The Byron Shire Echo – Issue 39.10 – August 14, 2024

A festival of writers and thinkers

‘Unique Byron culture’ to help local business

Paul Bibby

What can we do to get the Byron economy back on track?

With many local business owners and operators battling hard to stay in the black, Byron Council has released a draft business, industry and visitor strategy outlining what it can do to help.

A key step in the process, according to the report, will be attracting more of the right kind of visitors to the area – those wanting to embrace our unique culture and values, and willing to spend a few dollars along the way.

‘For the visitor economy, it is

important to project key visitor experiences to the types of visitors that the destination seeks to embrace,’ the report’s authors state.

‘By doing so visitors that align with the community’s principles will be attracted to the region.’

But how do we do this?

Council has proposed a range of measures, most of them focused on supporting and promoting events and activities that will attract people to town and keep them here long enough to share some of their hard-earned with the rest of us.

This includes coordinating a

calendar of small, medium, and large events that span the entire year. At the small end of this scale will be art exhibitions and craft events held in the shire’s local halls, while the large end could feature more festivals that make use of our parks and showgrounds.

Building on the cultural theme, the Council is also proposing the development of a local Aboriginal cultural centre. This part of a broader push to encourage greater levels of inclusive and accessible tourism.

These measures will seek to bring visitors to the shire’s key

Continued on page 9

Byron Mayor AVO – election turmoil

Aslan Shand

Expectations surrounding the upcoming Byron Shire Council elections have been thrown in the air with the revelation that the police are seeking an Apprehended Violence Order (AVO) against Byron Shire Mayor, Michael Baden Lyon.

Two domestic violence (DV) charges have been confirmed by the court: assault and stalking/ intimidation. The AVO and the two charges are set to be heard later this month.

Following the charges being made public, both Cr Mark Swivel

and Dr Meredith Wray, who were running on the Byron Independents ticket with Lyon in the upcoming council elections, have pulled out of his ticket. Former councillor Jeannette Martin who was running fourth on the ticket has remained, telling The Echo that: ‘I support Michael 100 per cent and I will remain on the Byron Independents ticket’.

Cr Lyon said on social media that; ‘I have also not made any decision on whether I will run again for mayor. A final decision on this will be made before Wednesday.’ Nominations to register to run nominations for mayor or

Continued on page 3

Byron Writers Festival brought brilliant minds and stimulating conversations to the Bangalow Showground last weekend. Pictured clockwise from top left: Trent Dalton, William McInnes, Mindy Woods, David Marr, perhaps Saturday’s most stylish festivalgoer, and Chigozie Obioma. Photos Jeff ‘less words more pictures, thanks’ Dawson

Aslan Shand

Explaining new coercive control laws joins The Greens

One woman dies every four days in a domestic and family violence situation in Australia and of the 112 women who were killed by an intimate partner between 10 March 2008 and 30 June 2016 in NSW, 111 were victims of coercive control.

That means 99 per cent of DV homicides (a person being killed by an intimate or former intimate partner) occurred where ‘the relationship was characterised by the abuser’s use of coercive and controlling behaviours towards the victim’ according to the Coercive Control Discussion Paper in 2020.

These were the stark facts that were delivered at the recent forums held in Kingscliff, Lennox Head, and Mullumbimby that were set up to help people understand the new coercive control laws that came into effect on 1 July, 2024.

Former magistrate David Heilpern and local comedian and federal Greens candidate Mandy Nolan ran the forums. Sergeant Lance Stebbing from the Tweed Byron Police and Ambyr Johnston, manager of the Staying Home

DV resources and support

Mullumbimby and District Neighbourhood Centre Women’s Resource Services 6684 4299, email: admin1@MDNC.org.au

Women’s DV Court Advocacy Support 1300 888 529, www.legalaid.nsw.gov.au

NSW Sexual Assault Hotline 1800 424 017 (free call) www.nswrapecrisis.com.au

Lifeline 13 11 14, www.lifeline.org.au

Momentum Collective 1300 900 091, www.mymomentum.org.au

Domestic Violence Hotline NSW 1800 656 463 (free call), www.familyrelationships.gov.au

1800RESPECT, 1800 737 732 (free call) www.1800respect.org.au

Leaving Violence at the Mullumbimby and District Neighbourhood Centre attended some of the sessions. Coercive control is a pattern of controlling and manipulative behaviours within a relationship, which can include financial control, restricting personal choices, monitoring and stalking, isolation, and physical violence. This can also include things like intimidation, fear for a person’s welfare, threats of removing children or bringing in social services.

‘The new coercive control laws set up a framework that criminalises something that we’ve all known is wrong and is a precursor to physical violence,’ explained Mr Heilpern.

‘This is a law that tries to intervene so that less women and children die,’ said Ms Nolan.

Police have acknowledged that there are significant hurdles to proving that coercive control is taking place, said Mr Heilpern, however, ‘this puts it on the agenda’.

‘From a legal perspective, emails, texts, and comments on social media are ways to prove coercive control,’ Mr Heilpern explained. ‘But in the absence of that it is very difficult to prove.’

These laws are not retrospective and evidence from before 1 July cannot be used.

Safety

A key point of discussion was the importance of a safe place for women and children to go to escape violence and coercive control. However Mr Heilpern highlighted that while police actively pursue drug dealers and other criminals they don’t actively investigate scenarios where there is known domestic violence.

‘As a magistrate I approved tens-of-thousands of listening devices, but not once was I asked to approve one in a case of DV. I have been driven around towns by local police who can point out exactly in which houses the DV is taking place. Yet there is less chance of an investigation taking place in a DV situation than if a neighbour reports there is a possible cannabis crop next door.’

The Greens have announced a fifth member of the ticket for the upcoming local government elections. Nell Schofield nominated prior to the news of the Byron Independents ticket meltdown and joins Sarah Ndiaye who is running for mayor, Elia Hauge, Delta Kay and Michelle Lowe.

‘It gives me great pride to stand with these amazing women who have stepped up for our community,’ Nell said.

‘I look forward to hitting the campaign trail with them for strong Greens representation on Council.’

Nell has made significant contributions to media, arts

and public advocacy according to The Greens press release.

‘Nell’s remarkable journey from surfer to actress to broadcaster and writer exemplifies the diverse talent and passion we value,’ Ndiaye said.

‘She has been on the boards of the Sydney Festival, the Australian Design Centre and has worked as a producer and presenter with the ABC. She is currently on the management committee of BayFM where she hosts a weekly show, and is part of the Women’s Giving Circle of the Northern Rivers Community Foundation.’

Nell Schofield has joined the Greens ticket.

Photo Jeff Dawson

Local News

▶ Continued from page 1

councillor close at noon on Wednesday, 14 August. As this edition went to print current Mayor Michael Lyon had not nominated to run, the only ticket that had officially nominated was The Greens ticket.

‘At the heart of this matter is a misunderstanding that I hope will be cleared up as quickly as possible so that my name can be cleared and that my family can move back out of the public eye and receive the love and attention they need,’ said Lyon.

‘I abhor violence in all its forms and respect the need for the strong processes that are in place to protect the safety of people in the home.’

Swivel goes Labor

Cr Swivel said in a statement on social media that he needed ‘a mayoral campaign

Byron Shire Mayor Michael Lyon has yet to confirm if he will be running in the upcoming election.

like a hole in the head’ however, after deliberation he has now joined Cr Asren Pugh’s Labor ticket running for a councillor position along with former Greens member Diane James, taking the Labor ticket to five candidates with Cr Asren Pugh running for mayor.

‘Diana has been a member for a number of

months and Mark joined last week,’ Pugh told The Echo ‘It doesn’t matter if you have previously been a member of another party, or an independent, if you share Labor values then we are keen to have new members join and get involved in making the world a better place.’

Ironically, while both Swivel and James were able to join the Labor ticket, neither would have been able to vote in a preselection vote if one had been held as ‘there has long been a rule in the Labor party that you have to be a member for two years to vote in a preselection vote,’ explained Pugh.

Nine positions and ten candidates?

Currently there is only one other ticket, The Greens, that has declared they are

running, and it is the only ticket that was formally registered at the time of print.

Both Cr Pugh and Cr Ndiaye have registered as mayoral candidates.

With nine positions available, one of which is the popularly-elected mayor, if no other candidates or tickets register then only one of the currently proposed ten candidates on the Labor and Green tickets will not be elected.

While there are rumours swirling that there are other candidates looking to form tickets to fill the surprise void that the collapse of the Byron Independents ticket would leave they still have until noon Wednesday to register.

Read more on The Echo online www.echo.net.au as more information becomes available.

‘No person who can read is ever successful at cleaning out an attic.’ – Ann Landers

A couple of years ago local songwriter Levi Maxwell decided to mark his 18th birthday with a kayak trip from Lismore to Ballina.

The 100-kilometre journey provided a stark and striking insight into the impact of the recent floods, and it became the inspiration for a moving song.

‘I remember I started out at 4.30 in the morning and as the sun was coming up all you could see was rubbish all through the trees,’ the Alstonville resident recalls.

‘Washing machines, water tanks… a caravan… this devastation all around…

‘It got me to thinking about everything that had happened and it just made me feel proud to be from the Northern Rivers and how the community came together and everyone helped each other.’

Not long after the trip, Levi wove these thoughts and

There is a new addition to this year’s charge up Mullumbimby’s Mount Chincogan – as those fit enough to run or walk up the beautiful mountain, the rest of the town can enjoy the display of cars from the Mullumbimby Muscle & Classic Car Club.

‘The cars will line the street where the runners start and finish the race,’ explained organiser Jenelle Stanford from the

by a

feelings into a song called ‘Dear Richmond’, a tribute to the Richmond and Wilsons rivers and the resilience of those who live by their sides.

Fast forward two years and ‘Dear Richmond’ is echoing across the local airwaves on BayFM as the winning entry in the inaugural BaySounds songwriting competition.

‘It’s pretty amazing the way it all happened I guess,’ Levi says.

‘I literally sat at the computer with my guitar and it

Mullumbimby Chamber of Commerce.

‘There will also be a barbeque and stall run by the Mullumbimby Primary School and drinks available at the Ex-Services Club.’ Register now

The entry fee is $50 for runners and $25 for noncompetitors (walkers). If you leave it to the last minute it is $75 on the day if there are

kind of just flowed out…’

BaySounds, a collaboration between BayFM Community Radio and SAE Byron is a competition aimed at showcasing unsigned independent musicians residing in the Northern Rivers region.

There were over 30 entries, highlighting the exceptional quality of original music produced in our region.

Second prize went to the talented Filly Mack from Ballina for her soulful track

‘She’, and recognition awards were presented to local

spaces available.

There is the children’s race as well as the adult race, and professional athletes will start first at 2pm outside the NSW Fire and Rescue Station at 57 Dalley Street, Mullumbimby. The children’s race is from 1.30pm and is $15 to enter.

There are a range of prizes that can be won. To book visit: www.eventwizards. com.au.

artists Sam Lily, Billie Skye, Yasmindi, Power Drill, Sam Darbyshire, and Parhelion.

‘I am continually amazed by the depth and creativity of our music scene,’ said Bay FM President and presenter, Ange Kent, who was also one of the judges of the competition.

‘There was a remarkable range of genres in the competition, from folk and indie to rock, blues, electronic, punk, and prog rock.

‘The subject matter was equally diverse – love, relationship breakups, the pressures of growing up, anxiety, bullying, community resilience, and the beauty of nature.’

Levi said he felt privileged and grateful to have grown up in an area that was ‘so rich with music’.

‘We’re blessed with a ridiculous amount of bands playing… Byron… Lismore… it’s so good for role models…’ he said.

‘I don’t think there’s anywhere else as good in the world, though maybe I’m a bit biased.’

With first prize being a recording session at SAE’s studios along with a filming session, and a songwriting workshop with Shelly Brown, Levi is now hoping to get more of his songs out into the world.

‘I’m so keen to record a song,’ he says.

‘At the moment I’m trying to save money… get some more songs out… build a name for myself…

‘We’ll see.’

Paul Bibby

Levi Maxwell was inspired

kayak trip on the Richmond River. Photo supplied

Wild Rocket receive awards

Wild Rocket, made up of Byron Bay High School year 9 students, Zephyr Penhaligon-Breeze and Kai Akib, have taken out two awards.

They took first place in this year’s YouthRock competition in Sydney last weekend against eight other bands. YouthRock is an official event for NSW Youth Week 2024, highlighting talented teenage contemporary bands and

songwriters. It is a joint operation between Belmore Boys High School, Youth Week, and YouthRock. The event attracted 36 bands in total this year from schools across NSW.

First prize

The first prize includes 3-5 days studio time to have a single produced and mastered by the Banton Brothers, a video clip produced by Mainstreet Studios,

a professional photoshoot, a gig booked by the Harbour Agency and more.

In addition, the band have just heard that Wild Rocket have also jointly won the Boom Crash Rockstar competiton, also held in Sydney playing to a packed audience in Paddington RSL. They will now receive a spot on a major festival main stage, with the possibility of signing a worldwide digital recording deal.

Further investigation needed of Mullum’s future water supply

Aslan Shand

Hydrosphere have reassessed their costings for the Mullumbimy Lavertys Gap water supply option versus moving the water supply to Rous County Council (RCC). The Greens are calling on further investigation of the option to effectively understand the implications of closing the Mullum water supply permanently.

The decision is before Byron Shire Council (BSC) this Thursday.

‘They were extracting the savings of not doing Lavertys Gap and attributing that saving as a benefit of doing the connection to RCC water supply,’ explained Cr Duncan Dey.

Cr Dey also cast doubt on the new figure of $39 million for the purchase of land for the off-stream holding pond suggesting that it might be an error of one digit, i.e. $3.9 million.

‘Doubts such as this are

why more three days time is needed to digest the new information,’ said Cr Dey

‘The outgoing Mayor has spearheaded opposition to proper investigation into keeping Mullum’s current local water source at Lavertys Gap. After 80 years serving the town, that supply system needs a refurb requiring capital investment (to which we should expect the state to contribute). The existing system will then provide cheap water into the future, maybe for another 80 years, through the addition of an off-stream storage reservoir,’ said Cr Dey.

RCC has no secure water supply

By 2040 the RCC water supply area is expecting an increase of 40 per cent in customers and they are also approaching Nimbin and Casino, as well as Mullumbimby, to also bring them onto the RCC water supply.

‘For 30 years RCC has not known where it is going to

get its future water from. Some of us recall the 1990s struggle to prevent Rous from damming Wilsons River near Federal. Thirty years later, Rous still has no idea where to source new water.’ Greens councillor Duncan Dey and Greens candidate Elia Hauge, both water engineers, say that the decision regarding the town’s water resilience is too important to be rushed through with inadequate examination of the options and without the community seeing that information.

‘After pressure from the Greens the council surveyed the Byron Shire community – and the community has spoken, with 91 per cent of respondents saying that it’s important that Mullumbimby retains an independent water supply. We need the council to listen, and to thoroughly investigate to find the best option for Mullumbimby’s water resilience, rather than rushing through a decision for political expediency.’

Local artist wins Archibald’s People’s Choice

Paul Bibby

For many years local artist Angus McDonald observed Professor Marcia Langton AO from a distance with a mixture of admiration and deep respect.

The trail-blazing Indigenous academic and advocate was, in McDonald’s eyes, ‘a towering figure’ and a ‘trail blazer’.

So there was much excitement, and perhaps even a hint of fear, when Professor Langton accepted the artist’s invitation to paint her portrait for the Archibald Prize.

The result was a striking portrait that reveals a side of the subject that the public rarely gets to see.

That it captivated those who saw it was clearly demonstrated last week when the painting won the People’s Choice Award, a coveted prize that is voted on by tens of thousands of art lovers across the country.

But as grateful as McDonald is for the honour, getting to know Professor Langton as a person was the ultimate win.

‘It was a privilege for Marcia Langton to agree to sit with me – that was definitely the highlight of the whole process,’ McDonald told The Echo

‘I spent a day with her in Melbourne which was amazing.

‘We spoke a lot and I was really struck by this incredible person... battle-hardened by 50 years of struggle… the criticism, the blowback… it’s hardened her. But the great thing was to find out about the other side. Warm, generous, hospitable… she’s a lovely person.’

For McDonald, portraiture is about much more than just coming up with a good likeness of the subject.

It’s as much about conveying who they are as a person.

‘It definitely informs the way I’m doing the portrait, having a sense of who they are, the humanity,’ he says.

