THE BYRON SHIRE Volume 31 #36 Wednesday, February 15, 2017
www.echo.net.au Phone 02 6684 1777 editor@echo.net.au adcopy@echo.net.au 23,200 copies every week
DON’ T LE T PEOPLE GE T UP YOUR NOSE OR THEY WILL LIVE IN YOUR HEAD RENT FREE
CAB AUDIT
Jimmy Nutter turns 80! – p5
Eshay-inspired local boys on a path to nowhere – p7
S Sorrenson asks what happened to the fair go – p11
The skies held their rain as more than 100 women learned a dance to rise for the annual V-day sunrise celebrations on Byron’s Main Beach. It’s a global activist movement, ‘to end violence against women and girls.’ After burning off some energy, many took to the waves in a clothes-optional cool-off before dancing away the morning. For more visit www.vday.org. Photo Tree Faerie
More doof dramas at Tallow Beach Would-be organisers of yet another illegal doof at Tallow Beach were shut down after lighting a ‘blazing’ fire despite a total fire ban on the eve of the hottest day of the year. A spokesperson for The Friends of Tallow Beach, the group organised to protect the fragile foreshore, said that a request to the organiser at around 8.30pm not to proceed was ignored and they had ‘no alternative’ but to call the police and fire brigade. By 10.30pm police say they had received ‘numerous phone calls’ regarding the illegal party and when
they arrived at Arakwal National Park they spotted approximately 40 partygoers in the area. ‘One male person was identified as being the organiser and had supplied the equipment for the entertainment/music,’ said inspector Bobbie Cullen of Tweed-Byron police. ‘Police seized the equipment and the party [was] shut down. ‘Formal action will be taken against this male and any other organisers of such parties,’ she said. Inspector Cullen said, ‘Those organising or attending such events in the Byron Bay area should be respectful of the local community
Online in
netdaily
DPP considers prosecuting Big Rob for ‘intimidation’ www.echo.net.au/dpp-considersprosecuting-big-rob-intimidation
Mooball to boom
V-day splash
Chris Dobney
Minimising risks of elder abuse – p13
and be mindful of the disruption the noise has on others in the vicinity. Police with the assistance of National Parks and Wildlife will issue proceedings against persons involved in the organising of events,’ Inspector Cullen said.
Requests ignored Members of the Friends of Tallow Beach say they spoke to the DJs at 8.30pm on their way in, ‘asking them not to proceed’. Spokesperson Dailan Pugh identified the DJ as British, adding that judging by their accents ‘most of the patrons were tourists.’
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A controversial proposal to expand the Tweed village of Mooball at least fivefold has been given the green light after three years of negotiations and despite concerted community opposition. The department made the announcement Monday, which will see around 250 new homes built on land south of the existing village. The result could see the town potentially grow from ‘170 to 750 residents.’ The department’s executive director of regions, Steve Murray, said the expansion supports the Far North Coast Regional Strategy. That policy, a department of planning and environment spokesperson told The Echo, ‘has guided development in the region since December 2006.’ The latest – and controversial – Far North Coast Regional Strategy closed for public submissions in June last year and is yet to be approved. As for the Mooball development, the department said Tweed Shire Council received 36 submissions objecting to a proposal to amend the
Local Environment Plan (LEP), and those were taken into consideration ‘before arriving at its final decision.’ A voluntary planning agreement (VPA) has also been reached, say the department, ‘which will ensure further studies on bushfire, flooding, Aboriginal cultural heritage and land stability inform the design of any future development of the site.’ A planning spokesperson added that the agreement requires that design guidelines be developed and further studies be undertaken before any development occurs.
Mooted in 2014 The plan was first mooted in 2014 and was sent by then-Tweed Shire councillors to the state government for a ‘gateway determination’ in April. Just three weeks later, it passed the government’s gateway process with conditions. ‘The department took all concerns from the community into consideration before arriving at its final decision,’ Mr Murray said.
Unwelcome all-night hinterland doof An all-night doof party last Saturday has left locals less than impressed in Byron’s hinterland. Located on Goonengerry Road, Goonengerry, the event was heard as far away as Federal. Resident Diane told The Echo she called the police at around 3.45am. ‘It’s not the first time it’s happened,’ she said. ‘Not everybody likes this choice of crappy music,’ she said. ‘They don’t seem to have respect for themselves or others, let alone the wildlife.’ Another resident, Rod, lives in
Goonengerry and told The Echo it was heard down Mafeking Road. He believes there will be more unless they are shut down.
Wildlife concerns ‘There was another on the same property on new years eve. It will make living here unbearable unless this stops,’ he said. ‘I went there in the morning but all that was left was a booth; most people had left by then. I’m concerned about the effect this has on wildlife and animal stock.’
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