Ron Curran, Ocean Shores
It appears once again, when it comes to the arts, Byron Shire continues to be in a state of limbo. After having endured the really costly ‘disco dong’ debacle, we have yet another visitor, the ‘Memento Aestates’ (could someone please translate it for the ‘uninitiated’ – it sounds important!).
To put it in simple language; it appears we have a homeless pandanus seed that’s going to cost us $80,000. Most people have only just got their breath back after the ‘disco dong’ stuff up. The very important sounding ‘MA’ was to go in the Railway Park, but now it is floating in bureaucratic no man’s land. Again, it is the BSC’s Public Art Panel that has been instrumental in this situation happening. Again, there was virtually no community consultation, and again the ratepayers will pay the cost. Basically, we are stuck with another very expensive lemon.
There seems to be a pattern here of closed-shop and, quite frankly, really stupid decisions. What role does Arts Northern Rivers play in all of this? How effective are they as a ‘consulting’ body when these kind of decisions are being made? The Arts need a really big shake-up in the Shire. The leadership is not there, nor is the vision or the imagination. We are being let down as a community. While there have been some projects with positive results, for example the Railway Park project, these are far outweighed by other decisions that are just inexplicable, shambolic and wasteful.
Byron Bay is renowned worldwide as a lifestyle hub. For years now we have not even had a significant arts event to showcase what is being created here. What is happening? We really need some big changes and some conscious leadership. We are being sold short here. At the next Council elections, I would urge people to choose councillors who reflect the aspirations of the community and not the ill-founded and self-interested decisions of career bureaucrats.
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. 