McDonald is already working on his entry for the 2025 prize but is keeping the subject’s identity under wraps for now.

‘I do have a subject in mind... we’ve gotten together for a sitting,’ he says.

‘It’s someone else that I respect and admire…’

If this year’s entry is anything to go by, the next entry will not only shine but will shine a light into the world of another remarkable human being.

Angus McDonald and Professor Marcia Langton AO. Photo Carly Frankham

Mullum Roots Festival launch

The Mullumbimby ExServices Club was buzzing with excitement last Sunday as musician Lou Bradley introduced her vision for the inaugural Mullum Roots Festival, set to take place in July 2025. The packed auditorium was a testament to the community’s eagerness for the return of a vibrant music festival to Mullumbimby. With a rich background

as an ARIA finalist and nine years at the helm of the Nimbin Roots Festival, Lou is poised to deliver a memorable event in Mullumbimby.

Lou recalled the 15 years she called Mullumbimby home, while raising her family, and shared her enthusiasm for creating a festival that celebrates original music and songwriting.

She announced that the initial lineup for the

2025 event will be revealed in October, promising an exciting array of talent. The audience was treated to a preview of the festival’s unique offerings, as Lou performed a selection of humorous ‘hillbilly’ songs, accompanied by talented musicians Phil Chaffey and Rod Coe.

For more information about the festival, visit www. mullumrootsfestival.com.

Expression of Interest Access point services – Coraki

The Australian Government agency Services Australia is seeking Expressions of Interest from organisations to provide access point services in Coraki.

We contract access points to provide free self-help facilities to help people do their business with us.

These include an internet-enabled computer, Wi-Fi, phone and scanner/photocopier/printer.

Access point staff may also confirm identity documents we require.

We pay a standard remuneration fee for the delivery of access point services.

We also provide training and equipment.

Go to servicesaustralia.gov.au/agentaccesspointhosts to view:

• the selection criteria

• general information on access point services

• how to obtain the terms and conditions for this opportunity.

For more information please contact Michelle Walker, Agent Coordinator, on 07 5569 6634

Expressions of Interest close Friday 5 pm, 30 August 2024

Email your Expression of Interest to: Michelle Walker, Agent Coordinator, NAAPT.SERVICE.DELIVERY@servicesaustralia.gov.au with subject header: North West New South Wales - Coraki EOI

In support of the Save Wallum campaign, a raffle was held during the launch of the 2025 Mullum Roots Festival, with the first prize being a ticket to the festival. Photo Lyn McCarthy

Thank You Byron Bay

Harvest Estate Wins UDIA Award for Best Residential Subdivision in NSW.

Thank you to the entire Byron Bay community for working together to win this award.

On behalf of everyone at Tower Holdings, we feel deeply privileged to have collaborated closely with our neighbours, community stakeholders, and the Council to develop this unique residential community in Byron Bay.

We take immense pride in transforming what was once degraded farmland into a thriving ecosystem, dedicating 11.76 hectares to environmental rehabilitation and incorporating over 44,000m² of new public open space.

This recognition, 25 years in the making, stands as a testament to our vision of creating a lasting legacy for the Byron Bay community that will continue to flourish for generations to come.

We extend a warm welcome and invite you to take a drive through Harvest Estate and see for yourself.

Local News

Byron’s mayoral candidates support rail trail Supporting local business

Do you support the future of the rail trail through Byron Shire? Why?

Asren Pugh, Labor –I drove the change to the council’s policy on the rail trail in this term of council. We had two decades of inaction, delay and obfuscation that should be an embarrassment to previous councils. The rail trail should have been built years ago.

Sarah Ndiaye, Greens –I am delighted to announce that Byron Greens and I enthusiastically support the development of a rail trail through Byron Shire as part of an integrated, sustainable transport solution. We’ve updated our position to reflect the changing regional context, opportunities for our local businesses, and our community’s vision for our shire’s future.

If yes, in what format, rail trail only or multi-modal?

Cr Pugh –The idea that you can run trains and a rail trail together has been utterly debunked. Bridges, tunnels and land ownership issues make it impossible. No government will fund a train, and Transport for NSW have

said definitively that they are not looking at trains at all.

Cr Ndiaye – We advocate for an approach where the rail corridor remains in public hands. We support a rail trail from Byron to the south and Mullumbimby northward, and a dual-use rail and walking trail between Byron and Mullumbimby. This approach balances active transport, eco-tourism opportunities, and the potential for future public transport options like on-demand bus services which we are starting a petition for.

Will you support the rail trail-only option in the first instance?

Cr Pugh – The rail trail will be a game-changer for Byron Shire. When it is built,

it will form the spine of a new active transport network that will connect most of the towns and villages of our shire. It will enable locals to get from the Bangalow Industrial Estate to Byron. It will mean kids can ride or walk all the way through Bangalow to school without crossing a road.

It will mean you can ride off-road all the way from Suffolk Park through Byron to Sunrise and along to Mullum. It will connect North Ocean Shores and Billinudgel with South Ocean Shores and Mullum. With a little extra work fixing the Kolara Way Bridge, South Golden Beach and New Brighton will be connected. Add the Mullum to Bruns track and we will have an integrated walking,

Bupa has three beautiful care homes set in the Northern Rivers; Banora Point, Ballina and Pottsville, all focused on the health, lifestyle and wellbeing of our residents.

We are committed to delivering the same promise to our team that we offer our customers; support in living a longer, healthier, happier life.

With a range of benefits, including subsidised health insurance for you and your family, register your interest in roles with Bupa today!

biking, running, and rolling active transport network. Just imagine it! Cr Ndiaye – We are comfortable taking a staged approach and we will reassess as required. Our goal is to develop a holistic solution that addresses the diverse transportation needs of our community while promoting sustainability and retaining public ownership of the rail corridor. We will advocate strongly for funding for connected public transport options including sections of rail and an on-demand bus service, alongside comprehensive active transport including rail trail.

How will you achieve the completion and in what time frame?

Cr Pugh – We need a mayor with the vision and determination to deliver this crucial piece of infrastructure for our community. It will only be possible with grant money and we need to be able to show the Labor governments at state and federal levels how important this project is to our community.

I am committed to

delivering the rail trail for Byron Shire for the whole corridor and it will be a key focus for our Labor council team if we are elected.

Cr Ndiaye – We are at a real advantage now as we can learn from the shires either side of us to work out what will be most efficient, sustainable and cost effective. To realise our community’s vision for the rail trail, we will: 1. Collaborate with neighbouring shires for connectivity, 2. Seek sustainable funding and partnerships, 3. Engage the community extensively, 4. Prioritise environmentally sustainable design with native plantings, 5. Develop state-of-the-art, safe infrastructure, 6. Include adequate facilities like toilets and parking, 7. Incorporate Indigenous signage and create local job opportunities, 8. Conduct a feasibility study for longterm sustainability.

We aim to make significant progress within the next council term, including community engagement, planning, funding, and construction.

Current Mayor Michael Lyon did not respond.

▶ Continued from page 1

coastal locations and to the smaller towns and villages.

‘Celebrating the towns and villages across the Shire is important to retain the local, unique character that each place offers and by default that our region offers,’ the authors of the report state.

Unique culture

‘Through embracing these features, the character can be retained, protecting the unique Byron culture.’

Council will conduct a series of forums and meetings with industry and stakeholders. They may well come up with a new brand identity for the Shire.

The area has arguably suffered greatly from the influencer-led, body-image obsessed portrayal of the Shire in recent years, with some suggesting it has led people to see the area as ‘not for normal people like me’.

Should the draft strategy be adopted at this week’s Council meeting it will be put out for public submissions within the next month, before adoption later in the year.

Labor’s mayoral candidate Asren Pugh. Green’s mayoral candidate Sarah Ndiaye.

North Coast News

Tweed councillor announces campaign team

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

Environmentalist

Shirley White remembered

One of the key people behind the regeneration of the coastal strip of Angels Beach in Ballina was Shirley White, who died recently.

Endangered

Pugh’s frog threatened by logging

Pugh’s frog (Philoria pughi) has recently been uplisted to Nationally Endangered, with logging identified as a threat, leading the North East Forest Alliance to call upon the NSW and federal environment ministers to immediately change the logging rules to protect its habitat from logging.

Tweed councillors move to rescind

Gales Holdings

DA motion

An extraordinary meeting of Tweed Council will be held this Thursday (August 15) following a rescission motion by Councillors Chris Cherry, Meredith Dennis and Nola Firth relating to the Gales Holding development application.

Police officer charged

A Northern Region command police officer has been charged with alleged domestic violence offences.

New dog park opens in Alstonville

The dogs of Alstonville are celebrating this week after the official opening of a new off-leash dog park in the town.

Major clean-up of site near Tweed Heads

The NSW government says it has completed a major clean-up of land at a former scout camp near Tweed Heads with more than 100 tonnes of materials and dumped waste removed.

www.echo.net.au

Tweed Shire Cr Nola Firth has announced her campaign team for the September 14 local government election; consisting of Mary-Jane Edwards (MJ), Hilary Green and Julianne Sandison.

‘This group of talented and accomplished women wholeheartedly support my achievements on Council and want to ensure I continue to work towards a greener more sustainable Tweed for all,’ says Cr Firth.

MJ Edwards says she grew up in the Tweed, which shaped her values and instilled in her a deep commitment to the local community. She has a background in ecology and conservation biology, and a career in bush regeneration.

MJ also has first-hand experience volunteering on the frontline with the RFS during the Black Summer bushfires and devastating floods that followed. ‘This experience strengthened my conviction of the need for immediate and sustained action,’ she says.

Hilary Green has worked in education for 42 years, first as a high school teacher and then at university for three decades. She has a PhD in

BYRON

statistics and says, ‘Statistics is based on common sense, as are Greens policies.’

Julianne Sandison has been a Tweed resident for 20 years and is a qualified teacher with a Master of Environmental Advocacy from the University of New England. Ms Sandison says, ‘I stand as a hard working local, passionate environmental supporter and proud member of The Greens.’

All three women say they have a life-long commitment to environmental protection and are deeply aware of the unique biodiversity of the Tweed, but also its fragility in the face of habitat destruction and climate change. They are committed

to sustainable practices, a renewable energy transition and robust and practical environmental protections. They are therefore highly supportive of the numerous measures Cr Firth has taken during her term on Council. Her environmental initiatives include increased funding for weed control, wildlife friendly rodent control, protection of native and wildlife habitat and the ‘Cool Towns’ tree planting program.

Cr Firth’s initiatives to address climate change have included a communityled climate action plan, retrofitting for electrification, exploring microgrids, local recycling schemes, local food production and regenerative agriculture and improved bike and walking paths.

Cr Firth’s team have all expressed deep concern about the Tweed’s housing crisis and distressing numbers of homeless people.

Ballina Council requests apology from Cr Rod Bruem

David Lowe

Late in its last general meeting, there was a motion from Ballina Crs Kiri Dicker and Phil Meehan that Cr Rod Bruem should apologise to General Manager Paul Hickey, Cr Jeff Johnson, Cr Johnson’s family, council employees and staff at Premium Solar for any damage caused by recent comments made by Cr Bruem relating to the $70,000 contract awarded to Premium Solar at Ballina Memorial Swimming Pool.

Cr Bruem said his comments on social media and elsewhere had been motivated by the fact that ‘a contract had been awarded to a councillor to put solar panels up on the building’, and he wasn’t satisfied by staff responses to what he claimed was a breach of guidelines for the purchase of goods and services which ‘may be considered controversial, contentious or political.’

Politicised,

They say they are committed to supporting her ongoing advocacy on this issue and steps towards finding practical, local solutions to both social and affordable housing.

GM Paul Hickey said the contract wasn’t awarded to a councillor, but to a local business in which Cr Johnson had an interest. ‘I do not believe this was a political purchase,’ he said. ‘I believe it’s been politicised, from my knowledge.’ (Mr Hickey has noted elsewhere that three quotes were received, and the winning one was significantly cheaper.)

‘I don’t think we’ve got one member of the community who’s written to

council about this process,’ he said, before suggesting a lot of comments on social media were based on misinformation spread by Cr Bruem.

Rod Bruem appealed to the mayor at this point, who dismissed his objection and allowed the GM to continue.

‘Let’s be clear, we do not believe it’s a political process,’ said Mr Hickey.

‘There were councillors involved in the process putting out incorrect information. That was really disappointing, and I’ve seen good people who are involved in the process really upset about this.

‘As the mayor said before, we need to be civil, respectful, and when you post social media, make sure it’s factually correct as well.’

Cr Kiri Dicker said it was important ‘because people have been harmed and damage has been done, which can’t be repaired.’

‘Whether or not Cr Bruem chooses to apologise is on him. It seems from his comments that he probably won’t,’ she said.

‘The fact is, we need to put it on the public record as a way of atoning for the damage that’s been done.’

Rod Bruem said this was ‘a political stunt’.

Despite a unanimous request from his fellow councillors, Cr Bruem did not apologise, saying instead that he would like to take some time to consider. Mayor Cadwallader accepted this.

Shortly afterwards Cr Bruem left the meeting, and did not return.

Julianne Sandison, Nola Firth, Hilary Green and MJ Edwards. Photo Chelle Wallace

The Byron Shire Echo

Volume 39 #10 • August 14, 2024

Gambling kills sells

According to the Australian Communications and Media Authority, in the 12 months from May 2022 to April 2023 Australian gambling service providers spent $238.63m on advertising (TV, radio and online – including social media but not including print, billboards and cinemas). Of that 64 per cent was for online gambling (such as Bet365)*

You’d be crazy to spend that much money promoting gambling unless it worked, and indeed it does. Total, legal, gambling expenditure in Australia increased from $21 billion in 2019–2020 to around $25 billion in 2020–2021. It is big business.

But increased gambling advertising increases problem gambling, and the terrible harms that flow from that. A 2023 review of 1,024 papers in ScienceDirect, for example, found that studies ‘consistently support the existence of a causal relationship between exposure to advertising of gambling products/brands and more positive attitudes to gambling, greater intentions to gamble and increased gambling activity at both individual and population level. There is evidence of a ‘dose–response’ effect; greater advertising exposure increases participation which leads to a greater risk of harm.’

The gambling industry might like you to believe only certain pitiable individuals become addicted to gambling, but it can happen to anyone –including children and the vulnerable.

Gambling can cause small stressors for individuals and relationships, or things can go horribly wrong for gamblers, losing significant amounts or all their money. Whether you pawn your grandmother’s washing machine or bet away your house or holiday savings these outcomes of gambling don’t just cause mental health problems, or purely financial problems, they break down relationships and can lead to crime –and death.

‘Approximately 400 Australians committed suicide every year due to their gambling problems. That is an average of one Australian per day killing

sells

themselves due to gambling,’ according to www.thecabinsydney.com.au in 2019.

The Australian federal Labor government is about to respond to the 2023 parliamentary inquiry, led by the late Labor MP Peta Murphy, that recommended phasing out gambling advertising over three years leading to a total ban. This is supported by polls that show that around 70 per cent of Australians want a ban on gambling advertising; but gambling advertising is big business and rakes in around 100 million a year for large media organisations in Australia according to Crikey’s Bernarde Keane.

As Keane points out ‘Media companies and sporting bodies have succeeded in derailing the push for gambling advertising bans’ and ‘after a year of consultation, Labor has emerged with a politically risk-averse proposal that goes just a little beyond Dutton’s original recommendation: a ban on gambling ads during, and an hour before and after, matches, but only a cap on ads per hour until 10 pm. This is coupled with a total ban on advertising on social media.’

The Alliance for Gambling Reform said it was ‘bitterly disappointing’ that the federal government ‘will not honour the recommendations of the Murphy report’.

‘The Murphy inquiry, unanimously supported by inquiry members from both sides of politics, found that the “inescapable torrent” of gambling advertising is normalising online gambling and its links with sport, grooming children and young people to gamble, and encouraging riskier behaviour,’ they said in a press release.

‘Gambling harm is a massive public health issue, linked to poor physical and mental health, poverty and homelessness, criminal activity, family violence, and suicide.’

Aslan Shand, editor

*The Echo has never accepted gambling advertising, in print or online, and you won’t see a form guide in The Echo We do support local pubs and clubs, some of which have pokies.

Peak patriarchy?

Have we reached peak patriarchy? It’s mind blowing the ‘leader of the free world’ has never been a woman in 235 years of US Presidents. You simply can’t ignore the gendered aspects of the contest playing out in US politics. It’s both exciting and terrifying.

