Pictured at Haven, one of this year’s venues, from left is Byron Writers Festival Artistic Director, Jessica Alice; BWF Board Chair, Courtney Miller; founder and board member, Chris Hanley; and Alexis Zahner, Communication Manager.
Two-time Walkley Award-winning journalist and international bestselling author Trent Dalton and New Delhi-based International Booker Prize-winner Geetanjali Shree are set to lead the festival as it takes over Byron from Friday, 14, to Sunday, 16 August.
Byron beachfront DA raises community concerns
Aslan Shand
In the 1980s, the Byron Shire community came together to fight for height limits. They drew a line at nine metres, rejecting Gold Coast–style high-rise development on their beachfront. Instead, they backed environmental protection, sensitive design and a vision for something different.
That fight has never really ended. Ocean views and liquor licences remain a powerful lure.
Time and again, developers buy up sites, demolish existing buildings and propose oversized projects that push beyond height limits and sidestep local planning controls.
Once again, locals are raising concerns about a development application (DA) for 2 Jonson Street, Byron Bay. This prominent beachfront corner site, opposite both the Byron Bay Pool and the Beach Hotel, sits within a high-pedestrian area. The proposal seeks to demolish the former Quicksilver surf shop,
a contemporary coastal building that reflects the town’s character and complies with the Development Control Plan (DCP) and Local Environmental Plan (LEP).
In its place, the applicant proposes a far more intensive development. The new design exceeds height limits, removes approved retail and residential components, and increases the scale of the site to accommodate up to 670 patrons.
The zone objectives are clear:
They will be joined by Goorie and Koori poet Evelyn Aralue, Siang Lu, Steve Toltz, Melissa Lucashenko, Zoe Terakes and Richard Denniss, with the full program to be announced in the coming months. www.byronwritersfestival.com.
Photo Jeff ‘This Is Where I Draw The Line’ Dawson
Child on e-bike hit by car in Bruns
Just after 11.50am on Saturday, 25 April emergency services were called to the intersection of Fawcett Street and Tweed Street, Brunswick Heads, following reports that a child had been hit by a car.
Police were told a ten-year-old boy was riding an e-bike when he was hit by a ute.
The boy was treated by NSW Ambulance paramedics before being airlifted to Gold Coast Hospital in a stable condition.
The driver, a 23-year-old man, was subjected to a roadside breath test and returned a negative result. A crime scene was established and officers attached to Tweed/ Byron Police District, with the assistance from Crash Investigation Unit, commenced an investigation into the circumstances surrounding this crash.
As inquiries continue, anyone with information or dash cam footage is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
Byron DA exceeds height limits, encroaches public land
to provide retail, business and community uses that serve residents, workers and visitors, while supporting a vibrant local centre.
The previously approved development (DA 10.2022.29.1) comprised a modest 58-seat restaurant (272m²) that is less than 20 years old. It is now proposed to be replaced by a threestorey restaurant, bar, and entertainment venue with a basement, catering for 670 patrons and 20 staff, with no on-site parking, at an estimated cost of $14.18 million.
The application does not comply with the Byron LEP 2014 height controls. It states the building will reach 12.38 metres – 3.38 metres above the limit – with some elements exceeding this by up to 37.5 per cent, despite the DA claiming the ‘building has been designed so that its perception is that it does not exceed the height limit’.
Each breach sets a precedent. This DA not only breaches height controls but also sets a new precedent for exceeding the desired character of the area and introducing a bulk and scale that isn’t low key and doesn’t meet the NSW Coastal
Design Guidelines (NSW CDG) requirements for development that doesn’t dominate the existing character.
The DA also doesn’t provide the required visual representations to identify the impact of the proposal in response to the adjacent Beach Hotel or as viewed from public spaces, being the adjacent Apex Park.
The provision of public art with this DA also defies the Coastal Design Guidelines by not providing the opportunity to celebrate and respect the connection with Traditional Custodians under 4.3.1e and 4.4.1e of the NSW CDG requirements.
‘Approving this proposal risks further eroding Byron Bay’s low-scale coastal character,’ said Brooke Crowle, convenor of People of Byron, a group of local businesses and residents.
No on-site parking
The development removes on-site parking, and proposes no replacement on-site parking, or bike parking relying instead on a financial contribution and public spaces. Tony Stante, Transport and Infrastructure (Community) Committee Member, says,
‘this represents a missed opportunity to deliver essential infrastructure within an already constrained CBD and busy foreshore’.
In addressing transport, the Traffic Impact Assessment states patrons will be ‘escorted safely to transport’. While this may sound adequate on paper, the reality is different. As Tony Stante notes, ‘multiple venues close simultaneously after midnight, creating high demand, with hundreds of patrons and workers needing to get home’.
The DA also seeks the partial removal of an existing footpath to create a loading bay with direct ground-floor access, including waste collection, within Bay Street. Unlike the currently approved DA, which remained within site boundaries, this proposal extends into public space. It also includes alfresco seating within the Jonson and Bay Street footpaths, further reducing the public domain.
‘This DA conflicts with the strategic intent of the Byron Bay Town Centre Masterplan, which prioritises public space, coastal character, sustainable development and community-led outcomes,’ said Ms Crowle.
People of Byron have also questioned why the proposal was not classified as ‘community significant’ by Byron Shire Council, aside from the voluntary planning agreement (VPA).
‘Given that Council’s Community Participation Plan identifies pubs and small bars as community significant, it is difficult to understand why a licensed venue of this scale –up to 674 patrons – would not meet that same threshold,’ Ms Crowle said.
‘It is my belief that most people would consider a high-capacity licensed venue, combined with variations to key planning controls that adjoins the foreshore and main pedestrian precinct, as having impacts that extend well beyond just the site, this affects public space, visual amenity and the broader town character,’ she said.
Make a submission on the BSC website https:// datracker.byron.nsw.gov.au. Submissions on the DA close on 29 April. Late submission are often accepted online, or send it directly to your local councillors. Find your local councillors at: www.byron.nsw.gov.au/ Council/Leadership/ Mayor-Councillors.
Countback sees Labor’s Peter Doherty elected to Byron Council
Bangalow resident Peter Doherty (Labor) has been elected to Byron Shire Council (BSC), replacing Labor councillor Asren Pugh, who resigned in March.
Cr Pugh resigned on the last day that a countback would be triggered rather than a byelection, ensuring that his Labor running mate, Mr Doherty, would take his position on Council.
‘It was an honour and a privilege to be elected to BSC on Wednesday, 22 April,’ Cr Doherty told The Echo
‘I look forward to serving the good people of Byron Shire and working with my fellow councillors to gain the best outcomes for Byron Shire.’
Byron
‘On behalf of the Councillors and staff I extend my warmest congratulations to Peter on his election and I hope he finds public office as rewarding as I do,’ Mayor Ndiaye said.
‘I know Peter has been in our public gallery before so the meeting process won’t be entirely new and daunting, and staff will make sure he has all the support he needs for his new role,’ she said.
SATURDAY 20TH JUNE 2026 @6PM
New Labor Councillor Peter Doherty. Photo Jeff Dawson
The NSW Electoral Commission made the announcement this week after a countback of votes from the 2024 Local Government Election.
Shire Mayor, Sarah Ndiaye, welcomed Mr Doherty to the council.
Explore Mullumbimby’s Wondertrail
Connecting children and their big people to the beauty, sounds, and stories of nature, The Wondertrail takes everyone on a journey of delight through Mullumbimby’s Heritage Park and Maslen Arboretum.
The Wondertrail, designed for children under ten and their families, was launched over the weekend and with a combination of a beautifully illustrated activity guide and an interactive soundscape experience accessible via QR codes along the route is giving everyone a connection to their environment.
For creators, Valley Lipcer (Artistic Director of Roundabout Theatre) and Aviva Reed (Visual Ecologist) the project has been an exciting opportunity to experiment with new forms of theatre and site-responsive design that encourage nature connection and ecological awareness.
‘We are passionate about ecological imagination and storytelling and share a desire to create meaningful experiences that both
educate and reconnect children and families with the natural world,’ Ms Lipcer said.
Time to go on an adventure
‘The QR codes link children to stories from the river, the animals and the trees that have been developed with Luminous Youth Kids, a
group that connects children to the environment and culture through nature and storytelling,’ she said.
The Wondertrail starts at the Mill Street entrance to Heritage Park where a small number of printed guides are available from a brochure box. Alternatively, people can download and print a guide, and pack it
along with pencils, crayons and a device that is connected to the internet that will allow people to listen to the soundscape.
The Wondertrail runs until 1 June. For more information and to download the guide visit www.byron.nsw.gov.au/ Recreation-Culture/ Events-Venues/Whats-On/ The-Wondertrail.
Byron Shire ratepayers’ bills set to climb
Paul Bibby
Byron Shire ratepayers are facing another year of rising Council fees and charges, with Council’s draft 2026/27 budget showing an overall increase of around six per cent.
The proposed changes form part of Council’s draft Statement of Revenue Policy, which sets out how rates, fees and charges will be applied in the coming financial year.
The policy, along with the broader draft budget and operational plan, is due to be debated at a special Council meeting on 30 April, before going on public exhibition.
The increases come at a time when, like many Australians, locals are already grappling with rising living costs, particularly higher fuel prices driven by the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, which is flowing through to everyday expenses across the region.
$293 increase a year
Under the proposed fee schedule, the average residential rate will rise by 4.6 per cent, in line with the Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal’s rate peg.
But once water, waste and sewer charges are factored in, the total annual bill for a typical fully serviced property
Clarification: SPPA secretary and president conflict of interest
Hayley Devlin, Secretary of the Suffolk Park Progress Association (SPPA), has asked The Echo to publish her clarification of the conflict of interest declarations now made by herself, and by President Kelly Minahan, concerning the 9-15 Clifford Street development application
in Suffolk Park. Devlin said, ‘The Secretary’s declared conflict of interest is that she lives in one of the units proposed to be demolished. The President’s declared conflict of interest relates to renovation work he has carried out on the site over many years.’
is set to climb from $5,119 to $5,412, an increase of $293, or 5.7 per cent.
The biggest jump comes from water, with both access and usage charges increasing by about ten per cent. Council says this is partly due to ‘the increase cost to purchase water from Rous County Council’, as well as broader pressures on the water fund.
Waste charges are also rising by between four and six per cent, while sewer charges will increase by 3.8 per cent. The increases follow several years of increases in rates and fees across the shire.
Service charges and user pay increases
While general rate rises have been constrained by rate pegging since the end of Council’s last Special Rate Variation in 2020/21, households have continued to absorb increases through service charges, particularly for water and waste.
Council has also progressively increased user pays fees across a range of services.
This year is no exception.
The draft fees and charges schedule includes several
notable hikes, including a significant increase to the annual levy for children’s services, which would rise from $250 to $450, and sharp increases to some cemetery fees.
Changes to market and food business fees are also proposed, with some charges rising substantially.
Council argues the increases are necessary to keep pace with inflation and rising costs, noting that fees have been adjusted to reflect ‘increases in the Consumer Price Index (CPI)/Indexation’ and the ‘cost of service provision’.
Its budget papers also point to escalating expenses for materials, insurance, and technology, alongside growing demand for services and infrastructure maintenance.
Even so, the overall rise is likely to add to cost-of-living pressures for local residents, particularly given the cumulative impact of previous increases.
Residents will have an opportunity to make submissions during the exhibition period, with Council required to consider community feedback before final adoption in June.
Elodie, Asher, Milo and Loadi explore the Mullumbimby Wondertrail.
Photo Jeff ‘Forest Nymph’ Dawson
ANZACs remembered across the region
Locals
among Global Sumud Flotilla, bound for Gaza to deliver critical aid
Juliet and Isla Lamont are two Northern Rivers residents among 14 Australians who just departed ports in Italy, setting sail aboard the Global Sumud Flotilla headed to Gaza with critical aid.
‘They join the largest humanitarian maritime mission in history, with thousands of participants on more than 80 boats. The flotilla’s mission is to break the naval blockade
that has isolated Gaza since 2007, and deliver 500 tonnes of critical aid including medicine, food and baby formula,’ they said in a press release.
Flotilla participants and organisers are calling on Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Foreign Minister Senator Penny Wong to formally notify Israel that Australian citizens are aboard the flotilla and
must not be harmed.
‘The previous Sumud Flotilla in October 2025 resulted in seven Australians being kidnapped and detained by Israeli defence forces in international waters. Once imprisoned in Israel, they suffered up to ten days of beatings, abuse and humiliation while witnessing far more severe cruelty to Palestinians,’ they said.
Green light for Gulgan industry hub, questions linger
Paul Bibby
Byron Shire Council has signed off on a new planning blueprint that will transform a 52-hectare rural site off Gulgan Road in Brunswick Heads into a mixed light industrial and ‘work/live’ precinct.
The site is part of 66 The Saddle Road at Brunswick Heads, a large greenfield site that is slated for major residential, industrial, and social housing developments over the next decade.
Under the newly adopted Development Control Plan (DCP), part of the site known as ‘Area 5’ is set to become home to a clustered network of businesses, studios, and light industry, interspersed with housing and surrounded by conservation areas.
The plan, adopted unanimously at Council’s 16 April meeting, sets the rules for how the land will be subdivided, built, and managed into the future.
The development has been framed by its proponents as a ‘vibrant and sustainable urban environment’ combining light industry, creative businesses, and small-scale commercial activity with integrated housing, where people can live and work on the same site.
The layout is divided into three main precincts: a ‘productivity support’ zone with studios, offices and attached dwellings; an artisanal hub for smaller-scale makers and creative industries; and a more conventional light industrial area catering to uses ranging from food production to vehicle repair and warehousing.
Surrounding these is a fourth precinct made up of conservation land, designed to protect existing rainforest patches, waterways, and wildlife habitat, while buffering the development from neighbouring properties.
The proposal is presented as an attempt to blend industry with ecology and community, with documents outlining ambitions such as ‘carbon neutral operation’ and more efficient land and water use.
But when the draft plan went on public exhibition late last year, locals raised significant concerns.
Several submissions argued the proposal underestimated how many cars the development would generate, particularly given Byron’s limited public transport.
Concerns centred on the original suggestion that ‘work/live’ arrangements could justify reduced parking, with locals warning that employees, customers, and residents would all still need spaces.
Council staff ultimately conceded the point, scrapping references to reduced parking and revising the controls to increase provision.
Traffic and access were another key issue, especially fears that The Saddle Road – a narrow, semi-rural
route – could become a de facto overflow or shortcut.
In response, the final plan states that there will be no vehicle access from The Saddle Road, with the main entry via Gulgan Road and additional design measures aimed at preventing spillover parking and informal connections.
There were also calls for stronger pedestrian and cycling infrastructure, tighter controls on domestic pets to protect wildlife, and greater recognition of the area’s Aboriginal cultural significance.
Each of these concerns appears to have been acknowledged in the final document, with new provisions for wildlife protection, cultural engagement, and improved walking and cycling links included in the DCP.
The Council’s decision to sign off on the DCP marks the latest chapter in what has been a long, and at times, contentious planning journey for The Saddle Road site, which has been earmarked for industrial and community use in various strategies and proposals dating back more than a decade.
Debate has ebbed and flowed over that time, often centring on the tension between the need for more employment land in the Shire and the desire to preserve the rural character and environmental values of The Saddle Road corridor. With the planning framework now locked in, attention is likely to turn to the first development applications for the site.
Mullumbimby’s Anzac Day rememberence, ‘Lest We Forget’. Photo Jeff Dawson
Gulgan Road zoned areas.
Local News
Meeting called for Mullum Hospital site DCP
Aslan Shand
The failure of the draft development control plan (DCP) for the Mullumbimby Hospital site to meet community expectations on the provision of a ‘village community’ that meets a range of housing needs on the site has led to the call for another public meeting on Monday, 4 May at the Mullumbimby Ex-Services Club from 6pm.
‘This meeting will update you on the DCP and explain our main concerns, particularly that there is no longterm guarantee of affordable housing in the development,’ said a spokesperson for the organising groups that include the Mullumbimby Hospital Action Group (MHAG), the Mullumbimby Residents Association, House You, and some Greens councillors.
Former town planner Ian Pickles highlighted the importance of ‘getting the DCP right, and ensuring this one-off opportunity for provision of public housing on Council, flood-free, urban land is not wasted for the community’.
Currently, the DCP only references a 20 per cent
affordable housing for the 250+ lot site. Under the affordable housing SEPP that housing would be rented at 80 per cent of market rate and can be onsold into the private housing market after 15 years.
A village, not a ghetto or gated community
Multiple community consultations, including the project reference group (PRG), have identified that the community wants a village with mixed housing at the site so that it neither becomes a ghetto of disadvantage nor a gated community of the wealthy. The vision is a mix of housing, including people who need housing support, to those who are working as teachers, police officers, and nurses, the elderly and those with families.
Mr Pickes told The Echo that the DCP needs to provide more ‘adequate guidelines and prescriptive measures in the draft DCP’ in particular around affordable housing, how to lock-in the provision of public housing, and the ‘need to ensure DCP properly reflects Council Resolution 25-574’ that
Byron Shire Community Award nominations open
Do you know a person, group, or business that has made an important contribution to the community?
If the answer is yes, then you might want to look at nominating them for the Byron Shire Community Awards 2026. There are eight categories: Community Member of the Year; Young Community Member of the Year; Access and Inclusion Award; Caring for Country Award; Creativity Award;
Contributions to Health and Wellbeing Award; In Business for Good; and Community Initiative of the Year.
Make a nomination
Nominations close Sunday, 31 May. To make a nomination for the 2026 Byron Shire Community Awards, go to Council’s website and complete the online form: www. byron.nsw.gov.au/ communityawards.
sought stakeholder feedback. The MRA were clear in their response that they wanted a development and DCP that ‘delivers the living village the community was promised’ rather than ‘a standard residential subdivision with a small community room’.
‘If just 3,000 sqm was earmarked for public and social housing, it would enable perhaps over 50 social housing units, just eight per cent of the total site area,’ explained Mr Pickles.
‘It seems that putting a lid on the proportion of affordable housing, and avoiding a commitment in the DCP to social housing, has much to do with the short-term goal of maximising the englobo sale price to offset the $5.68 million cost of remediation, rather than maximising the longer-term goal of ensuring some public housing in perpetuity.’
Find out more at this Monday’s meeting or contact the MRA at mullumra@gmail. com for more information on how to submit your response to the draft DCP. You can put a direct response to the DCP in at https:// yoursay.byron.nsw.gov.au/ dcp-mullum-hospital.
Celebrate 15 years of Mother’s Day treeplanting
Join in the annual Brunswick Valley Landcare Mother’s Day treeplanting on Sunday, 10 May with live music, a barbecue, cakes, coffee and a very special community vibe, celebrating all mums from 9am to 12pm.
The planting is at a multiple occupancy (MO) at 6 Durrumbul Road, Main Arm with original shareholder Ros Elliott telling The Echo, ‘In 1985 we (all shareholders of our MO) decided to plant several thousand trees on cattle grazing pasture as we
wanted stationary lifeforms that didn’t break fences, raid gardens, etc like the cattle we were agisting. This forest now has koalas visiting, goanna, swamp wallaby, pythons, etc.’
