The Byron Shire Echo Issue 40.18 - October 8, 2025

Byron Beachside Markets goes retro fashion theme

Paul Bibby

Will one of the Shire’s oldest and most iconic pubs get a $13m makeover that will significantly change the heritage look and feel of the venue and increase the space for poker machines?

This is the decision facing Byron councillors this week as they decide on a development application (DA) to undertake significant works at the Bangalow Hotel.

Built in 1940, the hotel is a classic example of mid-20th century pub design, featuring Art Moderne,

Colonial Revival and Interwar Functionalist influences.

But the owners of the famous venue – the Mooney family – say major structural issues and the need to cater to contemporary tastes necessitate a significant upgrade of the venue.

Their DA, coming before Council this week, involves significantly less-dramatic changes than those originally proposed, and subsequently rejected, by Council staff.

However, it still proposes a major redevelopment of the venue.

This includes a significant

demolition and redevelopment of the internal ground floor area, including removal of the old timber bar, several walls, bathrooms and part of the floor section.

Music out – poker machines in

An area in the western part of the venue, which not so long ago hosted live music and other community-focused events, will become a separated gaming room with 20 poker machines.

The rear decks and stairs additions

This Thursday it is time to take action and call on Byron Shire Council (BSC) to change their decision to close the main road to outbound traffic from Mullumbimby to the M1 and Brunswick Heads for four months over summer.

The Mullumbimby Chamber of Commerce and Community is calling on the community to join local businesses, many of which will close up shop from 2pm this coming Thursday, 9 October and head to the BSC chambers to let their elected councillors know the road closure is not acceptable. They are calling on Byron Shire ▶ Continued on page 3

are proposed to be removed and replaced with a new deck.

According to Council documents, the proposal involves an increase in gross floor area of 180m2 and an increase in public areas of approximately 38m2 including outdoor terraces, and areas for ordering food and drinks.

The total proposed floor space ratio (FSR) would be 0.24:1, significantly below the 1:1 FSR allowable under Byron’s Local Environment Plan (LEP), and there is no proposed change to the height of the building.

redeveloped pub will attract significantly more patrons, with a capacity of 974 people proposed.

To accommodate this growth, the total number of parking spaces at the hotel would be increased from 30 to 56.

Following completion of the refurbishment, it is anticipated that the hotel will employ eight people full-time and 12 people parttime and casual.

Council staff have recommended that the revised DA be approved, stating that it is

It is envisaged that the

Continued on page 6

Oakie rescued by 15-year-old friends at New Brighton Beach

Aslan Shand

It was just another fun day at the beach for 15-year-old Oakie Greenhalgh and his friends that almost turned to disaster at New Brighton Beach on Monday, 29 September.

‘It was just a normal day at the beach. We were just on a sandbank and suddenly a big wave came in and took me about 30m from shore,’ Oakie told The Echo

‘My mate Crash managed to swim back in and get close enough for Bodi to grab him. But I was out there for about 20 minutes. I told myself I was dead and was about to sink but then I heard my name being called and Riley was there with a board.’

After saving Crash, Bodi had realised that he didn’t have the strength to go back out with the board he’d borrowed from a lady on the beach. ‘I had nothing left in me,’ he said.

Bodi called Riley who took the board and went out and saved Oakie.

‘When I got out there Oakie couldn’t speak, he was gasping for air,’ said Riley.

‘I managed to pull him up

onto the board with me and swam him in.’

‘I was so proud of the boys and Riley for saving my son’s life,’ said Oakie’s mum, Lorelei Berriman.

‘Oakie and Riley have both done Nippers and that really helped them know what to do when this happened.

‘I want to express my gratitude to the rescue helicopter, Brunswick Surf Life Saving, the quad paramedics and all those involved, and especially Riley who had the skills from being a Nipper, the fitness and knowledge of the ocean, to grab a stranger’s board and risk his own life to save my son.’

Don’t swim alone

According to the latest Royal Life Saving National Drowning Report drownings in Australia are up 27 per cent above the 10-year average.

‘While children drownings are down, adult drownings have risen sharply,’ said learn to swim specialist, Graham Dietrich.

‘Even strong swimmers can be caught out by rips, cold water, or unexpected currents. Choosing safe swimming spots, heeding

warnings, and knowing your limits are just as important as fitness.’

Scott McCartney, the Surf Life Saving Northern NSW lifeguard coordinator, told The Echo that it is really important that people remember to swim with a friend so you remain safe.

‘It is important that people be able to identify rips because while some are very obvious others aren’t,’ he explained.

‘For example, if you see a calm section of water with white wash on either side that means the calm water is where the water is being sucked out [the rip].

‘If get caught in a rip signal for help by raising your hand and calling out. Remaining calm is the deciding factor. You should float or doggy paddle and remember that most rips will only take you to deep water. Then you can swim parallel to the beach out of the rip and then back in to the beach.’

There is also the Beach Safe app and website (www.beachsafe.org.au) that shows you where the closest flagged beach is and the patrol times.

Strip search victim awarded $93,000

Paul Bibby

It was one of the most infamous incidents in the history of Splendour in the Grass – a young woman who had recently given birth was unlawfully and invasively strip searched simply because a drug dog took a brief interest in her person.

Now, seven years later, Raya Meredith has been awarded $93,000 in the NSW Supreme Court for battery, assault, and false imprisonment.

And hundreds of others who were strip searched at Splendour and other festivals across the state may also be entitled to damages.

The case, one of the largest class actions involving police in Australian history, concluded on September 30 when NSW Supreme Court Justice Dina Yehia found in favour of the plaintiff.

In a stinging judgment, Justice Yehia found that there had been a ‘flagrant’ disregard of Ms Meredith’s rights and a ‘gross failure’ to comply with legal safeguards during the search.

Justice Yehia also found that the training and supervision of the officers in question and others across the state had been ‘wholly inadequate’ when it came to lawfully conducting strip searches.

Police concede unlawful strip search

Crucially for the many hundreds of other members of the class action, Justice Yehia also found that mere indications from police drug dogs are insufficient to justify a strip search.

search of the plaintiff (as conceded by the defendant) but amounted to a gross failure to comply with the requirements and safeguards of LEPRA [the Law Enforcement (Powers and Responsibilities) Act 2000],’ Justice Yehia said.

‘Furthermore, these failures to lawfully exercise the relevant powers, were a product of a conspicuous deficiency in the training, education, and monitoring of police officers in the exercise of their powers to conduct a strip search, resulting in a flagrant disregard of the rights of the plaintiff.

‘These failures are compounded by the fact that senior officers were authorising, organising, and planning drug detection operations at music festivals as a matter of routine, which clearly included the strip searching of attendees.’

When is a strip search allowed?

BayFM this week, Tracey Randall of Randall Legal in Lismore describes strip searches as ‘a huge invasion of privacy of the citizen’ and provides some clarity around the circumstances in which such searches are allowed.

‘To conduct a strip search, the officer must conduct the least invasive kind of strip search possible,’ says Ms Randall, who has previously had a client who sued NSW Police over an unlawful strip search at Splendour in the Grass.

‘They must not search the genital area unless there’s a reasonable suspicion that it’s necessary for the purposes of the search, a strip search must not involve the removal of more clothing than is reasonably necessary to conduct the search, and it must not involve a visual inspection of the body unless it’s necessary for the conduct of the search.’

‘Ultimately, I have concluded that the conduct of searching police not only constituted an unlawful strip

The class action includes those who have attended a music festival within NSW on, or from, July 2016 to 2022 and were stopped and strip searched on the basis that they were suspected of having drugs.

In an interview with Mia Armitage to be aired on

‘So all of those things… were not complied with in these searches that were occurring, particularly at the 2018 Splendour festival.

‘As a matter of course, people were frog-marched in, told to take off their clothing, squat visual inspections were occurring without the officers turning their mind to whether that was necessary for the search.’

Local News

Mullum locals making noise

If you are concerned about the upcoming closure of Mullumbimby Road you can join Shane Roberts, Steve Berriman, and Glenn Wright making street music at the community gathering this Thursday. Photo Jeff Dawson

▶ Continued from page 1

councillors to modify the works program to maintain two-way traffic during the day, augmented by nightworks.

‘Council wants to close outbound traffic on Mullumbimby Road at the busiest time of the year for four months, only allowing buses and emergency vehicles access,’ explained Mullumbimby Chamber President, Paul Prior.

‘This will be a disaster for all of Mullum businesses and the community.’

‘The detour will force traffic, including large trucks, through the centre of Mullumbimby then out via Coolamon Scenic Drive (Tunnel Road) and Myocum Road. These roads, that are narrow, windy, and have hairpin bends, are not designed to have this many cars and heavy vehicles on them. It is a disaster waiting to happen.’

It is predicted that the road closure will divert 8,260 cars and 640 heavy vehicles via these two routes every day that the outbound road closure is in place from 13 October through to February 2026. If Myocum Road is closed due to flooding, as often happens, the only alternatives are up Coolamon Scenic Drive towards Coorabell or north towards Ocean Shores, two routes completely unsuitable for large vehicles.

‘The safety of the town

and all road users will be at risk,’ Mr Prior told The Echo. Schools and HSC

The two diversion routes also take the heavy traffic through multiple school zones with heavy vehicles directed past Mullumbimby High School during the upcoming HSC exam period. Locals are concerned about the increased crash risk and dangers to pedestrians and students at these multiple school zones. HSC exams are on at that time, if students are late due to roadworks then they will not be able to sit the exam.

Risk to local businesses

Local businesses say they are still recovering from the floods, fire, pandemic, and festival closures, and many say they do not know if they can survive the impact of this road closure during their busiest time of year.

‘Businesses are saying that the road closure will reduce visitors and locals coming to town, impacting their profitability, and may lead to job losses and businesses closing. Freight and delivery costs will increase, and the impact on supply chain delays will also put a strain on local business viability,’ Mr Prior explained.

‘We are asking for twoway traffic and nightworks, that the BSC consult properly with businesses, schools,

emergency services, and the community on how best to move this important project forward, and that state government give an extension to the grant funding deadline so that the work is not rushed through at the expense of the community and town’s businesses.

‘This is about keeping our businesses open and our community safe. There is always time to reconsider,’ he said.

Time to make some noise?

Former Mullumbimby Music Festival Director, Glenn Wright, is giving a call out to all those who are also concerned, to join him as part of the Mullumbimby Street Parade Band to make some music to let the councillors know it is time to stand up and take action.

‘I, and many other community members fear the closure of Mullumbimby Road to outbound traffic from town will impact negatively on the safety of everybody that uses the roads of Mullumbimby,’ said Glenn.

Rehearsal

Glenn is calling a rehearsal for anyone interested in joining the music parade this Wednesday, 8 October at 5pm at 20 Towers Drive, Mullumbimby Industrial Estate.

‘We can play three to four

songs, maybe ‘Down By The Riverside’, ‘Mardi Gras’, ‘The Saints’ and perhaps ‘This Little Light of Mine’. The rehearsal will just be an hour refresh for those that can make it. If you want sheet music email me a request and I’ll send pdfs,’ said Glenn.

To join the street parade meet at the Courthouse Hotel beer garden at 1.45pm on Thursday, 9 October and then the street band will make their way to the Council Chambers.

‘I hope to see some of you there, if you agree with me, to make some music, have a bit of fun, and maybe some dancing,’ said Glenn.

‘If you have emails or contacts of local musicians that would like to be a part of this, then let them know.’

Road closure the issue highlighted

The Mullumbimby Chamber is asking that the focus remain on the road closure for this gathering.

‘While we understand there are lots of issues both locally and internationally this gathering is about the fact that our town’s road access is going to be cut off and the significant negative impact this will have on our community and businesses,’ Mr Prior reminded everyone.

‘So please respect that and support us on this issue rather than pushing any alternative agendas.’

KEEP MULLUM OPEN

HOSTED

Byron Shire Council Chambers Lawn NO FOUR-MONTH

Thursday 9 October – 2:15pm

KEEP MULLUM OPEN

OPEN for Business – protect jobs and our local economy

OPEN Roads

OPEN Accessibility – safety for residents, students and customers

OPEN & Transparent – honest consultation and FOI from Council

WHAT IS HAPPENING?

Mullumbimby Road from 13 October 2025 – February 2026, diverting: 8,260 cars and 640 heavy vehicles EVERY DAY FOR FOUR MONTHS

* Buses and emergency vehicles excepted

school zones, and onto Myocum Road and Coolamon Scenic Drive — routes that are

WHY THIS MATTERS

Peak-season detours will reduce visitor .

Mullum and Bruns businesses, still recovering will suffer

Activities become harder to reach, reducing participation and provider income. face delays and higher costs.

Detour increases crash risks and endangers

delays getting to exam venues on time.

WHAT WE ASK

Council: modify works program to maintain

State Government: grant a deadline extension with businesses, schools, emergency services, and the community about staging, timing and safety measures.

CLOSE UP. SHOW UP. KEEP MULLUM OPEN.

CLOSE YOUR DOORS FOR ONE HOUR AND STAND WITH FELLOW BUSINESSES.

Locals question heritage loss of Bangalow pub

When Roie was a baby, and her dad Joshua Vogel would take her for walks, they discovered the enigmatic Mr Shnorfloo – well that was the name Joshua made up for the sculpture.

Roie would also visit her favourite sculpture with her grandmother Kaija Talviharju, who was then inspired to write the story of Mr Shnorfloo, which was then illustrated by Roie’s dad. When the sculpture moved

from the Brunswick Valley Museum and Historical Society grounds to Heritage Park they discovered it was named The Biggest Little Bunyip and made by local artist Peter Neilson.

‘Baby Roie and I would often visit the Biggest Little Bunyip together and talk about him. He seemed to embody a quiet strength. He was formidable and commanding, but also quiet and gentle, which Roie seemed to like,’ Kaija told The Echo

‘When Roie turned one

Josh drew her some of her favourite things, and alongside the chook and the powerpole was Mr Shnorfloo, as he had come to be known.

I think the Biggest Little Bunyip then decided to channel their story to me. His character knew what he wanted to do, and laid himself on the page, ready for Josh’s beautiful images.’

If you are interested in picking up a copy of this limited edition children’s story, you can contact Kiah at kiteyt@hotmail.com.

Revolutionising Smiles

‘satisfactory having regard to the relevant environmental planning instruments and planning controls applicable to the site’.

‘The application appropriately addresses the relevant constraints applying to the site and is recommended for approval subject to the conditions attached to this report.’

Heritage loss

But there are many within the Bangalow community who do not agree.

In a stinging set of submissions in relation to the DA, dozens of residents have expressed concerns about a

loss of heritage values, the increased size of the venue, and the construction of a separate gaming room.

‘Losing the heritage aspect of the building is the big issue for me because the pub is such a feature of the town,’ long-term local resident and artist Kirsten Chambers told The Echo last week.

‘The front bar, the ladies lounge out the back with the fireplace – it’s all art deco. It’s such a treasure that it’s all untouched. It would be such a shame to lose that.

‘They could still expand the pub while maintaining that heritage aspect.’

Another resident

expressed concern about the new gaming area.

‘It’s astounding that the imagination is so limited that we must sacrifice a potentially useable and much-needed community venue space, which could be used to nurture and enhance our culture and community, and seek the lowest common moneymaking vision of pokies and gaming,’ said the resident, whose name had been redacted from their written submission.

‘We already have pokies at the Bangalow Bowling Club. Must we hand over this beautiful music/community venue space to yet more?’

Wallum fashion fundraiser extravaganza

Mullumbimby is set to host the inaugural Wallum Extravaganza, a vibrant community celebration and fundraiser.

This unique event, blending fashion, music, and community art takes place on Friday, October 10, from 5.45pm to 10pm (doors open at 5.30pm) at the Mullumbimby Civic Hall. The event is all-ages, with free entry for children under 13.

Everyone can look forward to a dynamic evening that will feature the Wallum Extravaganza Fashion Show.

‘This will showcase upcycled and locallydonated clothing adorned with unique Wallum-inspired prints,’ said organisers.

‘This creative tradition, initiated in 2023 by local artist and activist Ilona Harker, highlights the beauty of Wallum through lino-printed garments, raising both awareness and vital funds.’

There will also be the Wallum Extravaganza Performance Art piece. Powerful performance pieces that will be interwoven with the fashion show, blending movement, storytelling, and spoken word to express the spirit and community of Wallum.

DJ beats from Danu, Lustr, and Coco Brown (BNE), fresh from the Earth Frequency Festival, will keep the energy flowing throughout the night.

There will also be kids entertainment, family fun, and delicious meals and treats will be available from Yulli’s pop-up kitchen and bar.

Tickets are available at Humanitix: https:// events.humanitix.com/wallum-extravaganza.

Jack Dods reelected as Byron Shire deputy mayor

Every 12 months Byron Shire councillors elect the deputy mayor and they have again selected Cr Jack Dods for the role until September 2026.

Cr Dods said he was deeply grateful to his fellow councillors and the Byron Shire community for trusting him with a second term as deputy mayor.

‘It’s a real honour to continue serving this incredible community and to keep putting my skills to work to help make Byron Shire a

better, fairer place for everyone,’ Cr Dods said.

‘My first year as deputy mayor was both challenging and rewarding. I’m heading into this second year with greater focus on the things that matter most to our community. I was elected to prioritise.

‘This includes delivering more affordable and diverse housing, achieving better planning outcomes, rebuilding critical infrastructure, expanding active transport, and progressing key projects’.

Rally to call for Israel to release Australians and recognise Palestinian genocide

Six Australians, including three Northern Rivers residents, say that they have been mistreated by the Israel Defence Force (IDF) after they were detained as they attempted to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza.

Byron Shire resident Surya McEwen, Abubakir Rafiq, Myocum resident Hamish Paterson, Northern Rivers documentary filmmaker Juliet Lamont, Bianca Webb-Pullman, and Dan Coward, were detained approximately 70km from Gaza coastline in international waters by the IDF. Unlike 171 other activists they have not yet been deported.

A rally to call for their release is taking place on Saturday, October 11 at Byron’s Railway Park from 2pm, which will then walk towards Main Beach ending at Apex Park.

A spokesperson for the peaceful rally said, ‘A key focus of the rally is to demand the immediate release of the illegally detained peace activists of the Global Sumud Flotilla, who have been kidnapped in international waters by the IDF.’

‘Members of the Northern Rivers community are terrified for their friends and family on the flotilla, including local mother, Juliet Lamont.’

‘Lamont has been denied essential medication, and is at risk of a stroke, following a medical examination that found her to be confused and weak and with dangerously high blood pressure.

‘An update provided to Surya’s family by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) on 5 October confirms reports of serious mistreatment by Israeli authorities.

‘During the interception of his vessel, Israeli soldiers tore pages from Surya’s passport in front of him. Upon arrival at Ashdod

Port, he was treated “much more roughly and forcefully,” slapped, had his shoulder dislocated, and his head slammed into concrete,’ said the spokesperson.