Who could forget the disgraceful treatment of Australia’s first female Prime Minister Julia Gillard with those ‘Ditch the Witch’ signs and threats of drowning her. Women are still grossly underrepresented in Australian parliaments, particularly in the Coalition.

Back in the US, Kamala Harris the Democratic nominee for president has ‘mo’ (momentum) as they say. She’s turned the polls around and hasn’t the patriarchy gone bonkers?

Donald Trump is flailing trying to land a blow with his predictable misogynistic tactics – questioning Kamala’s black identity and calling her ‘dumb’ and ‘low IQ’, and deliberating mispronouncing and mocking her name at every opportunity.

Republicans are apparently cringing behind closed doors calling Trump’s attacks ‘undisciplined’ and a ‘public nervous breakdown’.

As a former prosecutor, Kamala Harris says she’s heard it all before, but don’t you love her reply – ‘So hear me when I say, I know Donald Trump’s type’. And that’s the thing, isn’t it? He’s a type. An all too familiar type, and once you know that type for what it is, the spell is broken.

To make sense of the weirdness, here’s a brief primer. The patriarchy is a foundational tool of capitalism. It seeks to uphold male supremacy, socially and economically, while defining the purpose of human existence as ‘maximising profits’. Under this system nature is also external and only there to serve the purposes of the patriarchy and capitalism.

A woman’s role under patriarchy is to serve her male counterparts, while under capitalism a person’s worth is defined by what they contribute economically to society through labour. The intersection of these systems means women have the job of providing free labour to

The Byron Shire Echo

Volume 39 #10August 14, 2024

Established 1986• 22,000 copies every week

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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

It’s no coincidence that women’s reproductive rights are in the spotlight in US politics.

Jo Immig

men, in terms of housework and childcare, while also producing children who will ultimately become part of the workforce. It’s no coincidence that women’s reproductive rights are in the spotlight in US politics. It’s also why Republican vice-presidential nominee JD Vance has a weird obsession with child-free people. Vance told a conservative podcast that Americans without children are ‘more sociopathic’ and make the country ‘less stable’. He set the memesphere on fire by describing high-profile Democrats as ‘childless cat ladies who are miserable at their own life choices’.

Kittens for Kamala were unleashed in the most amusing ways, and celebrities piled on, so Vance wheeled out his wife to hose down the damage. He only meant it as a ‘quip’ she explained. You know, a joke. Eyeroll. His wife said he’d ‘never, ever, ever want to say something to hurt someone who was trying to have a family, who really, was struggling with that’.

So, the take home is, it’s ok if you’re trying to have kids but can’t, but if you choose to be child-free, you’re a threat to the patriarchy. Republicans are hell bent on making The Handmaid’s Tale non-fiction.

Incidentally, one in eight couples in the US struggle with infertility. That’s around 6.7 million people. Skyrocketing infertility rates are fuelled by the toxic cocktail of hormone-disrupting chemicals we’re all swimming in, courtesy of the ‘drill baby drill’ fossil fuel industry that Trump vows to crank up on day one if he’s re-elected.

Upping the weirdness ante, Fox News host Jesse Watters said that men who vote for the female Democratic candidate have ‘mommy’ issues and, ‘I heard the scientists say the other day that when a man votes for a woman, he actually

transitions into a woman’. It’s a frightening low for a news host to dog whistle toxic masculinity from under the white coat of science, while simultaneously dumping on the trans community. Maybe AI spat that out for him?

Meanwhile White Dudes for Harris, with the stated aim ‘to cut through the MAGA crap’, raised four million dollars for her campaign. They had their X (Twitter) account suspended and later reinstated, which had commentators suggesting Elon Musk got ‘scared’.

The energy and enthusiasm for Kamala has surged and is palpable, even here in Byron Bay. She’s engaging voters, particularly young and black voters, which is crucial with non-mandatory voting in the US. Getting people out to vote is the key to her success.

She introduced her vice-presidential running mate, Tim Walz, saying, ‘He’s the kind of person who makes people feel like they belong and inspires them to dream big’. This says so much about her values and style of leadership.

The Green New Deal Network, a coalition of progressive organisations, has endorsed her and is putting boots on the ground to doorknock where it counts. They believe she will build on the success of Joe Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act that committed two trillion dollars to get the US to net zero by 2050.

Kamala in Sanskrit means ‘she of the lotus’. Indian-American voters have a new rallying cry: LOTUS for POTUS. The stakes couldn’t be higher in this fight for the future. We’re going to need the intervention of the Goddess!

Jo Immig is a former advisor to the NSW Legislative Council and Coordinator of the National Toxics Network. She’s currently a freelance writer and researcher.

Onya Fatima

I’m glad Fatima Payman, ex-Labor senator, now independent, has crossed again and is now sitting on the cross bench.

The Labor Party should hang their heads in shame, the way they all treated Fatima – well most of them did. They harangued and intimidated her to resign and she did – on her terms.

Yes Fatima, better as an Independent, and let’s all see a free Palestine sooner rather than later – eh?

Paul Brecht Maclean

Are you paying attention?

A few more examples for those still not paying attention.

For months Labor has misled the public on its twoway arms trade with Israel, now there are pictures of Albanese with a drone gun and the Australian-made drone gun being used by an Israeli soldier (David Shoebridge – Facebook).

A further example of politicians who haven’t got the guts to defend the national interest and value for money, following revelations from the Auditor

General, regarding the lack of integrity in the tendering process for a recent defence contract with BAE Systems for the construction of frigates. Greens senator David Shoebridge has referred this process to the Anti Corruption Commission. Literally, the only new direct spending on social housing by federal Labor is the three billion dollars

The Greens secured in negotiations over the Housing Future Fund, meanwhile propping up property investors and overseeing record rent and house price increases.

Labor’s new environmental

laws refuse to consider climate damage and allow more pollution. More than 150 new gas wells with approval until 2080 and will make us one of the largest exporters of fossil fuel on the planet.

Thousands living homeless while billions are spent on weaponry to prop up the US and British weapons industry. Six dollars a week increase in JobSeeker is more than an insult. Labor is a bad financial manager and shows complete disregard for its citizens and environment.

Rod Murray Ocean Shores

Community needs

The phrase ‘elected reps responsive to the needs of their community’, is the key to far more than just that. But the principle is essential in a far more expansive fashion.

Unless both individuals and potential candidates are illuminated with ideas outside the usual box, the silent majority can’t but remain in their usual state.

It’s only the most powerful corporations that steer the ship of state.

Local small businesses need to be aware of that. They are doomed to be victimised forever unless they are prepared to change course and act accordingly.

Of all the varied interests you have listed, there was only ‘environmental protection’, that’s not part of the ship of state. By that I mean the lobbies owned by business giants.

Small business interests, and the silent majority, must surely team up to get the shire (and country) out of this rut. Hayo van der Woude Mullumbimby

Letters to the Editor and cartoons

Send to Letters Editor Aslan Shand, email: editor@echo.net.au, fax: 6684 1719. Deadline:Noon, Friday. Letters longer than 200 words may be cut Letters already published in other papers will not be considered. Please include your full name, address and phone number for verification purposes.

Cartoon – Tree Faerie / Openart.ai

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED FOR BYRON DOG RESCUE

Help us continue our mission to support and care for the dogs of Byron Shire

We urgently need volunteers to join us in making a difference HOW YOU CAN HELP

• Adopt a Dog: Give a loving home to a dog in need.

• Become a Foster Carer: Provide temporary care for dogs.

Donate Goods: Support our cause with your donations.

• Raise Funds: Organise fundraising events

• Volunteer in Our Opportunity Shop: Assist with sales and customer service.

• Volunteer at Our Sorting Centre: Help sort and prepare donations.

Volunteering involves just 3 hours a week.

Shop hours: Mon - Friday: 10am - 4pm / Sat: 9am - 1pm Morning and afternoon shifts available

GET INVOLVED

Please contact us at:

• CAWI Op Shop: 0492 851 905

• Rescue and Rehoming Officer: 0

• Email: cawidogs2483@gmail.co

Join us in making dreams come true for the dogs of Byron Shire

WE NEED YOU!

ABOUT BYRON DOG RESCUE

We are an active rescue division of the Not-forProfit Group Companion Animals Welfare Inc. (CAWI). Founded in 2005 by Margaret Brown, CAWI was established with the dream of saving animals in Byron Shire. Our main support comes from the CAWI Op Shop in Brunswick Heads, small fundraising events, and donation boxes After 15 years of dedicated effort, we saved enough to purchase a small property for our shelter. Dogs thrive better in home care situations compared to kennels or pounds, which is why we rely heavily on volunteers to achieve our goals

We run various programs, including dog adoption, foster care, companion animal desexing, a retail opportunity shop, and an animal shelter and rehabilitation centre. Your help is essential to keep these programs running

Road through the Bangalow cemetery

I was disgusted to read of Council’s decision to allow a road to be built through Bangalow’s cemetery. The cemetery land was originally gifted to the community by an early pioneer for the purpose of providing a cemetery and Bangalow treasures its cemetery; Jan Hulbert would be truly appalled were she still with us.

Both our Historical Society and our Community Association strongly recommended refusal, Council staff also, yet only two councillors voted against the proposal – Crs Coorey and Dey. Sadly I understand neither of these two genuine community representatives will be standing again; we will miss them.

Jenny Coman Bangalow

Resisting temptation

Some people in the Northern Rivers think it desirable to boycott local businesses on the basis of ethnic identity. I do not.

Women and children, and men, should not be made to pay for the crimes of distant military, political or religious leaders.

While revenge is a powerful and natural human emotion, it rarely produces

good outcomes. I urge others to resist the temptation of taking action under the misguided notion that cruelty is ever justified.

Peter Thompson Byron Bay

A better world

Danny is correct that the newly-created Facebook group ‘Jews for Palestine Northern Rivers’ is not yet active. We are few, and we concentrate on our work rather than on social media, but numbers are no reflection on the justice of a cause. We are proud to stand alongside a relative handful of principled and courageous Jewish Israelis who also refuse to allow tribal loyalties to define our humanity.

Israel is perpetrating a genocide in Palestine before our very eyes! Palestinians, who have endured over 76 years of ethnic cleansing, displacement, land-theft and other violations of their rights, are now being tortured (including sexual violence), starved, maimed and massacred, in their tens of thousands. The children of Gaza will bear lifelong scars from Israel’s settler colonial violence! And it is not because members of my family were murdered in the Nazi holocaust that I cannot

remain silent, but because I am human!

Scores of reports by internationally respected humanitarian organisations attest that this is not a war against Hamas, but against the people of Gaza. There is no Hamas in the West Bank, yet hundred have been killed, thousands imprisoned and tortured, and tens of villages depopulated. Furthermore, Hamas has made several offers to negotiate the return of the hostages, and Israelis are demonstrating in the streets about their government’s sabotage of such moves.

Living in Australia we need look no further than the very land we stand on. Occupied, stolen land, whose sovereignty was never ceded; a state founded on genocide. It is the same settler colonial system that vilifies, oppresses and imprisons both Palestinians and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People. European imperialism leaves a catastrophic legacy, including several current genocides across the global south in the Congo, Yemen, Darfur, and Sudan, to name a few. Make no mistake, we all have sweet life-giving blood on our hands and we all have a part to play daily in the

repair of the world, in Tikkun Olam!

Of course, we all want peace but peace without truth, justice and liberation is an illusion!

Peace, justice and liberation will require an ongoing commitment to dismantling systems of colonialism and oppression, which are the same systems that are at the root of all environmental and humanitarian injustice.

As for sticking to potholes – grassroots and local action has been instrumental in social justice movements small and large. We in this community are committed to building a better world, both within and beyond our region.

Esther Berkon Mullumbimby Creek

I was most interested to read your good news story about a defibrillator saving a man’s life last week in Mullumbimby. It got me thinking. Do defibs have easy-to-follow instructions or do you have to be a paramedic to use it? Is there a free, short training course for the general public? If not, who do you turn to in an emergency? I guess anyone who is present and willing. And does it usually take around 25-30 minutes for an ambulance to arrive in

Mullumbimby? Being a baby boomer that worries me. It is great that you listed where defibs can be found around Mullumbimby. I knew about the one outside the newsagent but I was wondering if there were others. It certainly helped that someone knew to find one at Towers Carpets. I have since done some research and have discovered a web application called Defib Finder which would be worth having on your phone. By entering your location and postcode you can easily locate the nearest one.

You can buy a home defibrillator for $1,695 (half price at the moment). That might seem like a bit but if it saves your or someone else’s life, then it is invaluable. People who don’t live near town should consider buying one or maybe even share the expense and the machine.

I’m so glad defibrillators are being made readily available to all and that many lives will be saved by these wonderful machines.

Magenta Appel-Pye Mullumbimby

Attending a ‘White Deaths in Custody’ demonstration at Sydney Town Hall, demonstrators were informed by

Green NSW MP Sue Higginson, that the shooting deaths of two mentally traumatised and disturbed young people, by NSW police, revealed a total lack of will and professional understanding by NSW state politicians of the required need for mental health advocacy/support/ remedy. Indeed, it would appear that such required funding has been allocated to the NSW Police and informs their law-and-order strategies, divorced from trauma understanding.

We cannot ignore this tragedy as we witness the growing trauma being experienced by flood victims, homeless people, First Nations people, women, children, and activists as climate-change realities demand that the legal systems and political representatives face the current structural horrors that are escalating. We face the added horrors of a threatened planet and the hubris of developers and their oppressiveprofit technologies, that target the vulnerable.

Reading the recent letter in The Echo by Wallum activist, Amanda Midlam, ‘Men in Black’ brought to my mind visions of a paramilitary

The curious things that happen at Byron Shire Council

Council blames residents (again)

At the Byron Shire Council (BSC) meeting on 1 August it was revealed that BSC is unique among surrounding councils in having no policy about concealed water leaks.

These are underground leaks in the plumbing from the council meter to a residence that cannot be detected by residents based on wet patches or other visible means. Anyone can be affected. Residents who suffer such leaks are without fault or negligence, but it turns out that they are blamed by BSC.

BSC uniquely accepts no responsibility for timely notice of a likely leak based on BSC meter readings, and it accepts no responsibility to reduce the impact of such leaks on the environment and unsuspecting residents. Is there an incentive for BSC to prolong such leaks, because it takes 40 per cent of all water bills, and thus profits more from continued leaks? Every surrounding council has a public policy that removes this incentive, reduces water wastage through early notification

(requiring prompt repair of the leak by the resident), and reduces the financial impact on residents by partial remission of water fees for the concealed leakage. It is very easy to implement a trigger for early notification, based on quarterly meter readings (even for those without new ‘smart meters’).

At the meeting, councillors Dey, Ndiaye and Coorey attempted to convince BSC to act reasonably and correct this situation, but they were voted down by Councillors Lyon, Pugh, Hunter, Westheimer and Swivel. This is a betrayal of trust by BSC, because residents naturally assume that BSC will act reasonably. If you care for the environment and for fairness in Council policy, find out where candidates stand on this matter and vote accordingly.

Robert Birch Ocean Shores

The neglected north Driving along, radio on, I hear an announcement from Mayor Michael Lyon stating he is planning an open day for residents of northern Byron Shire – New Brighton,

South Golden Beach and North Ocean Shores.

His statement was that he has heard that this part of our shire feels neglected. Michael wishes to give an opportunity for these residents to relay their thoughts for the future of their region, and to allow them the opportunity to let him know re ongoing infrastructural problems. Here goes another talk fest.

My issue with this porkbarreling lead up to election is that this long-serving mayor should already have a handle on the many issues and problems of these areas.

Ongoing issues with stormwater and sewerage in my opinion have been made public for decades with nothing ever done by Council. Perhaps he is trying to make a good impression on the many new residents but us long-term residents of the shire are overwhelmed with the ongoing infrastructure issues and the fact that there has been no upgrade in connectivity of footpaths or cycleways, let alone fixing up the failed stormwater infrastructure and overflow of sewage.

How can it be that our

mayor needs to be informed all over again and again?

Community has been screaming out about the consistent upgrades to the golden goose Byron Bay, while nothing is done to meet the needs of other locations that exist and are a large part of the Byron Shire.

Yep, sounds very much like pork-barreling to me – maybe scraping the bottom of the barrel! Let’s look at what we have got from this mayor and our council. The biggest problem was: ‘no emergency plan in place when we had the big flood’. Yes, left to organise ourselves.

