12 September 26, 2006 Byron Shire Echo
www.echo.net.au
Letters
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The drums, the drums are calling‌ ■S Kilgour of Newrybar (Letters, September 19)is complaining about the drumming circles at the markets and applauding the restrictions placed on them at Bangalow and Mullumbimby Markets. S/he appears to say that they detract from the ambience. But – d’oh! – the drumming circles are themselves a major part of the ambience! S/he also says that the people they attract have no intention of buying anything from any of the stalls. Well, frankly, this is rather ridiculous. The drumming circles really get going in the afternoon, by which time the conventional stall holder traders have either made their money or they haven’t. When I was living in the area, I went to the markets – and looked around and patronised many stalls – specifically to enjoy the drumming that was to come later. I know that this is the case for many others. The markets tend to dwindle in the afternoon, but the fact that the drumming circles get going keeps people around. They add to the trade for the refreshment stalls and many many others such as crystals (Hi, Liz and Bill!), alternative clothing
and materials and alternative therapies. These stalls are the lifeblood of the markets in Byron Shire! Without them, the markets might just as well be in Parramatta. It can’t have escaped S Kilgour’s attention that Byron Shire is very alternative. Well, drumming circles are alternative too.They are a living part, an essential part of Byron. Come on, get over it! Let yourself go! Have a dance! You might even enjoy it!
love me back, the meaning of the word is so ambiguous... And yes again, ‘the show is not the market’. It’s not for sale, it’s free and therefore priceless to me. You suggest an alternative site for our activities, so let me suggest an alternative view for your mind. Look for pleasure more often. And thank you, by the way, for calling me a ‘baby’ and your fire. Keep fuming! Edgar Oden
Rosebank
Tim Summers
Marazion, Cornwall ■S Kilgour’s letter raised, once you peeled back the vit■To S Kilgour: You see the riol, an interesting phenomgathering as a ‘blot upon the enon that I believe started landscape’. To me it feels back in the 90s. like a beating heart. You say In those days, Byron was a that ‘restrictions should be heady mix of locals, ferals, increased’, and I feel like surfers and newbies who breaking the chains. You were attracted to the area may choose to not support seeking a fast buck among this ‘free life force’ but it the throngs of tourists. never stops supporting you. These newbies didn’t like Your vision creates ‘nause- the look and behaviour of the ating, repetitive and intrusive ferals, especially their drumracket’ and people leaving. ming, fire twirling and dancVery strange, we must be ing in the CBD. They put dreaming differently, as for pressure on council and me it is a very refreshing police to remove them. This strategy worked like a space in which freedom dances and seduces the charm. For a few years touronlookers. True, I don’t have ists still came to Byron on its an intention to ‘patronise’ reputation as an alternative the stalls, I love them, they destination. continued from page 11
appears to be happening in Main Arm from a community development perspective is a superimposed ‘corporate’ view of community being forced upon a local community without appropriate consultation or agreement. In terms of sustainability from a community development perspective therefore, imposing a model from ‘above’ goes against all the good principles of ‘grass roots’ development. All the best to Main Arm residents in the process of having your views heard and incorporated.
