Ungrouped candidate – Lucy Vader

A born and bred local, I’m a true independent candidate with no party affiliations, my only interests are that of the Byron Shire.

Some of you may know me through my art, or from the 2022 floods, saved by the mystery kayaker.

However, there is more to me than that. I have more than 20 years’ experience in building design and working alongside the associated disciplines. My experience could help create better outcomes for towns, villages, people, the region and the environment.

My passion for maintaining the bonds that keep community thriving are as set out in a general outline below.

• Flood mitigation; keep development off floodplains; create roads and infrastructure in locations that make sense and don’t harm lives or habitat – whether that’s how large subdivisions access townships, or how developments impact our environment, or safety, or our realistic living density capacity.

• Maintenance of town, village, and hamlet character, and maintained aspect views to our hinterland and items of geographic significance, while managing growth and development – keeping the architectural vernacular in line with the existing. Ensure inclusive and responsible town planning. For instance, any planning that might include large buildings that obliterate views to the hinterland, Chincogan, or Mt Warning would be very unwise on a business, tourism, and town character level and could change the nature of areas for the worse irrevocably.

• Potholes! Get to the bottom of potholes once and for all. A review of Byron’s maintenance section such that we are no longer the pothole capital. Some say it can’t be done… The Byron Shire must have some special curse… Well, I propose a spell to remove that curse.

• I would like to see Byron Shire DA processing performance rise. I have a proposal to streamline the efficiency of DA processing.

• Resilience: After the 2022 flood I swotted up on floodproof design, as I had to rebuild like thousands of others, and I rebuilt my flooded house (which is now sold) to as flood-resilient standard as I could manage at the time.

Water wisdom.

• As mentioned earlier, flood mitigation, flood sensibility regarding no fill on floodplains, no impacting development on floodplains.

• Our rivers need updated river height data gauges – new locations and more of them.

• We need an SMS system, integrated with State Government authorities and BOM for the shire to update individuals as to the current flood status for their safety. For instance, time it rains heavily, I see people desperately asking friends on social media if it’s safe to drive into Mullumbimby, and often no one is actually sure.

• Refer to local knowledge of wetland management, creeks and river health, and drainage.

• House raising: look at ways we can assist expediting this process where possible, and continued resilient design support.

• Establish emergency evacuation plans for the Byron Shire regions.

• Water saving measures for dry times – greywater systems, additional rainwater tanks, retrofits. I have long been interested in recycled water, and having systems standardised into builds. It is something Australia has not yet embraced. Meanwhile, London’s water has been recycled for decades.

• Consultants… If it’s not broken, it doesn’t need fixing (or upgrading).  If it really needs a consultant, use a local consultant.

• Lavertys Gap water connection to Mullumbimby. The residents of the Byron Shire were shown a marked lack of respect with the return of the recent results of the community feedback form questionnaire as to whether residents would prefer to keep their local connection to the local supply of water from Laverty’s Gap to Mullumbimby, or connect to Rous Water, supplied by Rocky Creek Dam. The resounding response was to keep the existing supply.

One would think, following feedback, that then discussion around the relative merits and true and transparent relative costs would then be laid before the community for discussion and dissection, and residents could make a clear and concise decision, not based on semi-arbitrary figures and vagaries, as witnessed in the last council meeting on the 15^th of August.

I personally tried hard to ask council to provide the Shire the respect and time they deserve, and to not vote to switch to Rous against the wishes of the community until the details had been more rigorously discusse. Sadly the council voted against these wishes and voted to switch Mullum’s water supply to Rous water supply.

I am not against a rescission motion if I were elected to council, if only to allow the community the respect they deserve to view and discuss the true and transparent relative merits and costs of the two options, and then go to a re-vote once a proper understanding within the community and all councillors is reached.

• I want to make sure rate payers’ money is not being spent in spurious areas, such as on community feedback questionnaires whose majority responses get ignored, or on project initiatives that are really not required.

• The pods in Mullumbimby.

The State Government slapped Mullumbimby in the face with the specific location and design of the pod village, and with the time it took to build it, the exorbitant money it spent to build it, and the impact it placed on the residents opposite in terms of pollution during construction, to name one of many issues.

