Letters ecosystems restoration, tree planting and forest blockades. Top priority is reduction in resource demand, which means individuals questioning the necessity or non-necessity of every single purchase, from new clothes to toilet paper. Is there anyone left who thinks that our current political leadership will lead us out of the mess we’re in? Not likely. Not while business-asusual is still in full swing. To quote another recent prophet ‘war (on the planet) is over if YOU want it’. Enough, that is. Pauline McKelvey Tintenbar
Lyon and the Snail Byron councillor Michael Lyon, and the majority of our political elite, seem to have absolutely no idea! In his opinion article (December 4) accountant Lyon presented the history of the Mitchell’s Rainforest Snail. It was the kind of ‘It’s going to be a good cricket season for the firies’, ‘Thoughts and prayers’ diversion a politician would give to hide the real issues. These issues may be: 1. The community of Butler St, the wider community, and NSW Greens don’t want a
bypass through their back yards. Just like Councillor Lyon doesn’t want Metgasco fracking on his property. 2. Who approved Council’s estimated $450,000 of ratepayers’ money in legal fees to fight their own community? 3. We are in a climate emergency – the town is under threat of rising sea levels and other impacts, and the Council want to build a $25 million road – a gargantuan carbon bomb! 4. There are seven councillors supporting this outrageous bypass – and we know who they are! So don’t worry about the forest, the climate armageddon or Environment Protection Laws. ‘It’s not so bad’, said the Lyon to the Snail. ‘You’ll be right mate’. Remember: Business as usual ensures our extinction. Morgan Knoesen Brunswick Heads
Contempt for water There is no end in sight to the ongoing drought and the situation for our rural communities is dire with vital water resources drying up. The response of the three Liberal/National councillors last week, at the Tweed Council meeting, was the ▶ Continued on page 18
Does The Simpsons predict the future? Scout Wallen
There is one factor that defines the childhood of any person under the age of 30: Were you allowed to watch The Simpsons? Although it is thought that our Springfield associates aided our everso-present addiction to screens and fast food, and provoked a deep fear of clowns, The Simpsons has been much more insightful than one may care to admit. As we look back on the years that were, it is interesting to examine the forms of our culture that have shaped and moulded who we are as a society. Now, I’m not saying that we can link all of our issues back to Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, Maggie et al, but the absurdity displayed in satirical media such as The Simpsons may have informed our willingness to accept whatever has been thrown at us. And look at what we have dealt with: the UK leaving, or at least trying to leave, the European Union; a reality TV host is the president of the USA; young couples are opting to own dogs instead of having children; and the leader of the biggest political and environmental movement of this decade is a 17-yearold Swedish girl. Dr Nicholas Carah and Eric Louw are researchers into the impact of media on society. In their book Media and Society, they explore the notion of media shaping how we understand the world.
‘Media are social processes of circulating meaning,’ they say in Media and Society. ‘This process matters because it shapes how we understand the world and our relationships with others. ‘How we understand the world organises how we act in it.’
Fictional reality Thanks to such influences, we only see aspects of our reality as ‘normal’ because we have become so enthralled by the influences of fictional media, which have imbued us with the notion that anything is possible nowadays. The blatant absurdism showcased in media such as The Simpsons may have helped to soften the blow when we were faced with extremely random and unexpected problems.
When abortion bans swept across the USA in May this year, it truly felt like the control of women’s bodies, of the kind seen in The Handmaid’s Tale was coming to fruition. When Australia’s treasurer – now prime minister – brought a lump of coal into parliament question time, amidst a climate crisis, we nodded our heads and displayed little dismay for this absurd act of symbolism. And when an episode of The Simpsons aired in 2000 portraying the president of the USA as none other than Donald Trump, we laughed at the audacity. Now, they are living in that reality. The point is, the media content we consume influences how we perceive, and act in, the world. Maybe that’s why I see everything in a tinge of yellow.
SECRET SOUNDS & MI5 PRESENTS
BYRON: 30 DEC • 31 DEC • 01 JAN • 02 JAN THE FALLS MUSIC & ARTS FESTIVAL is being held at North Byron Parklands (Parklands), Wooyung, on the 30th December (10.00am to 2.00am), 31st December 2019 (9.00am to 2.00am), 1st January (9.00am to 1.30am) and 2nd January 2020 (9.00am to 1.00am). Please note, music will commence from 11.00am each day. Bands will cease operation at midnight each evening with the exception of New Year’s Eve at 1.00am. Audio testing will take place for the main stages on Monday 30th December between 5.00pm and 8.00pm with a mandatory minimum one-hour sound check to test audio systems. CHANGED TRAFFIC CONDITIONS INCLUDE: • Reduced speed limits of 40km/h along Tweed Valley Way between Yelgun Road and Jones Road, and off-ramps from the Pacific Motorway at the Yelgun interchange. • The majority of Festival patrons coming from the north to the Festival site will travel via Mooball using Cudgera Creek Road, Pottsville Road and Tweed Valley Way. The majority of Festival patrons coming from the south to the Festival site will travel via Brunswick Valley Way. • Local Resident Only access checkpoints will be in operation for Yelgun Road and Jones Road at Tweed Valley Way. • Traffic control personnel will also be in place at the intersection of Tweed Valley Way and Jones Road. • Please be prepared for POSSIBLE SHORT DELAYS. • Festival camping patrons will begin to arrive at Parklands from 8am Monday 30th December 2019 and depart by 2.00pm Friday 3rd January 2020.
PARKING & ACCESS There is NO PARKING along Tweed Valley Way or in the streets surrounding Parklands. Special Event Parking restrictions will be in place and Council Parking Rangers and NSW Police will be on patrol throughout the event. Fines will apply. Camping or sleeping in vehicles within the Byron and Tweed Shires is not allowed. Maximum Penalty exceeds $1000. Council Rangers will be on patrol throughout the event period enforcing this regulation. There is NO PEDESTRIAN access into Parklands. NSW Police will continue to issue significant fines to any persons trespassing and/or entering the event without a valid ticket. Local residents wishing to drop off or pick up Falls Festival patrons must use the event’s drop-off and pick-up zone located in the Northern Car Park via Entry Gate C. Use of the Yelgun Rest Area is prohibited for this purpose. There will be no inbound vehicle movement allowed into Parklands between 6.00am and 1.00pm on Friday 3rd January 2020. COMMUNITY HOTLINE An event Community Hotline will be in operation from 8.00am Monday 30th December 2019 to 5.00pm Friday 3rd January 2019. The Hotline will be attended during the approved event hours of operation. THE COMMUNITY HOTLINE NUMBER IS 02 6680 4049. Local residents with parking, noise or litter concerns during the Festival should contact the Hotline and we will send our Community Response Team to assist you. Residents can also email community@northbyronparklands.com
We thank you for your patience and understanding, and wish you and your family a safe and Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! THE FALLS MUSIC & ARTS FESTIVAL
www.echo.net.au/byron-echo Byron Shire Echo archives
'ĕĈĕŔćĕſ Ǩǯǽ ǩǧǨǰ The Byron Shire Echo 15