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12 Local News Thursday, October 27, 2022 Freak tornado hits Burringbar
By Madeleine Murray and Debra Allard
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A FREAK tornado smashed through Upper Burringbar at 7:30pm on Monday, October 17.
Debra Allard was just sitting down to dinner with her husband Jim, when she heard a roaring wind.
The dogs were barking at the massive claps of thunder but the roar brought back the memories of past weather events.
“It reminded me of the sound of Cyclone Debbie, like the sound of a train coming,” Debra told The Weekly.
“There was thunder and lightning. I ran around the house to shut the windows as the rain started to hit, but I couldn’t close them fast enough.
Deb and Jim have a dairy farm, and an award-winning cheese-making business called Cheeses Loves You.
They went out to the dairy the next morning to see the devastation.
The open space of the dairy seemed to bear the brunt of the wind and hail.
The wind had lifted a pile of roofing iron. “Roofing iron was scattered all over the paddocks,” Debra said.
“Luckily it missed the bull and springing cows who are in the paddock next to the dairy, they must have been ducking and weaving all through the storm.
“Our old silo ended up in the calf paddock right down the end of the paddock.
“An empty massive water tank rolled over gates, and knocked its way into the dairy, wedged into where the cows were meant to come in.
“Jim had to use the tractor to move a sheet of iron wedged under a tank of molasses, and to get the tank out so that the cows could come in.
“There was water everywhere from the hail. It took all day getting the roofing iron back.
“We are so grateful the cows weren’t injured and thankfully all the vehicles and machinery were safe in the machinery shed.
“Our neighbour’s passionfruit farm had major damage to the setting fruit. The last six rows were untouched.
A tank rolled across the driveway and over a gate to the dairy Jim Allard cleaning up the tornado damage
Local groups get ITV grants
By Madeleine Murray
TWENTY-ONE LUCKY groups will get a grant of $2,500 this year from ITV studios, which produces I’m a Celebrity, Get me out of Here, right here in the Tweed Valley.
Congratulations to the following local organisations who have received a Tweed Community Initiative Fund grant.
Some of the winners were Agape Outreach, Banora Tweed Rotary, Burringbar Community Assoc., Burringbar School of Arts, Cabarita Surf Life Saving Club, Caldera Environment Centre, and ConXions Church Murwillumbah.
Other winners were Green Heroes, Kamilaroi Equestrians and Performance Horses Inc, Mt Warning NSW Days for Girls, Murwillumbah Potters, and Pottsville Bogangar Public School P&C.The grants were also awarded to Pottsville Community Dune Care Inc, Resilient Uki Group, Rivertracks Inc, Team Koala, Tweed Coast Youth Service, Tweed District Volunteer Rescue Squad, Murwillumbah Community Garden, Tweed Valley Sailing Club, and the Tyalgum Community Hall.
This year’s ITV Tweed Community Initiative Fund grants round closed on Sunday, September 18, and received 30 applications from local groups, the largest number since the grants program began in 2017.
Now in its sixth year, the ITV Studios local ‘give back’ fund has awarded 112 grants totalling $307,000.
The scheme aims to provide not-for-profit groups a boost of around $2,500 each, to get projects and initiatives underway.
The 30 applications were evaluated by members of an independent community panel who donated their time to conduct a meticulous scoring process.
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By Jo Kennett
A GROUP of local preschools have banded together to raise funds for a local SES unit to show their thanks for their help during the floods.
The Director of Rosellas Community Preschool Lisa Bilson said the school has a strong connection to the local community.
“We experienced first-hand the widespread devastation that the floods caused,” Lisa said. “During our time of need there were so many organisations and people that volunteered their time and services to assist our community and help our local people to get back on their feet.
“One particular service that is always there to support our community is the Murwillumbah SES.
“They risked their lives and made every effort to keep our community safe both during and after the floods.”
To show their appreciation for the unit volunteer’s efforts, the school decided to hold a Superhero Dress Up Day to raise some muchneeded funds “and further support the services they offer our community.”
“To maximise our donation to the SES, we connected with other local Early Childhood Services including Possums Community Preschool, Uniting Preschool, Joeys Pouch Early Education Centre, Kingscliff Mini School, Burringbar Community Preschool, Pottsville Community Preschool, Pippies Early Childhood Centre, Wallum Community Preschool and Northern Rivers Family Day Care to hold a combined dress-up day where we were all able to contribute to the funds raised,” Lisa told The Weekly.
“On Friday, October 21, and where we were able to present Murwillumbah SES representative, Inspector Grant (Jack) Frost with a donation of $1,000. [below].
“It’s pretty impressive really that all those preschools took the time out to think of us,” he said.
“It’s not like they don’t have their own issues, like Possums has lost a home and are out at South Murwillumbah.
“It was interesting talking to the directors; they were all very appreciative of the work our volunteers did and do, so that was really nice.
“They are at a fairly important time in the kids’ development and it’s good to be able to teach them about flood awareness and that helps to get the message to adults as well.
Chris Eaton's students raised money to buy 15 ukeleles for kids in the Solomon Islands
Hats off to our teachers
By Madeleine Murray
WORLD TEACHERS’ Day will be celebrated across Australia on Friday, October 28.
Teachers are a fundamental, vital part of our society. They educate and prepare children to take an active, meaningful place in the world but their work is often underestimated and taken for granted.
Yet, without their dedication, resilience and creativity we would fall behind as a nation. Teachers equip students with knowledge, skills and ways of thinking and working needed for their future lives.
The students can go on to be leaders, run their own businesses, care for others or make important discoveries.
Teachers create global citizens. They inspire students to focus, study, create and to achieve great things.
Chris Eaton was a casual teacher for many years in schools around the Tweed Shire.
“As a casual you have to be able to think on your feet, adapt quickly and have a wide range of strategies at your disposal,” Chris said.
Ten years ago, he settled at Mt St Patricks College (MSPC), Murwillumbah, and loves it.
“I love those moments when you switch a light on for a student.,” Chris told The Weekly.
“There’s a Eureka moment when something they’ve struggled with suddenly just becomes that much easier, whether it’s getting the moves in triple jump in the right sequence, understanding why WWI started, or why centrifugal force helps dry your washing.
In 2017, Chris asked kids at MSPC to busk at lunchtimes around the school to raise money for a school in the Solomon Islands.
“They saved up enough money to buy 15 ukuleles which we donated to the village.
“It was immensely gratifying to have been the conduit that brought together children from such vastly different backgrounds in such a positive way.
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