Magenta Appel-Pye, Mullumbimby
I would like to say ‘congratulations!’ to musician Lisa Hunt, but really, for what? It was a relief that court magistrate Karen Stafford made the right decision by throwing out the fine and to record no conviction. However, Lisa has had months of unnecessary stress and is now on a good behaviour bond for two years! Owing to this she says she has decided to leave Byron Bay, and we are all much poorer for that loss.
What about fining the licensing police for their behaviour and their lack of care at that concert? One has to wonder what their beef about Lisa really was – ? Ugh, I hate to think.
As Mandy wrote last week, these COVID times are particularly hard for artists as they are not being very well supported, if at all, by the government and many are falling through the cracks.
Our art scene is being eroded, and who is standing up for the artists? Whenever there is a fund-raiser, musicians are asked to play for free and visual artists invited to give their art away. Many are very generous, but the care should go both ways.
There are cultures that have killed off the artists, and we can see that [in those places] quality and enjoyment of life is very much impoverished as a result. The least we can do is support our artists. If they put on a show that has to be cancelled, maybe we could consider gifting them the cost of our ticket rather than taking it back. They already lost a lot of money, not to mention heart. Life without music, art, singing and dancing could become a reality if our society keeps hitting artists where it hurts, especially for no good reason.
Good luck Lisa and please, keep up the good work of uplifting us. We love you!
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. 
