14 November 6, 2007 Byron Shire Echo
www.echo.net.au
Letters continued from page 13
wallaby with its joey where the proposed bridlepath went through their property (the dead joey was good for Show and Tell at Goonengerry Public School, I hear). There is no formed road or track, just a line on a map and they hadn’t been consulted. If the snake was big enough to kill a large wallaby and joey, it’s big enough to strangle young walkers, bike riders and horse riders. So beware where you plan to open up new routes, NHAG and Council. One article in The Echo is not called community consultation. NHAG and Council should consult locals and horse riders of 30 years experience in Goonengerry before they draw lines on maps, in their hopes of finding a path from Goonengerry National Park to Nightcap National Park. You could save everybody a lot of grief. Patrick Morrisey
Goonengerry
Music models
PLACES STILL AVAILABLE IN THESE ACE COURSES
I question Graham Bassett’s argument (Letters, October
23) that just because musicians earn little from their record companies that we should be subjected to massive festivals. Surely musicians need to find new models that don’t simply push their problem on to someone or somewhere else. I agree that artists shouldn’t be at the mercy of record companies, but nor should the Byron community be at the mercy of big gigs. Bands like Radio Head are showing the way by putting out their music themselves on their own website and are asking their fans to pay what they think it’s worth. They’ve profited from their latest album In Rainbow and not a single koala lost any sleep nor were any empty beer bottles left on the road-side. I question who makes the real money from festivals: the gig organisers or the artists ? We know that accommodation owners and the airlines benefit. Why do the gigs have to be so big? If it’s really about music then 1000 people would be enough. (Perhaps festivals feed other needs – like wanting to be part of a community, albeit
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a very temporary community. But let’s explore that as a separate issue!) Yes, musicians need venues, but fields aren’t the only answer. Capital city pubs used to provide thousands of great venues – but most of these are now filled with poker machines. Happily many Northern Rivers pubs still support a lot of music and the residents support them. The challenge is to find music performance and distribution models that work for everyone. Music is part of the Northern Rivers’ vibrancy and I don’t want it turned off. But we need to be mindful of the true costs and benefits to all.
A third of the turds
Mullumbimby had 95mm of rain on August 20 this year, and 35mm on each August 19 and 21. It was a reasonable fall and sorely needed, but not out of the ordinary for around here. As usual the town’s sewers overflowed into the river, discharging raw sewage at the ‘Mill Street Overflow’ (at the north end of Stuart Street). This was the first overflow for about 12 months but in 2006 there were half a dozen such occasions. No, things haven’t improved – there were just fewer storms from Karin Kolbe August 2006 to August Suffolk Park 2007. Mullum’s sewer pipe system has capacity to deliver Reveg Splendour I wish to respond to some of the comments made in your Ads annoy letters regarding the Splen- As a long time supporter of dour in the Grass develop- Bay FM I feel the need to ment application for a trial express my concern and disevent in 2008 and its impact appointment at the nature of on the wildlife corridor of the advertising programwhich North Byron Shire ming that is now more like a major commercial radio staParklands (NBSP) is part. While it is partially correct tion. Bay FM has always to say that the proposed site been creative with its profalls in an area which has been duction values in advertising identified as a wildlife corri- but as of late there has been dor it should be clearly high- a move away from home lighted that 65% of the site grown advertising to main does not. It must also be stream commercial tacky acknowledged that much of annoying ads. One of the reasons I like to the corridor is not pristine land and that over the years listen to Bay FM is you do the native vegetation has been not hear the jingles of major extensively cleared as the site electrical stores and video has been used for various stores. I understand these agricultural purposes. businesses support our comThat’s why as part of the munity but why cannot we development of the Park- have Bay FM spin on their lands, we have made it a pri- ads as well? I now find myself ority to restore the native turning off when these ads vegetation so that we can come on. I am sending back link what currently are frag- my subscriber card in promented patches of forest, for test and ask all do the same the benefit of the animals until the air waves are free of and birds that live there – the corporate crap. and allow better movement Tony Rippon from coastal habitats to those Suffolk Park inland and vice-versa. We strongly believe that by The status quo repairing the destroyed The collusion between both native vegetation, managing major parties to control the weeds and feral animals and senate numbers confirms closely monitoring the biodi- their desire to maintain the versity of the Parklands the status quo. benefits that the proposal With the demise of the will bring to the corridor far Liberals, we are on course to outweigh its limited use as a continue most of their polifestival site. cies through Labor. That Mat Morris includes maintaining a war General Manager in Afghanistan, a tardy withNorth Byron drawal from Iraq, and a Shire Parklands likely commitment to
about 6 Megalitres (ML = million litres) of sewage per day to its sewage treatment works (STW). On August 20 about 9 ML of sewage was collected in the town. That’s about 3,000 litres/ person/day. And that’s about 15 times what each person actually produces. The extra 14 times daily production is rainfall, collected by the decrepit and dilapidated sewer network that will soon have a new $30million STW plugged onto the end of it. The new plant will treat up to 3 ML/day. So, on a day like August 20, 2007, 3 ML/day of sewage will be treated at the STW; 3 more will bypass the STW and discharge
untreated into the Brunswick River near the new STW; and 3 more will bypass the sewers and the STW to be discharged untreated near town. In other words, one turd of Mullum’s sewage will go straight into the river. Another turd goes not-quitestraight into the river. The last turd gets treated. Is this really 2007? And, if it ever rains again like it used to, the extra rain greater than that of August 20 will force even more raw sewage into the portion that goes straight to the river. ‘Overflow’ is exactly that. Yuck!