At a council level I am concerned on the impacts locally. I recognise the role the pods play in providing free housing to disaster victims and others for a limited number of years.

The locating of the site, from a State Govt perspective, was ham fisted, and deeply questionable. The fill should not have been brought onto that site. However, that’s done.

I would like to have an initiative to improve their aesthetics for one thing, while they are there. They are hard to look at. They were designed by a group of engineers who design roads and bridges. All the pod sites throughout the Northern Rives are the same: rows of rectangles drawn on a computer with no reference to the actual site they were going to. But anyway. That’s the designer in me. They are temporary. But while they are there, I would like to have local groups and or residents suggest creative and innovative ways of “pimping” the pods’ and the external fencing’s look. And when pods go to their next, hopefully more appropriate location, the fill needs to be removed from the Mullumbimby site.

• Managing a harmonious confluence of agriculture, tourism, small business, industry, environmental management, residential development, and the componentry that ties it ideally together successfully.

Preparing an overall visual and functional image of what we want the Byron Shire to look like, noting that NSW State Govt envisages an extra 6000-plus homes. Where and how that works, looks, and what repercussions may play out must be considered now. Not later.

• Paid parking: I am on the fence.

Locals I speak to and locals from adjoining shires who come to the area very frequently simply can’t be bothered to stop in Byon and deal with the parking meters.

Byron Bay shops are showing a relatively high vacancy rate. At first paid parking was seen as a way to provide Council with an income for tourism, yet tourism is in decline. But the adjoining locals factor, such as Ballina, Lennox, Alstonville, Crabbes Creek, Tweed, Lismore, etc, – and also the not-paid-up theoretically free parking locals just don’t bother parking and shopping in Byron due to the hassle, they choose to go elsewhere. This is what I’m told, and this has been my own experience.

Now we see Brunswick Heads about to receive paid parking for tourists (with locals receiving free parking). Will we see a slow ebb of tourists and adjoining shire locals retreating from Bruns too, and a retail business there also?

With nearby adjoining shire locals deciding to not bother parking in Brunswick to pop into shops due to the hassle or cost of meters, this may have an effect.

In Ballina, timed parking does work, with inspectors on active duty.

These things need to be weighed up. And added up. I hope it works out for Bruns, but I would not like to see paid parking in Mullum.

• Village hearts:

Bangalow faces challenges also that impact the heart of its community.

In Mullum, with the proposed raising of building height limits to 11.5m, I don’t want to see tall cold buildings, shadowy streets, empty shops, no culture, wind tunnels, a disappointed council wondering where its revenue went, and a populace that moved to the next cool place.

It’s a balance that we need to keep our eyes open to, for the soul of our communities and the Shire, for local prosperity.

I want to actively support local business, hear not hinder. I have heard when they tell me their concerns of having car spaces removed from the streets or nearby car parks and what impacts that will have, or DA applications take too long for seemingly simple design modifications.

Village hearts have a combination of community flow and activity, shops, natural organic growth (not clean sparkly cold upgrades), business owners know their customers often by name, and people say hello in the street.

• Harness the wisdom and knowledge of our locals and neighbours. There is a wealth of information readily available from locals. I want to hear from all. I love listening and learning about local knowledge. I want to gather the knowledge and actually use it.

• Look at knowledge and equipment sharing between shires. This can be economically resourceful but can also lead to closer bonds and greater learning opportunities.

•Address areas of cultural division in our community. The Byron Shire is absolutely no place for hate speech or discrimination. Look at ways of learning, healing, bridging and coming together, including creating councillor, schools, and community events and workshops and unifying activities.

• Bicycle pathways. The distance proximity between our areas is relatively short for a bicycle. A bicycle network plan would be on my list. Riding a bicycle from Mullumbimby to Brunswick Heads is literally taking a risk with one’s life, yet is only a fifteen minute ride. The Rail Trail is a topic that is well underway that I don’t believe at this stage needs my input. I basically support a rail trail, I basically support a train if there was lots and lots and lots of money for it, and I support both in a perfect world. If I could turn back the clock the train would be on the tracks. However, in the latter case, the right thoughts, speech, and actions were not taken at the time, and now, the opportunity as far as I can see for a train, is gone.

