Articles/Letters
This rushing world
echo.net.au/here-and-now
continued from page 13 be marred by a giant 38-metre man-made tower protruding out above the native coastal heath. In addition to these aesthetic and environmental issues, it’s worth noting a few more: the ugly new black mesh fence installed adjacent to the footpath on the road down from the roundabout to town – surely we can come up with a better alternative? The metal walkway installed on the walking track from the Point over to Boulder Beach – can’t we build
something that blends into the surroundings better? I thought Lennox Point was a national surfing reserve? Can’t we think of more environmentally friendly and aesthetically pleasing solutions to these issues? I am unsure whether there was sufficient community consultation prior to these council works. If there wasn’t, the issue needs to be addressed. If I have learnt anything in my twenty-five years, it is that change is inevitable. Embracing change is the only positive
way forward, but change can’t occur unchecked. The reason people love to visit Lennox Head is surely for its natural appeal. We owe it to ourselves to safeguard our natural treasures, because they really are all we have. Our iconic places like Lennox Point, Lake Ainsworth, Seven Mile Beach – they need to be cared for. I love Lennox and I know you all do, too. Isn’t it worth protecting the Lennox we all love? Tom Wolff Lennox Head
16 October 5, 2016 The Byron Shire Echo
the 21st century. It would be a golden age, the New Enlightenment. I couldn’t wait. So, I rushed to the bush, where I could live the dream of ecological rationalism. And that’s where I am now: in my shack under the cliffs at the end of the world, waiting in a moonless darkness for dawn, so I can make coffee. I’ve always been in a hurry. But where to now? The dream is over... Thirty years on from those newspaper articles, governments have failed their people. Nothing was done. Wile E Coyote remains sociopathically committed to ACME Incorporated, despite their products blowing up in his face. With an astounding audacity, Wile E can approve a massive new coal mine, while ice caps become rising sea levels and methaneloaded permafrost becomes un-perma. Idiot. Lying here, I’m stilled by the darkness, paralysed by the clarity that pre-dawn brings. I cannot move. No beep-beep here. Now, it is the world that is rushing, not me. It has overtaken me with its ACME coal-powered jetsuit and is racing towards the cliff. That’s all, folks. Q Read more of S’s work at
Byron Shire Young Voices is a choir for kids who love to sing. We meet on Monday afternoons during the school term at Mullumbimby Primary School hall. We learn a mixed repertoire of classical, folk, and pop; we also focus on local songwriters and composers. The choir is directed by local musician and teacher, Janet Swain, who is committed to developing a strong choral and singing culture across the Byron Shire. If you’re interested, please email janet@songdynastymusic.com. B y r o n
S h i r e
Y o u n g
for kids who love to sing
V o i c e s
Mondays during school terms, Mullumbimby Primary School Hall, Morrison Avenue
photo by lyn@nichepictures.com.au
My place. Tuesday, 2.11am I’ve always been in a rush. I’ve always been keen to get to the end of this, so I can start that. And when I start that, I can’t wait until it’s finished, so I can start the next thing. Beep, beep. It’s not that I’m fickle or unreliable. No. I nearly always finish what I start. It’s just that while I’m finishing this, I’m so restless for the next. I even sleep fast. I’m awake now. It’s dark and quiet (except for something walking on the roof). I’m ready for breakfast. But the world, as usual, is not keeping up. Three hours till dawn. Oh dear. Roadrunner can’t run at night... Yesterday, I sat at a cafe in Lismore with a friend. I’d finished my (large) latte, while my friend had hardly touched her (regular) flat white. I sat there thinking about visiting my favourite record shop and doing the grocery shopping, while listening to her tell me about her weekend with a broken mower: ‘You think you can buy offset serrated mower blades in this town? On a Sunday?’ I stared at her coffee as it grew colder but not smaller, willing her to sip, sip, sip, already. I wanted to go. I could’ve been buying The
Temptations’ Greatest Hits or two kilos of local bananas, but I smiled and nodded and said, ‘Not in this town, no way. Not on a Sunday.’ (I’m impatient, sure, but not rude.) I brought my latte glass to my lips – and remembered it was empty. Recently I went to a party. I like parties. That makes sense. A person inclined to rushing probably has a need for a lot of stimulation. I’m the first one dressed and ready to go. (‘Hurry up! It starts at 6!’) I turn up at 5.58pm, shout hello to the hostess through her bathroom door, and open the wine. By the time she is dressed and the cool people are arriving (‘but the invitation said from 6pm...’), my wine is drunk, so am I, and I’m ready to go home. The world has always moved too slowly for me. Beep, beep. I heard about climate change in the 1980s. I collected newspaper cuttings about it. (Newspaper cuttings. How quaint.) It didn’t sound good. But I knew, given the scientific evidence and the dire consequences, that in the next few years, the world leaders would unite and combat this threat. People would not allow their global life-support system to fail. Surely. The planet would spin with renewed hope and health into
Story & image S Sorrensen
TERM 4 starts Monday 10 October to Monday 12 December 2016 (10 week term)
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Training Choir: 4pm to 4.45pm Girls only: 4.30 to 5pm Performance Choir - girls and boys: 5pm to 6pm Boys only: 6pm to 6.30pm janet@songdynastymusic.com
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