cartoons

As the sun rose on Booningbah (Fingal Head) on Australia Day morning, the Koori flag was raised on the geological wonder known as The Giant’s Causeway.

The formation is known as ‘columnar basalt’ and is the remains of an ancient lava flow created some 23 million years ago. At low tide, these hexagon-shaped columns are accessible and the Bunjalung people call it the Booning (echidna) which some say was chased into the ocean.

letter to the minister supporting STRA was attached to A Perfect Stay’s CEO’s letter to the minister]. Politics is an interesting beast – when on Council I sent one email to two ‘warring’ parties (Council’s GM and a community group) stating ‘it was unfortunate intransigence was in the way of a resolution’, I received back agreement and a thank you from each party. But the very core of our political system is knowing what politicians stand for, and Cr Swivel’s (and Cr Hunter’s) present positions on short-term holiday letting do not supply that.

John Lazarus Byron Bay

Swivel by name, drivel by nature

The lack of authenticity of Byron Councillor, Mark Swivel, does not come as a surprise from this side of the fence. A well-to-do lawyer from Sydney, spruiking

Ron Huban Suffolk Park

Fingal Head. Photo Ron Huban

himself as some sort of counterculture legal eagle; different, enlightened, barefoot, affluent… effluent. What side of the see-saw would one assume he rides once the dots are connected?

Mark Twain proposed, ‘A good lawyer knows the law, a clever one takes the judge to lunch’. What about the inverse? Have any secret meetings taken place? What does Swivel gain from the position he is taking? Is he an acolyte or a henchman? The former acts out of faith, the latter for reward.

Twain part two: ‘The law is a system that protects everybody who can afford to hire a good lawyer’. Low-income earners, people between homes, the terminally homeless; all living between the hammer and the nail of increasingly greedy landlords and uberrich investors. One side can afford the law, the other cannot.

The image Swivel has cultivated has been shot down. The truth is out; he is actively making moves against the people!

Paul James Hall

Byron Bay

Community advocacy

I am a small business owner of Byron Central Apartments. Tamara Smith MP has recently supported us on two separate occasions advocating effectively with positive outcomes.

The first was in changing legislation surrounding licensing for on-site property managers, which would have legislated our small industry out of existence.

The second related to the state government relocating all our flood-impacted residents to South Ballina and Evans Head; moving them away from their jobs and their kids from their schools. Tamara was an essential player in both of these scenarios. She was able to reflect the human impact to decision-makers, who listened. I wholeheartedly thank Tamara and her team for their support and advocacy in our community.

Scott Wanchap

Byron Central Apartments

The end of the line?

I live in a valley that was ravaged by flood last year. Telegraph poles were swept out of the ground by landslides and many poles close to the creek were left leaning

precariously and sprouting lichens, looking like a scene from a doomsday movie.

Most of my neighbours are passionately opposed to 5G and managed to stop a 5G tower being constructed near the entrance to our valley. That left us with a tenuous copper wire for all telecommunications, which got flooded in the deluge, went dead for six weeks and came back burbling and clicking when water got into the system.

We suffered very compromised telecommunications. We had a download speed of just 1.4MB per second, our TV was forever buffering and many downloads just wouldn’t happen.

I met our Telstra lineman who gets called in to manage repairs in our valley. He remembers the good old days of Telecom as a publicly-owned company when people had jobs for life and it felt good to be part of a vibrant organisation. Then, Telecom went private and renamed themselves Telstra.

The very name sends shivers down my spine. Millions of mum and dad investors lost a fortune when their Telstra share price plummeted.

And don’t you just love those wasted days sitting

on a phone listening to Telstra’s dreadful recorded music while waiting for an overwhelmed operator in south Asia to deal with impossible issues? The lineman said Telstra don’t bother maintaining anymore and only repair things when they break.

So we switched to Starlink. A little antenna the size of a breadboard sits on my roof facing the southern sky, where an endless stream of Elon Musk’s low-altitude satellites wizz by just 500 kilometres overhead. My download speed is ten times faster and the upload speed a hundred times faster.

It’s pure magic! Starlink are launching 44,000 satellites over the coming years from those ingenious SpaceX rockets that re-land after deploying 84 satellites each, looking like a pearl necklace across the night sky. Such clever primates.

So I realised why Telstra are not bothering to maintain their poles and wires. They are seeing out the dying days of their business model. It won’t be long before other companies copy Space-X and Starlink and launch their own constellations of satellites. Telstra’s Sky Muster

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Storylines – the Voice, it’s time

Thomas Mayor in Brunswick Heads in 2018 promoting the Uluru Statement from fhe Heart.

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For generations First Nations people have consistently and persistently pointed to self-determination as being essential in making meaningful difference in the lives of our people. If the Voice referendum is successful it will improve the lives of First Nations people in Australia permanently through enshrined and empowered self-determination.

In 2017 The Referendum Council (federal government) held the National First Nations Constitutional Convention at Uluru to ratify the decision-making processes. The convention delegates drafted, and overwhelmingly endorsed, the Uluru Statement from the Heart. It called for a constitutionally enshrined First Nations Voice to parliament, and a Makarrata commission for a process of treaty-making and truth-telling.

Following the Uluru Statement of the Heart, the Joint Select Committee on Constitutional Recognition reported to federal parliament in 2018 on a referendum for constitutional recognition. The First Nations Voice is aimed at empowering First Nations peoples to participate in drafting the policies and laws that affect them. The intention behind this initial report was to transform the relationship between First Nations peoples and the Australian government and improve the poor socioeconomic outcomes experienced by many First Nations people. A federal referendum is required to change the Constitution and it is essential that the First Nations Voice to parliament is enshrined in the Constitution, so it is not subject to the politics of the day. This means that no government can remove the Voice to parliament without another referendum.

The Albanese government has committed to a referendum in the second half

of 2023 to ask Australians:

‘Do you support an alteration to the Constitution that establishes an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice?’. This outcome is the result of decades of tireless engagement and commitment by First Nations people working to change the system to improve the systemic processes of government decision making about First Nations peoples.

Constitutional recognition through a Voice to parliament will enable First Nations people to provide advice to the parliament on policies and projects that impact our lives. Over many years government policies, programs and services have failed to produce the objectives stated in the 2007 Closing the Gap COAG strategy. The Voice to parliament will create a systematic process and a structural change to allow for First Nations people to participate in policy making that affects us. When First Nations voices have agency in informing decisions that impact our communities, families, and lives we will see policy that is made by First Nations people, not for us; true self-determination.

The referendum for constitutional change represents hope for a future where First Nations people can influence decisions made about and for us; it represents a foundation for a future with better outcomes for all Australians.

Debunk the myths

There are many myths circulating aimed at creating fear and misunderstanding. From the Heart is an organisation that has been providing information about the Voice referendum to support Australians to make an informed decision.

For more information see: www.fromtheheart. com.au/what-is-a-voice-toparliament/.

Currently the concept of the Voice referendum is enjoying support from both sides of politics, though the

points of conflict and confusion around the referendum are on the details of what the Voice is and how it would work. The Indigenous Voice Co-design Process Final Report was presented to parliament in 2021. Led by Marcia Langton and Tom Calma and commissioned by the former Morrison government, it contained 280 pages of detail about how the Voice could operate. The Report outlines an Indigenous Voice made up of two parts that work together; Local and Regional Voices, and a National Voice. It recommended a body of 24 members, with two people from each state, territory and the Torres Strait, and a further five members from remote areas of the NT, WA, Queensland, WA and SA as well as a Torres Strait Islander living on the mainland. To date, the Report has not been formally adopted by parliament.

For many First Nations people the Voice to parliament is a welcome advancement of our rights. While for many, Treaty and Truth-telling remain critical for the realisation of justice for First Nations people. In Victoria, treaty is in process; the Treaty Act and Framework outline the pathway to local and state-based treaties for the state. The Yoorrook Commission is a royal commission that is overseeing the process of truth-telling in Victoria and will inform the treaty process. Momentum is also building for treaty negotiations in Victoria, Queensland, the ACT and the NT, where government is supportive of the process.

The Uluru Statement from the Heart was the largest consensus of First Nations people speaking as one for the future of First Nations peoples. The referendum for constitutional change, the establishment of the Voice, was one of three elements of this consensus. Truth-telling remains essential for healing, empathy and understanding and Treaty is critical for justice, so we can walk into our future in peace. It’s time!

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▶ Continued from page 10

uses a very crowded satellite in geostationary orbit 35,000 kilometres away. But because of the distance, there is a problem called ‘latency’, which is an annoying delay in conversations, caused by the time it takes for a signal to travel so far out and back in from space. So the future is with these low-altitude satellite constellations. It’s going to get mighty crowded up there.

We homo sapiens may not burn for long – but by gosh we’re going to burn bright!

Michael Balson Upper Wilsons Creek

Temporary pods

The very long wait for temporary pods to house those affected by the unprecedented floods has finally been all but completed.

A very controversial decision was made to not use the Mullumbimby hospital site, said to be contaminated by… well, who knows? If asbestos, then, as I understand the rules, approximately six inches of topsoil could be excavated off and ‘voila!’ –right to build on.

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sporting grounds at the front not previously experienced? At least they are not affecting any pre-exsisting homes.

These pods are well positioned with numerous parking spaces, and seriously looking like they have been designed with consideration for those who will be living there. Well done for that site.

Why, oh why is not the state government funding pods with off-street parking as is the case with the sporting field pods?

Annie Radermacher Brunswick Heads

Capitalism

Warren Kennedy wrote an excellent letter last week (28 January) pointing out the deficiencies of capitalism as it exists today in the US and Australia, as well as elsewhere.

He correctly points out that shareholders are benefitting to the exclusion of the other stakeholders.

It should be added that today’s crony corporatism also destroys free markets, which are empirically the source of wealth creation.

Sadly the Prince Street site was allowed to go ahead, and with no promise of making good for those homes that are now at higher risk of flooding than previously owing to the landfill. I must say that this is very inconsiderate for those homeowners. Is there any other way of saying ‘what the…’? Oh dear.

On a positive note the temporary pods placed on the sportsfield in Brunswick Heads are a different look again; still with a question of infilling – and could it cause flooding on the lower

Adam Smith, author of The Wealth of Nations, the philosophical basis of capitalism, emphasised that unfettered, unregulated capitalism would lead to its own destruction. Governments should be regulating, not promoting the big corporations..

Ephraim Sella Byron Bay

I totally agree with Warren’s comments on our system of free-market capitalism in Australia, (28 January). This is despite our corporate governance regulations and our watchdog, ASIC. We have seen a shift from ethical corporate behaviour and healthy competition that benefitted the customer, to the benefit of shareholders, board members and executives.

As well as major corporations’ tax avoidance, globalisation has facilitated corporations shifting their factories offshore for cheaper labour, and undermining the wages of our own workers.

The Royal Commission of 2017 exposed widespread misconduct in banking, retail superannuation and financial services, yet a significant portion of Hayne’s recommendations remain unresolved. Few CEOs or board members were held accountable and the fines appeared inadequate given their corporations’ profits.

Other signs of poor corporate behaviour are

evident in continuing excessive CEO pay packages, the prevalence of wage theft, cyber security lapses in protecting customers’ details, lack of compensation for corporate oversights and environmental violations. Last year Rio Tinto destroyed sacred rock shelters and Santos was recently allowed to drill 850 gas wells in native forests.

Malpractices and scandals within the gambling industry are escalating with social consequences. They involve major casino companies and overseas online gambling entities advertising at our major sporting events.

There seems to be a lack of government will to overcome these corporate impacts. I still see democracy as the only way to overcome our rising inequalities. Northern European democracies seem far more successful in this than that of the USA.

Sue McLeod Myocum

Land values rise

Your cover story on 25 January claims that land valuation rises could herald increases in Council rates. This is potentially misleading. A council’s total rate revenue is capped by the state government. The rates paid by an individual property are calculated by a formula using the property’s valuation. If that property’s valuation change is just average for its shire, no change in rates will occur.

The only way Council’s total rate revenue could increase is if it successfully applies for an increase above the cap.

Richard Staples Talofa

Ed: Yes, according to Byron Shire Council’s website ‘An increase in total land valuations from the Valuer General does not increase Council’s total permissible annual rates revenue, they simply redistribute the rate burden between individual properties based on that property’s change in comparison to others…

Generally, if your property’s land valuation increased by more than the shire average you will pay proportionally more rates than last year and if its land valuation was less than the shire average you may pay less.’

Natural history

While I have not the informed authority to confirm John Bradley’s musings on the birds that seem to be

competing for living space in the reserve behind his Byron Bay home (Letters, 25 January), I can confirm from my own observations over years that there are radical changes occurring in the world of nature here.

A few years back I read a book on Australian birds which suggested that even the most apparently familiar Australian birds are threatened.

In the past decade or so I have seen a decline in species that were once familiar. It is possibly a result of habitat loss or climate change. In the case of certain migratory species there may be problems en route or on the other side of the world.

I used to see flights of bar-tailed godwits annually on Main Beach and Clarkes. I haven’t seen a single specimen for some seasons. I am sure the numbers of dogs exercised on the Belongil Beach play a role.

I am equally sure that the sheer numbers of people on the beaches discourage many waders. The tiny red-capped dotterels used to be a familiar sight, trotting like little mice on a mission by the side of the tidal pools. I haven’t seen a single specimen for ages.

The small Australian birds I would see every year at the edge of the Cumbebin swamp near my own habitation –scarlet honey eaters, golden whistlers etc? I rarely see these now.

Some years back there was an influx of Torresian crows into Brisbane (and here). I don’t dislike the birds, though they can take a toll on fledglings.

It is not only the loss of the birds, but native plants. The weeds from the Americas and Europe and South Africa seem vigorous, but the small native orchids, like ladies tresses, I would find here, the odd bearded orchid along Lawson Street, they are apparently gone. That, I’m sure, is partly due to people numbers and developments. I haven’t seen a sundew in the swamp near Belongil Creek for years either. Small things perhaps. But they are fragments of a mosaic picture that should concern us.

I may add here that I concur with Paul James Hall’s pungent description of the town as a coastal dystopia, (Letters, 25 January) very far from its vaunted image as a place where natural beauty is seen as a selling point.

As Wordsworth observed a couple of centuries ago; ‘Getting and spending we lay waste our lives.’ And not only our lives.

David Morris Byron Bay

The time to do something is now

Aslan Shand

Following the 2019-20 Black Summer fires the NSW government’s independent Natural Resources Commission’s (NRC) report advised that timber harvesting should be suspended for at least three years in extreme risk zones including Narooma, Nowra and Taree.

On Monday 30 January a mother and daughter suspended themselves from trees in Yarratt Forest north of Taree. They are attempting to stop the only high-quality koala habitat in the Taree Forest Management Area that wasn’t severely burnt in the Black Summer fires from being logged.

The NRC report, received in June 2021 by the NSW coalition state government, which recommended the burnt forests were not to be logged, was kept secret until it was leaked to the media in November 2021.

Logging madness

The two women in the trees are mother Juliet, and daughter Luca. They hope their action will focus attention on the NSW government’s negligence and lack of concern about koalas, forests, and climate change.

‘I grew up in this area in the ‘70s and both of my daughters were born here. The magic and power of these forests have deeply shaped our lives and I’m horrified to see their utter destruction as we find ourselves in this global environmental crisis. I’m here with my 24-year-old daughter Luca to call out this madness and say that we all have a human right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment,’ said Juliet Lamont, filmmaker.

Radical actions

‘There is a lot of criticism about taking direct action to protect our environment as being radical. Climbing a native tree to stop logging to bring attention to the insanity of destroying our publicly owned state native forests isn’t radical.

‘Taxpayers’ dollars that subsidise this industry at a loss of $30 million over the last two years; that’s radical. Yarratt Forest is the only forest in the lower Manning

Valley that wasn’t burnt in the 2019 fires and the NSW government’s own experts recommended there be no logging in the Taree area for three years. Instead, the Forestry Corporation went straight in and they have utterly obliterated half of it, and now started on the other half! That’s radical. Destroying endangered koala habitat is radical.

