I was surprised to see a letter [regarding the Special Entertainment Precinct meeting organised by the community] by Mayor Sarah Ndiaye posted publicly on Facebook to her community. Many of the people who were at the meeting, or who organised the meeting, were in that position because the Council had failed to mention that a Special Entertainment Precinct was on the table.
I have read the communications from other councils: discussion papers (Sydney City Council); or information pages on websites saying ‘Hey community, we are considering this idea – what do you think?’ (Tamworth). The only messaging delivered to the people of Byron was from the NSW government via the Sydney Morning Herald. Byron Shire Council has most of our physical addresses, email addresses and a very active social media account – but all we got was crickets.
In most cases, the tone of the meeting was considerate of Council’s intention around the proposed SEP trial. The people of Byron who showed up are the ones who ‘get’ this town – we spend money here, defend it when it’s put down, and deal with the crazy traffic and crowds in summer and love the empty winter beaches. Nobody else in the Shire seems super keen to come to Byron – if you ask us, we can probably tell you why.
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. 
