Kath McConnochie, Byron Bay
The Rise for Climate Day event in Tweed Heads, a joint initiative from environment and community groups on the northern rivers, had been very worthwhile. The Byron, Lismore, Murwillumbah and Gold Coast crews had pulled together a rally to highlight the crucial issue of climate change and the positive action that we can all take.
After many weeks of planning and hard yakka, the march, singers and speakers, had shone a light amid the soulless highrise of Tweed Heads. As Luke Vassella sang on the day, ‘Wake up O sleeper, rise up O dreamer’ and we rallied the awareness of the Tweed locals and politicians, with the power of people who care for our climate.
As I returned home I stopped at Railway Park to return the large Makarrata banner I’d borrowed for the march, from the Byron Environment Centre (BEC) rotunda. Kneeling on the grass to roll it up, I felt a presence and heard a voice above me asking if I needed a hand. A young Aboriginal man had materialised, dressed in the colours of the Aboriginal flag.
I gratefully accepted his help and we rolled the banner together, chatting about the event that day and his long-term residence in the Bay. No mention was made of the banner or its wording. As we exchanged names, the young man said ‘I’ll call you Aunty K’. I felt quite touched by this, as it’s a special sign of acceptance to be called ‘aunty’ or ‘uncle’ by an Indigenous person. He said goodbye and I returned the banner.
My tiredness disappeared, I felt uplifted by the encounter. This is what it means to live in Byron Bay: the chance encounter that sparks a connection, enabled by the park and the rotunda, an oasis of community relationship, right in the centre of town.
