Mullumbimby’s Magic Part Two
Drill Hall, Mullumbimby | Friday 1 Feb | 5pm & 7.30pm | $12/15
This second documentary in the culture series, and third film commissioned by the Brunswick Valley Historical Society Inc, Mullumbimby’s Magic – the Culture of 70s–80s part 2 – Activism & Politics, documents the birth and development of environmental and social awareness that pushed those early new settlers to achieve world-first successes in important environment protections that are now taken for granted.
Part two – Activism and Politics features those seminal battles: the spraying of poisons, the Federal dam proposal, the lobbying for the right to share land, the Terania blockade, the birth of alternative publications, the marijuana raids that became a civil-rights issue, and how the alternative ethos slowly took over Council, are all amazing stories told by those who were there, and delivered in Sharon Shostak’s usual informative and entertaining style, rich with rare archival photos and film.
Mullum Magic is screening at the Drill Hall on Friday 1 February for two sessions: 5pm and 7.30pm. Doors open an hour before. Food and drinks for sale thanks to the Community Gardens.
Tickets available at the museum in Myocum St and The Bookshop Mullumbimby.
Launchpad for LOLs
Byron Services Club | Monday 4 Feb | 8pm | $15
The Melbourne International Comedy Festival’s Cinderella search for who fits the comedy shoe is on again! RAW Comedy is the straw broom that sweeps the comedy talent from the cracks – the people who were just on the sidelines having a smirk, the bloke in the office who has everyone wetting themselves by the water cooler, the strange depressive you’ve seen on the bus – they are the people who end up stars! Comedy has this remarkable ability of finding the ordinary extraordinary – it’s the place of those of us who aren’t supermodels, or rockstars, or rocket scientists to make our mark on the world! We are the out-of-the-box thinkers! RAW Comedy has its first heat in Byron Bay with some stunning local talent on Monday!
Tix at the door or on mandynolan.com.au
Slow Travel – Info Night
Byron Community Centre | Wednesday 6 Feb | 6pm | FREE
Australian Desert Expeditions partners with Indigenous Australians, leading universities, state and national government land management authorities, and private research institutions to conduct scientific and ecological survey expeditions into remote regions of Australia’s deserts, the largest desert region in the southern hemisphere.
They say, ‘There are two components to our research surveys – the ecological and scientific documentation, and the desert trekking experience with our camels. Walking alongside traditionally outfitted packcamels, in the grand tradition of the early explorers and pioneering Afghan cameleers, delivers the smallest environmental footprint possible. Our scientists and ecologists will teach you about the extensive desert flora and fauna and the people who have called our deserts home for thousands of years.
‘Our expeditions are a direct living link to the historical spirit and cultural heritage of scientific desert exploration of the 19th and 20th centuries.
‘Walking the desert is timeless. Every single step reveals the story of this ancient landscape.’
Walking with Purpose: Simpson Desert 2019 presented by Australian Desert Expeditions. Wednesday 6 February, Byron Community Centre, 6pm. More info at byroncentre.com.au
Stories are back
Club Mullum Art Space | Sunday 10 Feb | 4pm | $10
Stories in the Club starts back on Sunday 10 February 10 with the theme What Do You Stand For? This year there will only be four tellers, so each has a little more time. At the end of all the stories, there will be a short informal discussion with the tellers.
The three guest tellers will be Lyn Carson, Jim Tait, and Mark Swivel. As usual, curator Jenni Cargill-Strong will also tell a folktale about a wise, talking snake who challenges a man on his slippery principles.
Tune in for great stories on Sunday 10 February at Club Mullum Art Space.
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. 
