Byron Bay

Mental Illness Starts Young CLOSE to 50% of all mental health issues develop by the age of 18. 75% are developed by the age of 25, according to the 2007 National Survey of Mental Health and Well-Being. With these statistics in mind, the region’s youth are becoming increasingly aware of mental illnesses and now they are learning to help deal with them. A Group of young people from the Northern Rivers Youth Advisory Council and the Fresh Fruits Youth Group have finished their Youth Mental Health Firs Aid Course in Lismore The two-day course covered depression, anxiety, psychosis, self-harm and substance misuse, issues that commonly arise in the younger community. As the co-chair of Fresh Fruits, the under-25′s sub-group attached [...]

Margie Wheatley and her dog, Honey, searching for Mrs Wheatley’s missing cows at Main Arm. WITH its hilly surroundings and steep valleys, Main Arm has seen its fair share of floods. But this week’s inundation was like none the area’s long-time locals had ever seen. “It was the biggest I have ever seen,” Main Arm Store owner Marianne Dichiera said. In the six hours until 4pm on Wednesday, Mullumbimby recorded 160mm of rain. By lunchtime on Wednesday, Main Arm Rd was completely cut off and the surrounding, low-lying paddocks resembled a wide and rapidly flowing brown river. Mrs Dichiera, who has lived in the Main Arm area for more than a decade, said she had never seen the area flood [...]

Six residents were honoured today at Byron Shire’s Australia Day Awards official ceremony. Officiating at the ceremony, Mayor Jan Barham congratulated and commended the Australia Day Award recipients. “The Australia Day Awards recognise the significant achievements, or outstanding services, the six residents have contributed to the community. “This year’s recipients have volunteered countless hours for community organisations and demonstrated valued leadership and sporting achievements. They are all quiet achievers whose stories are inspirational.” The 2012 Citizen of the Year was awarded to Byron Bay resident Paul Irwin. Mr Irwin was recognised for his outstanding contribution to Byron Bay Surf Life Saving and his dedication to the improvement of sports facilities in the Shire. Last year alone, Mr Irwin was primary [...]

L-R; Australian of the Year Geoffrey Rush, Prime Minister Julia Gillard, Young Australian of the Year Marita Cheng and Australia’s Local Hero for 2012 Lynne Sawyers pose for a portrait outside Parliament House Canberra 25th January 2012. ACCLAIMED actor and arts supporter Geoffrey Rush has been named Australian of the Year 2012 at a public event on the lawns of Parliament House in Canberra. Prime Minister Julia Gillard  presented Mr Rush with his Australian of the Year trophy on Wednesday evening and congratulated him on the honour. Women in engineering advocate Marita Cheng was named Young Australian of the Year 2012, Murrungga Island elder Laurie Baymarrwangga was announced as Senior Australian of the Year 2012 and NSW foster parent Lynne [...]

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IT’S official. The Northern Rivers now holds the unenviable title of the most expensive regional residential land in the country, surpassing popular areas such as the Sunshine Coast and Gold Coast for the first time. The median price for a housing block on the Northern Rivers is $238,250 – almost as much as the country’s minor capital cities such as Hobart and Darwin, according to the new quarterly Housing Industry Association/RP Data report. “It is a surprise,” said Colin Buttenshaw, executive director of HIA’s Gold Coast and Northern Rivers division. “You would have thought the price of land around the Hunter and Newcastle or the Illawarra, which have had massive developments and population growth with people now commuting to Sydney, [...]

Swedish backpackers Madeleine Harryson and Emike Szanto enjoy the sunshine (for free) at Byron Bay. Emike said the high dollar had made her stay more expensive than she first thought. THE STRONG Australian dollar is cutting into backpacker’s budgets, forcing them to stay longer in capital cities and away from regional destinations like Byron Bay. Byron Bay backpacker hostels are reporting a decline in bookings – particularly from Irish, British and American backpackers – and say the high Australian dollar is at least partly to blame. Dougall Pennefarther, of the Backpackers Inn in Shirley St, said traditional backpacker markets like the US and Britain had dropped by up to 90% in recent years. Those that were still coming, such as [...]

