THE BYRON SHIRE Volume 25 #10 Tuesday, August 10, 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
PAGE FEATURE ‚ PAGE
O N WA R D A N D AW K WA R D
Ex staffer blasts council’s competency and accountability
Festival of fine weather
ple taking these redundancies are usually the most competent and long Local resident and ex-council staffer serving staff.’ Alan Dickens has recently leveled accusations at his former employee in Redundancies offered Mr Dickens claims that prior to regards to management staff at council. Mr Dickens says that he spent 18 taking this redundancy, after being years working in council’s water and encouraged by the current operations recycling department and he feels the manager of Water and Recycling, the council have fallen short in their re- operator applied for one of the five coordinator positions offered which sponsibilities toward staff. ‘Over a long period of time I have had been created in a restructure genbeen asking questions concerning erated by the Operations Manager of the competency and accountability Water and Recycling as well as the of senior Byron Shire Management, General Manager. Alan says the applicant was unsucparticularly in Water and Recycling,’ says Alan.’ I have now been made cessful in obtaining this position but aware of another long serving em- has since found out that this position ployee of Water and Recycling who had been filled by a person who did took one of the redundancies offered not meet all of the essential criteria reto employees to reduce the financial quired by the position which the long Young and upcoming rock industry hopefuls Reg Mombassa and Sam Cuttler take a moment from the festival serving unsuccessful employee did. burden on Council. Photo Jeff ‘Taking The Whether With You’ Dawson ‘Byron Shire Council policy has al‘I have always found this practice questionable. If an organization gets ways been that if you do not at least Eve Jeffery Highlights Record crowds to a stage where it has to offer re- meet the essential criteria for a posiKeynote speaker journalist Megan Festival director Jeni Caffin said it dundancies to alleviate their finances tion you can not be considered for It was the type of perfect weather Stack packed the SCU marquee and was a very happy weekend. ‘There and staffing problems, it doesn’t make that position. conditions you only read about in continued on page 2 had the audience in the palm of her were record crowds, but the extraor- sense. The reason being that the peoromantic novels, but thankfully it was hand as she recounted the falsehoods dinary thing was that the site never this year’s Writers Festival. of conflict in her session entitled, looked full,’ said Ms Caffin after the At the welcome gate, 19 high school ‘Every man in this village is a liar: an students from Singapore invited education in war.’ Megan, who started festival. ‘I realised it was because people patrons to demand poetry – other her hour with Mungo MacCallum Eve Jeffery invitations included the Friends of and finished with Kerry O’Brien, told were packed into marquees conthe Library to play a line or two of of not only the tragedy of war but the stantly. I loved seeing the Singapo- The community was saddened last rean students enjoying the event and week to hear of the death of local icon Scrabble. role of the journalist in war. Friday morning’s sessions set the ‘You try not to get too wrapped in the sound of laughter ringing out in Merv ‘The Black Prince’ Watriama, tone for the event with the blokey whether the war should be happen- the sunshine. Megan Stack was the who died of natural causes in his sleep blokes Steve Cannane, Adam Ra- ing. You try to focus on what is hap- wonder I knew she would be and Bret on July 30. manauskas and Mark Skaife spinning pening and getting the information Easton Ellis was charismatic in his Born in Kalgoorlie in 1947, Merv through the paddocks and race tracks right.’ She also said that often it can be session with Simon Marnie.’ grew up in Pymble on Sydney’s north of life. shore. His heritage could be traced a lopsided view when you are based in The trio suggested that the current one camp. ‘There is not a sense of the Farewell Jeni back to the Loyalty Islands on his faspate of politicians throwing balls another side – you don’t always see As outgoing director Jeni feels that ther’s side. Merv’s grandfather Wiland swimming the surf for the media, the other side of the story.’ the weekend was a lovely send off. liam claimed to be the king of the was a reminder that everyone needs The festival was also the launch ‘I always shed a tear when stacking Loyalty Islands, hence Merv became to practice before stepping in front of pad for many offerings including the chairs at the end of the festival, and the Black Prince. The Watriamas the camera. Women of East Timor by Jude Con- last night was no exception,’ she said. moved to the NSW Central Coast learned to surf up and down the east in 1964 when his father Merv senior, coast of Australia. In another marquee Michael Ro- way, Peter Pan: time to leave Never‘It was a wonderful way for me to fareEven though he protested, he was took up the position as Golf Profesbothom had everyone squirming in land by Daniel Prokop and Amore well the festival and say thank you to sional at Everglades Golf Club. conscripted into the Army at 20 years their seats as he outlined the difficul- and Amoretti by Victoria Cosford the community and committee who of age, where he reluctantly finished Merv joined the notorious Ocean ties in writing sex scenes, as demon- whose weekend extended into a let me loose on it. ’ his service. He studied both music Beach Animals where he was admitstrated by reading an excerpt from sumptuous Italian feast at the Byron ted as one of the boys and quickly continued on page 3 Q For more pictures see page 28 his latest offering. Beach Cafe on Saturday evening. Eve Jeffery
Vale The Black Prince: 1947-2010
enrich your spirit
www.crystalcastle.com.au Open 7 Days 10am-5pm (NSW time) 81 Monet Drive, Mullumbimby 40 mins from Tweed Heads 20 mins from Byron Bay (02) 6684 3111
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