‘I think we all know in our hearts what a dire situation we are in. That if we really look at ourselves in the mirror and ask “what we are we

doing to protect our kid’s future?” then we’d all be here. And that the time to do something is now. We can do this together. With our families. With our communities. With visionary leadership in our governments. ‘Standing up to protect what’s left of this fragile Earth isn’t radical, it’s an act of love. And love entails us finding the courage deep within us. Then we can look our kids in the eyes and say, “I love you” and really mean it,’ Juliet said.

Juliet’s 24-year-old daughter Luca said that she was there with her mother to highlight the facts about the harm that forestry is causing and to call them out.

‘Even though the actual experience of getting arrested and the consequences aren’t things I am looking forward to, I feel that doing nothing is far worse than the horror we are all facing in this catastrophic climate emergency,’ she said.

‘I think we need more people to stand their ground and take action as our leaders and the people making decisions obviously have no idea and disregard the laws of nature. We all need to stand together to protect our native forests even if it means we have to sacrifice our personal comfort. Because inaction in this climate crisis will be much more uncomfortable.’

BYRON BAY’S HOME OF FITNESS BUILDING BETTER

Juliet Lamont on her ascent up the tree for the tree sit. Photo supplied

Juliet and Luca Lamont preparing to suspend themselves from trees in Yarratt Forest north of Taree. Photo supplied

Protecting biodiversity will take more than just the ‘30x30’ target

Lyuba Zarsky

Global biodiversity is in crisis. A 2019

UN report Nature’s Dangerous Decline ‘Unprecedented’; Species Extinction

Rates ‘Accelerating’ found

that ‘nature is declining globally at rates unprecedented in human history’. Some one million species are threatened with extinction. According to the report’s leading author, Robert Watson, ‘We are eroding

the very foundations of our economies, livelihoods, food security, health and quality of life worldwide’.

30x30

Governments are stepping up leadership. In December, 188 nations met in Montreal to produce the Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) which the UN Environment Program calls a ‘landmark biodiversity agreement to guide global action through to 2030’.

The GBF has 23 specific targets, the first of which is the commitment to effectively conserve and manage at least 30 per cent of the world’s land, coastal areas and oceans by the year 2030.

human activities such as mining, fishing, tree-cutting and even human habitation are prohibited or restricted.

They take a wide variety of forms, from land-based national parks to marine protected areas and ‘sustainable use’ forests and landscapes. But all have the same goal. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) defines a protected area as a ‘clearly defined geographical space… managed… [so as] to achieve the long-term conservation of nature’.

Management key

For protected areas to be effective, there must be quality as well as quantity targets.

After a long search, with the world body FIDE improbably claiming bids from countries such as Mexico and Argentina, the 2023 World Chess Championship between Ian Nepomniachtchi and Ding Liren will take place in Astana, Kazakhstan, in April. The abdication of Magnus Carlsen dramatically reduced sponsor interest in the match, added to which the presence of a Russian contender further dampened the match’s commercial prospects.

In the end FIDE found money where it always does: via a billionaire Russian oligarch.

Timur Turlov is the 35-yearold founder and CEO of Freedom Holding, a Russian finance company, which moved with Turlov and his family to Kazakhstan in 2011. In June 2022 Turlov became Kazakh,

renounced his Russian citizenship, and sold his Russian interests, though this has not prevented him from being placed on the Ukrainian sanctions list.

FIDE put the best possible spin on Turlov’s involvement, describing Freedom Holding as ‘a NASDAQlisted, US-based corporation with Kazakh roots that provides financial services’.

In the run-up to the title match Ding is taking part in the Wijk aan Zee supertournament, though producing an underwhelming performance with no chance of competing for the top placings.

Nepomniachtchi’s final tournament before the match is more intriguing: February’s WR Masters in Dusseldorf. The field in Dusseldorf is remarkably similar to that in Wijk aan Zee, including the top Indian juniors and elite players Giri, Aronian and So.

The presence of Nepomniachtchi has raised eyebrows as the German government has threatened to remove subsidies from any sport that sees its players participate alongside competitors from Russia and Belarus.

In the position, left, from Wijk aan Zee Ding, playing White against in-form local Anish Giri, launched what he thought was a nasty attack with 34.Nf6+! gxf6 35.gxf6. Ding was hoping to win Black’s queen (or checkmate) after 35... Re6 36.Qg3+! But instead came 35...Nf3+!! Since 36.Bxf3 loses to 36...Qg3 and 36.Qxf3 to 36...Re1+, Ding tried 36.Rxf3 but was forced to resign after 36...Re1+ 37.Bf1 Kh8! 0-1

Players meet at Byron Bay Services Club, Sat 2.30 and Mon 5.00

Currently, only 17 per cent of land and ten per cent of marine areas are under protection. Dubbed ‘30 x 30’, the target was enthusiastically welcomed by most environmental groups, though some angled for a target of 50 per cent as proposed by the ‘father of biodiversity’, the late biologist and author EO Wilson.

Is it enough?

But some question whether the ‘protected area’ approach is enough. In an ABC radio interview, Australian Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young asked, ‘What about the other 70 per cent?’ In addition to protected areas, she argued that restoring nature requires fundamental changes in human consumption and production.

The creation of protected areas is a leading strategy to protect nature from the ravages of industrialisation. Protected areas demarcate an area of land or water in which some or all extractive

There are thousands of protected areas, including some 18,000 in ocean waters. There is substantial evidence that well-managed protected areas preserve natural habitats and enhance biodiversity. But many are poorly managed or, in the case of ‘paper parks’, they are declared but not managed at all. In an egregious example The Guardian reported in October 2020, 71 of Britain’s 73 marine protected areas were subject to highly destructive practices, like bottom-trawling fishing and dredging.

A recent global study found ‘mixed evidence’ linking protected areas with positive biodiversity outcomes. ‘We know that protected areas can prevent habitat loss, especially in terms of stopping deforestation’, said lead author Hannah Wauchope. ‘However, we have much less understanding of how protected areas help wildlife. Our study shows that, while many protected areas are working well, many others are failing to have a positive effect’.

According to Middlebury Institute’s Jeff Langholz, there is an urgent need to standardise management goals, monitoring mechanisms and evaluation methods. Langholz, a board member of the Maryland-based nonprofit Foundations of Success, told me that the organisation is working with the IUCN’s World Commission on Protected Areas to produce a ‘Rosetta Stone’ framework that will synthesise and integrate the myriad local management frameworks used all over the world.

Exclusion of Indigenous people

Another concern about the 30x30 target is its impact on Indigenous peoples. The history of protected areas is filled with violence against Indigenous communities, including forced evictions, land-grabbing and exclusion from ancestral fishing, hunting and spiritual practice grounds. An exhaustive investigation found that 20 million people were displaced from traditional homelands in the interest of conservation in the 20th century, 14 million of them in Africa alone.

Relations between Indigenous communities and conservation groups have substantially improved in many parts of the world. Indigenous peoples have won legal protections of their land rights nationally and globally, including the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People. Conservationists have learned to value the stewardship knowledge of Indigenous peoples, who

have tenure over or manage a quarter of the earth’s land surface. As a result, joint management partnerships have blossomed.

Reflecting both this darker history and a new premise, the GBF calls for the 30x30 target to be achieved ‘while respecting the rights of Indigenous peoples and local communities’. In a postconference press release, the International Indigenous Forum on Biodiversity celebrated the ‘timely recognition’ of the ‘contributions, roles, rights and responsibilities to Mother Earth’ in the GBF and urged swift implementation. ‘We have spoken and you have heard us’, it said, ‘let us now put those words into action’.

But global human rights groups are alarmed about the lack of unequivocal protection for Indigenous land rights in the framework. ‘Without a commitment to safeguard human rights’, said Ashfaq Khalfan, the Director for Climate Justice at Oxfam America, in a press release, ‘the 30x30 target will result in… indigenous peoples and local communities being evicted from their ancestral lands’.

For the 30x30 target to work, protected areas must be well managed and monitored. If their tenure and political voice are secured, indigenous peoples could and should play a pivotal role.

Lyuba Zarsky is a professor of international environmental policy at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies in Monterey, California. A longer version of this article appeared in World Politics Review, 10 January, 2023.

CHESS by Ian Rogers

Some ‘protected areas’ are better managed than others. Photo www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/blog/2019/05/nature-decline-unprecedented-report

The Gondwana Rainforests are subtropical rainforests covering parts of north-east NSW and south-east Queensland. Photo David Lowe

Cryptic Clues

ACROSS

1. Devil sobs? Lie, fabrication – it can’t be done (10)

6. Gape over leaf (4)

8. Rural, after speaking (8)

9. Infer no ring in bungled tuition (6)

10. Study about publicity (4)

11. My French turn – crazy, but huge! (10)

12. One cry for help with church courses – and a kind of triangle (9)

14. French islands following western tricks (5)

17. A sign for a conservative party god (5)

19. Left a fire blazing – could be death! (9)

22. Explosion wrecks deals with hot nation (10)

23. Cooled instinct around a church (4)

24. Cultivated, but tangled around lines (6)

25. Right now, a genuine period (4,4)

26. Soldiers dining area an untidy place (4)

27. Red rackets exposed – a sinister concealed matter (4,6)

DOWN

1. Fair? I’m rather in favour (9)

2. Perfect Italian! (7)

3. Play the banjo with a favourite whore (8)

4. Scale often a mistake – but it helped prevent nuclear war! (7,2,6)

5. Puzzle: imagine no individual puzzle! (6)

6. Shoot the specialist individual on a line – it could happen! (9)

7. Scowl at unwelcome card (7)

13. Lustre tarnished around the viceroy – small battles result (9)

15. Pees diets away – it’s quickest! (9)

16. Socialist bosses – they call them blueys! (3,5)

18. Think popular in the picture (7)

20. Bad rice hit makes you more irritable (7)

21. Frank was able and acted (6)

STARS BY LILITH

This week’s Sun and full moon in fixed signs say ‘stubborn’, while mutable Neptune and Venus whisper, ‘Surrender...’

Have your Perfect Say

AQUARIUS THE WATERPOURER

Quick Clues

ACROSS

1. Out of the question! (10)

6. Errand boy (4)

8. Bucolic (8)

9. Comprehend instinctively (6)

10. Peruse (4)

11. Awesome (10)

12. Having two of its three sides of equal length (9)

14. Ruses (5)

17. Seventh astrological sign (5)

19. Immortality (9)

22. Formerly East Pakistan (10)

23. Refrigerated (4)

24. Ploughed (6)

25. Happening concurrently (4,4)

26. Clutter (4)

27. A skeleton in the closet! (4,6)

DOWN

1. Unbiased (9)

2. Person’s earlier life (Italian) (7)

3. Harlot (8)

4. Mutually assured destruction (7,2,6)

5. Conundrum (6)

6. Possibility (9)

7. Expression of pain (7)

13. Wrestles (9)

15. Fastest (9)

16. Rangas (3,5)

18. Visualise (7)

20. Skin condition becomes worse! (7)

21. Straightforward; open (6)

Last week’s solution N475

MANITOBACRATES IAAAEHA LAYANEGGODOURS ENGICNH SILVERANDGOLD DERGLAEF ANGRYELECTORAL VACTBA

ILLHEALTHTOOLS SOLAOELH PRECIOUSMETAL UTMMGPI SPIRESSHEEPDOG EONTRIH DONATEESCARGOT

Here in the Byron Shire our crisis is so famous it’s made international news. It’s been in the US Rolling Stone even. It’s been in documentaries. It’s been in The Guardian. It’s what we live with here – every day. We live in a community where there is nowhere to live and the whole world is watching what we do next, wondering if we will do what their super star tourist destinations did and regulate the housing market. People in places like Paris, Amsterdam, Barcelona and Miami found out that tough regulations actually aren’t bad for business after all. That’s just property market profiteering propaganda.

For too long our houses have been used as hotels. Homes all around our region that were approved as residential dwellings are being used as commercial enterprises to generate income from the short-term holiday letting market. It’s been an investors’ free-for-all with hundreds of out-of-town owners profiteering at the expense of our community. And at the expense of all those with Council-approved regulated apartments or legal holiday lets. How do they even compete? One of the main things I hear when people argue against capping short-term holiday letting is that ‘it’s bad for business.’ But I ask: ‘Whose business?’ I know of over 500 businesses who actually think a cap would be good for their business, because they’re struggling now. They’re struggling because they can’t get staff. And they can’t get staff because we don’t have housing. There is a cost for profiteering. It’s an ugly social cost. It’s homelessness. It’s single mums and their kids living in cars. It’s people paying $400p/w for a garage. It’s paramedics living with their four kids in one room. It’s living in a tent. Is that okay as the cost of an unregulated market? Are we happy to underwrite the profits made in our community with human misery? It

ARIES: Jupiter’s once-everytwelve-years journey through Aries continues supercharging your stamina and vitality. Travel, educational experiences, heightened learning curves and entrepreneurial opportunities to launch a new venture, road test big plans or take a giant leap of faith are all encouraged and supported during this transit.

TAURUS: Taureans take their lead from Venus, in fluid, flexible Pisces for most of this month, inviting you to relax. To open your arms, heart and mind to embracing change in relationships and your attitude to money. No need to stress, just take it easy and go with the flow.

GEMINI: Your planet guide Mercury in serious, sensible mode has the backing of Mars to focus on your financial future and make the necessary adjustments. With information accumulation now a universal addiction whose incessant overload of incoming beeps and unnecessary alerts depletes everyone’s energy, simplify and lighten your load this week to what matters most.

doesn’t look good on Instagram, so we just crop it out of the shot. I guess if you don’t see it, it’s not your problem? But it is. It poses a serious question around capitalism’s favourite fairytale of continuous growth. Our region shows that continuous growth is unsustainable. Can we do it better? Can we have tourism and somewhere for our community to live at the same time? Must we allow short-term holiday letting to grow like the magic beanstalk, allowing the ‘I’m alright/ not-so-very-poor’ Jacks of the world in to steal the treasures that should belong to all of us?

Can a community compromise? In the end, that’s all we are asking for. The original agreement between state government and our local Council was set to deliver just that. It was never a perfect arrangement, and contrary to a lot of propaganda about how the introduction of a 90-day cap would ‘kill business’, there are hundreds of businesses saying they don’t just support it; they believe their business would benefit from it. Businesses across our region have recognised there’s no point having a town full of tourists if you don’t have any staff. We’ve cooked our golden goose and there’s no one to serve it. Our community needs the state government to put the original deal back on the table. It was never a one-way street. It was always a compromise between those who wanted to see tough regulations and those that wanted to see none. While those with vested interests complain about the introduction of a 90-day cap, they aren’t acknowledging that in certain precincts the 180 days was expanded

CANCER: With its in-your-face feedback and rapid-fire responses, Monday’s fiery full moon could feel a bit buffeting and fraught for your sensitive selves, especially during the sensitive moon-inCancer weekend leadup. Try not to take things too personally. Let empathetic, emotional Venus be your guide.

LEO: This week’s annual Leo full moon on 6 February shines its light on a personal self-worth journey for Leos, asking what’s most important to you, and how can you best employ your majestic abilities in service to the world? This lion-hearted lunar lift rewards courage, so put yourself out there.

VIRGO: Mercury, your guiding planet, is in one of its most creative, entertaining and playful placements for Virgos till midmonth. So, while it’s easier to express your opinions and feelings, use this time to revive stalled communications, build bridges and listen to others in the way you’d like to be heard.

MANDY NOLAN’S

to 365. That’s halving allowable days in some areas and doubling it in others. That people who actually live in their home can put their spare room/s up for short-term holiday letting 365 days anywhere in the region seems pretty fair to me. Why has that not been acknowledged as a reasonable compromise? I know why. Because people with money and privilege don’t like being told what to do. Because we have a broken system that has seen people turn to the real estate market for income and that is always going to come at the expense of housing equity in the community. Holiday rentals have a human cost. I know, because I speak to people every day who are in housing stress or are homeless.