Bluejuice is just one of the bands appearning at this year’s Big Day Out on the Gold Coast. Big Day Out rocks into town THE Big Day Out music festival is about to hit the Gold Coast this weekend. Bringing big names such as Kanye West, Soundgarden and My Chemical Romance, it’s sure to be a massive day at the Parklands on Sunday. Organisers are reminding festival-goers to bring identification, sunscreen and sensible shoes. They’ve also asked people not to turn up drunk or use drugs. “Don’t presume that the laws of the real world don’t apply to the Big Day Out. Anyone caught holding or dealing illegal substances will be treated the same way as anywhere else. It is [...]

THE FEDERAL Government’s new Minister for Housing came to Byron Bay on a fact-finding mission yesterday and took the time to sit down and listen to local experts in emergency housing. Robert McClelland, also the Minister for Homelessness, met with Richmond MP Justine Elliot, Byron mayor and Greens MLC Jan Barham, people from the Northern Rivers Social Development Council and emergency housing workers at a house for the homeless, managed by the Byron Emergency Housing Project. The minister listened closely to the range of issues discussed, asking questions and making notes. He heard of the need for funding for a regional housing co-ordinator to pick up some of the initiatives that have arisen out of grassroots involvement with community housing, [...]

SES are expecting heavy showers to swell the Bellinger and Orara rivers on Tuesday. STATE Emergency Service crews are on flood watch expecting heavy showers to swell the Orara and Bellinger rivers. The Bureau of Meteorology has issued a statement warning that a low pressure trough off the NSW north coast is deepening in response to an upper level trough approaching from the west. Clarence Nambucca SES commanders have been told that scattered showers tending to widespread rain are expected throughout Tuesday. The bureau says there is also the possibility of local heavy falls on the Mid North Coast and Northern Rivers. “At this stage there is a greater than 70% chance of minor to moderate main river flooding as well [...]

Byron Council is trying to stamp out illegal camping in the shire. THEY camp illegally in our streets and leave rubbish for locals to clean up and skip town when the council tries to crack down on them. Byron United president Paul Waters said locals were now referring to illegal campers as ‘vanpackers’ to distinguish them from regular backpackers. “Backpackers are quite good and they’re what Byron Bay is about, but vanpackers are freeloaders who are outstaying their welcome and from a business and economic view it just degrades us a little,” Mr Waters said. “They park at our beautiful beaches for weeks on end, months sometimes and don’t contribute anything to the community; they just take.” From January to [...]

Roadside camping in Byron Shire could be coming to an end. Roadside campers to get the boot THE DAYS of illegal camping on the streets of Byron Bay are numbered as two tiers of government move to close a legal loophole that has blocked effective action against the practice. Current legislation prevents councils from stopping street camping, as local governments cannot legally regulate the use of vehicles in a road or road-related area. Byron Council’s governance manager Ralph James said tourism in Byron Shire needed to be managed appropriately and sustainably. “We welcome visitors to the Byron Shire and we want people to enjoy their time here, but at the same time we have to protect the community’s amenity,” he [...]

Candy Cracksmacker, Metal Minx and Chook Eye China of the Bay Rollers roller derby team who are struggling to find a home. They are pinning their hopes on the Byron Regional Sports Complex in the background. Fast women leave town THEY’RE part of the world’s fastest growing women’s sport, boast a membership that’s grown five-fold in just two years and their games attract thousands of spectators but their inability to find a permanent home could spell the end of the Byron Bay-based roller derby league team, the Bay Rollers. In the past two years at least 15 local venues have knocked back requests from the league to use their facilities for training and competition, forcing the 50 team members to [...]

Michael Balderstone of the Hemp Embassy in Nimbin is hopeful that new research will help ease the current anti-pot legislation. NEW research on cannabis suggests smoking a joint might not be as bad for the brain as it was once thought. The research published in the American Journal of Epidemiology, shows cannabis users’ memories are as good, if not better, than non-users’. The findings have got pro-cannabis campaigners including Nimbin Hemp Embassy president Michael Balderstone hopeful that current anti-pot legislation will go up in smoke. “I think the Greens will try to get a limited trial of medicinal cannabis happening soon, but it’s not going to help the two million regular cannabis users in Australia,” he said. “We’ve been left [...]

