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July 5, 2026

Culture Roundup : Thursday 22 June

Latest News

Vale Eve Sinton 20/11/52–30/06/26

In February this year, Eve Sinton was admitted to Tamworth Hospital. All tests and biopsies were taken. Before announcing the diagnosis to Eve, the doctor asked ‘First Please tell me what was your occupation?’ Eve replied, ‘I am a journalist’.

Other News

Mandy Nolan’s Soapbox: When No Means MoNo

Pauline wants monoculture. No one really knows what she means. And we know that Pauline definitely doesn’t know what it means, she just knows it will create disturbance. So I’ve done a bit of a deep dive on what the mono might look like.

Mullum water

Thanks councillors Warth, Hauge, Ndiaye, Kay and Lowe for holding the line against the conservatives (Lyon, Dods and Labor)...

Fresh ink: new releases making their festival debut

This year’s Byron Writers Festival is a first-look destination, with several of Australia’s most anticipated new books arriving at the festival before the ink has barely dried.

New funding path sought for rail trail, but is it too late?

Byron Council will investigate private sponsorship, tourism partnerships, and smaller staged projects as it seeks a new path forward for the long-delayed Northern Rivers Rail Trail (NRRT) after a major federal funding bid failed.

Osher’s next act: transforming recovery into a toolkit

Byron Writers Festival talks with best-selling author Osher Günsberg whose new book, So What? Now What? is a mental health toolkit and a compelling follow-up to his critically-acclaimed 2018 memoir, Back, After The Break.

A deeper dive into Gulgan Village’s affordable housing

If approved, Gulgan Village, proposed on the highway end of The Saddle Road across 37.9 hectares, could eventually (after a development application process) house up to 1,000 people in around 550 homes, ‘depending on the housing mix’ (source: Gulgan Village Civil Engineering Report).

Grease Lightning with The Cassettes

cassettes

Who doesn’t love a bit of Grease? The iconic film made in the 70s about the 50s that tells the love story of Sandy: a pure and wholesome Australian exchange student, and Danny: owner of the best chin-dimple at Rydell High.The most successful musical movie ever made, Grease is an explosion of sexuality, singing and dancing, swirling skirts and glistening chrome. Ears are pierced, cigarettes are gagged on and streamers sway innocently above the hot-to-trot born-to-hand-jive dance scene.

Join the Cassettes on Saturday at a local screening at the Brunswick Picture House. Dress up in your favourite 50s outfit and bop along. Byron Bay Flashmob Troupe teacher and choreographer Katy Woods has done an electrifying job of creating a unified, rollicking dance ride with The Cassette Dancers; it’s a complex, fun, short and immensely satisfying dance show.

Tickets for the Grease film event at 7pm on Saturday can be purchased at the Brunswick Picture House.


Celebrating cross-cultural collaboration

Northern Rivers Community Gallery (NRCG) Ballina launches a vibrant cross-cultural exhibition this month to celebrate a unique collaboration between two groups of remote Indigenous women textile artists.

Wahng Ngullboo | Karridjarrkdurrkmirri Working Together – Bundjalung Wake Up Time and Kunwinjku Women textile artists collaboration launching on Thursday 29 June 5.30–7.30pm.
All are welcome to attend. For more info go to www.nrcgballina.com.au.


Sassy salsa dance party

Sassy Salsa presents Friday Fiesta Latin Party at the Mullumbimby Ex-Services Club with Daniella and the Sassy crew. Can’t dance? Well the crew offer a $10 Zouk workshop at 6.15pm with Joe Jurd, who has just arrived back from attending Congress in Prague, Czech Republic, and Netherlands. For those who have never tried latin partner dancing, at 7.30pm a FREE salsa class will have you doing some funky salsa moves at  Latin party which follows straight after only $5. Dress up latin style and enjoy this fun and exciting event as dancers and dance teachers share their favourite latin tunes while dancing to the rhythms of salsa, bachata, kizomba and zouk.


Being well exhibit

Come along to the first Wellbeing4Life event to be held on Saturday at the Mullumbimby Civic Memorial Hall 10am–4pm. This community-based event features the following exhibits: shamanic and Peruvian craft, essential oils, reiki, past life regressions, jewellery, crystals, books, pendulum (scientific) dowsing, channelling of Lord Buddha and/or Lord Christ. Aura photography, sacred geometry items, workshop information, magnesium products, metal art, crystal healings, 100 per cent real food supplements, oracle cards, Himalayan salts/herbs, health and sustainable lifestyle and much, much more. There will be FREE lectures throughout the day, brilliant psychics, great coffee and delicious food – all for a gold coin entry. For further information call 0419 709 661.


