The alcohol lobby has set its sights on our little bit of real estate and they want to buy us up.
And if the Sufis are right, the spirit of the Djinn lies waiting at the bottom of that bottle – and when you take your last swallow, it welcomes the invitation.
And we all know what happens when the Djinn takes over and that dark spirit inhabits someone we love. It’s not a pretty sight.
And is that the best that we have to offer to our visitors and our children?
Let’s put our minds and hearts to bring in stronger, more creative and uplifting spirits than the Djinn.
How about asking the ancient spirits of Cavanbah, meeting place since time immemorial, what new dreaming is needed to set us alight? And what does the spiritual, inspirational and creative wealth of this community have to offer, towards that dreaming?
I propose a forum of big ideas: presented in the community centre, filmed and put online – let’s vote on these ideas as a community. And let the new dreaming decide. Pause the Special Entertainment Precinct (SEP)!
Jane Armytage, Byron Bay
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. 
