A group of young local residents have united to form the Byron Young Residents Alliance, or BYRA.
The group says it aims to encourage open discussion and involvement with all young Byron Shire residents and provide a platform to represent the demographic on local community issues.
One member is Ben Gordon, who grew up in Ewingsdale and is drummer with award-winning band Parkway Drive.
He told The Echo a meeting held on Sunday drew about 50 people. ‘And from that, we elected eight senior members.’
‘The group was very impassioned and motivated to make a difference on local issues that they feel strongly about.’
Another spokesperson for the group is university student Narayan Wallace.
He told The Echo the group’s demographic is a mix of self-employed graphic designers, professional musicians, business owners and uni students, ‘one of which is studying to be a town planner.’
‘Everyone [in this group] has grown up here and wants to have a say and the goal is to open the communication channels.’
No political affiliation
The group’s statement reads, ‘The group would encourage all younger residents of the shire to make contact with the group and follow along as it progresses.’
‘BYRA has no political affiliation and has a focus to encourage other young adults to become more active in the future of the Byron Shire.’
A vision statement was also formed.
It reads in part, ‘The catalyst for formation of BYRA has been what we see as the general perception that the younger generations lack either interest or investment in local issues, the West Byron and Ewingsdale Lot 101 developments being prime examples.’
‘We feel that the younger demographic frequently get overlooked and misrepresented in such issues and hope to change that by uniting.
‘As a group, we seek to play a proactive part in the sustainable development of the shire and, as such, are putting our hands up to represent its younger residents in current and future matters that will affect us all.’ To get involved visit www.facebook.com/byronyoungresidentsalliance or Instagram: byronyoungresidentsalliance.
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