THE BYRON SHIRE Volume 24 #10 Tuesday, August 11, 2009 Mullumbimby 02 6684 1777 Byron Bay 02 6685 5222 Fax 02 6684 1719 editor@echo.net.au adcopy@echo.net.au www.echo.net.au 21,000 copies every week
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ENDANGERED CURMUDGEONS CROSS HERE
Messages and massages at writersfest
Among the many local authors launching work at the Byron Writers Festival were Zenith Virago, Claire Leimbach and Trypheyna McShane, seen shortly after the launch of their book The Intimacy of Death and Dying at the Festival on Sunday. Photo Jeff ‘Turning Over A New Leaf’ Dawson. Victoria Cosford
Around 700 people packed themselves into the SCU marquee for the Festival’s opening address. ‘This is the real Geoffrey Robertson, not a hypothetical,’ quipped SCU’s Vice Chancellor Professor Paul Clark by way of introducing him. For about an hour the great man had the audience in his thrall, his eloquence effortless as he talked about human rights and the suppression of free speech throughout history. Studded with amusing asides and anecdotes, his talk flowed fluidly with no reference to notes, covering censorship in literature throughout the ages, his friendship with Salman Rushdie (‘For an apostate he has a Koranic attitude to marriage...’), his wife Kathy Lette, the power of the written word ‘to change the way we think...to ex-
pand our sense of justice and compassion’ and how ‘it conduces to human progress.’ The only reading he did was right at the end when he offered his draft preamble to the Australian Constitution, a glorious, graceful and stirring piece of prose which provoked resounding applause. Day One of the Festival could not have been more magnificent. The sun blazed. As if to compensate for the absence of lyrical creek and grassy knolls of the previous site, artistic embellishment was in evidence throughout the field of Belongil. Flags rippled colourfully in the mild breeze, a tree near the entrance was festooned with books dangling like gifts from its branches. Sculptures by local artists sprang up; paintings formed part of the backdrop for speakers. In the Blue marquee a panel about
the writing of war included the ABC’s former Middle East correspondent Jane Hutcheon who covered the war in Iraq and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict among a host of other events: she spoke movingly and at times even amusingly about this job ‘she wouldn’t swap for anything in the world.’ At one point she mentioned Gaza under siege and how what affected her most was the sound of animals dying. Balinese journalist Wayan Juniartha talked about the Bali bombings which he had to cover in his home-town of Kuta: ‘There is no such thing as objectivity’, he told the hushed audience. The tone was decidedly lighter back in the SCU marquee where musicians Carl Cleves, Don Walker and the hilarious Sam Cutler chatted about real life versus life ‘on the road’. Sam, who lives in a bus and once toured with the Rolling Stones, said, ‘You should try
looking after a band – kids are easy in comparison!’ The Macquarie marquee around midday was jam-packed with mostly middle-aged women who had come to listen to a celebrity-studded panel discuss mid-life crises. There was Mary Moody who, though clearly the articulate and educated guardian of a rich full life, proved ultimately vapid with her final boast to the audience about how much she hated ageing and, like Woody Allen, would prefer to be thirty years younger and stupid. Kristen Williamson read endlessly from notes; Gretel Killeen was surprisingly charming. Meanwhile in the coffee tent the lattes flowed and the cakes despatched; free neck and shoulder massages were advertised alongside wellness checks; people floated and drifted the rather continued on page 2
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$3.6m for local education Richmond MP Justine Elliot has welcomed Australian government funding of $3,678,811 to improve teaching and learning across the community education and training sector on the north coast. The funding will be allocated to four local community education and training providers to develop new training infrastructure and upgrade existing facilities. The Byron Region Community College receives $1,448,220, the Australian Diver Accreditation Scheme $1,380,000, Nortec Employment and Training $703,864, and Murwillumbah Adult Education Centre $146,727. ‘This will help to secure economic activity, assist in addressing the impacts of the economic downturn and increase the capacity of the local training sector over the longer term to meet future skills needs,’ Ms Elliot said. ‘This initiative recognises the importance that community education and training providers play in supporting productivity in Australia.’ The funding is part of the $500 million Teaching and Learning Capital Fund for Vocational Education and Training. The federal government announced the funding in December 2008 as part of a $4.7 billion nation building infrastructure package. ‘The Australian government is committed to giving access to skills training so that people have the flexibility and transferable skills to succeed in the workforce,’ Ms Elliot said.
Council defers bluesfest decision Byron Shire councillors voted 5-1 last Wednesday to defer determination of an application for a blues festival at Tyagarah pending further information on a number of issues. They called for more information on flooding impact, traffic management, security, social impact, beach access over the Easter weekend and an agreement outstanding between the bluesfest and the neighbouring pistol club. ■ See story, page 14
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