Most locals and a lot of visitors know Peter the palm reader from the streets of Byron Bay. They may have experienced one of his readings, or have seen him sitting out on Jonson Street on his plastic chair.
Well it seems Peter got tangled up in the recent bureaucratic regulations of the local council. His quirky activity in our streets was deemed to be one that requires a Buskers’ Permit.
Peter was quick to comply by getting one, however his permit is now under threat of revocation; for violation of extended work hours and his proximity to other businesses offering same services.
Well, Peter is not going down without a fight. He may be old and stubborn but he also follows his intuition as to where he should conduct his business from, after all that’s his mode of operation. He feels the optimum spot for him to operate is just outside the Great Northern Hotel. Now then if Mr Mooney doesn’t object, why should anyone else?
It seems Peter’s chosen location falls just short of the 100m restriction zone from other businesses offering the same services. Peter says that definition is subjective as the zone’s centre is not necessarily the street address as shown on a street map but instead could be seen as the entrance to the business site (some 5m away). He also says distances should be measured as walking distance and not line of sight. Peter would be prepared to debate all this, and he should know, after all he sees all the lines in the palms of our hands.
But seriously, my argument is that Peter is not just a most genuine palm reader in town, but he also provides a valuable service to the community and visitors alike by giving them much-needed positive guidance at a rock bottom street price. So just let him be for goodness sake, he’s a Byron icon that should not be lost.
As a last resort Peter is preparing a submission to Council and is taking petitions from the community as a show of support. To help him get online I have set up Peter a Facebook page and I urge our community to visit his page and click on ‘like’ to show support for his continuing good work on the streets of Byron Bay. http://www.facebook.com/peter.palmreader.byronbay
Minas Kargodorian, Byron Bay
Peter is a gypsy and as such should not be forced to conform to flaky commercial interests..and whilst we are at lets bring back the other gypsies…the fire dancers, the drums and the free form dancing that once identified the spirit of Byron. There exists free expression in all youth and rather than getting them hooked on alcohol we should allow a creative social space for self expression. The town is not owned by the business class it is a space that should also be celebrated without inebriation.