If you think of our community as a bucket, and housing is water, and short-term holiday letting is a hole in said bucket, then it’s apparent – it doesn’t matter how much water you pour into the bucket, it just won’t hold. We can’t build housing for our community if there aren’t regulations in place to keep that housing in the hands of the community. We need to plug the hole. Regulating short-term holiday letting in Byron Shire is the first step. It’s the ‘straw’ plug for our housing hole. The lobby to push against the cap is cashed up. We’re not. So we need to share our stories.

The Independent Planning Commission is conducting a local hearing in March. Please help plug the hole in our housing bucket by supporting the 90-day cap the state government offered us before their backflip. It’s not perfect, but it’s a start. Written submissions by 10 March and spoken submissions by 10 Feb. bit.ly/3DpP4Fl

LIBRA: February’s astrological algorithms foster collaboration and drawing people together around common goals, although this won’t necessarily guarantee instant accord, so be willing to agree to disagree. The current transit of Venus, your planetary leader, is about enjoying Earthly pleasures in ways that serve the greater good.

SCORPIO: No need to expend energy trying to make an older version of yourself work, because an upgrade’s already well under way. Until late March, Mars is offering an excellent head start for tweaking and rejigging loans, investments and assets to get financial plans in place for meeting this year’s ongoing economic restructuring.

SAGITTARIUS: Jupiter juicing up your zodiac zone of self-expression makes February a highly creative time for Archers. So take advantage of your ruling planet in this position, which only happens every twelfth year, to practise deleting excess clutter and noise so you’re able to avoid groupthink and enjoy making the most intelligent choices.

CAPRICORN: With Mercury in your determined sign, this week continues supporting Capricorn organisation, efficiency and productivity, unhampered by retrograde holdups and setbacks. So far, so fabulous. And while it’s your turn on the mic, what would it be really good not to do? When people push your buttons, don’t go rogue.

AQUARIUS: With no eclipses, and not a retrograde planet in sight, February rolls out a rosy, coherent scenario for your Happy Birthday Aquirkian month in the sun. Aquarius rules the human circulatory system, so remember – the worldly work of Waterpourers is to circulate information and resources where they’re needed.

PISCES: With Venus in your caring, empathetic sign, intuitive inklings and gut hunches will be spot on this month, but remember that giving isn’t true generosity if you exhaust yourself in the process. Take advantage of Mars in talkative mode to address something that needs to be said. Be diplomatic, but go there.

People in places like Paris, Amsterdam, Barcelona and Miami found out that tough regulations actually aren’t bad for business after all. That’s just property market profiteering propaganda.

Mullumbimby Giants Junior Rugby League

Celebrating 50 years of junior rugby league in the Brunswick Valley. The Giants are a family friendly club committed to fostering a love of sport and a healthy lifestyle within a fun and safe environment.

Junior League isn’t only for boys, everyone can play through to 17 years. It’s safe with the introduction of modified rules with the SafePlay Code and emphasis on player skills development through the Player Development Framework.

If you want to play for Mullum Junior Giants in 2023 head to their website for more information

www.mullumbimbygiantsjrl.com.au.

Mullumbimby Junior Rugby League

1973 to 2023 - Celebrating 50 years

Come play rugby league or league tag for the Junior Giants in 2023. We’re a family friendly club committed to fostering a love of the game and a healthy lifestyle within a fun and safe environment.

All kids 5 to 17 welcome. We offer:

• U6 Rugby League Tag.

• U7 to U16 Rugby League, including SafePlay modifications.

• U12-U17 Girls League Tag and tackle competitions.

Affordable registration fees $150 (or $50 using an Active Kids Voucher)

For more information and to register head to: www.mullumbimbygiants.com.au or contact us at Mullumbimbygiantsjrl@gmail.com

Football fan or not, chances are you will be cheering for the Matildas during the World Cup played here in Australia and NZ this year! Join their friendly community club and get in on a little bit of the football action too. Players and volunteers of all ages and abilities are welcome!

Miniroo teams 5–11 years

Training Thursdays 4–5pm at Linda Vidler Park

Seniors – training Wednesdays 6.30–8pm at The Cavanbah Centre

SPFC is also seeking a goalkeeper for Men’s 1st Div. Please contact us!

info@suffolkparkfc.com \ FB:SuffolkParkFC

SUFFOLK PARK FC

“The Phoenix”

Shores United Soccer Club

Shores United had another top year in 2022 with all mixed teams from Under-6s through to 1st Division men’s performing well. The girls’ and ladies’ teams were particularly strong, performed superbly and had a lot of fun.

Online registration opens from 1 Feb and we are optimistic for the forthcoming season–so sign up at www.shoresunited.com.au.

Teach your kids to stand on their own two hands

Spring into circus.

Term 1 classes commence 30 January. Learn silks and trapeze, tumbling and juggling, acrobatics and aerials, and so much more.

Condition your body, build resilience, increase flexibility and strengthen your core. There are classes for young kids and old kids, and classes where even adults have fun.

All ages, all levels, all abilities. At Spaghetti, it’s circus for everyone!

Don’t forget to use your Service NSW Active Kids and Creative Kids vouchers to subsidise the cost of classes. Ask us about our family and multi-class discounts.

Book online at spaghetticircus.com. For more information email info@spaghetticircus.com or phone 6684 3038.

Sing Dance Thrive Classes

These fun and educational for classes are your kids to experience the joy of singing and choreographed dancing to conscious music, to inspire and uplift. The kids will learn easy somatic vocal tips and techniques, coach their ears to hear and sing harmonies, develop rhythm and timing and build performance skills and confidence. Classes are held at KulchaJam in Byron Art and Industry Estate and are $15, invoiced per term.

Private singing tuition is (for all ages)also available on Wednesdays at Byron Music School. There are two weekly adult groups available as well.

Contact Maddy 0437 274 354 to enrol your child for Term One. Check out www.singtothrive.com to find out more about what’s on offer.

LISMORE REGIONAL GALLERY –POP-UP SPACE

After the floods in 2022, the rebuild of the Lismore Regional Gallery will be complete by early 2024. Until then, Lismore Regional Gallery will present a series of selfgenerated exhibitions and projects with local and interstate artists at a new pop-up space in the Lismore CBD.

The program starts with Flame of Power, an exhibition of new work by local Indonesian artist, Aris Prabawa. His practice is provocative, delivered with masterful skill and attention to detail through drawing, sculpture, and installation. Flame of Power demonstrates the despair of climate change, and is a call to action to fight for future generations and the natural world.

The exhibition is on display from 31 January to 25 February at Lismore Regional Gallery – pop-up space (46 Magellan Street, Lismore). Open Tuesday to Saturday, 10am–4pm and Thursdays until 6pm. lismoregallery.org

CALLING ALL PHOTOGRAPHERS!

Entries for the 2023 Olive Cotton Award for Photographic Portraiture are now open. Artists Australia wide can enter this $20,000 acquisitive award, with other prizes also on offer. Head to the Tweed Regional Gallery website for details and to enter online. gallery.tweed.nsw.gov.au

Phone: 02 6670 2790

BSA TERM ONE COURSES NOW LISTED ONLINE

BSA has a full program of Short Courses and Weekend Workshops to meet your creative needs. Available upcoming classes include mixed media painting, printmaking, photography, drawing from nature, painting with acrylics, and drawing lessons from the great masters. Classes are limited to small groups in order to maximise one-on-one time with instructors. Visit their website for more information. byronschoolofart.com

NEW CONTEMPORARY BYRON BAY ART GALLERY

Art Kind is Byron Bay's newest contemporary art gallery, located in the Byron Bay Arts and Industry Estate. We invite you to visit the current curation of abstract watercolour paintings from local artist and gallery owner, Bec Duff, alongside striking works from Sydney-based figurative painter, Lisa Brummer, and beautiful stoneware pieces from ceramic artist Mel Lumb, from Eumundi.

Gallery open hours are Tuesday to Saturday from 10am–2.30pm

Located at 3/18 Centennial Circuit, Byron Bay. Phone: 0404 946 553

www.artkind.com.au

@artkindbyronbay

Image: Ann Hutchcroft

BYRON WRITERS FESTIVAL 2023 LONG COURSES

Make 2023 the year you write your book! Byron Writers Festival's long courses are designed to support writers of all levels with structured term-based workshops, expert guidance and constructive feedback with industry professionals. They also offer a unique opportunity to meet regularly with other writers in a facilitated, supportive setting.

Courses include ‘Year of the Novel’ with Sarah Armstrong, ‘Year of the Memoir’ with Alan Close and ‘The Next Draft: Structural Editing for Writers’ with Laurel Cohn. Commencing March 2023, these popular courses fill fast so be sure to secure your spot soon via byronwritersfestival.com/whats-on.

G-ARTFX

Offering an afternoon of scrumptious food, soulful music and relaxed, therapeutic art, Giulia will gently guide you through the process of acrylic painting. G-ArtFx is all about harnessing creativity as a healing tool, reconnecting with your inner child and allowing self-expression to flow. Next pop-up event starts at Bay Grocer on 24 February. Join in! www.g-artfx.com

ART GALLERIES

ART KIND STUDIO GALLERY

New contemporary Byron Bay art gallery

Exhibiting paintings, ceramics and prints.

3/18 Centennial Circuit, Byron Bay

Open Tues–Sat: 10am–2.30pm 0404 946 553 @artkindbyronbay www.artkind.com.au

ARTIST STUDIO GALLERY

Belongil Beach

Open by appointment. 0409 604 405 www.janrae.com.au

ARTIST’S HOME GALLERY

BYRON BAY

Landscape inspired works imparting a ‘spirit of place’. Open by appointment. 6685 5317 jaypearse.com

BS’A PROJECT SPACE

112 Dalley St, Mullumbimby 0487 362 141 byronschoolofart.com/exhibitions

MZ GALLERY

57 Tennyson Street, Byron Bay 0468 718 045

Byron Bay Contemporary Artspace www.byronartspace.com.au

H’ART GALLERY

Local art in the heart of Mullumbimby

Mullumbimby Comprehensive Health Centre 60 Stuart Street, Mullumbimby 0401 647 325

HEALING ART DESIGN & NEW AGE GALLERY

Azura Kingscliff

Shop 2B, 60 Marine Parade 0408 868 793 www.healingartdesign.com.au

KARENA WYNN-MOYLAN, FINE ART

Bangalow Studio

By appt: 0414 822 196 karenawynn-moylanart.com

LISMORE REGIONAL GALLERY — POP-UP SPACE

46 Magellan Street, Lismore NSW 2480

Tuesday to Saturday, 10am to 4pm. Thursday until 6pm Phone 02 6627 4600

Email art.gallery@lismore.nsw.gov.au www.lismoregallery.org

The Arts

LONE GOAT GALLERY

28 Lawson Street, Byron Bay. Wed to Sat: 10am–4pm lonegoatgallery.com

MACKAY HARRISON GALLERIES

79 Bayview Drive, East Ballina

Welcome by appointment

Artist/Sculptor David Harrison 0412 664 284

MIST GALLERY Shop 1B-51 Tweed Coast Rd, Cabarita Beach 0419 870 305 mist.gallery.cabarita@gmail.com FB & Insta: @mistgallery

MULLUMBIMBY CLAYWORKERS GALLERY

Drill Hall Complex, 2 Jubilee Ave, Mullumbimby. Open Thurs–Sat: 10am–2pm mullumclayworkers.com

NORTHERN RIVERS COMMUNITY GALLERY

Cnr Cherry & Crane Sts, Ballina

Open Wed–Fri: 10am–4pm Sat/Sun: 9.30am–1pm 02 6681 0530 nrcgballina.com.au

PEEK GALLERY

Check website for opening hours. 7/8 Fletcher Street, Byron Bay 0488 646 464 hello@peekgallery.com @peekgallery www.peekgallery.com

STUDIO SUVIRA

CERAMICS & SCULPTURE GALLERY

Home gallery and sculpture garden. 28 Left Bank Rd, Mullumbimby. 0402 125 922 (call/sms first) suviramcdonald.com

TWEED REGIONAL GALLERY & MARGARET OLLEY ART CENTRE

Gallery hours: 10am–5pm (Wed to Sun) Cafe open: 9.30am–4.00pm 2 Mistral Rd, Murwillumbah 6670 2790 artgallery.tweed.nsw.gov.au

Sarah Armstrong Alan Close Laurel Cohn

Good Taste

BYRON BAY

Step away from the centre of town and into a shimmering oasis away from crowds.

Like tucked away treasure, the North Byron Hotel is a thriving mecca of good food, great music, laughter and the ‘chilled Byron Bay vibes’.

Eat Drink Discover

HAPPY HOUR EVERY DAY 5–6PM

No Bones Vegan Kitchen & Bar. 11 Fletcher Street 0481 148 007

Open 7 nights from 5pm

Loft Byron Bay

4 Jonson Street, Byron Bay 6680 9183

Book online: www.loftbyronbay.com.au

The Italian Byron Bay

21, 108 Jonson St, Byron Bay

Open Monday to Saturday 5.30pm to late 5633 1216 www.theitalianbyronbay.com

Legend Pizza

Serving Byron Bay for 30 years. Open 7 days and nights. Delivery from Suffolk to Ewingsdale. 90–96 Jonson Street 6685 5700 www.legendpizza.com.au

Main Street

Open for takeaway daily, 12 midday until dinner.

Menu, more details –@mainstreet_burgerbar 18 Jonson Street 6680 8832

Success Thai

Open Lunch Wed–Fri 12–2.30pm. Dinner Mon–Sat 5–8pm. Closed Sunday 3/31 Lawson St, Byron Bay www.facebook.com/ pages/Success-ThaiFood/237359826303469

The Rocks Brunch 6.30am–2pm, every day 16 Lawson St, Byron Bay 6685 7663

Menus at therocksbyronbay.com.au

@therocksbyronbay

SOU Byron Bay 8/4 Bay Lane, Byron Bay 02 6685 6136

Open at 12–3pm Instagram @soubyronbay

KARKALLA

Byron Bay

Native Indigenous Restaurant

Cnr of Bay Lane & Fletcher St, Byron Bay 5614 8656

Barrio Eatery & Bar

1 Porter Street, North Byron

Mon–Tues: 7am–3pm Wed–Sat: 7am–10pm www.barriobyronbay.com.au

@barriobyronbay 0411 323 165

Local DJ – Friday & Saturday nights, from 6pm

$12 Margarita / Lychee Martini

$8 Tap Beers / $7 Natural Wines

Book online via website nobonesbyronbay.com.au

#BRUSSELSNOTBEEF

Signature cocktails, and casual dining with ocean views.

Happy Hour | Daily from 4–6pm

$6 Loft beer or wine, $10 Aperol Spritz, $14 Margarita & $2.50 fresh oysters

Espresso Martini Nights | Every day 9pm – close 2 for $25 Classic Espresso Martini.

Open weekdays from 4pm and weekends from noon

The Italian Byron Bay provides a bustling, atmospheric restaurant, dishing up contemporary inspired Italian cuisine and some of Byron’s finest cocktails and wines.

OPEN MONDAY TO SATURDAY. BOOKINGS CAN BE MADE BY PHONE OR THROUGH OUR WEBSITE. WALK-INS VERY WELCOME.

Byron’s Freshest Pizza

Order online and join our loyalty program.

Catering for up to 100 people lunch and dinner.

BYO

Locally owned and operated.

Scan code for menu.

Open for takeaway daily, 12 midday until dinner.

Menu and more details @mainstreet_burgerbar

‘Make a meal of it’ Add chips and a drink, just $5.

All your favourites, every lunch and dinner. Experienced Thai chefs cooking fresh, delicious Thai food for you. BYO only.

Welcome for lunch, dinner and takeaway. Menus available on Facebook.

The Rocks

We have a range of freshly sourced dishes, Reverence coffee, and hand-made juices and smoothies at locals prices. Fully licensed, all-day brunch and happy hour from 11am. Check out our new dishes on Instagram!

Newly opened Japanese lunch spot. We mainly serve Japanese ramen at Izakaya Kura at lunchtime. (We also do pop-up ramen nights!)

Please check our social media for more details.

Food with history, story & connection DINNER, THURSDAY–MONDAY

Early sitting from 5pm | Second sitting from 7.30pm Bookings highly recommended, via our website www.karkalla.com.au | @karkallabyronbay

Barrio brings together the local community in a relaxed environment for all-day dining.

