THE BYRON SHIRE Volume 27 #40 Tuesday, March 19, 2013 Phone 02 6684 1777 Fax 02 6684 1719 editor@echo.net.au adcopy@echo.net.au www.echo.net.au 23,200 copies every week
Inside this week
Pages 26–27
I H AT E B E I N G B I P O L A R . I T ’ S AW E S O M E
CAB AUDIT
Comedian Rod Quantock interview – p19
Cinema reviews by the Need a tradie Gigs around to fix that world’s best film critic, the Shire – problem? – p33 John Campbell – p25 p28
Surfer rescues swimmer
Hanging out for a cause
A drowning tragedy was narrowly averted last Thursday at the notorious New Brighton beach after a young surfer managed to pluck a woman in her 20s from rough conditions. Resident Jason Milham told The Echo that he ran back to grab his boogie board after he saw the woman in trouble. ‘It was pretty rough – around four to five feet.’ He said that as he had been surfing there the previous day, he knew where to find the rip. ‘It was the same rip that she got taken out in,’ he said. After he reached the woman, he said she was quite calm even though she said she couldn’t paddle any more. ‘We talked about other things as we paddled in.’ As for warning signs, he said many have fallen into the dunes or washed away after recent storm events. ‘There’s always a big rip there and it can be very dangerous,’ he said. Resident Roma Boulton told The Echo that ‘Jason risked his life and saved hers! It is really distressing that I have already witnessed a dead body Ella Whan, Eva Brooke and Sophie Paskin were amongst the 300 or so people who joined cancer survivors and their at New Brighton beach and Thursday carers at last weekend’s Relay for Life at the Mullumbimby football grounds. This year’s relay has so far raised nearly $28,000. Photo Jeff Dawson it nearly happened again.’
Byron Shire Council Notices Pages 44–45
Gay marriage boon for Byron? Hans Lovejoy
Same sex couples will soon be able to be ‘married’ in Byron Shire. While only symbolic, Byron Council’s vote to declare itself a supporter of marriage equality at last Thursday’s Council meeting will surely be cause for optimism to those seeking to have the same marriage rights as a man and a woman. The latest attempt to amend Australia’s marriage act was voted down 98 votes to 42 in federal parliament last September and gay marriage remains unrecognised. Among the proposals nutted out at the meeting, Byron Shire certificates of same sex marriage will become available and ceremonies will be encouraged within the Shire. Crs Chris Cubis, Rose Wanchap and Alan Hunter voted against. Mayor Simon Richardson, who moved the motion, said, ‘While it may be symbolic, we have an opportunity to lead within Australia and it’s time to take a stance’. continued on page 5
Kentucky Fried Chicken plans rejected Hans Lovejoy
The bid to open a KFC in Byron’s CBD was knocked back Thursday after seven of the nine councillors voted with staff recommendations to reject the proposal over insufficient car parking (Crs Hunter and Woods against). During morning public access, Byron United (business chamber) president Paul Waters spoke against the application, along with another business owner. ‘It’s a bad fit with Byron, especially as this is renowned as a health and wellbeing region,’ he said. Other issues included large street
signage, which would have required tree removal, and lack of toilet facilities. The high profile proposed development sparked a petition with more than 4,000 signatures opposing it, collated and submitted by resident Simon Seven. Of 350 individual submissions sent to Council, just two supported the KFC.
4,000 signatures against As for Council’s debate later in the day, it was chaired by deputy mayor Di Woods after mayor Simon Richardson declared a non-pecuniary interest. Cr Richardson had been a vocal campaigner against the devel-
opment, which was proposed for the former Byron Music building, situated south of the Byron Woolies. On taking the chair, Cr Woods asked councillors to defer the matter so the applicant could discuss the parking issue with staff. ‘I don’t see myself going there to eat that type of food, but we need to give them the opportunity to negotiate,’ she said. Cr Woods warned against repeating the legal proceedings involving Mullumbimby Woolworths in which the retail giant took Council to the Land and Environment Court after refusal of their application, and eventually won. ‘I don’t want to go
through that again,’ she said. But staff appeared confident. Planning chief Ray Darney said when asked about the parking, ‘We have done our sums’; however he said the applicant was ‘contesting our figures’.
Staff confident ‘Council have written to the applicant about the parking,’ he said, and with regard to Council’s report, ‘our development control plan [DCP] can be defended’. In the middle of Cr Duncan Dey’s speech against, a man from the gallery – presumably the applicant – interjected. ‘The calculations [on park-
ing] are wrong!’ he bellowed. In an aggressive manner, the middle aged man in the back row demanded to address Council. It was then that the usually quietly spoken council watcher Jim Beatson, also in the gallery, responded with, ‘Can we eject this yob from the gallery?’ After the yabber yabber subsided, Cr Alan Hunter made his case for allowing the development. ‘This is like Woolies again,’ he said. ‘These guys have got the resources and experience; however, that’s not a reason to be frightened. It wouldn’t be in their interest not to have enough car parks.’ continued on page 2
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