Then there is the affordable housing plan that has failed to meet residents’ needs – and we are expecting to lose a much-needed car park and public toilet facilities to accommodate Council workers in another so-called affordable housing scheme. The atrocious placement of the pods. The proposals to build on flood-prone land.

I believe that Michael Lyon has had his go and it has been not too impressive by my book. Sorry, but no thanks.

Annie Radermacher Brunswick Heads

Just wait a mayoral minute!

The mayor agrees that Hydrosphere’s costings on Lavertys Gap versus Rous Water are so wrong that they need revision. He brought a ‘mayoral minute’ to last Thursday’s Council meeting.

A mayoral minute is a special motion that doesn’t require notice and isn’t accompanied by staff comments. It is for urgent matters.

This important matter has no urgency except that this mayor wants to kill Lavertys Gap while he is still in power. Hopefully that is only for another six weeks. Councils go into ‘caretaker’ mode 28 days before an election. That is on August 16. The mayor and his wall-of-men councillors including mayoral hopeful Aspen Pugh, will kill Lavertys Gap on August 15. Shame on them!

The August 1 motion was supported over an amendment to produce the new costings without the rush. The costings will be shared with councillors but not with the public, and not with any time for proper scrutiny. Councillors Lyon, Pugh, Swivel, Hunter and

Westheimer don’t acknowledge that 89 per cent of respondents to Council’s recent Your Say are in favour of keeping Lavertys Gap, with only 5 per cent against. These councillors don’t want a proper assessment of the off-stream storage that makes Lavertys Gap a far better choice. It gives Mullumbimby a disaster-proof water supply rather than Rous’s flimsy long pipeline system.

You’d be a fool to dig up a productive garden and buy veggies at the supermarket instead. It’s the same here with Mullumbimby’s water supply.

BTW Rous is trying to take over in Nimbin as well. It’s expanding its network and doing that while still trying to work out where its future water will come from.

If we don’t run amok against fossil, fossil will run AMOC (Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation) against us.

Human-caused climate change may push the AMOC toward a critical tipping point sooner than expected.

Sapoty Brook Main Arm

Debunking the myths of so called ‘eco-friendly’ compostable packaging

Paula Williams

What is the truth behind ‘eco-friendly’ compostable packaging?

Australian consumers are increasingly choosing products packaged in compostable materials, with good intentions – they are lured by the promise of ecofriendly disposable items, yet, does the reality match these green claims?

Packaging made from plant-based sources

Compostable packaging, made from plant-based sources like cornstarch, sugarcane, or bamboo, is marketed as a sustainable alternative to plastic. The appeal is clear: guiltfree disposal that fits the growing demand for greener living. However, the reality is that compostable packaging needs specific conditions to break down, conditions that are only found in industrial composting facilities.

Unfortunately, most Australian councils lack these facilities, so this ‘ecofriendly’ packaging typically ends up in landfills, where it breaks down anaerobically, producing methane – a potent greenhouse gas which then completely negates any environmental benefits.

Products that are marketed as eco-friendly

Unfortunately, there are many products that are marketed as eco-friendly

without adopting genuine sustainable practices. Many compostable products are labelled ‘compostable’ or ‘biodegradable’ without clear instructions on how they should be disposed of. This misleads consumers into thinking they can simply toss these materials into home compost bins, council green bins or even landfill with the belief that they will break down.

About 10 per cent of Australians compost effectively at home, for the remaining 90 per cent, these products are destined for landfill,

completely undermining their green credentials.

How to combat greenwashing

To combat greenwashing and truly tread more softly on our planet, we need more industrial composting facilities, accurate labelling, and better public education on sustainable practices. These steps can help Australia ensure that compostable packaging lives up to its promises.

In the meantime, switching to reusable alternatives like keepcups, travel bowls and other lidded containers from home for your takeaway meals is a vital and imperative step towards cutting down on waste and reducing the need for raw materials.

If each one of us makes these small changes, it can make a significant environmental impact, pushing us closer to a truly sustainable future.

Paula Williams is from Santos Organics.

Are our ‘sustainable’ packaging options really sustainable?

NEW EARTH EXPO NEW EARTH EXPO NEW EARTH EXPO

▶ Continued from page 15

Welcome to New Earth, a one day immersive, multicultural event

to healing, connection, sharing, growth celebration and transformation in Murwillumbah on Bundjalung Country. Bringing together a diverse community of healers, leaders, wisdom keepers, practitioners, musicians and visionaries to harmoniously co-create a New

Join us for Workshops, Ceremony, Speakers, Q&A, Local and Ethical Vendors, Market & Healing Village, Dance, Delicious Food, Holistic Practitioners, Psychic and Mediumship Readings, Birth & Death Care, Meditation, Yoga, Breathwork, Sound Healing, Bodywork, Community Connection, Live Music, Inspired DJ sets & so much more! o ,

exercise enacted by the new security personnel employed by Clarence Property at Wallum. Residents had already been menaced and heckled by security and felt ‘unsafe’. Byron Shire Council was repeatedly informed of this illegality. A raid June 26 by ‘new’ security personnel, dressed totally in black, wearing balaclavas over their faces and ID tags obscured, removed the Aboriginal flag, the ‘welcome tent’, and fenced off a turning circle. Did Byron Council ratify this work? Or was this an intimidatory tactic to traumatise the community and legal protectors?

I would describe disaster capitalism as a system where cronies take all, with arrogance and contempt and delight in the strategies of provoking trauma to all.

The fat lady is singing. Act now!

Jo Faith Newtown

Jonson and Kingsley streets

I wonder if the community is aware of the extended nightclub operation proposed for the corner of Jonson and Kingsley Streets. Hemmes Property Pty Ltd have sought significant modifications to their approved DA, encompassing the old Cheeky Monkey’s plus Thai Sabai, which would entirely change the nature of what they said they were doing.

The DA was approved for the development of a restaurant with hours of operation until 10pm and a maximum of 180 patrons, however they have applied to remove these conditions and instead revert to the old 3am licence that covered the Cheeky Monkey’s site and extend it to also include the Thai Sabai site. They also seek to remove the ‘restaurant use’ condition, which means they do not need to serve food at all, and they want to

remove the condition relating to the Thai Sabai outdoor courtyard which states: ‘The rear courtyard must not be accessible to patrons and shall not be used for dining, drinking, outdoor smoking, gaming, or recreation of any kind’. The result would be a nightclub/pub/entertainment venue on a mega scale with outdoor smoking and drinking until 3am.

There has apparently been no consultation with neighbours, because even as one of the closest neighbouring properties I wasn’t made aware. There has been no acoustic assessment undertaken and, to add to my fears, they also own the three shops right next door, the Bell & Ford, Red Ginger and Jonsons sites, so this could be just the beginning. As a former long-term resident and current long-time property owner in Byron I think people should be aware. If you are concerned please let Byron Council, your councillors and media know your concerns.

Jane Heynes Byron Bay

Let’s get on the

Councillor Duncan Dey raised a point in the last Council meeting about changing a graph on water bills. ‘It’s 2024. We have computers that can do that sort of thing. I don’t think it’s a big ask.’ I get bills via email. My second-last water bill stated the amount owing. Over $300. So I paid it. I didn’t get acknowledgement on the web page that I’d paid it, so I did it again. No acknowledgement. So I rang a very helpful staff person in the rates and water section at Council. She told me that I had an automatic direct debit so I couldn’t pay the bill. I said there was no mention of this on the bill. Oh, it’s in the attachment. I went to the attachment. Down the bottom, in a smaller font than the rest of the bill it

says, DO NOT PAY. The staff person arranged for the two refunds which duly occurred. I checked my rates bill. It said on the main sheet that I owe over $800. On the attached sheet, down the bottom it stated, AMOUNT TO BE PAID BY DIRECT DEBIT. It doesn’t have the same phrase as the water bill. It’s ambiguous. It looks like it’s mandatory that I pay it by direct debit. So I paid that one too. No acknowledgment, so I figured this was automatic too, rang and got a refund.

I asked the staff person over three months ago to get the software amended so that right next to the first page invoice amount it states: DO NOT PAY THIS BILL. IT IS AUTO PAID. What a waste of time –please, Council IT person: change the wording, make it consistent for all bills, and put it on the first page. It’s not a big ask!

Raphael Lee Cass

Byron Bay

Women ignored women’s safety

A proposal to look for a site for a nude beach in Byron Shire will come before Byron Council on August 15.

I hope Council has listened to past complaints from Tyagarah residents and will consider the ramifications of putting it in another isolated place which has in the past attracted deviate behaviour. If a nude beach is to go ahead, Council needs to take responsibility for funding and patrolling the area. It also needs to be easily accessible to police.

I sincerely thank Michael Lyon for his consistent support and his understanding of trauma suffered by Tyagarah residents. The truth is it was the female councillors who continued to ignore the distress and safety of women at Tyagarah.

Gwen Gould

Tyagaran

If you’ve gone, then what are you doing here?

Richard Hil

I’m leading something of a double life. Every week, a few days in Murwillumbah, and the rest in Mullumbimby – my former place of residence. It’s a kind of transitional bridge between the familiar and the new. No doubt, it’s a crazy idea that will prolong my sense of being lost in space.

When back in Mullum, I keep bumping into friends and acquaintances who offer up quizzical, confused looks, as if I’m some sort of anthropological curiosity. ‘I thought you’d left?’ they ask. ‘Yes’, I say. ‘So, what are you doing back here?’ they inquire, almost accusingly.

I’ll admit, this here-there gig feels a tad surreal. It’s like finding yourself in a limbo-land where confused and dislocated strangers and oddballs lurk. Or perhaps it’s a spiritual halfway house awaiting some sort of resolution; a commitment to place. (apologies for all the metaphors!).

As you’ll surmise, these are the angsty utterances of the privileged.

After all, I haven’t been displaced by war or subjected

to violent colonisation.

Nor am I poor, or without family and friends. And I have a secure roof over my head. Still, I feel dislocated. That’s my current lot.

To make sense of all this, I’ve plunged into a trove of surveys relating to peoples’ experiences of what we might term place relocation. It turns out that the vast majority of Aussies who move to a different place experience some level of trauma. Most eventually settle. They accept where they are, and all that follows. A significant cohort, however, a third or more, never do. They remain dogged by deep unease, sadness and grief, often resulting in what the psychologists refer to as ‘relocation depression’.

All the supports and reassurances count for nought as these unfortunates sink into despair or decide to flee. And they do so at enormous financial and personal cost. Sometimes they move to other places that feel equally alien.

If the emotional attachment to their original habitat is strong, the tendency is to constantly compare and contrast, to idealise, to forget why they chose to move in

the first place.

And because they feel so unsettled, so transient, they’re reluctant to invest in place. You can see where this merry-go-round leads, can’t you?

Yep, to an emotional abyss.

What this speaks to is life. What passes for ‘home’ as a felt experience is complex and wildly elusive. Our sense of belonging is as mysterious as it is obvious.

I was surprised by what I missed in Mullum. Friends, familiar faces, places, country – yes, of course. But I also missed the cruddy,

centre and excellent cafes and restaurants.

The people I’ve me have been wonderful. The main supermarket could do with an upgrade, but hey, nowhere’s perfect.

What I’m talking about here is difference and the shock of leaving a place in which I felt enfolded – sorry, I can’t think of another word. I belonged, didn’t have to think twice about my attachments to people and place.

That’s the crux of my grief.

irritating bits. I most grieved the energy, soul, spirit – call it what you will – those deep, enduring affinities that ground us in time and place.

It’s these amorphous qualities that reflect our deepest sensibilities, expressed most vividly through storied accounts of the past and present.

Now don’t get me wrong. Murwillumbah is a fascinating place, full of surprises, and nestled in one of the most scenic parts of Australia. It’s got an amazing (and thriving) arts scene, one of the best regional art galleries in Australia, a top-notch aquatic

I don’t claim to understand the ins and outs of relocation blues. It’s complex, right? But if I’m going through this rather unpleasant experience, just try and imagine what it must be like to be a refugee, a Palestinian, anyone in fact who is torn from place. Brutalised, humiliated, subject to the cruelties of the powerful: how on earth do such people cope, if in fact they do?

We know enough from the literature on such matters how resilient such people can be, even though they carry the weight of untold trauma. Do they forget everything that has happened to them? Not at all. But as Garbor Maté observes in The Myth

of Normal, without a binding sense of attachment to others, to place, we run aground on the rocky terrain of trauma. For the million or more Palestinians who have lost everything – their homes, family, friends, schools, universities, hospitals, places of worship etc – the scale of suffering is unimaginable; the ongoing cruelty by an occupying power, unconscionable.

The ethical duty of all humanitarians is to keep telling the stories of those who suffer so grievously at the hands of the powerful.

Why?

Because these are the stories the powerful want us to ignore as they claim moral virtue and human decency. It’s anything but.

The upshot of all the above? Well, my attention is now even more focussed on the suffering of those impacted by war and conflict.

Milan Kundera’s remark that: ‘The struggle of man against power is the struggle of memory against forgetting’ should prompt us to constantly remind ourselves and others of what death, destruction and displacement mean in actual human terms.

Richard Hil-ish – thinking about old hippy daze in Mullum and the rubble Gaza. Image Tree Faerie/OpenArt ai

MY GEEK MATE

It’s time for another Tech Commandment courtesy of Mark, Chief Geek of My Geek Mate: ‘Don’t use the back button in your web browser on a webpage that you’re interacting with.’

A web browser is the software you use to browse the internet such as Google Chrome, Apple’s Safari, Microsoft’s Edge, Mozilla Firefox,etc.

An example of interacting with a webpage would be clicking on a checkbox / filling in a form and pressing submit. The back and forward buttons in the web browser are a remnant of the early days of the internet, when you could only submit a form by going to the next page.

So don’t mess with our spacetime continuum by going backward after submitting information.

See the Chief for personal tech support, 1/53 Tamar St, Ballina • 0431 122 057 mark@mygeekmate.com.au

KEEPING THE HEART AT MAGENTA

At Magenta Community Services, their main goal is to keep the heart in all that they do. ‘We keep our participants and their goals at the forefront of the way we do business and the way that we provide our services to help support them to live their best lives’.

The Magenta team is made up of passionate professionals, deeply connected to their local community with one common goal, to make a difference in the lives of others.

As an accredited NDIS provider, they can work with you, to support you, to reach your goals, at home and in the community. They also provide Disability Support Services, Plan Management, Support Coordination and My Aged Care Services.

For more information contact Kate Higgins and her team.

02 5657 9159 or email: info@mcsnsw.com.au

NORTHERN RIVERS DEMOLITION & ASBESTOS

Taking the environmentally-friendly approach to demolition

Northern Rivers Demolition & Asbestos (NRDA) is a local company that has been operating in the area since 2015. Covering the Clarence to the Tweed and everywhere in between, NRDA provides a range of services from minor residential stripouts to largescale commercial demolition.

With a strong environmentally-friendly approach to demolition, NRDA has a 80-90% recycling target from each demolition project, recycling materials such as hardwood timbers, steel, concrete – and has even sourced a plasterboard recycling facility.

NRDA also offers 12m3, 15m3 and 30m3 skip bin hire through Northern Rivers Bulk Bins & Haulage and will soon be opening Northern Rivers Recycled Building Materials with a new showroom in Lismore.

For more information please call Samuel on 0403 427 262 or email  admin@northernriversdemolition.com.au

SPELL ON HOLIDAY AT SWELL HOTEL

The Spell flagship store is getting a refresh! Come and join them whilst they take residence at Swell Hotel. Stay, shop, sip or stroll in to enjoy a unique and collaborative experience.

Where: Swell Hotel, 11 Butler Street Byron Bay

When: 10am til 5pm every Friday, Saturday + Sunday from Friday, August 16 to Sunday, September 1

For more info on their itinerary check their socials and website @spell www.spell.co

A WORLD OF COLOUR AT THE LOCAL IN BYRON BAY

Neutrals, step aside. Get your daily dose of colour at The Local Byron Bay, with a fun and eclectic mix of giftware, homewares, apparel, vinyl, accessories and more. You can’t miss this kaleidoscopic store on Fletcher Street, located right next to Combi Cafe with colour bursting at the seams and out onto the sidewalk. Pop in and shop iconic Australian brands like Dinosaur Designs, Merry People, Sage & Clare, Boom Shankar, Kip & Co and Skwosh.