The wood-fired oven and open-flame grill is the heart of the restaurant. Keep an eye on socials for daily specials.

Now open for Sunday lunch from 11.30am–3pm

Supernatural

9 Bay Lane, Byron Bay 0477 629 271 @supernaturalbyronbay

Wahlburgers

Byron Bay

American style burger restaurant & sports bar

Upstairs at Mercato on Byron, Jonson Street. www.Wahlburgers.com.au

Bangalow Bread Co.

12 Byron St, Bangalow 6am–3pm weekdays. 7am–2pm weekends. 6687 1209 www.bangalowbread.co info@bangalowbread.co

MULLUMBIMBY

Eateries Guide

A Slice of Paris in Byron Bay

Come find us down the laneway for delicious share plates, natural wines, cocktails and potions. Open from 5pm Tuesday to Saturday.

American & local sports played live Family Offer Buy 1 kids meal, get 1 free. $8 after 8 $8 drinks from 8pm Thur–Sun. Live music Fri–Sun. Open 11am to 9pm daily – dine-in or takeaway.

Stone baked sourdough, hand rolled pastries, small batch pies, house made cakes.

Your local artisan bakery, specialising in all things sourdough. Serving Old Quarter coffee along with freshly made sandwiches using our own sourdough bread, hand rolled pastries, award winning pies and a variety of house made cakes.

Yaman Mullumbimby

62 Stuart St, Mullumbimby 6684 3778 www.yamanmullumbimby.com.au

Open 7 days from 9am–8pm Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

The Empire 20 Burringbar St, Mullum 6684 2306

Open for brunch and lunch FB/Insta: EmpireMullum empiremullum.com.au Online orders: mryum.com/theempire

NEWRYBAR

Coffee, malawach rolls, pita pockets, falafel, traditional Yemenite spices and all your favourites, always freshly made. Drop in for an authentic atmosphere. Dine-in or takeaway.

Something for all tastes, from epic burgers to vegan delights. Enjoy delectable treats and good vibes at this Mullum icon.

Order and pay online!

Scan the QR view menu and order online. Takeaway is available on the whole menu. Phone orders also welcome.

Harvest

18–22 Old Pacific Highway Newrybar NSW 2479 02 6687 2644 www.harvest.com.au @harvestnewrybar

COFFEE CART

7 days | 6.30am–3.00pm RESTAURANT Lunch | Wed–Sun | 12–2.30pm Dinner | Fri & Sat | 5.30–8.30pm DELI 7 days | 7.30am–3.30pm

Celebrations

Cakes by Liz Jackson

E: lizzijjackson@gmail.com P: 0414 895 441

GLUTEN FREE AND SPECIAL DIETARY NEEDS CATERED FOR

Good Life

Ahana Candles

Kura and Sou: two authentic Japanese Byron restaurants

Simon Haslam

Kura is an authentic Japanese restaurant serving yakitori, sushi and ramen, located in the heart of Byron Bay. As you’d expect, in addition to an enticing display of old sake and Japanese whisky bottles, the interior features a lot of simple, natural wooden tables and screens, but also a number of Japanese pictures and art objects adorn the walls.

In fact the name Kura refers to a traditional Japanese storehouse used to store and protect valuable items; its owner, Yuki, has curated a beautiful space with art pieces and design elements that marry the traditions of her home with the beautiful contemporary feel of an Izakaya gallery.

Many years ago, Marianni had a dream in which a golden liquid was pouring over her hands. She had no idea what it meant, yet now, every time the gold wax for her candle-making business melts, she is reminded of its prescience.

Ahana Candles has been around for about a year now, a stylish mother-and-daughter operation of beautiful beeswax candles in cream and gold, arranged artfully on wooden stands and boxes. Marianni is mostly the market face of the business, not to mention creator, while her daughter Valentina manages the website and generally assists.

It all started with beeswax wraps. Marianni had been making and selling them for a long time when she was presented with a 30kg block of gold wax. ‘It was too gorgeous to use on the wraps’, she tells me. ‘I thought I’d try making candles.’

The beeswax – devoid of toxins unlike the more commonly found paraffin wax – she sources from two local beekeepers. Apart from that glorious gold, a coastal

quirk, there’s the cream coloured wax, which, she tells me, comes from inland bees out west. ‘The colours depend on where the bees forage’, Marianni says. The wicks are Australian cotton; nothing is added so there’s just the purity of a natural, and subtle, honey fragrance.

The word ‘Ahana’ is Sanskrit for ‘inner light’, Marianni tells me. They’re based at Burringbar, and each of the candles is named after a family member.

As for those wooden boxes and stands, they’re all made by Marianni as well –she has woodworking skills as well. I ask her which is the most popular candle and she tells me it’s the Anouk, geometrically etched, chunky and squat – ‘people love the design!’, she says – but they’re all gorgeous’. For now she’s content with the organic flow of the business, although it may be expanding in the future. ‘More and more people are wanting them in their shops’, she says.

Ahana Candles are at Mullumbimby Farmers Market on Fridays from 7–11am and at various retail outlets (check their website).

Kura is right in the centre of Byron, in Bay Lane, but up on the first floor –on our visit on a hot Sunday for lunch we could feel the sea breeze from our verandah seat. At night you’d be above the hustle and bustle of Bay Lane, and its combination of an open kitchen with a cosy interior expanding onto a deck above the laneway suggests it would be an exciting place to gather with friends. The restaurant takes pride in providing fresh local produce from the Byron Shire and the Byron Farmer’s Market, and its open kitchen concept means that you can watch the chefs at work.

Now, seven years after Kura’s opening, Sou has been born as a brother of Kura to liven up the place even more. Sou mainly serves Japanese ramen at lunch time (there is even a vegan ramen), but we had bao buns, eggplant tempura gyoza, karaage chicken (GF) and both seaweed and garden salads.

Kento Saitoh from Sou says, ‘We make roughly three kinds of authentic Japanese-style soup bases for now. Tonkotsu is our signature creamy and high-quality umami broth made from boiling pork bones for many hours. Our clear chicken soup is light, with

Kento Saitoh and the crew from Kura and Sou restaurants: bringing the authentic Japanese touch to the centre of Byron Bay. Photos by Jeff ‘Before enlightenment, chop sticks. After enlightenment, chopsticks’ Dawson, and S. Haslam.

less richness than Tonkotsu, but it still leaves an unforgettable impression. Our final combination, of organic soy milk and vegetable soup, is vegan, but its umami quality is as good as the others’.

Sou is soon to expand its takeaway options; Japanese rice bowls, for example, are perfect to have on Main Beach, or back at your workplace. Sou also does ‘ramen night’ every Tuesday and Wednesday (the days Izayaka Kura used to be closed), so the doors are now open seven nights a week. Being right in the heart of Byron seems to be a position Kento and his crew want to embrace; as he says, ‘Kura and Sou both will continue to strive our best to each be a restaurant loved by our local community.’

Kura: kurabyronbay.com or Ph 6685 6136

Sou: Instagram @soubyronbay or Ph 6685 6136

Victoria Cosford

Issue# 37.34

February 1–7, 2023

Editor: Eve Jeffery

Editorial/gigs: gigs@echo.net.au

Copy deadline: 5pm each Friday

Advertising: adcopy@echo.net.au

P: 02 6684 1777

W: echo.net.au/entertainment

WITCHES IN THE STARCOURT

A new year is here! It’s a time for women all over the region to pick up their brooms and set their witchy intentions for 2023. There is no finer time and place to do it than with your Country Witches, comedian Mandy Nolan and singer/songwriter Áine Tyrrell.

Join The Country Witches Association when they bring their brightest and boldest meeting yet to Lismore.

The CWA is the satirical and inspired work of Nolan and Tyrrell who call in a supercharged gathering: from the rabble-rousers to the tree-hugging activists, the wild women, the wise women, the boundary breakers and the menopausal cranky pants. This is a show for women who feel unheard, who are angry, who want to see change. This is a show for women who are going to make trouble. This is the perfect show for Lismore!

The genre-blending collaboration that is the Country Witches Association was born out of a desire to tumble conversation, community and outrage together in one big creative cauldron. It was a desire to harness the mood of the moment with both tenderness and contempt. To say hard things, and outrageous things, and kind things, and stupid things, all in one show. Times they are a-changing, and the witches… well, they’re rising!

Starcourt Theatre, Lismore.

Saturday 11 February, 2023, 8pm. Tix $41.10 on starcourttheatre.com.au or ainetyrrell.com/tour

THEY ARE HOTSHOTS

Look out ladies, the hunks from Sydney Hotshots are back to sizzle and seduce for one night only with their brand-new killer live show.

The two-hour production is a visual feast, choreographed and developed by Australia’s leading professionals and a hand-picked selection of dreamy guys who will have the ladies up from their chairs, screaming for more, night after night. With a totally interactive production, The Secret Fantasies Tour is the perfect night out with the girls.

This is a high-energy production boasting the perfect mix of scorching dance routines, eye-catching costumes, acrobatics, and jaw-dropping athletic male physiques. A smorgasbord of sexy guys are selected from hundreds of men nationwide and put though an intensive Hotshots Bootcamp, all graduating with an A+ in hip thrusting.

The fellas come from various backgrounds: tradies, cops, farmers and even firemen, to tour Australia and entertain the ladies.

See Hot Under the Collar at the Mullum Ex-Services Club Friday 17 February from 8pm. Strictly an 18+ event. Tickets from $35 + BF available online or at Club reception. www.mullumexservices.com.au/what-s-on.

7 DAYS OF ENTERTAINMENT

NUDGING INTO A SMARTER SUMMER

Nudge Nudge Wink Wink! 2023’s summer continues with a lineup that’s guaranteed to have you deliciously dancing from the moment you arrive.

World renowned DJ Phil Smart and Byron Bay-based DJ, Summer Woods, will be in the Shed. Smart has been a fixture on the Australian electronic music scene for over thirty years, playing clubs, bars, warehouses and festivals nationally and around the world. He plays the freshest sounds and the most forward thinking electronic music and has been involved in putting on some of the most legendary parties and events in Sydney and beyond. He was voted Australian DJ of the Year at the National Dance Music Awards in 2000, and twice voted into DJ Magazine’s prestigious list of the world’s Top 100 DJs. This is Phil’s fourth time in the shed.

Making her shed debut, DJ Summer Woods’ eclectic style of sexy tunes, deep beats, and seductive versatility is inspiring. Her ‘hold ya breath’ buildups to hefty drops is fast earning her a loyal following in her home town of Byron Bay, solidifying a loyal, savvy and influential crew. These two join the fantastic Cunning Stunts resident DJs, Lord Sut and Dale Stephen. Saturday 4 February from 4pm. Ticketed 18+ event at The Billinudgel Hotel. Final event tickets may still be available: bit.ly/Nudge_TICKETS

CHEEKY CABARET RETURNS!

Roll up! Roll up! Summer wouldn’t be the same in Bruns without a big Cheeky season, so they’re back, with a new cast.

The reputation of the Cheeky genre-bending show has spread like wildfire with its weird and fabulous lineup –it’s without question the wildest night you’ll have in the Northern Rivers!

The Cheeky Cabaret has redefined a night out at the theatre, smashing together circus, vaudeville, comedy, new burlesque and everything in between. Its reputation is firmly established in the Byron Shire, selling out every season and attracting international artists who would ordinarily play much bigger stages.

The Cheeky shows feature a different cast of troubadours, miscreants, delectable divas and cabaret queens every season, so no two shows are ever the same. You’ll leave spellbound, titillated and amazed. Think you’ve seen it all? Think again…

Following the Cheeky season is some incredible live music, including Ella Hooper: Small Town Temple tour, Libby O’Donovan – cabaret singer extraordinaire, Stella Donnelly: Flood Australian tour, Liz Stringer and William Crighton co-headlining in a powerhouse performance, and the house is thrilled to announce the fabulous Tim Rogers&The Twin Set coming in April.

Then, brace yourself for the hilarious award-winning NZ comic, Melanie Bracewell, in her live show OOH LA LA and the rising star of Australian comedy, Nazeem Hussain, in Hussain That?

Don’t miss these worldclass comedy acts performing on your very doorstep in the Northern Rivers!

If you’re keen to fill your calendar with all these sensational events, then you should totally become a Brunswick Picture Housemate – the amazing benefits of which includes priority entry to all shows, a 20 per cent discount on tickets for you and three friends, and special membership events throughout the year. You’re not only doing yourself a favour, you’re also supporting a local community not-for-profit entertainment venue. Consider yourself a friend with benefits!

The Brunswick Picture House is airconditioned and licensed for BYO, so bring your favourite drinks and some friends for a great night out. The kiosk and box office are open one hour before all shows.

Psst! Make sure you check out their new upfront Posh Seating. It’s the best seat in the house.

The Cheeky Cabaret plays 1–5 and 8–12 February To book tickets online to any of these fabulous events, visit the website: brunswickpicturehouse.com.

ICONIC MONDAYS

The iconic Reggae Monday is coming back to the Beach Hotel after a long break, and just in time to celebrate the birthday of the king of reggae music, Bob Marley.

This is going to be a very exciting event featuring Kimmy performing a special Bob Marley tribute show with full band, plus The 4’20’ Sound bringing their sound system for maximum reggae and dancehall experience alongside SK Simeon and Empress Katia on the mic.

Get ready to immerse yourself in the vibe that Byron is known for, an event that we’ve all been anticipating for so long, on this iconic date.

February 6 at the Beach Hotel – 8.30pm start. Tix $10 at the door – strictly good vibes.

CONNECTING YOUTH AT THE QUAD

Connect Northern Rivers will be hosting a youth-focused event at the Lismore Quad on Wednesday, 8 February from 3.30 to 6.30pm

This unique event will provide young people aged 15–19 years with the opportunity to engage with service providers who can support them to take the next step in their journey – whether this be re-engaging in school, taking part in further training, or gaining employment.

Connect Northern Rivers is a notfor-profit and a registered charity working to support young people with their transition from school into further education, training and employment.

At Connect Northern Rivers they believe all young people have the right to engage in community and reach their full potential. They work with young people who experience socioeconomic disadvantage,

disability, mental health issues, isolation, and behavioural and family issues. If a young person is anxious about returning to school, has finished school but is unsure what to do next, or trying to figure out their next step after school, Connect Northern Rivers can provide the support needed.

Connect’s vision is one where the communities of the Northern Rivers see all young people empowered to reach their full potential. They do this by providing: specialist support to young people who are not in education, training or employment; targeted education-, workplace- and community-based support programs for young people; services that directly address social and economic disadvantage by removing barriers and connecting young people to local community networks and service providers; direct welfare services, mentoring and case

management to improve the quality of life and access to opportunities for young people.

This event will provide young people and their families with the opportunity to come have a yarn, a free feed and enjoy some live music. Staff will be present on the day to discuss what young people want their futures to look like and how they can make it happen. They can then offer up to six months of support to help ensure these goals and visions become reality.

Also present on the day will be Rekindling the Spirit, Social Futures – Headspace, Momentum Collective – Clear Minds, The Buttery, and registered training organisations.

If you can’t make the event, or would like to skip the queue, you can give them a call on 1300 183 352, or visit at 1/38 Carrington Street, Lismore

7 DAYS OF

A PLAY THAT PUZZLES AND DELIGHTS

The multi-award-winning play is a puzzle of scenes that are slowly put together by the audience to tell the tumultuous history of the Law and York families over four generations.

The Mullum production uses a complex and beautiful lighting and a live band playing original music and a cast of ten to tell the story.

When the Rain Stops Falling has played to sold-out audiences on the West End and Broadway. Time magazine named the play ‘Best New Play of the Year’, when it premiered in New York.

Bovell, writer of Lantana, Strictly Ballroom and Secret River (stage version) has a strong commitment to environmental protection and to Australians finding their identity in a post-colonial world.

The play is set in London, the Coorong and Alice Springs between the 1950s and 2039.

