News from our iconic Public hall

exchange a good book.

e hall is old with good bones and needs some TLC; through the hard work of the hall comm and others, we now have the funds to give the hall a well deserved makeover. We are very fortunate to have the hall in the community's hands.

Recently,I went to a nurturing Sunday yoga gathering run by Laura and Kathrin, regular weekly yoga teachers at the hall.It was marvelous to see so many people come out of the hills and valleys. ey were all keen to connect. ey were all very different people in ages,abilities and ideas. is coming together of different people plays an important role in our hall. Weekly classes of yoga,circus, choir and dance are available. e Channon hub website, https://thechannonhub.org/ has details or refer to this spectacular community newspaper. Each teacher is held in high regard in their chosen eld of expertise. e book exchange is highly successful.However,I would like to remind people that it is a book exchange, not a book dump.If the shelf is full feel free to exchange books but please don’t leave boxes of books on seats and tables. e hall needs to look neat and tidy for events like weddings where people have a highly aesthetic eye. e quality of books is excellent and the variety of text is vast.

RENA WOOLBANK

Come down and take some books away.

ere is much cause for celebration as we won a government grant. e funding was made available by the NSW Government who seek to improve the lives of people across the state and give grants to provide signi cant bene ts to communities.Now we can x the footings,upgrade the toilets and the other million and one jobs which need doing.A huge thanks to all who were involved in this process.

What’s onat thehall?

Weekly classes:

Tuesday:Yoga 6.15-7.15pm

Wednesday: Raise e Roof Choir 10:30-12:30

ReAct Circus 3.05-6.00pm ursday: Kids Circus 3.054.30pm

See website: thechannonhub.org/whats-on for contact details

DarrenHanlon

The whole thing seemed odd. My partner and I thought we were going to see the singer from Savage Garden playing in someone's backyard in South Lismore. is was on December 21st of last year. As is often the case,I was confused.I had the wrong Darren H. is became evident when an unassuming bloke who looks a bit like Russel Crowe's downto-earth brother (and nothing like Darren Hayes from Savage Garden) got up to the microphone with a well-loved old guitar.To hammer the point home Darren's rst announcement was "I'll take requests but no Savage Garden stuff because I wasn't in that band".My inner embarrassment at not knowing who I had turned up for was assuaged by Hanlon's wit and knowing that I wasn't the rst to make that mistake. As soon as he started singing I was even more assured.I know his voice and I even know and really like quite a few of his songs.Darren has enjoyed heavy rotation of a few of his many songs on Triple J in the past.I may have lost his name for a spell but his witty offbeat lyrics and catchy homegrown Indie-folk sound are unforgettable. ere is something charmingly sincere in Darren’s music.He writes in rhyming couplets that at face value seem simply clever but gently sneak up on you with their quiet poignancy.Hanlon reminds me of my very favourite singer songwriter John Prine in the way he walks a ne line of humour and sadness to disarm and impress the listener. His melodies and arrangements have a simple brilliance that are a perfect foil for the clever lyrics.My favourite track of Hanlon's is the hilarious "Punk's not Dead (She's just gone to bed)".

I also love "Falling Aeroplanes", "Happiness is just a chemical" and "Lapsed Catholic". ese are just a few amongst many great tracks that ll Hanlon's impressive six albums and three EPs.

Storytelling is an enjoyable part of Hanlon's show.Along with funny tales of growing up in Gympie, the main stage please email admin@thechannonmarket. org.au if you dare,it's a great venue and a wonderful gig to get. e marquee and power is supplied.

Darren brought us back to the golden era of music in Lismore. e early and mid 90’s was a time when there were up to seven venues with live music playing on a given night fuelled by the fertile garden of SCU's music school as well as the Con.It was during that time that Hanlon,forged his musical identity. First as a member of Lismore band e Simpletons and after their 1997 split,as a solo artist.He has been recording and performing ever since in the admirable low key manner of a Journeyman musician.

Regrettably,those days are long past. Sitting in that lovely little backyard on a gentle Summer Solstice evening was a lovely experience that seemed to take us back there.It felt like much of the audience were veterans of those times and were sharing an intimate reminiscience with the artist.Darren Hanlon is a talented musician as well being a thouroughly enjoyable perfomer.He is one that Lismore and Australia can be proud of.

It's make,bake,create and showcase at TCCM each month on the 2nd Sunday,if you are a tinker,a producer or an artisan the time is ripe for you to come and join us,small stalls and large stall sites are available and we are keen to support you in bringing your wares and talents to the markets.