Leo Gortz, who was born on the property, has now returned and is living there with his own family.
‘We are very excited to be part of the Mother’s Day planting. I was born on this property, and the restoration of our native forest has been a constant part of my life.
It feels special to continue that journey while sharing the experience and joy of planting trees with the wider community,’ he said.
The event started with the support of the Mullumbimby Music Festival and has continued with the support of Little Valley Distribution, The Mullumbimby Chamber of Commerce, the Australian Government Department of Social Services Volunteer Grants program, The Echo, Bay FM, Woolworths and community donations.
More value preserving state forests than logging them
National parks in north-east NSW are responsible for injecting around $4.4 billion into the regional economy and supporting some 14,100 regional jobs, according to the latest visitation statistics from NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS).
The state forests in north-east NSW have been identified by the Australian Commonwealth as the highest national priorities for addition to the reserve system to satisfy the Global Biodiversity Framework target to protect 30 per cent
of Australia by 2030.
Logging state forest not profitable
The NSW Forestry Corporation lost $32 million of taxpayers’ money logging the state’s public native forests to prop up a declining industry that is being out-competed by cheaper plantation timber. North East Forest Alliance (NEFA) is calling for the NSW government to stop logging state forests and protect them as national parks.
National parks mean jobs
‘Conservation groups have fought hard over many decades to create most of our national parks, so it is reassuring to see that our efforts have been good for the environment and regional economies,’ said Dailan Pugh, spokesperson for NEFA.
‘Visitation to national parks is rapidly increasing, over the past decade growing 25 per cent in north-east
NSW. Creating new parks will increase future recreational opportunities.
‘It’s time we stopped logging and degrading our public native forests as it is in the community’s best interests to protect them and allow them to recover. Recovering native forests will provide improved visitor experiences, while restoring animal habitats, sequestering and storing CO2 out of harm’s way, reducing fire risk, increasing stream flows, and reducing flood peaks,’ Mr Pugh said.
Julie-Ann Manahan
Founder
Sue Haining, Ros Elliot, Leo Gortz and Valley Lipcer getting ready for the Mother’s Day planting on Sunday, 10 May. Photo
A party with a conscience
Eve Jeffery
Four local legends have for the past ten years, and counting, created a space for the Northern Rivers community to come together for the purpose of fun and the aim of supporting good causes.
The faces behind the monthly Nudge Nudge Wink Wink event in the Billinudgel Hotel Shed, the Cunning Stunts, are Darren Sutton (DJ Lord Sut), Sarah Sutton, Dale Stephen, and Laura Peck. They have been hosting their signature events since 2015. What began as an idea to combine music, connection, and community support has grown into an iconic gathering, attracting people from across Australia and New Zealand, along with well-known DJs who are drawn to be part of its unique atmosphere.
To date, the initiative has raised $454,852 for 42 grassroots organisations. In recognition of its contribution, the event was awarded Byron Shire’s Community Event of the Year in 2020.
Co-founder Darren Sutton said that back in 2015, the idea came from wanting to do something positive for the local community.
‘In particular, we could see how underfunded many grassroots charities were. I realised early on that bringing people together regularly, through music, could create something
collective that gives back in a bigger way. That intention is still very much at the core of what we do today.’
Held monthly from September through to June, the event has built a loyal and ever-growing following. It is known for its inclusive, intergenerational crowd and its carefully curated music journey, led by resident DJs Lord Sut and Dale Stephen, alongside a rotating line-up of guest DJs each month.
Community building
Co-founder Laura Peck says the deeper purpose remains the driving force.
‘It really is community building community, for community. We bring people together, and through that collective energy, we’re able to support organisations doing incredible work, often with very limited funding, at a time when demand for their services continues to grow.’
The event’s long-standing
partnership with the Billinudgel Hotel has been central to its growth, providing a home that reflects the same welcoming, community-first spirit. It is supported by a network of local suppliers, partners and sponsors, and by the people who return month after month, helping shape the atmosphere and energy that Nudge Nudge Wink Wink is known for.
Now nearing the end of its tenth season, Nudge Nudge Wink Wink continues to evolve while staying true to what has made it resonate so widely. A significant milestone is on the horizon, with the 100th event at the Billinudgel Hotel set to be celebrated during the upcoming season.
As it moves forward, the intention remains unchanged, to create something that feels good, does good, and reflects the spirit of community, on and off the dancefloor.
Truck driver charged over death of Brunswick Heads teenager
Queensland police have charged a man following a fatal traffic crash on 10 October, 2025 which resulted in the death of a 14-year-old Brunswick Heads girl.
The accident occurred in Apple Tree Creek (near Bundaberg), with police saying that just before 2am a Volvo prime mover truck was travelling northbound on the Bruce Highway when it collided with a white Mazda
CX-5 and a white Toyota Hilux both travelling in the southbound direction.
‘The passenger of the Mazda, a 14-year-old Brunswick Heads girl, was declared deceased at the scene,’ stated police.
The driver of the Mazda, a 22-year-old woman was treated at the scene for minor injuries, and the driver of the Toyota, a 22-year-old man, was not physically
81 years young and diving into life
Paul Bibby
At 81, Brunswick Heads grandmother Kuaterina Mount is doing what many wouldn’t dare at any age, jumping out of planes, and loving every second of it.
With a flower tucked in her hair and a smile that refuses to fade, Kuaterina has been steadily ticking off skydives, often alongside her grandchildren.
Her latest leap came last month, when she took her youngest grandson skydiving in Wollongong to celebrate his 18th birthday, a milestone they both clearly relished.
‘It’s exhilarating,’ Kuaterina says simply, brushing aside any suggestion of fear.
‘I’ve never been scared.’
That calm, philosophical approach to hurtling toward the earth at 200km/h didn’t appear overnight. Kuaterina traces it back to 2008, when she first took to the skies paragliding in Nepal after volunteering in India.
‘I thought, that’s my reward,’ she recalls. ‘You’re just floating, it’s peaceful, beautiful.’
From there, the adventures continued across Turkey and Chile before she eventually made the leap to skydiving in 2017.
Backpacker’s
The NSW state coroner has recommended the death of 25-year-old Melbourne man Jackson Stacker be referred to homicide detectives.
injured.
The driver of the prime mover, a 32-year-old Park Ridge man was also not physically injured and has since been charged with dangerous operation of a vehicle causing death.
‘He has been released from custody on strict bail conditions and is due to face Southport Magistrates Court on 14 May, 2026,’ stated the police report.
Stacker’s body was found badly decomposed in a paddock alongside the M1 motorway at Sleepy Hollow on 25 August, 2021. A large hunting knife was lodged in his left chest, while his skull was located 14 metres away.
The ABC reported that State Coroner Teresa O’Sullivan said there was no evidence the knife belonged to Mr Stacker and police had been unable to determine its origin.
‘She said this could form
Since then, it has become something of a family tradition.
Her grandson, who had dreamed of skydiving since he was 10, was kept completely in the dark about his birthday surprise.
‘We told him we were going to a water park,’ Kuaterina laughs. ‘But when we got there and he saw the skydiving sign, he was so excited.’
For Kuaterina, the thrill lies not just in the adrenaline, but in a broader outlook on life.
‘If you’re going to do it, you can’t be in fear,’ she says. ‘There’s no point panicking. You just enjoy it.’
That attitude aligns with a growing trend noted by Skydive Australia, which says more older Australians are embracing adventure travel later in life. Recent figures suggest 43 per cent
of seniors now prioritise creating travel memories over leaving a financial inheritance.
Kuaterina isn’t surprised.
‘People think they’re too young to take risks because they’ve got responsibilities,’ she says. ‘But if you can do it, do it.’ She keeps active with yoga and gym sessions, but insists there’s no secret formula, just a willingness to say yes.
‘We’re lucky to live where we do,’ she says. ‘Why not make the most of it?’
And with more grandchildren lining up for their turn at 18, it seems Kuaterina’s sky high mission is far from over.
Next time you see a cluster of parachutes floating over the paddocks of Tyagarah, one of them might just be an adventurous local grandmother.
death referred to homicide
part of the primary evidence of homicide’, they reported.
No formal findings
‘The coroner said she was unable to make formal findings as to the manner or cause of Mr Stacker’s death’.
‘She referred to evidence from forensic pathologists during the inquest that the decomposition of Mr Stacker’s body created “limitations” to determining his cause of death.
‘Forensics were also unable to reveal whether the knife wound was selfinflicted or caused by an assailant.
‘She found Mr Stacker died some time between 22
July, 2021, when he was last seen alive, and 25 August, 2021, when police discovered his body’.
‘The inquest also examined whether there had been inadequacies in the police response to Mr Stacker’s death, particularly in relation to police initially regarding the death as a suicide.
‘The coroner said she was unable to find the investigation was inadequate.
‘However, she found it would have been appropriate to refer the case to the homicide squad and there was insufficient explanation as to why there was a delay in establishing a strike force’, the ABC reported.
Cunning Stunts, Laura Peck, Darren Sutton (DJ Lord Sut), Sarah Sutton and (DJ) Dale Stephen have raised over $450k for good causes. Photo Tree Fairie
Local Business Profile
Opportunities in uncertain times the key to financial security
Recent research from the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) shows that almost half of Australians aged 50-66 worry that they will outlive their savings, despite Australia having one of the largest superannuation systems in the world, now totalling over $4.2 trillion.
Only a third of people in this age group feel confident they will be financially comfortable in retirement. For many, the shift from accumulating wealth to drawing an income is unfamiliar territory, especially with a backdrop of volatile markets and economic change.
The current war in the Middle East is the latest disruption to ripple through global markets.
Senior investment adviser at Morgans Ballina, Leo Senese, told The Echo that the international political situation is creating a lot of uncertainty for retirees and investors, particularly surrounding energy, but sees opportunities amid the challenges. ‘You’ll notice that US markets in particular, have hit all-time highs just recently. They’re actually ignoring the war.
Short-term impacts
‘If you look back historically, wars tend to have short-term impacts on markets, because
markets are always forwardlooking, and we’re looking at larger trends that are occurring, including AI, data centres, and all the investment around that.
‘A lot of what we’re seeing is short-term noise,’ said Mr Senese. ‘The big drivers of economies going forward override this short-term uncertainty.’
He says Morgans’ local clients tend to invest in good quality stocks.
‘Given the client base and the demographic here in the Northern Rivers, which are predominantly self-funded retirees, they like their dividends and franking credits. But on top of that, we do look at
various emerging opportunities, particularly in growth markets overseas.’
Morgans Ballina have been helping Northern Rivers locals with their financial planning decisions since 1987, with principals Leo Senese and Kai Hansen heading up the team here since 2009.
Experience and expertise
Financial adviser Litsa Makrangelos has been in the financial services industry since she was 21, originally working in the government superannuation office in Victoria. Her focus at Morgans is on
YOUR BIKE SHOP IN BYRON BAY
personalised advice and strategy, and she has a particular interest in special needs children, aged care, and retirement planning.
‘Market risk, inflation risk, longevity risk and lifestyle risk are all interconnected,’ she said. ‘Decisions around when to retire, whether to keep working, how much income to draw and how to invest along the way can materially shape the retirement experience. Without a clear strategy, volatility can feel overwhelming.’
Building confidence
Ms Makrangelos says ASIC research shows that many Australians report low financial
literacy and limited confidence in managing their finances once they stop working, with essentials such as housing, health care, and insurance all weighing heavily on retirement budgets, even as superannuation balances appear larger on paper than ever before.
Despite these factors, it seems that many older people in the Northern Rivers remain broadly optimistic about retirement. Flexible work arrangements and better health also mean many are choosing to remain in the workforce for longer.
With the help of good financial planning – which goes beyond predicting markets and avoiding volatility – Morgans suggest retirement can take the form of a series of stages, blending lifestyle and financial decisions over many years, rather than being a single fixed event.
As Litsa Makrengelos puts it, for many people approaching retirement, preparation may be the difference between fear and lasting peace of mind. She told The Echo it’s important not to get caught up in short-term doom and gloom crisis thinking.
‘Remember 9/11 and Covid? There’s always the storm, but there’s the sun that comes through at the end as well.’
Senior investment adviser Leo Senese. Photo supplied
Kai Hansen is a Principal at Morgans. Photo supplied
The Byron Shire Echo
Who really needs a helping hand?
So what is really necessary for Australia’s bottom line? What is ‘unavoidable and urgent’ to ensure our budget bottom line?
Taxing gas companies who, as the Australian ATO have put it, are ‘systemic non-payers of tax’?
David Lowe pointed out in The Echo online, ‘The Japanese government, which has no gas of its own, is currently raising more revenue from taxing Australian gas than Australia itself’. Or perhaps, as eminent economist and long-time Secretary of the Treasury, Dr Ken Henry put it to last week’s Senate hearings on the taxation of gas resources, ‘Just do it. In the national interest, just do it, and stop the crap that the Australian public have put up with for decades now, in respect of the taxation of Australia’s finite natural resources’?
God no! It is all those damn people who are on the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS). Those people who need some kind of assistance to live their lives, those people whose families would be unable to work and pay taxes if they didn’t have the support of the NDIS. Those people who were previously stuck with a ‘broken system’ that the Productivity Commission in 2011 described as ‘underfunded, unfair, fragmented, and inefficient’.
There is no doubt that within any system there are those that rort it – look at the current gas lobby and what is paid in tax to the Australian people! The Australia Institute which is running very effective ads about the gas industry getting 56 per cent of their gas for free online (www.youtube.com/shorts/7lbOjhRlabI ). Or perhaps take a look at the case where the ‘Financial crimes squad detectives have charged a senior partner of a Sydney CBD law firm with facilitating more than $25 million worth of fraud for a criminal syndicate accused of fleecing Australia’s major banks of hundreds of millions of dollars,’ as reported in the SMH
These are people and organisations who have resources, who have opportunity, and motive. For people on the NDIS and their families they are seeking some level of equality, security, inclusion and control over their lives.
As a person with a family member on the NDIS my worst nightmare is that the person I love and care for might be exploited in any way. And there is an absolute need to ensure that the system has built in safety guards to ensure that they are safe, that they are not being exploited, that the system isn’t being taken advantage of by bad actors, as there needs to be in childcare and aged care.
But 160,000 people were not accepted onto the NDIS (which is in no way an easy task) because they don’t need help.
They absolutely need help, their families, carers, friends, and supporters need that help. So while the Thriving Kids program is one step in the right direction, the Australian government must ensure that there is the right assistance for the people they are transitioning off the NDIS that gives them the right support at the right time, otherwise the results will be devastating.
Aslan Shand, editor News tips are welcome: editor@echo.net.au
A taxing time for Albo
To tax or not to tax, that is the question. Whether to allow global corporations to continue plundering our resources for little return, or, by grabbing the corporate bull by the horns, make them pay their way.
Philosopher and author A.C. Grayling explained to a packed audience at Brunswick Picture House last week how democracy is not working here, nor in the US or UK and authoritarianism is on the rise.
When Abraham Lincoln declared in 1863 that government is ‘of the people, by the people, for the people’ it was anything but that, unless you were a middle-aged white man.
Women didn’t gain the right to vote in America until 1920!
Today in Australia, whilst the franchise has been extended to all adults aged 18 and over, six hundred thousand people aged 16 and 17 are denied the right to vote, even though they can drive cars, use social media, work, and pay taxes.
Many countries are righting this injustice including the UK.
Even when citizens exercise their right to vote, they usually elect a single political party to form government and as A.C. Grayling pointed out, it effectively becomes a oneparty state for the duration of their term in office, as partisanship rules.
I witnessed this as an MP in the NSW parliament. Liberal and Labor members voting in a division often had no idea what they were voting on. They were told how to vote with no freedom to choose.
They represented the wishes of the party not voters who elected them.
This is why independent teals have grabbed many formerly safe Liberal seats. They genuinely represent the people who vote for them.
Corporations do not make multimillion donations to political parties for charitable purposes. They are not wasting money employing over 700 lobbyists in Canberra, outnumbering MPs more than three to one.
They expect, and get, a return on their investment.
So, today it’s more a case of
The Byron Shire Echo
‘government of the corporations, by the corporations, for the corporations’.
After all, corporations are legally considered people!
Treasurer Jim Chalmers is facing tough choices as the May budget is impacted by Trump’s insane war on Iran.
Sadly, the most vulnerable will be the first to feel the squeeze. They have no power to fight back, no media barons to wage war for them, no billionaires batting on their behalf.
The National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) is being wound back and hundreds of thousands of people needing assistance will be abandoned to fend for themselves.
This massive cutback will slash jobs of those desperately trying to pay inflated rents, higher fuel and food costs. They are being thrown on the scrap heap.
Yes, rorts need to be dealt with, but that must not mean depriving desperate people of care.
As those cruel savings are made, the defence budget is being ramped up to prepare for war – with whom?
Our number one trading partner?
We are still locked into that crazy, wasteful AUKUS deal made with an unreliable former ally that no other country trusts.
Independents and Greens, not beholden to corporations, are demanding that fossil fuel behemoths exporting our gas should pay the Australian people a fair price for our resources.
Their demand for a 25 per cent export tax is way too modest, 50 per cent would be more appropriate. That would generate real income and relieve pressure on the budget.
As former Treasury Secretary Ken Henry said bluntly in a hearing of the Senate select committee into taxation
– Richard Jones
of Australia’s gas resource, ‘Just do it. In the national interest, just do it and stop the crap the Australian public have put up with for decades now’.
The Albanese government is finally talking about restoring the capital gains tax crippled by John Howard, and winding back negative gearing. These have caused massive problems for young people desperately trying to acquire homes.
Of course, rich landlords will squeal, and foreign corporations declare that they will no longer invest in Australia. Their voices will be amplified by billionaire-controlled media and their lackeys on opposition benches.
That should be mere background noise for the government when making important decisions on behalf of the real people of Australia, to restore some justice to the tax system, and finally take steps to deal with the gross inequality that has grown exponentially since neoliberalism was thrust upon us by Reagan and Thatcher.
The taxation burden currently falls far too heavily on workers paying income tax.
One Nation polling has increased because of dissatisfaction with major parties and their corporation-driven policies. Pauline’s Trump-style policies will make matters worse as they have for Americans, but these disgruntled battlers are desperate.
Bold action to rectify inequality and deal with some of their grievances will relieve pressure on ordinary households and transform the political landscape.
Government of the people, by the people, for the people must be restored. Just stop the crap.
■ Richard Jones is a former NSW MLC, and is now a ceramist.
No wards, no voice
There’s a simple reason Byron’s hinterland continues to be overlooked – we no longer have anyone elected to directly represent it.
Unlike Ballina Shire Council, which retains a ward system ensuring all three wards of that Shire have three dedicated elected councillors, Byron Shire Council operates as one undivided electorate.
Every councillor is elected by the whole Shire. That might sound democratic, but in practice it concentrates influence where the votes are – along the coast and main towns. Our villages end up without a real voice. Byron abandoned its ward system in 2004, and with it lost something important: clear geographic accountability.
Since then, no councillor is directly responsible for hinterland communities like Coorabell, Goonengerry, Eureka or Federal.
Councillors are voted in based on political factions.
