The local Japanese community came together in early May at the Cavanbah center to celebrate Japanese Childrens Day. 

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NSW Police have today spoken to the media after the body of a man and a teenage boy were located inside a home at Yamba yesterday.

At about 1.10pm yesterday Thursday 1 June police were called to a property on Kookaburra Circuit, Yamba, after reports two bodies had been found.

The bodies of a 58-year-old man and 15-year-old boy were located inside the property, both suffering gunshot wounds.

While the investigation by officers from Coffs Clarence Police District is in its infancy, police dont believe a third party was involved with few details being released this tragedy appears to be a murdersuicide with a strong possibility that the older man held the weapon.

 

 

The post Tragic death of two men in Yamba appeared first on The Echo.

Ballina Shire Council is encouraging motorists to drive safely over the coming days with king tides leading to minor flooding of some local roads.

Where possible, motorists, motorcyclists, pedestrians and cyclists should avoid affected roadways. Salt water may affect maintenance of vehicle and bodywork.

The king tides will be occurring during the evenings from Saturday 3 June through to Wednesday 7 June 2023.

Roads likely to be affected by king tides and saltwater flooding include:

• Tamar Street, Ballina
• Riverside Drive, West Ballina
• River Street, West Ballina
• Burns Point Ferry Road, West Ballina
• North Creek Road, North Ballina
• Southern Cross Drive, North Ballina
• Uralba Road, Uralba
• Old Bangalow Road, Tintenbar
• Tamarind Dr, Cumbalum

For road information visit livetraffic.com or telephone Ballina Shire Council on 1300 864 444.

The post...

Its no secret that the Far North Coast has some of the highest homelessness figures in the country and Dharma Care is determined to reduce those figures as the days get colder.

Dharma Care, which is an Australian charity dedicated to creating life-changing opportunities for the destitute and disadvantaged, is hosting a Winter Warmer Homelessness Relief Campaign to provide essential support and comfort to people experiencing, or at risk of homelessness, in the Tweed Shire during the cold winter months.

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The Tweed Shire, Byron Shire, and Kyogle councils have joined forces to find out just what is happening with feral deer in the region.

The councils have launched a survey to understand the communitys perception of feral deer, the impacts of feral deer, the presence or absence of feral deer in the Northern Rivers, and the need to control them.

Local feral deer management expert Rachel Hughes, who is managing the survey on behalf of the councils, said feral deer were spreading and it could potentially be a big problem if we dont take action now.

Feral deer are in all states and territories of Australia but they are in largest numbers in the eastern parts of Victoria and NSW, where they are spreading quickly, said Ms Hughes.

For example, in NSW, the 6 species of feral deer now inhabit 22 per cent of the State, where their distribution has spread by 35 per cent since 2016.

Just over the border in Queensland, feral deer are a significant problem and have recently been spotted in front yards, along roads and in suburbia. If we dont act now, it wont be long before they potentially establish in the Northern Rivers too.

Residents asked to fill out survey 

Council is urging residents to fill out the new survey with results to be used to formulate integrated management programs to stop the spread and prevent the establishment of feral deer in the Northern Rivers.

Our challenge is to stop the...

Born in Byron, bred in a sweatshop, made from earth-destroying parts and brought back to you with copious carbon miles its fast fashion, but its not a good look.

Australians, it seems, must choose between going naked or wearing clothes that never quite fit their increasingly informed ethical standards.

While Byronites are known to enjoy baring all, winter is upon us and the Byron Community College (BCC) is offering another path: a six-week course in sustainable fashion.

Cate Coorey, known to many for her work as an independent Byron Shire councillor, is also a long-time tutor at BCC, and has coordinated the course, featuring guest experts and leading sustainable fashion practitioners.

Learn how to live more consciously

Emerging designers and anyone who wants to learn how to live more consciously is expected to benefit, Ms Coorey says. 

Each day has got a different aspect to sustainable and ethical fashion, Ms Coorey told The Echo, reducing the amount o...

