Local News
North Coast news daily:
Boomerang seeks support The Boomerang Indigenous arts and culture festival is in its final weeks of a crowdfunding campaign and is hoping the northern rivers public will contribute. Byron Shire mayor Simon Richardson has just joined with Archie Roach, Paul Kelly, and Troy Brady in doing a video of support.
Originally running as a standalone festival, Boomerang organisers were dismayed in 2013 when the federal government made funding cuts to its arts and Indigenous programs. The crowdfunding campaign aims to raise $100,000. For more visit http:// bit.ly/1HH4ogt.
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Tweed gallery hoists up Archibalds The country’s best-loved portrait prize exhibition, the Archibald, is now on exhibition at the Tweed Regional Gallery. Director Susi Muddiman said she was thrilled to have it back and the gallery was ‘gearing up for a very busy six weeks’. The show features all the 47 finalists, including the winning portrait of barrister Charles Waterstreet by Nigel Milsom. ‘Waterstreet was the cocreator of the popular ABC television series Rake, which is loosely based on his life,’
Tweed gallery director Susi Muddiman. Photo Jeff Dawson
Ms Muddiman said. ‘Other portraits include actor Michael Caton, politi-
cian Bob Katter, artist Judy Cassab, musician Daniel Johns from Silverchair and
Wolf Creek actor John Jarratt.’ Ms Muddiman said the Young Archies exhibition also complemented the display, with works created by finalists from two categories, artists aged 13 to 15, and artists aged 16 to 18. ‘The Young Archies competition was an amazing opportunity for young artists to be involved in the prestigious prize and showcase the true talent we have in our region,’ she said. The gallery is located at 2 Mistral Rd, South Murwillumbah.
Afterlife book launched Mute charity boogie YOU DON’T PAY ME… THE LENDER DOES
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Local metaphysical counsellor and spiritual healer, Claire Swinney, is launching her first book After Life: A Soul’s Journey of Life, Death and Beyond, at 7 Palm Avenue, Mullumbimby from 2pm on February 7. Claire has 25 years’ experience, both locally and internationally, and she will introduce her book with a short talk about the joy in surrendering to the creative process. ‘It’s a story about what really happens to our souls after we die, told by someone in
the afterlife,’ she says. She says the book is, ‘My journey supporting my husband Graham through his cancer diagnosis, alternative treatment and death, has been a watershed in my life.’ ‘I first discovered I was clairvoyant the night I met Graham and I never thought that over 30 years later I’d be channeling his words of comfort and healing about the journey after death,’ says Claire. To RSVP, call or text 0407 757 377.
for January 21 Byron Youth Services have been named a beneficiary for a mobile silent disco dance, to be held Thursday evening on January 21 outside the Byron Bay Surf Club. DiscoDtours founder Alison Harrington says it’s part of a national tour and is hoping that it becomes a fixture for Byron Bay. It’s led by a dancing guide, and participants are given wireless headphones
linked the group and allowing discoD’s dance instructors to lead a one hour flash-mobstyle dance-a-thon to the tunes of Kylie Minogue, Bruno Mars and Michael Jackson.’ ‘The tours have been a hit in Sydney and it is my hope that this business can be an example of an innovative social enterprise business.’ For more info visit www. discodtours.com.au.
Local Labor and Greens side against Nats over coal mine continued from page 1 taxes and over $1.5bn in state government royalties.’
Great Artesian Basin drilled Meanwhile on Sunday, six farmers from the Coonamble and Pilliga regions ‘completely shut down a Santos coal seam gas drill-rig site in the Pilliga forest of northwest NSW’, says www.csgfreenorthernrivers.org. ‘Neil Kennedy, a farmer born in Coonamble Shire on edge of Pilliga, is taking part in the action and said, ‘Santos is drilling holes through our underground water supply, including the recharge area of the Great Artesian Basin.’ ‘Coal seam gas fields will ultimately destroy the Great Artesian Basin, and people will not be able to live in this region. The National Party totally let us down on coal seam gas; they have betrayed us. I can’t believe their shortsightedness in putting our water at risk.’ And The Echo’s Eve Jef2 January 20, 2016 The Byron Shire Echo
A farmer locks onto Santos drilling equipment in the Pilliga west of Port Macquarie on Sunday. Photo www.csgfreenorthernrivers.org
fery, who is currently on location at the Pilliga protest site, reports that three Knitting Nannas Against Gas (KNAGs) locked on to a gate in the hopes of halting work at a CSG wastewater processing plant near Narrabri. Theresa Mason, a 48-yearold Nanna from Lismore, told Ms Jeffery, ‘Santos is proposing the largest coal seam gasfield in NSW here in the Pilliga forest, an 850-well gasfield, which is actually only the beginning of their expansive plans to industrialise the productive agricultural region of
northwest NSW with seven coal seam gasfields. And Angel Dalu says she became a Nanna after an event at her home in Rock Valley, near Bentley, where she saw DVDs and heard speeches ‘and got a lot of information’. ‘Then when I saw what was happening for myself, I was in shock. How can the politicians allow this? I asked the Nannas what they did to help, to try to stop this. ‘They told me they just go and sit and knit. And I said “Oh I can do that!”’
Byron Shire Echo archives: www.echo.net.au/byron-echo