Chicchan Richards reading tarrot cards at the Starlight Wellbeing Expo in Banaglow. WHEN asked what it is that brings people back again and again to the Starlight Wellbeing Expo in Bangalow, organiser Raym Richards says simply, “It’s the vibe of the place”. “It’s just a great, laidback environment where like-minded people gather, all in the interest of health and well-being. “Apart from the joy people get from being here, the featured workshops are always really popular. “During the week we had a great workshop about the idea that you can reprogram your DNA through sacred journey; that was very popular. “Today we have a workshop about activating your soul’s purpose through the use of Australian bush flower essences.” This is [...]

Warmer sea may ’cause’ hybrid shark SHARKS off the east coast of Australia could have been interbreeding and creating hybrid species for many years, a shark expert from Southern Cross University says. Dr Danny Bucher, a senior lecturer in marine biology and fisheries at SCU’s School of Environmental Science and Management, said the recent discovery of hybrids of the Australian black tip shark and the common black tip shark was “an interesting find”. Scientists found 57 hybrid sharks between northern NSW and far north Queensland. Although the two species are similar, they grow to different sizes and are genetically distinct. Dr Bucher said hybrids often occurred between closely related species. However he also said that it had not been known [...]

BYRON Shire Council says it handed out more than 1000 fines for parking offences mostly around Byron Bay between Boxing Day and New Year’s Day. The council said a blitz by compliance officers led to 550 fines for “street camping” – visitors sleeping in their vehicles overnight, while another 490 tickets were handed out for other parking and vehicle offences. Byron Shire Council governance manager Ralph James said compliance officers issued double the number of fines over this peak holiday than they did over the same period in 2010/2011. “Camping in residential streets in Byron Shire is an issue of concern for many residents because of the impacts of noise, disturbance, rubbish and loss of amenity,” he said. “It also [...]

Dave Tyrrell and Dave Price, both of Byron Bay, Neil McCarthy of Suffolk Park and Adrian Woodhouse of Byron Bay are not too pleased about the introduction of new fees for parking at Broken Head beach. ANYONE parking at Broken Head beach will now have to pay $2 per hour under fees brought in by the National Parks and Wildlife Service yesterday. Tourists and locals alike must now pay the fee or fork out $22 for a yearly ticket. The move has outraged some local residents, including Dave Tyrrell, of Byron Bay, who regularly surfs at Broken Head. “We just don’t feel like there should be another fee for parking at a beach at Byron,” he said. Mr Tyrrell said [...]

Gold Coast visitor Savannah Roberts enjoyed some retail therapy with her mum in Byron Bay yesterday. Local traders say big crowds over Christmas and New Year’s have given them a boost, but January could be their make or break month. BYRON Bay traders are cashing in on this year’s big holiday crowds after a horror summer in 2011, but not all are popping the champagne corks just yet. While there are no official figures, accommodation is booked solid and the feeling in town is that visitor numbers are up. Pubs, cafes, restaurants and takeaway stores have all been doing a roaring trade in the past few weeks. Takeaway burger store Beloporto reported its best trading day in four years on [...]

Byron Bay’s Main Beach was crowded with revellers at the strike of midnight. Revellers pack Byron beaches THE crowds returned to Byron Bay’s New Year’s Eve celebrations on Saturday, with about 10,000 revellers packing into the area to see in the new year. Police reported well-behaved crowds but said the sheer number of people kept officers, St John Ambulance volunteers and surf lifeguards busy. After several low-key years with no entertainment, this year the chamber of commerce, Byron United, organised a band and a fireworks display. The plan coincided with the increased influx and barely a patch of beach could be seen for the sea of people crammed onto Main Beach. Mobile phone networks also crashed. By the strike of [...]

A still from the 2009 big-budget thriller 2012, in which the earth’s core heats up, causing massive earthquakes and tsunamis that wipe out a huge percentage of the population. Enjoy your (final?) new year YOU should make the most of New Year’s Eve celebrations this year, they could be your last. At least that’s what many conspiracy theorists would have us believe – that the world as we know it will end in 2012. They’re not the first to predict the Earth’s demise but more than one theory is flooding the internet which predicts cataclysmic or transformative events in 2012. The theories are so popular that in 2009 Hollywood made a summer-hit movie, aptly named 2012, which stars John Cusack, [...]

