As many cultures struggle and die for the rights of democracy to become legally enlivened, we globally witness the entrenchment of authoritarian/plutocractic social structures which ‘speak truths’ that, to many citizens, lack humanitarian insights. Indeed, we Australians still struggle with our colonial history. The Universal Charter of Human Rights exists and holds implicit values in our social structures, but evidence of explicit legal structures, affirming the validity of human rights, is totally non-existent. In a sense, it could be argued, that in Australia ‘we have no human rights’ – a fact which has been noted by many high-profile lawyers. Despite this, we still plod on, limping, forever seeking justice. Social consciousness and justice is part of our innocent humanity, the need to offer mutual aid, caring, love and comfort to our species and other sentient species. Byron Shire holds such qualities … a rich and giving civil society, most deserving of a healthy, robust representative democracy.
We are aware of rising deaths in custody of First Nation peoples (now over 600), we are aware of growing homelessness, the rise of racism, violence towards women, the innocent deaths of many women, the incarceration of children as young as ten, predominantly First Nation children who have been the innocent transmitters of our brutal colonisation. We witness the erosion of our planet undergoing a cruel extinction of ecosystems, due to the plutocratic rise of what I call the growing structures of ‘corporate colonisation’. It is devastating to envision such shredding of democratic social structures and in the same breath embrace our children and grandchildren, and offer assurance of life to come.
It is the above issues that Mandy Nolan has written about. Yes, with her great humour and compassion she has at times held up the ‘social mirror’ which can offend, but that is what we expect in a democracy. Mandy has honestly shared her life (how many folks do that?). Her humour and compassion have aided her through some very hard moments as she struggled with the roles of single mother, carer, provider, comic, compassion-upholder, writer, activist, visionary and so on. Aided by The Echo, readers have followed her evolution to maturity. A rich tapestry of life has provided the community with laughter and tears. I have known her for close to 40 years and just adore her great spirit. The greatest challenge now faces the Byron community. That being the socialisation of the existing community into the harsh structures of corporate capitalisation and its entrenched eventual final structures of corporate colonisation! Who gains? Not the community. Capital laughs all the way to the bank. The community is stripped of rights, representation, and oxygen! Folks – don’t kill the messenger. Be aware of your own socialisation, develop resistance to corporate colonisation.
Develop a new consciousness that creates a richer mutual, caring future democratic society for the sake of future generations of sentient beings and Mother Earth.
‘Our lives begin to end the day we remain silent on the things that matter’ – Martin Luther King.
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. 
