Letters Of concrete & canals A sharp-eyed observer sent me a link to a paywalled article advancing the conversion of the Belongil Estuary into a Gold Coast style canal development. Make no mistake, the newly approved concrete and tile complex on Ewingsdale Road will create major flooding, and the proposal to mitigate it will involve concrete and canals. Citizens should be aware that our socalled Green mayor who has been out and about speaking in favour of this monstrous environmental abuse is serving to facilitate a canal development, the environmental consequences of which will be horrific, and the social consequences appalling. Remember, this is the mayor who has repeatedly waived planning limits and environmental conditions for chosen developers. A mayor who flaps his jaw endlessly, but whose actions speak far louder than his words. Matthew Hartley Byron Bay
Front page news On the front page of last week’s Echo you highlighted unemployment in the Shire, with Mullum at 14.2 per cent. Hard to believe when it is impossible to get a cleaner in town, hospitality venues are crying out for staff and the usual suspects are drunk at 8am in the Jonson Street bus shelter, or abusing locals and tourists alike (where did they
get the money for that?). Not sure what these 14.2 per cent do, but I’m not sure giving them more money is the answer. What do you think? Jeff Rake Byron
Is it necessary? One hears that lockdowns are necessary to stop the novel coronavirus spreading and that we may be vaccinated with a new vaccine. Yet the vaccine manufacturer has no liability whatsoever, for any damage done by the new, never before used type of RNA vaccine, which was produced in a record short time. The Barrington Declaration specifically opposes lockdowns being used to stop the spread of the coronavirus and is (allegedly) signed by 39,544 medical practitioners from around the world. Do you know what effect continued lockdowns around the world will have? Economic collapse, and famine, are just two of the many inevitable lockdown outcomes. Other outcomes include the recent spike in the suicide rate, increased crime, drug abuse, isolation depression, unemployment, bankruptcy, hardships, more family violence and despair for those separated from loved ones. https://gbdeclaration.org/ Peter Olson Goonengerry
Letters to the Editor Send to Letters Editor Aslan Shand, fax: 6684 1719 email: editor@echo.net.au Deadline: Noon, Friday. Letters longer than 200 words may be cut. Letters already published in other papers will not be considered. Please include your full name, address and phone number for verification purposes.
Cartoon by Holly English www.hollyenglish.com
Time to transition I couldn’t agree more with Phillip Frazer’s article, that it really is time for Byron Shire to Save the World. A lot of what he suggests is already happening all over the globe via the inspiring Transition Towns movement. Originally an idea created in the small town of Totnes in the UK in 2006, it has been growing successfully ever since and has now spread to thirty countries. There are Transition Towns all over the world that are actively planning and striving to become sustainable and resilient so they can be better prepared to meet the challenges that lie ahead. It is an exciting movement of communities coming together to reimagine and rebuild our world. So why aren’t we doing something like this? In a Shire with so many smart, creative, talented and imaginative people, there is so much potential here to create an exciting new future for ourselves, and to be an inspiration to the rest of the world. And as Phillip rightly says ‘If not now, when? And if not us, who?’
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Films and koalas Last October, approaching Federal in the evening, I was amazed at the number of cars coming towards me. I then realised it was the film crew of Nine Perfect Strangers leaving the set on Kings Road. As I left Federal I came across a distressed koala on Federal Drive. I stopped and the Friends of the Koala help line was contacted. The carer took the koala to Lismore – he had a broken spine after being hit by a car. He was a 10-year-old male and was euthanised. I don’t know if it was one of the film crew that hit the koala, but by the number of cars at that time, it was a strong possibility. I contacted the production crew and suggested that at least the production company could make a donation to Friends of the Koala. I was advised a bucket collection from crew members would be made.
isolated incident and further deaths or stress have not been caused to local wildlife? The local wildlife is unable to speak out – can we? Should we be encouraging film crews to come to the region? Anna Molloy Goonengerry
Growing underclass According to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights every single human has a right to be housed. The Echo recently reported a disturbing incident at Brunswick Park where a homeless, crippled, First Nations male was severely beaten up. He required hospitalisation. His situation highlights the serious need to address the socio-economic situation that created this criminal act. The growing underclass â–ś Continued on next page
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If you’d like to know more about the exciting Transition Town movement, go to www. transitionnetwork.org. Geraldine Crumpton Fernleigh
In December the paltry sum of $368 was donated. The budget for Nine Perfect Strangers is more than $100 million. At one stage, at the end of last year, it was reported that there were three films being produced in the area. I have yet to speak to any local residents who have been impressed by the filming in the area, with the significant additional traffic, traffic disruptions, noise, lighting, etc. I feel there is an element of arrogance by the film companies as the idyllic location of the area is taken for granted with little or no benefit to the region. A previous letter to The Echo commented that the roads are deteriorating with all the extra film traffic – but how can we account for the reduction in wildlife? How can we be sure that this is not an
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Adam Hole Band Wednesday 27 January
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`ÍŕƖÍſơ NJǧǽ NJǧNJǨ The Byron Shire Echo 9