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Byron Shire
October 20, 2026

Police allege illegal U-turn in deadly Tyalgum crash

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An 87-year-old man is to face court next month, charged over a crash in Tyalgum last October that left a 69-year-old motorbike rider dead.

Police say the older driver performed an illegal U-turn across double lines.

Emergency services were called to Tyalgum Road in response to the crash around 10.30am Saturday 4 October 2025.

Attending officers said they saw a car and a motorbike had crashed.

Paramedics treated the 69-year-old male rider but police said he died at the scene.

The 87-year-old male driver of the car was said to have survived the crash without physical injury, with officers taking him to hospital for mandatory testing.

The Crash Investigation Unit has been investigating and on Sunday police said they’d charged the 87-year-old man with several related offences and suspended his licence.

He’s charged with dangerous driving occasioning death, driving in a dangerous manner, negligent driving (occasioning death) and driving across dividing lines to do U-turn in a motor vehicle.

He’s due to appear before Murwillumbah Local Court on Wednesday 18 February.



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Interview with Genevieve Clay-Smith, director of Boss Cat showing at the Byron Bay Film Festival

When Sonja (Olivia Hargroder) loses her mother without warning, the only steady presence left in her life is her grandmother, Doris. But Doris’s idea of stability means dismantling everything Sonja has built. For Sonja, who lives with Trisomy 21 (Down syndrome) and has spent her life fighting to be underestimated by no one, Doris’ plan feels less like protection and more like erasure. Directed by Genevieve Clay-Smith, Boss Cat is a vibrant, big-hearted Australian dramedy about independence, family and self-determination, anchored by a fearless lead performance.

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The 2026 Russell Hobbs British Film Festival features an unmissable line up 36 films, including five retrospectives which will screen from 28 October to 29 November at Palace Byron Bay and Ballina Cinemas.

A timeless story of self-discovery

A husband with a promotion, two adorable children and a lovely new house. Nora thought she had it all. But did she? What was the discontent that was whispering to her in the shadows?