Raphael Lee Cass, Byron Bay
Good on Karina Mereki for falling into the same trap as the other two Tyagarans using exaggeration, uncorroborated anecdotes and skewed data.
Thankfully she got caught out by The Echo. The Nude not Rude rally on Sunday 16 September was a windy and cold day. I kept my clothes on.
I rode my bike along the beach so my number plate, back at Sunrise, was not available for her inaccurate reckonings of attendees.
On the day, rally attendees instigated methods for the community to take action to repel people behaving badly.
Karina uses the royal ‘we’ when it is her speaking alone. She mentions criminal behaviour, and that terminology, according to police, is correct. It is criminal behaviour, not peace-and-sun-loving people lying on the beach, causing any problems. Byron police have stated the criminal activity has reduced significantly since March 2018 while they have been monitoring the beach.
Tyagarah residents often tell tales from before then. Tyagarah residents, it is not your local beach. It is everybody’s beach.
For four decades The Echo has printed the stories some people loved, some people hated, and some pretended not to read. If you want us to keep telling the truth, the real truth, not the sugar-coated version. We’ll need your support to keep the presses rolling. 