With Father’s Day coming up, there is a huge collection of good-vibe gifts to take home for the rad dad. The back vinyl wall is heaven for the music-loving dad, shop a range of everyday accessories for the easy-going dad, or go home with a vintage esky for the keep-things-cool dad.

Open Mon-Sat 9:30am-4pm / Sun 10am-4pm 5/21-25 Fletcher St, Byron Bay @thelocal.stores / thelocalstores.com.au

FARMCARE

Farmcare Mullumbimby is dedicated to ensuring the community has access to clean, safe water, addressing both town and rainwater sources. Utilising Puretec filtration systems, they effectively combat PFAS and other persistent chemicals and contaminates. Their solutions ensure contaminants are removed before water enters homes, providing peace of mind to residents. This commitment supports a sustainable and healthy future, aligning with Mullumbimby’s values of environmental stewardship and public wellbeing. By prioritising clean water, Farmcare Mullumbimby helps safeguard the health of the community and the environment, reinforcing the town’s dedication to sustainability and quality of life.

farmcare.com.au

02 6684 2022

105 Dalley Street, Mullumbimby

BYRON COMMUNITY COLLEGE

‘Community Arts Hub’ – space for hire!

Byron College’s new ‘Community Arts Hub’ is officially open. It’s truly a collaborative space dedicated to supporting local artists, and an affordable convenient way to showcase and create their art!

The Garage Gallery is available for artist exhibitions, and for locals to hire for events. It has high ceilings, gallery lighting and huge white walls, ready for some colour!

The second level of the Hub has been converted into a shared co-working space specifically for creatives! Elevated and full of natural light, it’s a dreamy place to bring your pieces to life.

Immerse yourself in creativity with likeminded individuals. Get in touch about hiring the ‘Garage Gallery’ for your next exhibition or event, or to secure a spot in their inspiring collaborative co-working space.

customercare@byroncollege.org.au

02 6684 3374

EMBRACE COASTAL LIVING WITH EXQUISITE FURNITURE FROM MOTU BYRON BAY

Introducing Motu Byron Bay, a furniture brand where art meets the sea, redefining coastal elegance through exceptional craftsmanship.

Embracing the essence of coastal living, Motu Byron Bay specialises in creating exquisite furniture using natural materials like teak, rattan and bamboo. Each piece is meticulously crafted by talented artisans, capturing the spirit of a beachside lifestyle with thoughtful design and detail.

Their creations seamlessly blend nature’s beauty with the comfort of home, offering a timeless charm and relaxed sophistication.

Motu’s dedication to quality craftsmanship makes their furniture the perfect choice for those who wish to infuse their living spaces with the tranquil elegance of the coast. With Motu Byron Bay, the serenity and allure of the ocean become part of your everyday life.

www.motubyronbayfurniture.com/ hello@motubyronbayfurniture.com

Phone 0477 869 127

2/3 Acacia Street, Byron Bay

Teven Valley Golf Course shines for NSW Open qualifying tournament

Andrew Crockett

Local golfers were treated to some stellar play at the $50,000 NSW Open Golf Regional Qualifier hosted by the Teven Valley Golf Club last week.

Glorious weather blessed the pro-am on Wednesday, as many of the professionals got to experience the revamped Teven layout for the first time.

The event is part of a regional qualifying series that gives the top three players a start in the NSW Open. Keen viewers could tune in to live television coverage via Golf NSW.

This was the first professional event for Teven Valley Golf Course and surely won’t be the last, as the greenstaff and management were applauded for the impeccable conditions of the course.

Matt Millar (ACT) was the winner, posting eight under par for the 36-hole event to win by two shots from Queenslander Gavin Fairfax (-6).

Jack McLeod (NSW) and William Bruyeres (QLD), who finished in a tie for third at five-under, secured their place in the $800, 000 NSW Open to be contested November 14-17.

Over 70 golfers descended on the course for the event last week.

Foursome winners

Mullumbimby’s Wayne Ferrier and Julie-Ann Ross won the Northern Rivers District Golf Association (NRDGA) Mixed Foursomes at

Local athlete joins Australian team for Multisport World Championships

Local Deborah Fuller is all set to compete in the World Triathlon Multisport World Championships taking place in Townsville from Friday, August 16.

The 12-day event features 19 World Championship races across five categories of athletes: Age Group, Para triathletes, Junior, Under 23, and Elites.

Deborah Fuller has realised her lifelong dream of representing Australia in the sports she loves: running and cycling.

Despite the disappointment of a cancellation due to Covid, Deb seized another opportunity to try out for the Australian team and successfully qualified for the her age category (60-64 years) in the sprint duathlon (5km run and 20km cycle) at the World Qualifying events held in 2023.

‘The qualifying events were in Brisbane which I won, and the Australian Championships were held in Townsville in August last year. If you place in the top five of the nationals you are automatically invited to

Coraki held last Sunday. Adam Bullock (winner of the Mullumbimby Golf Club Open two weeks ago) came second with his partner Natasha Faux.

Over 200 compete for pickleball glory in Ballina

Northern Rivers Pickleball (NRP) celebrated a record number of entries in their tournament held over the weekend of August 2-4 at the Ballina Indoor Sports Centre.

A total of 210 players, including some from interstate and New Zealand, competed in 27 events across three days.

‘The level of play seen in all divisions was noticeably higher than last year and is testament to the popularity of the Ballina event on the pickleball calendar,’ tournament director Brian Alston said.

The success of the event is also due to the many NRP club volunteers who raise funds for the club through raffles and a cake stall, help with first aid, data entry and court supervision.

Over the three days medals were presented to winners by Mayor Sharon Cadwallader, Deputy Mayor Eoin Johnson and RSL chief executive Bill Coulter.

Results

Open events.

Mens Doubles: winners

- Aaron Johnson (Port Macquarie) and Thom Sweeney (NRP); runners up - Paul Martinovich (NRP) and Phil Buchhorn (Gold Coast).

Womens Doubles: winners Rosa Morris (Vic) and Naomi Doncaster (NRP); runners

up - Anita Smith (Noosa) and Janie Carter (Bonny Hills).

Mixed Doubles: winners

- Aaron Johnson (Port Macquarie) and Kate Brown (Port Macquarie); runners up - Paul Martinovich (NRP) and Jessica Hughes (Gold Coast).

For more information about NRP go to their website at: www.nrpickleball.net.au.

the team. I placed second and wasn’t required to do any more qualifying races,’ she said.

The event will host eight World Championship competitions: Duathlon Sprint, Duathlon Standard, 2×2 Mixed Relay, Cross Triathlon, Cross Duathlon, Aquathlon, Long Distance Triathlon, and Aquabike.

In what will be Townsville’s largest sporting spectacle to date, 3,000 competitors from over 40 countries will converge on North Queensland.

This is the first time the Multisport World Championships are being held in Australia, with previous events hosted in Canada, Denmark, and Spain.

Wayne and Julie-Ann have put their names on the NRDGA Mixed Foursomes shield. Photo supplied

Deb Fuller in her Australian kit as she prepares for the Multisport World Championships. Photo supplied

Regional qualifier Winner Matthew Millar (L) with Curt Zuber from the Teven Valley Golf Course. Photo supplied.

NRP players Dan Pickering and Margot Hays earned theirs medals in the 70 plus, 3.0 event. Photo supplied

Eateries Guide Good Taste

NO BOOKINGS REQUIRED

Call: 6685 7385 @horizonbyronbay

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–1pm

Dinner 5pm–10pm 14–16 Lawson St, 5642 0149 therocksbyronbay.com.au @therocksbyronbay

Loft Byron Bay

4 Jonson Street, Byron Bay

6680 9183

Book online: www.loftbyronbay.com.au

Commune Canteen

1 Porter St, Byron Bay

Open Monday to Saturday, 7:30am to 3:00pm @commune.byron www.nourishinghabitat.com

Three Blue Ducks

The Farm, 11 Ewingsdale Rd. 6190 8966 enquiries@threeblueducks.com threeblueducks.com/byron

Open 7 days from 7am. Mon-Thurs: breakfast & lunch Fri-Sun: breakfast, lunch & dinner

North Byron Liquor Merchants 61 Bayshore Drive, Byron Bay 6685 6500 liquor@northbyronhotel.com.au

Open 10am–8pm daily and 10am-9pm through Summer

Main Street

Open for takeaway daily, 12 midday until dinner. Menu, more details –@mainstreet_burgerbar 18 Jonson Street 6680 8832

Bonito Byron Bay

OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

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.

Happy Hour 6pm–8pm

$6 Beers & $7 Wines $12 selected cocktails

Live Music Thursdays & Latin Night Sundays

Open for dinner Wed–Sun

Signature cocktails and casual dining with ocean views. Happy Hour | Everyday from 4–6pm $20 Steak Night | Every Tuesday, 100-Day-Aged Black Angus Sirloin

2-for-1 Cocktails Every Thursday with any Set Menu from $40 Bottomless Bubbles & Spritz | Every Saturday from 12–2pm with any Set Menu from $40 Open Tues – Friday from 4pm, Sat from 12 noon.

Mediterranean daytime eatery.

Healthy colourful salads, bone broths, hot slow-cooked meals, and in-house baked breads.

Tucked away community courtyard. Eat / Play / Work

Delicious new winter dinner menu, live jazz every Sunday arvo, happy hour 3–5pm Friday to Sunday & our famous Sunday roast.

Enjoy a wander in the fields, meet the pigs, and picnic in the sun… there really is something for everyone.

‘Byron’s boutique bottle shop’

Local service

Old and rare wines

Natural wines

Craft beers

Specialty tequilas

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.

Enjoy breakfast, coffee or light lunch in our casual dog-friendly laneway or treat yourself to a comfortable elegant seafood dinner experience.

lizzijjackson@gmail.com 0414 895 441

LIZ JACKSON

3 Top: honey named after a mountain

I’m doing a little taste-test. From each of the three jars of honey before me I have removed a modest sample. Jotted down first impressions, like the true professional I’m not. Decided that ‘Small Batch’ was a bit tangy, ‘Coastal Bloom’ floral and ‘Iron Bark’ delicate and very sweet. These are the three types of 3 Top Honey currently available at Tom Warren’s market stall. Tom is young, but he was a lot younger –14 years old – when he was given a beehive for his birthday by a neighbour. That was the start. He tells me it was ‘just a hobby’ up until the time he qualified for university, when he realised that he ‘just wanted to work on the farm’. In his gap year he’d come down from Brisbane to ‘do the bananas’ on the property of relatives – who just happened to be the Everest family. ‘I really liked it,’ he says, ‘so I didn’t go to Uni!’

3 Top is the name of the mountain next to Mount Warning, at whose foot extends the Everest property – so 3 Top was the name Tom chose for his fledgling honey business. He’s adorned the stall with lovely old equipment – smokers to smoke the bees (in order to induce honey production); copper drums – which originally belonged to a friend’s father. I listen, fascinated, as he explains his honeys to customers. One woman is requesting Yellow Box as she prefers a lighter honey. ‘Lighter honeys,’ Tom tells me later, ‘tend to be more sought after – one exception being Manuka’ – which he’s hoping to produce ‘further down the track’. There’ll certainly be more varieties: ‘It’s all seasonal’, he says. Iron Bark is his most popular. ‘That’s a first-grade honey!’

3 Top Honey is at Mullumbimby Farmers Market every Friday from 7am to 11am.

BYRON BAY

Victoria Cosford

Tom Warren’s market stall. Photo supplied

Bangalow’s Common People: champion medalists

It’s got a cool name, a stylish label, looks great posing on a barrel, has won a bronze medal and yet remembers it would be nothing without the Common People – the Moonless Midnight Barrel-Aged Stout isn’t running for political office, it’s just a great beer.

A few months ago we told you how well Common People Brewery in Bangalow did at the AIBA beer awards, and now they’ve done it again at the 2024 Australian Independent Beer Awards (aka The Indies) held in Perth on 2 August.

They entered seven beers and each one received a medal; GOLD: El Sabro Hazy IPA, Malt’n Lava Red IPA, La Grande Belgian Strong.

SILVER: Protesters IPA, Villager’s Pale Ale.

BRONZE: Moonless Midnight Stout.

Scores are determined by blind taste testing conducted by a panel of beer experts and their overall score meant that they were one of three finalists in the Champion New South Wales Brewery.

At this stage, Janelle Morse from the brewery says, ‘I thought it was over and went to the bathroom, only to hear my husband shouting. Our scores also saw us making the cut as one of the three finalists in the Champion Independent Small Brewery category – one of three finalists across the whole of Australia. Given that we’re still relatively new, we are very thrilled with these results!

‘Our friends over at Seven Mile in Ballina did very well – they took out the Champion Independent Medium Brewery category. Very well deserved. Amazing to see Northern Rivers breweries reach the Champion Brewery stages!’

Common People are putting their La Grande Belgian Strong back on tap this week to celebrate – check out the awardwinning styles in Bangalow.

Father’s Day in the Bay

It must surely be the hottest Father’s Day celebration of 2024: Father’s Day in the Bay – an extra-special BBQ experience open to both resort guests and visitors, with access to the pool area and special accommodation packages available.

From 12pm to 4pm Elements of Byron’s Breeze Deck, which overlooks the resort’s iconic Lagoon Pool, will host ticketed guests and boast chef-prepared outdoorBBQ delights accompanied by live music, lawn games, Cape Byron Distillery whiskey tastings, and a Stone & Wood Bar.

Tickets are $145 per adult and $65 per child up to 12 years old, and will grant attendees entry to the event, a BBQ lunch and complimentary drink, and access to the Lagoon Pool, a feature typically offlimits to external visitors.

A specifically curated menu will treat the tastebuds of all members of the family including fathers and young folk alike:

Starter: mixed white and rye dinner rolls (N.F, V) with salted butter and GF butter.

Salads: grilled zucchini ribbon salad (G.F, D.F, N.F, V, Vgn) – red quinoa toasted sunflower seeds, sundried tomatoes, crispy quinoa, roasted lemon and garlic dressing; baby cos salad (G.F, D.F, N.F, V, Vgn) – grilled ratatuille ribbons, tomato and herb vinaigrette.

at Elements of Byron

From the grill: paperbark smoked sticky salmon (G.F, D.F, N.F) – miso maple baked, banana leaf, Asian salad; grass-fed beef flank steak (G.F, D.F, N.F) – with chimichurri; whole free-range lemon and herb marinated chicken (G.F, N.F).

Sides: flattened paella potatoes (G.F, N.F, V) – rosemary, garlic, chives, sour cream coal; roasted butternut pumpkins (G.F, V) – with pistachio pesto, pomegranate, feta with sage butter; corn on the cob – with husks (G.F, N.F, V).

The resort has also revealed that exclusive Father’s Day in the Bay

accommodation packages will be available. At $882 per night for a two-bedroom Superior Villa (min. two-night stay), it includes: daily breakfast in Azure Bar & Grill; admission to Father’s Day BBQ Lunch for two adults, two children; one Father’s Day Gift Pack; morning beachside yoga; use of the outdoor fitness circuit and tennis court; complimentary car parking adjacent to villa. For more information and reservations, visit elementsofbyron.com.au or contact the reservations team at reservations@elementsofbyron.com.au.

Celebrate the Husk Rum Harvest Festival

Simon Haslam

What could be more exciting than a rum festival? Husk not only have a beautiful distillery up in the Tweed to host a festival, they are also pioneering rum distillers (the inventors of Ink Gin) who’ve moved Australian rum production from the ‘Bundy-style’ product to something that you can actually sip, that tastes great by itself or in a more sophisticated cocktail than rum-and-coke. They already have a great range of rare and special farm-tobottle rums, the best of which bear the

ACR (Australian Cultivated Rum) stamp, such as the Husk Signature ACR. The Husk Rare Blend, and the Bam Bam spiced rum are also favourites of mine, and I still have some of the previous limited releases like the 1866 Tumbulgum and the Lost Blend in my cupboard.

This Friday night you can join Founder Paul Messenger and Head Distiller Quentin Brival for the first Husk Rum Tasting Club to sample the extremely rare (1,000-bottle) Husk Porter Cask ACR, tap a barrel, then head down to the campfire and enjoy supper with a warming hot buttered rum.

Then Saturday is festival day from 11am to 6pm, $20pp adults including free drink on arrival, with live music, local produce, fun pop-ups, can juicing, free rum masterclasses, sampling, and sugar can javelin, plus regular distillery walk-throughs.