Two young girls on skateboards in Jonson Street traffic last Friday. Byron skaters pushing the limits SKATEBOARDERS know how to push the limits. Some of them push them too far when it comes to the law. Like riding down Jonson Street, Byron Bay, dodging and weaving through traffic. Like riding on local roads at night. Like obstructing pedestrians on footpaths. And like any law, when you are caught breaking it, there is a price to pay. In the cases above, that price is a $59 fine. Byron Bay Police supervisor Sergeant Jack Keough said there had been plenty of skaters paying up this year. Without being able to give an exact number, Sergeant Keough said he was aware of a [...]

Preparing for the Tropical Fruits New Year’s Eve festival were, from left, Susi St Julian (site manager), Alison Corfield (Tropical Fruits chairwoman), Laure Despland (green girl or waste manager) and Tim Childs (tool shed co-ordinator). Tropical Fruits brings in millions CHRISTMAS is behind us and that means only one thing for the North Coast’s lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities – it’s Tropical Fruits time. The task to decorate and set up the Lismore showgrounds in advance of the Tropical Fruits New Year’s Eve party shifted into top gear yesterday with some of the 300 volunteers for the event descending on the venue. Local business owners are also preparing for the influx of visitors and dollars into Lismore and the [...]

Claude Kellermann from the Gold Coast uses degradable plastic bags while on holidays in Lennox Head. Let the sea breathe THE Lennox Head Chamber of Commerce is running a campaign to make the town plastic-bag free for the month of January 2012. It is hoped the campaign will make locals and visitors aware of the environmental problems caused by plastic waste. “Our sea-life is suffering because of the plastic in the ocean and as Lennox Heads is a seaside village, it’s the perfect place to say no,” Chamber of Commerce president Louise Owen said. The town previously tried to go plastic-bag-free in 2009 but not all businesses supported the campaign and some said it was hard to convince tourists not [...]

“I did not have sexual relations with that woman, and the car was not stolen” Reindeer Run Amok at the North Pole North Pole lawyers were busy this week at the Elf County Courthouse, trying to arrange bail and some time sensitive freedom for Dasher, Blitzen and Vixen, three of Santa’s primary reindeer team. Judge Judy Friesfrost denied an early release based on the severity of charges facing the reindeer, choosing to delay arraignment until after the holidays. Reports from the North Pole workshop indicate that Santa may have to postpone gift delivery until his reindeer are released. Facing repeat offender changes this year, all three reindeer had been incarcerated last year on a variety of charges ranging from drunk and disorderly to prostitution. [...]

DRUMMING IT UP: The Samba Blisstas will be back for New Year’s Eve. Extra festivities for NYE FOR the first time in years there will be a countdown and fireworks to welcome in the New Year at Byron Bay. Organised by Byron United, the extra festivities will focus on being low-key and family-friendly as they have in past years. Byron United president Paul Waters said all activities would be held in Apex Park at the beachfront. He said a stage would be set up with low key, ambient music and Arakwal dancers and the Samba Blisstas would also perform. “There will be a countdown to midnight and a few fireworks, but we want to stress that the festivities will be [...]

Big swells are expected this weekend. LIFEGUARDS are preparing for a “worst-case scenario” this weekend on the Tweed and Gold Coast beaches. The Bureau of Meteorology has forecasted that a category one cyclone off the east coast of Australia might push a three to four-metre swell onto Tweed and Gold Coast beaches at Christmas. Bureau of Meteorology senior forecaster Michelle Berry said the weak system in the Pacific Ocean, Cyclone Fina, was likely to move south south-west before turning east on Saturday. “This will create a large ocean swell and dangerous beach conditions,” Ms Berry said. “We do get these conditions often but given the weekend and the timing it is dangerous.” Ms Berry said the one positive was that [...]

George Negus in Alstonville interviewing Sandra Kimball of Byron Bay for the documentary on Mandy Nolan’s program for treating dementia with comedy. Dementia ‘a laughing matter’ BYRON Bay comedian Mandy Nolan started doing stand-up gigs for people suffering dementia to entertain, but instead she accidentally created a new form of therapy. Four years after she started working with dementia sufferers, Ms Nolan has developed a program of improvised performance, role playing and theatre sports that has been so successful veteran journalist George Negus is helping put together a documentary on it. “It is really surprising because it was something I was making up as I went along,” Ms Nolan said. “I certainly never intended to create a therapy.” Yesterday, Ms [...]