‘At Ketziot Prison, Surya has been subjected to degrading and humiliating treatment by Israeli prison guards and soldiers, including sleep deprivation techniques as a result of which he has had no sleep for three days since his arrest. Surya has suffered ongoing physical intimidation, threats of sexual violence and has been provided water described as “undrinkable.”’

Read full story on The Echo online: www.echo.net.au.

Celebrating Federal’s village life

An art auction is a special addition to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Federal Park Party, which this year takes place on Saturday, 1 November from 12 noon.

The aim is to bring art into Federal Park by showcasing local artists, with profits reinvested into arts and culture in Federal.

‘This is an incredible opportunity to acquire a valued piece for your collections, from an impressive list of artists including Angus

McDonald, Emma Walker, John Campbell, Charly Wrencher, Mel Ladkin, Nickolla Clark, Claire Yerbury, Brendan Kelly, Mahala Magins, Gaby Borgardts, Maria Paterson, Marika Bryant and Dale Rhodes,’ say organisers.

Local auctioneer James Jackson will oversee proceedings. Interested bidders can view the artworks from 2pm on Friday, 31 October at the Federal Hall. The official opening will take place

that evening from 6pm and includes a bar and nibbles.

Family fun

Other highlights at the Federal Park Party include a Welcome to Country, a talent show, kids activities, a silent disco, and fabulous food and artisan stalls which form a circle inside the beautiful ring of trees in Federal Park. This year the popular Dog Show also returns, while local bands and DJs will perform into the evening.

Creating community connection for Mullum

Local community members are sending out an invitation for everyone to join together and bring community unity and healing for a week starting 13 October.

‘Let’s sit heart to heart to feel our fellowship, love, and community that binds us together,’ said the organisers.

Reflecting on the difficult challenges the local community has faced, this is a chance for people from all walks of life to engage together and create peaceful unity, in Mullumbimby.

‘Our thoughts are a place of soulful meditation,

contemplation, and prayer,’ said Gill Lomath. ‘We can hold the space with gentle music and maybe a candle. We feel that a quiet place is what really matters. We would like to think anyone who cares for this community will feel accepted and included, regardless of their background.’

Venues

and times of contemplation

Locations include The Other Joint coffee shop at the back gate, Tuesday, 14 October, 2.30-3.30pm.

Presbyterian Church, 104 Stuart Street, Mullumbimby, Monday, 13 October, 11am–12pm. SDA Church, 91 Main Arm Road, Wednesday, 15 October, 11am–12pm. Home of Barry and Gill, 150 Stuart Street, Wednesday, 15 October, 11am–12pm. Home of Dale and Yuti, 24 Stuart Street, Mullumbimby, Wednesday, 15 October, 6–7pm. Anglican Church, Thursday, 16 October, 10–11am. The Mullumbimby & District Neighbourhood Centre, Friday, 17 October, 3–4pm. Uniting Church, Friday, 17 October, 4.30–6.30pm.

North Coast News

Man dies following crash near Tyalgum

About 10.40am on Saturday October 4, emergency services were called to Tyalgum Road, Tyalgum – about 26km west of Murwillumbah – following a crash between a motorcycle and car. The rider of the motorcycle – a man believed to be aged in his 60s – was treated by NSW Ambulance paramedics but died at the scene. He is yet to be formally identified.

Kingscliff seniors housing redevelopment meeting called by IPC

The community will be able to have its say at a public meeting on the Uniting Kingscliff Seniors Housing Redevelopment, a large state significant development application (SSD-47105958) being proposed by Uniting NSW.ACT.

Bangalow highway crash claims life

Police say they are investigating a crash that claimed the life of a man following a crash on the M1 southbound at Bangalow at around 2.35pm on Thursday, October 2. Emergency services were called following reports of a two-vehicle crash, and police say they believed two vehicles – an SUV and a four-wheel-drive – had collided.

Flood-affected home auctions continue

The NSW Labor government says it aims to release a further 42 homes for sale across the Northern Rivers by Christmas, ‘following an overwhelming community response to the first four home relocation auctions’.

Ballina Shire Council proposes Special Rate Variation

Ballina Shire Council is inviting residents and businesses to have their say on a proposed Special Rate Variation (SRV), with consultation open until Friday 14 November 2025.

Police appeal: serious Byron Bay assault Detectives are appealing for information and witnesses after a man was seriously assaulted on Byron Bay’s Jonson Street at around 3.30am on Saturday, June 21, 2025.

Resilient Homes Program data breach

David Lowe

Aspokesperson for the NSW Reconstruction Authority (RA) admitted on Monday that the organisation is aware of a data breach involving personal information belonging to some people who applied for the Northern Rivers Resilient Homes Program (RHP).

Apparently the breach occurred when a former contractor of the RA uploaded data containing personal information to an unsecured AI tool which was not authorised by the department.

The NSWRA spokesperson says that between 12 and 15 March, 2025, personal information was uploaded by a former contractor of the RA to the artificial intelligence platform ChatGPT.

The NSWRA spokesperson says there is no evidence that any information has been made public, however this cannot be ruled out, and a thorough investigation is underway by Cyber Security NSW.

‘We understand this news is concerning, and we are deeply sorry for the distress it may cause for

those who have engaged with the program,’ said the spokesperson.

‘We will be contacting people this week with updates to let them know what has happened and whether they have been impacted or not’.

Excel spreadsheet

‘The data shared was a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet with 10 columns and more than 12,000 rows of information.

‘All of it must be thoroughly reviewed to understand what may have been compromised.

‘The process is highly

complex and time consuming and we acknowledge that it has taken time to notify people. Our focus has been on making sure we have all the information we need to notify every impacted person correctly’.

They said early external forensic analysis confirms that up to 3,000 individuals may be impacted by the breach.

‘At this stage, the information disclosed may include: names and addresses, email addresses, phone numbers, and other personal and health information’.

‘We have reviewed and strengthened internal systems and processes and

issued clear guidance to staff on the use of non-sanctioned AI platforms. Safeguards are now in place to prevent future incidents.

‘We encourage anyone who is concerned to contact the RHP call centre on 1800 844 085, between 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday.

‘ID Support NSW is also available to help. This government agency provides expert advice, free resources and personalised support for people affected by data breaches. Visit www.nsw. gov.au/id-support-nsw or call 1800 001 040, Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm. Interpreter services are available.’

Council rate pegs set – what is Byron’s?

The peak body representing the state’s 128 councils has cautiously welcomed the rate pegs for the 2026-27 financial year.

Local Government NSW (LGNSW) say, ‘In NSW, any increases in council rates are capped by the state government via a “rate peg” imposed on each individual council’.

‘The NSW Independent Pricing and Regulatory

Tribunal (IPART) has set core council rate pegs ranging from 2.5 per cent to 4.2 per cent.

‘The rate pegs including the population factors range from 2.7 per cent to 5.7 per cent’.

According to IPART, the pegs, ‘are the maximum amounts by which each NSW council can automatically increase its general income from 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2027 (unless the council has

an approved special variation to exceed its rate peg).

Population increase

For Byron Shire, IPART has set Council’s peg at 4.6 per cent, reflecting a 1.9 per cent increase in population, as well as a ‘population factor’ of 1.6 per cent. A ‘population factor’ allows councils to increase their income to cover the costs of population growth, says IPART.

BBFF – stories that inspire and sound the alarm

The 19th Byron Bay International Film Festival (BBFF) will run from 17 to 26 October, featuring documentaries that explore humanity’s deep connection to the natural world and the urgency of climate change.

This year’s theme, ‘Love film’ is embodied in stories that both inspire and sound the alarm.

Young Australian Filmmaker Award

Thirteen finalists have been announced for the BBFF Young Australian Filmmaker of the Year Award which is dedicated to screen storytellers under 25. Drawn from a record 85 entries nationwide, these finalists

represent the most exciting voices of a new generation, from teenagers still at film school to early-career professionals already shaping the national cinema landscape.

‘Our Young Australian Filmmaker of the Year Award finalists reflect the courage, creativity and distinctive voices of a new generation of storytellers. Each of these 13 filmmakers demonstrates that the future of cinema is in passionate and capable hands,’ said Festival Director J’aimee Skippon-Volke.

The finalists’ films will screen at Palace Byron Bay on Sunday, 19 October at 4pm, with the winner announced during the festival’s closing night celebrations.

The award will be judged by Paul Weigard, CEO of Madman Films.

The program will be hosted by Stone & Wood and headlined by the world premiere of Matty Hannon’s Haus Tumbana

Some films include Turtle Walker (India), which documents the extraordinary journey of Satish Bhaskar, Fool’s Paradise (Lost?) (USA) – a poetic love letter to the wild, and Frozen Waters (USA), which follows Lewis Pugh’s record-breaking swim in Antarctic waters.

The program also includes Shaping Waves, Shaping Worlds in the environmental surf sessions.

Find out more at www. bbff.com.au.

Tiny homes with no DA pilot

Paul Bibby

Could a pilot program at the opposite end of NSW provide hope for those wanting to live in tiny homes in the Byron Shire?

With finding a place to live in Byron seemingly becoming harder by the day, the option of living in a tiny home on a rural property would seem a logical and sustainable solution.

But NSW’s planning laws are notoriously unfriendly to those wanting to pursue this option.

Mobile tiny homes are typically treated as caravans under the law, meaning that they are subject to strict conditions such as the requirement that they only be occupied by a member of the primary household.

Those wanting to live in a fixed tiny home often have to go through a complex and costly development application (DA) process that makes it a far less cost-effective option.

However, earlier this month Shellharbour Council on the south coast introduced an amendment to its Local Environment Policy that would allow the installation of mobile tiny homes on existing residential properties without a DA and no restriction limiting occupation to members of the primary household.

Pilot project

The policy, which would be tried out via a two-year pilot, involves careful regulation, with tiny homes having to meet setback requirements, size guidelines, and restrictions regarding bushfire and flood risk.

The tiny home would also have to be on a property with an adjoining approved home and be connected to water and sewer systems.

Shellharbour Mayor, Chris Homer, said the trial would greatly simplify the process for placing tiny homes on residential properties while

maintaining basic planning and safety regulations, and also allowing the homes to connect to existing infrastructure.

‘We know that renting can be hard and expensive,’ Mayor Homer said.

‘This is about giving people more housing choices, while making sure everything is safe and well-managed.’

‘Tiny homes offer a flexible and lower cost option for locals. This trial will help us see how well they work in our area.’

To allow the trial to proceed, Council will prepare a Planning Proposal to change the Shellharbour Local Environmental Plan 2013.

This must be approved by the state government, and also subject to a 28-day public consultation process within the Shellharbour local government area.

These processes could take up to six months to be completed.

No matter how loud the right cry ‘fake news’, try to get rid of net zero targets, or remove scientific evidence and resources, ultimately the climate will demonstrate the impact of humans and the climate-heating impact we continue to have.

Experts who have been studying the change across Antarctica have said, ‘large and sudden changes happening in Antarctica are not only connected but accelerating’.

Dr Nerilie Abram, Chief Scientist at the Australian Antarctic Division (AAD), says, ‘there is an urgent need to stabilise Earth’s climate and prepare for widespread impacts’.

Temperatures in Antarctica have soared by over 35°C. Scientists are concerned about how quickly things are changing as warmer temperatures impact the polar vortex combined with record lows in sea ice cover over the last decade.

‘Rapid change has already been detected across Antarctica’s ice, oceans and ecosystems – and this is set to worsen with every fraction of a degree of global warming,’ says Dr Abram, who carried out this study during her time as Professor of Climate Science at ANU.

There are serious concerns that these rapid changes are signalling a tipping point and will see Antarctica’s weather patterns shift permanently.

If that is the case there could be an increase in sea-level rises of three metres or more.

The Sudden Stratospheric Warming (SSW) that is being seen in Antarctica has happened twice in the last 60 years – once in 2002 and then in 2019. Both these were followed by devastating Australian bushfires, the most recent being the 2019 Black Summer fires.

Couple this with the recent research from UNSW Sydney demonstrating that ‘the chance of large-scale flooding in a specific catchment area can increase by as much as 700 per cent if widespread deforestation has occurred,’ including deforestation by bushfire, then reforestation and fossil fuel reduction use has never been more important.

The Northern Rivers is just one area that has been severely impacted by floods and fires in recent years. Many people are still feeling the direct pressure from droughts, fires and floods.

‘The only way to avoid further abrupt changes and their far-reaching impacts is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions fast enough to limit global warming to as close to 1.5 °C as possible,’ says Dr Abram.

Action needs to be taken by governments, businesses, and the community. It needs to be significant and it needs to be now.

Aslan Shand, editor

We’ve entered a liminal space in which we’re simultaneously witnessing the rapid collapse of old structures and the emergence of something intangibly new. Some people are awaiting aliens, others the Rapture, or ascension and a new Earth. Are we experiencing humanity’s rite of passage?

Being ‘betwixt and between’ feels anxious and disorienting, and yet, it’s inevitable and full of potential. Our collective breath paradoxically holds all the ~isms: colonialism, nihilism, tribalism, authoritarianism, evangelism, but also optimism, stoicism, activism, altruism and humanism. We need to hold our nerve and keep breathing, slowly and gently.

Jane Goodall’s legacy is testament to the truth that one person with a vision and a heart full of love can make a world of difference. Her well-lived life and gentle message,of hope for a kinder and more caring world, is a warm glow in the darkness that seeks to surround us.

The courageous acts of people from all around the world on the Global Sumud Flotilla, as well as humanitarian aid workers, medical staff, and journalists in war-torn regions, reminds us there are people who put their lives on the line for the sake of others. Every act of humanity in the service of kindness and love is building a path towards peace for all.

At times it might feel like we’re losing our minds, and maybe we are, but hopefully we’re finding our hearts. I wasn’t going to use the T-word, but it feels transcendent. It’s the collective moment we’ve been waiting for: to create something eternal, and worth sticking around for, other than hatred, revenge, and war.

To be sure, we’ll be riding the rapids for a while, trying not to capsize, then capsizing and holding our breath underwater as if it were our last, then righting ourselves, elated we survived, catching glimpses of calmer waters ahead, only to confront the looming rapids once more.

It’s a constant balancing act maintaining equanimity and reorienting ourselves when we lose sight of the shore. It’s easy to get sucked into vortices that thrash us against the rocks, leaving us bruised and confused.

There are daily challenges to navigating this shattering of shared reality in which things like vaccinations, climate change, immigrants, or the opinions of Charlie Kirk, test friendships and the foundations of civil society. Chasms suddenly open that shock when we discover our core values differ from others. Still, we must strive for common ground not ‘hate our opponents’ as Donald Trump petulantly promotes. You can’t hate your way to peace.

Byron Bay is going through its own metamorphosis too. The town feels as if it’s having an identity crisis. This most easterly point of Australia is a dynamic meeting place where people, ideas, and agendas all mash together like messy surf with bluebottles in a strong nor’easter.

I was showing a visiting friend around town recently and was struck by how I was pointing out on the one hand, Byron is built on a swamp and at enormous risk from climate change and sea level rise, yet ironically there are multiple large development sites with cranes and eerie hoardings promising an ever more luxurious lifestyle by the sea.

I’m surprised they haven’t named one of the developments King Canute Condos. Whatever happened to planned retreat?

The wilful blindness of the Maserati mindset is on full display. Inside the promotional wrappings there are humongous holes in the ground with water tables being pumped out for weeks on end.

– Jo Immig

What these new constructions lack in dizzying height allowance, due to local progressive planning requirements, they seem to be making up for by burrowing down into the sandy sanctum below.

Apparently, we are to look forward to sipping cocktails on rooftop bars and dancing until 3am while the sea swallows the homeless below. La dolce vita!

My friend was impressed by the fantastic Sandhills wetlands restoration project underway in the heart of town. It’s righting the wrongs done to Country from sand mining in the 1960s that destroyed the wetlands. It will be such a boon for wildlife, water quality, and a wonderful community space to relax and engage with nature.

She also really enjoyed the scenic walk around Broken Head Nature Reserve, taking in the cultural importance of the area from the informative signage. We had refreshing swims in the ocean, and a spectacular whale watching experience and sunset picnic at Walgun Cape Byron Conservation area.

It was a highlight taking her to the buzzing Byron Farmers Market to do our weekly shopping. She was amazed by the extent of local produce and marvelled at the zerowaste approach. These things make our region unique and show we care.

As we sipped matcha lattes from glass jars through paper straws, and watched the passing parade, we heard the gentle crooner in the background signing ‘love can be easy’.

Yes, love can be easy.

Jo Immig is a former advisor to the NSW Legislative Council and coordinator of the National Toxics Network. She’s currently a freelance writer and researcher.

Trashing Greens’ rep

It would be good if someone got in touch with the Greens party up the chain of command to let them know that their reputation in the Byron Shire is being trashed by Mayor Sarah Ndiaye and the other Green councillors who are just going along with whatever she says.

It is greatly reducing Mandy Nolan’s chance of being elected too, as it is the middleaged and older residents that have been here for a long time that are the biggest supporters of the Greens.

They are just not going to vote for the Greens next time, unless Sarah’s ship changes course, and she starts listening to and taking the community’s concerns seriously.

Len Bates Mullumbimby

Steve’s a good sport

I am very upset Byron Shire Council went with the Northern Rivers Tennis Foundation to take over the lease of Mullum tennis courts.

It led to the dumping of local Steve Gort as tennis coach to our kids. Steve has taught my son and countless other locals tirelessly for the last 11 years, producing some champion players.

Steve himself was born and raised in Mullum, went to school here and distinguished himself as a junior player at the national level, ranking 70th in his day.

Steve’s dismissal as coach to Mullum courts means if I want Steve to coach my 15-year-old, as he’s done for the last ten years, I will have to drive him to Ballina each week. Until now, he’s caught the bus from Shearwater, gets off the bus in Mullum and walks to the local court for his lesson and squad every Monday and I pick him up at 7pm. It worked like clockwork for years.

Omar will no longer play tennis this coming term because it’s an impossible ask. I’m sure it will be the same for lots of other kids and parents living in Mullum that Steve coaches.

Steve, thank you for all you’ve taught Omar and other kids over the last decade.

You’ve been a real inspiration to our kids, not only teaching them tennis skills on the court, but instilling in them important concepts for life. This includes fair play and team responsibility, and how to lose nobly, as

you have done in taking this knockout blow to your fledging business.

Concepts like ‘loyalty’ no longer seem to exist in the new Byron – it’s yet another example, like the 57 Station Street ‘affordable housing’ fiasco, and the destruction of the old Mullum Hospital, which BSC knocked down on the advice of these same highly-paid ‘professional’ senior staff at a cost of $5m(!) to ratepayers.

The Mullum tennis courts, like the old hospital, were a community asset that BSC called its own and both were hopelessly mismanaged, in my opinion, on the advice of staff.