The fun continues on Sunday with a community day of family-friendly entertainment, outdoor cooking demonstrations, Husk Farm Mini Olympics, cattle feeding and more.

All the details including prices and bookings are on huskdistillers.com.

Soapbox

Stop Advertising Gambling

Mandy Nolan

Iam not a gambler.

I have never sat in a pokie room and fed my money into a slot. I don’t even know if there is a slot.

I don’t buy lotto tickets. I don’t bet on dogs. Or horses. Or any animal or human.

I’ve probably bought six scratchie tickets in my entire life.

Cryptic Clues

ACROSS

1.Spooner’s illegal access gang gets shot (8)

5.Religious community remains attached to stuff (6)

9.Stop post for one of these clues! (8)

10.Focus on article (6)

12.Linger over a spicy meal (5)

13.Sadly, I become corrupted through study of evil (6,3)

14.Coming changes to cryptic (6)

16.Monstrosity spotter observed at audition (7)

19.Extra getting out of bed made sense (5,2)

21.Part of subcontinent gets mostly undeveloped inoculation (6)

23.Noble French king fishes for little birds (9)

25.On fire, but not a flame (5)

26.Golden boy in trouble, taking wrong turning (6)

27.Dangerous condition of punt imported by Sadie in error (8)

28.In this matter, ‘there’ can be confused with ‘over’ (6)

29.Right to corruptly license lies (8) DOWN

1.Cook from revolutionary Serbia (6)

2.Virgin almost has perverse need to be put in place (9)

3.Problematical, taking time out when aroused (5)

4.Wandering comedian confused, doesn’t comprehend English (7)

6.Officer on warship on alert for distorting number (9)

7.Mat pulled from enclosure of wild meerkats stinks (5)

8.Morning shows partners holding line when left out (8)

11.Put off recital of chapter (4)

15.Successful contestant made out with ladies – on a roll! (9)

17.Fruit left unfinished by dotty aunt of primate (9)

18.Spooner’s joker chopped and cooked potatoes for money (4,4)

20.Writer at end of sonnet, so shut up! (4)

21.Lifeless voice (7)

22.Secret police are set above society, which shows no progress (6)

24.Silly old rich singers (5)

25.Rejecting share of reasonable bill is malign (5)

Quick Clues

ACROSS

1.Handwriting sloping to the left (8)

5.Usually in India, a hermitage for a holy man (6)

9.Words or phrases formed by the letters of another in a different order (8)

10.Oppose; take exception (6)

12.Malaysian dish of (usually) meat barbecued on skewers (5)

13.Sloth, lust etc (6,3)

14.Pithily enigmatic or ambiguous (6)

16.Anything unpleasant to look at (7)

19.To have been consistent or satisfactory to the mind (5,2)

21.Region in the north-west of the Indian subcontinent (6)

23.Babies of certain aquatic birds, (9)

25.Airy; imponderous (5)

26.A very handsome young man (6)

27.Disease that damages kidneys (8)

28.Until this time; for this purpose (6)

29.Lounges; stretches out (8)

DOWN

1.Stew meat or vegetables slowly in a closed pan (6)

2.Disciplined; punished (9)

3.Callous; lustful (5)

4.Peripatetic (7)

6.Army officer, below rank of captain (9)

7.Emits fumes or offensive odours (5)

8.Performances of plays, concerts and showing of films in the daytime (8)

11.Disconcert; worry (4)

15.One who’s made it onto the dais (9)

17.Tree-dwelling ape of Borneo (9)

18.Folding stuff (4,4)

20.Confined (4)

21.Inert; lethargic (7)

22.State of equilibrium; cessation of growth (6)

24.Part of a church in front of the altar (5)

25.Defame (5)

Last week’s solution #15 MOTIFDENARIUS EALFADNA ALLCOMERSONSET NERNERIY DARLINGLEANDER ENSBE RANDSHEKELOAF EUSUNEUO DAMQUIRESSTIR EUEPE CORSAIRPRINCES OADUAEOH INTERPRINCIPLE NOOENESE SPRINGERSPENT

BY LILITH

The sun and Mercury retrograde in fiery Leo, plus Mars and Jupiter in airy Gemini add up to a lot of hot air this week –making cool and calm the sanest way to deal with retrograde irritations...

I’ve bought raffle tickets to support a charity. That’s probably the sum total of my gambling behaviour.

Yet I’ve been affected by gambling.

My dad was a gambler. So much so he even bought his own racehorse on one of his drunken benders.

We were living hand to mouth, in housing commission, but we had a racehorse. And a speedboat. That week.

In a week all that could be gone. It often was. On the following week we’d be struggling to buy food.

I’ve had friends and family members impacted by out-of-control gambling. They have described to me the addiction, not to winning, but to losing. The call of the pokie room. The lights. The dopamine hit. The rush. Then the drop. The abyss of self-loathing and isolation.

The sad drive home when you’ve spent your mortgage payment.

The lies you tell yourself and those you love about where you’ve been. About where the money has gone.

I recently heard the personal story of a young man whose mum and dad were both chronic gamblers. He told of being left alone for long periods as a child. Of the absence of his parents. Of the loss of a business, a house, and security for his entire family. But also of the loss of them. Their gambling addiction had meant he struggled to trust them, that they often chose gambling over their kids. These were not bad people. These were people with addiction.

We have to stop blaming individuals. There are not ‘problem’ gamblers.

Gambling is a problem industry.

It farms hope where the universal currency is loss. The only people who lose are us. And our collective losses are the financial gain. The business model only works when people lose.

ARIES: Arians tend to react strongly to first impressions. But making the commitment to stay patient with missed meetings and opiniated divas will help you maintain the sense of humour critical to navigating this highly flammable week. The payoff ? Some absolutely hilarious stories for entertaining your friends.

TAURUS: Edgy energetics between the sun and Uranus could make this quite a volatile week of triggered tempers and ego battles. People may be cranky and quick to snap, so do your best to fly under the radar. Steer clear of tantrum-throwing tinderboxes. Forget war: focus on making love and art.

GEMINI: As your mentor planet Mercury continues reversing from fussy Virgo to theatrical Leo, this week’s histrionic scenarios might have you feeling like you’re treading on eggshells in stilettos. Defuse dramatic situations by firmly declaring intermission, and save your walks on the wild side for later this month.

Gambling is a problem industry. It farms hope where the universal currency is loss. The only people who lose are us. And our collective losses are the financial gain.

The people who lose are mums, dads, grandmas, grandpas, aunts, uncles, brothers, sisters. They aren’t high rollers. They’re just us.

A few years ago, I started receiving text messages from Bet Deluxe. They called me ‘Mark’ and they made constant offers. They’d double my bet. They would say, ‘Mark, it’s been a long time coming but the footy final is back. Deposit now and get an exclusive 100% match up.’

This text included deposit links, phone numbers, and then at the end it told me if I have a gambling problem then I can contact the National Self Exclusion Register or set a deposit limit. Oh thank you for the caretaking. How about you don’t send random betting offers to Mark? Or anyone. If

CANCER: If it seems diff icult to get this week’s people engaged, they’re more likely to respond to a colourful or emotional story than dry facts and figures. And since this month’s love language is giving gift s, saying thank you with a thoughtful memento or luxurious meal will be appreciated.

LEO: With Mercury backtracking into your fiery sign for the last half of August, remember that retrogrades call for the re-verbs: reflecting, rethinking and revising, with this week specific for reviewing the ways you attract praise and approval. Flamboyance that was attractive last week could now look like boasting.

VIRGO: As your planetary driver Mercury reverses into its ‘look at me’ placement, Venus in your health-conscious sign is making self-care sexy. So work out a kickstart routine that restores your glow with something enjoyable that you look forward to: salsa classes, laps in the pool, nature walking, hot yoga – your choice.

LIBRA: While Librans like to minimise friction and focus on keeping life pleasant and charming, this week’s feisty energetics present a challenge. You prefer not to rock the boat, but during this transit it isn’t a good idea to dismiss red flags as inconsequential. Proceeding carefully but firmly is recommended.

SCORPIO: An awkward alignment of Jupiter, Uranus and Mercury retrograde could incline you to be impulsive or overgenerous in this week’s calculations. But it’s better to start out slow than have to recalibrate down the track. Also think twice before you challenge someone, because strong reactions are likely.

SAGITTARIUS: Outspoken Jupiter and assertive Mars in full-forward mode could have you excited about an idea and eager to discuss it, but be careful not to come on too strong this week. Listen more than you talk, because interrupting others could alienate them before you get to hear their valuable input.

Mark appears to be a problem gambler then don’t text. Ever. Don’t send these creepy messages. I never opted-out because I wanted to see how many I got. I got hundreds of messages over the last few years. I hope Mark is okay. I don’t understand why gambling requires advertising. Everyone knows you can gamble.

Must we be enticed to gamble in every conceivable setting? Is nowhere safe?

Gambling advertising solely exists to enable and entice people into problem behaviour.

Supporting people to quit is a lot more effective when you ban gambling ads. Especially on TV. Kids watch TV. We are permitting harm by allowing them to be groomed by Big Gamble.

But of course, the media loves its gambling advertising revenue. Political parties love their big donations. And they don’t want to make the media angry when an election is on the horizon. So you either centre your own political self-interest or the people you are supposed to represent.

And in this cost-of-living crisis, let me remind you who owns the most pokies in Australia.

Woolworths and Coles.

Ban gambling ads. In a cost-of-living crisis, address the cost of gambling.

It’s the least a government can do. Don’t gamble on us.

For more info see editorial on page 12

CAPRICORN: Current cosmic conditions could, at worst, see citizens stubborn and unbudging: everyone with an agenda, nobody willing to compromise. Bear in mind that Mercury’s retrograde means you need to advance strategically, which this week means focussing on what you can compliment, praise or give credit for.

AQUARIUS: Getting your ideas across shouldn’t be a problem with Mars and Jupiter in chatty and expressive mode. The catch? This combination can also make people argumentative and contrarian. Solution? Up to you, but with this week’s annual full moon in Aquarius you won’t be short of inspiration.

PISCES: Wise Pisceans will take the usual Mercury retrograde precautions this week of strengthening your screening processes and editing documents before sending. Also being careful who you confide in, because right now being overimpressionable, too trusting, or making impulsive moves isn’t in your best interests.

Crossword

MANDY NOLAN’S

Lov e

Byron Bay

With so much on offer, support local!

YOUR COMPANY & OUR COMMUNITY

BELLA ROSA

Gelato every day in Byron Bay!

This family-run business has been making authentic Italian gelato in the heart of Byron Bay since 1999.

Every day the Bella Rosa team makes small batch gelato using the freshest, natural and local ingredients, including a large and delicious vegan range.

Gelato, sorbet, sundaes, espresso, milkshakes, smoothies.

@bellarosagelateria 02 6685 8805 11 Jonson Street, Byron Bay

JIMMY’S COFFEE

Experience exceptional coffee at Jimmy’s Coffee, located in Suffolk Park and Byron Bay. Enjoy Rosso beans, roasted in Melbourne. They offer diverse drinks, caffeine-free alternatives like medicinal mushroom chocolate and Japanese matcha lattes, plus fresh pastries, crumpets and jaffles. They’re dog-friendly, predominantly outdoors, with monthly markets and live music. Drop in for a coffee, stay for a chat.

Instagram @jimmys.coffee

125 Jonson Street, Byron Bay 17 Clifford Street, Suffolk Park

Networking For Better Business

Byron and Beyond Networking offer small events including breakfasts, speed networking and coffee meetups, which are open to members and visitors. Business networking breakfasts include a guest speaker.

You are also given ample opportunity to connect with other attendees as each event is capped so you ‘do not get lost in the crowd’.

From humble beginnings in Bangalow in 2009, Byron and Beyond Networking have enjoyed a natural membership growth and geographic expansion, now including members

MILA MELI

Mila Meli has moved to 3/6 Jonson Street, next to Byron Bay Cookies. The new store is filled with all their favourite kids labels that you’ve loved for years. Hatley Rainwear and organic cotton PJs, Milky trackies, jeans and hoodies, Oldsoles shoes, Crywolf backpacks and more.

Pop in and check out their huge collection of fun, comfy winter kids clothing.

milameli.com  02 6680 8616

3/6 Jonson Street, Byron Bay

ESPRESSOHEAD

Tucked away in the heart of Byron, Espressohead Cafe has been a favourite locals’ hideout for well over a decade.

Their all-day menu includes fresh, locally-sourced meals with vegan and gluten-free options, and of course exceptional coffee.

So pull up a chair and settle into this quaint and cosy space to experience Byron like a local.

Open daily

6.30am–2pm  02 6680 9783

7/4 Middleton St, Byron Bay www.espressoheadcafe.com

from all areas of business throughout the Northern Rivers.

Their events are open to men and women who love to build their business and strengthen their ties to the community.

Byron and Beyond Networking byronandbeyondnetworking.com.au 0412 475 543

ENZO & TOTO

Discover curated luxury fashion at Enzo & Toto in Byron Bay. They offer pieces from top labels like American Vintage, AG denim, Mother denim and Maison Hotel, including shoes and jewellery.

Enjoy personalised shopper services and explore new collections in their boutique. Visit them for a unique shopping journey, in-store or online.

02 6685 5266

Shop 2/15-19 Fletcher St, Byron Bay www.enzoandtoto.com

DR. MOOSE

Get ready to stand out from the crowd with your very own custom t-shirt!

Printed while you wait/same day! No set up costs, full colour prints on AS Colour high quality shirts. Locally owned, in Byron since ‘95.

Open every day 9.30am–5.30pm 02 6685 5825

48 Jonson Street, Byron Bay www.drmoose.com.au drmoose@drmoose.com.au

Volume 39 #10

14–20 August, 2024

Editor: Eve Jeffery

Editorial/gigs: gigs@echo.net.au

Copy deadline: 5pm each Thursday

Gig Guide deadline: 5pm each Friday

Advertising: adcopy@echo.net.au P: 02 6684 1777

seven days of entertainment

Eclectic Selection

What’s on this week

Animal Ventura is the brainchild of Brazilian-born singer-songwriter and multiinstrumentalist Fernando Aragones. What sets Animal Ventura apart is a unique ability to fuse the solid funky rhythms from his native South America with the coastal indie folk of Australian shores. To top it off his soothing and timeless vocals transitioning between English and Portuguese hold strength and passion in their delivery.

Thursday at The Rails, Byron Bay. Free show

The Ballina RSL and Breast Friends FUNdraising, FUN girls night in, is raising funds for local women and cancer support groups. The event will feature entertainment by Mossy Rocks, a surprise comedian MC, popup cocktail bar, prizes for best dressed, raffles, dancing and more.

Ticket includes entertainment, drink on arrival and finger food.

Friday from 7pm at the Ballina RSL. Tickets $60 from www.ballinarsl.com.au or call 6681 9500

The Supper Club Soul Band is the ‘music child’ of vocalist Laura Nobel who created this event with a band who have all worked for big Australian and overseas’ names. The door charge all goes to the band – the audience bring their own supper. There are also regular special guests.

Thursday at the Lismore Bowling Club from 7pm. Tickets $15 at the door.

Could you be BayFM’s next Studio Manager?

Put yourself at the heart of BayFM. We’re Australia’s most awarded community radio station in recent years - but now we need more help to build on this success. You’ll need good tech skills as well as people skills for this part-time role. The commitment is 20 hours a week allows. Pay rates are in line with your responsibilities.

Email president@bayfm.org today for a full job description.

W: echo.net.au/entertainment bayfm.org

Phantom Limbz is an original band based in the Northern Rivers playing an eclectic mix of blueish, country, folk rock with punk overtones.

Sunday at the Imperial Hotel, Murwillumbah from 3pm. Free show.

Redefining chamber music

In September, the A&I Hall in Bangalow will resonate with the vibrant sounds of Nexas Quartet, a pioneering ensemble renowned for pushing the boundaries of chamber music.

Featuring saxophonists Michael Duke, Andrew Smith, Nathan Henshaw, and Jay Byrnes, Nexas Quartet promises an unforgettable musical experience that seamlessly blends classical sophistication with contemporary flair.

The concert program, curated to captivate and inspire, includes masterworks spanning a spectrum of styles and eras. Opening the afternoon will be César Franck’s evocative ‘Prelude Fugue and Variations’, followed by Maurice Ravel’s iconic ‘String Quartet’, a testament to the quartet’s versatility and technical prowess.

