Kingscliff Ratepayers and Progress Association (KRPA) has called for action, rather than more talk, on the dangers of approved legacy and zombie development applications (DAs) on floodplains. 

KRPA and the Kingscliff community are deeply concerned over the current situation surrounding the Cobaki legacy development [in Tweed on Cobaki Creek]. This is a perfect example of the damage such approvals and land-banking can have in a community, particularly following the hard lessons learned from the 2022 flood events, Peter Newton, president of KRPA told The Echo. 

KRPA has consistently called for a moratorium on all such developments until such time as flood inquiry and other review findings have been considered and actions determine...

Trees planted just two years ago, as part of the koala corridor being planted throughout the Northern Rivers by Bangalow Koalas with collaboration from IFAW (International Fund for Animal Welfare), have seen koala poo recorded among trees.

They are in the process of creating a koala corridor across the heavily fragmented landscape in the New South Wales Northern Rivers region. The corridor reconnects existing patches of koala habitat. 

We have planted trees from Byron Bay and surrounds heading towards Tenterfield and up to the Queensland border in Tweed Shire, Linda Sparrow President of Bangalow Koalas, told The Echo. 

Ballina Shire Council (BSC) is warning Lake Ainsworth users that there are blue-green algae scums on Lake Ainsworth that should be avoided. 

Free mammograms with BreastScreen NSW mobile van is at Knox Park in Murwillumbah to eligible women aged between 50 and 74 and theres no referral needed but an appointment required. The van will be at Knox Park from now until 23 May.

Jane Walsh, Director of BreastScreen North Coast says a screening mammogram is one of the most important things women aged 50-74 can do for their health.

A mammogram can pick-up cancers that cannot be seen or felt. In NSW one in seven women will develop breast cancer in their lifetime.

A mammogram every two years takes just 20 minutes and it could save your lif, said Ms Walsh. 

Detecting breast cancer early increases your chance of survival while reducing the likelihood of invasive treatment, such as mastectomy or chemotherapy. 

Around 90 per cent of women diagnosed with breast cancer have no family history. This is why breast cancer screening is so important for all eligible women.

Bringing these vital services to Murwillumbah means more local women can participate and get the support they need. Life gets busy and we want women to make their health a priority.

...

All is in readiness for the 140th anniversary show of the Ballina Shire Concert Band at Lennox Head Cultural Centre on Saturday, with a few tickets remaining for anyone who wants to join in celebrating the bands musical passion.

The Echo caught up with bandleader Laurie Green at the bands final rehearsal before the big concert.

Any last words? I dont have any last words, but we are running a last rehearsal. My expectation is that the gig on Saturday will be an absolute blinder!

Mullumbimby Community Preschool will celebrate 30 years in its current location with an event on Sunday, May 7, from 9am to 12pm.

The school is located on the corner of Fern and Station Streets, near the Council chambers.

The schools Amanda McLennan told The Echo local businesses are involved, and a little market store will be set up in the schools car park. They will have face painting, and the local fire truck will visit.

She said, We will have the preschool all set up for children and families to play, and past families and staff are also invited to celebrate with us.

Preschool history

Col and Di Davison bought the preschool together at beginning of 1977, and it was originally located at the RSL Hall on Stuart Street....

Police are appealing for public assistance to locate a boy missing from Goonellabah.

Bryce Hope, aged 12, was last leaving a house on Campbell Crescent, Goonellabah, about 2pm on Monday (1 May 2023).

When he failed to return home or make contact with family members, he was reported missing to officers from Richmond Police District, who commenced inquiries into his whereabouts.

Police and family hold concerns for his welfare due to his age.

Bryce is described as being of Aboriginal/Torres Strait Islander appearance, about 165cm tall, of a thin build, and has short brown hair.

He was last seen wearing a grey coloured school polo shirt, black shorts, and black and white sneakers.

Bryce is known to frequent the Lismore and Goonellabah areas.

Anyone who may have seen Bryce or has information regarding his whereabouts is urged to contact Lismore Police or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

Anyone with information about this incident is urged to contact Crime Stoppers: 1800 333 000 or https://nsw.crimestoppers.com.au. Information is treated in strict confidence. The public is reminded not to report information via NSW Police social media pages.

The post Appeal to locate boy missing from Goonellabah appeared first on The Echo.

If a law is never enforced, is it still a law?

This is a key question raised by Byron Councils new regulation requiring surfers at local beaches to wear leg ropes.

In a development that had mainstream media frothing like groms in a cyclone last week, Byron Shire Council decided to erect signs warning surfers that they could be fined unless they are properly tethered to their boards.

Under the rules, surfers could theoretically face a fine of up to $1,100 if they dont rope up.

However, the reality is that such a policy, while sending a message to surfers about the need to be safe in the waves, is virtually impossible to enforce.

Putting aside the fact that the rules wont come into force until signs are erected during the next financial year, there remains no practical way to enforce them, and bring about a successful prosecution if the matter is challenged in court.

Given the comments in the staff report about the effectiveness of the signage and our inability to enforce it, Im wondering if this is a good use of money, given our difficult circumstances, Mayor Michael Lyon said.

Were putting a new burden on the budget next year that is already under pressure, and putting a greater burden on our already very busy compliance officers.

I dont think this should be a priority at all for compliance staff. I want to make sure our compliance priorities stay with animal enforcement, parking and camping enforcement and other matters that are much more effective.

However, the mover of last weeks motion, Independent councillor, Cate Coorey, said that the rules and accompanying community education campaign were about changing Byrons surf culture.