When the Rain Stops Falling plays at the Drill Hall Theatre, Thursday–Saturday at 7.30pm, and Sunday at 5pm until 12 February

Cut Price Thursday tickets are just $20. Tickets: https://www.drillhalltheatre.org.au

A SMORGASBORD OF FLICKS

This year’s smorgasbord of over 40 incredible short films are handpicked from a record 3,200 entries received for Flickerfest’s Academy® and BAFTA Qualifying short-film festival screened recently in Bondi, and Northern Rivers audiences are the first in Australia to experience the best of Flickerfest on tour.

Highlights enjoying their Northern Rivers premiere include recent Academy® nominees and much-loved festival award winners alongside exciting, fresh, local talent.

Thursday, 16 February doors open at 7pm – raise a glass to 26 years of Flickerfest in the Northern Rivers at the festival’s opening night party with delicious gin, craft beer, organic wine and delicious snacks included. Then at 8pm take a trip around the world with the Best of International Shorts program.

On Friday 17 February at 8pm, Australian talent stars on the big screen honouring our unique identity and culture with the Best of Australian Shorts program.

On Saturday 18 February at 4pm, don’t miss the 18th year of Byron All Shorts, as incredible Northern Rivers Short Films battle it out for a range of awards. The finalists program will be announced on 4 February

Saturday 18 February at 8pm, clever comedy also brings joy to the big screen with the Short Laughs Comedy program of the most off-kilter Flickerfest shorts from at home and around the world.

Flickerfest Bangalow & Byron All Shorts 2023 is a fundraiser for the Island Quarry Reserve. For tickets and the full Flickerfest Bangalow & Byron All Shorts program go to: www.iQ.org.au.

SYDNEY’S SEXIEST SIX PACKS LIVE ON STAGE

Friday 17th February 8pm strictly 18+

Tickets from $35 + BF online or at reception www.mullumexservices.com.au/what-s-on

GIG GUIDE

It’s free to list your gigs in the gig guide. gigs@echo.net.au w: echo.net.au/gig-guide

WEDNESDAY 1

RAILWAY HOTEL, BYRON BAY, JAMIE ASHFORTH

BEACH HOTEL, BYRON BAY, 3.30PM KARUAH, 6.30PM

CHLOE JETT, 8.30PM DJ

RENEE SIMONE

BYRON THEATRE 11AM THE SEAGULL, STARRING EMILIA

CLARKE – NATIONAL

THEATRE LIVE SCREENING

BRUNSWICK HEADS PICTURE

HOUSE 7PM CHEEKY

CABARET

BANGALOW BOWLO 7.30PM

BANGALOW BRACKETS

OPEN MIC

THURSDAY 2

RAILWAY HOTEL, BYRON BAY, HAYLEY GRACE

BEACH HOTEL, BYRON BAY,

3.30PM JAMES ALEXANDER, 6.30PM CAMERON

ALEXANDER

HOTEL BRUNSWICK 6PM

JOCK BARNES

BRUNSWICK HEADS PICTURE

HOUSE 7PM CHEEKY

CABARET

DRILL HALL THEATRE, MULLUMBIMBY, 7.30PM

WHEN THE RAIN STOPS

FALLING

LENNOX HOTEL HOTEL STAGE

8PM JAM NIGHT

REGENT CINEMA, MURWILLUMBAH, 8PM

KUEPPER WHITE

FRIDAY 3

RAILWAY HOTEL, BYRON BAY,

4PM JON J BRADLEY, 8PM

PINK ZINC

BEACH HOTEL, BYRON BAY,

3.30PM YHAN LEAL, 6.30PM

SPACE IS THE PLACE W/

ROSS FROM FRIENDS, JONO

MA JAI PICCONE AND

CENTAL SONICS

BYRON THEATRE 6PM

FREEDOM, ONLY FREEDOM:

THE PRISON WRITINGS OF

BEHROUZ BOOCHANI

HOTEL BRUNSWICK 7.30PM

SOUL’D

BRUNSWICK HEADS PICTURE

HOUSE 7PM CHEEKY

CABARET

BANGALOW MARKET

GLITTERATI RIOT

OCEAN SHORES COUNTRY

CLUB 5.30PM NATHAN KAYE

WANDANA BREWING CO.,

MULLUMBIMBY, 4.30PM DJ

ARUANDA

MIDDLE PUB, MULLUMBIMBY,

5PM BALCONY BEATS WITH DJ CORQUI, 8PM

KRAPEOKEEE WITH JESS

ST JOHN’S SCHOOL

HALL, MULLUMBIMBY, 7.30PM ECSTATIC DANCE

MULLUMBIMBY WITH DJ

SHIAN LOVE

DRILL HALL THEATRE, MULLUMBIMBY, 7.30PM

WHEN THE RAIN STOPS FALLING

CLUB LENNOX 7PM HAYLEY

GRACE

BALLINA RSL LEVEL ONE

10AM DEAN DOYLE WITH SOPHISTICATION

MORNING MELODIES, 7PM

MANPOWER AUSRALIA

LISMORE REGIONAL

GALLERY — POP-UP

5.30PM ARIS PRABAWA

FLAME OF POWER – IN CONVERSATION, THEN

EXHIBITION OPENING

REGENT CINEMA, MURWILLUMBAH, 7PM THE VERY LAST LIST OF VIVIAN

WALKER

KINGSCLIFF BEACH BOWLS

6PM GREGG PETERSON

SEAGULLS, TWEED HEADS, 6PM MR TROY

TWIN TOWNS, TWEED HEADS, THE SHOWROOM 7.30PM A SUMMER LOVE ’23

SATURDAY 4

RAILWAY HOTEL, BYRON

BAY, RICHARD NEILL & THE DRUNKEN MIDNIGHT

CHOIR, 3.30PM DAMIEN

COOPER

BEACH HOTEL, BYRON BAY, 9PM DJ QUENDO

HOTEL BRUNSWICK 2.30PM

WILD RANGERS WILDLIFE

SHOW, 7.30PM KANE MUIR

BRUNSWICK HEADS PICTURE

HOUSE 7PM CHEEKY

CABARET

BYRON TWILIGHT MARKET

5PM CHASING RAINBOWS

WANDANA BREWING CO., MULLUMBIMBY, DJ JOE MCKAIN

DRILL HALL THEATRE, MULLUMBIMBY, 7.30PM WHEN THE RAIN STOPS

FALLING

BILLINUDGEL HOTEL 4PM

NUDGE NUDGE WINK WINK

– FEAT DJS PHIL SMART

SUMMER WOODS, DALE

STEPHEN & LORD SUT

CLUB LENNOX 7PM JB’S

BLUES BREAKERS

BALLINA RSL BOARDWALK

6.30PM HUBCAP STAN

REGENT CINEMA, MURWILLUMBAH, 6PM

SUNSET SOIRÉES WITH

BURNING HANDS

KINGSCLIFF BEACH BOWLS

6PM BEN WHITING

SEAGULLS, TWEED HEADS, 6.30PM MCKENZIE BAND

TWIN TOWNS, TWEED HEADS, THE SHOWROOM 8PM

KENNY & DOLLY TOGETHER AGAIN

SUNDAY 5

RAILWAY HOTEL, BYRON BAY, STEPHEN LOVELIGHT

HOTEL BRUNSWICK 4PM

MOOD SWING AND CHEVY

BASS

BRUNSWICK HEADS PICTURE HOUSE 6PM CHEEKY

THE NORTHERN, BYRON BAY, 7.30PM SONS OF THE EAST –PALOMAR PARADE ALBUM

TOUR

HARVEST, NEWRYBAR, 9AM HENRY WEST

OCEAN SHORES COUNTRY

CLUB 4PM GUY KACHEL

MIDDLE PUB, MULLUMBIMBY, 3PM OPEN MIC WITH THE SWAMP CATS

WANDANA BREWING CO., MULLUMBIMBY, 4PM RUSTY TUNES

DRILL HALL THEATRE, MULLUMBIMBY, 5PM WHEN THE RAIN STOPS FALLING MULLUMBIMBY UNITING CHURCH 7PM 30 MINUTES FOR FREEDOM – CHANTING AND MEDITATION

CLUB LENNOX 3PM SARAH GRANT

BALLINA RSL LEVEL ONE

10.45AM BALLINA COUNTRY MUSIC CLUB – FEAT JEFF MASSEY WITH ANN, BILL AND THE 2JS

SHAWS BAY HOTEL, BALLINA, 1PM SHAWS BAY SUNDAY SESSIONS FT EPIC

LISMORE CITY BOWLO 2PM

LISMORE JAZZ CLUB – ACID BLEED

KINGSCLIFF BEACH HOTEL

2.30PM SOUL MOVERS

SEAGULLS, TWEED HEADS, 1PM CALEB LAFAITELE

MONDAY 6

RAILWAY HOTEL, BYRON BAY, OLE FALCO

BEACH HOTEL, BYRON BAY, 3.30PM JOSH LEE HAMILTON, 8.30PM BOB MARLEY DAY FEAT. KIMMY & THE 4’20’ SOUND

TUESDAY 7

RAILWAY HOTEL, BYRON BAY, CHRIS FISHER BEACH HOTEL, BYRON BAY,

3.30PM ADAM HARPAZ, 6PM KANE MUIR TWIN TOWNS, TWEED HEADS, THE SHOWROOM 11AM BACK TO THE TIVOLI

WEDNESDAY 8

RAILWAY HOTEL, BYRON BAY, OOZ

BEACH HOTEL, BYRON BAY,

6.30PM JAKE HILL

BYRON THEATRE 7.30PM NEW BLOOD

BRUNSWICK HEADS PICTURE HOUSE 7PM CHEEKY CABARET

BANGALOW BOWLO 7.30PM

BANGALOW BRACKETS OPEN MIC THE QUAD, LISMORE, 3.30PM CONNECT NORTHERN RIVERS

WHAT’S LOVE GOT TO DO WITH IT?

Art imitates life in What’s Love Got to Do with It? a 2022 British romantic comedydrama film directed by Shekhar Kapur, from a screenplay by Jemima Khan The precis reads: ‘Set between London and Lahore, a filmmaker documents her childhood friend and neighbour’s arranged marriage to a bride from Pakistan.’ Jemima Khan is an English screenwriter who, in 1995, married Pakistani cricket superstar Imran Khan, in Paris (this was way before he became prime minister of Pakistan). They also had a civil ceremony. A few months before her wedding, she converted to Islam citing the writings of Muhammad Asad, Charles le Gai Eaton and Alija Izetbegović as her influences. After her marriage to Khan, she relocated

to his hometown, Lahore, Pakistan, where she learned to speak Urdu and also wore traditional Pakistani clothes.

What’s Love Got to Do with It? is about a white British woman who falls in love with a South Asian man. The film stars Lily James as Zoe and Shazad Latif as Kazim – the couple in question as well as Shabana Azmi, Sajal Aly, Oliver Chris, Asim Chaudhry, Jeff Mirza, Alice OrrEwing, and Rahat Fateh Ali Khan and the not be missed Emma Thompson.

What’s Love Got to Do with It? had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in September last year, and won Best Comedy (the ‘Ugo Tognazzi’ award) at the Rome Film Fest in October 2022.

– Rumi

Let the beauty of what you love be what you do.

Annual sales $3.3 million+

sector of the industry; a healthy spread of the Management and dedicated staff are already Unfortunately, the founder/owner who is a third

Located in Federal, Hinterland Byron Bay, 20 minutes to Byron Bay, 25 minutes to Lismore or Ballina. style pool plus a large “Managers” residence also

4 3 4 1,145 M 2

•This rare 1145m2 parcel of land features three self-contained dwellings plus approval for another and is suited to families, professionals and investors alike

•The main house has two large bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, fully renovated kitchen and open plan living leading to an undercover veranda

Picturesque Hinterland Sanctuary with Additional Dwellings

4 2 3 8.56HA

•Entertainment deck with sweeping rural views, outdoor speaker system, bath and luxurious 13x5m heated mineral pool

•Self-contained 1-bedroom studio with ensuite and kitchenette

•Additional rustic 90m2 barn with gorgeous, pitched ceilings and exposed wooden beams currently used as a creative space

•Crowning this offering are the walking tracks, soccer pitch, bike trails and extensive frontage to Wilsons River

65 Lilli Pilli Drive, Byron Bay

Price Guide: $2.6m – $2.85m

Open: Saturday, 4th February 9.30–10am

Denzil Lloyd 0481 864 049

358 Binna Burra Road, Binna Burra

Price Guide: $3.85m – $4m

Open: Saturday, 4th February 11–11.30am

Su Reynolds 0428 888 660

Spacious and Private Family Home with Separate Studio

3 1 3 1,174M 2

•The property sits on a large residential piece of land surrounded by greenery

•The main residence features an open floorplan with timber flooring, pitched ceilings and an abundance of natural sunlight filtering throughout the home

•Featured is a covered outdoor entertaining area, with a lush greenery outlook

•An additional bonus is the separate studio with a spacious floorplan and loft

Online Timed Auction – Starting Bid $1.5M

Open: Saturday, 4th February 11–11.30am

code to make a bid on our secure selling platform or register to follow this property

Hinterlad Escape with Picturesque Creek and Swimming Holes

43.25HA

•Very private 43 HA (approx) allotment with many private building sites

•Stunning creek and several swimming holes with plenty of water

•Building entitlement for dwelling or even potential tourism approval (STCA)

216 Repentance Creek Road, Goonengerry

Price Guide: $1.55m – $1.7m

Open: Friday, 3rd February 1–1.30pm Saturday, 4th February 1–1.30pm

Paul Prior 0418 324 297

Huge North Facing Corner Block with 3 dwellings

Character filled Home with Fantastic Opportunity

•The home consists of 2 spacious bedrooms, a sunroom, home office, dining and living and an updated kitchen with gas cooking and ample storage

•This stunning cottage features hardwood timber flooring and VJ walls throughout

•Large level yard with lush garden surrounds that enjoys peace and privacy

• An added bonus is the separate studio room which offers endless opportunity

•Only a short drive to Brunswick Head beaches and 30 minutes to Byron Bay

891 Main Arm Road, Main Arm

Price Guide: $1m – $1.1m

Open: Saturday, 4th February 11.30–12pm

Tranquil, Picturesque Escape Amongst the Trees

•Open-plan living and generous mixed hardwood decking with amazing vistas and undercover areas promotes outdoor living and makes this home special

•The home has very solid bones which makes updating easy (STCA)

•Featured is a giant rumpus room with private deck access and a sink

•Double garage with internal access, garden sheds and caravan site

•Potential to add an additional dwelling for extra income potential (STCA)

61 Robinsons Road, Wilsons Creek

Price Guide: $1.5m – $1.6m

Open: Saturday, 4th February 10.15–10.45am

Elevated and Level 2 Acre Vacant Land in Ewingsdale

8,000M 2 / 2 ACRES

•Resting on an elevated, level parcel of land in a quiet cul-de-sac is this magnificent 2-acre vacant block in highly sought-after location

•With an abundance of space this property presents endless possibilities for you to create your dream home to fit your family’s needs (STCA)

•Walk to “The Farm” for dinner or coffee or take a ride along the bike path to Byron’s CBD and Main Beach

Lot 5, Cuckoo Dove Place, Ewingsdale

Price Guide: $1.95m + GST

Charming Bangalow Cottage with Modern, Stylish Finishes

•The open plan living space features a seamless transition to the undercover timber deck, which is the perfect place to entertain with family and friends

•The stylish, spacious kitchen has quality modern appliances with gas cooktop, pantry and plenty of storage

•Outdoors features a hardwood vegetable garden and fully fenced, level yard

•Short distance from lovely Bangalow village, public school and sports fields

34 Parrot Tree Place, Bangalow

Online Timed Auction – Starting Bid $1.25M

Open: Saturday, 4th February 9–9.30am

Tara Torkkola 0423 519 698

3 4 2

3.45HA

Tara Torkkola 0423 519 698

Su and her team provided us with exceptional service while managing the sale of our home, often times going above and beyond th eir remit. Su kept us informed every step of they way and her knowledge of the local market is second to none. I don’t think any other agent works ha rder for their clients than Su Reynolds and we wouldn’t hesitate in recommending Su to others selling a property.