another USA misadventure in Iran. At home it means implementing social policies on Aboriginals using a tool for war, namely the army. This same device has been used in Pacific nations and East Timor, with apparently noble intentions. But it has caused ill feeling towards Australians in every case. When will we, and the world, learn that we will never bring social reform, peace or democracy through paternalism or the use of force? The events of 9-11 and the like have their origin in disaffected people who see no hope. They see no evidence of a genuine intention from advanced nations to advance their cause. Only rich Western nations can afford to lead by example. True leadership means implementing a Kyoto agreement, a peace initiative, or a third world project without demanding economic trade-off or agreements in advance. The paranoia created by the fear campaign that followed 9-11 has come back to bite us in many ways. One of these is to increase racial tension in some sectors, and has led to warnings of home grown terrorists. Both major parties are concerned primarily with serving the interests of business and foreign governments at the expense of the people. Not that we don’t
need business and good foreign relations. But it is a rarely acknowledged truism that both parties in government place the interests of business before people, and that there is little transparency in the process. We need to reform the way we do everything in society. Part of that is to allow disaffected groups in all their diversity, like Aboriginals, workers, or Moslem youth, to be part of the process. Very difficult but unavoidable. Our major parties are stuck in a rut. Requiring politicians to follow the party line renders them ineffective to the electorate’s wishes. We deserve better than that. If we are to start the long process of innovative reform, to give a fair go to people first, we must inject into Parliament a healthy spread of integrity from independents and minor parties.
Duncan Dey
Mullumbimby
Hayo van der Woude
Ocean Shores Q An Echo mistake in a letter from Geoff Dawe of Uki has resulted in a misunderstanding among readers. The letter should have read: ‘I am NOT suggesting the development of weedscapes...’ Apologies all round. Q Letters received from Ken Porter, Byron Bay, Kate Brady, Byron Bay, Ray Armstrong, Tweed Heads, Allan O’Neill, Ballina, Ronald Wolff, Uki.
Abracadabra Bangalow, Amcal Chemist Byron Bay, Anna Middleton Byron Bay, Avon, Margaret Whitney, Bangalow Naturopathy, Bangalow Pharmacy, Barebones Art Space Bangalow, Bayside Radiators The O’Meara Girls Fundraising Billinudgel, Beach Hotel Byron Bay, Beach Shop Brunswick, Big Kahuna Surf Shop Byron Bay, Big W Tweed Heads, Billi Lids Long Day Care Centre, Billinudgel General Store, Billinudgel Hire & Tiles, Billinudgel Hotel, Billinudgel Ocean Shores Rural Fire Brigade, Billinudgel Picture Framers, Billinudgel Post & News, Billinudgel Veterinary Clinic, Bob Richardson Signs, Bridglands RetraVision Committee and the family of Kathleen Mullumbimby, Brims Hardware Billinudgel, Britts Meats South Tweed Heads, Brunswick Cellars, Brunswick Heads Bowling Club, Brunswick Heads Fisherman’s Co-op, Brunswick Heads Health Foods, Hotel O’Meara (nee Phillips) would like to Brunswick, Brunswick Heads Newsagency, Brunswick Heads Pharmacy, Brunswick Hot Bread Shop, Brunswick Surf Shop, Brunswick Valley Coach & Travel, Brunswick Valley Quotarians , Budds Palm Nursery, Byron Bay Boot Camp, Byron Bay Camping & Disposals, Byron Bay Long Boards, Byron Bay RSL, Byron Books, Byron Direct, Byron Style, Byron Wedding & Party Hire, Café Ripe Mullumbimby, thank the following businesses, Camera House Byron Bay, Campbell’s Cash & Carry, Ceremonial