The result is visible on the ground. While coastal and main town issues dominate debate and the fight for limited funding, our hinterland roads and facilities – relied
they struggled to accept a new dynamic style of leadership and the momentum of change that the new leadership heralded in. It was necessary to bring the association into the 21st century.
A new executive was voted in at the last AGM, and moved quickly to establish community consultation; spearheading much-needed actions in Suffolk Park. There were some unhappy losers after the AGM who did not want change.
The recent Echo letters published from the ‘old guard’ and the sensationalist style of journalism The Echo has conducted has misrepre-
Can ‘the story’ actually be investigated thoroughly before going to print?
Post Bluesfest
wonder for exploring one village’s stage to the next, then the next, with the prospects of lively cafes and pubs with music, arts and crafts galleries, stalls and shops.
With delightful forest sounds and magnificent sunlit settings to soak up in between these villages and towns to flood our memories, the trail will have us yearning to return for more.
This is a 365-day event annually, with start and end times and places being purely up to individuals or groups, by foot or bicycle.
No timetables.
ended up in some argy-bargy with a lady on social media, when I stepped up to defend the rest of us men.
The story about that site (which I have not visited – if that needs to be said) is not about 62 million men. It’s about 62 million visits.
So I divided 62 million by 5,000 (representing 5,000 individuals) which gives you 12,400 ‘visits’ per person. Still a lot.
But over 30 days, that comes down to 413 daily visits per person. 5,000 guys obsessing over the site for 30 days would give you 62 million registered ‘visits’.
Park
Gael Nash Suffolk
– The Echo stands by its reporting. We asked the SPPA president twice about any conflict of interests and then published his response.
– Letters Ed.
Hospital site
Having reviewed the latest plans for the redevelopment of the old Mullumbimby hospital site, I was amazed to see that no staged, old-age facilities have been included.
The first main reason for
After 36 glorious years of Bluesfest putting our region firmly on the map, a huge void is now a reality.
But the party shone through this Easter in many smaller venues with music and celebrations, thanks in part to our mayor’s encouragement.
And there’s another thing that promises to help distract and hold our enthusiasm, with year-round appeal and connectivity, and that is the much needed completion of our biggest stage of all, the 132km of the Northern Rivers Rail Trail.
Our remaining old rail cor
But to achieve this brilliant regional asset, Byron Shire needs us to help rally our state and federal governments into action to fund this remaining transition for us all.
So to help, please take a moment to fill in this very short petition at https://bit. ly/4bBoWYs.
Numbers really matter, so let’s do this. Let’s connect our rail trail.
Tim Shanasy Byron Bay
Views vs visits
In response to Mandy’s column [Echo, April 20] about the website that is teaching
In all the reporting on this story I haven’t yet seen an estimation of the actual number of men using the site. Only this figure of 62 million ‘visits’. I guess that’s what you call tabloid journalism. Does that in any way excuse those sick bastards who want to rape their wives? Absolutely not.
But it changes the perception – from a tidal wave to a manageable bunch of scumbags, who could be outed. 5,000 men is still shocking, but it’s not 62 million. 62 million would be an entire nation of predators – more than twice the size of
The 15th Annual Brunswick Valley Landcare
North Coast News
Richmond River erosion hot spots mapped
RNearly $5 million for busy Lismore route
Lismore City Council says it has secured $4.86 million in federal funds to progress the upgrade of the Dunoon Road and Tweed Street corridor. The corridor is described as a ‘key connection’ between Lismore and surrounding villages, including Dunoon, The Channon and Modanville.
Funds approved to help rehome cats and dogs
Nearly $38,000 in state funds has been announced for Friends of the Pound in the Tweed Shire and another $27,000 for the North Coast’s Animal Welfare League branch.
ous County Council has partnered with leading researchers from Griffith University to map critical areas of erosion following the 2022 floods, as part of a long-term strategy to improve the health of the Richmond River.
The year-long study identified areas of significant waterway erosion and mapped 1,600 landslides across the catchment feeding into the Richmond River.
The research focused on channel erosion in the Richmond River catchment, which has been shown to be the dominant cause of sediment in many rivers across sub-tropical eastern Australia.
Five Northern Rivers projects to benefit from ‘pokie’ profits
A community disaster recovery and preparedness group on the Northern Rivers is listed among 39 NSW projects to be approved for the latest round of the NSW Government’s Infrastructure Grants program.
major contributions from the 2017 and 2022 flood events, according to Brooks.
water and harms aquatic plants, fish, and overall water quality,’ said Mr Acret.
Tweed Council considers fuel crisis, looks to increase EVs
Tweed Shire Council’s fleet of vehicles could transition to a ‘substantial use of electric vehicles’ after councillors unanimously voted at last week’s meeting to adopt Cr Nola Firth’s motion and ask for a staff report on the matter.
Cr Firth wrote in her background notes, ‘Our Shire has a climate change plan to reduce fossil fuel energy use in our buildings, and with transport as the second highest source of carbon emissions in the Tweed Shire (31 per cent), we do now have hybrid vehicles in the Council fleet.
in EV vehicles and charging technology will require the development of EV policies and procedures within Council’.
Fuel supply crisis impacts on Council
Led by Adjunct Professor Andrew Brooks, a renowned fluvial geomorphologist at Griffith University, the study contrasted historical LiDAR imagery with post-flood 2022 datasets. This allowed researchers to pinpoint erosion ‘hot spots’ – areas where significant geomorphic change has occurred.
‘Within the catchment area analysed, we identified around 1,600 landslides triggered during the 2022 flood that generated approximately one million cubic metres of erosion,’ he said.
Sediment threat
‘The study found most erosion is occurring in the upper and middle reaches of the catchment. Investing in revegetation, improving soil health and stabilising riparian zones are practical actions that can make a real difference.
‘However, currently the only purely electric vehicle is the mayor’s car’.
During last week’s meeting, Tweed councillor Rhiannon Brinsmead asked senior staff to ‘provide advice on the current, likely and future impacts of the national fuel supply crisis on Council’s operations and budget, including any anticipated risks to service delivery, cost increases and planned mitigation measures?’
3.3m cubic metres
The study identified approximately 3.3 million cubic metres of erosion over the past decade, with
Shark bite trauma kits for everyone to use Surf Life Saving Clubs throughout NSW are to have new publicly-accessible emergency kits, for treating shark bites, attached to their buildings. There are 129 Surf Life Saving Clubs in NSW, including several in the Northern Rivers where shark encounters have been recorded.
With less than one per cent of floodplain rainforest remaining on the north coast, North Coast Local Land Services and Macleay Landcare Network partnered together to improve a small patch on the Macleay floodplain.
Cattle Tick Program boosted
The NSW Labor Government say they are progressing the ‘important work of the NSW Independent Biosecurity Commissioner into reviewing the state’s Cattle Tick Program by announcing a significant boost, by investing $7 million to rebuild the program to better protect the state’s livestock industry’.
One of the key threats to the health of the rivers and waterways is the build-up of sediment caused by channel erosion across the catchment, according to Anthony Acret, Catchment and Cultural Awareness Manager, at Rous.
‘When sediment flows into the rivers, it clouds the
‘This research gives us, for the first time, a detailed, catchment-wide picture of where erosion has occurred so we can prioritise repair and rehabilitation efforts.’
The project forms part of the Richmond River Coastal Management Program (CMP), led by Rous. ▶ More on www.echo.net.au
‘By comparison, Merribek Council has 30 electric vehicles, and Byron has five. There is also only one charger at the Murwillumbah Council car park.
The Manager Water and Wastewater Operations replied that while it was ‘difficult to provide detailed or accurate advice’ on potential impacts to Council’s operations, they said, ‘What we can advise is that Council has not been affected by fuel supply to date’.
‘It is a slow charger that takes many hours to fully charge a vehicle. Some councils however, such as Newcastle and Merribek, are installing fast chargers in the streets. State policy encourages government bodies to buy electric vehicles and provides financial incentives to do so. By planning for, and undertaking this transition, Council would be following state policy and also leading by example towards Shirewide lower carbon emissions and independence from variation in fossil fuel supply.
‘Council continues to monitor the national fuel reserve and has stood up Council’s Crisis Management Group (CMG) who have developed a risk strategy based upon the Commonwealth’s National Fuel Security Plan, which is a collective approach guided by four levels.
Senior staff wrote in reply to the proposal, ‘While preparation of the report has nil policy implications, the transition to investment
‘They are: plan and prepare; keeping Australia moving (current settings); taking targeted action; and protecting critical services for all Australians.’ ▶ The full reply is online at www.echo.net.au
Community housing slated in South Murwillumbah
The former Greenhills
Aged Care Facility in South Murwillumbah will be leased at a peppercorn rate to Anglicare and Social Futures for community housing, after Tweed Shire councillors voted unanimously last week to dispose of the Councilowned operational land.
Council staff said in their report that the facility, located at 433-437 Tweed Valley Way, was ‘transferred to Council ownership on 8 April 2024, following the 2022 flood-related landslip that led the United Protestant Association of NSW (UPA) to close the facility’.
In their motion, councillors requests ‘the NSW Reconstruction Authority to reallocate the landslip treatment funding for the former
Greenhills Aged Care Facility to Anglicare North Coast and Social Futures, subject to the delivery of a community housing outcome on the site’.
The staff report reads, ‘The land was originally gifted by Council to be used specifically for aged care purposes, with a caveat on the title requiring the land to be transferred back to Council should that use cease. As the facility is no longer operating, ownership of the site has now returned to Council’.
‘Since the transfer, Council has been investigating a range of potential reuse options for the site, with a particular focus on opportunities to address identified local housing needs’.
Richmond River sediment plume following cyclone Alfred.
Photo Rous County Council
Continued from page 9
We really have to take care how we read stories these days; we are being endlessly emotionally manipulated by the media, and by trolls who stir things up for ‘views’.
I agree with Mandy that it’s ‘clearly a lot of men’.
But it’s not 62 million. So maybe it’s a bit easier to say ‘not all men’. It is ‘just the perps’. And don’t worry about the rest of us stepping up.
We’re looking down the same barrel as you if they come within our sights. We’re not with them, we’re with you.
Michael Bevins Tasmania, formerly of Mullumbimby
Statistical laundering
Mandy’s ‘Not All Men’ article [Echo, April 20] really pushed my buttons this week, with the words ‘a website instructing men how to rape their wives received 62 million visits.’
A ten second fact check exercise would have revealed that the original website, not including the others which were reposted, received those visits to their website across all its content, most of which is unrelated to crime.
Social media quickly and incorrectly turned that into ’62 million men visited a rape training site.’
Obviously, one person can generate many visits and it does not mean that all visits were men or that 62 million people saw that specific content or that those people visiting agreed or acted on the content.
Traffic numbers are blunt instruments, they don’t tell you what people did on the site. The CNN investigation found that small groups, hundreds to low thousands engaged in criminal discussions. While still extremely concerning, [it was] confirmed as the correct number.
Mandy could have easily gotten her important message across to Echo readers
without purposely inflaming readers with her opening lead and then following through in the entire article basing it on the opening misinformation.
It is a classic case of statistical laundering making a connection between the actual numbers and the social media distortion.
I’m sure your readers would expect more from someone writing for The Echo for almost 25 years.
I guess never letting the truth get in the way of a good story is Mandy’s ‘go-to’ strategy these days.
John Travers Lennox Head
Plastic-free markets
Considering the toxicity of plastic, could the Byron Farmers Market try to become the first market in Australia (possibly the world) to eliminate plastic from coming in contact with any produce during production and sale?
I would like to buy these products, and some produce is already nearly there.
[And] In response to Sandra Helipern (Echo letters, April 20) – yes, EVs are a better option, but they have a huge cost to the environment during production (especially if produced in countries with lower environmental standards).
Like most products, the Earth is suffering because of their manufacture and distribution. Look at Bunnings – they don’t give two hoots
about their products once they leave the shop, probably contributed hundreds of thousands of tonnes to landfill. Oh I forgot they take used batteries .
Wally Hueneke Byron Bay
Insufficient infrastructure
Thanking those of you who have made contact with me.
Yes something has to change, I agree. Things have certainly got out of control.
The funding is not available to bring important infrastructure upgrades needed to accommodate additional development.
Yes, hearing those concerns of landfill. Again, the need for funding has caused obvious problems. Those who have existing homes and are now experiencing new development allowing for metres of landfill above ground with no stormwater deterrent to prevent water flowing into your property is very questionable.
How have we come to this? Certainly bad enough in our Shire with neighbours stormwater damages prior to this new allowance of metres of landfill. The sewage spills, the inadequacies of infrastructure upgrades and decades of ignoring maintenance of infrastructure is not how we are supposed to live. The developers obviously unaware of this and continuing to add to these issues is not acceptable. The
developers are necessary but we need development that works in with the existing residents.
We certainly do not need additional problems as we are unable to solve the existing problems due to no funding.
A call for a moratorium is required, much needed and is the only reasonable option at present. Certainly investigating other options for us all.
I live on Raftons Road Bangalow, it is quite a busy traffic and foot-traffic road and it services the subdivision above Rifle Range Road.
About four weeks ago, a huge branch fell across my driveway and half of the road, it was the length of the property plus. It is a huge ghost gum and one of two that are on the Council land.
If a local resident or myself was under or near the tree, there was the potential for death or severe injury.
The clean up crew came within the hour, and I asked them to report the enormity of the situation. The Council worker’s reply was that it would cost a fortune to remove the tree.
I am all for feeding the koalas and keeping a corridor, but when I see mothers and their children daily walking on this road, I am filled with horror as to the consequences of another
branch falling. I am afraid to be anywhere near the tree in the wind and worry about having to mow the lawn and collect the bins, just in case.
The Council men returned a couple of weeks later and trimmed a couple of branches, but this tree and the neighbouring tree are way too big to be on a busy suburban road and footpath. We have contacted Council on numerous occasions to report huge branches falling way too close to visitors,
their cars and the house. We have already tragically had a local man lose his life, perhaps because of bad lighting, and now I worry another tragedy is waiting to happen.
If you live near Raftons Road please contact Council and express your fears of walking on this road.
Sharne Warren Bangalow
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Everyone reads The Echo, even in Kyrgyzstan! Photo Michael Moller
A fallen ghost gum tree branch. Photo Sharne Warren
Close to 800 people join the Byron Bay Tri
The Byron Bay Triathlon on Sunday, 26 April saw plenty of people coming out to participate and watch as the race kicked off at 7.40am.
750 people were registered for the race, and while some pulled out due to the weather, most went ahead to enjoy the event.
‘Behind the scenes, our dedicated club volunteers and many local community groups began their day early, before the nearly 800 competitors arrived later to kick off the race,’ said Byron Triathalon spokesperson, Deborah Fuller.
‘A standout feature for many participants was the new run course through the wetlands, which introduced a refreshing and picturesque element to the race. It was also a joy to watch the 63 kids take part in their own category of triathlon. Their energy and smiles were the highlight of the event.’
Funding is provided to local organisations that assist in running the event. This year, funding will be delivered to the following groups: BBSLSC, Byron Tri Club, Pickleball , Croquet Club, NSW Scouts, Together She Thrives, and local residents who volunteered.
Banglow Bluedogs in action!
Results
This was the last race for the 2025/26 North Coast Interclub Series with the Byron Triathalon club results below:
Sprint Distance 750m/20km/5km: 1st 55-59m 1:16:20 Scott Sewell, 1st 40-44m 1:17:23 John Rueth, 6th 40-44m 1:21:50 Will Glasson, 2nd 60-64m 1:23:04 Huw Jones, 4th 30-34f 1:27:35 Boglarka Varga, 2nd 60-64f 1:28:40 Deb Fuller, 4th 60-64m 1:30:17
Dane Renshaw, 2nd 70-74f 2:00:26 Nerida Clarke. Olympic Distance 1.5km/40km/10km: 12th 40-44m 2:28:59 Adam Wicks, 8th 35-39m 2:31:00
Eric Blyth-Elvin, 9th 45-49m 2:53:39 Tristan Freedman, DNF 45-49m Declan Sherman (with a flat tyre).
The Echo wants to support you.
Please send stories, pics, match reports, upcoming events, tall tales (not too tall mind you), results and anecdotes to sport@echo.net.au.
Giants have strong games against Red Devils
Last weekend saw the Mullumbimby Giants clear the field against Byron’s Red Devils in all games except for the reserves.
‘It was a very successful day for everybody and the girls and the U18s had a good win,’ first-grade captain, Cody Nelson, told The Echo ‘Our reserve team went down to Byron in a pretty close game. For the firstgrade game it was a wet and tough game. In a battle of local rivalry between the Mullum Giants and Byron’s Red Devils the Mullum Giants came out on top after a very early, hard-fought game.
‘It was Byron Red Devils’ sponsors’ day so a big crowd was cheering everyone on,’ he said.
‘Byron’s Red Devils won the reserve game while the other Mullum Giants teams cleared the field. We have a lot of younger girls and younger players who are really standing up and meeting the higher expectations of senior football which was great to see.’
Mullum Giants sponsors day
The Mullum Giants sponsors’ day is taking place at home on Sunday, 10 May, playing against Ballina. The day starts when the girls kick off at 10.50am with
multiple games to follow. The A-grade kicks off at 2.45pm.
‘Bring the family, there wil be lots of people to have a great day with celebrating Mother’s Day with the canteen, bar, and fun for everyone throughout the day,’ said Cody.
A focused moment on the beach, everyone scanning the ocean, looking for the buoys, sizing up a course that feels a long way out! You can almost see the plans forming as they read the conditions and pick their line. Photo supplied
Bangalow Bluedogs player Brenton Spry getting some air in a men’s Division 7 match at home on Sunday, 19 April against Eureka. Eureka won the match. Photo Maralyn Hanigan
Mullum Giants boys had a good win against Byron’s Red Devils last weekend.
Photo Sarah Archibald
Mullum Giants girls also had a successful day.
Photo Sarah Archibald
The Good Life
Reforest Now are restoring the Big Scrub
Allie Godfrey
A local charity is making meaningful strides in restoring the region’s natural environment, one tree at a time. Reforest Now is dedicated to regenerating the Big Scrub by planting native, endemic species grown from locally collected seeds – ensuring the landscape is restored with the plants that truly belong there.
Working closely with landowners and other organisations, the group focuses on rebuilding ecosystems that have been degraded over time. A key priority is riparian zones –the areas bordering waterways – which are often damaged by clearing or livestock. By replanting these vital corridors, Reforest Now helps improve water quality, stabilise riverbanks, and boost biodiversity across entire landscapes.
can also purchase native foodbearing plants suited to both suburban and rural settings. Offerings include finger limes, native mulberries, Davidson’s plums, and Dianella grasses— plants that not only support biodiversity but also provide edible produce.
Beyond selling plants, the team offers practical advice and on-site assessments for landowners looking to improve the ecological health of their properties.
With a strong foundation in ecological restoration and a passion for the environment, the team at Reforest Now is helping to reconnect the community with the land – and ensuring a healthier, more resilient future for the region.
At their market stall, visitors
Funding for the initiative comes from both online donations and community support at their weekly market stall. Donations go directly into a planting fund, allowing the charity to subsidise tree planting projects. For example, if donations cover 5,000 trees and a landowner wants to plant 2,000, Reforest Now can significantly offset the cost – making restoration more accessible to those who might not otherwise afford it.