(From left) engineering works manager Paul Busmanis, Ballina civil services group manager John Truman, Ballina councillor Susan Meehan and Ballina Mayor Phillip Silver (front) at the re-opening of the Coast Rd between Lennox Head and Ballina. Coast Rd’s ‘root-canal’ complete NORTH Coast commuters will breathe a sigh of relief today as the Coast Rd at Lennox Head re-opens almost a month ahead of schedule. The road, which was damaged in a landslide in January, was closed for urgent repairs in October to allow the road foundation to be excavated and rebuilt. The closure of the Coast Rd limited access to one of Australia’s most popular surf beaches and frustrated regular commuters between Lennox Head and Ballina. Local business owners also [...]

Nicole McLachlan has just returned from maintaining awareness of dolphin slaughter in Japan. THE Academy Award-winning 2009 film The Cove inspired concerns about mass dolphin slaughter in Japan. Since then 20 year old Tweed woman Nicole McLachlan with group nicknamed the Cove Guardians has battled to maintain publicity around Japan’s national annual target of 23,000 dolphins hunted and eaten. She returned from coastal town Taiji today and gave an example of the last day of the slaughter-season on Sunday. “There was a pod of 25 strip dolphins,” Ms McLachlan said. “When they come in to the cove they jump on the rocks – they’re so frantic and confused. “You don’t actually see the physical slaughter, but every so often tarps [...]

LISMORE City Council has received unprecedented community support for its popular, though legally uncertain, moratorium on coal-seam gas activities on all council-controlled land. Lismore mayor Jenny Dowell said she had been flooded with emails and phone calls from a wide range of community members who were “one-hundred per cent supportive” of the council’s controversial decision. At its final meeting for 2011 last week, the council rejected initial legal advice and voted six to five to reject a seismic testing application by Metgasco along up to 14 kilometres of council road reserves at Rock Valley, before imposing a full moratorium (nine to two) pending further legal, community and industry consultation. “It is now up to Metgasco to decide if they want [...]

HOLIDAY letting is a “cancer” on Byron Bay and must be flushed out of all residential areas, a Byron council meeting has heard. A group of impassioned residents addressed councillors at a public access session this week, pleading to keep up the pressure on holiday-let owners and take legal action wherever necessary. Their calls were heard by councillors who voted unanimously to continue their current hard-line stance. The council has shut down two unauthorised holiday lets in Byron Bay in recent weeks, an alleged over-crowded schoolies “slum” and a luxury beach house complex, both of which were in residential areas. The meeting was told elderly residents had suffered breakdowns as a result of living next to noisy year-round holiday lets. [...]

Tip pup reward posted A $1000 reward has been posted for the arrest and conviction of the person who bashed a three-month-old pup that was later found under a pile of garbage at Woodenbong tip. Northern Rivers-based convenor of Australians for Animals Sue Arnold said the group decided to take the unprecedented step of posting the reward due to the “brutal and appalling” nature of the attack. “The reason we are doing this is because it was so brutal it is in the interest of the entire community that we track down the person who did this before they do it to another animal or child,” she said. As The Northern Star reported on Saturday, the bitzer was found at [...]

An Ethno event. Ethno camp kicks off FOR the first time, the Ethno movement has brought world-renowned yodellers, accordionists and fiddlers to the southern hemisphere as the inaugural Ethno Australia camp begins in the Currumbin Valley. The Ethno movement, well known in Europe, brings together traditional and folk musicians aged between 15 and 28 to meet and teach each other their culture through a series of workshops, jam sessions, seminars and performances. The 14-day intensive music program began on Wednesday with musicians from India, Thailand, Europe, Polynesia, Melanesia, Brazil, Chile, Israel and Australia. It is sponsored by Southern Cross University’s Research Centre for Tourism, Leisure and Work and School of Arts and Social Sciences. As part of the camp, the [...]

READY, SET, SNAP: Some of the photographers who are participating in The Endless Sunrise – a photographic competition raising money for charity. Snap a sunrise IT WILL be an early start next month for more than 60 photographers in the Byron Shire as they rise at dawn each day to capture the sunrise. But, it will all be for a good cause. The photographers are participating in a charity project called The Endless Sunrise – an initiative of Stefan Jose from Byron Bay-based Worx whose joined forces with Common Ground from Byron Bay. Stefan, a photographer/filmmaker and audio engineer, said he had always wanted to raise funds for charity using some form of art. “So I joined forces with Common [...]