David Bradbury Wilsons Creek

Council are a threat to democracy

I thought that one of Council’s roles in the community was to listen to the community and to take suggestions to Council staff so that at least some of them could be implemented.

However, in the case of the 57 Station St carpark development proposal, and the method of upgrading Mullumbimby Road, councillors have decided that they know best, and are ignoring the suggestions of well-meaning and informed members of the local community.

Ignoring input from the local community is a growing and very disturbing trend and should be called out for what it is. I am lucky to live in such a beautiful part of this country, among a community who are proud of their town, Mullumbimby.

But it saddens me to observe the current Council

seem to ignore ideas generated by a well-meaning and intelligent community.

I implore councillors: look critically at yourselves and, in the first instance, stop the redevelopment of the 57 Station Street site and reduce the disruption to the community, both to business and individuals, that will occur if the Mullumbimby roadworks proceed as currently planned.

If my plea falls on deaf ears, the community may decide to take up the undemocratic actions of Byron Shire Council with the state government.

Chris Abraham Mullumbimby

Agesim by councillors

The unanimous September 11 vote by councillors to proceed with the development at 57 Station Street was a disgrace.

Among comments by councillors, it was stated that predominantly the only people against the development were old people, thereby implying that their opinion was of lesser value.

Had this been a 2,411 signature petition – with possibly as many as 1,000 DA submissions – in support of a campaign organised by women for CCTV cameras in the town’s CBD for improved safety, would councillors have said: ‘They were all just women?’

Councillors also said they believed that people signing the petition did not fully know what they were signing for.

I personally took the petition around Mullumbimby, and asked people if they were a Byron Shire resident, while providing information on the proposal, including that it was for affordable housing.

Career Guidance

I estimate that I collected at least eight per cent the 2,411 petition signatures, and there were many times when people shook my hand and thanked me for giving them the opportunity to be heard. There was also many times people heard my conversations on the street, and waited behind me to sign the petition as well.

From my interaction with people, it is a clear fact that people of all ages were signing.

We live in an age where families are short on time, and young people preoccupied with enjoying being young, so it is no wonder that the activists are organising the petition and survey older people, but I can assure you people of all ages were signing and expressing thanks that something was being done.

It is a disgrace that councillors have disregarded the opinion of thousands of people requesting Council

do their affordable housing development on alternative sites that would likely offer double, or triple the number of affordable housing units, and with none of the issues of Station Street.

It is a disgrace that councillors have disregarded the concerns of 91 per cent of residents.

And lastly, it is a disgrace that councillors have repeatedly refused to explain, when asked, why the alternative sites at the old hospital and Council’s own car park cannot be considered.

Andy Meguyer  Mullumbimby

Shame on you councillors!

Some people resort to disparaging remarks and belittling when they don’t have a solid argument to present. I can think of Donald Trump as a great example.

Unfortunately, the same weak behaviour is now coming from our local councillors over the proposed Station Street, Mullumbimby carpark development.

Putting down the Mullumbimby Residents Association (MRA) after they presented irrefutable evidence that the community is opposed to this proposed development at this particular site.

Shame on you councillors!

Putting down older people, particularly those over 65. Ageism at its best. As if those over 65 shouldn’t have an opinion!

Denigrating them and intimidating them so they won’t voice their opinion. Trying to keep them in their box.

Shame on you councillors!

Putting down all the ‘young people’ (i.e. under 65) by ignoring the fact that the ‘young’ also signed the petition, wrote letters and participated in the survey.

Over 90 per cent objected to the proposed development at this particular site. Shame on you councillors! Councillors, you are among the very few who approve of the proposed development, but only at this site.

Let’s hear your arguments for the proposal. It’s not just about affordable housing.

It’s about the better alternatives, the vibrancy of our town, the unintended consequences of your decision if you proceed and the future costs to fix the mess this development will create.

Julie Ryan Mullumbimby

Council is a camel What’s a camel ? A horse put together by a committee (or Byron Council).

The whole roadworks story from Mullum to Uncle Tom’s is a bad joke.

The timing couldn’t be worse. Glad I’m not reliant on customers for a business or supply.

Why can’t we have traffic control for alternate flows in and out – and at night, stop/go lights? Wilsons Creek Road is operating with two sets of lights to alternate traffic flow.

As for Coolamon Scenic Drive as an alternative? That road is lethal at the best of times, is absolutely not fit for heavy vehicles or even large vans, and I have already nearly been wiped out by people swinging wide on some of those acute bends.

Come on Council, do the right thing and work it out. You’re supposed to be representing the people, and guess what? They have spoken loud and clear!

Rossco Phillips Wanganui Gorge Release ‘all prisoners’

The Global Sumud Flotilla wasn’t just carrying 600 brave humanitarians intent on bringing desperately needed food and medical supplies to Gaza’s starving and injured people.

It was also carrying the hopes and aspirations of millions of people worldwide who ache with longing for the ethnic cleansing of Gaza to end.

As I write, I learn that the Israeli navy has illegally boarded most boats and kidnapped their occupants including six Australians two of whom are from our area, Surya McEwen and Juliet Lamont. We have inundated the phone lines of Wong, Albanese and DFAT and the only message we get is that the government is fully aware and is monitoring the situation.

Compare this with Colombia, which has severed its Free Trade Agreement with Israel and expelled all its diplomatic staff!

According to US Senator Bernie Sanders, America has donated $20 billion to Israel since October 2023, and has paid for 70 per cent of the costs of Israel’s genocide in Gaza!

This is Australia’s AUKUS friend who takes our tax dollars to build nuclear submarines and F35 warplane parts!

We protest! On Saturday, October 11, Northern Rivers Friends of Palestine will assemble at Railway Park at 2pm and march to Apex Park calling for an immediate ceasefire, an unrestricted flow of food and medical aid into Gaza, the release of all prisoners held by Israel and the expulsion of the Israeli ambassador.

Gareth Smith Byron Bay

Dumb, dangerous BS

According to David Shoebridge of the Greens, with information he said came from ‘Declassified Australia’, the Albanese government has approved nearly 70 shipments of weapons parts to Israel for deadly F35 fighter jets since October 2023.

The latest shipment left Sydney last month directly for Tel Aviv.

The jets are used in a genocide right now. Albo, Wong

and Marles have been lying about not sending weapons to Israel, as these weapons parts are fuelling the genocide in Gaza, a criminal act. A UN commission stated recently that ‘countries must stop sending weapons to Israel’ and explicitly referred to parts for F35 fighter jets.

This deplorable, deceitful government is also using taxpayers’ money to prop up US and UK shipping yards, US military bases and provide housing for US military personnel in Australia, policies built on war-mongering and paranoia, such have been the cause of endless suffering for thousands of years.

Interestingly also, Australia has not signed the treaty on the prohibition of nuclear weapons (TPNW) as the US warned Australia against joining the TPNW, arguing it would hamper defence arrangements.

This government is a puppet of the fossil-fuel industry and the US government.

Their climate policy also is not based on science, contrary to their gaslighting. If people actually cared about the planet and people they would stop believing the BS propaganda of this dumb and dangerous government.

Rod Murray Ocean Shores

Jobs in the Great Koala National Park

As a local timber worker, I am so disappointed that the government has decided to implement a massive Great Koala National Park without looking after the workers.

The possibility that my job might go because there is no more timber being sent to my workplace is already a massive stress for me and my workmates and all of our families.

The stress is made even worse because the government has put forward a totally inadequate support package and then can’t even explain the rules of their own support package.

We can look after koalas and look after workers too. The government must do better.

Daniel Botterill  Grafton

Plasticosis

Plasticosis is a disease of the digestive tract caused by microplastics in all life on Earth! Apparently 50 particles are released into your mouth every time you unscrew and drink from a plastic water bottle.

Commuter train services?

Given the constant complaints from residents in The Echo about traffic, road conditions, roadworks and lack of parking in Byron Shire, it’s time residents and Council demanded the state government reinstate commuter train services on the multibillion-dollar train line and for the rail connection to the Qld system at Coolangatta, as promised, be built.

The huge environmental, social and economic cost of forcing millions of tourists to arrive in Byron by road is no longer acceptable. Research shows the majority of this traffic comes over the border from Qld and the airports.

The cost of upgrading and maintaining roads far outweighs the cost of running trains.

For example: the restoration of the train line in Byron to run a train costs $660,000 per kilometre.

The one-kilometre Byron Bypass cost $24m. The upgrade of a very small section of Mullumbimby Road is costing $5m, as well as the cost and inconvenience for residents caused by the road closure for several months.

With over two million visitors to Byron per year, which is over 55 times the permanent population, it’s unfair and unsustainable to expect 16,000 ratepayers to bear the cost of roadworks, and other infrastructure, for two million tourists.

Then be expected to pay for parking in our towns or at the beach! It’s not 36,000 Byron residents causing parking problems and traffic chaos.

Despite the outrage against the 2004 rail closure, and 30,000 names on petitions for rail services sent to the NSW parliament, state politicians continue to ignore the need for rail services to provide public transport for locals and millions of visitors, and reconnect our communities once again.

They prefer to spend as much public money destroying the rail line for a bike track, $600,000 per kilometre, as it would cost to get trains running. The bike track could be built beside the line.

The bike track is not public transport – it’s not reducing traffic, it’s creating more. People are being injured and reporting feeling unsafe due to the bad behaviour of those using electric bikes.

Publicly-subsidised local bus services are usually empty as they are not accessible for anyone with

mobility problems, prams or bicycles. They take twice as long to travel between towns as the train did. Much longer when traffic into Byron is at crawling pace. Four train carriages carry as many people as eight buses.

Enough is enough. When there’s a train station in the centre, or close to the centre of our towns, it’s time to stop wasting our money creating more traffic and parking chaos in our once-idyllic towns and get the trains running so visitors can leave their gas guzzlers at home and arrive in a more sustainable, cost-effective way.

Then our towns will be more pleasant places for locals and visitors once again.

Louise Doran Ocean Shores

Community preschools’ future I write with great concerns for the future of community preschool in our Shire and across NSW.

Without any consultation with the stakeholders, the Labor Minns government recently proposed major reforms to the early childhood sector, including $100 million in funding for community preschools, extended operating hours, and the creation of a new independent regulator.

While these changes were sold as improving access and safety, those working in preschool education identify the threat this proposal brings to the unique communitybased preschool model, that has been providing high quality early education in NSW for generations.

Although traditional preschool hours can be tricky for some working families, many choose this model over, or in addition to, long day care because they recognise the unique befits it provides.

Community-based preschools consistently achieve high ratings, often exceeding national quality standards. Parents witness continuity of staff, highly experienced educators, and stable, consistent programs.

They cater for all children from diverse backgrounds and additional needs.

We know from years of studies that it is the quality of education programs, not simply the length of hours, that ensures the greatest difference to children’s longterm outcomes.

The quality of the community preschool model stems from a system built around educational priorities, matched frameworks and the leadership of qualified early childhood teachers.

As a parent of three children and an early childhood teacher at Byron Bay Preschool since 2019, I can attest to the value of community preschool.

Not only does this benefit our children, but for our wider community, through programs including our Intergenerational Program, Nature Hearts Program in addition to our community outreach networks such as: Village Vibes Bubs and carers groups, playgroups and family support groups.

Our families deserve choice, and if we were to become a long day care centre, we would lose so much that we have worked for decades to develop.

Community-based preschools across NSW must be safeguarded as a vital component of the early childhood education landscape.

If you wish to help save community preschool for future generations please write to, or email, local MPs and ministers, sharing why our community preschool model matters for children and families – Premier Chris Minns email www.nsw.gov.au/ nsw-government/premier-ofnsw/contact-premier; Janelle Saffin, local MP, lismore@ parliament.nsw.gov.au.

Charlotte Teague Suffolk Park

Truth is needed

I’m calling on current software experts to establish a corner of the web that puts truth at its centre.

The ability to separate truth from scams has been completely shattered now.

So we need a truth net that anyone can become a member of. If anyone is found to be creating a falsehood, without disclosing, they will be immediately removed from membership of the truth net, or severely fined to remain a member.

Come on you young minds get it going… It’s an urgent need.

Sapoty

Brook Main Arm

Utopia and roundabouts

The Suffolk Park roundabout saga is an episode straight out of [ABC’s] Utopia

Furthermore, Bangalow Rd in Byron Bay will require roundabouts to allow cars accessing and egressing the side streets as there are bottlenecks caused by Airbnb accommodation there too.

Hopefully BSC will become skilled at building them soon.

Mark Goodwin

Byron Bay

Council social media roundup

Hans Lovejoy

Ah, social media.

It’s where your algorithms (and time) are carefully curated to illicit outrage and division, while also subliminally pitching mindless consumerism at you so it can feed itself.

In an effort to provide a wider range of spectrum when it comes to local issues, The Echo has carefully curated last week’s big ticket topics that have been thrashed around on Facebook by councillors and community members.

Enjoy!

Greens councillors

With the Byron Greens councillors now under considerable pressure with accusations they are ignoring the wishes of residents (and their voter base – see letters pages), Mayor Sarah Ndiaye celebrated her first year as mayor.

She posted on October 3: ‘We’re so grateful to be serving our community and are excited for what’s to come’.

Achievements listed included: advocating for affordable, public and emergency housing; pushing for tighter regulation of short-term letting; backing a community battery project; and investigating permanent sustainable water options for the future.

Environmental achievements of the Greens were: standing strong to stop destructive development at Wallum; progressing restrictions on cats and dogs to protect habitat and biodiversity; strategic weed management; and disaster recovery and climate resilience planning after 2022 floods and Cyclone Alfred.

Green Council resolutions included: closing the gap; peaceful ethical procurement standards; a youth council; finding a permanent home for Queer Family; and a singleparent family pool pass.

She adds, ‘We still face big challenges – but we’ve never been more sure of the power of community to shape its own future’.

As of Tuesday, her post attracted five comments and eight emojis.

Roadworks to close

Also on October 3, the mayor reposted the Mullum Chamber of Commerce’s Keep Mullum Moving flyer, and their planned gathering at Council chambers on Thursday at 2.15pm. She posted, ‘I respect the right to protest, but think it’s important people are properly informed’.

She reposted Council staff’s media release around what is expected for the town

in coming months.

This includes closing Mullumbimby Road to outbound traffic (from town towards Gulgan Road), including at weekends. ‘Inbound traffic only allowed (towards Mullumbimby). Access to the industrial estate and McAuleys Lane will remain open’. It sparked considerable debate with residents, with over 100 comments.

The mayor replied to most of them.

Almost all residents were unhappy with the plans, with concerns ranging from

increased risk of traffic accidents, risks to wildlife to impacting small local businesses.

The chamber’s Jenelle Stanford posted that it ‘will cripple our town’, to which Cr Ndiaye suggested that people should shop locally during the roadworks.

‘if it was easy to do it another way, staff would’, Cr Ndiaye wrote.

Juergen Klein pointed out that ‘even if we could do all business in Mullumbimby, all the required supplies to buy locally have to be trucked into Mullumbimby!’

Chamber President, Paul Prior, said, ‘Stop and go during the day and night works are essential. If buses and emergency vehicles can get through, so can heavy vehicles and community.

Safety is paramount. Let’s be positive and move forward together. Listen, learn, act’.

Jenelle posted, ‘Yes, and keep open, and contrary to what Sarah Ndiaye says, we aren’t protesting, we are having a community gathering. We need to support our businesses and community’.

Cr Ndiaye replied, ‘It’s

how people are referring to it. I’m sure The Echo would say, “Local businesses and community are protesting against Council’s decision to close one lane”.’

She added, ‘We don’t have an extra million dollars for night works. We could divert traffic on The Saddle Road – also winding, and not suitable for heavy vehicles.

‘The Saddle Road residents would also be up in arms. If we could do stop/ start I’d do it in a heartbeat – even if people had to wait 20 extra minutes. The way people are carrying on, it’s really stressful, you honestly don’t want to be me this week’.

Night works?

When Kylie Mowbray-Allen asked why night works were not considered, Cr Ndiaye reposted Council staff’s position, which was: ‘Night works were considered in project planning but found unfeasible owing to: cost increase of ~33 per cent (~$905,000 over budget); and, no additional funding available; grant funding already at the maximum’. She also added that

A roundup of this week’s hot button issues

‘a stop/go arrangement on Stage 2 was not feasible: queueing risk – staff have reviewed this option in detail and already experienced problems during Stage 1. In August 2025, queues extended back onto the M1, confirming the risk is unacceptable’.

Amber Weedon posted, ‘I know the road needed some serious attention, but aren’t these roadworks a lot to do with the development in McAuleys Lane? If so, maybe those developers could come to the party with 33 per cent?’

Christina Eve suggested ‘What about a free bus a few times a day so people can get to Bruns and back easily. It could coincide with school bus times for example, and somewhat reduce traffic on Coolamon and Myocum roads’.

Cr Ndiaye replied, ’That might be a really good idea if the bus companies are open to it’.

Dianne Canabou wrote, ‘I drove Coolamon Scenic yesterday to get to Tweed. There are a couple of bad patches that need to be fixed pronto if it is to receive this

extra volume of traffic or someone’s going to go off the side of the road’. Cr Ndiaye agreed.

Zali Spinner, who was personal assistant to former mayor, Michael Lyon, wrote, ‘We all love to complain about Byron Shire’s roads, and then when they get fixed, we keep complaining. So ironic, where is the logic. A perfect world doesn’t exist, inconveniences happen sometimes – we should count our lucky stars that this is the biggest inconvenience about living here. Look at other places in the world right now, check your privilege’.

Victoria Joye said, ‘Worst planning ever. You have definitely lost my vote’.

And David Michie, who ran as a councillor candidate on Cr Jack Dods’s ticket, added, ‘I drove from SGB to Mullum and back via Coolamon Scenic Drive yesterday, and it was fine. A bit more traffic, but not dangerous. Honestly, Mullum could whinge for Australia’.

It was pointed out to Michie that Mullumbimby Road had not closed yet.

Cr Pugh accused of poor leadership

There were robust replies to a post by Labor councillor, Asren Pugh on October 2, with him making unsupported accusations about the Mullumbimby Residents Association (MRA).

Questions and counter assertions put to him by members of the public were not replied to.

Last week, Cr Pugh’s letter to The Echo claimed that during public access at the September 11 Council meeting, the crowd began jeering and booing at a local young teacher who was in favour of the contentious Landcom/ Council ‘affordable housing’ development in the town.

Cr Pugh repeated his rhetoric online, saying she was ‘pleading with Council to continue to support building affordable homes at 57 Station Street in Mullumbimby’.

Cr Pugh went on: ‘Unfortunately, occasionally, there are bad actors that purposely spread fear, misinformation and falsehoods in order to try and drive

support for their campaigns’.

‘This is too often the case with the Mullumbimby Residents Association [MRA], who have opposed every single attempt to build affordable housing in Mullumbimby.