■ Find Reforest Now every Friday from 7am to 11am at Mullumbimby Farmers Market.
Caldera Brewing & Blending Co, the long game
In the landscape of modern brewing, where ‘fast and fresh’ is the standard, Caldera Brewing & Blending Co in South Murwillumbah is practising a slower, more patient form of the craft. Founded by friends Nick Loeve and Dom Alexander, the brewery is dedicated to the art of the long game, focusing on a style of beer that requires months, and often years, of quiet maturation before it ever reaches a glass.
Specialising in saisons, a traditional farmhouse ale originally brewed to sustain European workers during the harvest, Caldera elevates the style through mixed culture fermentation and oak ageing. The result is a beer that is characteristically dry and slightly tart, offering a refreshing acidity and a complex, earthy profile.
Because of this bright, bone-dry finish, these saisons are incredibly food-friendly, pairing as naturally with a variety of dishes as a natural wine or a dry cider might.
Unlike conventional modern beers fermented in stainless steel over a few weeks, Caldera’s offerings are living
layers of complexity and subtle ‘funk’ that cannot be rushed.
Sustainability and provenance are at the heart of every batch, built on a foundation of all organic malts and sustainably grown hops from southern NSW. When combined with traceable, local ingredients – such as lemon myrtle, mugwort, and fruits like yuzu, apricot, and mulberry – the brewery highlights a tangible connection to local growers and the surrounding environment. Each beer release is a vintage product, shifting with the seasons and the specific nuances of the oak barrels.
crystalbrookcollection.com/byron/forest
products. They are aged in oak barrels using a ‘house culture’ of wild yeast and bacteria – a microbial fingerprint unique to the Tweed Valley’s specific climate. The oak acts as a breathable vessel, allowing for slow micro-oxidation that develops
While their cellar door offers tastings and a glimpse into this ‘slow product’ philosophy, you can also find their beers in independent bottle shops, bars, restaurants, and Byron Farmers Market, or use the Beer Finder on their website to locate a stockist near you. In an era of instant gratification, Caldera serves as a necessary reminder that the most profound flavours are often those allowed to take their time.
This funk cannot be rushed’. Nick Loeve and Dom Alexander develop layers of complexity using a ‘slow product’ philosophy at Caldera Brewing.
Lucas selling natives, accepting donations and giving advice.
MOTHER’S DAY GIFTING AT THE LOCAL BYRON BAY
Mum deserves the whole lot!
Mother’s Day is just around the corner and The Local Byron Bay has done the hard work for you! Whether your mum loves cooking, craves slow mornings, or runs purely on chocolate and good tea, we’ve got the perfect gift.
For the mum who loves to cook: Bring bold flavour into her kitchen with Little Big Smokehouse, then pair it with vibrant homewares from Sage and Clare or Kip&Co. Colour on the table, joy in the room!
For the mum who needs a moment: give her permission to stop. Sol Medicinals’ nourishing syrups and salves, and the beautifully-crafted aromas from Vessel Scent fragrances will turn any corner of her home into a sanctuary.
For the mum who runs on chocolate: she needs Loco Love’s organic chocolates and a soothing brew from Tea Good. Because sometimes the best gifts are the ones you eat!
Whatever she loves, you’ll find it here.
Open seven days, 9.30am to 4.30pm 0461 582 656
5/21-25 Fletcher St, Byron Bay (next to Combi Cafe) thelocalstores.com.au @thelocal.stores
THE BOOK WAREHOUSE
They’ve been told they’re the best bookshop in the world. It’s a bold claim, and one worth investigating.
From the latest releases and timeless classics to books for children and teens, The Book Warehouse has something for every reader.
With screen-free time high on the agenda for many families, it’s a great place to encourage a love of reading.
You’ll also find art supplies, beautiful artist greeting cards, and plenty of bargains.
Lismore and Ballina thebwh.com
MOTHER’S DAY AT COLLECTIVE AUTONOMY
Celebrate the woman who does it all, with a gift as unique as she is. This Mother’s Day, skip the mass-produced, and shop local and sustainable at Collective Autonomy. Collective Autonomy is a curated gift store in the heart of Lennox Head, stocking a range of thoughtful gifts from sustainably-focussed Australian brands. From artisan jewellery to local handicrafts, each product sold in store is chosen for its eco-credentials and aesthetics, ensuring you’ll give a beautiful gift that doesn’t cost the earth.
4/64 Ballina Street, Lennox Head www.collectiveautonomy.com.au
Mother’s Day
BYRON
BAY
CHOCOLATE CO
Be the favorite child this year and give mum something from the Byron Bay Chocolate Co. Their chocolates are handmade with love in Byron Bay with a huge range to choose from so you'll be spoilt for choice.
Byron Bay Chocolate Co. is a family-run business, using only the highest quality ingredients and enjoyed by locals and visitors to Byron for the past 30 years. Stocked in all the best places! www.byronbaychocolateco.com
MULLUMBIMBY NEWSAGENCY
Find the perfect gift for your mum at Mullumbimby Newsagency - with candles, diffusers, large prints and gorgeous inspirational magnets, there will be something for every mum to treasure. They also stock Mother’s Day bags and a core range from Darrell Lea just to add some extra sweetness. At Mullumbimby Newsagency, they pride themselves on their friendly service and their staff are always willing to help you find that special something for your special someone!
44 Burringbar Street, Mullumbimby 02 6684 2127
ROSEFINA’S - CREATING A MUSICAL MOTHER’S DAY DINNER
Sydney’s own Nadya Golski - a contralto who has graced stages at Montreux, Edinburgh Fringe, WomAdelaide and the Sydney Opera House - brings her jazz trio to Rosefina’s from 5pm. Expect a rare blend of South Pacific roots, Eastern European/Balkan music, and French chanson, delivered with the kind of voice that stops a room. (She’s done Kazakhstan, your mum will be impressed).
Celebrate mum with a complimentary Classic Margarita, Rosé or mocktail on arrival.
Sunday 11 May, from 5pm Bookings: Rosefinas.place
‘There is nothing as powerful as a mother’s love, and nothing as healing as a child’s soul.’
ZOCALO
Looking for the perfect gift for the mother in your life? Discover something truly special at ZOCALO in Newrybar. Their thoughtfully curated collection brings together unique international brands and talented makers, from handcrafted Mexican ceramics to statement jewellery and sought-after labels like Spell, The White Raven, Leif, Gentle Habits, Posie, Nine Lives Bazaar, and ARCAA.
Whether you’re searching for something meaningful, stylish, or one of a kind, the ZOCALO team is here to guide you. Visit them instore and enjoy a relaxed, inspiring shopping experience designed to help you find the perfect piece.
Open daily 10am – 4pm, weekends 9am – 4pm. 17 Old Pacific Highway, Newrybar 0493 382 497 shopzocalo.com.au @shopzocalo hello@shopzocalo.com.au
WATTLEBEE BABY
At Wattlebee Baby there are lots of beautiful pieces for new mums and mums-to-be that are both beautiful and practical. If you can’t choose just one item why not visit the store and choose a few to really pamper mum, and the Wattlebee team will create a lovely hamper for you. In store there is currently 30-40% of maternity wear, including swimwear while stocks last.
They also stock the gorgeous For the Muma hampers and the beautiful For the Mama mugs which have an inscription ‘when a baby is born a mama is born too’.
For the full range of beautiful products for mum and bub visit them at Shop 8, Ballina Central, 44 Bangalow Road, Ballina (near the IGA and the chemist) Phone 0421 061 002 or online www.wattlebeebaby.com.au
Mexican ceramics, statement
& brands
loveSpell, Leif, The White Raven, Gentle Habits, ARCAA. shopzocalo.com.au @shopzocalo 0493 382 497
9. Ten years with new church leads to moral decay (9)
10. Setter in bed with celestial body (5)
11. Puff about journalist, an intellectual show-off (6)
12. Princess to take care on board, but blows up (8)
13. Bag about 500 – must be dedicated (6)
15. Back traitor over nuisance for unknown hanging (8)
18. Golfer’s stroke indicates how he likes his fries (4,4)
19. Insignificant person has Christine enfolded in a caress (6)
21. Choose the Sabbath to speak about a lump of excrement (8)
23. Cavendish to bleat about grandmother (6)
26. Round, huge and last (5)
27. Find fault as 100 ruined cities embrace religious instruction. (9)
28. Obscure note for Hinduism: relatively speaking, Einstein says it’s time (6,9) DOWN
1. Die is cast in work for king, a complex subject (7)
2. Ancient vegetation: just two notes about an unknown nowadays (5)
3. Upshot raises ire, even puts at risk (9)
4. Flavour no good? Give thanks first (4)
5. Confused man embraces Heath, or maybe Bush (8)
6. 4 down has back spasm leaving New Guinea, understood? (5)
7. Professor Marcia takes note of cake (9)
8. Talk about clenched fist will do the job (7)
14. A neurotic mixed up some liqueur (9)
16. Promotion brings joy about the middle of tavern (9)
17. Chap surrounded by retro style was swept away by love! (8)
18. Reject Confederation of Australian Sport dandy (4-3)
20. Part payment of French in public transport (5-2)
22. Respond and do it again (5)
24. Excuse Mohammed: goes both ways! (5)
25. Steady company (4)
Quick Clues
ACROSS
LILITH
Major news for the zodiac’s twins is Venus and Uranus moving jointly into Gemini headquarters, Venus for a few weeks, Uranus for seven years…
Echo and the Funny Woman
Mandy Nolan
Not everyone gets the opportunity to have a voice.
1. Best seats in lower level of a theatre (9,6)
9. Moral decay, usually associated with the passing of time (9)
10. Celestial body traditionally presaging disaster (5)
11. Perfectionist, nit-picker (6)
12. Expands, puffs up (8)
13. Holy, sacrosanct (6)
15. Embroidered wall hanging (7)
18. Golf stroke, a shortish lob (4,4)
19. Nut grown underground (4)
21. Day of the week (8)
23. Fruit (6)
26. Last letter of the Greek alphabet (5)
27. Judge the merit of (9)
28. Direction at right angles to all three of length, breadth and height (6,9)
DOWN
1. Tragic ancient Greek king of Thebes (7)
2. Ancient plant, for instance cabbage tree palm (5)
3. Places in peril (9)
4. Sharp taste (4)
5. Citizen of the USA (8)
6. Unspoken, understood (5)
7. Traditional Australian cake (9)
8. Fulfil, supply the needs of (7)
14. Liqueur based on orange (9)
16. Height, altitude (9)
17. Made love to, swept away (8)
18. Thrown away, discarded (4,3)
20. Second hand item used as part payment on a new one (5-2)
22. Respond, oppose (5)
24. Legal excuse (5)
25. Steady, unyielding (4)
#15 Last week’s solution #14
Especially a woman like me. I can have extreme views. Or at least views that aren’t shared or supported by mainstream media. I can upset people. A lot. I am emotional. I am unpredictable. I don’t write in a regular way. Sometimes I’m journalistic and factual. Other times I’m personal and reflective. I can be ironic or gross. Or offensive. I can be sincere one week and stupid the next. Sometimes it’s a moral rant, other times it’s a political one. Sometimes it’s both. I sometimes get it wrong. Not much. But sometimes. I’m a feminist. I’m irreverent. I swear. I’m overly self reflective. I’m woke. And sometimes I’m not.
And for the past 24 years I have been in a relationship with you. My precious, much-loved, magnificent reader. You have heard me. And I have listened in return, and tried to reflect on things you care about. Or might want to know about. Or found ways to talk about things we don’t talk about very well,or often, in the public space. I share my unfiltered thoughts with you. And I hope you appreciate the authenticity. It’s in short supply in mainstream media.
Nearly every day at least one of you stops me in the street, or sends me an email or a text, and sometimes even a letter to tell me that you love what I write. That you were moved, or enraged. That you cried. That I told your story. That you learnt something. That you laughed.
You tell me that you love this column and you thank me.
A few contact me to tell me they despise me. That I got it wrong. So wrong! Which makes me smile, because they read me too. A lot. I have found an audience who loves me and those who do not. Ironically – they both read me. It’s a wondrous and uncomfortable communion of writer and reader, made even more dynamic when your readers are people in your community. People who serve you in shops, or clean your teeth, or take your blood. It keeps you strangely accountable to this big broad agreement that we have here. With me as your voice. And you as
ARIES: Is motivator Mars in Aries tempting you to make a hasty move or promise you’re not really sure you can honour? Don’t. It’s more important right now to proceed without bruising feelings or losing trust. Sometimes the most powerful moves are the ones that leave room to breathe.
TAURUS: This week’s best news? Your guiding planet Venus moving to her most scintillating, socialising zone to lighten and brighten this full-on week. With five planets in one of the zodiac’s most forceful signs, even well-intentioned enthusiasm might feel like pressure, so move carefully, read the room.
GEMINI: Uranus jetting into Gemini for the next seven years promises the world in general, and Geminis in particular, a thrilling mix of excitement, disruption and game-changing ideas as connections dissolve and evolve at warp speed. And there’s more: diplomatic Venus arrives in Gemini to grace and finesse your delivery.
It’s grassroots. It’s family owned. It’s hairy. It’s difficult. It’s fallible. It’s brave. It’s relentless. And it’s still here.
my reader. And me committed to find our narrative. Every week. It’s rare. And it exists because of this remarkable little paper called The Echo This fiercely independent and quirky little publication who has let me have a voice that doesn’t always reflect its own. Who sometimes cop flack because of something I’ve said. Who have at times probably even lost advertisers, and were once threatened with legal action. This wouldn’t have happened anywhere else. Have they called me into the office and told me not to write something? Never. Have they told me to be less feminist? Never. I appreciate that. Because in the world of publishing, that NEVER happens. Publishers ALWAYS tell you what to write. Except The Echo And when the letters come in to continue the conversation. They publish them too. Even the Mandy haters, they get a voice too. Because conversation is two way. And if I stir the pot, I’ve got to be prepared for a response. Good. And bad. And I respect that. That’s media freedom.
This June the The Echo turns 40. In a media landscape dominated by the big players, The Echo has survived what
CANCER: Full moon on the second day of May in the sign of passion, power and politics is believed to stimulate joint ventures and shared resources, so be alert for lucrative opportunities, but do due diligence and choose your collaborators wisely. That said, it’s a week for enjoying life’s simple, sensual pleasures.
LEO: Leading is Leo’s astrological calling. But you are a fixed sign, so with combative Mars in headstrong mode, it’s necessary to craft graceful ways around stubborn standoffs. This week supports simplifying financial complexities, setting up healthy and rewarding routines, enjoying the arts and spending time in nature.
VIRGO: Budgeting, scheduling and project management all get the cosmic green light as your mentor planet Mercury roots into its most material-world placement for the coming couple of weeks and talks turn to money, security, tangible resources and ways you may be able to stretch your dollar.
LIBRA: Venus flits this week into her most social mode to remind everyone that life thrives on curiosity and fun. But this transit can sometimes cause short attention spans, so focus on projects that keep your brain engaged. Move your body to keep thoughts flowing, take walks, explore your local neighbourhood.
SCORPIO: This is your week to reward yourself with something you love at full moon in Scorpio on 2 May, your annual date to celebrate your sexy self, your determination and insight, your capacity for loyal friendship, your steadfast and enduring resourcefulness in transforming life’s difficulties and challenges into strengths.
SAGITTARIUS: While your planet guide Jupiter in security mode strengthens the current emphasis on taking care of business, sorting your to-do list and getting finances on a solid footing, don’t, as of course you won’t, neglect to balance the sensible and pedestrian with the occasional wellearned splurge.
many would say is unsurvivable. The Echo has never taken an easy route. People like Mungo wrote pissed-off pieces not puff.
The Echo isn’t a normal news source. It’s grassroots. It’s family owned. It’s hairy. It’s difficult. It’s fallible. It’s brave. It’s relentless. And it’s still here. Love it or loathe it, The Echo is a big part of how we have told the story of ourselves. How we have rung the bell. How we have gathered. How we have rallied for the vulnerable, how we have protected precious wild spaces, how we have raised our voices on injustice.
The Echo isn’t billionaires. It’s not corporations. It’s independent. It’s us.
Support The Echo, because without it we’re lost. www.echo.net.au/support-us
■ Mandy Nolan’s column has appeared in The Echo for almost 25 years. She is a writer, comedian and artist, and was the Greens candidate at the past two elections.
CAPRICORN: While Capricorns tend to feel they know best and often you do, the downside of your planet guide Saturn in go-ahead mode is overdoing it. So use this pragmatic transit to implement daily practices like taking a break, saying no when you’re maxed out, and respecting your limits rather than overriding them.
AQUARIUS: Breaking news for Aquarians: your guiding planet Uranus has just moved into the sign of communications. The mission of Uranus is to shake you free from stale patterns to start thinking in fresh ways, so stay curious and adaptable: the more you embrace change, the more inspired you’ll feel.
PISCES: Yes, it’s frustrating when others just aren’t able to get what seems evident to you. But with the sun currently in your communication zone, don’t expect people to read your mind over the next few weeks, which need you to spell out what you mean clearly and simply, without complications.
MANDY NOLAN’S
Hints for living a
HUMANS ARE IN A POSITION WHERE WE ARE PHYSICALLY shaping and changing the world we live in on a scale we have never seen before. Our every choice influences changes, systems, and outcomes on how the world will look in the future. Rising greenhouse gases are impacting global temperatures which is driving climate disasters from floods, wildfires, droughts, sea level rise and more.
How we chose to live our lives, how we chose to distribute wealth, resources, and provide equity across the world will influence how we get to live into the future. Inside Sustainability 2026 we look at a range of ways you can take action and shape your future in a positive way for yourself and future generations.
SUSTAINABILITY 2026
Sustainability – no one gets there alone
Dr Anne Stuart
SUSTAINABILITY IS AN EVERYWHERE WORD.
It can feel abstract. That’s because it lies at the intersection of large systems, environment, economy, and society, which is set against our daily decisions: often small, immediate, and constrained.
What creates this feeling is the gap between idea and practice. The idea of sustainability is clear in principle. But what does it mean for how a business operates on a Tuesday morning? Or how a household makes decisions under pressure?
Many organisations and businesses recognise the growing pressure to act, yet feel uncertain about where to begin. This creates hesitation.
Sustainability becomes more tangible when grounded in questions: how is energy used, how are materials sourced, how is waste assessed, how are people treated, and how are decisions made?
Sustainability is not an additional layer but a way of operating with intent, and over time. The intent is to question practices. It is as much a practical commitment as a mindset.
Questioning business-as-usual
Not-for-profits and for-profits share many of the same operational needs. Both require strong governance, clear strategy, financial sustainability, capable leadership, and effective risk management. Whether the goal is for-profit or for-purpose, success depends on how well an organisation functions.
Increasingly, for-profits are expected to demonstrate environmental and social responsibility alongside financial performance. This should not be seen as a burden; it actually sets up a more resilient and futurefocused business model.
