Book Reviews
THE BYRON SHIRE Volume 27 #50 Tuesday, May 28, 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
p23 3D GLASSES NOT INCLUDED
CAB AUDIT
Farewell Susanna Flower – p9
GMO demonstration – p2
Have a heart for young Noah – p15
Home & Garden advice – p17
Musos and more musos – p18–22
Ducks and people paddle
Madison Harper and her mum Bianca inspect the field just prior to the running/floating of the great Brunswick Duck Race on Sunday. Photo Jeff Dawson Eve Jeffery
It appears that unsettled weather conditions last week had little if any effect on the exuberance of river lovers for this year’s Mullum2Bruns Paddle. Participants arrived in droves at the starting line in Heritage Park, Mullumbimby and 812 put paddle to water, 30 up on the 2011 figure. The stormy windy conditions flew away for the day and one lone cloud wafted across mid-morning in an otherwise beautiful shiny day.
‘We we all just so thrilled with the weather’, said event co-ordinator Kim Rosen. ‘In the leadup, we were all panicking because of the storm warning on Thursday. When we woke up to sun it was like “yay”. We all started on such a high because of the weather. ‘We also had a lot of people who had never done it before – they were so happy they had come along.’ The fun paddle began at 7.30am in what is becoming a much-anticipated family and non-competitive event, and hundreds whiled away
the morning before the competitive events started at 9.30am. First away were the SUPs, then the Kayak Challenge followed by the surfboat event – this year with two vessels each from the Brunswick and Cabarita Surf Life Saving clubs and one a team of independent locals. The major winners for the day were Lynn Whynn and Troy Pease in the SUPs and Belinda O’Sullivan and Nathan Baggaley in the open paddle. The other winners were of course local community organisations Ma-
rine Rescue, the Brunswick SLSC and the Visitors Information Centre, who between them had over $16,000 to share by Monday morning’s tally. With funds still being calculated it is hoped the final figure will be closer to $20,000. Q A complete list of results will be
available in Wednesday’s Echonetdaily. Q The video of this story by Sharon
Shostak can be seen this week in
netdaily
Go to www.echonetdaily.net.au
Byron Shire Council Notices Page 40
Landslip work ‘progressing’ All roads damaged by recent landslips caused by heavy rains are now open with the exception of Possum Shoot Road, which is only accessible by residents who live on that road. Council’s executive manager of community infrastructure, Phil Holloway, said last week that of the 12 landslips in Byron Shire, staff had commenced detail design on three; three are awaiting approval from Roads and Maritime Services (RMS); four are finalising road repair options and costings and two remain under geotechnical investigation. Extra staff and additional consultants were appointed in February to help progress the works. Mr Holloway said it would take time before all of the landslip sites are repaired and it was too early to put a definitive timeline in place for each site. ‘For most of the sites, the options identified in the geotechnical reports have been finalised and costed. From here they require RMS approval to progress to detailed design and environmental studies, and then out to tender for the works. ‘When the tenders are awarded, Council will then have a timeframe for completion. He says Wanganui Road north and the landslip at the end of Upper Wilsons Creek Road are still undergoing geotechnical investigations to help inform the options for repair. ‘At Wilsons Creek, near the school, a second alternative to repair the road with micropiles has been investigated. ‘This option, along with the first repair method of a gabion wall, is currently being peer reviewed and costed.’ Council says it expects the final options report for the road to be completed by the third week in May. The repair bill could be as high as $10 million, but Council say it will be paid for under the federal natural disasters funding program.
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