To have a site,please visit our website and register as a casual stallholder www. thechannonmarket.org.au.

Feel like busking and putting out your hat,please register at the office on the day,we would love to have you join us (it's a great opportunity to hold a space and make some $$’s)

What makes a great market like e Channon?

People like YOU,folks hit the region in February and again in March 2022. Lismore City Council have planned activities and we urge everyone to attend,this is part of our healing and well worth attending. e last 2 markets in December and January were amazing with many people attending as punters and reporting that the atmosphere and selection of artisans and products were unique and exciting,the days were warm but pleasurable.Please remember we are a pet free event. guides folks into parking spots.We ask everyone to carpool if you can and have your money ready to give to our team on the gates,this makes entering the market smooth. Parking on the road between Nimbin St and Keerrong Road is not allowed,we want to get our emergency vehicles into the village if required, parking on the road between these areas creates traffic jams and blocks access,please remember this.It's much bigger than just ‘a car’

Why are pets not allowed at the markets?

Our insurance can cover a majority of stall products for a small fee.

We are looking for food stallholders to join us,please email your proposal to the committee,we encourage folks to do ‘something different’than what is currently available,power is very limited so alternative power supply is recommended. secretary@ thechannonmarket.org.au

We are also looking to build on our entertainment, if you have a 4 piece band or bigger,the markets may be able to give you a gig on who visit and of course our stall holders who create their stalls and bring them along once a month.Our team compliments everyone and we are proud to be known as ‘the region's ultimate market experience’.Please share on your social media,invite your mates and pencil in your diary the 2nd Sunday of the month. www.thechannonmarket. org.au

February and March are a time to remember as we come together to take time out to celebrate the survival of the ‘extreme weather event’that

In January we had some ‘outrageous folks’graffiti the men’s toilets and also write things on the back of the toilets about people we know and work with,this is totally unnecessary and devastating for the folks whose names and numbers were included. If anyone sees suspicious or down right destructive behaviours occurring please call Lismore Police,they are very interested in stopping this behaviour and believe they know who is involved. It's up to us all,to protect our community assets.

In May we will celebrate the 50th anniversary of Aquarius,with an amazing lineup of performers and speakers.We will remember the awesome times that lifted up the spirits of our region and are working with Aquarius 50,the team from Nimbin and afar who have a host of activities evolving. Keep an eye out for events in our region.

A reminder to everyone who visits,the car park fee is $3,this helps towards managing the car park and our team

Historically this has been the case due to pets not being on leashes,accidents and incidents occurred between pets and children and the Committee and team wish to avoid any con ict or incidents that can be avoided.To some folks this is unfair but to us is necessary to create a safe space. is condition of entry is still current 35 years on and we ask everyone to please respect this,this includes the car park.Leaving pets in cars is also illegal and we will have no choice but to report owners of pets who cruelly leave their animals in vehicles, please remember most of us love pets and want them to be safe.

Do you have some photos you can share of our community market?

If you have some great shots please forward to admin@thechannonmarket.org. au we would love to use them for promo of the markets.

See you at the markets!

e Channon Craft Market Management Committee

and Team.

The Channon Resilience AGM is coming up and welcomes community members to get involved!

Hi there community :) Terri Nicholson here on behalf of e Channon Resilience Inc.

We would love to give you an update on what’s been happening and invite you to be part of it!

How “ e Channon Resilience” came about…

After the 2019/2020 res we,the community,recognised the need to get more organised around disaster preparedness and resilience in general.A small group of community members got together to run a workshop with this focus. It was held at e Channon Hall in Feb 2020 and attended by over 100 people. Out of that came a number of smaller “Action Groups”where people who had an interest in a certain topic were going to work together to help that move forward. is was stalled a bit (quite a bit) by the covid lockdowns of the following 2 years of 2020/2022,although some groups continued to tick by,sometimes meeting by zoom. e Fire Preparedness Group,the People C.A.R.E.group,and the Food Resilience group were notable in continued action.

In 2020/2021 Lismore Council gave some funding towards a community-led development of a Disaster Resilience Plan for both Terania/ e Channon and Nimbin/Tuntable Creek. e Channon Disaster Resilience Action Project formed and a small group worked with Locale Consulting to put together a Plan.19 Action Steps were identi ed that would help our community be more disaster-ready and resilient. is plan ‘launched’in Oct 2021,at the same time as the website www.thechannonhub.org was made as a resource for community cohesion and resilience. is has disaster information as well as a What’s On page and Local Directory - check it out and bookmark it!