A new residents association has emerged in what residents say is one of Byron Shires forgotten suburbs Bayside Brunswick Heads. 

The Bayside Residents Association (BRA) say the suburb is on the verge of a massive population increase from five separate developments.

BRA President, Peter Tanner, told The Echo they aim to make the suburb a true community, rather than a drive-in, drive-out housing development on the southern end of Brunswick Heads.

Ballooning population

Tanner said, Baysides current population of abou...

The last Tweed Shire Council meeting (18 May, 2023) saw the Reusable Nappy Rebate Scheme adopted by councillors, the rail trail impacts were discussed while a decision on the motion to go ahead with the Cudgen Creek Masterplan was deferred.

Nappy rebates

Councillor Dr Noala Firth moved the motion to adopt the Reusable Nappy Rebate Scheme in Tweed which encourages parents to use reusable nappies rather than disposables.

Non-disposable rebate has been taken on by many councils already. The funding for this initiative is from the resource recovery budget which is separate from rates revenue, she was clear to point out.

There are 3.7 million disposable nappies used a day in NZ and Australia. It is one of the biggest contributors to plastic waste as well as ordinary waste and it takes hundreds of years for these nappies to disappear. There is about one cup of crude oil per nappy. 

There are 1.5 billion disposable nappies used worldwide a year. They are all still sitting somewhere. This will reduce plastic and landfill. This is something we can do here at th...

The Ballina Shire Council had more than $60 million invested in fossil fuel aligned companies on behalf of ratepayers as of the end of April 2023.

Of $107.3 million in various investments, mostly with fossil fuel aligned banks, the largest share at 14.9% was with Westpac, followed by 14% with the Commonwealth Bank (CBA)and 13% in the National Australia Bank (NAB).

Together the three major banks represented nearly 42% of the total council investment portfolio.

A detailed staff graph showed none of the three were classified as fossil fuel free or green.

Greens councillor depressed over fossil fuel support

A further 6.5% of investment funds were allocated to each of the Bank of Queensland and ME Bank and 4.8% to AMP Bank, with none of those three classified as fossil fuel free or Green.

Greens Councillor Kiri Dicker said at a recent council meeting she just got depressed about fossil fuel investment all the time.

I actually, like, how many times can they release an IPCC report that says in some other wording that, you know, were doomed effectively? Cr Dicker asked rhetorically at the May ordinary council meeting, referring to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

And like, part of me thinks its too late, Cr Dicker said, to be honest, I think were probably on a pathway to extinction anyway.

Anything thats going to starve the fossil fuel industry of money that it needs to operate I would obviously support.

Time for the public to have their say

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It has been a tough run in the Northern Rivers from drought to fire to pandemic to flood so there is quite a bit to deal with for many of us. 

WORTH (Womens Outreach Trauma Health Service) are reaching out to women over 16 who have been impacted by the 2022 floods who would like to participate in a free Mindful Healing in times of trauma course.

The workshop will be delivered by a qualified psychologist in partnership with Safe Haven Lismore, The Buttery.

Its a skills-based workshop looking at the nervous systems, emotions, what trauma is and how it affects bodies and minds, said psychologist and acting project manager Sonja H.

We look at emotion regulation, self care, mindfulness and self compassion as part of the six week course.

...

Birthing on Country can be very important for many Aboriginal women, but many face the challenge of leaving Country to access medical care when their babies come. 

Imagine being 38 weeks pregnant and having to leave your family and community behind to travel hundreds of kilometres to get the care you and your baby will need for the birth. Though far from ideal, this is the reality many Aboriginal women in remote communities face when its time to have their babies and its something Southern Cross University and its partner organisations are committed to changing, said a SCU spokesperson. 

Southern Cross University has secured a $3.558 million grant from the federal Department of Health and Aged Care to collaboratively scope and design an innovative program for Birthing on Country with three Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations.

The program will...

Has Byron Shire Council improved with its transparency with regards to confidential motions?

Should councillors try and be as transparent as possible when dealing with assets that are publicly owned?

