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Byron Shire
June 2, 2023

Shooting the Mullum breeze

Latest News

Backlash Stan Grant

Extraordinary negative and callous statements regarding Stan Grant in the recent edition’s Backlash section. Grant was a terrible host?...

Other News

When western medicine doesn’t work 

Once I finally admitted I needed help with vicarious trauma, I tried a few techniques to ease my troubled mind. 

Fun community connection for Japanese community 

The local Japanese community came together in early May at the Cavanbah center to celebrate Japanese Children’s Day. 

Will NSW Labor pay on-call emergency service volunteers?

The newly elected NSW Labor government have stopped short of committing to paying volunteers who attend emergencies such as fires and floods, but say there is investment and initiatives underway to support those who volunteer as emergency service members.

Traffic interruptions around Lismore Base Hospital – Sunday

Some streets will be blocked off and others reduced to one lane on Sunday 4 June around Lismore Base Hospital and Lismore Shopping Square.

Bayside Residents Association formed

A new residents association has emerged in what residents say is one of Byron Shire’s ‘forgotten’ suburbs’ – Bayside Brunswick Heads. 

Mandy Nolan’s Soapbox: Asking for what you want

As a performer for over 30 years who has sat crammed next to toilet rolls in a supply room, dealt with dirty undies in the manager’s office and sat in a cold concrete outdoor space under a tarp in cyclonic conditions, I understand that when you crack the big time you might pull a few diva requests.

Daniel O’Brien, Federal

I love The Echo, thanks. Regarding misinformation and COVID-19; John Donellan’s letter implies that vaccination ‘would slow the death rate through reduced transmission’; and again, in The Echo / Cosmos article, it is implied that the community is ‘at greater risk when there aren’t enough people vaccinated’. Yet there is no published evidence indicating that vaccination prevents contraction or transmission of the virus.

[Ed Note: According to the Australian government the COVID vaccine does provide protection against COVID see: https://www.health.gov.au/initiatives-and-programs/covid-19-vaccines/learn-about-covid-19-vaccines/how-do-covid-19-vaccines-work#how-will-a-vaccine-prevent-covid19.]

If you can accept the vaccination, your chances of surviving COVID increase, however, risk remains, in relation to contracting and transmitting, and for those susceptible to adverse reactions. COVID vaccination is a choice, not an obligation to others. Unlike the US and UK, Australia has no compensation scheme for sufferers of known side-effects.

Paul Bibby’s article, ‘Council staff lukewarm with homelessness solutions’ was no surprise. I hoped for announcement of BSC’s ground-breaking decision to comply with NSW regulations, which compel them to provide short-term and emergency accommodation for locals in need at First Sun Holiday Park. Short-term assistance can lead to long-term success, and First Sun is secure with suitable lodgings. It is a shame commercial fees are prioritised above obligation to vulnerable members of our community, or is it risk-fearing lawyers advising excuses instead of guidance?


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1 COMMENT

  1. Yer I want council to put me up at First Sun Holiday Park for free too.
    I guess they’ll point out they are other less salubrious & cheaper places…. where I might be welcome if I was vaccinated.

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Fun community connection for Japanese community 

The local Japanese community came together in early May at the Cavanbah center to celebrate Japanese Children’s Day. 

Tragic death of two men in Yamba

NSW Police have today spoken to the media after the body of a man and a teenage boy were located inside a home at Yamba yesterday.

Expect saltwater on Ballina roads during king tides

Ballina Shire Council is encouraging motorists to drive safely over the coming days with king tides leading to minor flooding of some local roads. 

Warming winter for Tweed Shire’s homeless

It's no secret that the Far North Coast has some of the highest homelessness figures in the country and Dharma Care is determined to reduce those figures as the days get colder.