Following a brief intermission, the quartet will continue to enchant with Jean Francaix’s spirited ‘Quatuor’ and Astor Piazzolla’s soulful ‘Resurrection del Angel’ showcasing

Raíssa Hari is a Brazilian singer, composer, instrumentalist and producer. Infected by Brazilian rhythms such as samba and bossa nova, she sings in her unique way. It would be impossible to classify Raíssa in a single style.

Friday from 5.30pm at Gitana Spanish Bar, Byron Bay. Free event.

Enter a realm where your dreams forge endless possibilities of joy and wonder. Dance with Lucid Dreams beneath the magic of a sturgeon full moon, the starlit skies and revel in the psychedelic laser light show that will blaze through the mud-brick walls of Durrumbul Hall.

Bring your lucid spirits to the mystical hinterland of Mullumbimby.

Saturday from 6pm at Durrumbul Hall. Tickets $50 from www.humantix.com

The Sunshine Coast’s favourite trio, Nana’s Pie, hit you with emotional songwriting mixed with their infectious energy, and the debut of their latest single ‘Ghost’. Don’t miss out – dust off your dancing shoes for this family-friendly gig.

Sunday from 4pm at the Hotel Brunswick, Brunswick Heads. Free event.

the saxophone’s emotive depth and the quartet’s interpretative finesse.

The program culminates with two quintessential works by George Gershwin: the lively ‘American in Paris’ and the timeless jazz standard ‘Summertime’, arranged uniquely for a saxophone quartet.

These selections highlight Nexas Quartet’s ability to breathe new life into beloved classics while honouring their rich musical heritage.

Founded in 2002, Nexas Quartet has earned acclaim worldwide for

its innovative approach to chamber music, deftly blending tradition with innovation. Their dynamic interpretations and adventurous programming have established them as trailblazers in the genre, captivating audiences and critics alike.

Don’t miss the opportunity to witness Nexas Quartet’s unparalleled artistry and transformative musical.

Sun 8th September, 3pm. Bangalow A&I Society Hall

Tickets available at Nexas Quartet on Humanitix.

Laura Nobel Nana’s Pie

Museum’s MEGA street party

Tweed Regional Museum is gearing up for a huge 2024 street party which will be held on Saturday, August 31 from 12 noon until 7pm at the Museum and in its surrounding streets.

Following on from the success of last year’s event, the Tweed Regional Museum Street Party 2024 will offer an incredible afternoon featuring live music, a makers market, collaborative public art, tasty eats, Tweed trivia and prizes, and so much more.

The event is inspired by all things Tweed; the people, places, biodiversity and history – and will be part of the Museum’s 20th birthday celebrations.

Guests can enjoy a live music lineup featuring Lazy Ghost, Blackline, Bella Amor and more, then stroll down a ‘makers lane’ curated by local designer Kirsten Devitt (Each to Own).

There’ll be a return of the Tweed Valley Banana Festival float with its regal throne and four fabulous Banana Queens, native animal-inspired face painting and plenty of activities for the kids to enjoy – including the beloved kids’ Adventure Game with new puzzles and activities to explore throughout the party.

There’s even a DJ set for kids – bubbles included. Tasty bites on offer will include eats from Oki Foods, Kat Harvey’s cheese station, Yulli’s Modern Asian and Khanthaly’s Kitchen.

There’ll also be a Swamp Beer Garden with tasty beverages by the team at Spangled Drongo and The Gin Experience. This event is proudly funded by the NSW Government under the Open Streets Program led by Transport for NSW. Book your free tickets to receive a full event program closer to the date.

For more info head to Tweed Regional Museum at museum.tweed.nsw.gov.au/whats-on.

Casting call for crew

Screenworks in partnership with Netflix has opened applications for their next Regional Crew Pathways Program . Being delivered with support from Screen NSW, Screen Queensland and the Australian Film Television and Radio School (AFTRS), this entry-level initiative will provide four recent film and media graduates with a highly sought-after opportunity to get their first professional paid crew role. Apply here: https://buff.ly/46hILBa.

Jaw-dropping harmonies

Big Sky Mountain may have urban roots, but there’s an undeniable magic of country embedded in their musical DNA. Redefining harmony in Australian country music, Big Sky Mountain’s journey from city streets to the heart of country melodies adds a unique flavour to their sound, blending the energy of city life with the soulful resonance of country storytelling. But don’t be fooled; hitched up their skirts is a pistol, and they won’t flinch at holding you ransom with their jaw-dropping harmonies.

Big Sky Mountain finds inspiration in Americana luminaries like Alison Krauss, Kacey Musgraves, Wilco, and The Eagles.

Their story begins in 2019 with the release of their debut album, All Our Minutes, produced by ARIA winner Paul McKercher, landing them a string of live shows, regional radio play and an invite to Tamworth Country Music Festival.

Soon after, the band teamed up with producer Jackson Barclay (The McClymonts and Vera Blue), yielding a series of singles such as ‘Bed of Roses’, ‘The Great Escape’, and ‘Home Fires’. These tracks found a home on high rotation at ABC Country Radio and paved the way for gigs at notable festivals like National Folk Festival, Perisher Peak Festival, Lakeside Festival, Under Western Skies, and Majors Creek Festival.

A ticket to play

Big Sky Mountain hit the ground running in 2024 with a new single, ‘Dark Place’, a Northern NSW tour, and an invitation to Queensland’s renowned Gympie Music Muster in August.

You can catch them at The Rails on Sunday.

Don’t it make your blue eyes cry

Passport to Airlie is Australia’s largest live, original music showcase. Events are held in regional areas around Australia, allowing for a broad range of genres, participants and audiences. It allows for local venues to show their support of live, and original grassroots music in their community – every headline artist you have ever seen was once a band trying to convince a venue that should be able to play originals. The winning act from each region will head to Airlie Beach to compete in the finals and also receive; four nights accommodation for up to five members; three-day VIP festival passes including food and alcohol; $1,000 performance fee; invaluable national PR opportunities and the chance to play their own music to a huge audience.

The overall winner receives all of the above again the following year, plus a spot on the main stage line-up At Airlie Beach Festival of Music 2025.

For more information and entry into the competition details, visit airliebeachfestivalofmusic.com.au. The Byron show is on Saturday, August 24 from 10am at The Rails.

Nathan Beretta has made his mark in the Australian blues scene with multiple award-winning blues band Blue Eyes Cry

Growing up with blues, jazz and soul in the household, Nathan has brought his own unique style to the table. Influenced by artist such as Ronnie Earl, Albert Collins, Albert King and Buddy Guy, Nathan plays from the soul with a ‘all killer no filler’ approach.

After taking a year of music Nathan is back on a mission to put the ‘edge’ back in into the blues, with vibrato-bending guitar solos and emotion. The Nathan Beretta Band is a known, yet new act on the scene, and is not to be missed if authentic blues is your thing.

The Nathan Beretta Band will be playing in Ballina this weekend in the RSL’s regular Sunday Blues Sessions spot at 2.30pm on the Boardwalk.

2023 winners, Avalanche

seven days of entertainment

Little screen to big screen

Based on one of the best-selling videogame franchises of all time, welcome to Borderlands where Lilith ( Cate Blanchett ), an infamous bounty hunter with a mysterious past, reluctantly returns to her home, Pandora, the most chaotic planet in the galaxy. Her mission is to find the missing daughter of Atlas ( Ramírez ), the universe’s most powerful S.O.B. If you’ve played the game then you’ll know the characters.

On the planet of Pandora, mercenary soldier Roland –apparently gone rogue – kidnaps teenager Tiny Tina with the help of Krieg, a ‘psycho’ who was institutionalised in the same facility.

Meanwhile, on another planet, bounty hunter Lilith is contacted by Atlas, a powerful corporate magnate. He convinces her to rescue Tina, his daughter. Lilith forms an unexpected alliance with a ragtag team of misfits: Roland ( Kevin Hart ), a seasoned mercenary on a mission; Tiny Tina ( Ariana Greenblatt ), a feral pre-teen demolitionist; Krieg (F lorian Munteanu ), Tina’s musclebound protector; Tannis ( Jamie Lee Curtis ), the oddball scientist who’s seen it all; and Claptrap ( Jack Black ), a wise ass robot.

Together, these unlikely heroes must battle an alien species and dangerous bandits to uncover one of Pandora’s most explosive secrets. The fate of the universe could be in their hands – but they’ll be fighting for something more: each other.

Borderlands is screening at Palace Cinemas, Byron Bay and Ballina Fair Cinemas.

Daily except Thurs, Sun: 10:45AM, 1:15PM, 2:45PM, 5:30PM, 7:15PM. Thurs: 10:45AM, 1:15PM, 2:45PM, 5:30PM, 6:45PM, 8:15PM. Sun: 10:45AM, 1:15PM, 3:30PM, 5:30PM, 7:45PM IRIS AND THE MEN (M) NFT Daily except Sun, Wed: 11:00AM, 12:50PM, 3:45PM, 6:15PM. Sun: 10:30AM, 12:50PM, 3:45PM, 6:15PM. Wed: 10:45AM, 12:50PM, 3:45PM, 6:15PM IT ENDS WITH US (M) NFT Thurs: 10:45AM, 1:15PM, 3:00PM, 4:00PM, 5:45PM, 8:15PM. Fri, Sat, Mon, Tues: 11:15AM, 1:15PM, 3:00PM, 4:00PM, 5:45PM, 6:45PM, 8:15PM. Sun: 11:30AM, 12:45PM, 2:50PM, 5:45PM, 7:30PM, 8:15PM. Wed: 11:15AM, 1:00PM, 3:00PM, 3:45PM, 5:45PM, 8:15PM LONGLEGS (MA15+) Daily except Thurs, Sun: 3:45PM, 6:00PM, 8:15PM. Thurs: 3:45PM, 6:00PM, 8:30PM. Sun: 6:00PM, 8:15PM THE BLIND SEA (PG) NFT Thurs, Fri, Sat: 11:00AM, 4:00PM, 6:15PM. Sun, Mon, Tues, Wed: 11:00AM, 4:00PM, 6:15PM, 8:30PM THE TEACHER

GIG GUIDE

WEDNESDAY 14

RAILWAY HOTEL, BYRON BAY, ISAAC FRANKHAM

BEACH HOTEL, BYRON BAY, 6PM BEN WHITING

THE NORTHERN, BYRON BAY, 6PM KANE MUIR

BRUNSWICK HEADS PICTURE

HOUSE 6PM SAVE WALLUM

EXTREMELY SOPHISTICATED FUN-RAISER

TWIN TOWNS, TWEED HEADS, THE SHOWROOM

7.30PM CELESTE BARBER

THURSDAY 15

RAILWAY HOTEL, BYRON BAY, ANIMAL VENTURA

BEACH HOTEL, BYRON BAY, RADIO FREE ALICE

THE NORTHERN, BYRON BAY, 6PM DAN HANNAFORD

BYRON BOWLO 6PM THE GOOD KIDS

HOWL & MOAN, BYRON BAY, 7PM BODALLA WITH SOPHIE DALLAIRE

HOTEL BRUNSWICK

6PM TAHLIA MATHERSON

THE LEVEE, LISMORE, 5PM MARTIN LARTIGAU

THE SUPPER CLUB AT THE BOWLO, LISMORE, 7PM THE SUPPER CLUB SOUL BAND TWIN TOWNS, TWEED HEADS, THE SHOWROOM 7.30PM SYDNEY COMEDY FESTIVAL SHOWCASE

FRIDAY 16

RAILWAY HOTEL, BYRON BAY, EPIC

BEACH HOTEL, BYRON BAY, 6PM BYRON SURF FESTIVAL TRACKS PARTY FEAT PACIFIC AVENUE + CROCODYLUS, MOLLY ROCKET & ALLENSWORTH

BYRON THEATRE 7PM BYRON BAY SURF FESTIVAL

FEATURE FILM – SURVIVING TO THRIVING

GITANA SPANISH BAR, BYRON BAY, 5.30PM RAISSA HARI

THE NORTHERN, BYRON BAY, 7PM DR SURE’S UNUSUAL PRACTICE ‘TOTAL REALITY’ ALBUM LAUNCH

HOTEL BRUNSWICK 6PM ANIMAL VENTURA

WANDANA BREWING CO., MULLUMBIMBY, 4PM DJ AFRODESIA

ST JOHN’S SCHOOL HALL, MULLUMBIMBY, 7.30PM ECSTATIC DANCE

MULLUMBIMBY WITH DJ LO QI

MIDDLE PUB, MULLUMBIMBY, 8PM KRAPPYOKEE WITH JESS

MULLUMBIMBY EX-SERVICES

CLUB 8PM 19-TWENTY

CLUB LENNOX 7PM THE COASTERS

LENNOX HOTEL 9PM PISTOL WHIP

BALLINA RSL LEVEL ONE 7PM BREAST FRIENDS FUNDRAISER FT MOSSY ROCKS

THE LEVEE, LISMORE, 7.30PM DJ MAGNUS

STAR COURT THEATRE, LISMORE, 7.30PM CHRIS BURGESS ‘LENNOX –LEGEND IN MY LIVING ROOM’

FEDERAL HOTEL, ALSTONVILLE, 7PM THE HOOCHERS

THE CHANNON TAVERN 7.30PM DJ THE WHO’S WHO MURWILLUMBAH SERVICES CLUB 6.30PM ROB BOSTOCK

KINGSCLIFF BEACH BOWLS 5PM MEL SCARLETT

SALTBAR, KINGSCLIFF, 6PM TIN PARLOUR TWIN TOWNS, TWEED HEADS, THE SHOWROOM 8PM ROLLING IN THE DEEP COOLANGATTA HOTEL 8PM BOO SEEKA

SATURDAY 17

RAILWAY HOTEL, BYRON BAY, MAJESTIC KNIGHTS

BEACH HOTEL, BYRON BAY, 8PM IMANU + THE 4’20’ SOUND, DAVE QUENDO, SOPHDEXX

BYRON THEATRE 6.30PM FILM PREMIERE – ‘BELINDA’

BYRON BOWLO 6.30PM WET BANDITS

THE NORTHERN, BYRON BAY, 6.30PM MATT ARMATIGE

BANGALOW HOTEL 2PM PABLO LAVERDE HOTEL BRUNSWICK 4.30PM LIONHEART REBELLION

DURRUMBUL HALL 6PM LUCID DREAMS

CLUB LENNOX 8PM PINK ZINC

LENNOX HOTEL 9PM DJ BOZ

BALLINA RSL BOARDWALK 6PM ADAM GARDINER

THE CHANNON TAVERN 6PM KARAOKE

MURWILLUMBAH SERVICES

CLUB 6PM LEIGH JAMES

KINGSCLIFF BEACH BOWLS 5PM BRETT HEALY

SALTBAR, KINGSCLIFF, 6PM ALISHA TODD

SEAGULLS, TWEED HEADS, 7PM PHOENIX RISING

COOLANGATTA HOTEL

8PM MORGAN WALLEN APPRECIATION NIGHT

SUNDAY 18

RAILWAY HOTEL, BYRON BAY, BIG SKY MOUNTAIN BEACH HOTEL, BYRON BAY, 4.30PM LATE FOR WOODSTOCK + DJ REIFLEX + DAN NORTHEY + KID KENOBI

YULLI’S, BYRON BAY, 3PM YULLI’S OPEN MIC

THE NORTHERN, BYRON BAY, 7PM JASON DELPHIN

BANGALOW HOTEL 2PM KANE MUIR

HOTEL BRUNSWICK 4PM NANA’S PIE + SUNDAY LEMONADE

BRUNSWICK HEADS PICTURE HOUSE 6PM ANDREW HAMILTON

WANDANA BREWING CO., MULLUMBIMBY, 3PM DJ DARLAN

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

LENNOX HOTEL 1PM JB’S BLUES BREAKERS

BALLINA RSL BOARDWALK

2.30PM SUNDAY BLUES CLUB

SESSIONS FEAT. NATHAN BARETTA BAND

WHARF BAR, BALLINA, 3PM LUKE YEAMAN

THE CHANNON TAVERN 2PM SAM BUCKLEY

UKI MARKET 8AM TROMBONE

KELLY GANG + SCRUBBY PETE HURCOMBE, ROBBY RENFREW AND ANNE MARIE SUMMERFIELD

IMPERIAL HOTEL, MURWILLUMBAH, 3PM PHANTOM LIMBZ

SALTBAR,

MONDAY 19

TUESDAY

ADAM HARPAZ THE NORTHERN, BYRON BAY, 7PM MARSHALL OKELL CHERRY STREET SPORTS CLUB, BALLINA, 8PM PISTOL WHIP

WEDNESDAY 21

RAILWAY HOTEL, BYRON BAY, MATTHEW ARMITAGE BEACH HOTEL, BYRON BAY, 6PM INO PIO THE NORTHERN, BYRON BAY, 6PM ALEX BOWEN

Classifieds

ECHO CLASSIFIEDS – 6684 1777

DEADLINE TUES 12PM

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

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 (box ads) and line classifieds, email: 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.