Part of this funding from Lismore Council went towards paying an excavator contractor to clear the strategic re trail access points between Terania Ck Rd and Wallace Rd on western side of the valley (Mop’s track & Nicholson’s trail) and on eastern side of the valley to connect Terania Ck Rd with Gibbergunya Range Rd (Rainbow/Burke’s place),so they are open and accessible to RFS in the event of further res. is work was about to commence when the Feb oods/landslides happened.It was delayed until recently and is underway as I type. ere is still $3615 of community donations that were raised around the re times,to go towards re related preparedness and resilience.Some of this will go towards completing the strategic trails for RFS access for if/when res happen again. e dramatic and disastrous Feb 2022 ooding/landslides event happened,and the community once again galvanised to respond immediately, setting up an Emergency Centre at e Channon School and then e Channon Hall.

After the initial month or two of disaster response,the core crew who had been coordinating the Hub as well as those involved in the re times and the Disaster Resilience Project,realised that becoming ‘Incorporated’would mean we could have an ‘umbrella group’that could apply for grants to aid in recovery & community projects,that we could have a bank account where funds can be received and organised in a neutral place, and would give us a framework for being more cohesive as a community action group.

What has e Channon Resilience Inc helped happen since it formed in March 2022?

* Opened a bank account speci cally for e Channon Resilience related projects and funds. ere are sub-accounts for speci c grants and projects.Decisions about how any funds are spent is made by e Channon Resilience group.

* With the $10,000 Healthy North Coast grant that was received in 2021,a number of free events were planned and delivered :)

- e Channon Resilience Party afternoon/evening event at the hall. is was a free event and was the rst real gathering in the hall since the covid lockdowns of the last 2 years.It was a joyful and well attended event which de nitely brought the community together.(Due to prolonged wet weather and covid restrictions,the initial idea of a Resilience Festival at the oval was replaced by the Party)

- Building Resilient Landscapes workshop (this was lmed and will be put on Youtube)

- Wellbeing workshop with Petrea King (Mental wellbeing event dedicated to exploring the pathways to posttraumatic growth such as the oods/ landslides of 2022)

- e Channon Emergency Radio Network - ere are 70 people in this network that takes in e Channon, Terania and Tuntable Creeks,Koonorigan and the northern Keerrong valley. We are gradually improving our reach, helped by the Summerland Amateur Radio Club,and with tech advice from David Smith,Hutcho and Russ from the re brigade,coordinated by Martha Beasley.

- Terania-Keerrong Flood Safety continues to develop.A small development team has been nutting out the tech side with Greg Hall.During rain events a reliable group of rain sentinels provides rain intensity data which is shared to the SES.As we rm up our system the SES will be able to provide ood warnings for the Keerrong valley and e Channon.With the help of a NRCF grant we can now start on gathering community ood observations - see the article in this edition for how you can help by sharing your observations of where the 2017 and 2022 oods came to at your location.

Coordinated by Annie Kia.

Received a grant of $10,000 ($8K for a container with disaster preparedness tools and equipment,$2K for workshops) from the Australian Mutual Foundation in partnership with the Business Council of Cooperatives and Mutuals,G&G Mutual Bank and Summerland Credit Union.

Projects/ideas that are in the works but need interested folks to help them move forward:

Smaller interest “action groups”will continue to form with e Channon

Resilience as an umbrella,so you needn’t feel you’ll have to engage with a large group. You can bring ideas forward and smaller action groups can form around these.

Some of these are continuations of the ideas that arose back in the workshop after the res,and also in the Disaster Resilience Plan.So many wonderful ideas and planned steps,and they just need folks with some energy to help move them forward.

Some ongoing ideas/ foci are: Disaster Readiness, Fire Defence,People Care/ Wellbeing,Youth group, “ e Commons”revamp (the triangle of land between the shop and the pub),Food e Channon Resilience is made up of community members who care about the overall wellbeing and disaster-preparedness of e Channon & surrounds. e more community engagement and participation means greater resilience!

Resilience and others.

Would you like to be involved?

You are welcome at the AGM on March 25th at e ChannonTavern at 1.30pm e current “office bearers”are: Ivy Young,Martha Beasley,Annie Kia,Robyn Kelly &Terri Nicholson,as well as a wonderful list of community group members. Any community members are welcome to come and nd out more,and to join as nominated ‘office bearers’or just as group members who can have input into decisions. Come join us.:) You can also email us at