Helen is an absolute delight to work with. She has such a deep understanding of the market and the sales process and works hard to get the vendor the absolute best result possible. She exudes professionalism and is humble, approachable, kind and insightful. Helen is a fantasti c communicator and we felt that she was holding our hand through the entire sales process. We couldn’t be happier with the way our campaign was manag ed and the sale price that was achieved in a declining market.

Knowledgeable, professional, efficient and tenacious. I have bought and sold properties all over the world and Tara is as good as they come. I couldn’t be happier with the process from beginning to end, selling 2 properties over this past year.

Tara Torkkola and her team have been exceptional. I recommend them highly. VENDOR - BRUNSWICK HEADS

What a fantastic outcome! Paul Banister sold our house after only 5 weeks and in a very tough market. All communications were clear and transparent and we felt informed throughout the process. Great job Paul, thanks. VENDOR -

Denzil was genuinely caring, patient and extremely professional in all stages of the process. He also took our feedback onboard, to reach the best result we could have hoped for. Denzil represented our property in the best light, and stands out from other agents through his openness and his genuine consideration. Communication with Denzil was easy, thanks to the support provided by Jane Johnston, who was always available an d doing her best to make this experience the smoothest one possible.

VENDOR - BYRON BAY

From my first meeting with Oliver, I was impressed with his knowledge of the local market and his friendly professional manner. His honest opinion on value, based on current market conditions, was spot on. He kept me updated every step of the way to a ver y speedy and successful financial conclusion which exceeded my expectations. VENDOR - BYRON BAY

Paul Prior’s experience and expertise enabled us to get a sale quickly and at a price above what his competitors were seeking. Paul provided a comprehensive marketing plan and worked hard following up every lead. Paul was empathetic and reassuring during the stress of selling our family home in a difficult market. VENDOR - THE CHANNON

For over 30 years, First National Byron has cemented its position as the region’s number one agency, servicing a footprint that extends across the entire area. Our agency has sold more than double the number of properties than our nearest competitor for more than a decade. We are proud to be recognised as an iconic local company employing the most highly trained and accomplished sales, marketing, photography and office management staff. Above all else, we live, work and play in the Northern Rivers. We know our patch, love our people, embrace our lifestyle and are actively involved in events and initiatives that shape our region.

Please get in touch if you are thinking of selling, would like a free appraisal, or advice on anything real estate related.

VENDOR - MYOCUM

VENDOR - BRYON BAY

SUFFOLK PARK

CHRIS HANLEY CEO | Licensee

SU REYNOLDS Director | Sales Chief Cultural Officer

HELEN HUNTLY-BARRATT Director | Sales TARA TORKKOLA Sales | Sales Manager

DENZIL LLOYD Sales

PAUL BANISTER Sales

LUKE ELWIN Sales Team Su Reynolds

PAUL PRIOR Sales OLIVER ALDRIDGE Sales

LEE GRIMES Sales OLIVIA COATES Sales

JASMIN McCLYMONT Sales Team Tara Torkkola

RENEE SCHOFIELD Sales Associate for Su Reynolds

JANE JOHNSTON Sales Associate for Denzil Lloyd

SALLY GREEN Sales Team Tara Torkkola

KATE STANFORD Client Care for Su Reynolds

•

Tweed Broadwater Village - Site 87

Park/Village Name: Tweed Broadwater – Tweed Heads South 2 1 1+1 $410,000

Open for inspection

• 16 Hartigan Street, Cumbalum. Sat 10–10.30am

• 13 Richmond Street, Wardell. Sat 10–10.30am

• 36 Surf Avenue, Skennars Head. Sat 10–10.45am

• 3 Jabiru Place, East Ballina. Sat 10–10.30am

• 950 Pimlico Road, Pimlico. Sat 11–11.30am

• 24 Farrelly Avenue, Cumbalum. Sat 11–11.30am 20 Kookaburra Street, Ballina. Sat 12–12.30pm

• 20 Earls Court, Goonellabah. Sat 12–12.30pm 129 Ballina Road, East Lismore. Sat 12–12.30pm

• 3/5 Henry Philp Avenue, Ballina. Sat 12–12.30pm

• 4 Eden Place, Girrards Hill. Sat 1–1.30pm

• 59 Dolphin Drive, West Ballina. Sat 1–1.30pm

• 2/14 Patricia Parade, Lennox Head. Sat 1.15–1.45pm

• 59 Richmond Hill Road, Richmond Hill. Sat 1.15–1.45pm

• 731 Teven Road, Teven. Sat 2–2.30pm

• 30 Stanley Park Road, Wollongbar. Sat 3–3.30pm Jet Real Estate

• 36 Hall Dr, Murwillumbah. Sat 10.30–11am 5/1 Wollumbin Street, Byron Bay. Sat 10–11am

LJ Hooker Brunswick Heads

• 3 Garden Ave, Mullumbimby Sat 11–11.30am

• 4/4 Halyard Crt, Ocean Shores. Sat 11–11.30am

• 4/4 Halyard Crt, Ocean Shores. Tue 11–11.30am

9 Newberry Parade, Brunswick Heads. Fri 4–4.30pm

• 9 Newberry Parade, Brunswick Heads. Sat 9–9.30am

• 34 Parrot Tree Place, Bangalow. Sat 9–9.30am

• 2/10 Corkwood Crescent, Suffolk Park. Sat 9–9.30am

• 65 Lilli Pilli Drive, Byron Bay. Sat 9.30–10am

• 10 Tahra Crescent, Ewingsdale. Sat 10–10.30am

• 26 Oakland Court, Byron Bay. Sat 10–10.30am

• 42 Brandon Street, Suffolk Park. Sat 10–10.30am

• 8 Sallywattle Drive, Suffolk Park. Sat 10–10.30am

• 19 Stuart Street, Mullumbimby. Sat 10–10.30am

• 61 Robinsons Road, Wilsons Creek. Sat 10.15–10.45am

• 279 Huonbrook Road, Huonbrook. Sat 11–11.30am

• 14 Brooklet Road, Newrybar. Sat 11–11.30am

• 358 Binna Burra Road, Binna Burra. Sat 11–11.30am

• 7 Tristania Place, Byron Bay. Sat 11–11.30am

• 891 Main Arm Road, Main Arm. Sat 11.30am–12pm

• 16 Omega Circuit, Brunswick Heads. Sat 11.30am–12pm

• 4 Mango Lane, Coorabell. Sat 12–12.30pm

5 Oceanside Place, Suffolk Park. Sat 12.30–1pm

• 8 Weeronga Way, Ocean Shores. Sat 12.30–1pm

216 Repentance Creek Road, Goonengerry. Sat 1–1.30pm

Harcourts Northern Rivers

• 1/57–59 Cedar Crescent, East Ballina. Sat 8–8.30am

6 Karalauren Court, Lennox Head. Sat 9–9.30am

• 7 Sweetlip Place, Ballina. Sat 9–9.30am

MANA Real Estate

• 488 Tweed Valley Way, South Murwillumbah. Sat 8.45–9.15am

• 5 Phillip Street, South Golden Beach. Sat 10–10.30am

9 Galleon Lane, Brunswick Heads. Sat 11–11.30am

• Lot 1, Numinbah Road, Numinbah. Sat 11–11.30am

• 9 Gaggin Street, New Brighton. Sat 12–12.30pm

• 4/2 Nunyer Court, Ocean Shores. Sat 9–9.30am

• 1/3 Halyard Court, Ocean Shores. Sat 10–10.30am

McGrath Byron Bay

• 3/37 Childe Street, Byron Bay. Thu 4.30–5pm

• 1.04/137–139 Jonson Street, Byron Bay. Sat 9.30–10am

• 56 Parrot Tree Place, Bangalow. Sat 9.30–10am

• 13 Brushbox Drive, Mullumbimby Creek. Sat 11–11.30am

3/37 Childe Street, Byron Bay. Sat 12–12.30pm North Coast Lifestyle Properties Brunswick Heads

• 6 Yamble Drive, Ocean Shores. Sat 10–10.30am

• 19 Grevillea Avenue, Mullumbimby. Sat 10–10.30am 20 Redgate Road, South Golden Beach. Sat 10–10.30am

• 70 Helen Street, South Golden Beach. Sat 11–11.30am

46 Kallaroo Circuit, Ocean Shores. Sat 11–11.45am

• 20 Cavvanbah Street, Byron Bay Sat 10–10.30am

• 65 Currawong Way, Ewingsdale Sat 11–11.30am

• 18 Kiyung Court, Ocean Shores Sat 12–12.30pm

13/146 Old Bangalow Road, Byron Bay. Sat 12.30–1pm

• 2/4 Hazelwood Close, Suffolk Park Sat 1.15–1.45pm

• 109–111 Broken Head Road, Suffolk Park. Sat 1.30–2pm

Ray White Rural Bangalow

• 37 Clover Hill Circuit, Bangalow. Sat 10–10.30am

Real Estate of Distinction

454 Crabbes Creek Road, Crabbes Creek. Sat 10.30–11.15am

• 35–37 Edwards Lane, Kynnumboon. Sat 1–1.45pm

Ruth Russell Realty 110 Bayside Way, Brunswick Heads. Sat 11–11.45am

• 76 Orana Road, Ocean Shores. Sat 12.30–1pm

• 54 Main Arm Road, Mullumbimby. Sat 3.45–4.30pm

Tim Miller Real Estate

• 15 Main Street, Clunes. Thu 12–12.30pm

Modern contemporary renovated 2-bedroom home with nothing left to do but to move in, relax and enjoy your new lifestyle. This light and airy home is fully renovated and beautifully presented with vinyl timber planked flooring throughout the living areas for a very cohesive welcoming feel.

A charming front porch leads you into the open plan lounge/dining area featuring reverse cycle air-conditioning for comfort. Fully renovated kitchen with gloss white cabinets including soft touch drawers for easy storage as well as modern benchtops in a neutral colour to suit any décor. Included is a Bellini gas fan forced oven with cooktop, double sink, modern fixtures & decorative splash-back.

Two generous size carpeted bedrooms have built-in robes, ceiling fans and a split system air-conditioner in each room.

Renovated bathroom with a large fully tiled walk-in shower, modern vanity with mirrored cabinet and a separate toilet. Situated just minutes from Tweed Heads/Coolangatta the ‘Pet Friendly’ over 50’s Lifestyle village is just a stroll to the Tweed River and there is public transport at the entrance to the park. Retirement living at its best without the associated costs of exit fees and no stamp duty.

Inspect: By appointment

Contact: Kelvin Price 0423 028 468 / Heike Wilson 0403 713 658 Mr Property Services

Property Management 02 6685 0177 rentals@ljhbrunswickheads.com

Save yourself thousands, call the expert property management team. Investment Management Team LJ Hooker Brunswick Heads

ljhooker.com.au

Service Directory

SERVICE DIRECTORY RATES, PAYMENT & DEADLINE

DEADLINE: For additions and changes to the Service Directory is 12pm Friday.

LINE ADS: $99 for 3 months or $340 for 1 year prepaid.

For line Service Directory ads email classifieds@echo.net.au.

For display Service Directory ads email adcopy@echo.net.au.

The Echo Service Directory is online – www.echo.net.au/service-directory

ACCOUNTS & BOOKINGS: 6684 1777

Plumbers......................................42

Pool Services.................................42

Property Styling............................42

Removalists..................................42

Roofing.........................................43

Rubbish Removal..........................43

Self Storage..................................43 Sensor Technology........................43

Septic Systems..............................43

Solar Installation..........................43 Television Services........................43

Tree Faerie Fotos

The Water Filter Experts

ECHO CLASSIFIEDS – 6684 1777

CLASSIFIED AD BOOKINGS

PHONE ADS

Ads may be taken by phone on 6684 1777

AT THE ECHO HEAD OFFICE

Ads can be lodged in person at the Mullum Echo office: Village Way, Stuart St, Mullumbimby

EMAIL ADS

Display classies (box ads): adcopy@echo.net.au

Line classies: classifieds@echo.net.au

Ad bookings only taken during business hours: Monday to Friday, 9am–5pm. Ads can’t be taken on the weekend. Account enquiries phone 6684 1777.

DISCLAIMER

David Collins Jeweller Return

DEADLINE TUES 12PM

Publication day is Wednesday, booking deadlines are the day before publication.

RATES & PAYMENT

LINE ADS:

$17.00 for the first two lines

$5.00 for each extra line

$17 for two lines is the minimum charge.

DISPLAY ADS(with a border):

$12.85 per column centimetre

These prices include GST. Cash, cheque, Mastercard or Visa Prepayment is required for all ads.

CLASSIFIEDS THAT WORK ALL WEEK!

Echo Classies also appear online: www.echo.net.au/classified-ads

WANTED

GARAGE SALES

Parties seeking return of items from David Collins Jeweller, Lismore Road, Bangalow, should contact collinsparties@gmail.com with a description of their items. Some items, owner unknown, are available for return to owners with appropriate documents.  After 10/02/2023, all items will be disposed of.  Please do not delay.

PUBLIC NOTICES

SINGING GROUPS FOR WOMEN CHIXONG

Tuesday $15, Wednesday $15 ($20 both)

Beginners welcome. Brunswick Heads 7pm. byronbaysinging.com facebook.com/ByronBaySinging

SINGING GROUP FOR Fun and Frivolity

Wednesday 1pm, Brunswick Heads. Beginners welcome. $15 ($8 Con) byronbaysinging.com facebook.com/ByronBaySinging

BYRON TWILIGHT

MARKET

Every Saturday Railway Park 4-9pm

FABULOUS NEW MARKET

Brunswick Heads RSL Hall, Fawcett St. 8am Saturday.

Great collection of jewellery, rugs, clothes, fabrics, vintage, vinyl and more.

Mullumbimby & District Neighbourhood Centre

Connecting the Byron Shire Community

HELP YOUR COMMUNITY VOLUNTEERS NEEDED

– Baristas –

– Gardeners –

– Food Sorters –

– Cleaners –

The team at MDNC are searching for some dedicated volunteers to help us continue to support our community.

Contact Volunteer Coordinator Kaz

Wednesday – Friday 6684 1286

PROF. SERVICES DENTURES

LOOK

THINKStrategic Town Planning and Heritage services. Specialist in preliminary feasibility assessments of sites for investors & projects. Call Nancy 0450545224

COMMUNITY HOT BRUNCH FREE

FIRST SATURDAY OF EVERY MONTH • Sausage sizzle

HEALTH KINESIOLOGY

Clear subconscious sabotages. Reprogram patterns and beliefs. Restore vibrancy and physical health. De-stress.

Ph 0403125506

SANDRA DAVEY, Reg. Pract.

Canteen Assistant Permanent Part Time

Tuesday to Friday (Optional to Job Share)

Flexible start 8.30-9am to 2.30pm

Cape Byron Steiner School is a vibrant and progressive K-12 school dedicated to the educational principles inspired by Rudolf Steiner. The Canteen Assistant role requires a dynamic and enthusiastic person able to meet the demands of our busy School Canteen. Multi-tasking and time management skills with an attention to detail are essential. Hospitality experience desirable. Applicants will hold a current NSW Working with Children Check.

Applications close Sunday 5th February 2023 Email CV and cover letter to employment@capebyronsteiner.nsw.edu.au

HYPNOSIS & EFT

Simple and effective solutions

Anxiety, Cravings, Fears & Trauma. Maureen Bracken 0402205352

PURA VIDA

WELLNESS CENTRE Brunswick Heads COLON HYDROTHERAPY HYPERBARIC OXYGEN FAR INFRARED SAUNA REMEDIAL MASSAGE + more  66850498

COUPLES THERAPY Online www.oztantra.com 1800 TANTRA

Study Kinesiology

Long

MOTOR VEHICLES

2005 TOYOTA CAMRY V6

SMALL HOUSE FOR RENT

Kate

MIELE WASHERS

Dryers and dishwashers available at Bridglands Mullumbimby. 66842511

BAMBOO PLANTS: clumping, screening, hedging, flowering gingers, bromeliads. Close to Mullum. 0458535760

ARCHIBALD’S CHEAP

QUARRY PRODUCTS

Road base, gravel, blue metal and metal dust. ALL SIZE DELIVERIES. Phone 66845517, 0418481617

WANTED TO

POSITIONS VACANT

Hot dogs

Sandwiches • Coffee & tea

Fruit Salad

EVERYONE WELCOME

Come one come all and join us in a meal or just a chat.

