Byron Bay

Inspector Owen King signs the agreement with Schoolies HUB Coordinator, Nicqui Yazdi
and John Gudgeon from the HLO.

Respect, Responsibility and Relax were the key messages unveiled by the Byron Schoolies Safety Working Group recently. Last year around 10,000 young people attended their end-of-Year 12 celebrations in Byron Bay over a period of 16 days. In reponse to the large influx, a group of community and business groups formed last year to address the need for safety strategies.
Creating a safe environment
Thirteen key stakeholders signing the Statement included Inspector Owen King, Vice President of Byron United Paul Waters and General Manager for Byron Shire Council Graeme Faulkner.
Before signing, HLO’s John Gudgeon told the assembled media that ‘We want to reiterate that Schoolies chose Byron Bay – they actually come here because they like the quietness and the environment.
What we’ve done is to facilitate that by bringing together the [...]

Operational: Byron youth service worker Deb Pearse inspects the damage to the Mullumbimby Youth Centre after a fire guttered the veranda last week.
MULLUMBIMBY’S youth centre is open for business and – with the help of Byron Shire Council – looks set to carry on following a fire that guttered its veranda last week.
Byron Shire Council’s executive manager of corporate management, Mark Arnold, said the cost of damage to the historic ‘Widow’s Cottage’ was still unknown but was currently being assessed.
“From a first inspection, inside is structurally sound and there are no concerns regarding electrics,” he said.
It is thought last week’s fire was caused by a candle being used by two homeless people sleeping on the veranda.
Youth worker Deborah Pearse had [...]

At 10am yesterday, Tuesday 24th August 2010, The Byron Schoolies Safety Working Group met at the Byron Youth Activities Centre, 1 Gilmore Crescent, to sign a ‘Joint Vision Statement’ for this year’s Byron Schoolies Safety Response in November/December.
The Byron Schoolies Safety Response aims to provide a safe and secure environment in Byron Bay during the end of year school leaver celebrations using the key messages of Respect, Responsibility and Relax.
In 2009, the Byron Schooies Safety Response was born, in response to the need for safety strategies to cater to this ever-growing School Leavers event. In 2009, around 10,000 young people attended their end of Year 12 Celebrations here in Byron Bay over a period of 16 days. [...]

Byron Council will be asked to mount an all-out attack on cleaning up a ‘neglected’ and ‘run-down’ Byron Bay.
At today’s Byron Council meeting, Cr Patrick Morrisey will seek support for a basic maintenance program to be carried out in the town, including trialling daily removal of graffiti from amenity blocks.
Cr Morrisey also wants plans drawn up to screen a row of rubbish skips behind shops in the Lawson Street North car park.
His plan has the backing of the town’s peak business group, Byron United, whose president, Ed Ahern, in relaunching the Beautiful Byron campaign, said it was time to get serious about graffiti and the state of the town.
Mr Ahern said after recent meetings with Crs Morrissey, Tony Heeson and [...]

You may have heard there is the distinct possibility of a Federal Election in the air!

Paul Spooner, EO of the Byron Community Centre is hosting a Byron Bay GetTogether on Thursday week (Thursday July 22) to make plans to change this election! Will you join in? RSVP to the Byron Bay GetTogether on the link below:

http://www.getup.org.au/community/gettogethers/view.php?id=3840

IT HAS taken 3342 days, but Byron Shire Council has finally killed off the planned Byron Bay town centre bypass.
The deed was done last month when councillors voted to withdraw the bypass application lodged in April 2001, making it the oldest undetermined development application at the council.
The planned bypass, which was to have been an extension of Butler Street, running alongside the railway track and crossing the track at Browning Street, has been the subject of costly consultants’ reports and a sustained campaign from supporters who wanted it built.
Their efforts were wasted.
But the council is still looking at ploughing ahead with the so-called mini-bypass or, as it is being called these days, ‘town centre diversion’.
The ‘diversion’ would make use of [...]

NAIDOC Week will be marked across the Byron shire with celebrations at Byron Bay and Brunswick Heads.
A day of activities is set down today at Byron Bay’s Peace Park at Main Beach starting at 10.30am.
Hosted by the Arakwal of Byron Bay, there will be plenty of fun and food for all the family and lots of music, dance and culture to share.
Young people from the north of the shire will join together to celebrate NAIDOC week with Indigenous Fresh Chords at Bruns Soundshell on Saturday from 11am to 4pm.
Byron council youth activity coordinator Belle Arnold has enlisted Bruns CDAT team, Mullum Youth Recreational facility crew and Byron Youth Council to provide a family fun day with free activities for the [...]

A development application for a super-sized Dan Murphy’s liquor outlet underneath Dendy Cinemas in the Byron Bay Plaza has been withdrawn.
But Byron Council says the Woolworths-owned operation may lodge a fresh application once unresolved traffic issues, including those related to loading and unloading of liquor, are dealt with.
Council environment and planning executive manager Ray Darney said the issue was complicated by the fact the site, including the car park, had three separate owners, one of which was AMP.
Mr Darney said the council was concerned the consent of all property owners for the planned development had not been obtained, which the council believed was necessary.
He said the council also was waiting for a social impact assessment from Dan Murphy’s, which had [...]

Inspirational figure: ‘There will be many women across Australia and also internationally who will be watching this and also wishing Julia well’
Julia Gillard’s ascension to the top office has been hailed as a momentous achievement for Australian women.
Labor Senator Claire Moore, the nation co-ordinator for the ALP women’s advocacy group Emily’s List, says it is an important step in the quest for gender equality in politics.
“I think in many ways it’s actually one of those symbolic moments that people are going to look back and say that is something that has been achieved, and as you know Emily’s List has been all about ensuring that women are part of the political process,” she said.
“There will be many women across [...]

Byron Bay man Allan Cowley is calling on other Lighthouse Road residents to join a protest action next Wednesday over the Byron Shire Council failure to repair the section of walkway that collapsed in 2005.
ALLAN COWLEY is mad!
Mad that after five years the collapsed section of walkway at Lighthouse Road in Byron Bay is still no closer to repair.
The Lighthouse Road resident said next Wednesday would be the fifth anniversary of the walkway being washed away by Byron Shire Council’s failure to provide adequate stormwater drainage to the original construction.
He said since that time locals and visitors had continued to be seriously inconvenienced by council’s failure to repair the damage.
“In that five years the Oliver Avenue bridge in Goonellabah has [...]