THE BYRON SHIRE Volume 24 #33 Tuesday, January 26, 2010 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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A FA C E B O O K W I T H A PA P E R WA L L
Like sands through a zoubu, such are the days of our lives Plans for Mullum farmers mart
The North Byron Farmers Market Association (NBFM) has announced that it will be establishing a new weekly local Farmers and Artisans Market at the Mullumbimby Showgrounds and is calling for expressions of interest from local farmers, food and plant producers and artisans. ‘The market will be held on Friday mornings and will expand the traditional local Farmers Market model to include opportunities for local small businesses producing value added local foods, native plants and,’ says NBFM. ‘There will also be a section where locals can buy hens, ducks, beehives and alpacas. A monthly recycling component selling recycled farm implements and recycled gardening tools will be established later. This model will provide a more diverse and vibrant market for the community.’ NBFM is a not-for-profit community association that currently runs the New Brighton Farmers Market that was established in 2007. ‘The NBFM charter is to foster closer links between local food producers and consumers to encourage organic food production and strengthen the sustainability of the local community and economy,’ said Ian Cameron, NBFM president.
Regular income This beautiful sand mandala for World Peace and Protection (Meytupa Buddha) is being made by Ngawang Tashi, Thiley Dorjee under the guidance of Geshe Tenzin Demchok, right. This and a second mandala for Good Luck will be worked on at the Byron Commnity Centre until 3pm next Saturday afternoon, after which there will be a sacred dissolution. The sands will be walked by formally robed monks to Main Beach – probably would do more good at Belongil – and poured into the sea. Photo Jeff ‘Kneels On Mandala’ Dawson Victoria Cosford
Five Tibetan monks are currently in Australia creating sand mandalas. Following their series at firstly Sydney’s Powerhouse Museum then the Crystal Castle, they are now in Byron Bay. In the coolness of the Verandah Room at the Byron Community and Cultural Centre, one monk is bent over what appears to be a vibrant tapestry on a table. A tapestry of sorts indeed it is, but one composed of col-
oured sand as fine as dust, arranged in an ornate and detailed design signifying world peace. Head of the little group is Geshe Tenzin Demchok, and the monastery from which they have all come is the Drepung Loseling Monastery in South India. Tenzin was responsible, in 2002, for establishing the World Maitreya Karuna Foundation (WMKF) in a bid to support the monks and the monastery. Byron local Simon Menlove is sec-
retary of the Foundation and has set up headquarters for it in Byron Bay. He told The Echo that the creation of the mandalas was ‘a very special thing for the Byron area, for Australia and for the whole world’, explaining that all those who come to view them receive their protective energy, a sort of blessing. ‘This is the inaugural tour’, he said, ‘to introduce Tenzin and the monks to Australia. ‘With the Foundation we want to raise money which will go back to
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India to support the monks and build a new monastery, but we also wish to raise money to buy land here in Australia, ideally in the Byron hinterland, and build a Tibetan monastery.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; He went on to say that it would serve as â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;a spiritual retreat where people from here can go and spend a few days. This is all very new, but I am hoping that Tenzin and the monks will come back in November and do another series of mandalas.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; continued on page 2
â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;This new market will support the Mullumbimby Showgrounds by providing regular income for maintenance and help make it once more an important focal point for the Mullumbimby community. This market will provide a great starting point for new farmers and new local sustainable enterprises and it is looking for stalls that offer a diverse range of local products such as heritage vegetables, cheeses, pasta, tofu, handcrafted bread-boards and bowls, handmade ceramic mugs and plates and heritage live poultry varieties.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; Anyone interested in either becoming a stallholder or a volunteer to help organise this new community market can phone 0413 610 222 or email mullummarket@gmail.com.