The leaders of the Parliamentary Friends of Cycling have joined in front of Parliament House in Canberra to celebrate the United Nations’ World Bicycle Day.
Tweed Shire Council has been recognised for its innovative approach to tackling incivility, winning the People, Workplace and Wellbeing Award at the 2026 Local Government Excellence Awards last night.
Echo drudges present and past and present again, Angela Harris, Mandy Nolan, Janice Best and Julie Ray. Photo Tree Faerie.
Without an inch or even a centimetre to spare, the Byron Bowling club was dressed up to the nines and packed with funsters on Saturday evening for The Echo‘s 40th Anniversary & Awards Celebration.
The welcoming committee – door folk Thalia and Coren. Photo Aslan Shand.
Many Echo drudges made an appearance, giving everyone the chance to put a face to a name, and the community pulled out all stops for the ‘Swinging Through the Decades’ theme and dressed to impress.
Sebastian and Laetitia Shand. Photo Alsan Shand.
Winners of The Echo Community Awards were:
The Pain in the Ass Award – Duncan Dey; The Only Hope We Have Award – Byron Youth Theatre; The Community Action Award – Mullumbimby & District Neighbourhood Centre (MDNC); The Most Loyal Advertiser – First National Byron; The Decolonsing Award – Ella Noah Bancroft; The Seeding Change Award – Karen Gross (The Paddock Project); the Cultivating Culture Award – Brunswick Picture House; The Raising The Bar Award – David Heilpern; The Courage Under Fire Award – Subhi Awad; and the Rebirthing Award – Coorabell Hall Committee.
Shooting the shooter – Jeff Dawson. Photo Hans Lovejoy.
Apart from Echo drudges Aslan Shand, Jeff Dawson, Hans Lovejoy and Mandy Nolan, and Saffron Shand, awards were presented by J’aimee Skippon-Volke on behalf of the Byron Chamber and Gerard Walker on behalf of the Mullumbimby Chamber.
Excellent entertainment was delivered to the stage by the fabulous Melbourne Ska Orchestra and from the Wild Women – Grace Thunder and Marie La Pearl.
And it was totally fun!
Photos Tree Faerie
And the fun begins – The Echo’s Ewan Willis, Aslan Shand and Jeff Dawson. Photo Tree Faerie
MC and Goddess, Mandy Nolan. Photo Tree Faerie.
The Echo’s Angela Harris, Mandy Nolan, Janice Best and Julie Ray. Photo Tree Faerie.
Shand-Willis clan. Photo Tree Faerie.
Loving the music. Photo Tree Faerie.
Wild Women Marie La Pearl and Grace Thunder. Photo Tree Faerie.
Wild Women Marie La Pearl and Grace Thunder keeping everyone on their toes, especially the back row. Photo Tree Faerie.
The Echo’s Jeff ‘JD’ Dawson and Aslan Shand. Photo Tree Faerie.
The Echo’s Hans Lovejoy. Photo Tree Faerie.
Winner of the Pain In The Arse Award, Duncan Dey. Photo Tree Faerie.
The Echo’s Hans Lovejoy with winner of the Pain In The Arse Award, Duncan Dey. Photo Tree Faerie.
J’aimee Skippon-Volke. Photo Tree Faerie.
Accepting the The Only Hope We Have Award for the Byron Youth Theatre – Foxy Shazam. Photo Tree Faerie
The Byron bay Chamber’s J’aimee Skippon-Volke with Foxy Shazam. Photo Tree Faerie
John Stevens and Gerard Walker. Photo Tree Faerie.
On behalf of the Mullumbimby Chamber, Gerard Walker from Stewart’s Menswear. Photo Tree Faerie.
Drudges Tirza Abb and Angela Harris added some glam and sparkle to the celebration. Photo Tree Faerie.
Representing the winners of the Community Action Award – which went to the Mullumbimby & District
Neighbourhood Centre (MDNC), was accepted by Ambyr Johnson and Maree Eddings. Photo Tree Faerie.
Gerard Walker with Maree Eddings and Ambyr Johnson. Photo Tree Faerie.
Winner of the Most Loyal Advertiser – Chris Hanley (CEO) accepts for First National Byron. Photo Tree Faerie.
Chris Hanley with Aslan Shand. Photo Tree Faerie.
Wild Woman Marie La Pearl. Photo Tree Faerie.
Nicky Bomba. Photo Tree Faerie.
Nicky Bomba and the Melbourne Ska Orchestra. Photo Tree Faerie.
The Echo’s Hans Lovejoy and Paula Lovejoy. Photo Tree Faerie
Keynote speaker David Heilpern. Photo Tree Faerie.
The Echo’s Jeff Dawson presenting the Raising The Bar Award to David Heilpern. Photo Tree Faerie.
Keynote speaker and winner of the Raising The Bar Award, David Heilpern. Photo Tree Faerie.
The Echo’s Aslan Shand, and Saffron Shand who loves giving awards. Photo Tree Faerie.
Award presenters Aslan and Saffron Shand with the Seeding Change Award and Karen Gross, (second from right) and the Paddock Project team. Photo Tree Faerie.
JD with Chris Chen and Brett Haylock from the Brunswick Picture House with their Cultivating Culture Award. Photo Tree Faerie.
Winner of the Courage Under Fire Award Subhi Awad. Photo Tree Faerie.
Mandy Nolan acknowledging the work of the Northern Rivers Friends of Palestine. Photo Tree Faerie.
Award winners Subhi Awad and David Heilpern. Photo Tree Faerie
Too much fun having with this lot! Photo Tree Faerie.
The Rebirthing Award went to the Coorabell Hall Committee and was accepted by Adele Smout and Lissa Coote. Photo Tree Faerie.
Lissa Coote and Adele Smout with the Coorabell Hall Committee’s The Rebirthing Award. Photo Tree Faerie.
Echo GM Simon Haslam with Sandy Davey. Photo Tree Faerie
Echo GM Simon Haslam with Sandy Davey and Renée. Photo Tree Faerie
Echo photog Jeff Dawson gives Echo columnist and event MC, Mandy Nolan, the inaugural “Fuck yeah” award. Photo Tree Faerie.
Jan Barham and Mandy Nolan. Photo Tree Faerie
Dani Ryan with The Echo’s production manager Ziggi Brown. Photo Tree Faerie
Dani Ryan with The Echo’s Ziggi Brown, Ewan Willis and Aslan Shand. Photo Tree Faerie.
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.
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Renowned Australian pathologist Richard Anthony Scolyer AO, died yesterday after living for three years with a grade 4 glioblastoma IDH wild-type brain tumour.
For decades the Evans Head Sewerage Treatment Plant (STP) has been dumping effluent into Salty Lagoon in Broadwater National Park. Rich in nutrients and other contaminants, the lake succumbed to these pollutants with a massive fish and bird kill in 2005.
Without an inch or even a centimetre to spare, the Byron Bowling club was dressed up to the nines and packed with funsters on Saturday evening for The Echo's 40th Anniversary & Awards Celebration.
Ten years after creating an expanding audio archive of Australian authors reading their work before discussing it in an interview, Karena Wynn-Moylan has been nominated for a national award.
Police are asking the public for help identifying three men captured on CCTV footage, allegedly involved in the theft of the national flag from the Byron Bay police station.
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Become one of the supporters who helps keep independent, local journalism alive in the Byron Shire by contributing anything from as little as the cost of a coffee each month.
✓ You're Wonderful, Thank you for supporting independent journalism in the Byron Shire
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. 