In last weeks meeting, all councillors didnt bat an eyelid as they moved again into confidential session over two motions, one relating to land that Council owns in the highly valuable Belongil suburb (Item 9.5), and another that was just called a boundary adjustment for another parcel of Belongil property. 

No information was provided on the motion, so the public were left without any knowledge of what went on behind closed doors.

When delving into the reasons around the secrecy, Mayor Michael Lyon at first defended the secrecy as entirely prudent and appropriate, and, We are trying to solve a building encroachment on Council-land issue and we wanted to ensure that all ideas could be discussed without fear of litigation.

He said general reasons to close the doors on the public, would be matters where legislation prohibits us doing so, for commercial in-confidence matters regarding contracts and tender selection, appointment of members to panels and committees and finally, matters that are likely to be able to leave us open to being sued.

When pressed, he said, The default position is that if something is of concern to staff, and raises an issue under the legislation, then they mark it as confidential. 

We have had the discussion quite a few times regarding whether to move away from this on a particular item, but it is rare that we disagree with staffs assessment, though it has happened in the past. 

I agree that the original motions, as proposed, should have been in the public agenda, and the background redacted if it contained problematic content, however, staff chose a different view, and they are responsible for production of the agenda.

So, should councillors be more engaged with what is confidential, and take the lead, instead of mostly relying on staff with such matters?  

Former Byron Mayor and NSW Upper House MP, Jan Barham, told The Echo, In accordance with the Local Government Act 1993 and the NSW Office of Local Government advice, the onus is on councillors to determine if confidentiality is required and maintain open processes to keep the community informed.

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Are the van campers of Brunswick Heads thoughtless travellers with no respect for the town and its inhabitants, or are many in fact local homeless folk looking for a safe space with toilets and running water?

That was a key theme during a passionate Council meeting last week, which ultimately saw councillors vote to close down the van camping hub on South Beach Lane, and to spend $250,000 on bolstering Councils compliance team.

South Beach Lane is located next to open parkland, a bridge and runs along the river, near Torakina car park.

A group of local residents living in the highly-sought-after strip of houses adjacent to the lane slammed the van campers who have set up a community in the car park there.

I speak on behalf of my family, residents of South Beach Lane and beyond, when I say that the relentless camping and loitering has reached an unbearable limit, said resident Sam Boulton, whose family has lived on the lane since 1968.

Theres no reprieve and weve reached breaking point.

Mr Boulton said there was continuous noise from engines, doors slamming, and music, and that campers dumped rubbish, gear and food waste in the nearby park and sometimes into peoples backyards.

The current circumstances mean that it is not a pleasant place for raising a child, study, working from home or simply enjoying home time, he said.

The attitude if asked to be quiet? We can be here till 1am.

Other residents spoke of campers defecating in the park next to the river, having loud parties, dealing drugs, and swearing and spitting at local residents.

The principal of the primary school has to call the police to do a sweep before theres a cros...

Some streets will be blocked off and others reduced to one lane on Sunday 4 June around Lismore Base Hospital and Lismore Shopping Square for significant electricity maintenance work.

The maintenance work has been scheduled by Essential Energy and traffic flow will be affected between the hours of 7am and 4pm, conditions permitting.

The work will involve the replacement of power poles and cross-arms, along with general maintenance on the electricity network, said Essential Energy in a press release. 

Operations Manager Ranges, Paul McWilliam said, To keep the community and Essential Energy crews safe during the work, full and partial road closures will unfortunately be necessary.

Professional traffic management will be in place to assist with traffic flow including access by emergency services. Parts of Uralba and Diadem Streets will be fully closed, while Laurel Avenue, Diadem and Magellan Streets will be reduced to one lane.

We are bringing crews in on a Sunday to minimise impacts on the community and recommend people allow additional travel time or avoid the area where possible, Mr McWilliam added.

We are sorry for the inconvenience and thank the community for their cooperation and understanding while our crews complete this important maintenance work.

The post Traffic interruptions around Lismore Base Hospital Sunday appeared first on The Echo.