Consider Fairphone, a Dutch company that redesigned its smartphones so every component could be replaced by the user. It extended product life to six years, reduced waste, used less virgin material, and lowered supply chain risk, delivering stronger margins over time. It is circular by design. Their approach was not charitable. It was commercially intelligent, aligning sustainability with long-term value creation. It was a smart business model. It aligned its business with B Corp Certification, and growth with purpose.
Sustainability 2026
An Echo Publications supplement Editor: Aslan Shand
Contributors: Ian Elderman, Dr Sian Grigg, Dr Willow Hallgren, Eve Jeffery, David Lowe, Mandy Nolan, Dr Anne Stuart
Advertising team: Emma Burkett, Anna Coelho, Lesley Hannaford, Angela Harris, Katie Thompson Design & production: Ziggi Browning
Fairphone could have continued to run its business as usual. It didn’t. It realised that the real risk was simply reporting compliance and not building resilience into its business model.
In Australia, Pablo & Rusty’s Coffee Roasters provides another example. Recognised with a Banksia Award, the company has embedded sustainability into its operations, achieving carbon neutrality, B Corp Certification, and has become a committed one per cent for the Planet member. It demonstrates how small and medium enterprises can lead with purpose while remaining commercially successful.
In the Northern Rivers, Norco Co-operative Limited has embedded sustainability into its operations through three central pillars: People, Planet, and Product. NORCO set a target to reduce carbon intensity (Scope 1 and 2) by 30 per cent by FY30 against a FY20 baseline, and has already exceeded this ambition, achieving a 39 per cent reduction in carbon intensity alongside a 32 per cent reduction in absolute emissions. Beyond energy, NORCO has focused on packaging innovation, transitioning to 100 per cent recycled PET (rPET) milk bottles to reduce reliance on virgin plastics. Through collaboration with Bega Circular Valley 2030, NORCO contributes to efforts to regenerate natural systems and transform waste into valuable resources.
From reporting to resilience
Many small businesses are measuring, but often it’s what’s easy, visible, or required. Focus should be on where impact lies, for example, total energy use and cost, and waste generated. Often a cafe or service
business, even a building with multiple tenants will have a ‘hotspot’. That hotspot may be to reduce energy (lighting, efficiency upgrades, solar panels, batteries, a Virtual Power Plant plan) or to review suppliers (local, lower-impact, less packaging). The quickest wins are actually cost savings, not costs.
The World Economic Forum’s Global Risks Report 2026 highlights a stark reality. In the short term, risks such as geopolitical instability and misinformation dominate. In the long term, it will be climate-related risks. Extreme weather, biodiversity loss and ecosystem collapse will become overwhelming. These are direct threats to business continuity.
A regional opportunity
In the Northern Rivers, a recent feasibility study for a Circularity Hub found that the region is well positioned to become a national leader in circular economy transformation. The challenge is not capability, but coordination. The study found efforts remain fragmented across councils and industries. A coordinated regional approach would amplify impact, attract investment and create local jobs.
Sustainability is often framed as an individual responsibility, but in practice, no one gets there alone. Businesses, communities, and governments are interconnected, and progress depends on how well they work together.
Real impact begins with shared action. The opportunity is clear. Start small. Measure what matters. Act where it counts. Work with others. Sustainability, at its core, is collaborative. No one gets there alone.
■ Dr Anne Stuart is the Chair of Zero Emissions Byron–Northern Rivers.
■ A local B Corp group meets monthly to learn about B Corp and grow sustainability in the Northern Rivers: northernrivers@bcorp.community.
Hints for living a sustainable life 3
Transition to renewables more urgent than ever
Mandy Nolan
WITH ENERGY PRICES SKY ROCKETING and the devastating climate impacts of the fossil fuel industry a harsh reality for many Australian communities, there’s an urgent need to transition to renewable energy sources, on the commercial and the domestic front.
The mission of government has been to encourage homeowners and businesses to adopt solar energy as a reliable, efficient, and sustainable energy source. Rooftop solar is a key part of the national strategy to reach 82 per cent renewable energy by 2030. We currently have the highest uptake of household solar in the world.
There are rebates and incentives to help make this happen. Under the Small-scale Renewable Energy Scheme (SRES) discounts for eligible systems can help make purchase more affordable. There is currently a 30 per cent federal rebate on solar, NSW offers additional incentives on battery installations. Location can also impact the rebates you receive. Residents living in the regions with higher solar irradiance in NSW can receive more rebate certificates. This can significantly reduce the cost of a new solar system (see www.solarcalculator.com.au).
Over three million Australian homes and businesses have already used government and state rebates to get solar panels, inverters, and batteries installed. It’s a process that feels daunting at first, but well worth the research. There are many resources available to help. The Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water’s Solar Consumer Guide can take you through the process from understanding how much electricity you use each year, to understanding your electricity tariffs,
to choosing a system and finding a retailer. There’s a lot to know about solar. And embarking on your own energy sustainability is definitely a learning curve. First up, there’s a 33 per cent rule in solar panels. It’s standard practice to oversize your solar array by 33 per cent vs the inverter’s AC rating. Panels rarely hit nameplate wattage due to heat and clouds, so the extra capacity ensures the inverter runs at peak efficiency all day. So, what’s an inverter? Solar panels produce DC electricity which isn’t compatible with most household appliances or the electricity grid. The solar inverter translates DC electricity to AC which is safe and usable for powering lights, appliances, and other systems in your home.
How much solar do you need?
How much solar do you need for the average Australian home? Generally, a 10kW solar system is more than enough. It would generate around 40kWh per day, which should comfortably cover energy consumption. It’s important to get an idea about your energy usage. With the rebate, a 10kW solar system with battery ranges from $10k to $16k for full installation. This of course varies on the brands, and whether you have chosen one of the newer budget entry level models or something top shelf.
Lithium-ion batteries are the most common and last for around 15 years before they need replacing. But there’s the cheaper lead acid battery, with a shorter life span. The expensive but climate-friendly sodium nickel chloride battery has a shorter life span than the lithium-ion battery. And there’s the Flow Battery – a battery with high temperature tolerance. Lithiumion batteries are still the most efficient and durable choice.
While some people are choosing stand-alone solar systems without grid connection – this is more expensive, and a bigger solar system with a battery with more storage capacity would be recommended.
The choice of many Australians making the investment in solar tends to be hybrid solar systems. This means homes use solar batteries and grid connection. When the battery is full, excess energy goes back into the grid. And when the battery is empty, the household can still connect back to the grid. This can reduce grid energy consumption to almost nil, or at least a few hundred dollars a year compared to thousands.
Solar is the way forward, and while even with rebates it’s a significant investment – the average home owner breaks even on their solar investment in about ten years. Which provides around 15-20 years more of free electricity – when your system stops costing you money and starts making you money. It’s the break-even point that many investors are waiting for. Add an EV to this, and charging your electric car from ‘free’ energy from the sun can save thousands of dollars in fuel every year.
So when it comes to sustainable energy use, rooftop solar systems with battery storage and EV for personal transport, are literally the way forward!
A rooftop solar system combined with battery storage provide this home with clean energy. Photo Mandy Nolan
SUSTAINABILITY 2026
Climate reality: work for the best, prepare for the worst
Dr Sian Grigg
THE NEWS HAS ONLY BECOME CRAZIER SINCE The Echo’s 2025 sustainability issue. Is anyone even thinking about the environment any more? Is there any way we can reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions fast enough? What happens if we don’t? What can we do? While everyone seems to have their eyes elsewhere, the earth hasn’t noticed our lack of interest and continues to warm. The World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) update in January 2026 states that the last 11 years have been the 11 warmest years on record, with the last three years the warmest three years on record. To answer the questions above, yes people are still working and thinking about the environment. Thankfully. They just aren’t very loud. Yes, we can reduce GHG emissions, but governments need to implement policies that have equality at their heart, otherwise the backlash will continue. If we don’t act, the crazy weather we’ve experienced in the last couple of years will seem tame compared with what is to come, a steep climb in insurance premiums will swiftly follow, the collapse of the North Atlantic overturning circulation seems probable , there will be mass migrations of humans, along with whatever animals and plants are able to move. Among other things. We need to reduce emissions, adapt to rising temperatures, and work on emergency measures if our reduction and adaptation measures don’t work quickly enough. Once drastic-sounding measures, such as geo-engineering, need to be researched and discussions widened. It’s a big program!
Hope,
collective action and inequality
Al Gore’s Climate Reality conference in Paris last year highlighted hope as a crucial ingredient for climate action, along with emphasising the importance of collective rather than individual actions. For us to take action we need to believe that winning is possible, that the fight will pay off, and our effort is worthwhile. All the science suggests that hope is a valid position – we are not doomed, and we can win this fight. Concerted collective action can flatten the emissions curve and stop the warming. The collective part of this is important – our collective efforts created the warming and it is only collectively that we can achieve the cooling. But a clear message from the last ten years is that whole populations are only motivated to act when they feel everyone is sharing in the effort. As with water restrictions – if everyone’s garden is shrivelling we more happily bear the pain.
Inequality in all forms is insidious in its capacity to create disillusionment, dissatisfaction, and to destroy collective efforts. Covid accelerated wealth inequality, with the already rich being
The science suggests that hope is a valid position – we are not doomed and we can win this fight.
most when petrol prices rise. This simply isn’t fair because they already spend a larger share of their income on transportation, and they have few alternatives. They cannot afford to move to the city centre, closer to their jobs. All emissions reduction policies must fall equally for them to be acceptable.
Collective action also has individual benefits. When we join a group, campaign for a political party, or donate to a charity, we feel better because we are taking action. This reduces our anxiety and sense of hopelessness when problems seem too big. Alone, we cannot save the world, but as part of a larger group, we can, and we’ll probably enjoy ourselves along the way.
the ultimate beneficiaries of the huge injections of government cash into OECD economies. This led to rapidly rising stock markets and real estate prices. Those who didn’t own any shares or a house prior to Covid were left behind. Taxing this wealth must be part of governments’ efforts to repair their budgets, which will in turn allow them to implement emissions reduction policies that are fair. The yellow vest movement in France was an example of what happens when carbon taxes are implemented with insufficient thought about equality. Those with less access to public transport and who live on the outskirts of large towns and cities suffer the
Local and global efforts to save the Great Barrier Reef
This year, I’m writing from Great Keppel Island, having decided a visit to some part of the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) was necessary. To see what I could see, and to learn something about the largest natural construction on earth, and how we might preserve it. Our very amateur snorkelling revealed coral, both dead and alive, fish, giant clams, anemones and other things unknown to us. Others at the hostel saw turtles, and someone
hoped to spot a dugong. AIMS (the Australian Institute of Marine Science) research around the Keppels published in 2023 says the reef here has recovered relatively well from the huge 2020 bleaching event, which damaged 75-98 per cent of the coral. Encouraging. A coral seeding project aims to take coral larvae from resilient reefs, such as those around the Keppels, to use elsewhere where the coral is less heat-resistant.
The question is can more be done to save reefs locally when the big driver of destruction is rising GHG emissions globally? Greenhouse gases do two things on a global scale: they raise the temperature of the atmosphere, in turn raising the temperature of the ocean, meaning corals overheat and expel the algae lodged in their pores, and on which they feed. They then starve to death. The biggest contributor to rising temperatures, carbon dioxide (CO2) also dissolves in seawater to make carbonic acid (H2CO3), lowering the pH of the ocean (ocean pH has gone from 8.15 to 8.05 since 1950. pH is a logarithmic scale, rather than linear, so a reduction of 0.1 in pH means 26 per cent more H+ ions in the ocean). This makes building calcium carbonate structures such as coral skeletons, and mollusk shells, more difficult. Warming coupled with acidification is a double whammy for coral reefs and shellfish.
Innovative research is being carried out by Daniel Harrison from Southern Cross University, who is experimenting with spraying sea water into the lower atmosphere to form clouds. Clouds act as a sunshade for the reef (see the excellent Pulitzer Centre article pulitzercenter.org/stories/ manmade-clouds-could-help-save-great-barrierreef). Ingenious! It may seem like a drop in the ocean but action is possible on a local scale. Such measures come under the broad category of geo-engineering. Essentially altering the physical environment, rather than biological measures such as coral reseeding or biocontrols, which we have done plenty of in Australia. Introducing cane toads to eat cane beetles is an example that
Hints for living a sustainable life
didn’t work so well (research procedures were not properly followed in this case). An example of schemes that worked well are the moths used to control prickly pear, and myxomatosis and calicivirus to control the rabbit population.
Climate geo-engineering options can be thought about similarly. A kind of least bad option when the problem is out of hand, and other measures are too slow. On a global scale it is also possible to create a sort of sunshade, via a mechanism that mimics the global cooling following volcanic eruptions. When volcanoes erupt, huge quantities of sulphur dioxide (SO2) are injected into the troposphere and the stratosphere. SO2 molecules act like tiny mirrors. They are the right size and shape to reflect incoming sunlight back into space, increasing the planet’s albedo (reflectivity). In this way they cool the planet. If you know Turner’s paintings of sunsets then you can see the impact of SO2 on the atmosphere. Glorious colours are created from all that refraction (see the excellent
expo currently on at GOMA in Brisbane if you want another perspective on refraction and reflection). In the troposphere SO2 has harmful effects (acid rain and air pollution), along with reducing the temperature. We have slowly been eliminating this pollution as coal-fired power plants and factories have scrubbers attached to their smoke stacks, car fuel standards have risen (although recently reversed to deal with the fuel crisis ) and finally shipping fuel has been cleaned up. New shipping fuel standards with lower sulphur came into action in 2020 and could be largely responsible for the sudden additional rise in global temperatures since 2022.
SO2 in the stratosphere is something else. The harmful effects are much smaller (although a key issue is its impact on stratospheric ozone) and it is a relatively cheap and easy way of cooling the planet’s surface. SO2 particles stay in the atmosphere for 1-2 years. This is both good and bad. Good because if we try it and decide it’s
not great, we can stop quickly. Bad because if it works and we are happy it needs to be continually renewed (a bit like botox). We have the technology to do this and it isn’t very expensive (passenger jet-type planes fly into the stratosphere and SO2 is released from them). A 2018 study explored the possibilities of reducing surface temperature by 2°C by injecting SO2 at different altitudes . An alternative, with no impact on stratospheric ozone, would be calcite (CaCO3) but it’s more difficult to diffuse. More research and engineering efforts are required here. David Keith is the poster man (no longer a boy) for solar geo-engineering and more information can be found at the Degrees initiative (www.degrees.ngo).
In my experience climate scientists and ecologists are more opposed to these ideas than the general public (based on a totally unscientific survey of the people I’ve talked to). Any intervention with global reach has global consequences and international diplomacy is needed. A treaty to agree how, and under what conditions, the measures would be deployed, along with how a veto would work is necessary. As with climate negotiations for the last 30 years, the science, with a concerted research effort in the next 15 years, may end up being relatively simple, while the politics may be fiendishly difficult.
Elizabeth Kolbert’s collection of essays Under a White Sky (2021) is an excellent read and helps wrap your head around the concepts. Kim Stanley Robinson’s Ministry of the Future (2020) is a near science-fiction look at the next 30 years and covers some of the ideas for intervening to slow the ice melt while we are reducing emissions. These are last ditch measures, but we will be glad to have thoroughly researched and prepared if the time comes when we need to use them.
■ Dr Sian Grigg: PhD Macquarie University 20002005. Dr Grigg studied the development of a simple ocean-atmosphere-sea ice model of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) to investigate long-term climate variations.
Warming oceans and acidification pose an existential threat to the world’s coral reefs. Photo Shutterstock
The Garden of Eve
Story & photos Eve Jeffery
I’M ONE OF THE PEOPLE WHO
loved the Covid lockdowns and to be honest I think I am not alone, not even nearly alone.
It made a huge difference to my mental health and my physical health.
Being one of the great unvaxed, I had to spend a lot more time in my house than most other people and I really enjoyed taking the opportunity to look at the sustainability of my life ‘stuck’ at home.
I’ve always wanted a food garden but never had the time or the energy to start and maintain one, even though I love the idea of harvesting – so, I took some of those JobKeeper dollars and bought a bunch of tubs, bags of potting mix and though I did start a few things from seeds, I got a stash of seedlings as well, and grew my own garden. It was actually, in reality, just that easy.
I have to say, it also made a huge difference to my mental health and my physical health and I’m pretty sure after a year or so that the money I spent was saved in not buying food.
I found that I didn’t have to be a great gardener. I’ve always lamented my lack of green digits having been born with a decidedly black thumb – I just had to put the time in, and during the epidemic, I had tonnes! I did a little bit of research with Dr Google and Nurse YouTube but mostly it was just by feel – literally.
We hear people banging on about food miles and I can see the sense of it, yet I usually drop into the big chains for my stock of essential goodies as I am rarely in the right place at the right time for farmers’ markets – but it was just really lovely every evening to go out my back door and pick a few leaves of this, a few sprigs of that, grab a tomato here and there, to make up the bulk of my meal.
On top of everything else I’m an annoying vegan so
I wanted to grow food that would add flavour, and because salads are generally a large part of my diet, I wanted to grow plenty of green leaves. I am a huge fan of rocket so that was my first stop – you can start things from seeds but I find it’s easy if you let the hard work and risk be taken by a nursery and it meant that I was eating from my garden a lot more quickly.
I bought several varieties of tomatoes – I’m a great believer that life cannot actually be without tomatoes – I grew heritage varieties, small cherry varieties, and larger varieties so I had different fruit coming in at different times.
I grew ‘fancy’ lettuce and plenty of basil which I feel is a great salad leaf as well as enhancing flavour. I grew all the other standard things like oregano, parsley, mint, and dill and I even started off some eggplant, cucumbers, and carrots, but have to say I didn’t have as much success with those. I think I was starting to be let out of the cage by the time those things needed a bit more attention and alas, I had less time at home.
You might think that if you are growing a garden like this you need to wait until great heads of lettuce appear with giants globes of fruit to pick each day, but it was surprising, that in a very short time – less than two weeks – how much you can harvest by walking around the tubs for 10 minutes – there was a period where we went for weeks on end like this getting enough greenery from the garden to sustain us.
And my mental health? Fortunately, I live on land so I didn’t feel boxed in, but I was still restrained to my boundaries. Having to get out each day to tend to my babies really sustained my inner person. I can highly recommend buying even just one tub and nurturing the contents and enjoying the immense pleasure of the harvest and the great taste of fresh food.
Living in the subtropics we have the luxury of not only long growing seasons with a huge variety of plants, we also have the rain and heat that can make things grow very quickly.
From May to August, pre-winter to pre-spring, you can plant seeds or seedlings of several varieties of food plants – early in the season you can put in your Asian greens, broad beans, broccoli, carrots (seeds), cauliflower, celery, chives, kale, parsley, peas, rocket and strawberries.
In late winter, you can plant things like artichokes, asparagus, basil, green beans, cabbage, chili, peppers, horseradish leeks, lemongrass, mint, okra, pumpkin, warrigal greens and melons including cantaloupe and watermelon – also this is a great time for kitchen favourites like sweet corn, tomatoes, and zucchinis.
For us, living in this climate, there are some foods that just grow all year including beetroot, chives, fancy lettuce, mustard greens, radishes, and silver beet.