• High density development: “surveys show relatively high symptomatology of depression, anxiety and stress and a strong correlation value with high-density living.” I propose examining alternatives. I would be glad to offer design concepts.

• The creation of women’s and a men’s refuge centre. These require establishment and funding.

• Continue the path towards the option for natural burials locations.

• Resuscitate local music festivals. The Mullum Music Festival is greatly missed, for example. Multiple music festivals could fill the crater left behind by the departure of the Blues Fest.

• Continue and enhance support to the arts precincts and initiatives.

• Support groups who empower the disadvantaged.

I’m familiar with and admire quite a few of the other candidates, and we are all here for the same reason, with different strengths and characteristics.

That’s why I particularly emphasise the importance of voting for individuals below the line.

A bit more about me:

I’m a professional artist showing with Michael Reid Gallery. I’ve been a Sulman finalist with artworks hung in Parliament House Canberra, The Australian High Commission in London, and many gallery and private collections. Additionally, I have a degree in Interior Architecture and another degree in Fine Art.

In Sydney whilst finishing my degree I worked for Byrnes & Assoc. Architecture and Urban Design, and then with the oldest architectural practice in Sydney, Robertson & Marks Architects. In the Byron Shire I worked with Zaher Architects. I have continuously held my own sole building design practice, Vader Works, since 2003.

A true local who is currently living in Mullum. I’m currently working on an exhibition, and have a new exhibition opening at the end of this month. In buildings, I have designed for DA many residential buildings, commercial, mixed use, and industrial. I am also now designing 6 new dwellings for DA on a very challenging site in the Lismore Shire.

Addendum

A few achievements in terms regarding attaining outcomes for communities, the nation, and individuals.

• This last year I have been able to take a large parcel of land (16,000sqm) owned privately that has been perceived since 2006 to not be able to be built on, sitting vacant for 17 years because it was thought to be constrained by extensive restrictions, viewed repeatedly by planners and different owners, all perceiving it to have only a 400sqm building entitlement and be restricted by prohibitive constraints. However I was able to quite quickly demonstrate that the 400sqm building envelope did not in any way apply to the 16,000sqm site, and, using correct protocols and a little bit of nous I was able to release it from all restrictions, using considerate, intelligent and environmentally aware procedures that now has turned the site into me being able to design for DA six residences for the site, and even have the council actively thanking me for carrying out the process with such preliminary consideration at the pre-DA meeting. (The design is still underway).

• In about 2014 I was able to make a difference to the nation’s general awareness of the Shenhua Mine that wanted to coal mine on the Liverpool Plains, the food bowl of Australia, and the richest deepest soil in the southern hemisphere (Shenhua is now not going ahead), by way of making a large visual statement sculpture that became in a way the icon of the movement to push Shenhua back, and really get people to take notice. The sculpture was so effective it got shot, vandalised, I had to rebuild it once, it got shot many more times, then it had to be rebuilt again… that’s when you know it’s working!

My word sculpture was photographed hundreds of times and used throughout all types of visual media, and was taken on I believe as a headline image for The Greens campaign against Shenhua for a time. My work is not affiliated with The Greens, nor any other political party nor group. I don’t mind who used or uses an image of it for their requirements if it has helped prevent Shenhua from mining some of the richest soil in the Southern Hemisphere. (I believe the fabulous David Lowe took a pretty good photo of it at some stage!)

I created the work privately with a landowner – not the landowner who was directly affected by the Shenhua Mine, and I created it out of a sense of national duty, and as a clever oblique way of drawing the general public’s attention to an issue of critical importance. I never particularly publicised that I did it. The first property I created it for was Millers Creek Station at Willow Tree, the gateway to the Liverpool Plains – and then we moved it to its most visible place possible, the most affected property by the Shenhua mine, Andy Pursehouse’s acreage that has a frontage to the Kamilaroy Highway. That was where it hit maximum impact.

• In collaboration with the town of Manilla NSW, I worked to stop Tamworth from stealing water from Manilla at the height of the drought in 2019/20, which involved me creating a press release, speaking to the press and newspapers, and television. A state politician stepped in and slapped Tamworth’s hand and rectified the situation.

So Vote Vader, vote below the line, vote for individuals for their strengths and characteristics, and vote ungrouped!