before the 2007 federal elections, through your own homegrown democracy movement, every Byron Bay resident will have the opportunity to identify their very own endorsed independent candidate. This will be a candidate who will be contracted to convey only the documented consensus of his or her respective electorate to Parliament. Although elitists are fond of dismissing elec-
Oh dear! Guess what? The goose that laid the golden egg now lay headless as not so silly tourists realised Byron Bay had become the suburb they were trying to holiday away from. They wanted to see and behave like alternative people, well, just for a while, and quite simply enjoy themselves without directly spending for every experience. The comments S Kilgour made were inferring that most stall holders hate the drummers. My experience is that some do, some don’t. Those against should be very careful not to attempt to destroy the long tradition of these markets as not only (just) money earners but meeting places for local musicians and characters. Hundreds of smiling tourists who sometimes shyly join the dancing and mayhem love to see the colour and circus of it all as a finale to a day of spending in your stalls. Drive away this part of the community (locals) and watch your market turn into Byron Bay, a shadow of its former self, not only in variety of people but earning power. Andy McTavish
Goonengerry toral consensus as impossible in the real world, our surveys prove otherwise. You, the unusually aware residents of Byron Bay, will have the opportunity of judging for yourselves early next week. In the meantime, celebrate the advantage you have over the rest of us: a dedicated advocate within the community: The Echo. Tony Ryan
Maroochydore
â– Letters also received from Dean Jefferys, Mullumbimby, Robin Harrison, Coorabell, Bryony Pearson, Suffolk Park, Max Henry, Ocean Grove, Hannah Grace, Mullumbimby, Tom Koo, Alstonville, Peggy Balfour, Mullumbimby, David Andy Maclean Brauchli, Brunswick Heads, Adrian Gattenhof, Huonbrook Mullumbimby, Gareth W R Smith, Byron Bay, P Olson, Goonengerry, N Anderson, no address, Susan Aspinall, no Consensus address, Susie Forster, no address, J Gluyas, no address, Paul I imagine most of us could Loewenthal, no address. relate to the comments of Charlie Donaldson (Letters, September 19) as he reflected wistfully on the perennial failure of elected representa- ÂŁnĂŠ " -ĂŠ" ĂŠ+1 /9ĂŠ " tives to even remotely represent their electorates. In our earlier and now current Australian Independent’s Alliance surveys we have found that almost all government policies, whether federal, state of local government are 4HE BEST VALUE CLUB ON THE COAST ANYWHERE opposed, at the very least, by ,- *ĂŠ9 ,ĂŠ " an absolute majority of vĂ€ÂœÂ“ĂŠ"VĂŒÂœLiĂ€ĂŠÂŁĂŠĂ•Â˜ĂŒÂˆÂ?ĂŠ-iÂŤĂŒi“LiÀÊÓääÇ constituents; more often in Ă•Â?Â?ĂŠ i“LiĂ€ĂƒÂ…ÂˆÂŤĂŠÂœÂ˜Â?ÞÊfĂŽxäʍiÀÊ>Â˜Â˜Ă•Â“ĂŠEĂŠÂœĂŒÂ…iÀÊV>ĂŒi}ÂœĂ€ÂˆiĂƒÂ° the 80 and 90 percents. In Ă€Âˆi˜`Â?ÞÊ Â?Ă•L°Ê such a deplorable situation, Ă•Â?Â?ĂŠiĂ›iÂ˜ĂŒĂŠVÂœÂ“ÂŤiĂŒÂˆĂŒÂˆÂœÂ˜ĂƒĂŠÂ“Âˆ`Â‡ĂœiiÂŽĂŠEĂŠĂœiiÂŽi˜`ĂƒÂ° what self-deluding sociopa ÂœĂ€ĂŠÂ?>`ˆiĂƒĂŠEʓi˜° thy enables politicians to 7iÂ?Vœ“ˆ˜}ĂŠÂ˜iĂœĂŠÂ“i“LiĂ€Ăƒ]ĂŠĂƒÂœVˆ>Â?ĂŠ}ÂœÂ?viĂ€ĂƒÂ° Ă€i>ĂŒĂŠ`i>Â?ĂƒĂŠvÂœĂ€ĂŠĂƒÂœVˆ>Â?ĂŠ}Ă€ÂœĂ•ÂŤĂƒ]ĂŠVÂ?Ă•LĂŠLœœŽˆ˜}ĂƒÂ° even dare use the word *Â?i>ĂƒiĂŠ`ÂœĂŠÂ˜ÂœĂŒĂŠÂ…iĂƒÂˆĂŒ>ĂŒiĂŠĂŒÂœĂŠV>Â?Â?ĂŠĂ•ĂƒĂŠÂ˜ÂœĂœt Democracy. "vwViĂŠĂˆĂˆnĂˆĂŠĂ“Ă“Ă‡ĂŽ]ĂŠĂƒÂœVˆ>Â?ĂŠVÂ?Ă•LĂƒĂŠÂŤĂ€ÂœĂŠĂƒÂ…ÂœÂŤĂŠĂˆĂˆn{ĂŠÂŁĂˆnn The good news is that,
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