The Byron Shire Echo – Issue 35.16 – September 30, 2020

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A TICKET TO THE FUTURE SINCE 1986 – BAGGAGE FREE! The Byron Shire Echo • Volume 35 #16 • Wednesday, September 30, 2020 • www.echo.net.au

Mullum, Byron Bay rail with trail moves forward

Future funding for circus secured

Paul Bibby

Spaghetti Circus has received, for the first time, multi-year grant support for 2021 to 2024. General manager/creative producer Alice Cadwell said the $85,000 per year is a $10,000 increase from previous years. Pictured are (front line) performers; Rosa Mordaunt, Jamalia Brenton, Anouk Schlueter and Anais Stewart. In the backline are Spag Circus founder Leone Mills, Ben Franklin MLC (Nationals), and NSW Parlimentary Secretary for Energy and the Arts, Spag Circus General Manager Alice Cadwell, and Don Harwin MLC (Liberal Party), and NSW Minister for the Arts. Photo Jeff ‘Backflips Since 1986’ Dawson

Byron’s coastal erosion sparks urgent meeting Paul Bibby Severe coastal erosion at Clarkes Beach and Main Beach has prompted Byron Council to call an urgent meeting with Crown Lands and other stakeholders to discuss ways of addressing the issue. Clarkes Beach has been particularly affected by the erosion over the past three months, with tonnes of sand stripped away exposing a rock shelf beneath. The beach is also littered with uprooted pandanus trees, and the eroded dune line is

Byron Shire Council Notices ▶ p12

now within metres of the Beach restaurant and cafe. ‘I walked along Main Beach on Sunday morning and was devastated at what had occurred just in the space of the previous seven days,’ Greens councillor Sarah Ndiaye said. ‘To see one of the most beautiful beaches in the world gouged by the sea like that was shocking. ‘On a big swell at high tide waves could potentially break over the embankment.’ Under an urgency motion successfully moved by Cr Ndiaye, Council staff will

The govt’s self-interest above the national interest – Mungo ▶ p14

convene a meeting of all land managers with responsibility for the two beaches. This will include Crown Lands, who have primary responsibility for managing the site. The purpose of the meeting is to discuss the impact of various coastal processes on the beach, and to explore potential options for management. The outcome will be reported to the next available Council meeting. One matter likely to be discussed at the meeting is the Lighthouse Road stormwater ▶ Continued on page 4

Byron Shire’s homeless women you won’t see on Instagram – Mandy ▶ p16

The debate over the future of the Shire’s decommissioned rail line flared again at last week’s Council meeting, with councillors considering spending another $200,000 on the dream of getting trains back on the degraded line. With Council set to allocate further funds to the project at its next budget review, Councillor Alan Hunter unsuccessfully moved that the plan be shelved until a benefactor with deep pockets could be found. ‘We need to stop talking about putting a train on the tracks until we get someone who’s going to underwrite our expenses, or to pick it up and build it,’ Cr Hunter said during an at-times fiery meeting. ‘There’s no way forward with the train – it’s just a sink-hole for money. ‘What we do have is clear support for the bike and walking trail. There’s support here, in other Shires, across the country and around the world’. A report from Council staff tabled at the meeting recommended that further funds be allocated to the project to fund the development of a ‘robust business case’ and to determine the amount of work needed to make the line train-ready. Private consultants Arcadis Australia have made a proposal to Council to undertake a structural assessment of the 12-plus bridges on the line using a ‘digital methodology’. The company, which has previously been hired by Council to work on the rail project, quoted $200,000 for the work. However, it has been suggested that the company significantly underestimated the number of bridges on the line, and that the cost of the assessment could be closer to $500,000. ▶ Continued on page 5

School holidays fun times ▶ p20

Mur’bah magic ▶ p23

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