Tree, Chemcoast Parmacy Byron Bay, Chris Doe Byron Bay, Chris Fenwick Smash Repairs, Claire Parson, Mullumbimby Dental, Coffs Harbour Fun Hire, Commonwealth Bank Mullumbimby, Cooks Wholesale Fruit & Veg Billinudgel, Craftlatt Billinudgel, Craig Watson HealthCare Pharmacy Mullumbimby, Dave Alcorn Electrical, Debra Gentles Massage, organisations and individuals for Dennett’s IGA Mullumbimby, Devines Quality Meats Mullumbimby, Earth ‘n’ Sea Pizza Byron Bay, Eden’s Landing Mullumbimby, Ellie Dynan Mullumbimby, Embellish Mullumbimby, Fernleigh Natural Spring Water, their overwhelming generosity Fish Heads Byron Bay, Fusion – Hair/Body/Image Byron Bay, Garrards Butchery Brunswick Heads, Gerber Dental Group Burleigh Heads, Hair Room Bangalow, Hang it Pot it Mullumbimby, Happy Herbs Byron Bay, Heart of the Bay, Hooked & Cooked Mullumbimby, IGA Byron Bay, Interior Motives, Inverted Byron Bay, Kathallan Cactus Billinudgel, KC’s Take Away Brunswick Heads, Kiva Spa Mullumbimby, LeisureScapes Byron Bay, and support throughout Lennox Head Electrical, Life of Byron, Lyn Wallis Arts, Maddog Beach Byron Bay, Mallams 5 Star Mullumbimby, Mallams Bottleshop Mullumbimby, Maxines Byron Bay, McDonald Meats Mullumbimby, Michaela’s Hair & Beauty, Mina Mina Art Gallery Brunswick Heads, Mitre 10 Byron Bay, Mokea Designs Mullumbimby, Mullum Chocolates, Mullum Heads , Mullum Variety & Discount Store, Mullumbimby Brunswick Lions Club, Mullumbimby our fundraising. Co-op, Mullumbimby Cycles, Mullumbimby Disposal, Mullumbimby Folk Club, Mullumbimby Fruit Market, Mullumbimby Giants Football Club, Mullumbimby High School, Mullumbimby Jewellers, Mullumbimby Newsagency,
Thank You
Mullumbimby Pet Shop, Ocean Shores Bakery, Ocean Shores Country Club, Ocean Shores Glass Billinudgel, Ocean Shores Quality Meats, Office Choice Mullumbimby, Pentagram Pottery Billinudgel, Peter King Photography, PFD Lismore , Pharaohs Pantry Mullumbimby, Power & Air Tool Repairs Mullumbimby, PRD Ocean Shores, Psy.Co Mullumbimby, Pure, Byron Bay, Quatro Billinudgel, Ray Essery The Mullumbimby Bloke, Reflections of Byron, RetraVision Byron Bay, Rob Monteith Automotive Billinudgel, Sanctum Billinudgel, Santos Mullumbimby and Byron Bay, Sayers Strelitzia Nursery Billinudgel, Seeta Lifestyle Byron Bay, Shane Webcke Brisbane Broncos Rugby League Club, Shanti Town Mullumbimby, Silverstone Incense Traders, Siwiki Real Estate, Spirit Gym Byron Bay, Splashes Brunswick Heads, St John’s Primary School, St Vincent de Paul, Stewart’s Menswear Mullumbimby, Stuart St Hair Studio, Style on Byron Hairdressing Byron Bay, Suffolk Park Bottleshop, Sunnybrand Chickens, Tahi’s Beauty & Wellness Brunswick Heads, Temple Door Byron Bay, Thai Lucy Byron Bay, The Bay Seafood, The Bookshop Mullumbimby, The Booler Family, The Buddha Bar Byron Bay, The Budget Shop Mullumbimby, The Byron Shire Echo, The NSW Spastic Society, The Percolators, The Pocket School, The Print Spot Murwillumbah, The Reject Shop Byron Bay, The Shady Three, There’s Always More Hairdressing Byron Bay, Tim Freedman – The Whitlams, Timber Slab Factory Mullumbimby, Towers Carpets Mullumbimby, Treetops Tavern Reedy Creek, Trevor Mead Butchery Byron Bay, True Value Hardware Ocean Shores, True Wheel Cycles Mullumbimby, Video Ezy Mullumbimby, Village Green Brunswick Heads, Wax Jambu Bangalow, Whatever Brunswick Heads, Wild Nature Byron Bay, Zest Mullumbimby, Tyagarah Service Station, David and Joyce Holiday, Quota Club. And to the numerous individuals from our immediate community, the shire and beyond who have donated in cash and kind, from helping to sell raffle tickets to attending our functions – we sincerely thank you. If we have inadvertently overlooked anyone, please forgive us.