GREEN e BUILDING
Natural Building & Design
Green e Building offers natural building and design services with ecological regenerative, sustainable and off grid options for anyone in the Northern Rivers.
We believe there is nothing more sustainable than using natural and recycled materials.
Green e Building can design and build your new dream home, sustainably renovate your current home or work with you to add extra rooms and extensions.
• We upcycle all our gloves into a product used to make kids playground equipment
• We are conscientious recyclers
• We are a collection site for all used oral care products, which we recycle
• We are paperless
• We use technology to lessen our negative impact on the environment
• We have no carbon footprint
• We used low or no VOC, locally-sourced, sustainable materials on our fit out
• We choose to use the most environmentally-friendly, bio-compatible materials
• We are the only carbon positive dental practice in the world
• We have a fully electric van, called FANG powered by the sun
8 COUNCIL ROUNDUP
SUSTAINABILITY 2026
TAKING ACTION LOCALLY, NATIONALLY AND GLOBALLY ARE ALL VITAL TO HOW we tackle the challenges of climate change. Our local councils not only take action via their own operations, and on our behalf as they manage our local resources and activities, but they can support every ratepayer, business owner, and visitor in their actions to make change and live more sustainably. Find out what your local council has been up to in the last 12 months.
Ballina Shire Council
Ballina Shire Council’s targets aim to: Achieve net zero operational greenhouse gas emissions and transition to 100 per cent renewable electricity for Council operations by 2030. In the short term, Council is focusing on high impact initiatives such as installing onsite solar panels and continuing energy efficiency upgrades across its facilities. Council is also exploring carbon sequestration and offsetting options to further reduce its environmental footprint.
Strengthening this framework, Council has recently developed a Corporate Climate Change Risk and Adaptation Plan, which assesses climate-related risks to infrastructure and operations, including increased rainfall, sea level rise, and temperature extremes.
Ballina Shire Council has supported the installation of a new electric vehicle (EV) charging station on Cherry Street in the Ballina CBD.
Solar technology: Onsite solar installations generate around ten per cent of Council’s electricity needs, with further installations expected to meet approximately 25 per cent of Council’s electricity demand.
Local acid sulfate soil management:
The NSW Environment Protection Authority has amended the Environment Protection Licence for Council’s former sand quarry, which has a capacity of approximately one million cubic metres, allowing treated acid sulfate soil and potential acid sulfate soil to
be beneficially reused to rehabilitate the site. Historically, this material was sent to Queensland for disposal.
Biodiversity projects: Council’s Koala Habitat Restoration Small Grants Program has recently been completed. The program aimed to restore up to 50ha of koala habitat on private land, targeting core habitat areas and contributing to Council’s goal of increasing habitat in the Shire by 10-15 per cent.
Resource recovery and waste reduction: Council is committed to making waste-wise decisions in its operations and supporting the community to do the same. In October 2025 Council reduced landfill bin collections for rural residents from weekly to fortnightly and provided subsidised compost bins, free composting workshops, and free upgrades to larger recycling bins. Results have seen a nearly 25 per cent reduction in waste.
In August 2025, Council launched its ReWear Ballina program aimed at shifting behaviours around fashion waste, they ran six workshops on different repair, mend, and upcycle techniques, with more to come.
Council has confirmed support to eliminate single-use packaging and materials across all Council operations and managed land.
Healthy Waterways Program: Council’s Healthy Waterways Program works throughout the catchment to improve the health and resilience of our waterways, coastline, and surrounding lands, and the ecosystems, cultures and communities they support.
This includes active membership on the Tuckean Swamp Steering Committee and the Richmond River Catchment Partnership Steering Committee. www.ballina.nsw.gov.au
Byron Shire Council
Sustainability is front of mind across all of the work at Byron Shire Council. They choose to be sustainable now for the future.
In the last 12 months they’ve planted more than 27,000 trees and restored some 480 hectares of land in Council-managed open spaces, as well as working with landholders.
An agricultural officer works with landowners and stakeholders to promote sustainable farming and Council works closely with Brunswick Valley Landcare on a wide range of programs aimed at keeping our environment healthy and our native animals happy.
The Move to Reuse initiative has seen more than 250,000 single-use items from markets and events, with coffee cups, food containers, and disposable cutlery saved from landfill. The waste team works closely with volunteer organisations such as Positive Change for Marine Life and Co-Exist Byron Bay to remove rubbish with 300kg of
litter collected on Clean-Up Australia Day earlier this year.
Council has installed bin baskets on the side of public rubbish bins to allow people to easily dispose of and collect cans and bottles for the Return and Earn scheme and they are getting ready for the Reuse July campaign.
Council support for ride-share cars means these services continue to be available in the Byron Shire, and they have added five EVs to their fleet which save 14,000 kilograms of carbon dioxide emissions every year.
Council is partnering with Sustainable House Day this May to showcase and empower people to learn and do things differently. On an individual level staff make a personal commitment every day to take their cups and food containers to local cafes to get their daily coffee or buy their lunch. Catering is provided on dishes and platters that are washed and reused and regular lunch-time clothes swaps are great for wardrobe revivals.
www.byron.nsw.gov.au
Tweed Shire Council
Tweed Shire Council is working closely with the Tweed community to reduce its impact on the natural environment and respond to climate change.
Throughout 2025 and into 2026, Council delivered a range of initiatives that supported both community-led climate action and Council-driven programs. One of the standout initiatives was the Climate Action Cafes, which attracted more than 120 participants across two workshops held in Murwillumbah and Cabarita Beach in February 2025. The Climate Action Cafes heard about the climate actions that community wants to lead in response to climate change. Around 15 per cent of the Tweed’s emissions can be influenced by household behaviours and community
initiatives, highlighting the significant role residents can play. Participants shared ideas and shaped climate action from the ground up, resulting in 51 project ideas and 22 projects with volunteer leads.
Since then, Council has supported community members and project leads through quarterly, hands-on development sessions delivered in partnership with the Tweed Climate Action Network (CAN). These sessions demonstrate the community’s strong readiness to act on climate change.
Council also engaged directly with residents through Power Pop Up events, providing residents with practical support to better understand their power bills, learn about available rebates, and improve household energy efficiency. As grid electricity remains one of the Tweed’s major sources of greenhouse gas emissions, supporting residents to reduce energy use delivers both environmental and financial benefits.
Waste reduction and building Tweed’s urban tree canopy continue to be key focus areas. In 2025, Council planted more than 1,100 trees in urban areas. In 2026, Council passed changes to its Development Control Plan strengthening protection for trees, and a Compensatory Tree Planting Policy to ensure that unavoidable tree removals are replaced with new plantings.
Council expanded its reusable nappy rebate in 2026 to include reusable period and incontinence products. This initiative helps residents save money while reducing waste to landfill. With more than 300,000 disposable nappies landfilled or incinerated globally every minute, and adult incontinence products expected to overtake nappy use by 2030, reusable alternatives can make a real difference.
Council also earned an A-rating from the Carbon Disclosure Project in 2025, and is proud to be among over 1,000 local governments globally demonstrating strong climate governance and transparent reporting. www.tweed.nsw.gov.au
EV charger installed in the Ballina CBD. Photo Terry Teoh
SUSTAINABILITY 2026
Does carbon capture technology actually work?
David Lowe
IN MEDIEVAL TIMES, FOR A FEE, INDULGENCES WERE granted by the church to rich men to expiate their sins. Since the link between carbon dioxide emissions and global warming has been understood, there’s been a similar vibe around many carbon capture and storage (CCS) projects, with the existence of this technology providing an excuse for very large companies to continue polluting our atmosphere, rather than transitioning to renewables.
That said, the underlying theory of CCS makes sense. If more carbon can be removed from the atmosphere than is being released, everybody wins. The only problem is that practical results so far haven’t lived up to expectations.
Could it work for you?
In WA, the Gorgon CCS project is currently the largest operation of its kind in the world, theoretically able to deposit up to four million tonnes of CO2 per year in deep saline aquifers beneath Barrow Island, but in practice storing much less than that.
Another mega-project tied to a gas operation, Moomba CCS in South Australia, is currently injecting CO2 into depleted gas fields in the Cooper Basin at the rate of 1.7 million tonnes per year, with a theoretical capacity of 20 million tonnes per year, for at least 50 years. The problem is that the company involved, Santos, produces Scope 1-3 emissions of upwards of 38 million tonnes per year, and is expanding its hydrocarbon production around the world.
As part of the transition to net zero, the Australian government and CSIRO are exploring a number of new carbon capture technologies. $1.6 million has gone to the University of Melbourne to trial converting CO2 captured from the atmosphere into travertine, a type of carbonate rock, and research
is underway into new CCS techniques at the Otway International Test Centre, also in Victoria.
DAC Labs
Some of the most promising work in the field of direct air capture of existing emissions is being done by people associated with the University of Sydney, notably Dr Sam Wenger of DAC Labs. While the exact details remain under wraps for commercial reasons, Wenger and his team claim to have found a way to capture atmospheric CO2 using renewable energy, raw material efficiency, automation, and modular design. The technology is pitched as a great improvement over earlier DAC methods, with compact units requiring 99.9 per cent less land than forests to extract the same amount of carbon dioxide.
Captured CO2 could then be stored underground or used to produce carbon-based products such as aviation fuels and building materials, including concrete and plastics. They’re currently building a ten tonne per annum demonstration unit, with a plan to scale up to kilotonne pilots and eventually modular ‘megaforests’.
In the near future, DAC Labs say it will be possible for anyone to purchase meaningful, permanent carbon abatement at an initial price of around $1.50 per kg of CO2
Dr Wenger told The Echo, ‘We have been very conscious to only offer our CO2 removal service once we are confident that we can deliver on the removal, the sequestration, and third-party verification. At that point in time, we will only pre-sell an amount that
we feel we can reasonably remove in the next two to three years. We strive to have the highest delivery-topurchase ratio in the industry.’
What about forests?
Air transport is one of the most carbon emission intensive activities any individual can undertake. Currently, if you need to take a flight, your only option is to tick the carbon offset box, with a promise to plant or protect trees on your behalf.
Unfortunately, these offsets are about as useful in practice as indulgences, providing little more than a warm inner glow. Verra is the world’s largest carbon offset certifier. A major investigation in 2023 found that 90 per cent of Verra’s credits were essentially worthless, not representing real carbon reductions. Forests burn down, exist already in protected areas, or might be saved at the cost of neighbouring forests.
Government carbon offset projects involving forest plantings on old agricultural land have also been a dismal failure, according to UNSW and ANU researchers.
This is not to say that we shouldn’t all be planting more trees, and stop destroying forests, but the latest evidence shows that we can’t simply plant our way out of the global climate crisis.
The solution is likely to also include permanent, verifiable, and measurable direct air capture of CO2, biochar (locking carbon into soil in a relatively stable form), and enhanced rock weathering. ERW involves finely crushing silicate rocks like basalt and spreading them over agricultural land, converting carbon into a geologically stable form and simultaneously creating natural fertiliser to replace hydrocarbon derivatives. By great good fortune, Australia is well placed to take advantage of all three of these approaches, as well as being blessed with abundant wind and solar resources.
Time to get on with it!
Carbon captured. Image Cloudcatcher Media
Rethinking meat in an age of climate change
Dr Willow Hallgren
FOR MANY AUSTRALIANS, EATING MEAT CAN FEEL almost like a birthright: familiar, comforting, and woven into the rituals of family dinners and backyard barbecues. It is not just food, but part of the cultural wallpaper. But in a world already destabilised by climate change, biodiversity loss, and land degradation, the scale of global meat consumption and its upward trajectory is becoming harder and harder to defend.
The question is no longer simply whether eating a lot of meat is healthy or affordable, but whether affluent societies – which still consume disproportionately large amounts per person – can continue to do so while claiming to be serious about sustainability
The environmental case against high meat consumption is strongest for beef and lamb. Cattle and sheep are ruminants, which means they release methane as they digest food. Methane is a highly potent greenhouse gas and a major driver of near-term warming. Over a 100-year period, it traps roughly 28 to 34 times more heat than carbon dioxide. Methane is especially important as it is responsible for about 25 per cent of the warming the world is experiencing today. So, consuming large amounts of beef and lamb, therefore, helps sustain one of the most climate-damaging forms of food production on Earth.
Chicken and pork are often treated as the greener alternative, and in some respects they are. They usually produce fewer emissions than beef and lamb. But ‘lower impact’ is not the same as low impact or sustainable. Industrial chicken and pork still depend on vast quantities of feed crops, fertiliser, energy, transport, waste-intensive systems, and large-scale land use. Replacing beef with chicken may reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but it does not resolve the broader resource inefficiency of animal-based food systems, in which plant energy is converted into animal protein for human consumption with substantial losses of energy, land, and other resources. That inefficiency is extraordinary. Livestock uses
Livestock uses around three-quarters of the world’s agricultural land, including grazing land and cropland used to grow animal feed ... We are devoting immense areas of land to one of the least efficient ways of feeding ourselves.
around three-quarters of the world’s agricultural land, including grazing land and cropland used to grow animal feed, yet meat and dairy provide only about 18 per cent of the world’s calories and 37 per cent of its protein. Beef and lamb are especially land-hungry, requiring about 50-100 times more land than plant proteins such as peas or tofu. In a world worried about food security, deforestation, and ecological collapse, this is a remarkable misallocation of resources. We are devoting immense areas of land to one of the least efficient ways of feeding ourselves. When forests, woodlands, and native grasslands are cleared for pasture or feed crops, habitats are fragmented, biodiversity declines, and carbon stored
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carbon opportunity costs because they require so much land relative to the food they provide. The same land could often produce far more food for direct human consumption if used to grow plant crops rather than animal feed or pasture.
Some people hear arguments like this and fear that the only solution is veganism. However, in terms of environmental impact, the issue is not about purity; it is about scale. A world in which billions of people eat meat frequently, especially high-impact red meat, is a world that pushes against climatic and ecological limits with increasing force. Affluent societies in particular, can no longer ignore the numbers. If sustainability means anything, it must mean eating lower on the food chain more often.
Meaningful change could be achieved if people in high meat-consuming countries replaced even a few beefand lamb-based meals each week with beans, lentils, tofu or other plant-based foods – the cumulative effect would be substantial. Emissions would fall, pressure on land would ease, and some habitat destruction could be avoided. For those unwilling to give up the sensory familiarity of meat, plant-based meat products may offer a useful bridge: imperfect, yes, but generally far less climate-intensive than conventional red meat. It is possible that lab-grown meat could offer meat-eaters with a commercially viable, less environmentally damaging alternative in the next decade or so.
in vegetation and soils is released. The global food system is now recognised as a primary driver of biodiversity loss, and livestock expansion is one of the clearest reasons why. Every hectare devoted to meat production is a hectare that may once have been a natural ecosystem, providing wildlife habitat, and storing carbon, or land capable of feeding far more people if used to grow plant food directly for human consumption.
This is the hidden climate cost of meat: not only the emissions that animals produce, but the carbon uptake and storage foregone when land is used for livestock rather than retained or restored as native vegetation. Beef and lamb carry especially high
We often imagine sustainability in terms of solar panels, electric vehicles, and recycling bins. But the future will also be shaped by something more ordinary and more intimate: what we choose to eat. If we are serious about protecting a liveable climate and a healthy, functioning natural world, then reducing meat consumption, especially beef and lamb, is not just a private dietary choice; it is an important part of any serious response to climate change and ecological decline.
■ Dr Willow Hallgren is an earth-system scientist who studies the impact of climate change on ecosystems and biodiversity and the climate.
SUSTAINABILITY 2026
How many ‘R’s in sustainability?
THE OLD ADAGE ‘REPAIR, REUSE, RECYCLE’ has never been more pertinent, but are there now other pillars that support waste reduction and a circular economy?
Ian Elderman
You will have heard the phrase ‘repair, reuse, recycle’ to emphasises a sustainable approach to waste management: encouraging people to fix items to extend their lives; find new uses for old products; and recycle materials when they can no longer be used. These actions reduce reliance on virgin materials and lower the ecological footprint, thus, adopting them as lifestyle choices wherever possible minimises environmental impact and makes for a more sustainable future – the phrase has been around since the ’70s.
The earliest accounts of waste management date back to Greece in 500 BC. Across the eastern hemisphere, there are also records of recycling in ancient Japan, and the Han dynasty in China – where paper was made from a range of fibres including recycled rags and fishing nets. Repurposing existing items used to be because manufacturing processes were long, and the cost of raw materials was high. During World War I, there were innovative attempts to melt down metals for ammunition and warfare. Similarly, people were told to reduce and restrict their use of certain materials so that they could be stockpiled.
Soon after the war, in the 1950s, the economic boom led to an increase in the amount of trash, single-use plastic became common in packaging, manufacturing, construction, and even clothing. This was the beginning of a massive problem with waste.
Since then, population growth, increased wealth, capitalism and the consumer society has exacerbated this, so recently a few more Rs have
Being mindful of everything we buy is one good way to restrict excessive consumption. Every dollar we spend is a vote for the type of world we want, influencing the success of businesses and their practices – each dollar is a vote for the shareholders of the company we support with our spending. This concept, known as ‘dollar voting’, reflects how every consumer can make choices every day which impact companies and their values.
been considered: refuse – just don’t buy so much new stuff; reduce everything – do we really need 20 different outfits for work?; resell – use eBay, Marketplace, Gumtree and the like, or gift to the community or op-shop; and rethink – what we need, how we shop, spend, save, and live in the world today.
Currently we live in a hyper-materialistic world that constantly tells us that we ‘need’ the next new car, phone, bag, or jacket. Being mindful of everything we buy is one good way to restrict excessive consumption. Every dollar we spend is a vote for the type of world we want, influencing the success
BYRON BAY PORK & MEATS BUTCHERY
of businesses and their practices – each dollar is a vote for the shareholders of the company we support with our spending. This concept, known as ‘dollar voting’, reflects how every consumer can make choices every day which impact companies and their values, hopefully shifting those that use a linear ‘take-make-dispose’ system. The circular economy is a system where materials never become waste and nature is regenerated. In a circular economy, products and materials are kept in circulation through processes like maintenance, reuse, remanufacturing, recycling, and composting. The circular economy tackles
climate change and other global challenges, like biodiversity loss, waste, and pollution, by decoupling economic activity from the consumption of finite resources. The circular economy, along with the sustainability it promotes, is founded on three core design-driven principles: eliminate waste and pollution, circulate products and materials for as long as possible, and regenerate nature – this is underpinned by a transition to renewable energy and materials. The circular economy is a resilient system that is good for business, people, and the environment (see ellenmacarthurfoundation.org).
Some innovative local initiatives that espouse these values include: The Library of Stuff in Mullumbimby (libraryofstuff.org.au) – who offer members the opportunity to radically reduce their ecological footprint by borrowing instead of buying power tools, games, camping gear and catering equipment; The Toy Library in Ocean Shores and Byron Bay (toylibraries.org.au) – who provide families with a range of quality fun and educational toys, games, puzzles and activities to borrow; The Repair Cafe in Mullumbimby run by the Shedding Community who run Make and Mend workshops; and of course op-shops, and the Re-Market tip shop – who sell quality used, recycled, and second-hand products that have been salvaged before going into landfill at the Byron Resource Recovery Centre. As individuals, we need not feel so helpless leaving our children’s future in the hands of those with power. Every day we can each make a difference to help move towards a more circular economy, by dollar voting, and encouraging governments, corporations and AI to move towards a more sustainable future. To further help perhaps we need to add a few more ‘R’s to the list: resourcefulness and resilience – so that we can relax, knowing we are showing respect to the environment that we are living interdependently with.