Mullumbimby & District Neighbourhood Centre Connecting the Byron Shire Community VOLUNTEERS NEEDED

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): $14 per column centimetre

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

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PUBLIC NOTICES

Ballina, Brighton St Takeaway near the Shawsy, Seagrass Lennox, Lennox pub drive-through, Station St Grocer Lennox

COMMUNITY HOT BRUNCH FREE

FIRST SATURDAY OF EVERY MONTH

• Sausage sizzle • 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.

Mindfulness Educator Paul Bibby 0401 926 090

Classifieds

PETS

Byron Dog Rescue (CAWI)

LOL A LOLA

Lola is a desexed female 8.8-year-old Staffy x in excellent health and condition. She is very loving & loyal, adores humans of the big and little kind, loves cuddles and being included in family life.

Lola is fine with other dogs if introduced correctly but doesn’t really want or need doggy friends. She is best suited to walks on a (long) lead. Please contact Shell on 0458461935. MC: 953010001248784

MONTHLY MARKETS

On The Horizon

DEADLINE NOON FRIDAY

Email copy marked ‘On The Horizon’ to editor@echo.net.au.

Mullumbimby CWA

New members are always welcome at the monthly meeting of Mullumbimby CWA. Come to the CWA Rooms on August 14 for 10am start. Bring a plate for a light lunch afterwards. The country of study is France, and we are also interested in agriculture and the environment, cultural events, cooking, painting and handicraft. CWA lobbies the various levels of government for improvements to our way of life. Info: secretary, Jenny Barlow 6684 7282.

Prostate cancer support

The next meeting of the Northern Rivers Day Prostate Cancer Support Group is to be held on Wednesday, August 14 from 10am until 12 noon at the Alstonville Plateau Sports 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 treatment of those with this diagnosis.

This will be a time of quality sharing on health and wellbeing updates. Enquiries phone Bob Corney 0493 075 612 525. Find us on Facebook or contact usbangalowhistorical2479@gmail. com.

Green and Clean

The Green and Clean Awareness Team’s monthly Dunecare Day is on Sunday August 18 from 9am to 12noon, meeting in front of

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

mullumbimbyneighbourhoodcentre.

Byron Community

the Beach Cafe at Clarkes

We plant in the sand dunes from Clarkes Beach to Main Beach. From 12 noon to 1pm, enjoy a delicious free BBQ and be in the draw to win one of four excellent prizes. It’s good fun. Inquiries to Veda 66857991 or Miles 0403206190

What’s next for Peace?

Peace organisations, Remembering and Healing and Peace in Our Lifetime, have partnered to bring several peace related events to Lismore, most recently, livestreaming a human peace sign. To work out where will we go next, locally and globally, we invite interested peace lovers to join us throwing around peace ideas, activities, actions and planning for the future – Via Zoom: Monday August 19 drop in any time between 4.30 and 6.30pm: https://zoom.us/j /91834584699?pwd=Sj1H6KJ4Ue89 s7Xi00hGLAYwkHjErj.1

Or email us your ideas or let us know if you would like to be involved in what we are creating: remembering.and.healing@gmail. com or peaceinourlifetime.global@ gmail.com.

is a

Siamese X about 16 months old. She is affectionate and has high energy. She would suit a family with children over 7 and possibly on a property where she can keep herself entertained by catching mice!

(Tropical Fruit World)

Each SAT Uki 8am-1pm02 6679 5438

Mullumbimby & District Neighbourhood Centre is open Monday–Friday 9am–4pm (closed 12.30–1.30pm for lunch). We offer a variety of services. Everyone is welcome. Call reception on 6684 1286.

Some of our services include: Flood recovery support service: personalised, long-term support for those impacted by the floods. Community support: food parcels, meals, showers, assistance with electricity bills. Work Development Orders.

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 Tuesday–Friday.

at Uniting Church, Mullumbimby. You may purchase cheap food, obtain free veges, and enjoy a cuppa. The Hub Baptist Church in Ocean Shores has food relief available for anyone doing it tough, please contact us on 0434 677747 if you find yourself doing it tough. 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 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

Please make an appointment 0403 533 589 • Billinudgel petsforlifeanimalshelter.net All cats are desexed, vaccinated and microchipped. No: 90016400253560

Each SAT Lismore 8.30-11am

Each SAT Wadeville 8am-12pm

Each SAT Byron Twilight Market 4pm Oct–Apr

Each SUN Ballina 7-11am

Listening Space: free counselling. More Than A Meal: free community lunch Tuesday–Thursday 12.30–1.30pm. Financial counselling Staying Home, Leaving Violence program: Information, referral, and advocacy.

Gulganii affordable pantry shop: located at 3 Bridgeland Lane. Orange Sky: free laundry service Mon morning & Wed afternoon. To enquire about accessing any of these services call reception 6684 1286, check our website www.mdnc.org.au, or follow us on Facebook or Instagram. @

Breakfast: Tuesday–Friday, 7–9am. Showers and laundry: Tuesday–Friday, 7am–12pm. Office support: Tuesday–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: 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

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 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? 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

Beach.

Iconic Bangalow home – Divine Cottage | 98 Byron Street, Bangalow

Nestled in the picturesque Northern Rivers of New South Wales, Bangalow is a charming village that boasts an array of character homes, each embodying a unique story and aesthetic appeal.

Divine Cottage is no different, featuring distinctive elements such as high ceilings, ornate cornices, and beautiful timber floors; and is positioned on the main street of town nestled alongside other beautiful original homes.

The main street is alive and thriving with Piccabeen Park off Deacon Street, a vibrant arts scene, and a strong community fostering a sense of belonging and connection amongst its residents. Neighbours and visitors often engage in community events, local initiatives, and the Bangalow Markets at the Showground.

As awareness of sustainability grows, many homeowners in Bangalow are also focusing on eco-friendly practices within their character homes. From utilising renewable energy sources to incorporating sustainable materials, the approach to maintaining these homes is evolving. This shift not only honours the past but also paves the way for a greener future.

For prospective buyers, investing in a

character home in Bangalow is not just about acquiring a property; it’s about embracing a lifestyle steeped in history, community, and natural beauty. The town’s ongoing development, coupled with its commitment to preserving its heritage, ensures that character homes will remain a valuable asset for years to come.

RETAIL FOR LEASE

Bangalow’s character homes are a celebration of architectural beauty, historical significance, and community vibrancy. They offer a unique living experience that combines the charm of the past with the comforts of modern life. For those seeking a place to call home in a location that is rich in culture and community spirit, Bangalow stands out as

a remarkable choice—a town where every character home tells a story waiting to be embraced by its next resident.

Contact Dylan McCready at Lois Buckett Real Estate, 0448 550 988. www.loisbuckett.com.au

The Mercato Shopping Centre is looking for premium health and beauty operators to join our new wellness precinct. We are looking for professional usages such as: DAY SPA, DENTAL PRACTICE, HAIR AND BEAUTY, MASSAGE AND LASER

Flexible lease terms are available. The centre is currently anchored by Woolworths and Palace Cinemas, withplenty of onsite undercover parkingavailable.

If you are interested in discussing these opportunities further, please do not hesitate to contact Patrick Sergi on 0407 923 230.

Sell with your local agent Ruth Russell.

0402 855 929

ruthrussell@atrealty.com.au www.ruthrussellrealty.com.au

Iconic Bangalow Home

Four bedroom character home in the main street of Bangalow village. Zoned R2 Low Density Residential, the property suits a variety of purposes, from a family home, to an investment property, or a commercial venture subject to council approval.

There is a good size eat-in kitchen and family room and a separate lounge room with a slow separate laundry. Fenced yards to the front and back plus a large garage/shed.

Located opposite the Police Station, 200m level walk to Bangalow restaurants and cafes. Directly opposite the Heritage House Museum and Piccabeen Park, great for the kids.

Suitable for a business, family, couple or investor – this property should be inspected. Motivated vendor will meet the market.

*Agent declares interest.

BANK ROAD, MULLUMBIMBY CREEK

PLACE, BANGALOW

Property Business Directory

First National Byron Bay

• 5/20-21 Pacific Parade, Lennox Head. Wed 12–12.30pm

• 160 Reardons Lane, Swan Bay. Thurs 11–11.30am

• 4 Wright Place, Bangalow. Thurs 12–12.30pm

• 1 Settlement Road, Main Arm. Fri 11–11.30am

• 37 Gloria Street, South Golden Beach. Sat 9–9.30am

• 27 Dufficys Lane, Kinvara. Sat 9–9.30am

• 6 Victor Place, Lennox Head. Sat 9–9.30am

• 6/51 Belongil Crescent, Byron Bay. Sat 9–9.30am

• 5/37–39 Bottlebrush Crescent, Suffolk Park. Sat

9.30–10am

• 15/24 Scott Street, Byron Bay. Sat 9.30–10am

• 50/11–19 Cooper Street, Byron Bay. Sat

9.30–10am

• 4 Wright Place, Bangalow. Sat 10–10.30am

• 51 Granuaille Road, Bangalow. Sat 10–10.30am

• 146 Alcorn Street, Suffolk Park. Sat 10–10.30am

• 1 Driftwood Avenue, Byron Bay. Sat 10–10.30am

• 39 Bilin Road, Myocum. Sat 10.30–11am

• 4/3–7 Glasgow Street, Suffolk Park. Sat 10.30–11am

• 1 Park Street, Brunswick Heads. Sat 11–11.30am

• 797 Fernleigh Road, Brooklet. Sat 11–11.30am

• 35 Bencluna Lane, Eureka. Sat 11–11.30am

• 45 Corkwood Crescent, Suffolk Park. Sat

11–11.30am

• 15 Plantation Drive, Ewingsdale. Sat 11–11.30am

• 326 Booyong Road, Nashua. Sat 11.30am–12pm

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

• 10 Armstrong Street, Suffolk Park. Sat

12–12.30pm

• 1/6 Sallywattle Drive, Suffolk Park. Sat

12–12.30pm

• 14 Sherringtons Lane, The Pocket. Sat 12.30–1pm

• 440 Dorroughby Road, Dorroughby. Sat 1–1.30pm

Harcourts Northern Rivers

• 96 Emigrant Point Road, Pimlico. Sat 10–10.30am

• 52 Riverview Avenue, West Ballina. Sat 10–10.30am

• 337 Hermans Lane, Pimlico. Sat 10.45–11.15am

• 6 Rifle Range Road, Wollongbar. Sat 11–11.30am

• 6 Princess Avenue, Ballina. Sat 12–12.30pm

• 10 Eider Quadrant, Ballina. Sat 12–12.30pm

• 26 Clavan Street, Ballina. Sat 1–1.30pm

• 73 Lagoon Drive, Myocum. Sat 1.30–2pm

MANA RE

• 9 Green Frog Lane, Bangalow. Sat 9–9.30am

• 67 Commercial Road, Murwillumbah. Sat 9–9.30am

• 39a Granuaille Road, Bangalow. Sat 10–10.30am

• 46 Orana Road, Ocean Shores. Sat 10–10.30am

• 119 Commercial Road, Murwillumbah. Sat

10–10.30am

• 142 Bakers Road, Dunbible. Sat 11–11.30am

• 7 Bulgoon Crescent, Ocean Shores. Sat 11–11.30am

• 10 Palmer Avenue, Ocean Shores. Sat

11.30am–12pm

• 16 Eloura Court, Ocean Shores. Sat 12.30–1pm

• 261 Tunnel Road, Stokers Siding. Sat 12.30–1pm.

McGrath Byron Bay

• 118 Balemo Drive, Ocean Shores. Sat 10–10.30am

North Coast Lifestyle Properties

• 12 Rush Court, Mullumbimby. Sat 11–11.45am

• 1/20 Fingal Street, Brunswick Heads. Sat 10–10.30am

• 1/15 Boondoon Crescent, Ocean Shores. Sat 10–10.45am

• 9 Kolora Way, Ocean Shores. Sat 11–11.30am

• 1/23 Royal Avenue, South Golden Beach. Sat 12–12.30pm

Real Estate of Distinction

• 81 Harwood, Burringbar. Sat 10.30–11am

• House 1 No. 1 Canowindra Court, South Golden Beach. Sat 12–12.30pm

• 79 Bayview Drive, East Ballina. Sat 2.30–3pm

Ruth Russell Realty

• 73 New City Road, Mullumbimby. Sat 11–11.45am

Tim Miller Real Estate

• 15 Ivory Curl Place, Bangalow. Thurs 12–12.30pm

• 5 Ewandale Close, Clunes. Thurs 1–1.30pm

• 1271 Lismore Road, Clunes. Sat 9.30–10am

• 113 Kings Road, Federal. Sat 12.15–12.45pm

• 94 Fernleigh Road, Tintenbar. Sat 3.30–4pm

New Listings

First National Byron Bay

• 45 Corkwood Crescent, Suffolk Park

• 18 Pacific Vista Drive, Byron Bay

• 1 Park Street, Brunswick Heads

North Coast Lifestyle Properties

• 1304 Main Arm Road, Upper Main Arm. Contact agent

• 1/15 Boondoon Crescent, Ocean Shores. Contact agent

• 1/35 Fingal Street, Brunswick Heads. Contact agent

Property Business Directory

Backlash

Mackenzie No

•Anxiety

•Trauma

•Stress

•Life

•

•Depression

It’s always sad to see a good local business disappear and the Bangalow Newsagent is the latest business on Byron Street to close its doors –they will be missed.

After a tumultuous few weeks in local politics, the good (or bad) news is that candidates have until noon Wednesday to throw their hat in the ring – then the fun really begins.

In case you didn’t already know, the Byron Surf Festival begins tomorrow and it looks like it’s going to be a really good ’un. Find out about the competitons and events at: byronbaysurffestival.com.au.

This National Bullying No Way Week (12-16 August), Triple P – Positive Parenting Program – is reminding the community how crucial it is to help children stay safer online and stop cyberbullying before it impacts a child’s life. Find out more at: www. triplep-parenting.net.au.

Telstra say the 4G mobile coverage expansion has been completed in the Northern Rivers. What this means is that if you have a 3G phone, it’s about to stop working and you have until August 31 to think about that.

Cr Westheimer is proposing that Byron Council find the naturists a new clothesoptional beach in the Shire. Arguably more interesting than the motion itself is the staff response which provides an update on steps Council has already taken to investigate this. It seems that any spot would bring safety issues and major opposition from local residents according to police and Council staff.

Spotted

The Shark Meshing(Bather Protection) Program 2023/24

Annual Performance Report shows that last summer, a total of 255 marine animals were caught in shark nets with just 15 (5.8 per cent) of those being target sharks. The previous summer 89 per cent of the 228 animals caught were non-target, meaning more non-target species were caught in the nets this year –insert frowning emoji here.

The annual Mission Austtralia Youth Survey collects responses from people nationwide aged 15-19, with nearly 4,500 NSW youth taking part in 2023. As the largest survey of its kind, Youth Survey provides an invaluable insight into what young Australians are thinking and feeling. To take part search for ‘youth survey’ at: missionaustralia.com.au.

The rainy weather has meant that the NSW SES Flood Advices notices have been flying thick and fast. It’s a good idea to keep ahead

of the game. You can sign up for free notification apps at www.nsw.gov.au/ emergency/prepare/apps.

Despite the cool weather experienced across the

state in July, Marine Rescue NSW was in demand with volunteers completing 242 search and rescue missions, including 81 emergency responses. Marine Rescue NSW Commissioner Alex Barrell said the skill and dedication displayed by the Service’s 3,400 volunteers meant hundreds of boaters were safely returned to shore in during the month.

According to mortgagebroker.com.au, Byron Bay is Australia’s second most beautiful town, in the ranks of social media – in particluar Instagram and Pinterest, with 3,300,000 hashtags and 991 pins.

Backlash would just like to remind Echo readers, don’t shoot the messenger. (Jus’ sayin’)