Learn to paint a portrait

DalePainting

Last year locally based artist Dale Rhodes found himself a semifinalist for the prestigious Doug Moran Portrait prize. Rhodes has an extraordinary ability to capture vital, living super-realistic portraits that seem to portray the real essence of a person.

Dale says, ‘My teaching is based on the belief that your artistic vision is yours and can’t be taught, but you can learn the skills and techniques to draw and paint however you want to’.

In his upcoming workshop Dale will be teaching a simple and flexible method of beginning, progressing and finishing a portrait.

‘I don’t think it’s possible to define what makes a painting great, but most great portraits have a strong visual concept that strikes you from across the room, and a sense of form and solidity. Features and details are important but not most important. The most common mistakes people make are to rush the beginning of a portrait and to look too much at details and too little at the big shapes.

‘My process has been to gain as much inspiration as I can from painters I love, learn as much as I can from wherever I can, and spend as many hours as I can drawing and painting.’

Dale Rhodes portrait workshop runs 1 and 2 July, 9.30am–5pm. Beginners to advanced, and both drawing and painting.

For more please visit dalerhodespaintings.com email [email protected] or call  0425 254 851.


Public Act of Selvage

Public Act Theatre present their new performance Selvage. Expect a very personal performance by the women who have been deep in workshop exploring issues that arise and delving into their creative flow to expand their story. Bringing women together with laughter and tears, with shared issues, in realisation of the courage to stand up and speak out. Half the performance on the Wednesday will be pieces written by the women and the other half will be some Forum Theatre scenes. One of the issues we have explored is the fact that many local women no longer feel safe on some of our beautiful beaches. The upcoming show Selvage is the product of 10 weeks of theatre with women from the Shire (many of whom have never performed onstage before). Wednesday 28 June, 7.30pm at the Byron Theatre, Jonson Street, Byron Bay.


Bloody Kev

The Kevin Bloody Wilson Show is not just a concert performance; for most, it’s a full-on event and an opportunity to tick from your bucket list a chance to see Australia’s unique international comedy legend. Kevin has become a national institution – a must-see for any person wanting to see absolutely original Australian comedy. Kevin Bloody Wilson’s story is remarkable. He has become a part of Australian culture, a part of who we are and how we define ourselves.

He’s been listed in Who’s Who; his entire body of work has been preserved for future generations with the National Film and Sound Archive in Canberra; and his fanbase stretches from Broken Hill to Buckingham Palace. It’s also a known fact that nobody tells Australian stories better than Kevin Bloody Wilson. Kevin Bloody Wilson at the Ballina RSL on Friday. Show starts at 8pm. Doors open at 7pm.Tix $55.


Comedy virgins on show

mandy-gives

Mandy Nolan, the comedian, the MC, the writer, the keynote speaker, is also one of Australia’s most accomplished teachers of the comic artform, having trained and coached more than 1,500 students over the last 20 years.

This Monday the 26th, down at The Byron Ex-Services Club, you will have a chance to witness Mandy’s newest brood of standup comedy hopefuls. Witness the fledgling funny people step on stage for the first time, watch them take to the spotlight like baby eagles teetering on the edge of the nest preparing to take flight or possibly to take a dive. Nolan’s latest class of 13 students are going to be a blast. Featuring a veterinarian, a dance teacher, a Porsche-driving divorcee and more… See them all leap off the precipice of normal life into the void of possible stardom, possible ridicule, and certain hilarity.

Come along and give them a cheer as their lives flash before them as they stand up and offer their lives and their observations to us all in the name of getting a laugh. It’s real live reality TV, Thumbs Up!

Byron Ex-Services Club on Monday 8pm in the Pandanus Room. Doors open at 7pm. Come early for dinner and enjoy a truly unique show.Tickets are $10/$15.



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Positive future for Byron’s visitor economy

Last Thursday saw Destination Byron bring together over 150 attendees looking at the future of Byron and its visitor economy.

Pet adoption day – 4 July in Ballina

Northern Rivers Animal Services Inc (NRAS) are hoping the sun will be out for their monthly adoption day on Saturday, 4 July from 10am until 1pm at the NRAS Rescue Shelter at 61 Piper Drive, Ballina.

Artists sought to transform factory space into multi-artform event

Expressions of Interest (EOI) are now open for artists to transform a former factory in Lismore – The Joinery – through performance, installation and site-responsive art.

What’s on in Tweed for NAIDOC Week?

NAIDOC Week celebrations will be held from Sunday 5 July to Sunday 12 July 2026, under the national theme 50 Years of Deadly.