POLICE who are away on extended stress leave or sick leave will no longer be counted in a police station’s “official” numbers, NSW Police Minister Michael Gallacher has announced. The announcement came with the release by the government today of 22 recommendations from former Assistant Commissioner Peter Parsons, who has been reviewing issues such as police working conditions and resources for several months. The review has become a touchstone of government MPs responding to calls for increased police resources, including on the Northern Rivers where there have been loud calls for more police from across the region, particularly Casino where residents want a 24-hour police presence. It has been anticipated the report from the review would spell out the need [...]

Michael Worthington with his Williams Optics FLT110 Apochromatic Refractor setup for astro photography is hoping for clear skies so he can photograph the lunar eclipse. Seeing red, but in a good way NORTHERN Rivers residents are in for a treat this weekend with a total lunar eclipse set to coincide with a meteor shower in an astronomical phenomenon tipped to light up the sky. The lunar eclipse will be visible from 11.45pm on Saturday when the Earth’s shadow will begin covering the moon. Pegged as one of the most spectacular events on the astronomical calendar – and the second of only two this year – the lunar eclipse will last 51 minutes and is expected to transform the moon’s colour [...]

The rear of the property where council alleges up to 19 occupants were staying – photo by Kate O’Neill BYRON’S alleged schoolies slum landlord Shai Major was supposed to appear at Byron Local Court yesterday. Instead he told the court he was working in Brisbane only to be found a short time later at the Jonson Street property that was shut down by council staff last Friday. Mr Major, who is charged with “development without development consent” for renting the property and then allegedly charging eight schoolies and 10 backpackers up to $800 a week to sleep on mattresses on the garage floor, pleaded not guilty in a letter to the court and informed the magistrate he couldn’t appear as [...]

THE man who brought ABBA to Sydney’s Powerhouse Museum a little over two years ago will next year bring the Writers Festival to Byron Bay. Jonathan Parsons has been named today as the director of the 2012 Byron Bay Writers Festival. Mr Parsons picks up the baton from journalist Candy Baker, who was working as director of both the festival and the Northern Rivers Writers Centre until this year’s festival. In a statement announcing the appointment, the Writers Centre said Mr Parsons had more than two decades of organizing major events. “Jonathan brings to this position over twenty years experience working in the arts and cultural scenes, both within Australia and internationally,” the statement reads. “He was Artistic Advisor for [...]

(From left) work experience student Denyelle O’Brien, Australian Seabird Rescue North Coast co-ordinator Kath Southwell and Australian Seabird Rescue veterinarian nurseMichelle Hall tend to a sick hawksbill turtle found in the Richmond River more than a week ago. VOLUNTEERS and funds are needed to care for the alarming number of sea turtles washing up on North Coast beaches. It is believed the turtles are becoming ill as a result of the destruction of food sources caused by Cyclone Yasi and the high level of plastic pollution in our oceans. “We have seen nothing like this since we began rescuing sea turtles in 1998,” Australian Seabird Rescue North Coast co-ordinator Kath Southwell said. “We are receiving twice as many stranded turtles [...]

Rescue crew search for missing Kenyan teenager in Cabarita Beach. MISSING Kenyan teenager Samuel Macharia is feared drowned after a full land and ocean search failed to locate him on Monday. The 16-year-old student, who originally came to Australia as an orphan sponsored by Tweed Shire Council five years ago, never returned home following an afternoon run and swim at Cabarita Beach on Sunday. Police were contacted about 7pm (NSW) on Sunday after family members found a backpack with his clothes and mobile phone on the beach. Police, surf life savers, family members and volunteers searched into the night with help from the Coast Guard and Marine Rescue NSW. They were back again at dawn with the help of the [...]

Max McPherson (14), of Kingscliff, Merryn Anderson and Dianne Styling, of Sydney and Molly McPherson (10) got their hands dirty to save the Byron Shire Markets. WHEN Suzie Mylecharane started her clothing business 32 years ago it was the local craft markets that were her business training ground. Starting with just two clothes racks and learning the ropes at each monthly Byron Community Market, the Myocum designer has built up her business, Ku Clothing, to the point where she wholesales around Australia. Ms Mylecharane believes the supportive market culture that gave her such a head start is under threat with a new Byron Shire Council draft market policy and tender process currently on display. The draft policy will potentially allow [...]