‘Demands for yet more consultation from this group are not genuine, but rather a thinly disguised tactic to try and stop projects in their tracks. A classic NIMBY strategy’.

Cr Pugh also outlined his ‘facts’ around Council’s attempts at providing affordable housing.

David Bell replied, ‘The reason people got rowdy was that the teacher had not been registered to address the meeting, and was only added once Duncan Dey had

started speaking. It appeared to be staged and setup’.

Bell also said, ‘Your facts are completely incorrect’.

‘In 2017, Council was only focused on Lot 22, and also not listening then.

‘The affordable housing over Council carparks was a Mayoral Minute by Simon Richardson in 2020. The Cavanbah Centre, Bangalow and Council’s administration carpark were all mentioned.

‘In 2021, Council reaffirmed its commitment to this idea, but with no further details. In April 2022, it was the first time 57 Station St was included and that’s when Cr Michael Lyon signed the confidential agreement with Landcom. There was no community consultation.

‘Where are the reports comparing all the different sites and how 57 Station St was selected?

‘Why haven’t these reports been published?

‘Councillors told the community you could have your say when the DA is published. The community analysed the DA and identified major issues, and now you are shooting the messenger and MRA.

‘Why didn’t Council or councillors identify all these issues? We’re doing your job and getting abused for it.

‘[This is] Such poor form from a community representative. When does Landcom and Council decide it’s not economically viable?

‘Has a [community housing provider] CHP been found? You cannot blame the community for getting angry when there’s been no consultation’, added Bell.

MRA replies

The Mullumbimby Residents Association put out a lengthy statement in response to the accusations, saying in part, ‘These are serious charges that damage our reputation and dismiss legitimate community concerns. We ask: what specific falsehoods?’

MRA’s Dale Emerson has also asked for respectful dialogue, and ‘adherence to proper procedures that honour community consultation’.

‘We have not been provided with evidence showing why the process cannot be reconsidered at this stage’.

Hedges replies to being cancelled by National Press Club

The National Press Club of Australia has cancelled an upcoming appearance by US journalist, Chris Hedges, who was to speak on ‘The Betrayal of Palestinian Journalists’.

The National Press Club CEO Maurice Reilly responded to the cancellation by saying Hedges’s address was ‘tentatively agreed’ upon, given his expertise on the matter of Gaza. He wrote, ‘The club is constantly reviewing its address schedule, and when more details of the address were made available, we decided to pursue other speakers on the matter.’

Reilly argued that other speakers have addressed the club on the case for Palestine recognition, and others will speak on the war in Gaza in the coming weeks.

‘There has been no pressure from anyone outside of the board, either directly or indirectly, regarding our speakers on the war in Gaza,’ he wrote.

He said that Hedges’ claim that his address was removed from their website was false, given it was, ‘never published on our website’.

Reilly also rejected the claim that the cancellation was to ‘make way for the Israeli ambassador’ to speak, and was ‘without basis’.

The following is a shortened version of Hedges’ reply to the cancellation, which is republished from The Chris Hedges Report, from October 3.

Iwas scheduled to give a talk at the National Press Club of Australia on October 20 called ‘The Betrayal of Palestinian Journalists’.

The announcement of my talk disappeared from the website. Reilly said, ‘that in the interest of balancing out our program, we will withdraw our offer.’

The Israeli Ambassador, retired Lt. Colonel Amir Maimon, who spent 14 years in the Israeli military, is reportedly being considered to speak.

It is true that I know only one side of the picture from the seven years I spent covering Gaza.

On the receiving end of attacks

I was on the receiving end of Israeli attacks, including being bombed by its air force and fired upon by its snipers, one of whom killed a young man a few feet away from me at the Netzarim Junction.

I was present more than once as Israeli troops shot Palestinian children.

Such incidents, in the Israeli lexicon, become children caught in crossfire.

I was in Gaza when F-16 attack jets bombed overcrowded hovels in Gaza City.

the over 278 Palestinians journalists and media workers who have been killed by Israel since the start of the genocide, many in targeted assassinations, have reported a reality in Gaza that bears no resemblance to how it is portrayed by Israeli politicians, its military and many media outlets.

Lt. Colonel Maimon can obviously, if he chooses, enlighten us about the artificial intelligence-based program known as ‘Lavender’ and how it selects people, along with their families, in Gaza for assassination.

He can explain how the special unit called the ‘Legitimization Cell’ carries out propaganda campaigns to portray Palestinian journalists as Hamas operatives to justify their assassinations.

He can detail the targeting, bombing and controlled demolitions that have damaged or destroyed 97 percent of Gaza’s educational system, including every university and nearly all its hospitals.

efforts to ultimately expel the Palestinians from Gaza and repopulate it with Jewish colonists.

If Lt. Colonel Maimon spoke with this honesty and candour we could call this balance. It would fill in a side of the equation I glimpse from the outside. It would complete the circle. It would match truth with truth.

But Lt. Colonel Maimon, I see from his past statements, will spew out the mendacious narratives used by Israel to justify genocide — Hamas uses Palestinians as human shields, it operates command centers in hospitals, it sexually assaulted Israeli women on October 7 and beheaded babies. He will make the spurious claim that Israel ‘has the right to defend itself,’ ignoring the fact that Hamas and other Palestinian resistance groups, which lack an air force, mechanised units, artillery, a navy, fleets of militarised drones and missiles, pose no existential threat to Israel. More important, he will not address Israel’s flagrant violation of international law by occupying and settling colonists on Palestinian land and carrying out a livestreamed genocide. This is not balance, unless we accept a world where truth is balanced by lies. It is an abandonment of the fundamental mission of journalists — to hold power accountable.

But most egregiously, it is a terrible betrayal of our colleagues in Gaza who have been killed for chronicling the daily savagery in Gaza, for doing their job.

It was to focus on the amplification of Israeli lies in the press, which most reporters know are lies, betraying Palestinian colleagues who are slandered, targeted and killed by Israel.

But, perhaps inadvertently proving my point, the chief executive of the press club, Maurice Reilly, cancelled the event.

I have stood in the gutted remains of schools, as well as medical clinics and mosques and counted the bodies.

I have heard Israel claim that errant rockets or mortar fire from the Palestinians caused these and other deaths, or that the buildings were being used as arms depots or launching sites.

I, along with every other reporter I know who has worked in Gaza, including

He can explain how, after Israel blocked all humanitarian aid on March 2 to starve the Palestinians in Gaza, Israeli officials set up the so-called Gaza Humanitarian Foundation to lure emaciated and malnourished Palestinians to four aid hubs in the south — aid hubs with little food and which Human Rights Watch calls ‘death traps’ and Doctors Without Borders calls ‘orchestrated killing.’

He can lay out the plans for the concentration camps in southern Gaza and the

Corporate sponsors

No doubt, the corporate sponsors and wealthy donors of the press club are pleased. No doubt, the club is able to slither away from its journalistic integrity. No doubt, it is spared the attacks that would come from allowing me to speak. But please, have the decency to remove the word ‘press’ from your club.

Flying kites and messy nests

Rosy Whelan

We are trudging along the beach, heading back to the carpark after a delightful morning of birdwatching at the fringe of a mangrove swamp when the aerial drama unfolds.

What had started as a small speck in the clear blue sky slowly morphs into the magnificent form of an osprey, clasping a fish with its strong, sharp talons.

The osprey is purposefully heading for a safe place to devour its hard-earned meal when – seemingly from nowhere – a brahminy kite swoops at astronomical speed, claws extended, and with a flurry of feathers causes the osprey to drop its prey in fright. In a split second, the brahminy kite is gone, carrying its ill-gotten trophy into the distant yonder.

Kleptoparasitism

My friend and I gawp at each other in sheer disbelief. In the flash of an eye, we’ve just witnessed an act of avian kleptoparasitism, where one bird has stolen food from another.

Even though the brahminy kite was clearly smaller than its hapless victim, it used its honed tactics of speed, agility and precision, along with a carefully crafted ambush, to steal a free meal in mid-air.

Brahminy kites (Haliastur indus) are one of 36 Australian raptor species, raptors being birds of prey and apex predators. Their strength, medium-to-large size, keen eyesight and razor-sharp talons combine with a hooked beak designed for biting, ripping and killing prey.

Nineteen (possibly 20 – has anyone seen a red goshawk lately?) of those 36 species are found here in the Northern Rivers, including the largest – the wedge-tailed eagle, with an impressive wingspan of 2.3m – and the smallest – the comparatively petite Australian hobby, with a 68-87cm wingspan.

Raptors rule

Raptors rule the skies and top the food chain. In addition to fish, they hunt and eat other vertebrates – such as reptiles, mammals, amphibians and smaller birds – and are opportunistic scavengers

Before long, the feeding stops, and the adult flies off with the shredded remains of the fish, its chick settling back down in the nest.

Moments later, a second kite arrives, carrying something indistinguishable to offer the chick.

Too much, too late perhaps, as no interest is shown in this second offering and eventually the adult flies to a nearby tree and devours its prey.

My friend motions that it’s time to go and we quietly take our leave.

whose diet also includes carrion, or decaying flesh. With these food choices, raptors play an integral role in controlling population numbers and maintaining a balanced ecosystem.

While the food snatch scene we’ve just witnessed replays in my mind, my friend is following the brahminy kite’s flight path with her binoculars. ‘I think the brahminy is flying towards the mangroves,’ she says. ‘Come on, let’s go back.’

We turn around to retrace our steps and are just quick enough to catch a glimpse of the kite’s beautiful white head and chestnut-coloured back before it enters the confines of the mangroves.

Our pace slows, as we pick a path through the mud and mangrove roots, hoping to track the bird from a safe distance.

Kite’s messy nest

And we’re in luck, soon locating the unmistakable sight of a brahminy kite’s nest, high up in a mangrove tree. We stop walking and observe from a safe distance. The nest looks as though it’s been hastily thrown together, with bits of driftwood and an assortment of sticks, twigs and dried-up seaweed discernible. The nest sits, seemingly precariously, in the fork of the tree.

Atop the messy nest stands the brahminy kite, gently tearing thin strips of flesh from the stolen fish.

‘Feeding a chick!’ my friend whispers excitedly. And sure enough, there it is, eagerly watching and waiting for its meal. We don’t have a clear view of the actual feeding, with numerous branches and leaves obscuring the scene, however it’s a joy to witness the parental care that goes into food preparation for the chick.

More voices on Bay FM

Story & photo Mia Armitage

Youth, older women and voices from the queer community are all to be heard more prominently on Byron’s only community radio station, Bay FM, thanks to funding approval.

The station has long offered support as a platform for marginalised local community voices.

‘The first bird was the mother,’ she said. ‘Did you notice she was larger than the second one? And I think they might be first-timers because that nest had been made from scratch, not refreshed.’

Brahminy kites can be aggressive in their defence of nests and chicks, and this aggression can also include the nest surrounds. So, while it was a little frustrating not to have had a better view of the proceedings, it was more important to tread lightly and observe from a respectable distance.

These beautiful coastal birds breed here between April and October.

Their range extends right across the eastern, northern and western Australian coastline from mid-NSW to mid-Western Australia.

They are easily identifiable, with a white head and chest; chestnut-coloured back; short, featherless legs; lemon-coloured beak and watchful, dark eyes.

The tail is short with a white fringe at its tip and the wingspan is about 120cm.

The call of the brahminy kite is a long, descending wail, providing another clue for identification.

Thankfully, the conservation status of these birds is secure for now, however they are impacted by habitat destruction, entanglement in fishing lines and ingestion of fish hooks.

If you are interested in raptors, you are most welcome to join us on Sunday, October 26 at Raptor Expo.

For more information about the expo, please check out www.facebook.com/ share/p/19xaZdJXTR or to register, email byronbirdbuddy@gmail.com. Numbers are limited, so try to be an early bird!

Realities of a declared local housing crisis and other cost-of-living pressures are often heard about on Bay FM, and the folk presenting the stories are usually living in the same community as their guests, and often share their experiences.

The station shares the modern challenges of other volunteer organisations when it comes to the capacity of people to take on unpaid work, regardless of their passion and skills.

The emerging radio producers’ new program, ‘Off the Charts’, is one of three new Bay FM community radio content project pitches to have earned approval for funding through a competitive Community

Broadcasting Foundation annual grants application scheme. The talk-based audio-focused projects are all to be produced by independent community broadcasters ranging in experience from a few years to a few decades.

‘Off the Charts’ is to air every Friday from October on Bay FM 99.9, also streaming at bayfrm.org, from 2 till 3pm.

Grommet call out

Local youth are also invited to participate in the project, especially via its youth surf report, as it’s to be presented by ‘grommets’.

Co-producer, Max Squires,

says, ‘You just need to have the froth, you don’t even need to be good at surfing’. To contribute to a local surf report, email frontdesk@bayfm.org.

Longtime Bay FM Wednesday morning ‘Make A Change’ producer, Dione Green, has also received funding approval for new content, having previously been commissioned to produce ‘Untangling the Yarn’, a tenpart series focused on people living with memory loss. Mia Armitage presents CommunityNewsroom each Friday from 11am.

Byron Bay Netball wraps up a sparkling season

Byron Bay’s Blitz won the netball grand final. Photo supplied

The Byron Bay Netball Club have wrapped up another big season with nine teams taking to the courts each week with their bright spirit shining through, despite the fierce competition and often wet and windy conditions.

Four Byron teams fought their way into the semi-finals, displaying strong skills, teamwork and determination. The standout moment came from the Blitz

team, who powered through to win the grand final in style.

The club also celebrated the efforts of its youngest players, the Net Set Go Bananas, who made their debut this year. Their enthusiasm, energy and smiles were a highlight of every Saturday morning. The season concluded with the club’s annual presentation at the Byron Bay RSL, recognising the

achievements of all teams and standout players.

Club president Buffy Gall said it had been, ‘a fantastic season of netball for the bay, thanks to the dedication of players, coaches, sponsors and families’.

The club is looking forward to next year already. Sign-on for the 2026 season will take place in January and February, with matches beginning in mid-March.

If not sport, perhaps a guided walk?

For those who still want to get out and enjoy the spring you can join the guided walk in Lismore Rainforest Botanic Gardens (LRBG) on Sunday, 26 October from 9.30am.

‘This walk is designed to show visitors the local, dry rainforest plants used by Aboriginal people for over 40,000 years, for medicine, tools, food and shelter,’ said Tracey Whitby from Friends of LRBG.

‘The walk begins in the Sensory Garden and continues into the Useful Plants Garden. Plants are

labelled and signage also gives extra details about these wonderful native plants which you can grow in your home garden. It is a shady, unpaved walk, with one small incline.’

Adults $5, children free (cash or card). Meet at the Visitor’s Centre at the LRBG, 313 Wyrallah Road, East Lismore. Bookings essential email, publicity@friendslrbg. com.au.

Shores United juniors shine

Shores United U8 and U12 sides competed in the Premier Invitational National Junior Tournament, an elite competition of development and fun, held at the Gold Coast last weekend.

Shane Gasparotto took on the challenge of

coaching this team of very promising U8 players, and with only four weeks of training under their belts the team came together to win two out of their three grading games which placed them in the second division of the tournament.

Facing the best academy teams from around the country, the team was competitive at a very high level.

The Shores United U12 team also competed in the tournament and was coached by Daniel Engel.

Summer 6s soccer in Bangalow ready to rumble

Registration for one of Australia’s largest six-a-side soccer competitions is closed and over 110 teams are now preparing for the season opening on October 16.

Registration for the competition opened in early September and within weeks it was full, with 72 senior men’s and women’s teams and 40 junior sides ready

to play for a place in the finals which happen in late December.

All the action is to be found at the Bangalow Sports Fields.

The Echo wants to support you. Please send stories, pics, match reports, upcoming events, tall tales (not too tall mind you), results and anecdotes to sport@echo.net.au.

BYRON COMMUNITY COLLEGE – TERM 4 BROCHURE IS HERE!

Byron Community College has been a hub for the Byron Shire community for decades, bringing people together through adult learning, creativity, and shared experiences. This term, the college is offering subsidised courses* designed to inspire and empower, including: Introduction to Swedish Massage; Regenerative Agriculture – Small Scale Farming (at The Farm, Byron Bay); and Introduction to Floristry.

Committed to lifelong learning, the college provides a welcoming, inclusive space where adults of all ages can discover new skills, connect with others, and grow personally and professionally.

Enrolments are now open – explore the brochure at www.byroncollege.org.au or call (02) 6684 3374. Limited subsidised places available.

*This training is subsidised by the NSW Government.

GLOBAL INSIGHT, LOCAL ADVICE

Making big financial decisions?

Whether you’re retiring, buying a home, or planning for your family’s future, get advice you can trust. The local advisers at Ord Minnett understand the community, and are backed by 150 years of industry experience. As one of Australia’s cornerstone financial firms, with 15 offices around Australia, they’ve helped generations protect and grow their wealth by blending local insight with global expertise.

Meeting you wherever you feel most comfortable to discuss your goals and answer your question, start the conversation that sets you up for success. Your future deserves more than guesswork – it deserves expert financial guidance.

Start a conversation with private wealth advisers Jake Blumberg, phone 0412 285 029, email jblumberg@ords.com.au, or Sam La Cava, phone 0413 717 528, email slacava@ords.com.au or visit ords.com.au.

AVALON HOME CARE: FEEL SUPPORTED, FEEL AT HOME

Avalon Home Care has officially launched in the Northern Rivers, bringing a fresh, heartfelt approach to in-home support. Founded by locals, Avalon’s mission is simple yet powerful: to help every person feel supported, feel at home, and enjoy a better life. With services including personal care, daily assistance, companionship, transport, and social support, Avalon’s trained caregivers honour each individual’s preferences, routines, and dreams. More than a service, Avalon is a trusted partner – deeply connected to the community and committed to sustainability. Every visit is a step towards comfort, dignity, and joy. Avalon Home Care invites individuals, families, and professionals to begin with a friendly, obligation-free consultation.

To learn more, visit www.avalonhc.com.au or call 0403 082 141.

EMBODY SPACE, MULLUMBIMBY

Embody is a light-filled, thoughtfully-designed space in the heart of Mullumbimby – ideal for movement, creativity, and connection. Located on Burringbar Street, this versatile studio is perfect for fitness and dance classes, meditation, workshops, rehearsals, art exhibitions, and community events. The space is equipped with Wi-Fi, sound system, air-conditioning, heating, a kitchenette, accessible toilet facilities, and optional seating. With daily access from 6am to 10pm, it offers flexibility for casual or regular bookings. Embody supports a wide range of facilitators – from movement practitioners and artists to wellness professionals and creative groups – who are seeking an inspiring, well-resourced venue.

Contact: embodyspacemullum@gmail.com www.embodyspace.au @embody.space.mullum.

SEEKING FINANCIAL GUIDANCE?