Takeaway most welcome: COVID safe rules apply. Frozen takeaway meals now available.

10am to 12pm

In the Ballina Presbyterian Hall

Corner of Cherry & Crane. Just behind the Presbyterian Church.

For self-care or

HYPNOSIS & NLP

www.wendypurdey.com

Make profound changes in your life. Achieve personal goals and reach your true potential within every aspect of your life.

Call Wendy 0497 090 233

Inspiring Creative Academic Nurturing

Advertisements placed in The Byron Shire Echo do not reflect the views or opinions of the editorial staff.

The Byron Shire Echo does not make any representations as to the accuracy or suitability of any content or information contained in advertising material nor does publication constitute in any way an endorsement by The Byron Shire Echo of the content or representations contained therein. The Byron Shire Echo does not accept any liability for the representations or promises made in paid advertisements or for any loss or damage arising from reliance on such content, representations or promises.

Classifieds

THE ECHO LENNOX HEAD DELIVERY

The Echo has a contract position delivering papers to:

LENNOX HEAD: 1000 PAPERS++: Folding, inserting and if necessary bagging papers then driving around in a car throwing accurately.

Whilst many people do this number of papers by themselves, this job would suit a semi-retired or underemployed person/couple who just wants a reliable job to do at their own pace at the same time every week. The successful applicant for this run will have an ABN, a reliable vehicle, a strong throwing arm, and ideally they will live near the distribution area. They will collect the papers/inserts from Ballina (before 7am) or Mullumbimby (7–7.30am) or Byron A&I Estate mid-morning on Wednesday and will have delivered all the papers by 6pm Wednesday. Suit mature or stable person.

Commencing asap.

Email simon@echo.net.au or phone/text 0409324724

SOCIAL MEDIA GURU for small local business. Please call Wayne 0423218417

AMAZING HOUSE CLEANER wanted for

3 months to cover holiday leave, Tues–Thurs. Please text 0434124286

Grounds & Maintenance Manager

Full time perm position, leading a team of seven. Creating safety and beauty at an iconic attraction. Min three years experience in a similar role.

Grounds & Maintenance 2IC

Full time perm position, assisting Grounds & Maintenance Manager. Min 2 years experience in a similar role.

Both positions – Immediate start. Must be available school holidays.

To apply please go to www.crystalcastle.com.

au/workwithus

TUITION

FRENCH • ITALIAN • GERMAN Eva 0403224842 www.languagetuitionbyron.com.au

Adobe Tutoring

Experienced

Professional Trainer

• Photoshop • Indesign

• Illustrator

contact@thinkblinkdesign.com www.thinkblinkdesign.com

Celebration of the Life of Peter Parker

19 July 1951 - 16 January 2023

Liz Rankin invites you to a gathering of friends and colleagues to honour and celebrate Peter’s life.

To be held at St Finbarr’s Primary School on Sunday 5 February from 10:30 am–12 pm.

MONTHLY MARKETS

Afro Cuban Percussion Afro

Percussion II

Self Publishing Overview

Canva For Business

Parlez-Vous Francais?

Natural Building Intro

Pregnancy Yoga

Playful Painting Weekend

Native Beekeeping

Beekeeping

RTO:900130266843374byroncollege.org.au

Happy 160th to a right mangy crew of sea dogs: JP, Timbo, Gary.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SIMON

BIRTHDAYS DEATH NOTICES

RSVPs andany photos of Peter you’d like to share are appreciated. Please email to  FinleyandOscar2481@gmail.com

M o z a rt Mozart

Love the Echo crew

HONOURING

Paul William Doran 23/9/77 - 18/1/23

Mozart is still patiently waiting for a home & when the shelter is full of kittens, it’s easy to be overlooked even though he’s a young puss himself. He’s very affectionate & is always seeking a fuss & cuddles. Playful & full of mischief, Mozart is just waiting for someone to make him part of their family.

To meet Mozart, please visit the Cat Adoption Centre at 124 Dalley Street, Mullumbimby.

Bella is a 6 year old, Staffy X Kelpie. She likes to spend time with people. She enjoys going for walks, being outdoors and playing in water. Bella comes with a dog training package through Friends of the Pound. She needs a high fenced backyard.

B E L L A BELLA

M/C # 900032002145029

Please fill in an expression of interest: www.friendsofthepound.com/ adoption-expression-of-interest or phone 07 5524 8590.

OPEN: Tues 2.30–4.30pm Thurs 3–5pm, Sat 10am–12 noon Call AWL on 0436 845 542 Visit

Like us on Facebook! AWL NSW Rehoming Organisation Number: R251000222

Byron Dog Rescue (CAWI)

338

Devoted husband and soul mate of Simone and brave father of Vann, Lyra & Shay. Passedsaving his beloved children’s lives.

M a t t C o l l i n s Matt Collins

In loving memory ... Matt Collins

Late of Mullumbimby. Passed away peacefully on Friday 20th January 2023. Aged 66 Years.

Loved Dad to Sophie. Cherished by his Family and Friends.

A Private Service has been held for Matt.

Murwillumbah (02) 6672 2144

MUSICAL NOTES

5-year-old desexed female English Staffy x Ridgeback ‘Nala’ is looking for a forever home.

NAL A NALA

Strong, loving, playful, bigbeautiful-eyed Nala needs patience & stability due to past trauma and resulting mistrust. She’s good with children, cats and cows. She gets very excited around other big dogs and suffers fear aggression.

Nala needs a loving but firm handler who can provide her with further training and socialisation. Please contact Shell on 0458 461 935.

MC: 991001000924234

‘Will this be my lucky week’ thinks tiny KENDRA. A lovely wide eyed and fluffy tortie kitten who also wonders what ‘this’ is all about. The answer is a human family of her own so that she can share her infectious joy of life, and slowly mature as part of her loving family.

All cat are desexed, vaccinated and microchipped.

No: 953010006044510

Please make an appointment 0403 533 589 • Billinudgel petsforlifeanimalshelter.net

Devoted to Pleasure Couples, Men & Women touchofjustine.com 0407 013 347

Community at Work

On The Horizon

DEADLINE NOON FRIDAY

Email copy marked ‘On The Horizon’ to editor@echo.net.au.

Dementia

Caring for someone with dementia?

We’d love to see you at our monthly Northern Rivers Carers Coffee Club on the third Wednesday of every month. Our next meeting will take place at 11am on Wednesday 15 February in Brunswick Heads. Please call or Emma White on 66851 629 or email: emmawhite@byronrespite.com.au.

Bring your questions, suggestions, and concerns, speak with other carers and meet new friends.

Food Box

The Mullumbimby Food Box re-opened on Thursday 19 January. We will celebrate our tenth birthday on 9 February, so please join us on this occasion 9.30–11.30am.

BV VIEW Club

Brunswick Valley VIEW Club’s monthly luncheons are held at Brunswick Heads Bowling Club on the second Thursday of each month at 10.30am for 11am start. The first meeting for 2023 is on 9 February. It will be followed by the AGM. Casual members need to advise if they are attending. Apologies to Wenda on 0449 563 580

Byron library turns ten

Byron Bay Library’s tenth anniversary birthday celebration take place on Saturday 11 February 10am–12pm.

or email: wjhunt@yahoo.com no later than the Monday before. VIEW stands for Voice, Interests and Education of Women. The club supports seven disadvantaged students in The Smith Family’s Learning for Life program. Info: view.org.au, call 1800 805 366 or email view@thesmithfamily.com.au.

Bridge for beginners – Ballina

Starting Monday 6 February, lessons will be twice a week for four weeks on Mondays and Wednesdays from 9–11am. Then for two weeks Monday 6 March, Friday 10, Monday 13 and the last one on Friday 17 March, 9–11am. Bridge is a challenging game and fun to play. Lessons are conducted in a relaxed atmosphere in our clubroom at 13 North Creek Road, Ballina (opp. Aldi): it’s airconditioned, with tea and coffee and free parking. Cost is $80 including the famous ‘Green Book’ text to keep. Call Rebecca on 0438 480 942 to enquire and book your place.

Free piano concert

Pianos for the People free concert on 5 February at Mullumbimby Community Gardens at 3pm featuring Yantra de Vilder and the Ephemera Choir.

Regular As Clockwork

DEADLINE NOON FRIDAY

Please note that, owing to space restrictions, not all entries may be included each week. Email copy marked ‘Regular As Clockwork’ to editor@echo.net.au.

Mullumbimby District

Neighbourhood Centre

Mullumbimby & District

Neighbourhood Centre is open

Monday–Thursday 9am–4pm (closed from 12.30–1.30pm for lunch) and offers a range of services and activities. Everyone is welcome. Call reception on 6684 1286 and discover what is on offer.

MDNC services that are running include:

Flood Recovery Support Service: personalised, long-term support for those impacted by the floods.

Community support: Food parcels, meals, showers, assistance with electricity and phoneelstra bills, Work Development Orders.

Listening Space: free counselling.

Staying Home, Leaving Violence

program Integrated Domestic & Family Violence program

Financial Counselling: outreach available Thursdays & Fridays

Financial Counselling: free service to resume in February, call 6684 1286 for more details.

Information, referral and advocacy.

To enquire about accessing any of these services call 6684 1286 or fill out an online enquiry form.

Byron Community Centre

Byron Community Centre

The Byron Community Centre provides community services and programs including meals, advocacy and counselling for locals in need. Fletcher Street Cottage: A welcoming, safe and respectful space where people who are experiencing or at risk of homelessness can come to get practical relief opportunities, find connections and access broader support. Fletcher Street Cottage services are open

Monday–Friday. Breakfast: Monday–Friday, 7am–9am. Showers and Laundry: Monday–Friday, 7am–12pm. Office Support: Monday–Friday, 9am - 12pm. Support Appointments: Individual support appointments with community workers or specialist services. For bookings please call 6685 6807. Fletcher Street Cottage, 18 Fletcher St, Byron Bay. More info:

A family fun day that will start with a Welcome to Country and Arakwal Aunty, Delta Kay will be giving a talk about the library and the land. Local Arakwal artist, Nicola Clark will unveil an artwork that has been especially commissioned for the day. There’ll be guest speakers and morning tea. Then for the kids, face painting and Shorty Brown’s [ITAL]Imaginitus[/ITAL] show from 11am. Also, at 11am, local author Helen Burns, freshly returned from the Bangalore Writer’s festival will host an event.

AIRFNCB

The next branch meeting of the Association of Independent Retirees, Far North Coast Branch, will be held on Friday 5 February, 2023 at the Ballina RSL Club at 9.30am for a 10am start. The guest speaker for this meeting will be Blair Dewhurst, from the Australian Bond Exchange. Come along and hear what interesting comments Blair has to pass on about this subject. Morning tea and coffee will be available at this meeting.

Open garden

The Zonta Club of Northern Rivers are having their annual Open Garden fundraiser on 11 and 12 February, 9am–4pm. CREW Garden is located at 131 Platypus Drive, Uralba. It is a beautiful sub-tropical garden with

week in the Shire – www.aa.org.au. Are you experiencing difficulties and challenges because of the alcohol or drug use of someone close to you?

feature ponds and paths. The Open Garden is a major fundraiser for the Zonta Club of Northern Rivers with proceeds going to the club’s continuing work with older vulnerable women, and women and girls displaced by floods in our local community. Entry is $10 or $5 concession. Children under 16 are free.

BCV Probus Club

The Brunswick Valley Probus Club are welcoming new members and would love to share in the fun, friendship and fellowship of like-minded fellow retirees. Probus meets on the first Tuesday of each month at 10am at the Ocean Shores Country Club, with interesting guest speakers. We look forward to meeting you and enjoying your company. Enquires to Margaret on 6680 3316.

Prostate Cancer Support

The first meeting of the Northern Rivers Day Prostate Cancer Support Group for 2023 is on Wednesday 8 February, 10am until 12 noon at the Alstonville Plateau Sports Club (previously known as Bowling Club), Deegan Drive, Alstonville. Men previously and newly diagnosed with prostate cancer are urged to join with the group to experience the personal cancer stories told, which give a great opportunity for all present to share, learn and benefit from each other. Partners and carers are also most welcome to attend as family are very much involved with the process and

$5 pilates

classes

www.fletcherstreetcottage.com.au.

Byron Community Cabin: Seniors Computer Club (school term only), 9–11am, Friday, Carlyle Steet. More info: www.byroncentre.com.au

Phone: 6685 6807

Low-cost or free food

Food Box Thursdays 9.30–11.30am at Uniting Church, Mullumbimby. You may purchase cheap food, obtain free veges, and enjoy a cuppa. Free Food Relief Bags for anyone doing it tough, every Wednesday 10–12noon at The Hub Ocean Shores, cnr Rajah Rd and Bindaree Way. No ID or Concession Card required. NILs referral service also available. Check Facebook page The Hub Baptist Ocean Shores for details.

Liberation Larder Takeaway lunches and groceries Monday and Thursday 12 till 1pm. Fletcher Street end of the Byron Community Centre.

Respite Service

Byron Shire Respite Service Inc delivers high-quality respite care to a broad range of clients throughout the Byron, Ballina and Lismore shires. Donations welcome: Ph 6685 1921, email fundraiser@byronrespite.com.au, website: www.byronrespite.com.au.

Alateen meeting

Alateen meeting every Thursday at 5–6pm. Do you have a parent, close friend or relative with a drinking problem? Alateen can help. For 8–16-year-olds meet St Cuthbert’s Anglican Church Hall, 13 Powell Street, corner of Florence Street Tweed Heads. Al-Anon family groups for older members at the same time and place. 1300 ALANON 1300 252 666 www.al-anon.org.au

ACA

Adult Children of Alcoholic Parents and/or Dysfunctional Families (ACA) help & recovery group meets in Lismore every Friday 10–11.30am, Red Dove Centre, 80 Keen Street. Byron meetings are on Tuesdays at 7pm via Zoom – meeting ID 554 974 582 password byronbay.

Drug support groups

Call Alcoholics Anonymous 1800 423 431 or 0401 945 671 – 30 meetings a

Learn coping skills and gain support from others. Narcotics Anonymous is a fellowship of men and women for whom drugs had become a major problem. We are recovering addicts who meet regularly to help each other stay clean. For information and meetings call 1300 652 820 or text your postcode to 0488 811 247. www. na.org.au. Are you concerned about somebody else’s drinking? Al-Anon Family Groups meetings held Fridays at 2pm by Zoom. 1300 252666 www. al-anon.org.au.

Support after suicide

StandBy provides support to people who have lost someone to suicide. They provide free face-to-face and telephone support and are accessible 24/7. Follow-up contact is available for up to one year. Find out more at: www. standbysupport.com.au or call 13 11 14. If you, or someone you are with, are in need of immediate support please call an ambulance or police on 000.

End-of-Life Choices

Voluntary Euthanasia End-of-Life

Choices are discussed at Exit International meetings held quarterly. Meetings are held at Robina and Tweed Heads South, this month. Attendees must be Exit Members. For further Information www.exitinternational.net or phone Catherine 0435 228 443.

Carers’ support

Mullumbimby Mental Health Carers’ Support Group for family members and friends who have a loved one with a mental health issue. Meeting on 4th Thursday of each month 9.30am at the Mullumbimby Neighbourhood Centre.

Info: Susanne 0428 716 431.

Rainbow Dragons

Rainbow Dragons Abreast (RDA) welcomes breast cancer survivors for a paddle at Lake Ainsworth, Lennox Head (and sometimes at Ballina) on Sundays 7.30am for 8am start. Contact Marian 6688 4058, mazzerati2010@gmail.com.

Older adult exercise

Chair Based Older Adults Exercise Classes run by a qualified instructor, that feel more like fun than exercise, are held every Thursday at 10.15am in the Brunswick Memorial Hall. Cost $10. All welcome. Just show up or if you have any questions please contact Di on 0427 026 935.

treatment of those with this diagnosis. This will be a morning of quality sharing on health and wellbeing updates. Enquiries, phone Bob Corney 0493 075 612.