BYRON SCHOOLIES SAFETY RESPONSE -WRAP UP FROM THE HUB COORDINATOR The third year of the Byron Schoolies Safety Response and the Schoolies HUB has come to an end. Once again this year, it has been a very successful event, helping to protect the local community and keep the youngest of our visitors safe while they were here on their special end of year 12 celebrations. Not everyone in the Byron community is happy about these types of celebrations, in fact, many would say that this type of rite of passage is unnecessary and should be stopped. Unfortunately, there’s pretty much nothing that can be done to stop Schoolies, so the best we can do, as a community, is to respond [...]

ENTRIES have opened for the Byron Arts Classic, which aims to act as a showcase for the region’s artists and artisians. The classic will fill the Byron Bay Community Centre with 340 art pieces for members of the community and tourists to enjoy. Entry forms for people wanting to enter a piece in the classic are available at the community centre and on its website,www.byroncentre.com.au. Organisers are also calling on artists and members of the community to help them find materials for a large fabric installation being set up as part of the exhibition. Organisers say they need diaphanous material in light colours – chiffons, silks, organza’s, voiles, and similar materials. Beige or ivory colours would be ideal, but pastels [...]

Ballina Fisherman’s Co-Op Retail Sales Manager Alister Robertson shows off a fresh catch of prawns. WHILE many of us love a hot roast lunch, there’s nothing more classically Australian than a Christmas feast of prawns. Ballina Fisherman’s Co-op retail sales manager Alister Robertson said the hot Australian climate made prawns a popular choice at Christmas. “It’s definitely the weather,” he said. “I lived in London for seven years and the tradition over there is to eat hot, stodgy and warming food, whereas in Australia you have the option of eating seafood, which is light and tasty.” The Ballina Co-op has begun taking pre-orders for prawns in the lead-up to Christmas. Mr Robertson said small, medium and large king prawns were [...]

RENOWNED pianist David Helfgott and his wife Gillian will help release two green sea turtles into the ocean at Byron Bay’s Main Beach tomorrow morning. The Helfgotts are highlighting the message of the Say NO to Plastic Bags campaign. The two turtles have been in the Australian Seabird Rescue’s (ASR) Ballina turtle hospital for three months. The turtles were severely emaciated, and suffering from “float syndrome” as a result of ingesting plastic. Though now fully recovered, ASR general manager Rochelle Ferris, said the turtles faced an uncertain future because of an increase in the amount of plastic debris in the ocean. Mrs Helfgott has just completed a final draft of her book The Insightful Turtle and said they were excited [...]

Coldplay headlined Splendour for 2011. PRESSURE is mounting on organisers to secure a venue for next year’s Splendour in the Grass festival as the wait for a decision on whether they can return to Byron drags on. The festival has been held at Woodford for the past two years, but promoters have always hoped the 2012 event would return to Byron. The application to stage the event at Yelgun has now been in the hands of the NSW Department of Planning for more than a year, much longer than organisers originally anticipated. At the time of their submission, general manager of the proposed Yelgun site known as North Byron Park- lands, Mat Moris, told media he believed a response would [...]

Byron residents spend 30% of their income on housing. BYRON Shire has the highest rate of housing stress in the state, according to new figures. The Australians for Affordable Housing figures show 25% of Byron residents are under housing stress – described as having to spend 30% or more of income on housing needs. While Byron tops the state for housing stress, Lismore, Coffs Harbour and Nambucca are close at 22%. The figures for Byron are not surprising said the Northern Rivers Social Development Council’s acting CEO, Brett Paradise. “Byron is a very desirable place to live with very limited capacity for growth,” Mr Paradise said. As unaffordability continues to rise in Byron, the rest of the region suffers from [...]

Getting ready to Occupy Nimbin Bridge, is organiser Belinda Marsh at the front with some of the musicians and music lovers who want the bridge kept. OCCUPY Nimbin Bridge will see the town’s musos and music lovers take over the old Nimbin bridge to draw attention to the fact it is soon to be demolished. Organiser of the event Belinda Marsh said everyone was welcome to join them when they light up the bridge for an evening of acoustic music by some of Nimbin’s most talented performers. The old timber Cullen Bridge is due to be demolished in February after a new concrete bridge was constructed this year. According to Ms Marsh, the council set back its plans to tear [...]

MULLUM MUSIC FESTIVAL LINE-UP FOR TODAY…