Financial advice is about people, community, and making confident choices for the future. Your local Byron Shire adviser, Alana Pincombe, is passionate about helping families, individuals, and business owners find clarity and direction with their financial goals. With the support of a trusted adviser, you never have to navigate important decisions alone.

On Thursday, 30th October, they’re excited to host a Viridian Financial Group community seminar. A chance to meet your local adviser, Alana Pincombe, and lending representative, Shaun Pratt. It’s a great opportunity to learn more about who they are and how they support clients through every stage of life.

Contact Alana on 0491 204 142 to register your interest – they’d love to see you there.

LET’S HELP WILDLIFE TOGETHER

Every year, thousands of native animals in the Northern Rivers region face threats from injury, illness, and habitat loss. The Northern Rivers Wildlife Hospital in Wollongbar provides urgent care and rehabilitation to wildlife. Helping native species recover and return to their natural environments.

To support them become a Wildlife Hospital Hero. A monthly donation helps treat more animals, stock vital medical supplies and provide food and expert care to wildlife across the Northern Rivers.

Hospital Heroes also receive monthly updates on the patients they have helped. Every rescue, recovery, and release is thanks to people like them.

Become a Hospital Hero and you will go into the draw to win a $100 Zentveld’s Coffee Bundle – delicious, locally–grown coffee, sustainably–farmed and roasted in the Byron Bay hinterland.

50 Lindendale Rd, Wollongbar www.nrwh.com.au @northernriverswildlifehospital.

Taste

Eateries Guide

& 5.30pm–9pm

for takeaway daily, 12 midday until

Jonson

(02) 6680 8832

Three Blue Ducks

Located at The Farm 11 Ewingsdale Rd. (02) 6190 8966 Open every day from 7am.

Roca Byron Bay

Open:  Everyday from 6:30am to late

14 Lawson St, Byron Bay (02) 5642 0149 @rocabyronbay www.rocabyronbay.com.au

Forest Byron Bay

Open 7 days

Breakfast: 7.30 to 10.30am

Lunch on Verandah from 12 to 3pm

Dinner: 5.30 to 9pm crystalbrookcollection.com/ byron/forest

Delicious new winter dinner menu, live music every Sunday arvo, happy hour 3–5pm Friday to Sunday & our famous Sunday roast.

Enjoy a wander in the fields, meet the pigs, and picnic in the sun… there really is something for everyone.

Latin fusion all-day dining

Come and try our new spring menu. Savour our chargrilled anticuchos, indulge in fresh ceviche & oysters, or elevate your night with the Roca dining experience. Pair it all with a classic Pisco Sour or our best-selling Hot Like Papi cocktail.

HAPPY HOUR

2 for 1 cocktails & beers / 5 – 7pm / Sun to Thurs

Rainforest views, farm to table dining and a menu showcasing the best of Northern Rivers produce. Forest Byron Bay offers fresh, seasonal dishes and crafted cocktails.

Unwind with Golden Hour, 4 to 6pm Tuesday to Saturday, or enjoy house-made pasta with wine for Pasta Thursday.

The Good Life

Crafting sustainability with local timber

Lawrence makes handcrafted chopping boards and many other products – look for him at the Mullumbimby Farmers Market.

Local artisan Lawrence Clain is turning heads with his handcrafted timber products, made with a focus on sustainability, practicality, and beauty.

Lawrence works primarily with camphor laurel, a timber that grows abundantly in the Northern Rivers region. Considered an environmental weed, camphor is plentiful and easy to source from local properties. For Lawrence, it’s the perfect choice: ‘It’s sustainable, we’re not cutting into any rainforests, and it even has antibacterial properties –ideal for cutting boards,’ he says.

Each board is cut from a single slab of timber, with no joins or glues, making them sturdy and food-safe. Natural knots and imperfections in the wood are carved out and filled with resin, creating striking patterns that highlight the timber’s character. This process, he explains, transforms natural defects into unique, decorative features.

His collection has recently expanded to include egg holders that carry either half-a-dozen or a full-dozen, as well as a range of kitchen utensils. From small wooden spoons for stirring porridge to larger ones suited to hearty stews, these pieces are designed for everyday use. Honey dippers – perfect for drizzling into tea – are also in the works.

Personalisation is another hallmark of Lawrence’s craft. With an in-house engraver, he offers custom inscriptions on boards, keyrings, and other items, making them ideal for weddings or special gifts. Smaller offcuts that might otherwise go to waste are repurposed into incense holders, enhanced with coloured resin to catch falling ash and add artistic flair.

In addition to his market presence, Lawrence has recently opened a shopfront in Lismore, located on the corner of Conway and Dawson streets. His business, ‘Valley of Craftsman’, also has an online home at valleyofcraftsman.com.

With every piece, Lawrence proves that sustainability and craftsmanship can go hand in hand.

See Lawrence and his handcrafted timber products at the Mullumbimby Farmers Market every Friday from 7am to 11am.

Threeways of the Valley – a meeting place at Wilsons Creek

Threeways of the Valley has officially opened its doors. A destination in the Byron Bay hinterlands, Threeways is more than a cafe and restaurant, it’s fast becoming the heart of the Wilsons Creek community.

The space itself carries a special energy – formerly Lilium Love, it is nestled among mountains with freshwater creeks flowing nearby, a setting that makes every visit feel like an immersion in nature.

Created by Lex and Magdalena Rose – locals with deep roots in the valley – Threeways was born from a love of nourishing community and honouring the land. They have opened the cafe in conjunction with another venture they run, the non-profit Peaceful Growing Collective, which offers bush school, nature connection and healthy relating practices. The ethos of the collective infuses the cafe, shaping it as a space dedicated to wellness, vitality and beauty, in all parts of daily life.

Open Wednesday to Sunday, from 8am to 3pm and Saturday nights 4:30pm to 7:30pm, Threeways serves wholesome breakfast and lunch alongside some of the best woodfired pizzas around. With their oven blazing, nothing compares to the flavour of food cooked on coals. Coffee lovers are well taken care of too, with consistently excellent brews from Ballina’s Tenango Coffee. You’ll also find potions and tonics such as ceremonial cacao, house-made organic juices, smoothies and more, all created seedoil free, using local produce for a dining experience that is nourishing, unique and deeply satisfying.

Across the road at their home Heartland, Magdalena and Lex keep horses, tend gardens and are developing a market garden to directly supply the cafe. They’re also planting the seeds of new community offerings at the cafe: a weekly organic food box/co-op, parent–child meetups, yoga, and tea ceremonies to bring people together midweek. Their liquor licence is in the works, and once approved, Threeways will offer a carefully curated selection of cocktails, wines and craft beers, adding another layer of warmth and spirit to the space.

While fresh to hospitality, the couple has gathered a strong team of locals, led by management rock Amery Waterhouse, who helps Threeways run smoothly. With special events like flea markets and

With special events like flea markets and plans for Friday night fiestas and themed gatherings, Threeways is as much about connection as it is about quality food and drinks.

plans for Friday night fiestas and themed gatherings, Threeways is as much about connection as it is about quality food and drinks.

With its commitment to peace, presence and community, Threeways of the Valley is more than a cafe, it’s a meeting place where the spirit of Wilsons Creek is alive and well.

10 Huonbrook Rd, Wilsons Creek www.threeways.store Instagram: @threeways_of_the_valley

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beauty style fashion grooming

GUSHIV ORGANICS

Gushiv Organics is an artisanal skincare house born in the Byron Bay hinterland, where nature, science and spirit meet. Each creation is crafted in small batches, infused with the alchemy of Australian native plants and the potency of advanced extraction. Gushiv marries cutting-edge science with ancient wisdom, unlocking bioactive compounds that soothe, brighten and restore.

Every cleanser, mist and elixir is designed not merely as skincare, but as a sacred ritual – a moment of stillness, devotion and renewal. Encased in frosted green glass with natural wooden finishes, each vessel reflects the brand’s commitment to earthy elegance and conscious luxury.

More than skincare, Gushiv Organics is a spiritual return to nature’s pharmacy – restoring balance, radiance and grace from within.

gushiv.com.au contact@gushiv.com @gushivorganics

PERACLES

Grounded Style, Handcrafted Here Style should feel as good as it looks. Peracles sandals are made right here in Bangalow – crafted from beautiful full-grain leather to move naturally with your feet and match effortlessly with whatever you’re wearing.

They’re barefoot by design: flat, flexible, and built to reconnect you to the ground beneath you. Wear them every day, and they’ll age with you. And when they need it, we’ll bring them back to life.

Made to last. Easy to wear. Designed to disappear.

7 Bugam Pl, Bangalow NSW Mon–Fri, 10am–4pm 0421 855 228 www.peracles.com.au @peraclesfootwear

BELL & FORD

The new Spring/Summer 2025 collection by DVE has arrived in store and is also available on the Bell & Ford website. This collection is simply a stunning edit of handwoven cottons and linens in a soft palette of blues, emerald, warm white, and gentle neutrals. Each piece is handmade with care and designed for effortless elegance with all the design features we love about this label.

Step into the season with DVE – in store now.

Open: Monday–Friday 9.30am–4.30pm Saturday 9am–4pm Sunday 10am–4pm 34 Byron Street, Bangalow 02 6687 2425 bellandford.com.au

COLOURFUL KIDSWEAR HAS ARRIVED IN BYRON!

Oooh boy! A huge range of kids' apparel has landed at The Local Byron Bay. Shop Kip & Co, Banabae and Boom Shankar kidswear in-store now.

This kidswear collection is fun, colourful and sure to brighten up your little one’s day. They’ll be the coolest kid in Byron! You can stock up for a full day out at the beach, with kids swimwear, sunglasses, caps, backpacks, rashies and boardies ready to shop.

You’ll find The Local on Fletcher Street, located right next to Combi Cafe, with colour bursting out onto the sidewalk.

Open 7 days 9:30am-4:30pm 5/21-25 Fletcher St, Byron Bay @thelocal.stores /thelocalstores.com.au 0461 582 656

DR MOOSE CUSTOM DESIGNED T-SHIRTS

Since 1995, Dr Moose has been your local familyowned t-shirt shop, bringing cult classics and custom printing to Byron Bay. We’ve been here for 30 years, keeping the original spirit alive while creating fresh designs for every generation.

Looking for the perfect gift? Our custom t-shirts and accessories are printed in-house, while you wait. Bring us your idea, photo, or slogan and we’ll turn it into something unforgettable. Personalised gifts show you really know them, and they’re ready the same day.

From birthdays to barbecues, holidays to justbecause surprises, Dr Moose is here to make your gift-giving easy, fun and one-of-a-kind. Come see us on Jonson Street and get creative today.

Quote ECHO10 for 10% off your in-store order.

48 Jonson Street, Byron Bay @drmoosetshirts

VAE MEDICAL AESTHETICS

Vae Medical Aesthetics is nestled in the heart of Newrybar village, led by medical professionals Dr Jemma Buultjens and Dr Kate Allan. Vae offers advanced cosmetic and skin treatments, utilising regenerative therapies, Broad Band Light Therapy and Moxi Laser.

At Vae, every treatment is designed with care, integrity and deep respect for your individuality. Step into their tranquil space and experience personalised aesthetic care and rediscover your confidence.

16 Old Pacific Highway, Newrybar 0422 639 013 info@vaemedicalaesthetics.com

WELCOME TO THE ZEN BARBER A PERSONAL TOUCH, EVERY TIME

At The Zen Barber, you’re not just another appointment, you’re a valued guest. Owned and operated by AJ, your experienced head barber, this is a space built on genuine care, quality craftsmanship, and good old-fashioned service.

From relaxing hot-towel treatments and steam shaves to precision fades, beard trims, and restyle cuts, everything is tailored just for you. Enjoy fine tunes, a great chat (or a quiet moment), and a grooming experience that feels more like catching up with an old friend.

AJ takes pride in every cut and makes sure you leave looking and feeling your best.

Book in, relax, and experience the difference of a barber who truly cares.

Shop B, 16 Lateen Lane, Byron Bay 0413 734 350 www.thezenbarber.com.au

STEWART’S MENSWEAR

New arrivals fromPilbara Westernhave landed at Stewart’s Menswear, a collection of casual tees and caps designed for real Australian living. Built tough but easy to wear, they’re equally at home on the farm, in town, or on weekend adventures.

With earthy colours, quality cotton, and timeless graphics, Pilbara Western delivers reliable style that doesn’t compromise on comfort. It’s clothing made to last, with pieces that quickly become everyday favourites. This new range also includes aladies’ T-shirt and cap, giving women the chance to share in Pilbara’s signature style.

Explore the new arrivals in-store at Stewart’s Menswear in Mullumbimby or browse online atwww.stewartsmenswear.com.au. With fresh stock arriving daily, there’s always something new to discover.

52-54 Burringbar Street, Mullumbimby stewartsmenswear.com.au

ZÓCALO

Zócalo is an ethical fashion company that started in Mexico 12 years ago, with two stores in Baja. They opened their Australia store over four years ago in Newrybar. A social enterprise, it focuses on bohemian, beautiful, unique pieces from Mexico, Australia and beyond. With brands like Spell, Nine Lives Bazaar, Ottway, Bopo and Leif, their shops are a must-visit.

A portion of every sale is donated directly to four charities they help to fund in Mexico.

Shop Zócalo in store or online: 17 Old Pacific Hwy, Newrybar Mon-Fri, 10-4pm,Sat & Sun, 9-4pm @shopzocalo shopzocalo.com.au

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Cryptic Clues

ACROSS

8.Confusing paint with a tarnish (6)

9.Victor and me rudely interrupt a song – and a prayer! (3,5)

10.Power network design (4)

11.Roll made by foreign baker with British capital (5,5)

12.Come out with new city restrictions on hot water? (9)

14.Opening bowler’s only got enough yorkers for one over! (5)

16.Cut bow off yacht (4)

18.Bail one out with this defence? (5)

19.Season of the sailor (4)

21.Directors, for example, on radio live at school (5)

23.Mobile operative starts to text her enemies, with picture one ignored (2,3,4)

26.Stray at random around country, lacking direction still (10)

28.Porky crosses road with Mrs Grundy (4)

29.Hang on – I’ve lost five items of underwear (8)

30.A place for MO? (6) DOWN

1.Medication taken around midafternoon, primarily a form of protection at mealtimes (5,3)

2.Victor, bad boy who substitutes whiskey for first serving of Scotch (6)

3.Mo makes name at court (9)

4.Story with a thread (4)

5.Prized specimen prince placed on aristocrat (5)

6.Poor people are honest, if puzzled, about amateur verse (4-4)

7.Looks like travel doc won’t terminate on time (6)

13.Pile of stones and random bits of scrap iron pros abandoned (5)

15.Very long distance Raleigh negotiated around border of Turkey (5-4)

17.Mike quits retreat, one that’s passed through the generations (8)

20.Corrupt Putin, deserted by base, has been overthrown, so celebrate (4,2,2)

22.Available match for clothing (6)

24.Englishman turns up with favourite little sweetie (6)

25.Oscar served in difficult Mass (5)

27.Old French painter about to abandon son (4)

If you would like to provide any feedback to Stephen Clarke about his crosswords please email: crosswordfeedback@echo.net.au

STARS BY LILITH

The investigative energy of Mercury moving into Scorpio can help uncover hidden truths this week which may reset directional compasses…

Quick Clues

ACROSS

8.Metal tarnish formed over time (6)

9.Prayer set to music by several composers (3,5)

10.Detailed arrangement for future action (4)

11.Vertical rotisserie meat served in flatbread (5,5)

12.Unexpected situation requiring immediate action (9)

14.Score of one over par in golf (5)

16.Carve design into metal with acid (4)

18.Proof of being elsewhere (5)

19.Common seasoning (4)

21.Flat piece of wood (5)

23.Constantly travelling or changing location (2,3,4)

26.Not moving or changing position (10)

28.Prude; pedant; killjoy (4)

29.Women’s intimate apparel (8)

30.Wide street often lined with trees (6) DOWN

1.Protective covering for dining surfaces (5,3)

2.Comes first in a competition (6)

3.Curved steering device on bicycles (9)

4.Long continuous thread used for knitting (4)

5.Lustrous gem formed within certain molluscs (5)

6.Those lacking wealth or privilege (4-4)

7.Person’s face or facial expression (6)

13.Stack of stones marking a path or memorial (5)

15.9.46 trillion kilometers (5-4)

17.Traditions or features passed down through generations (8)

20.Enjoy oneself without restraint (4,2,2)

22.Set of clothes worn together (6)

24.Small, endearing child (6)

25.Secret collection accumulated over time (5)

27.Having existed for a long time (4)

Last week’s solution #75

Windfarms Beneath My Wings

‘It’s harder to take on an entire worldview than it is to correct a few made-up talking points.’

This is the quote I found in an article in The Conversation in August this year titled, ‘Why windfarms attract so much misinformation and conspiracy theory’. I had googled, ‘why do windfarms attract so much misinformation and conspiracy?’ It was a pretty accurate response.

Just so you know, a windfarm made me google this. To be precise, the Rampion Offshore Windfarm, located offshore from Brighton Beach in the UK.

I recently made a post on Facebook after visiting there and staying at said beach. The windfarm is only visible on a clear day, and anyone who has visited the UK knows that clear blue days aren’t that common. But I cracked one, and the beach I’d been looking at for two days suddenly revealed – almost as if it had been installed overnight – a windfarm! It felt magical. Now you see it, now you don’t. Ironically, it’s not just the weather, it’s the added emissions from fossil fuels in the form of air pollution that creates the haze that disappears this renewable energy source. (BTW, it’s hard to disappear an open cut coal mine in a wind fog. They are conveniently placed out of public view so people forget how massive and ugly they are).

I took a photo of said windfarm and put up a post. This is exactly what I said, ‘I love seeing a city committed to renewable energy. It makes me question why we are so slow on the uptake. This is Rampion Offshore Windfarm: located off the coast near Brighton, this windfarm generates renewable electricity for the region, contributing significantly to the UK’s offshore wind capacity. Stop the fossil fuel misinformation and get with the program.’

With Australia already hitting 1.5 degree warming, and international agreement amongst climate scientists that we are facing catastrophic climate change, and our quest to hit ‘net zero’ by mid-century being fraught with problems caused by policy created by successive governments funded by the fossil-fuel industry, it’s clear to me, and other people who believe scientists over bots, that we are in trouble. It seemed a relatively innocuous post. It was on my private Facebook page. Not a political page. It was for my ‘friends’. You know – the people who share my views and values. But it didn’t go there. Thanks to the massive algorithmic spends by third-party groups like Advance and Better Australia, even as a failed

ARIES: As Neptune continues back tracking in Aries, you may feel drawn to mystic or healing explorations, in which case it’s recommended you choose your guides very carefully. It’s important during the current cycle to shield your personal field, and on a daily physical level to stay adequately hydrated.