Volume 40 #47
29 April – 5 May, 2026
Editor: Eve Jeffery
Editorial/gigs: gigs@echo.net.au
Copy deadline: 5pm each Thursday
Gig Guide deadline: 5pm each Friday
Advertising: adcopy@echo.net.au
P: 02 6684 1777
W: echo.net.au/entertainment
Eclectic Selection
What’s on this week
Cinnamon Sun oozes a comforting, conscious vibe that will have you transported to a Tahitian bar under the orange setting sun, with all worries lost.
Fronted by Davy Simony, Cinnamon Sun is the evolution of his global solo roots journey, now enriched by a dynamic collective of talented musicians.
Friday from 5pm at Elements of Byron. Free show.
Great Southern Nights brings a high-voltage night of punk, rock and raw energy to Byron Bay –headlining the bill are Brisbane punk favourites Radium Dolls known for their gritty garage sound, explosive live shows and anthemic hooks that hit hard and fast.
Saturday from 8pm at The Northern, Byron Bay. Tickets $33.04 including bf from thenorthern.com.au
Indie folk and roots singersongwriter Josh Lee Hamilton has a smooth and warm sound that will endear you to his honest and heartfelt songs that tell stories of love, struggle and faith. There is a sense of optimism as you listen to his music, while his songs authentically navigate troubles and challenges from his own story.
Saturday at 6pm at the Williams Street Kitchen & Bar, Lennox Head. Free show.
Richie Weed & His Band of Strays bring his songs, stories, and spirit to the stage – an intimate and electrifying journey from one of Australia’s most enduring and inventive voices.
Saturday from 7.30pm at The Citadel, Murwillumbah. Tickets $30 +bf at humanitix.com
Smokehouse is the featured band at this month’s Ballina Country Music Club and Peter Wisman is the feature Showcase Artist. There are many regular and some visiting walk-up artists. The experienced line dancers demonstrate their skills, and others take to the floor dancing however they want. Sunday from 10am at the Ballina RSL. Free event.
Gosti brings together three multi-talented musicians who have played together over many years in various combinations (such as Ross Daly’s Australian Labrinth, Dididumdum, The Balkanics, Makedonski Bop and Dva), each player bringing a diverse pack of cards to the table. Sunday at 4pm at the Brunswick Picture House. Tickets from $32 at brunswickpicturehouse.com
The explosive on-stage energy of Fat Picnic has audiences jumping and double-handed sky punching through a plethora of roots music genres. Their unique sound emphasises soulful pop sensibilities, pumping ska sequences and raw, hard-hitting dub-reggae earthquakes
Sunday from 4pm at the Hotel Brunswick. Free show.
Punk rock lifers
Brisbane punk rock lifers Dune Rats return with the same reckless conviction that’s defined them for over a decade, bringing their raw, high-energy live show to Byron Bay as part of Great Southern Nights.
Fresh off a national Australian tour supporting Yungblud, and the release of new single ‘Sharks’ alongside a re-recorded version of ‘Fuck It!’ from their early Smile EP, this era sees Dune Rats reconnecting with the mindset that started it all – backing themselves, ignoring the noise, and swimming hard against the current. ‘Sharks’ is a full-circle moment: raw belief, stubborn optimism, and no apologies.
Longtime torchbearers of Brisbane’s DIY punk lineage, Danny Beus, BC Michaels, and Brett Jansch are renowned for raucous, sweat-soaked live shows built on loud guitars, anthemic sing-alongs, and community-first chaos. From house shows to sold-out rooms around the world, Dune Rats have earned their reputation as one of Australia’s most beloved and explosive live acts.
Expect new tracks, old favourites, and a proper pub show when Dune Rats hit The Northern - loud, loose, and exactly how it should be.
Friday from 8pm at The Northern, Byron Bay. Tickets from moshtix.com.au
Bar: Kane Muir Band 7pm, DJ Jamie Lowe
entertainment
An unmissable showcase of film
Palace Cinemas and German Films are delighted to announce the full program for the 2026 HSBC German Film Festival, an unmissable showcase of contemporary cinema from the region. Featuring gripping true stories, delightful family films, comedy and powerful new dramas from Germany’s finest filmmakers and actors, including a selection direct from this year’s Berlinale, the Festival screens nationally in May at Palace Cinemas. Opening this year’s Festival is much-loved director Wolfgang Becker’s (Good Bye, Lenin!) final film Berlin Hero (Der Held vom Bahnhof Friedrichstraße). The captivating comedy about an unwitting GDR hero revealed 30 years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, is adapted from the 2022 novel by Maxim Leo, and features an all-star ensemble cast including Leonie Benesch, Christiane Paul, Peter Kurth and Daniel Brühl.
SPIDER
SKILLS WANTED
BayFM’s website needs some TLC
Good on the web? Skilled in Wordpress? Do you have an hour or so a week in your work schedule?
We need your help to make our website look and work better. We have folks here who can write, but we need to get those words in the right place at the right time to make our online experience sing.
If that’s you, please contact studiomanager@bayfm.org
bayfm.org Listen like a local
Three films arrive direct from the 2026 Berlinale, including a duo of powerful female-led dramas. Winner of the 2026 Berlinale Audience Award, Prosecution (Staatsschutz), follows a self-assured young GermanKorean state prosecutor who takes her own case to court, confronting the perpetrators and a justice system that turns a blind eye to far-right extremism.
Set in provincial eastern Germany, Home Stories (Etwas ganz Besonderes), is a poignant exploration of intergenerational tensions. When sixteen-year-old Lea auditions for a TV talent show, an identity crisis rises to the surface, and she must decide who she is and what home story she can create from her family’s history.
Four Minus Three (Vier minus drei) from Austria is a deeply moving drama featuring an outstanding lead performance from Valerie Pachner as Barbara, a professional entertainer forced to face an unspeakable loss. Based on the bestselling novel and incredible true story, Four Minus Three is tenderly directed by Adrian Goiginger (The Fox, GER23).
From acclaimed director Ulrich Köhler, Gavavai is a meta-cinematic drama about a film adaptation of Medea being shot in Senegal, starring Maren Eggert (I’m Your Man, GER21) and Jean-Christophe Folly (Triangle of Sadness). The lead actors seek solace in a romance amidst a strained environment on set, then reunite at the film’s premiere in Berlin only to find tensions resurfacing, in this fascinating exploration of identity, privilege and power dynamics.
The German Film Festival will screen from 7 to 27 May at Palace Cinemas, Byron Bay and Ballina Fair Cinemas. For more information, please visit germanfilmfestival.com.au
We love musicals!
Showcasing the talents of local singing students, Byron Bay Singing presents For the Love Of Musicals a vocal selection, from four popular musical masterpieces from the early ‘70s to the mid-naughties (there’s a clue).
The groups and soloists have been working towards this event all of term one and are super-excited, as well as redonkulosly nervous to perform these songs in front of an audience.
Byron Bay Singing student ages range from single digits to mid-70s so you can expect a PG-rated event that is suited to the whole family – ok, to be completely transparent, there is one swear word.
This is a special show with some students performing for the very first time, and a couple of special guests from national and international stages, including rising star Sunny Grunwald who features in all four selections.
There will be plenty of singing, a little bit of dancing, tunes you can join-in with, and funny and tear-jerking performaces building to a finale you will know and love!
Come along and see some too-cute-for-words kids, elegant elders, nervous Nellys, one legs for days, and one nasty old woman, to show you what fun is all about.
This show is general seating with tickets on the door: Adults $20, concession/students $10 and accompanied pre-schoolers, free.
Sarturday 6.30pm and Sunday 4pm at the Ocean Shores Community Centre.
For more information email byronbaysinging@gmail.com
GOODBYE BERLIN
THE HOLY GRILL 22 LAPS
A big community ef fort
This is Nimbin’s 34th annual MardiGrass on the first weekend in May, a big community effort for the one pub village that has its own political party and members of parliament, it feels so strongly about the drug war. Medical cannabis may be legal with a doctor’s script now but we are still not allowed to drive while using it, nor are we allowed to grow our own plants. Opportunistic business has taken control of cannabis’s popularity now doctors have finally admitted it does have medical uses. They insist we only use their mostly imported hydroponic indoor irradiated weed, now even saying home grown is dangerous. Shame on them and those refusing to educate themselves and change their mind. Every inquiry, every report, every expert says drug use should be treated as a health issue and the war is doing more harm than good. If you join us over the weekend we believe in having fun while we protest so feel free to dress up. There are six, or even more venues jam-packed with speakers on not just weed but other psychedelic plants, interspersed with musicians, comedians, poets and performers, all inspired by nature’s best and safest medicine. Tickets and the program are at nimbinmardigrass.com
END THE WAR. THE LAW IS THE REAL CRIME.
Dancing for change
Nudge Nudge Wink Wink returns to the Shed at the Billinudgel Hotel on Saturday, bringing together a dancefloor that fills fast, music that carries the room, and a community that knows how to be part of something meaningful.
From the first tracks of the afternoon, there’s a sense of enjoyment. People arrive, settle in, and reconnect. As the light shifts, so does the energy. The music builds, the room lifts, and by evening the dancefloor is moving as one.
It is a night shaped by flow, familiarity and those moments where everything clicks into place. A dancefloor that feels open, warm and shared.
May’s line-up brings together a mix of familiar energy and fresh sounds, setting the tone early and carrying it through…
DJ Halo, a second-generation DJ with a natural instinct for the floor, Halo has quickly become a standout across the Northern Rivers scene. The Nudge crew are thrilled to welcome her back for a two-hour closing set. Opening the night, Matt Aitchison aka DJ Favourite Son brings a rich musical legacy shaped through his time with OKA and beyond. This will be his first Nudge appearance, bringing original productions and reworked favourites into the Shed. Cunning Stunts resident DJs Lord Sut and Dale Stephen are the fabric of Nudge Nudge Wink Wink. As co-founders and longtime custodians of the dancefloor, they have shaped the sound and feel of the night from the very beginning.
Dancing to make a difference: proceeds from both the May and June 2026 events will support Fletcher Street
Cottage. Based in the heart of Byron Bay, Fletcher Street Cottage provides essential, day-to-day support for people experiencing hardship.
Since 2015, Cunning Stunts has donated more than $454,000 to 42 local organisations, proof that this is a party with real impact behind it.
Saturday from 4pm in The Shed at The Billinudgel Hotel. Tickets available, this event is expected to sell out. If so, you can still support Fletcher Street Cottage by making a donation via the ticket link https://bit.ly/Tickets_Nudge_May2nd
Missed out? Check Tixel for the only safe resale options – no scalpers here!
THE ACOUSTIC AND ELECTRIC JOY OF GUITAR INTERVIEW WITH SLAVA GRIGORYAN
A chance meeting in the UK in the mid-nineties led to a strong personal and musical bond between Australia’s premier classical guitarist and an Austrian electric bass player more ensconced in the pop/rock world of the time – it’s a long way from London to Byron Bay but this is where Slava Grigoryan and Al Slavik will find themselves in May, re-uniting for a tour celebrating the release of their third album, And So, It Turns.
With their wide and varied individual influences, they found common ground releasing two albums, Another Night in London and Continental Shift. They waited for the right time and place to add to their catalogue, and as it happened December 2025 in Italy seemed appropriate.
Seven caught up with Slava Grigoryan last week mid-tour, on the Canberra leg of the journey to Byron.
Tell me about And So, It Turns – when and where did you record it?
We recorded in December. It was a pretty quick turnaround. We recorded it just outside of Rome.
How did you meet Al?
In London, 30 years ago, we were both there to, you know, seek our fortunes, so to speak – on paper, we’re polar opposites, from completely different musical worlds.
We had a few mutual contacts and there was a live jam at a wine bar that we used to attend every Thursday – really amazing musicians from everywhere, would gather and check things out. That’s when I met Al. The person who was coordinating that event put together a recording session, and we were both independently hired to do something with his mutual friend.
We’d seen each other playing in this little venue and within a few weeks we were in a recording studio and ‘forced’ to sit down and talk to each other. It was the beginning of a really, amazing friendship.
You’re like polar opposites?
Yes, but they go together in the right person’s hands with, I guess, with the right sound aesthetic. It’s brilliant! He plays an electric bass as if it were a guitar. He sort of flies around that thing. There’s a lot of very intricate chordal work – it’s basically like having another guitar-like instrument and because of the range we really keep out of each other’s way, sonically speaking. He doesn’t read a note of music – not that there’s anything wrong with that at all – but he uses his ears much better than most classical musicians, and he can sort of just figure things out on the fly, and it’s amazing – he has astonishing memory as well. That’s where the sort of the difference in the worlds that we come from, that’s where it’s most obvious, because we have to, we have to create on our own.
Has the reality of what you imagined when you were 12, matched that vision? It’s really surpassed it – many, many times.
And you know the reality, and I think this is a good when I talk to students and work with people, you have to be incredibly, realistic as a student. I think being humble and being realistic is so important.
He doesn’t read a note of music – not that there’s anything wrong with that at all – but he uses his ears much better than most classical musicians...
What is your current earworm?
Well, probably, because my seven year old son is obsessed with AC/DC – he is a very enthusiastic drummer and is obsessed with Acca Dacca and there’s always something being streamed on his little iPad – so it’s that! What’s inspiring you now each day to get out of bed and keep going?
I think the older I get, the more appreciative I am about this opportunity. For me everything is kind of project based – a particular collaboration with someone, or a group, or whether it’s a recording project that needs to find its feet. I just really, love always working on something, so even on a tour like this, and when I am getting ready for a recording – I really like that momentum.
You’ll turn 50 later this year, is there something you haven’t done yet?
Honestly, I really don’t know. It depends on how you look at it. Because, you know, on the one hand, like I’m really, happy with the balance of things that I’m doing right now. I never want that to stop. I don’t want to retire. Just keep on doing these things.
But of course, that also means, I haven’t done anything, that is everything that I want to do.
To give you an example: with what Lenny and I do together, we’ve probably got about three or four albums of material just sort of sitting there that’s going to take the next, realistically, with everything else in between, the next 10 years. Ten years at least!
And by that stage, I’m sure there’s going to be more. And all of these things are projects that are quite different and meaningful in their own way. And so there’s this kind of ‘forever’ list of things to do, but at the same time, I don’t feel like I need to reinvent what I’m doing in any particular way.
I’m imagining you have a vast collection of guitars. Just for my curiosity, do you have any electric guitars?
Yes! I love playing electric – I love the sound. What is the one that you’re loving playing at the moment?
Just before Covid, Lenny and I had started working on a project of all original music. We were commissioned by the National Museum of Australia to come up with a big project, and we wanted to use a whole lot of different guitars. And in the back of my mind I wanted to pull out the electric again, in the context with him, which we hadn’t done before.
So just before the lockdowns began, I was looking around for a nice electric guitar.
I found a 1974 Fender Telecaster which is a couple of years older than me, and it’s the fanciest electric guitar that I’ve acquired. It’s beautiful. During that recording I played that a lot and used it on other projects as well. So that’s a favourite. And actually, believe it or not, there’s a ‘family guitar’, an electric guitar, which Dad bought within a few years of us arriving in Australia. We were at some trash and treasure market and his eyes spotted an electric guitar, which he quickly snapped up. And it was a 1970s Gibson E345. Back then it was a lot of money – about $100 – but we’ve still got it. It’s still beautiful.
And you know, that was one of those lovely moments for us, because we never, as a family, with no money, would have been able to acquire an instrument.
Slava, are you having enough fun?
I am. I am having enough fun. It feels like, in general, it’s a very joyful ride and I feel really, lucky to have been given the sort of opportunities that I’ve had in terms of my personal life and professional life. And you know, of course, everyone has ups and downs, but in general, I’m incredibly grateful. That’s lovely.
Tickets for this exceptional show are on sale now at: www.byroncentre.com.au
A powerful portrait of the f loods
When the River Rose is a compelling feature documentary that captures the social, and economic impact of the 2022 Lismore floods through intimate storytelling.
Presenter, artist, and proud Lismore local Kate Stroud leads audiences through conversations with renowned cabinetmaker Geoffrey S. Hannah OAM, Dr Laurie Axten, Amarina Toby, Dee Mould, and Ashlee Jones. Together, their voices form a compelling and deeply human account of the disaster, and the long road that followed.
Created by first-time filmmakers and Northern Rivers locals Catherine Barker and Kate Stroud, When the River Rose has already gained international recognition. Catherine was awarded ‘Best Woman Filmmaker’ at the Barcelona Planet Film Festival 2025 and the film received an ‘Award of Excellence’ at the GRU Film Festival in Brazil 2025.
Following multiple sold- out screenings across the Northern Rivers in 2025, this final round of local screenings offers audiences one last opportunity to experience the film on the big screen. Proceeds from ticket sales will support the film’s next stage as it moves toward broader release, with exciting distribution news to be released soon.
Thursday at 6.30pm the Brunswick Picture House. Tickets from brunswickpicturehouse.com
GIG GUIDE
WEDNESDAY 29
■ RAILWAY HOTEL, BYRON BAY, MARSHALL OKELL
■ BEACH HOTEL, BYRON BAY, 6PM JOCK BARNES
■ THE NORTHERN, BYRON BAY, 6PM INO PIO + DUELING PIANOS
■ BRUNSWICK HEADS PICTURE HOUSE
7PM SCREENING + Q&A ‘WILL I EVER CALL YOU JAMPA?’