Changing culture

Part of how we make this happen is by changing culture, Cr Coorey said.

Thats why a huge part of this motion is about community education.

Overwhelmingly Im seeing community support for this, including from surfers.

People say, well, surfers are a rebellious community, and they wont support it. But they nearly all do because they nearly all wear leg ropes.

This is about keeping surfers safe from each other.

The new rules come following a number of recent incidents in which surfers suffered serious injuries after...

There are two inquiries that starting from this week looking at deaths related to he use of natural therapies in the Northern Rivers that are taking place at the Lismore Court. 

From 15 May the NSW State Coroner, Magistrate Teresa OSullivan is presiding over the hearing on the death of Natasha Lechner, 39, died at a home in Mullumbimby on 8 March 2019 after she went into cardiac arrest during a natural therapy procedure.

At the time of Ms Lechners death it was linked to the possible use of the poisoned frog secretions in a ceremony known as ...

The 2022 floods not only destroyed peoples homes and livelihoods it was also destructive to the environment as water raged along breaking the banks of creeks and rivers and devastating the landscape. Before this, the unprecedented Balcksummer fires had also impacted the area scorching the hillsides.

Helping the environment to recover was what was front of mind when 1,600 native trees were planted this week in on the banks of Coopers Creek in Huonbrook thanks to a grant of $26,300 from Stone & Woods inGrained Foundation and the hands-on help of 20 wonderful Rainforest Rangers and Stone & Wood staff who joined them for the days planting.

There was around 4,000m2 area planted with the 1,600 tress and this will help stabalise ths section of Coopers Creek, Kelvin Davies, Founder, Rainforest 4 Foundation, told The Echo. 

Weve got an ongoing program to plant trees in the former Big Scrub Rainforest areas.

In Northern NSW, Lowland Subtropical Rainforest was mostly cleared between 1860 and 1900 and today less than one per cent of this ecosystem remains. The remnants of the Lowland Subtropical Rainforest in NSW are listed nationally as a threatened ecological community (Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999). 

In 2007 local artist Marie Sherd took a month-long trip to Tibet to discover for herself what conditions were like for Tibetans. The result was a book, Friends in High Places, that she will be presenting a Meet the Author session on at the Mullumbimby Library on 10 June at 10am.

I knew a friend, a Tibetan Lama Geshe Sonam Thargye, from the Drol Kar Buddhist Centre in Geelong he used to take tours to the region of Amdo the area the Dalia Lama comes from. He is also a friend of the Dalia Lama.

I wanted to go on one of his tours. But the year I could go he wasnt doing a tour. So I decided to take go to Tibet myself and find out more about their history, culture and the challenges they have, and continue to face, explained Marie.

Now he is not allowed into Tibet because he has been vocal about Tibet and the treatment of Tibetans. Some of his family were incarcerated there.

My book was also inspired by Geshe Gendun who came here to live here in Mullumbimby in the early 2000s. He is now over near Murwillumbah. He inspired me through his teachings, and his life story as he came from Tibet and he and his family fled Tibet as refugees following Chinas takeover of Tibet. Over a million Tibetans were killed when Chia took over Tibet.

I decided to write about my experiences I wanted to get across in a gentle way what has happened in Tibet, and what is still happening in Tibet today. I wanted to make history available to a more general readership through this novel. It is a mix of fact and fiction that helps people understand the history and current sit...

The much anticipated report by the NSW Independent Planning Commission (IPC) into Councils planning proposal around holiday letting was released last week, with commissioners recommending a 60-day yearly cap on non-hosted holiday letting across the Shire, instead of Councils 90-day proposal.

And Councils proposed precinct model, which would allow non-hosted short-term rental accommodation (STRA) all year round in highly sought after visitor locations, was unsupported, and could be scrapped if the NSW Labor government adopts the findings.

And while a holiday letting levy is proposed (Recommendation 8), which could provide Council with an income stream to address severe infrastructure backlogs, details around compliance and enforcement (page 65) were vague, with the commissioners suggesting that the STRA Code of Conduct be strengthened and improved.

...

Two men have been charged after a firearm was located during a vehicle stop on the states far north coast last night south of Wardell.

About 8.50pm (Monday 1 May 2023), police from Richmond Police District stopped a white SUV on the Pacific Motorway near Broadwater.

During a subsequent search of the vehicle, police allegedly located a firearm and number plates suspected of being stolen.

Two men, aged 31 and 43, were arrested at the scene before being taken to Ballina Police Station.

The younger man was charged with possess unregistered firearm and possess unauthorised firearm.

He was refused bail to appear before Byron Bay Local Court today (Tuesday 2 May 2023).

The older man was charged with possess unregistered firearm, possess unauthorised firearm, and goods in personal custody suspected being stolen.

He was granted conditional bail to appear before Ballina Local Court on Thursday 15 June 2023.

Anyone with information about this incident is urged to contact Crime Stoppers: 1800 333 000 or https://nsw.crimestoppers.com.au. Information is treated in strict confidence. The public is reminded not to report information via NSW Police social media pages.

The post Two charged following vehicle stop Broadwater appeared first on The Echo.

The additional flooding risk to existing housing and infrastructure caused by new development on floodplains is a serious issue for communities throughout NSW, in particular, legacy or zombie approvals. It was an issue that was particularly taken up with all parties by community representatives from Kingscliff, Tumbulgum and Chinderah in the lead-up to the NSW State election, including with Labor Party leader, and now NSW Premier, Chris Minns. 

Legacy developments are development applications (DAs) that have been approved but not yet built. When develope...