TAURUS: Mercury and Mars in your relationship zone could ignite the temperature of this week’s partnership discussions to exciting or fighting, probably a bit of both. With hidden group dynamics likely to surface, Saturn in your collaborative sector is currently highlighting the need to align with trusted others.

GEMINI: One of the best expressions of freedom is a clean departure rather than a dramatic exit, and change-agent Uranus in your sector of final cycles helps to wind up, unhook and move on without fuss or fanfare. This week’s Uranian transit highlights naturally outgrowing something that’s passed its use-by date.

I love seeing a city committed to renewable energy. It makes me question why we are so slow on the uptake.

candidate on a holiday with her family, I remain in their sights. Well at least still rolling around in the wash of bots and crazy anti-renewable conspiracists they farmed with their big fossil-fuel donations.

I got 1,500 comments on that post. I have a very engaged Facebook page – my posts can get from 20 to 120 comments, tops. Not 1,500. That’s ridiculous. It was a cesspit of angry men looking for a fight. Scaring people. It’s violence. I won’t engage with insane talking points from people who have a Trumpian worldview. Something in the article I found relayed as ‘bound up with identity’. In some corners of the online ‘manosphere’, concerns over climate change are being painted as effeminate. So it’s more violence against women. Those who have profited from the fossil fuel industry refuse to recognise, and therefore reconcile with, the damage

CANCER: Jupiter activates big energy, which in your sign is likely to be emotional. With everyone sensitive to information overload, take care this week not to flood others with your preoccupations and revelations as the communication planet is in its least responsive mode you might not get the response you want – or any at all.

LEO: This week’s people may have strong, or provocative, opinions. If dialogues turn to diatribes or suddenly ignite into passionate conflagrations, strive for clarity and fairness in all exchanges. There’s no one-size-fits-all answer to current issues, and nothing is sometimes the wisest thing to say.

VIRGO: Your mentor planet Mercury is in its most acutely perceptive, but least communicative phase, a good time to secure confidential information, to strengthen filters, passwords and privacy settings. This week’s Mercury is perfect for the backstage work Virgos excel at: researching, editing, crafting and refining.

LIBRA: Disciplined Saturn taking its final spin through your sector of health and organisation prompts you to scale back on stress and slow down, especially if you’ve been rushing around doing too much. Taking breaks from attention-demanding others creates space for the connections and opportunities waiting in the wings.

SCORPIO: With incisive Mercury joining Mars in Scorpio your words carry perhaps more weight than you intend. The sting in Scorpio’s tail can be lethal, so keep in mind that Scorpios can make themselves felt without saying anything at all. Best news? This week places some unusually charming people in your path.

SAGITTARIUS: Sagittarian social circles are currently busy, buzzing and chatty, though your planet boss Jupiter in a super-sensitive sign can be moody and cranky, making it harder to be impartial. This trial aside, there’s still plenty to enjoy in this week’s lively socialising, affectionate interactions and undeniable style.

they have done. Instead, people who will be adversely affected by climate change, like the rest of us, are corralled into online hate groups because that’s how oligarchs protect themselves. While governments use citizen soldiers to fight their wars, billionaires use idiots on Facebook who have no vested interest in defending fossil fuels – except that now it’s been made a culture war. And instead of hating the people who are the real reason they are powerless and their lives are fucked – the billionaires and the massive corporations – they fight for them, and they hate the people who want a better future. For everybody and everything. It’s diabolical. But if you are a tyrannical oligarch profiting from the oil industry, then it’s evil-genius brilliant.

A man holding a baby recently called me a ‘bird killer’. What do you even say to that? That poor baby. If I’m being compassionate I’d think, ‘that poor man. He’s captured’.

So I took the post down. I won’t amplify their bullshit. I noted it also existed on Instagram in duplicate form. It had no comments there. How can the same post on one platform get 1,500 comments, and on another get none? That’s misinformation in action. It tells people: ‘Don’t speak up’. It frightens people into submission. It makes you feel like it’s hopeless.

That’s how you know you are a threat. That’s what keeps me going.

So here’s that picture of the windfarm…

The Echo’s coverage of political issues will remain as comprehensive and fair as it has ever been, outside this opinion column which, as always, contains Mandy’s personal opinions only.

CAPRICORN: Canny Mercury moving into your sector of joint ventures and long-term investments is the astrocycle most likely to attract the partner or investor you were looking for into your orbit. After a more up-close and personal connection? This week the silver-tongued planet gives you the gift of glib.

AQUARIUS: Life feels significantly lighter for Aquarians in Libra season, which could stimulate a travel itch. But right now the real adventure is within, and while it might feel counterintuitive to slow down, adopting a quality over quantity, depth over breadth approach is likely to give most rewarding results.

PISCES: Saturn’s final backspin in Pisces is your prime time for personal growth. Take every opportunity on offer to do that so you’ll be in best shape to move forward with confidence when the many-ringed planet leaves your sign in February 2026 not to return for another 30 years.

Volume 40 #18

8–14 October, 2025

Editor: Eve Jeffery

Editorial/gigs: gigs@echo.net.au

Copy deadline: 5pm each Thursday

Gig Guide deadline: 5pm each Friday

Advertising: adcopy@echo.net.au

P: 02 6684 1777

W: echo.net.au/entertainment

Seven

Let’s dance! Join Shorty Brown for a high-energy school holiday disco packed with music, movement, and fun – the perfect morning out for little groovers! Ticket includes: glow sticks to light up the dance floor, groovy disco glasses and voucher for a kids drink

Thursday from 10am at the Ballina RSL –Level One. Tickets $5 at ballinarsl.com.au are only required for those participating in the disco. Parents and carers can attend free of charge.

Having traveled through Bangladesh and Nepal to gather sounds for their music, Mohilaa fuses soul and pop with a Bangla twist. With their versatility and groove, Mohilaa aims to bring its listeners on an awe-inspiring adventure – interweaving melodies, combining analogue electronic elements and smooth, often virtuosic vocals.

Friday at The Rails, Byron Bay. Free show.

Winston Surfshirt is bringing Winston the album to Byron Bay – Winston Surfshirt began as the solo project of their eponymous frontman, singer, producer and rapper. Over time, he brought together close friends and local artists to form the globally beloved project that we know today.

Friday from 8pm at The Northern, Byron Bay. Tickets $49.90 thenorthern.com.au.

One of the very highly anticipated films of the Italian Film Festival, is a box office hit, a joyous and touching tribute to the costume designers and seamstresses whose great craftsmanship bring to life the magic of cinema. Inspired by Özpetek’s personal experience frequenting film and theatre tailoring shops in the 1980s, Diamonds (Diamanti) features a dazzling all-star ensemble cast.

Saturday at 10am at Palace Ballina. Tickets from $14 at palacecinemas.com.au.

The official bio for Nazeem Hussain’s brand new show You Paid for This is NOT to be confused with any of the fake ones out there. He had to write the bio himself, which really threw his morning plans.

He thought coming up with the title was the hard part, but writing a 150-word biography about a comedy show he hasn’t performed yet was really hard.

Saturday 7pm at the Brunswick Picture House. Tickets from $32 +bf at brunswickpicturehouse.com.

Covid, floods, Covid (again) and cancer have seen several of the ‘end of year’ concerts for Byron Bay Singing (BBS) cancelled. In a change of tack, BBS has curated a selection of singers for the 2025 interactive, sing-along concert for soloists and groups, NOT at the end of the year.

Sunday 5.30pm at the Ocean Shores Community Centre. Tickets at the door. General admission $20, concession/ students $12, pre-teens free.

Lez Karski known for his unique acoustic guitar style, raw vocals, and steady rhythms, has been the unique soul/blues guitar and vocal style of The Foreday Riders, Hippos, Bondi Cigars, Donkeys, and Nervous Investors. He’s also the preferred sideman for many visiting US blues artists.

Sunday from 2.30pm at the Ballina RSL Boardwalk. Free show.

Your newest pals: DUG

From across the seas, Irish-American duo DUG, made up of Irish songwriter Lorkin O’Reilly and California clawhammer banjo player Jonny Pickett, bring their raw and rowdy fresh sounds, steeped in harmony, alongside clever picking and fanworthy fiddle tricks, to Australian shores for the very first time. With roots that stretch from the Appalachians to the Atlantic, Grammy-nominated DUG blend Americana, folk, and indie soul into good times: emotionally charged, harmony-rich, and brimming with stories that linger long after last drinks.

Following breakout performances in the US and Europe, DUG’s debut Australian tour offers fans an intimate chance to experience their high energy performance – we’re talking two unreal humans making excellent music together.

DUG have just released an outstanding song, ‘Livelong Day’ from their much-anticipated album, Have At It! released in August through Irish label Claddagh Records. Tune in and prepare yourself for the ultimate folk, fiddle and frivolous journey across the East Coast. You won’t wanna miss this. This is the first of many amazing musical adventures we will all share with this dynamic duo. Prepare your capes and get set to fly with DUG.

Dig DUG, on Sunday, at The Northern from 7pm. Tickets: thenorthern.com.au.

Seven

Sacred Music Chant Festival

The House of Bliss Kirtan 12th Annual 12-Hour Sacred Music Chant Festival promises to be an enriching experience for the community, catering to the diversity of antendees. As people gather to participate in this vibrant celebration of music and spirituality, they find a sanctuary for connection, reflection, and joy.

This year’s festival not only features a lineup of local artists –including Krishna Village Kirtan Band, Shivam Rath with Raga Flow, Prema Margot & Bhakti Hearts, Heart Chant, GaiaTree Kirtan, Mouna Mantra, and Alice Miyagawa – but also fosters local talent.

Amma’s Kitchen highlights the importance of nourishment through delicious vegan and vegetarian food, along with cake and chai, appealing to dietary preferences and ethical considerations. This aspect of the festival ensures that participants can engage fully in their experience.

Importantly, the event underscores its commitment to the greater good, as proceeds go directly to the Mullumbimby & District Neighbourhood Centre. This philanthropic element resonates with individuals seeking to make a positive impact in their community, aligning with their values of support.

The festival will commence with a puja led by Daniel Rawson, setting a spiritually uplifting tone – the House of Bliss Kirtan Festival serves as a reminder of the power of music and community in nurturing the soul – and the many ways we can come together to celebrate life and support one another.

Saturday, Mullum Civic Hall – 10am to 10pm. Tickets $60+bf tinyurl.com/Sacred-MusicMullum

There’s no ‘same old, same old’ at BayFM. Our wide range of music shows are diverse and dangerous (and a couple are deadly). Jump onto 99.9FM for the best in dance, pop, rock, blues, reggae, soul, folk, punk, Americana and vintage, plus hot local acts and music from around the world in our foreign language shows. Check our online Program Guide for details.

Experience conscious music

One of our most successful independent exports in the conscious music scene, our very own, Deya Dova, who has been based in the Byron Shire and surrounding region for 30 years, returns to perform the finale of their 2025 Australian Tour with a rare local show transforming the Green Room in Byron Bay.

Following headline performances throughout Europe, the UK, and North America in 2023-24, Deya Dova bring their acclaimed live show experience home to the Byron Shire.

Known for their immersive, highly visual live show experience – a multi-media, high-frequency music and dance floor ceremony that celebrates the positive power of our shared humanity. On stage Deya is joined by her co producer, Hamilton Barnett. Together they fuse ancient songlines with the futurism of global bass music. Blending Deya’s extraordinary primal and otherworldly voice with organic beats and world-infused instrumentation.

The live performance features the Deya Dova Avatars –archetypal characters inspired by ancient goddesses and mythic beings, costumed and created by Deya Dova, and performed by a cast of female dancers and performance artists flying in especially for this show.

Over the last ten years Deya has been on a unique recording exploration singing live in nature at over 80 sacred sites and Earth energy centres around the planet.

‘The Deya Dova Live Experience is about celebrating our connection with the Earth, cosmos and our human spirit. Growing up in the vast horizons of the Australian desert, it was the land that sung me awake,’ says Deya. ‘Over the last decade, I’ve had the privilege of deep listening and recording live at Earth energy centres and megalithic sites all around the world as part of my Planetary Grid Music Project. This live show is an interactive, extra-sensory journey connecting with these energetic places – through music, dance and mythos.’

For the Green Room performance Deya Dova is joined by opening artists and exciting emerging talent Midnight Prophet, who have been igniting audiences on tour with Deya Dova, with their mix of rhythmic baselines, sultry sonics and masked stage presence. Plus The Boy Of Many Colours – back from Boom Festival in Portugal and joined by local Babilali Dance Group to create an exciting fusion of music, song, dance and culture bringing the stories of the distant past into the here and now.

Don’t miss this rare chance to experience the Deya Dova experience. Saturday at the Green Room, Byron Bay. Tickets: deyadova.com/tour.

Art is my weapon

In an era marked by war, inequality and division, artists remind us that creativity can be a weapon. Not one that destroys, but one that resists, heals and transforms.

This year’s Byron Bay International Film Festival embraces that conviction with a program of documentaries that bear witness, amplify unheard voices and confront audiences with truths that demand a response.

The lineup spans continents, cultures and crises.In Comparsa, teenage sisters in Guatemala use street theatre to challenge violence, while Common Wealth follows a capitalist exploring alternative political and economic models. Champions of the Golden Valley brings resilience to Afghanistan, where local skiers carve out joy and dignity despite the weight of conflict.

Closer to home, Beyond the Break celebrates Lennox Head’s Joel Taylor, whose passion for surfing carried him back to world championship level after injury.

Journey Home, David Gulpilil follows the Yolŋu actor’s family as they travel to fulfil his wish to be laid to rest on Country. Yurlu Country tells of Banjima elder Maitland Parker’s fight for healing and cultural survival in the face of mesothelioma and mining.

Other films push into intimate territory. Nansie offers a tender portrait of a family navigating dementia, while The Extraordinary Miss Flower reimagines a life uncovered in 1960s letters. Marlon Williams: Two Worlds – Ngā Ao E Rua traces the acclaimed musician’s return to heritage and language, and Mistress Dispeller shines a light on a clandestine profession in China intervening in extramarital affairs.

Audiences will also encounter bold explorations of spirit and science. John Lilly and the Earth Coincidence Control Office dives into the eccentric neuroscientist’s LSD-fuelled experiments with dolphins and consciousness. The Heart Revolution meditates on the intelligence of the human heart, while Deeper follows Dr Richard ‘Harry’ Harris into perilous underwater caves. Orwell 2+2=5 sees Raoul Peck revisit Orwell’s vision to probe surveillance, truth and freedom in a digital age.

The natural world is never far from view. Turtle Walker revisits India’s coastline with conservationist Satish Bhaskar, reckoning with ecological loss. Fool’s Paradise (Lost?) reflects on humanity’s disconnection from wilderness, and WeThe Surfers documents Liberia’s surf community as it builds identity and solidarity through the ocean.

seven days of entertainment

2+2=5

As Festival Director J’aimee Skippon-Volke puts it: ‘Art is not retreat but intervention. Through story, cinema becomes a weapon of empathy, defiance and transformation’.

The Byron Bay International Film Festival runs October 17–26 across Byron Bay, Brunswick Heads, Ballina, Lismore, Mullumbimby and Coorabell. Program and tickets: www.bbff.com.au.

NIMBIN ROOTS NIMBIN ROOTS

NIMBIN ROOTS FESTIVAL

DOG TRUMPET * HUSSY HICKS

* WILD MARMALADE (WITH PAUL GEORGE) * * EMILY LUBITZ (TINPAN ORANGE) *

THE AUDREYS * KINGFISHA * PAUL GREENE * MACK AND COOK (FEATURING MURRAY COOK) *

* MUNGO FUNGO (BEN FROM REGURGITATOR) *

CALICO * JIMMY DOWLING * ALLISON FORBES * DEN HANRAHAN

JOSHUA LEE WRIGHT * THE GOLDEN GAYTIMES * MITCH KING

SUNDAY LEMONADE * THIRST TRAP * LOU BRADLEY * STEVE MILLER

THE APPOINTMENTS * TONI JANKE * TWO TEARS IN A BUCKET

TRIPSITTA * MISS EILEEN & KING LEAR * THE MUDFLOWERS

DAVID DAVIES & THE SKP’S * MATTY ROGERS * ROGUE ELEMENTS

THE HOOCHERS * HANNAH PEARL * SNEAKER THIEF * YAZMINDI

4 EYED WATER BOY * MISSUS

Seven

seven days of entertainment

by Eve Jeffery

THE AUDREYS

Ruin & Repair at Nimbin

As the Nimbin Roots festival finalé draws closer the artist line-up is proving that this festival will go out with a bang!

Making their way from Adelaide, ARIA winners and AMC SA Music Hall of Fame inductees, The Audreys, have spent a big part of this year touring their new album, Ruin & Repair, featuring a selection of newly-penned songs honouring the legacy of their late founding member Tristan Goodall (01.01.1974 – 02.07.2022).

The Echo spoke to Taasha Coates at her home in Adelaide last week.

Have you done this particular festival before? I have never played Nimbin Folk Festival before. Have you been to Nimbin before? I have not.

Oh, you’re in for a surprise then…

I don’t think so. I think I’ve been worded-up by literally everyone who tells me that, ‘you’re in for a surprise’. Yeah, I’m not going to be surprised. No, and I’ll be surprised if I’m not. You’ve been touring since March – how did it go? It was great. It’s really nice to have new tunes. Are fans receptive to the new work?

Yeah, very much – it’s always nerve wracking, but it was great. And also, because we’ve been around a while now. This is our 19th year. So we actually had people come with their grown kids who’d grown-up listening to our music – you know 18 and 20-year-olds. They were, like, ‘the first time I came to a gig, I was pregnant, and here he is!

I want to ask you, as far as writing material and creating new music, obviously the way you work is different now than it was five years ago. How has it changed for you?

How has it changed for you since Tristan left the the creative partnership?

They’re back!

Over the last 15 years, Abbasback have thrilled crowds in eight countries and played hundreds of shows on the east coast and nationally. Abbasback have made TV appearances on 7, 9 and the ABC, and have been selling out rooms and concert halls with their refreshing recreation of the live ABBA concert experience.

Abbasback are entertaining and fun. But what makes them a standout in their field is the level of musicianship and attention to detail in their musical production.

So, whether you are out for a fun night of sing-along and dancing or you want to be dazzled by carefully crafted vocal harmonies and instrumental grooves, Abbasback will make it a great night out.

Drawing from their huge repertoire, Abbasback will be playing a great collection of favourites and then some. Abbasback are exciting to watch, the ultimate tribute experience, not to be missed.

Beach Hotel, Byron Bay on Sunday, October 19, from 4.30pm.

What are you loving about this record?

Tristan left the touring band because he was too sick to be on the road, but we were still going to write together. And you know, we kind of knew he was running out of time, but you never really, never really believe it, until it happens to you. So at first I just didn’t know if I wanted to keep writing, because I’d always written songs with him, and it just made me sad, and I didn’t, I didn’t know if I could, and I didn’t know if I wanted to.

