7 minute read
weeks to assist in the provision of emergency accommodation.
“We were pretty angry lasted till the end of April. That’s very unfair when we couldn’t get out. We’re negotiating with council about that at the moment.”
Ms Lawrence said Bungawalbin residents have felt very ‘out of sight, out of mind’ which is why they have had to make some noise. number plates of two of our vehicles to Service NSW last week, only to discover that they only backdate rego refunds to you had comprehensive insurance on the vehicle and it was written off,” she said.
“So there I was with one insured, written off car which they backdated and one which had no comprehensive insurance – so they wouldn’t backdate the refund even though that car was registered to the same address and parked next
“It was a similar story with the green slips, which can only be backdated to the day we cancelled the rego despite us being completely unable to get out to hand in the plates.”
Ms Lawrence recounts the struggles of her neighbours where some have only in the past week been able to get into their house to remove destroyed furniture and wet plasterboard.
“Some friends whose house went under are just starting to knock out the plasterboard now, because it took them a while to get back in and down the coast to get another car, because without a car in here you’re screwed,” she said.
“They’re having trouble build them a temporary dwelling in their garage while they do repairs to the house.”
Despite all setbacks and relative isolation from help, Bungawalbin residents are resilient and have been able to support each other.
“We have two Bungy Facebook groups which share information about the road conditions, and so on, and that function was expanded so that one of the Bungy groups became our main information exchange point. There are some Coraki FB pages that were useful too,” said Ms Lawrence.
“Some people who’d been evacuated by helicopter or boat eventually started organising for supplies to be sent back in here once they’d found somewhere to stay, because they knew plenty of people were trapped.
“They did an amazing job, but it was hard for people who weren’t on Facebook to get assistance – they had to rely on others being able to visit them and ask what they needed, then deliver it, which was hard with few cars still operational.
“Regarding supplies, we got one FoodBank parcel organised by a local from our road, a private helicopter drop of food, fuel and water organised by locals in Coraki and a fresh food drop which came with some donated dry boxes from the Singapore Army.”
Ms Lawrence said Bungawalbin residents are good at being strong in the middle of the crisis, but the length and is causing them to start breaking down.
“We’ve all got slightly different problems, but one thing we all have in common is how distressed we are,” she said.
“Most people have withdrawn a little and aren’t keen to talk about it.”
Cooler classrooms program expands
Another 39 schools are receiving integrated air systems as part of the NSW Government’s $500 million Cooler Classrooms Program, taking the total to almost 1,000 schools across NSW.
Local schools on the list are Corndale Public School, Kingscliff High School, Tweed River High School, Dunoon Public School, Ballina Coast High School, and Goolmangar Public School.
Minister for Education Sarah Mitchell said she was thrilled the program was continuing to improve the learning environments for schools across the state.
“To date, the Cooler Classrooms Program has delivered systems to more than 5,550 classrooms and 380 libraries across the state with 996 schools now approved for delivery,” Ms Mitchell said.
“The rollout is ahead of schedule and excitingly we are now in a position to add more schools to the program.”
Announced in 2018, the Cooler Classrooms year, $500 million commitment to deliver heating, cooling and fresh air ventilation in NSW public schools prioritising schools in the hottest parts of the state.
The program improves the air quality of indoor spaces and libraries with ‘smart systems’ that offer heating, cooling and the provision of outside fresh air to ensure adequate ventilation.
The units will down after hours and the energy they use will be offset by solar technology at more than 700 schools.
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Casino Food Co-op expands
LARA LEAHY
The Casino Food Co-op latest in their production line last week.
Their new facility packages the meat processed in their current facilities into retail products ready to pack onto chilled shop shelves.
John Seccombe, the chair of the board, opened the events with a Welcome to Country, introduction to the many attendants, that included Kevin Hogan MP, Chris Gulaptis MP, Richmond Valley Mayor Robert Mustow, David McGivern, the founder of Our Cow, and other industry leaders.
Special guests included long-serving employees of 50 years and over.
Trevor Kenny was presented with his thank you gift of appreciation.
Danny Formaggin, Andy Shaw and Kerry McLaughlin were also present and John Cormick sent his apologies as he couldn’t make it.
The cost of the new facility was $8.5 million dollars, which was jointly funded by the Federal Government. $1.55 million dollars was presented to the Food Co-op by Mr Hogan, who cut the ribbon and declared the facility open with Mr Seccombe.
Mr Hogan said: “This will provide a dedicated facility that will improve for growth.”
When addressing the crowd and the longstanding employees, he said, “I am looking at the group of people who has worked at this facility, that has essentially fed them and their families for the last 50 years, and looking at the new facility, which will go on to feed at least the next 50 years.”
Simon Stahl, the Food Co-op CEO, said: “The facility currently employs 20 to 30 people, but at full capacity, will have 50 to 60 people. We are producing products for a few places, including Coles, which is distributed nationwide.”
There was a tour of the facility following the opening, where rolled roasts, and mince, were being packaged. Also on display was the equipment where beef cheeks, beef bones and sizzle steaks were also a part of the operation.
Design of Grafton Waterfront lookout point explained
The $6.5 million Grafton Waterfront Precinct project will connect the city to the Clarence River and revitalise the waterfront parkland with continuous shared path linking Prince Street to Clarence Street and footpaths connecting to the new bridge.
The endorsed redevelopment plan includes raising the levels, widening the path levee at the end of Prince Street, for the purpose of creating a clear sense of arrival at the lookout point within the park.
“We ultimately wanted to provide the visitor with a ‘wow’ feeling upon arrival at the lookout point overlooking the mighty Clarence River,” Grafton Riverside Precinct Project Manager Andy Seaman said.
“The Indigenous Dreamtime story of Dirrangun has a strong connection to the Clarence River and will be told at this location.”
During design development of the Grafton Waterfront Precinct, the current location of the Boy Scout Memorial was considered not ideal.
“The Boy Scout Memorial pays tribute to history that is important to Grafton and the Scouting community,” Mr Seaman said.
“In its current location the memorial would sit lower than the adjacent path. Its new location would be considered more prominent.
“It will need to be relocated to enable all to access the memorial and avoid having to look down on the memorial.”
It was determined to relocate an electrical panel (in Stage 2), one of two Indigenous Dreamtime story signs and the Boy Scout Memorial, which commemorates the tragic events on 11 December, 1943, when 13 cubs drowned returning from Susan Island.
The new design has the memorial moved approximately 25 metres to a higher location within the quadrant of Memorial Park with a garden bed and adjacent seat, maintaining a prominent view to the river to which it holds
“The input of the Grafton Scout’s Group has been sought through the CEO during the detailed design phase and before any works start.”
The area is currently fenced off and work is expected to continue throughout 2022.
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