Celebrating Women on the Mid-Richmond

By Samanth Elley

High tea at the Woodburn Hub was a happening event last Friday morning.

As part of the celebrations of International Women’s Day, the Mid-Richmond Neighbourhood Centre invited local women to enjoy a smorgasbord of delectable treats as they honoured three of their own.

“We are honouring Millie Trustum, Robyne Wood and Norma Thomas,” said coorganiser Bianca Rayner.

“We wanted to highlight different women across the generations, who have served in their communities and often taken on different battles.”

At only 12 years of age, Millie Trustum has had to fight a cancer diagnosis, but rather than just going with the flow, the young warrior has raised much needed funds to help battle the insidious disease.

Robyne Wood has worked tirelessly for her community through co-founding Richmond Valley Radio 88.9FM, providing a platform for the community to increase inclusivity and cultural awareness with shows like the

Indigenous Talk Show and highlighting local members with disabilities.

Norma Thomas is a recipient of the Order of Australia medal and is a stalwart in the Coraki area having worked with the Lions Club and promoting hockey on the Northern Rivers.

A team of strong women, as part of the Woodburn Hub, supported by the Neighbourhood Centre, worked to set up the day that celebrated achievement and diversity.

By Tim Howard

A community group’s bid to use information from staff exit surveys to get to the bottom of the exodus of staff from Clarence Valley Council has been blocked.

The NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal (NCAT) has backed council’s call to protect the personal and confidential information of its employees in response to requests received from YambaCAN to release staff exit interviews over a two-year period.

Council’s Corporate and Community director Alex Moar said NCAT’s findings confirmed that council had struck the right balance between protecting the personal information of its employees and acting in the public interest.

“It is a vital part of our governance framework that we remain committed to transparency and accountability, however we must also abide by the Government Information Public Access Act’s public interest test,” she said.

“Put simply, that means