But eventually, once I got past that initial six months of just horrible grief, I actually found it really therapeutic, really healing, to start writing again, and I did a lot of writing with his brother (Cameron) – we would often be like, ‘hey, let’s go’ and we’d sit down with a guitar and a pad and pen, and then just end up drinking wine and crying. So there was a bit of that. So for both of us, we were, I think both of us, were processing a lot going through that grief.

‘You know, with any group of four people, they bring their own energy. And the wonderful thing about having done this record, I’ve been touring with this four-piece for a couple of years, and then we went into the studio, and made a record. So now, we all have a sense of ownership over that new record, and it’s music that we all made as a group, the four of us together. There’s a lot of ownership and pride about that once you take that on the road. That’s actually much more exciting than, ‘Hey. Do you want to come on the road with me and play songs that I wrote? Songs that I wrote five years ago?’

Now that you feel like you’re well and truly in the groove, of all of those songs, are you finding that your emotions towards any of the songs have changed?

Yes. There was some songs I wrote about Tristan that were really, really hard to perform early on, because I would just get too emotional, and that’s not really my job as a performer. Of course I need to put emotion into a song, but I don’t need to be emotionally incontinent on stage, grieving publicly. You have to keep it together on stage. It’s hard, and I had to do a lot of it, and they were some of the hardest gigs I’ve ever done.

Do you find now, the burden of producing something for the Audreys has more – twice as much energy, and that if anything goes wrong, it’s only your fault?

I know! I can’t blame him. Not anymore, no, bugger… Yes, I do that. It’s definitely a thing, definitely. But, you know, there’s, there was also a sense in which, particularly in the last five years or so of the band, that I was doing everything anyway. But, in a way, there’s also a sense of… I guess you know when anyone gets sick and then leaves us, there is also a sense of finality that you can move forward…Do you know what I mean?

Has the style, the ambience of the The Audreys, changed? Yes – there’s a new guitar player now, Tom Kneebone, and he has a different style. Beej Barker’s on drums and Flik Freeman on bass – it’s great to have a female voice on stage, because she sings a lot of backing vocals as well. It’s nice to have more female energy in the band. Actually, I’m really enjoying that. I hadn’t been touring with another woman. I’m like, ‘hey, I got someone to borrow tampons from’. She’s great. We’ve become really close.

I didn’t want this interview to be all about Tristan, but it feels like he’s still very much a part of what’s happening. Of course, you can’t let go of someone immediately, but there is life after…?

Yeah, and I think that this will be the record that’s our honouring and celebration of him, and the next record will be something else again – oh and I have news! We are putting out a Christmas song.

Is it Christmassy?

It’s SO Christmassy! It’s a cover of ‘Hard Candy Christmas’ by Dolly Parton!

What’s inspiring you?

I’ve actually been working with a new vocal teacher and I’ve been trying to do a bit of belty stuff, which has been great, and I’ve been listening to a bit of Lady Gaga.

Are you having enough fun?

Yep – there is absolutely no way that I would still be doing music if I didn’t love it and enjoy it, because it’s hard, If I wasn’t enjoying it, I would walk away.

Nimbin Roots Festival is on from October 24 to 26. Get your tickets now at nimbinrootsfest.com

From Ibiza to Mullum –Forms‘In‘Elation

This is the inaugural retrospective solo exhibition of Bradley Pike, of Pikes Hotel fame in Ibiza, Spain, a long-time local resident who’s an award-winning jeweller, architectural designer and artist, with an international career spanning over 45 years. His extensive scope of design disciplines and artworks have been commissioned for major commercial, private developments and collections in Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and Australia.

The exhibition coincides with his sixth appearance on centre stage at Kinky Drawers, at the Brunswick Picture House This exposé includes recent oil paintings, drawings and figurative works of riotous colour and movement depicting intertwining and layered bodies and faces. Some were created with over a 120 life-model poses, conveying the complexity and story of the forever-changing perception and moods within our lives, our private thoughts and those ignited by our interactions with others.

From deep contemplation, desire, through to whimsical rash joy, and our need for continual movement to hinder entrapment by stagnation of our thoughts and actions. Created using multiple mediums with a combination of the realistic through to the abstraction of layered confusion, that draws the viewer in, searching and discovering the complexity of emotions, and the repercussions of our choices and decisions, that we are continuously traversing through in life. Proceeds from this exhibition will support his future projects, including the creation of an affordable art gallery for local artists in Upper Main Arm. And to establish a floating art school for the orphans of remote island villages in Raja Ampat, in Western Papua, as well as artist retreats and residencies. The Garage Gallery – 4 Burringbar Street, Mullumbimby. Opening Saturday until Monday from 4pm to 8pm each day, or by appointment. Bradley Pike – 0418 881 144. Email – bradleympike@gmail.com, Instagram @ bradleypikesart, or @bradleypikejewellery.

GIG GUIDE

WEDNESDAY 8

RAILWAY HOTEL, BYRON BAY, HARRY NICHOLS

BEACH HOTEL, BYRON BAY, 6PM NATHAN KAYE

THE NORTHERN, BYRON BAY, 6PM INO PIO, 9PM DUELING

PIANOS: BODHI ACTON & MITCHELL DORMER

THE PADDOCK PROJECT, MULLUMBIMBY, 4PM CURRY JAM

ELTHAM HOTEL 6.30PM IRISH FOLK JAM

THURSDAY 9

RAILWAY HOTEL, BYRON BAY, JOCK BARNES DUO

BEACH HOTEL, BYRON BAY, 6PM

ERIN SHAY BAND

THE NORTHERN, BYRON BAY, 5PM JORDAN MAC + DJ YAZMIN, 9PM DUELING PIANOS: BODHI

ACTON & SAM WHEAT

HOTEL BRUNSWICK 6PM JASON

DELPHIN

SAINT MARIES, BRUNSWICK HEADS, 6PM MONDO HUM

LENNOX HOTEL 8PM THURSDAY JAM NIGHT

KELP, BALLINA, DANI QUAYLE

MUSIC

BALLINA RSL LEVEL ONE 10AM SHORTY BROWN

ELTHAM HOTEL 7PM KACY & CLAYTON

LISMORE CITY BOWLO 7PM THE SUPPER CLUB SOUL BAND

THE LEVEE, LISMORE, 7PM

ALPHABET POETS

FRIDAY 10

RAILWAY HOTEL, BYRON BAY, MOHILAA & THE SEEDING

THE NORTHERN, BYRON BAY, 7PM HUXGOLD + DJ JOEY

TUCKSHOP, 8PM DUELING

PIANOS: SHANE PARRY & BODHI ACTON + SAM WHEAT & DIZZY J, 8PM WINSTON SURFSHIRT, DIZZY DAYS & CINNAMON SUN

HOTEL BRUNSWICK 5PM SHORTY BROWN

WANDANA BREWING CO., MULLUMBIMBY, 4PM DJ PAPA BITCHO

MULLUMBIMBY CIVIC HALL 5.45PM WALLUM EXTRAVAGANZA

1:00PM, 3:10PM

FILMS

BIG BOLD BEAUTIFUL JOURNEY (M) Thurs, Fri, Mon, Tues: 3:40PM, 8:30PM. Sat, Sun: 8:30PM. Wed: 3:40PM A HOUSE OF DYNAMITE (M) NFT Thurs, Fri, Mon, Tues: 1:10PM, 3:45PM, 6:10PM. Sat, Sun: 1:10PM, 3:40PM, 6:10PM. Wed: 1:10PM, 3:45PM, 6:00PM BEAST OF WAR (MA15+) NFT Daily: 5:20PM, 8:20PM DEMON SLAYER: KIMETSU NO YAIBA INFINITY CASTLE (MA15+) Daily: 5:15PM

DOWNTON ABBEY: THE GRAND FINALE (PG) Daily: 1:00PM, 7:15PM HIM (MA15+) Daily: 8:30PM MERCHANT IVORY (PG) NFT Daily: 10:50AM, 3:00PM ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER (M) Daily except Wed: 11:15AM, 3:45PM, 7:20PM. Wed: 11:15AM, 3:15PM, 7:20PM SPINAL TAP II: THE END CONTINUES (M) Thurs, Fri, Tues, Wed: 5:40PM THE CONJURING: LAST RITES (MA15+) Daily except Wed: 2:30PM, 8:15PM. Wed: 2:30PM THE ROSES (MA15+) Daily except Mon, Wed: 10:45AM, 6:00PM. Mon, Wed: 10:45AM THE SMASHING MACHINE (M) Daily except Wed: 8:10PM THE TRAVELLERS (M) NFT Daily except Sat, Sun: 10:45AM, 1:20PM, 3:50PM, 6:00PM. Sat, Sun: 10:45AM, 1:20PM, 3:30PM, 6:00PM TRON: ARES (M) NFT Daily except Wed: 11:00AM, 1:15PM, 3:30PM, 6:00PM, 7:00PM. Wed: 10:30AM, 1:15PM, 3:30PM, 6:00PM, 8:10PM

ST JOHN’S SCHOOL HALL, MULLUMBIMBY, 7.30PM

ECSTATIC DANCE MULLUM WITH DJ ISHWARA

MIDDLE PUB, MULLUMBIMBY, 8PM KRAPPYOKEE WITH JESS

LENNOX HOTEL 9PM THE DETECTIVES

CLUB LENNOX 7PM HARRY NICHOLS

BALLINA RSL LEVEL ONE

9.30AM DEAN DOYLE WITH SOPHISTICATION MORNING MELODIES

CHERRY STREET SPORTS CLUB, BALLINA, 7PM TIM STOKES

AUSTRALIAN HOTEL, BALLINA, 8PM JOE CONROY

HOTEL ILLAWONG, EVANS HEAD, 7.30PM GUY KACHEL TRIO

THE LEVEE, LISMORE, 8PM DJ STAY.FVN

MURWILLUMBAH SERVICES CLUB

6.30PM WOLFIE

KINGSCLIFF BEACH BOWLS 6PM

DARREN GALLAGHER

SALTBAR, KINGSCLIFF, 6PM

JASON MCGREGOR

CLUB TWEED 7.30PM SMOOTH ODYSSEY

SATURDAY 11

RAILWAY HOTEL, BYRON BAY, BULLETPROOF

BEACH HOTEL, BYRON BAY, 3PM

BENJAMIN DOSER + NATHAN

LINDSAY DUO + WONGO + ZAC EWING

BYRON THEATRE 8PM THE HONEY SLIDERS 1975

HAVEN, BYRON BAY, 4PM

HUMAN MOVEMENT, DJ PGZ, JAI PICCONE, ASHA FRANCO & WAX ADDICTS

NORTH BYRON HOTEL 5PM DJ SHANE COLLINS

THE NORTHERN, BYRON BAY, 7PM CINAMON SUN + DJ

MISHKELLY + SECRET DJ SET, 8PM THE CHRIS CORNELL

COLLECTION, 8PM DUELING

PIANOS: SAM WHEAT & DIZZY + JAKE BISTROW & BODHI ACTION

THE GREEN ROOM, BYRON, 7PM DEYA DOVA WITH MIDNIGHT PROPHET

HOTEL BRUNSWICK 4.30PM SKY EATER

BRUNSWICK HEADS PICTURE HOUSE 7PM NAZEEM HUSSAIN

GABBY'S DOLLHOUSE: THE MOVIE (G) Daily except Wed: 9:45AM, 2:00PM Wed: 2:10PM KANGAROO (PG) Thurs, Fri: 10:00AM, 4:40PM. Sat, Sun, Mon, Tues: 3:00PM, 4:30PM. Wed: 4:15PM NIGHT OF THE HUNTER (M) MATINÉE MEMORIES Wed: 10:00AM ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER (M) Thurs, Fri: 4:10PM, 6:50PM. Sat, Sun, Mon, Tues: 6:45PM. Wed: 3:00PM REGRETTING YOU (CTC) DATE NIGHT Wed: 6:30PM

THE GARAGE GALLERY, MULLUMBIMBY, 4PM BRADLEY

PIKE: FROM IBIZA TO MULLUM – FORMS ‘IN ‘ELATION

WANDANA BREWING CO., MULLUMBIMBY, 4PM DJ JAX FAE

MULLUMBIMBY EX-SERVICES CLUB 6PM DAVE CAVANAGH

BILLINUDGEL HOTEL 6.30PM SAM BUCKLEY BAND

LENNOX HOTEL 9PM DJ FROTHA & WOODRO WEBSTER

BALLINA RSL BOARDWALK

6PM JOE CONROY, LEVEL ONE

7.30PM DAVE HUGHES

CHERRY STREET SPORTS CLUB, BALLINA, 7PM INO PIO, 8PM JB’S BLUES BREAKERS

AUSTRALIAN HOTEL, BALLINA, 9PM DJ LIJ

THE LEVEE, LISMORE, 8PM MARTIN LARTIGAU

MURWILLUMBAH SERVICES CLUB 6PM DROVER MAD

CABARITA BEACH HOTEL 7PM X-PORT

KINGSCLIFF BEACH BOWLS 6PM LEIGH JAMES

SALTBAR, KINGSCLIFF, 6PM HAYLEY GRACE

CLUB TWEED 7.30PM LIVING IN THE 80S

SUNDAY 12

RAILWAY HOTEL, BYRON BAY, MICKA SCENE DUO

BEACH HOTEL, BYRON BAY, 4.30PM THUNDAMENTALS + MARKSMAN LLOYD

THE NORTHERN, BYRON BAY, 5PM

ERIN SHAY + WAX ADDICTS 7PM DUG, 9PM DUELING

PIANOS: JOHN HILL & SHANE PARRY

HOTEL BRUNSWICK 4PM SHAUN

KIRK + MATTY ROGERS

OCEAN SHORES COMMUNITY

CENTRE 5.30PM BYRON BAY

SINGING – 2025 SHOWCASE WANDANA BREWING CO., MULLUMBIMBY, 3PM DJ ABEL EL TORO

THE GARAGE GALLERY, MULLUMBIMBY, 4PM BRADLEY

PIKE: FROM IBIZA TO MULLUM – FORMS ‘IN ‘ELATION

TINTENBAR HALL 3.30PM MUSIC FOR GAZA

LENNOX PIZZA 5PM JOE CONROY

LENNOX HOTEL 4PM ANIMAL VENTURA

MONDAY 13

TUESDAY 14

WEDNESDAY

ECHO CLASSIFIEDS – 6684 1777

CLASSIFIED AD BOOKINGS

PHONE ADS

Ads may be taken by phone on 6684 1777 AT THE ECHO HEAD OFFICE

Ads can be lodged in person at the Mullum Echo office: Village Way, Stuart St, Mullumbimby

EMAIL ADS

Display (box ads) and line classifieds, email: classifieds@echo.net.au

Ad bookings only taken during business hours: Monday to Friday, 9am–5pm. Ads can’t be taken on the weekend. Account enquiries phone 6684 1777.

DEADLINE TUES 12PM

Publication day is Wednesday, booking deadlines are the day before publication.

RATES & PAYMENT

LINE ADS:

$17.00 for the first two lines

$5 .00 for each extra line

$17 for two lines is the minimum charge.

DISPLAY ADS (with a border): $14 per column centimetre

THAT WORK

ALL

WEEK!

Echo Classies also appear online: www.echo.net.au/classified-ads

PUBLIC NOTICES

WHERE TO GET THE ECHO

These prices include GST. Cash, cheque, Mastercard or Visa Prepayment is required for all ads. GARAGE SALE

If you live in Newrybar, Lennox Head or Ballina, but outside our current home delivery area, you can pick up an Echo from many locations, including: Newrybar Providore Newrybar; Richies IGA Ballina, Ballina RSL, One Stop Shop Ballina, Ballina Golf Club East Ballina, Brighton St Takeaway near the Shawsy, Seagrass Lennox, Lennox pub drivethrough, Station St Grocer Lennox

MULLUMBIMBY KINESIOLOGY with Elizabeth Ph 0478959007

HAWAIIAN MASSAGE Ocean Shores, Michaela, 0416332886

KINESIOLOGY

Clear subconscious sabotages. Reprogram patterns and beliefs. Restore vibrancy and physical health. De-stress. 0403125506 SANDRA DAVEY, Reg. Pract.

Much-loved red Kelpie, missing from Bangalow since 30 September. Blaze is friendly but may be frightened and hiding in bushland around Possum Creek, Bangalow, or nearby areas. He is deeply loved and desperately missed by his mum, who believes he’s still out there and needs help getting home.

If you’ve seen Blaze, or have any information, please call 0437 728 466 immediately. Every sighting matters.

PLEASE HELP BRING BLAZE HOME

Wildflower Chinese Medicine Health Clinic Mullumbimby

Offering a wide range of treatment modalities. Contact ph: 02 5633 1309 www.wildflowerchinesemedicine.com.au

HYPNOSIS & EFT

Simple and effective solutions. Anxiety, Cravings, Fears & Trauma. Maureen Bracken 0402205352

HYPNOSIS & NLP

Over 30 years of experience WendyPurdey.com. Ph 0497 090 233

BODY MASSAGE

divine experience. Nurturing, healing, regen. 28 yrs exp. Lucy 0427917960

8am, Saturday 11 Oct 3 Kolora Way, South Golden Beach

0414904396

Classifieds / Community at Work

BIRTHDAYS

Byron Dog Rescue (CAWI)

x. This gentle giant is goofy, affectionate, and eager to please. Everyone at the shelter has fallen in love with him, and we can’t understand why no one has come to meet him. Please volunteer or adopt –visit www.byrondogrescue.org. MC: 953010007090123

On The Horizon

DEADLINE NOON FRIDAY

Email copy marked ‘On The Horizon’ to editor@echo.net.au.

Brunswick Valley View Club meets October 9

The Brunswick Valley View Club will be having a luncheon meeting on October 9 at the Brunswick Heads Bowling Club. Starting from 10.30am for 11am. Members who cannot attend, please ring Wenda on 0449 53 580 or email wijhunt@yahoo.com no later than Monday before next meeting.

Mullumbimby Drill Hall Film Society

The next screening is Wednesday, October 22 at 7pm with the doors, bar and kitchen open from 6.30pm. The classic 1966 film, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Wolf, will screen, which is based on the famous play by Edward Alby and adapted for film by Mike Nichols. It stars Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor as middle-aged, bitter academics, who invite a younger couple to their home for drinks after a faculty party. It has always been regarded as a masterpiece, depicting domestic drama and pushing the boundaries of what was considered appropriate at the time. The film

will be previewed and discussed afterwards by Peter Gough. For all enquiries and bookings please email drillhallfilmsociety@gmail.com. Annual membership is now due and guests are always welcome.

Byron Library school holiday activities

Do you love being silly, making stuff up and having fun? Ages 8 plus, Friday, Oct 10 from 10.30am. Bookings www. rtrl.nsw.gov.au or 6685 8540.