■ THE PADDOCK PROJECT, MULLUMBIMBY, 4PM CURRY JAM
■ OTTILIES, MULLUMBIMBY, 6PM MONDO JAZZ CATS
■ KINGSCLIFF BEACH BOWLS 6.30PM KINGY COMEDY
THURSDAY 30
■ RAILWAY HOTEL, BYRON BAY, MOEBIUS
■ BEACH HOTEL, BYRON BAY, 5PM KATIE WHITE + JOEL LEGGETT AND PASTEL STREET
■ BRUNSWICK HEADS PICTURE HOUSE
6.30PM SCREENING: ‘WHEN THE RIVER ROSE’
■ THE NORTHERN, BYRON BAY, 6PM JORDY QUINN & DJ QUENDO, DUELING PIANOS + LUKE KIDGELL
■ GARDEN BAR, BYRON BAY, 8PM TEMPLE OF FIRE
■ FOXY LUU’S @ COORABELL HALL 5.30PM DJ RAHEL & KIRADOR ART EXHIBITION
■ HOTEL BRUNSWICK
6PM JASON DELPHIN
■ SAINT MARIES, BRUNSWICK HEADS, 6PM MONDO JAZZ CATS
■ BALLINA RSL LEVEL ONE 7PM THE BIG GIG COMEDY NIGHT
■ ELTHAM HOTEL 6PM BLUEGRASS JAM
■ LISMORE CITY BOWLO 7PM THE SUPPER CLUB SOUL BAND
FRIDAY 1
■ BEACH HOTEL, BYRON BAY, 6PM IZZY DAY DUO + THE GROGANS & ROYAL RATBAGS + VINTED VINEER
■ BYRON THEATRE 7PM KURAMANUNYA
■ THE NORTHERN, BYRON BAY, 7PM TRUE VIBENATION + RENEE SIMONE + DUELING PIANOS + DUNE RATS
■ NOWE STUDIOS, BANGALOW, 7PM IN THE FLESH
■ HOTEL BRUNSWICK 6PM BLISS N ESSO
■ BRUNSWICK HEADS PICTURE HOUSE 7PM WANDERERS
■ WANDANA BREWING CO., MULLUMBIMBY, 4PM DJ SALVE JORGE
Ads can be lodged in person at the Mullum Echo o ce: Village Way, Stuart St, Mullumbimby
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In loving memory of Pat 15/07/1933 – 22/04/2026
PUBLIC NOTICES
READINGS with Nyck J. Inspiring Coaching, Counselling, timing, patterns, spirit, relationships, mission. 90 minutes $72 cash; $108 pre-deposit text 0432291913 or nyck@syzygy72.com
WHERE TO GET THE ECHO
If you live in Newrybar, Lennox Head or Ballina, but outside our current home delivery area, you can pick up an Echo from many locations, including: Newrybar Providore Newrybar; Richies IGA Ballina, Ballina RSL, One Stop Shop Ballina, Ballina Golf Club East Ballina, Brighton St Takeaway near the Shawsy, Seagrass Lennox, Lennox pub drivethrough, Station St Grocer Lennox
Passed away peacefully, surrounded by loved ones on 22/04/2026 Aged 92 Years
Dearly Loved Wife of Hans (dec.)
Loved Mother and Mother-in-law of Bob & Leanne and Peter (dec.) & Sue. Cherished Grandmother of Michael, Amy, Nathan, Kate and Emily.
Loving Great-Grandmother of Jack, Hazel, Mia, Jasmine, Lara and Eliza. Loved Sister of John Coverdale (dec.)
A private family farewell has been held.
Friends and Family are warmly invited to attend Pat’s celebration of life, date to be advised.
15-08-1929 – 21-04-2026
Shirley passed away peacefully at Byron Hospital.
Much loved wife of Keith (dec.) Much loved Mother and Mother-in-law of Judith, Tony and Pam, Peter and Penee, Bob and Anki, Russell and Dina.
Grandma to many - especially Andrew, Lucy and Elizabeth, Nathan, Nova and Erik, Edward and Era, also Faith, Willow and Milla. Remembered by Cathy and Otis.
Family and friends are warmly invited to celebrate Shirley’s life at St John’s Catholic Church Mullumbimby at 11.00am 5th May 2026.
All welcome following the service at Mullumbimby Ex Service’s Club.
Many thanks to the team at Meadow’s Health, staff at Byron Hospital and Feros Care.
In lieu of flowers donation to Sisters of Immaculata. immaculata.org.au.donate.
Brunswick Valley FUNERALS 6684 6232
VACANT
on weekends. Renumeration and conditions will be covered by a 12-month contract with a 2-month trial period. The successful applicant should have or obtain an ABN.
Duties encompass all aspects of daily guesthouse management including: ***
* Setting up and hosting breakfast
* Welcoming guests and providing them with a memorable experience with a high standard of customer service and responsiveness
* Room preparation and associated laundry
* Taking telephone calls and operating the computer-based reservation system
* Coordinating with the Manager on aspects of the operation. Applications to Malrider5@gmail.com
CLEANER WANTED EYE FOR DETAIL
MIN 6 months own vehicle equipment included. $40-$70 p/hr. Ph 0447039386
HC TRUCK DRIVERS WANTED!
The cane season starts in June in the NSW Northern Rivers area: Condong, Broadwater and Harwood sugar mill sites. Send a brief driving history or resume to Wendy.Keel@sctlogistics.com.au
LADIES WANTED, MUST BE 18+ Work available in busy adult parlour. Travellers welcome. 66816038 for details.
TAXI DRIVERS WANTED
Flexible work hours – perfect 2nd income Email operations@byronbaytaxis.com
WORK WANTED
REPUTABLE CLEANER AVAILABLE
If you’re time-poor or just tired and need a hand around your home, call me for: a one-off clean; weekly; fortnightly; or just when you need it. I will make your home sparkle while you relax. I have been servicing the Byron Shire and surrounding areas since 2023. I bring all of my own products and gear and I’m fully insured. References available. My hourly rate is $55. Too good to be true? Give me
SHIRLEY PATRICIA CAIRNS
Classifieds / Community at Work
ONLY ADULTS
BI MALE ESCORT 38yo locksmith. 0480 779 325 couplesempowerment.global
34 Piper Dr. Open 7 days 10am till late. In & Out Calls. 66816038. Ladies wanted Find us on Facebook and Twitter!
KRYSTAL ADULT SHOP
Large variety of toys and lingerie 6/6 Tasman Way, A&I Est, Byron Bay 0416 899 048
Vixen is a 6 month old, Bull Arab/Cattle X. If you are looking for a smart, active pup to join your family, Vixen could be the one for you. M/C # 991003002920310
Location: Murwillumbah For more information contact Yvette on 0421 831 128 Please complete our online adoption expression of interest. friendsofthepound.com/adoption-
Visit friendsofthepound.com to view other dogs and cats looking for a home. ABN 83
Couples 3 Way Play
SOCIAL ESCORTS
LOTS OF GORGEOUS LADIES available for your pleasure nearby. Spoil yourself. In-house & outcalls. 7 days. 0266816038.
EMERGENCY NUMBERS
On The Horizon
DEADLINE NOON FRIDAY
Email copy marked ‘On The Horizon’ to editor@echo.net.au.
Byron Hospital
Auxiliary
Byron Bay Hospital Auxiliary will be holding their autumn garage sale on Saturday, 2 May from 8am until noon at 105 Beech Drive, Suffolk Park. All your favourites including bric-a-brac, cakes, jams, pickles and plants. All proceeds go to support Byron Central Hospital.
Women’s day trip
with great advice and sales of healthy local rainforest plants. Guided walks, cake and coffee stall, card and book sales. Educational displays. Children’s activities – spotto, floral art, craft, yoga. Bookings essential by emailing membership@friendslrbg.com.au.
(Please give a contact number and say which walk and time you’d like). Numbers limited, cost $5 per person, children free. Meet at Visitor’s Centre, 10 mins before walk please. Wear sturdy shoes and hats.
Morning tea will be available after the meeting business is concluded and before the guest speaker makes an appearance. Guest speaker this month is Chrissy Freer, who will speak on how mental problems can be solved by knowing the right contacts. A meeting fee of $5 is charged to members, not visitors, who are welcome to join us. A table has been booked for anyone who wishes to join us afterwards and partake of lunch in the Boardwalk Restaurant. Any enquiries please contact President, Mrs Jill Huxley, on 6686 8958.
Richmond
Landcare
daily 6680 7280
NORTHERN RIVERS GAMBLING SERVICE 6687 2520
HIV/AIDS – ACON Confidential testing & information 6622 1555
ANIMAL RESCUE (DOGS & CATS) 6622 1881
NORTHERN RIVERS WILDLIFE CARERS 6628 1866
KOALA HOTLINE 6622 1233
WIRES – NSW Wildlife Information & Rescue Service 6628 1898
Each SUN: Ballina Farmers & Producers Market – 7am–11am
Free women’s day trip to Tweed Gallery and Hosanna Farmstay Local not-for-profit Together She Thrives is inviting women to enjoy a free, fun-filled day out on Wednesday 6 May. 57 women will be treated to a private coach trip from Mullumbimby to the beautiful Tweed Regional Gallery for a guided tour of inspiring exhibitions, followed by a relaxing visit to Hosanna Farmstay to unwind, connect, and enjoy the peaceful surroundings — including feeding the friendly farm animals. The day runs from 9.15am to 2pm and includes transport, gallery entry, guided tour, and animal feed. Participants can bring their own lunch or purchase food on-site. This free event is designed to support women’s mental health and wellbeing through connection, community, and shared experiences. Bookings are essential as spots are limited and can be made by visiting https://www.togethershethrives.org. au/womens-events
Lismore rainforest walk
Lismore Rainforest Botanic Gardens open day, Sunday 24 May, 9.30am to 1pm. Taking place on Bundjalung Country. 313 Wyrallah Road, East Lismorea. Meet at the Visitors Centre – native plant stall open from 9.30am
Digital skills workshops for seniors
A new series of free digital skills for seniors workshops through the Byron Seniors Club is helping older residents in the Byron Shire build confidence online, recognise scams and protect their personal information. The sessions are designed specifically for seniors and focus on real-world skills, from spotting phishing emails and suspicious messages to safely using smartphones, apps and online services. The workshops are friendly, accessible and paced for all experience levels, with a strong emphasis on building confidence, independence and connection. The workshops are held Mondays and Fridays, 4 May – 12 June from 2.30pm – 4.30pm at the Byron Community Centre, 69 Jonson Street, Byron Bay. Open to people aged 50+ (no experience required). For bookings, visit https://collections.humanitix. com/digital-skills-for-seniors.
AIR meets 1 May
The next meeting of the Australian Independent Retirees (AIR) will be held on Friday, 1 May at 10am in the Ballina RSL Club, 1 Grant Street, Ballina. Doors open at 9.30am to gather and chat before the meeting.
Regular As Clockwork
DEADLINE NOON FRIDAY
Please note that, owing to space restrictions, not all entries may be included each week. Email copy marked ‘Regular As Clockwork’ to editor@echo.net.au.
Vollies needed for toy library
Byron Shire toy library is looking for volunteers to help run the library. We have two sites, Suffolk Park and Ocean Shores. It’s an easy, fun way to spend a morning. You are required to do a two or three hour shift every week or every two weeks. If interested please contact Pippy Wardell; byronbayseniors@gmail.com.
A few hands can make a big difference!
On Monday and Friday mornings, a small group gathers at Coolamon Community to pack coolamons shared through Aboriginal Health Service midwives to Aboriginal mums and babies in regional and remote communities. It’s simple, hands-on work – done with care, respect and purpose. There’s always room for a few more. If you’d like to lend a hand and be part of something meaningful, contact Pam on 0417 393 168 or info@ coolamoncommunity.org.au.
Byron Seniors
Join our friendly group for cards. We play 500 at a local venue. No charge. For enquiries, message Nancy on 0498 480 373.
Soul song
Community-led singing, devotional uplifting songs, short meditation, inspiring readings, non-denominal. Held first and third Sundays from 10am to 11.30am at the Scout Hall,
Bangalow Showgrounds. All welcome. For more info call Sue 0402 052 457. Seniors activities at the Byron Community Cabin
Seniors activities at the Byron Community Cabin, Carlyle St, Byron Bay: Seniors Chair Yoga Tuesday and Fridays, 10am to 11am – Contact Pippy 0421 926 785, by donation. Free Tai Chi with Baz – Tuesdays 11.15am till 12.15pm, Thursdays 2pm till 3pm. Still Here Theatre – Senior’s theatre group. All ages welcome to our fun drama and theatre workshops. Thursdays 10am to 12pm at the cabin. By donation. Contact Brin on 0423 120 280.
Cake can save the world!
Every month, the good women of the Bangalow CWA pick up their weapons of choice. A cake tin, some eggs, some flour, some sugar and a whole lot of love. As a grassroots organisation dedicated to improving the welfare of women, children and the vulnerable, the making and baking of cakes for the monthly cake stall is how they raise the much needed funds to support the good work of Liberation Larder, Fletcher Street Cottage, The Winsome Hotel, The SHIFT Project Byron Bay and the Bangalow Community Pantry. The next cake stall is on Saturday, 28 March from 8am to 1pm at the CWA Rooms in Bangalow, 31 Byron Street, Bangalow. While you are there, why not find out about becoming a member?
As part of catchment-wide assessments, Richmond Landcare Inc are holding a citizen science event on Saturday, 2 May in Tuntable and Terania creeks, upstream from the Channon. These are the focus area of our nature-based solutions: Building flood resilience in the Lismore catchment project. If you’re a budding scientist, or are interested in learning about waterway health, we welcome you to join us and contribute to our collective understanding of the health of our catchment. To find out more, and to register to come along, please visit https://events.humanitix.com/citizenscience-catchment-health-testingautumn-2026.
Free fitness classes
Open week (Sat May 16 – Thursday 21 May). Free community functional fitness classes all week at Social Remedy’s garage gym. No membership required – just show up, move, meet people.
Free pilates classes
Social Remedy is opening its sculpt division reformer pilates studio to the community, with free community reformer classes across the weekend (22-24 May); Goodie bags for attendees; Live DJ on-site; Food trucks, and more. Running alongside the weekend event is the Nagnata Warehouse sale (22-23 May).
Bruns U3A
Lifelong learning for retired folk in their third age. Our interest groups are Tuesday forum, garden group, foodies, movie and lunch, men’s shed, French revisited, Scottish folk dance, Mahjong, Walkers and talkers, Shabashi, table tennis, chess, debating group, ukelele. For days, times email info@bvu3a.org or call Denise 0423 778 573.
Friends of Libraries
Friends of Libraries (FOL) are now collecting books for next year’s Book Fair. Any books both clean and in good condition will be gratefully accepted, highlighting the need for children’s books, young adults, art, fiction, non-fiction, history, and sport, to name a few. Book drop-off will take place on the first Monday of each month between 9 and 10am, until the Book Fair in July, 2026 at the Byron Bay Self Storage Shed, 8-10 Tasman Way, Byron Arts & Industry Estate. Donated books will be collected by a FOL member at the storage shed gate. Contact: Janene Jarvis 0407 855 022 if unable to deliver books or for any other queries.
Older adult exercise
Chair-based older adults exercise classes run by a qualified instructor, that feel more like fun than exercise, are held every Thursday at 10.15am in the Brunswick Memorial Hall. Cost $10. All welcome. Just show up, or if you have any questions, please contact Di on 0427 026 935.
Brunswick Heads Women’s Social Tennis Mondays 7.30 to 8.30am. All levels welcome. Just rock up – no need to book, $5 members, $7 non. Cash only.
ECHO SERVICE DIRECTORY RATES, PAYMENT & DEADLINE
Deadline: For additions and changes is 12pm Friday
Line ads: $99 for 3 months or $340 for 1 year prepaid
Display ads: $70 per week for colour display ad. Minimum 8 week booking 4 weeks prepaid. Please supply display ads 85mm wide, 38mm high. New ads will be placed at end of section. Contact: 6684 1777 or adcopy@echo.net.au
Property Insider
Sunrise to Sunset
Perched high above the coastline on a magnificent north-facing 1,912m² parcel, this exceptional residence captures sweeping sunrise-to-sunset views across the Pacific Ocean, championship golf course and hinterland, delivering one of the most compelling lifestyle positions in Ocean Shores.
Surrounded by beautifully established gardens and mature greenery, the home enjoys a rare sense of privacy and elevation while remaining moments from beaches, cafes and village amenities.
Designed to embrace its spectacular setting, the home opens effortlessly to an expansive outdoor entertaining area where a stunning pool overlooks the ocean, creating an extraordinary backdrop for everyday living.
Inside, the residence offers generous proportions and character throughout, highlighted by parquetry timber floors, light-filled living spaces and a unique, fully-timber cigar
sitting room, adding warmth and personality to the home.
Accommodation is equally impressive, with five bedrooms and three bathrooms, including a spectacular upstairs master retreat that captures panoramic north facing views across the ocean, coastline, golf course and hinterland.
Large windows throughout the home ensure many rooms share the same breathtaking outlook, filling the interiors with natural light and coastal breezes throughout the day. Set amongst beautifully landscaped gardens and expansive lawns, the grounds offer space, privacy and flexibility rarely found in this tightly held coastal enclave.
Perfectly positioned beside the Ocean Shores Country Club Championship Golf Course, and only minutes to Brunswick Heads, pristine beaches and village conveniences, this is a home that effortlessly combines scale, outlook and lifestyle. Opportunities of this calibre in Ocean Shores are exceptionally rare.
Key features
• North-facing 2,000m² block
• Sunrise-to-sunset views across ocean, golf course and hinterland
• 5 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms
• Elevated position overlooking championship golf course
• Stunning pool with ocean views
• Expansive outdoor entertaining terrace
• Beautifully established landscaped gardens
• Parquetry timber flooring in living spaces
• Unique, fully-timber cigar sitting room
• Spectacular upstairs master retreat with panoramic views
• Private, elevated coastal setting
• Minutes to beaches, Brunswick Heads and village amenities
■ For more information call Jordan Byrnes on 0475 309 530 Lifestyle Group Brunswick Heads
36 River Street, New Brighton
Highly sought-after beachside haven
3 Bed | 3 Bath | 4 Car | 741sqm
Julie-Ann Manahan
Founder | Selling Principal 0411 081 118 jam@manare.au
7 Bulgoon Cresent, Ocean Shores
Architectural home with sub-division potential
4 Bed | 2 Bath | 5 Car | 3,408sqm
Julie-Ann Manahan
Julie-Ann Manahan
Founder | Selling Principal
Founder | Selling Principal 0411 081 118 jam@manare.au
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Property Business Directory
Backlash
MINDFULNESS @ WORK
Bring greater clarity, focus, and wellbeing into your organisation through the practices of mindfulness.
· Tailored group
The South Coast Labour Council (SCLC) Resolution, 22 April 2026 – Protest Laws Unconstitutional: ‘Council welcomes the decision of the Supreme Court in its determination that the NSW government’s Anti-Protest Laws are unconstitutional on grounds including their incompatibility with the right of political communication. This sends the strongest signal yet that this aspect of the Minns government’s agenda is not only fundamentally undemocratic, authoritarian and out of touch but also unconstitutional as well. Accordingly, the South Coast Labour Council calls on the Premier to abandon his obsession with being an apologist and defender of regimes run by war criminals in the Middle East and do his job supporting the people of NSW.’
Free Aquarius Talks: Forests, Our People – All we are saying is Give Trees a Chance – is at the Nimbin Town Hall on Saturday, 9 May from 10am to 3pm.
Know an amazing nurse or midwife who deserves the Healing Heart Award? Nomiations are open until 5pm on Friday, 15 May. Nomiate them at: https://nnswlhd. health.nsw.gov.au/services/ nursing-and-midwiferyservices-our-NAMS/healingheart-awards#no-back.
Backlash had to question what the motivation was for the persons who took their bright pink socks, rolled them into neat, dual plugs and stuffed them down the dunny at Durrumbul Hall recently. Backlash was grateful they did not have to
dig them out –but someone had to! And we thought tampons were bad for septic systems… I guess they have really upped the ante!
Many locals have called The Echo to express their distress at the actions of environmental activists last week who disrupted Woodside Energy’s new CEO Liz Westcott with whale song and Australian Crawl songs!
In happier news Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate was reported in The Guardian as saying he wants the homeless moved across the border to Byron. ‘I’m happy to get them a bus, and If they want to, take them to Byron Bay to enjoy the lifestyle down there.’ Does that mean we can send all those unruly developers who keep wanting to breach height limits, etc on a bus to the Gold Coast?