Bruns CWA

Brunswick Heads branch meets on the first Friday of the month at 9am at the Corner of Park and Booyun Streets, Brunswick Heads. CWA of Brunswick Heads Crafty Women meet here Fridays 10am–2pm. Join us for a chat, a cuppa, and bring along your craft projects including sewing, knitting, crocheting, memory books or quilting. Beginners welcome. Gold coin donation. https://www.facebook. com/CWAofBrunswickHeads. Our next Market Day is Saturday 18 February 8am–1pm.

Laughter

The benefits of laughter are well documented and available to us all. Laughter sessions are happening at Coorabell Hall from 10.15am on Fridays from January, 2023. Cost $10. All ages are welcome and no experience is needed. Just show up, and if you have any questions please contact Paulette on 0413 960 777.

New Mums

Support for New Mums is a volunteer organisation that has been looking after mums and their babies for nearly five years in the Tweed and Byron Shires. We offer a free weekly home visiting service that supports

the health and wellbeing of mums in the last trimester of pregnancy, the first year of their baby’s life and beyond, if needed. We receive referrals from health services in both shires as well as self-referrals and we need more volunteers as the demand for our support grows. Contact us if you are a new mum or would like to become a volunteer. Contact: Deb Hunt on 0490 409 039 or email: newmums8@gmail.com.

Safe Haven

Mullumbimby

Safe Haven in Mullumbimby provides free mental health support to the community from 12–6pm, seven days a week. Safe Haven is funded by Healthy North Coast and is staffed by experienced clinicians and mental health support staff. Safe Haven is a drop-in centre, no appointment or referral is required. Any community member is welcome. We are located at 15 Tincogan St, behind the Mullumbimby and District Neighbourhood Centre. Find out more online: safehavennc.org.au or email: support@safehavennc. org.au. Free community support groups commencing in February. Art Connection for Women: commencing Monday 6 February – 27 March, 10.30am–12noon. Addiction Family Support: Commencing Tuesday 7 February 6.30pm–8pm. Enquire at Mullumbimby Safe Haven open 12pm–6pm seven days.

Pilates for the price of a coffee! Come and join us for $5 Pilates classes every Thursday at 8.45am in the Memorial Hall, 22 Fingal Street, Brunswick Heads and Monday at 8.45am in Mullumbimby. It doesn’t matter what level you are, as beginner to advanced options are shown. Just bring a mat and water. My goal is to keep the Shire active and feeling great one person at a time. No need to book just show up. For more information contact Di on 0427 026 935.

Language exchange

Byron language exchange club runs every 2nd last Friday of the month from 6pm (alternating Ballina/ Byron). Practise other languages or help someone with your English! Find us on Facebook. Contact byronbaylanguages@gmail.com.

Brunswick Valley

Historical Society Inc

The Museum is on the corner of Myocum and Stuart Sts Mullumbimby, open Tuesdays and Fridays 10am–12pm and market Saturdays 9am–1pm. Discover your local history, join our team – 6684 4367.

Library fun

Baby Bounce and Storytime for toddlers and pre-school children are at: Brunswick Heads Library, Monday – Story Time 10.30 till 11.30am; Friday – Baby Time 10.30 till 11am. Mullumbimby Library, Monday – Story Time 10–11am; Tuesday – Baby Time 10–10.30 am.

Lions Club

Interested in making new friends and helping our community? Lions Club of Brunswick Mullumbimby meets 1st & 3rd Tuesdays at 7pm Ocean Shores Country Club. Info: Joan Towers 0400 484 419.

Lismore U3A

Have you retired or just about to from the workforce? Are you looking to exercise your mind and body and keep both well oiled? Well, Lismore U3A (university of the third age) could be just the place for you. This worldwide organisation has been running in Lismore for the past 30 years and thousands of local people have benefited from its programs. It’s a great place to meet like-minded people and make new friends. We start 2023 with a choice of at least 30 classes, which include: languages, photography, science, history, Qigong, genealogy, and many others. We also

have a social calendar each term. All our courses are listed on our website www.lismoreu3a.com.au. There is an online enrolment form that you can complete or contact Pat McLarenSmith on 6622 7408.

Exercise for older adults

Chair Based Older Adults Exercise Classes run by a qualified instructor, that feel more like fun than exercise, are held every Thursday at 10.15am in the Brunswick Memorial Hall. Cost $10. All welcome. Just show up or if you have any questions please contact Di on 0427 026 935.

Toastmasters

Byron Cavanbah Toastmasters meetings coaching in communication and self-development run on 1st and 3rd Mondays, 6.15 for 6.30pm at Byron Bay Services Club, Byron Bay. Online attendance allowed. Mullum Magic Toastmasters: Mullum Magic provides a safe and fun environment for members and guests to develop their public-speaking and leadership skills. Meeting 6.30–8.30pm every second and fourth Thursday of the month at the Mullum Ex-Services Club. New members and guests welcome. Contact Bruce 0418 515 991 or Ninian 0411 629 982.

Meditation

Dzogchen meditation and study group 2nd and 4th Saturdays each month at Mullumbimby CWA Hall. Didi 0408 008 769. Buddhist meditation and conversation with John Allan, Mondays 6.30–8.30pm, The Yurt, Temple Byron. No fees. John 0428 991 189. Byron yoga philosophy club free meditation classes Monday, 7pm, 1 Korau Place Suffolk Park. Go to www. wisdom.yoga or phone Kris 0435 300 743. Byron Bay Meditation Centre, Tuesday 6.30pm at Temple Byron. For more info: byronbaymeditationcentre. com.au or contact Greg 0431 747 764.

Byron Gem Club

The Bryon Gem and Lapidary Club is open weekly to members new and old. Visitors welcome to view club facilities. Activities semi-precious and gemstone cutting, shaping and polishing, gem faceting, silver work, gem setting and jewellery making etc. Facebook @ Byron Gem Club. Club workshed located past Sky Dive Byron at Tyagarah Airfield. Contact 6687 1251 or 0427 529 967 for more info.

Craft group

The Uniting Craft & Social Group meets every Monday 9.30am–2.30pm at the Uniting Church in Carlyle Street, Byron

Bay. Bring lunch and whatever else you need. Small cost. All welcome. Do you prefer patchwork and quilting? Come along on Monday evening same place at 6pm. Enquiries Tilly 6685 5985.

Mullumbimby Potters & Sculptors

Mullumbimby Clayworkers Gallery in the Drill Hall complex is open every Thursday to Saturday 10am–2pm with pottery and sculpture from community members for sale. Applications for studio membership open in January. All details at www.mullumclayworkers. com.

CWA Bangalow

Bangalow CWA has reopened and our hours are Monday–Friday 10am–2pm and Saturdays 8am-12 noon.

Toy Library

The Byron Shire Toy Library is open Mondays and Thursdays 9am–12 noon, at the Children’s Centre, Coogera Cct, Suffolk Park. Come and see the large range of preschoolers toys available for loan.

Up your skills

Come to Upskill in Mullumbimby, a free introductory building and carpentry workshop. Workshops are held every Saturday, 9am to 1pm at Shedding Community Workshop. Bookings Essential via shedding.com. au. Contact Sophie Wilksch via email at shedding.communityworkshop@ gmail.com.

Muslim prayer

Friday Muslim prayer. Jumu’ah service held weekly at the Cavanbah Centre at 1.30 pm. Come to the remembrance of Allah.

Baby cafe

Bubbamummas baby café drop in mornings, Thursdays from 9.30am at New Space, Shop 2 next door to Target 86 Rajah Road Ocean Shores. Morning tea, discussions, guest speakers. Ocean Shores Community Association (OSCA). Details 0431 477 445.

Landcare

Bangalow Land and Rivercare working bee every Saturday 8.30–10.30am. Email: bangalowlandcare@gmail.com. Noelene 0431200638.

Free ESL

Free English as a Second Language classes suitable for beginners to advanced learners. Kingscliff 6674 7267.

Sport Supported by Surf Getaways

Byron Bay SLSC takes fourth place at NSW country championships

South coast club Warillanhas overturned five years of Cudgen Headland dominace to win this year’s NSW Country Surf Lifesaving Championships held at Cape Hawke near Forster.

Byron Bay SLSC came in fourth place behind Cudgen and Port Macquarie. Yamba placed fifth ahead of Lennox Head-Alstonville.

The championships attract around 1500 competitors from surf clubs outside the metropolitan areas of NSW.

Oliver Sharpe, from Lennox Head-Alstonville SLSC, made it back-to-back Open Iron titles in the male division when he closed out hard in the swim leg to overtake Country Championships legend Scott McCartney from Cudgel Headland and claimed the gold. It looked as though

Twenty-one boats took to the water to compete in one long race that made up the fourth instalment of the Tweed River Sailing Club’s class championship.

The fleet made up predominately of Corsairs, Lasers and Pacers, took on a shifty light breeze of 9–11 knots on a runout tide.

The fleet, started with Peter on Mr Plow and Adam on Puddy in the lead, closely followed by Kate on Bluey and Mark on Keenas

It was a rockier start for some as the crew on Fletcher caught the anchor chain of the start boat during the 5-minute sequence. Once freed, they completed one lap of the course and then decided to withdraw from the race.

Keenas received some

Ocean Shores swimmers power to strong results at regional swimming competition

A group of seven athletes from the Ocean Shores Aquatics swim team took part in the annual Country Regional Swim Meeet held at Alstonville over January 22 and 23.

The invite-only event, based on qualifying times, attracted swimmers from Forster to the Tweed border.

‘They all excelled in one way or another, whether it was challenging themselves to race a bit more distance, try out different techniques, or simply just have a go and exercise their belief,’ coach Adrian Filipic said.

‘All results were well deserved’.

Results

McCartney was going to wind back the clock having led after the board and ski legs, but the 36-year-old was pipped at the post by Oliver. This was just minutes after a warm-up in the U19

Iron where Oliver won silver behind Warilla-Barrack Point’s Bailey Krstevski. Byron Bay took out the Female Open Double Ski, and also won the gold in the 30+ Mixed Double Ski.

Lawson King (12yrs): gold 50m freestyle and 100m freestyle, silver 50m backstroke and 50m fly, fifth in 100m backstroke (all swims were personal best times).

Delilah Warton (11yrs): gold in 50m freestlye, 50m butterfly and 100m butterfly, silver in 100m freestlye, 50m backstroke and 50m breaststroke (all personal bests).

Madison Harper (12yrs): bronze 100m breaststroke and personal best times across eight other events.

Lily Purtell (11yrs): all personal best times in four events with two fourths.

Tully Harper (11yrs): personal best times in four events.

Orlando Blandford (8yrs): two best times.

Giorgia Benedetti (10yrs): competed in three events.

Indigenous cricketers go head-to-head

laser treatment from Bluey coming across on port tack to create contact. Kate went on to sail a great course tailing Puddy and Mr Plow around the track.

Adam and Peter changed leads several times throughout the race, with Peter covering Adam to the final bottom mark, rounding and

sailing into first place at 1.10.30.

Kate snuck into second over the line at 1.11.22, closely followed by Adam at 1.11.31.

Robert, in 1890, was the next boat, sailing into fourth over the line at 1.12.15, followed by Dave on Matchbox at 1.14.21.

Regional teams came together at Ballina’s Fripp Oval for an Indigenous cricket challenge carnival on January 26, last week.

The Bullinah Bears, Lismore Boomerangs and the Kyogle Yowies played T20 games across the day, with each team playing each other once.

The Bullinah Bears won

out on the day, collecting two wins from two.

‘There was great spirit among the teams, they played really fairly, but with a lot of intensity,’ Kyogle Yowie player George Worthington said.

‘There was team spirit but really good comraderie across the whole group as well.

‘A couple of the games went down to the last over, which made it really exciting fo everyone.

‘Bullinah deserved their win, they were the in form team and the strongest on the day,’ he said.

Bullinah’s veteran Don Daley was the best bowler on the day, topping the wicket takers list.

Oliver Sharpe (middle) after winning the Open Iron with place getters, Warilla’s Jack Carberry (left) and Cudgen’s Scott McCartney (right. Photo supplied.

Ocean Shores Aquatic team at training: (L-R) Delilah, Lily, Lawson, Tully, Madison (missing are Orlando and Giorgia) with Adrian. Photo supplied.

Clear skies for Tweed River sailors last week. Photo supplied

Three teams made it to this year’s Indigenous cricket carnival in Ballina and organisers are hoping to see more regional teams competing in the coming years. Photo supplied

Backlash

A pothole protest is planned for 12pm until 1pm on Thursday, outside Council’s Mullum chambers. Longtime Upper Main Arm residents want their Third World road graded – at the very least, so their cars don’t have to keep going in for repairs. They say they’ve been asking politely for action for a very long time. All are welcome, say organisers.

SUNDAY 5 FEBRUARY Main Beach Foreshore 8am – 3pm UNIQUE STALLS FOOD & LIVE MUSIC Broadfoot Mel Scarlett Glitterati Riot WHAT’S YOUR HOME IN THE RIGHT HANDS? BYRON BAY BALLINA LISMORE

Organisers of the Aquarius Festival 50th Anniversary Rainbow Bridge Celebration are looking for vollies for their Channon Market event on Sunday, May 14. See page 2 or email harshaprabhu55@ gmail.com to get involved.

The Byron Writers Festival membership drive kicks off February 6, and organisers say all new or renewing members throughout the month will go into a draw for prizes. Visit www.byronwritersfestival.com for more info.

Do punks die young? Nope – Jennifer Ross’s Age of Rage – The Australian Punk Revolution closed the very successful Bangalow Film Festival recently. Photo Jeff ‘Punky D’ Dawson

been asked to solve world hunger or climate change instead. Maybe AI could automate everything and leave humans to be more creative, like futurist Buckminster Fuller envisioned?

worth P 6686 1100 harcourtsnr.com.au

Major US ticketing platform, Eventbrite, pulled the pin on the Australian tour of controversial US cardiologist and epidemiologist, Dr Peter McCullough, last week, as the ‘event does not comply with our Community Guidelines’. McCullough argues that the covid vaccines are unsafe. His Gold Coast event, backed by the odious Clive Palmer, can now be booked through Ticketek.

Online AI bot, ChatGPT is so good, it prompted the WA education department to ban it from schools. When asked, the chatbot will, for example, pen impressive poetry. It’s unclear why AI is being used for what humans can already do, and hasn’t

region’. For more info, visit planc.org.au. 0466 637 378 admin@muskensbuilding.com muskensbuilding.co

Federal Labor just extended the central Qld open-cut coal mine, Lake Vermont (owned by Bowen Basin Coal Pty Ltd), until 2063. As a coking mine, its coal is used for metal production. The other type of coal mining is thermal, which is burned for fuel. As it happens, hemp fibre is stronger than metal, and can also be a fuel. And a food, and a medicine, and a…

Resilient Byron has changed their name to Plan C. Media spokesperson, Zach Rook, told The Echo, ‘We originally focused on the Byron Shire, but since the floods and fires, we have been supporting the whole region. Our new name, Plan C, makes

thinkblinkdesign.com INDIVIDUAL, GROUP AND ONLINE CLASSES. DESIGN SKILLS FOR BUSINESS Create your own stunning business collaterol using Adobe. Learn from an accredited and experienced graphic designer and design tutor. Available at HAMMER & HAND Jewellery & Metal Collective (Bangalow) 10 Station St, Bangalow | HammerAndHandBangalow H an d ma d e jewe ll ery b y CRISTINA c r isti n a art_si l ve r | c r isti n a Ballina MORE THAN JUST A MEAL We deliver nutritious, delicious meals to the elderly, people with a disability or high risk consumers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Meals can be delivered eekly as frozen packs for ou to heat or daily if you uire a hot meal. EEPING YOU CONNECTED Our social support volunteers ll phone you for a social at and check on your wellbeing. 6686 2636 namealsonwheels.com.au E. bsmow@bigpond.com.au •NOURISHING MEALS •DELIVERED TO YOUR DOOR •NO WAITING LIST OR LOCK-IN CONTRACT N w ch WE’RE KEEPING YOU SAFE BY REDUCING THE NEED FOR YOU TO GO SHOPPING