Friends of Libraries AGM

Friends of Libraries Byron Shire are holding their Annual General Meeting on October 15 in the Arakwal Room, Byron Library at 10am. All positions will be declared vacant, opening up a wonderful opportunity for those interested in supporting and fundraising for our local shire libraries. The members are a vibrant and interesting group working to raise funds through the well-known Annual Book Fair, book events and all things that keep the libraries functioning so well in our community.

Regular As Clockwork

DEADLINE NOON FRIDAY

Please note that, owing to space restrictions, not all entries may be included each week. Email copy marked ‘Regular As Clockwork’ to editor@echo.net.au.

Mullumbimby District

Neighbourhood Centre

Meet Maia, a very sweet and affectionate tabby female. Sadly she was bullied by her big brother so she was surrendered to us at the shelter. Since arriving she has really come out of her shell, loves company and could possibly be a lap cat! She has a lovely coat with beautiful tabby markings. She turns 7 in a few days. See more on our Facebook page! Microchip no. 985113000841915 d.o.b 1/10/2018 Thank you! To make an appointment 0403 533 589 • Billinudgel

Tech-savy seniors

Free, fun tech lessons are on at Byron Bay Library. Join our friendly training sessions where library staff help you to get online and build your digital skills. The 40-minute Friday sessions offer a broad range of topics to choose from that will help you gain confidence and stay connected. Bookings essential at: www.rtrl.nsw.gov.au or phone the Byron Bay branch 6685 8540.

Co-dependents

Anonymous

Co-dependents Anonymous (CoDA) is a 12-step fellowship whose common purpose is to develop healthy and loving relationships with others and ourselves. We warmly welcome anyone, whether you have experience in the program or are a newcomer, to attend our 2025 convention on 18 October, 9am to 3.30pm, at Marvell Hall, Byron Bay. Tickets can be purchased on the day or via the link on our website: codependentsanonymous.org.au.

A delicious veg/gf lunch is also available for purchase in advance via the ticket link. This will be a wonderful opportunity to connect with people who are dedicated to recovery from self neglect, abuse and abandonment. Whatever you may think about the word codependency, be prepared to rethink it! ‘To thine own self be true’.

movie lunch group, men’s shed, French revisited, Scottish folk dance, mahjong, walkers and talkers, shabashi, table tennis, chess, Monday debating group, and ukelele. For more info Denise 0423 778 573 or email info@bru3a.org

Alateen meeting

Useful plants walk in Lismore, October 26

Sunday 26 October, there will be a Useful Plants Walk with Andreas from 9.30 am till 10.30am. This walk is designed to show visitors the local dry rainforest plants used by Aboriginal people for over 40,000 years, for medicine, tools, food and shelter. It is a shady, unpaved walk, with one small incline. Adults $5, children free (cash or card) Meet at 9.45 am at the Visitor’s Centre at the Gardens 313 Wyrallah Road East Lismore. Bookings essential. Email publicity@friendslrbg.com.au. Wear sturdy shoes, long sleeves and pants and a hat. Join us for morning tea in the Visitors Centre after the walk (Gold coin donation appreciated) . Friends LRBG is a not-for-profit volunteer organisation which founded, manages, and maintains the Gardens. Bruns CWA craft and sewing sale, Oct 18 Brunswick Heads CWA branch will be holding a one-off craft and sewing supply grand sale on Saturday, 18 October from 10am to 2pm at their hall on the Corner of Booyun Street and Park Street, Brunswick Heads. Fabrics, lace, threads, wool, candlewicking, yarns, patterns and much more. Tea and cakes will be available to purchase. Contact 0431 908 063.

meetings held Fridays at 2pm by Zoom. 1300 252666 www.al-anon.org.au.

Support after suicide

Mullumbimby & District Neighbourhood Centre is open Monday–Friday 9am–4pm (closed 12.30–1.30pm for lunch). We offer a variety of services. Everyone is welcome. Call reception on 6684 1286. Some of our services include: Flood recovery support service: personalised, long-term support for those impacted by the floods. Community food parcels, meals, showers, assistance with electricity bills. Work Development Orders.

Listening Space: free counselling.

access broader support. Fletcher Street Cottage services are open Tuesday–Friday; breakfast 7am–9am; showers and laundry 7am–12pm; office support 9am–12pm. Individual support appointments with community workers and specialist services available please book on (02) 6685 7830. Fletcher Street Cottage, 18 Fletcher St, Byron Bay. More info: www.fletcherstreetcottage.com.au. Byron Seniors Club: www.byronseniors. com.au. More info on Community Services: www.byroncentre.com.au Phone: (02) 6685 6807.

Respite Service

Alateen meeting every Thursday at 5–6pm. Do you have a parent, close friend or relative with a drinking problem? Alateen can help. For 8–16-year-olds meet St Cuthbert’s Anglican Church Hall, 13 Powell Street, corner of Florence Street Tweed Heads. Al-Anon family groups for older members at the same time and place. 1300 ALANON 1300 252 666 www. al-anon.org.au.

Drug support groups

Call Alcoholics Anonymous 1800 423 431 or 0401 945 671 – 30 meetings a week in the Shire – www.aa.org.au.

StandBy provides support to people who have lost someone to suicide. They provide free face-to-face and telephone support and are accessible 24/7. Follow-up contact is available for up to one year. Find out more at: www.standbysupport.com.au or call 13 11 14. If you, or someone you are with, are in need of immediate support please call an ambulance or police on 000.

Volunteer call out

Support for New Mums Inc. a Northern NSW community program are recruiting volunteers in the Byron Shire. We offer a free of charge, home visiting program for mothers with babies. For more information email Deb: newmums8@gmail.com.

Rainbow Dragons

More Than A Meal: free community lunch Tuesday–Thursday 12.30–1.30pm. Financial counselling Staying Home, Leaving Violence : Information, referral, and

Gulganii affordable pantry shop: located at 3 Bridgeland Lane. free laundry service Mon morning & Wed afternoon.

To enquire about accessing any of these services call reception 6684 1286, check our website www.mdnc.org.au, or follow us on Facebook or Instagram.

@mullumbimbyneighbourhoodcentre.

Low-cost or free food

Food Box Thursdays 9.30–11.30am at Uniting Church, Mullumbimby. You may purchase cheap food, obtain free veges, and enjoy a cuppa. The Hub Baptist Church in Ocean Shores has food relief available for anyone doing it tough, please contact us on 0434 677747 if you find yourself doing it tough. No ID or Concession Card required. NILs referral service also available. Check Facebook page The Hub Baptist Ocean Shores for details. Liberation Larder Takeaway lunches and groceries Monday and Thursday 12 till 1pm. Fletcher Street end of the Byron Community Centre.

Byron Community Centre

The Byron Community Centre provides community services and programs including meals, advocacy and counselling for locals in need. Fletcher Street Cottage: A welcoming, safe and respectful space where people who are experiencing or at risk of homelessness can come to enjoy practical relief opportunities, find connections and

Byron Shire Respite Service delivers high-quality respite care to a broad range of clients throughout the Byron, Ballina and Lismore shires. Donations welcome: Ph 6685 1921, email fundraiser@byronrespite.com.au, website: www.byronrespite.com.au.

Bruns U3A

Lifelong learning for retired folk in their third age. Our interest groups are Tuesday forum, garden group, foodies,

Are you experiencing difficulties and challenges because of the alcohol or drug use of someone close to you?

Learn coping skills and gain support from others. Narcotics Anonymous is a fellowship of men and women for whom drugs had become a major problem. We are recovering addicts who meet regularly to help each other stay clean. For information and meetings call 1300 652 820 or text your postcode to 0488 811 247. www.na.org.au.

Are you concerned about somebody else’s drinking? Al-Anon Family Groups

Rainbow Dragons Abreast (RDA) welcomes breast cancer survivors for a paddle at Lake Ainsworth, Lennox Head (and sometimes at Ballina) on Sundays 7.30am for 8am start. Contact Marian 6688 4058, mazzerati2010@ gmail.com.

ECHO SERVICE DIRECTORY RATES, PAYMENT & DEADLINE

Deadline: For additions and changes is 12pm Friday

Line ads: $99 for 3 months or $340 for 1 year prepaid

Display ads: $70 per week for colour display ad. Minimum 8 week booking 4 weeks prepaid. Please supply display ads 85mm wide, 38mm high. New ads will be placed at end of section. Contact: 6684 1777 or adcopy@echo.net.au

www.echo.net.au/service-directory

HANDYPERSONS

Property Insider

Have it all, between the beach and the hinterland

With elevated views, a breathtaking landscape of rolling hills and natural waterways, Banyan Hill is more than just a land estate – it’s a promise of an enviable lifestyle. Nestled just minutes from the beach, Lennox Head, Ballina Airport, and under half-anhour from Byron Bay, this spacious estate offers the perfect blend of serenity and convenience.

Now, that promise becomes something you can make your own. Banyan Hill is releasing 14 premium lots, each crafted to take full advantage of the natural surroundings – green hills, wetland views, and abundant open spaces invite you to imagine life in harmony with nature.

To help you bring that vision to life, Intrapac Property have introduced, for

a limited time, the Banyan Build Boost* — a $10,000 incentive designed to reduce the gap from lot purchase to building your dream home.

‘Whether it’s upgrading to a gourmet kitchen, adding

designer finishes or creating outdoor spaces to take in the views, the Build Boost* helps turn upgrades from wish-list to reality,’ says Maxwell Shifman, CEO of Intrapac Property.

The estate’s masterplan includes preserved bushland and generous open spaces while future parks, walkways and cycle paths will connect neighbours and nature alike. At its heart will be the

1.2-hectare Hilltop Park, complete with community gardens, a large playground, barbecues and lawns shaded by magnificent mature fig trees. The planned Banyan Hill Sports and Recreation

Precinct will add playing fields, courts and a pavilion, creating a hub of activity and connection.

Already in high demand, these 14 lots range in size from 454m2 to 697m2. With the added advantage of the $10,000 Build Boost*, there has never been a better time to secure your place in this elevated estate.

The Banyan Hill Display Village showcases six homes from Perry Homes, Coral Homes and G.J. Gardner, sharing the latest in innovative coastal living with house and land packages from $914,113.

For more information, or to secure your block, visit banyanhill.com.au or call Sarah Cobb on 1300 326197.

*Conditions apply.

Find current homes open for inspection at The Echo online: www.echo.net.au/ofi

Open For Inspection

Dodds Real Estate

• 1275 Lismore Road, Clunes. Sat 10am–10.30am

• 6181 Tweed Valley Way, Burringbar. Sat 11.30am–12pm First National Byron Bay

• 480 Left Bank Road, Mullumbimby Creek. Wed 4–4.30pm

• 134 Dalley Street, Mullumbimby. Wed 5–5.30pm

• 160 Reardons Lane, Swan Bay. Thurs 11–11.30am

• 1161 Bruxner Highway, Goonellabah. Thurs 12.30–1pm

• 5/1 Henry Philp Avenue, Ballina. Thurs 12.30–1pm

• 1 Warina Place, Mullumbimby. Fri 10–10.30am

• 103 Paterson Street, Byron Bay. Fri 11–11.30am

• 12a Coolamon Avenue, Mullumbimby. Fri 4–4.30pm

• 16 Short Street, Brunswick Heads. Sat 9–9.30am

• 1 Warina Place, Mullumbimby. Sat 9–9.30am

• 16 Coral Court, Byron Bay. Sat 9–9.30am

• 2/122 Lighthouse Road, Byron Bay. Sat 9.30–10am

• 5/1 Henry Philp Avenue, Ballina. Sat 9.30–10am

• 517 Friday Hut Road, Brooklet. Sat 9.30–10am

• 21 Excelsior Circuit, Brunswick Heads. Sat 10–10.30am

• 14 Rush Court, Mullumbimby. Sat 10–10.30am

• 40 Booyun Street, Brunswick Heads. Sat 10–10.30am

• 11 Willow Place, Mullumbimby. Sat 10–10.30am

• 56 Ruskin Lane, Byron Bay. Sat 10–10.30am

• 64a Carlyle Lane, Byron Bay. Sat 10–10.30am

• 247 Friday Hut Road, Tintenbar. Sat 10.30–11am

• 38 Avocado Crescent, Ewingsdale. Sat 10.30–11am

• 18 Corkwood Crescent, Suffolk Park. Sat 11–11.30am

• 325 Riverbank Road, Pimlico. Sat 11–11.30am

• 73 Old Bangalow Road, Byron Bay. Sat 11–11.30am

• 134 Dalley Street, Mullumbimby. Sat 11–11.30am

• 1 Possum Wood Place, Mullumbimby. Sat 11–11.30am

• 44 Argyle Street, Mullumbimby. Sat 11–11.30am

• 11 Roses Road, Federal. Sat 11.30am–12pm

• 25 Byrne Road, Rosebank. Sat 11.30am–12pm

• 18 Whipbird Place, Ewingsdale. Sat 11.30am–12pm

• 12a Coolamon Avenue, Mullumbimby. Sat 11.45am–12.15pm

• 17 Ann Street, Mullumbimby. Sat 12–12.30pm

• 9 Natan Court, Ocean Shores. Sat 12–12.30pm

• 125 Alcorn Street, Suffolk Park. Sat 12–12.30pm

• 52 Julian Rocks Drive, Byron Bay. Sat 12.30–1pm

• 480 Left Bank Road, Mullumbimby Creek. Sat 12.30–1pm

• 4 Seaview Street, Byron Bay. Sat 12.30–1pm

• 12/146 Old Bangalow Road, Byron Bay. Sat 12.30–1pm

• 87 Massinger Street, Byron Bay. Sat 1–1.30pm

• 465 Uralba Road, Lynwood. Sat 1–1.30pm

• 1161 Bruxner Highway, Goonellabah. Sat 2–2.30pm

Mana Re

• 132 Middle Pocket Road, Middle Pocket. Sat 9–9.30am

• 4/19 Oceanside Place, Suffolk Park. Sat 9–9.30am

• 16B Palmer Avenue, Ocean Shores. Sat 9–9.30am

• 56 Narooma Drive, Ocean Shores. Sat 10–10.30am

• 15 Muli Muli Avenue, Ocean Shores. Sat 10–10.30am

• 15 Nargoon Court, Ocean Shores. Sat 10.30–11am

• 10 Canowindra Court, South Golden Beach. Sat 11–11.30am

• 15 Kallaroo Circuit, Ocean Shores. Sat 11–11.30am

• 6 Orion Street, Lismore. Sat 11am–12pm

• 4 Gara Court, Ocean Shores. Sat 11.30am–12pm

• 17-21 The Esplanade, New Brighton. Sat 12–12.30pm

• 16 Berrimbillah Court, Ocean Shores. Sat 12.30–1pm

• 2/39 Rajah Road, Ocean Shores. Sat 1–1.30pm

• 23 Matong Drive, Ocean Shores. Sat 1.30–2pm

Ray White Rural Bangalow

• 1799 Dunoon Road, Dunoon. Sat 10–10.30am

Real Estate of Distinction

• 126 Harwood Road, Burringbar. Sat 10.30–11am

• 102 Harwood Road, Burringbar. Sat 11.15–11.45am

• 25 Peter Street, South Golden Beach. Sat 12.15–12.45pm

• 11 Bian Court, Ocean Shores. Sat 1.15–1.45pm

Ruth Russell Realty

• 148 Stuart Street Mullumbimby. Sat 11–11.45am

Tim Miller Real Estate

• 31 Main Street, Clunes. Sat 9.15–9.45am

• 184 Binna Burra Road, Binna Burra. Sat 10.15–10.45am

• 3 Train Street, Mullumbimby. Sat 11.30am–12pm

New listings

First National Byron Bay

• 12/146 Old Bangalow Road, Byon Bay

• 12a Coolamon Avenue, Mullumbimby

• 1 Bundaleer Road, Broken Head

• 9 Natan Court, Ocean Shores

• 12 Mackay Street, Byron Bay

• 5/1 Henry Philp Avenue, Ballina

Tim Miller Real Estate

• 184 Binna Burra Road, Binna Burra. Sat 10.15–10.45am

Property Business Directory

Backlash

Are your windows and doors working?

Rising Tide Northern Rivers is showcasing two films, both about powerful direct action, celebrating the resistance rising in response to the global forces behind climate collapse and genocide. The screening on Wednesday, 15 October at the Brunswick Picture House from 6pm will be accompanied by a panel discussion on the power of non-violent direct action. Tickets at: https://tinyurl. com/2nf2jkef.

A basic income scheme for artists in Ireland has been made permanent with up to 2,000 new participants next year. The approximately $620 (AUD) a week payment for the pilot project found that for every $1 invested, society receives $1.39 in return according to the cost-benefit analysis by Alma Economics.

We want you for the Wallum

Are you prepared for the imminent arrival of winged friends carried by the summer breeze?

Working Windows specialise in the repair and replacement of windows, doors, fly screens and security screens. With 10+ years experience in timber, aluminium and uPVC products, we deliver top-quality, eco-friendly results.

Contact Toby or Jake today!

Toby: 0405 793 994

Jake: 0435 506 465

workingwindows1@gmail.com workingwindows.com.au

With the BOM predicting ‘hot and sunny in the north,’ it is no surprise that fire bans are starting to come into effect. Check your local RFS website (www.rfs.nsw.gov.au/fireinformation/fdr-and-tobans) and social media to find out if you are impacted.

Only Australia would have a National Banana Day (8 October) where you can use a banana for a free workout as part of the Banana Gym Pass. That’s right, grab a banana and show up at participating gyms and you get in for free! Find out where your nearest banana gym is at www. bananagympass.com.

Commissioner Mal Lanyon has left the NSW Reconstruction Authority and was formally appointed as the

24th NSW Police Force Commissioner on 1 October.

ReForest Now are about to plant their millionth tree in Australia. The millionth tree will go in the ground some time from mid-November to the start of December, during one of their planting days. ‘The symbolic millionth tree will be auctioned, giving someone the chance to leave a lasting legacy while directly funding more rainforest restoration,’ said organisers. Find out more at www. reforestnow.org.au.

This week marks the official launch of Sea of Nations (www.seaofnations.org) – a campaign led by communities in the Tiwi Islands fighting to protect the Timor Sea from fossil fuel industrialisation.

PREMIUM LANDSCAPE DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION IN BYRON BAY AND SURROUNDS.

• Landscape Construction

• Landscape Design

• Earthworks

• Stonemasonry

0447 216 116

gondwanalandscapingandstone.com.au

mark@gondwanalandscapingandstone.com.au

Different ages, different stages. Ensure you’re choosing the right Super investment option, so it supercharges your retirement.

Start a conversation with a local Private Wealth Adviser today to maximise your investments. Contact Jake Blumberg on 0412 285 029 or jblumberg@ords.com.au, or Sam La Cava on 0413 717 528 or slacava@ords.com.au, or visit ords.com.au