←Volume 31
February 15, 2017
In this Issue:
Cinema Review: Fences
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a2m6Jvp0bUw Whether consciously or not, the first question you have to answer in any movie is ‘do I like the central character? Do I really care what happens to him or her?’ When that central character is played by Denzel...
Cinema Review: Perfect Strangers
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kqX0-xn8j1g With the baby-man president indulging in government by Twitter (ffs!), we are surely witnessing the digital age nearing its nadir. Whether there will be a groundswell of opposition to the tyranny of the smartphone (in the same way that...
The Gospel According to St Paul
The charismatic lead singer Paul Janeway from St Paul and The Broken Bones takes five minutes to share with us some of the music and artists that have shaped his life and musical career. What is the one song that...
How to be an Activist
During the Byron Bay Surf Festival, surfer Dave Rastovich is bringing some of the most influential and experienced humanitarians and environment activists he has met along his 12-year conservation path to participate in a unique event: The Activists’ Toolkit. What...
Live Music Roundup: Thursday 16 February, 2017
Uke meets Gypsy The Loveys are six feisty yet quite – well-mannered women who sing songs that tickle their fancy, tell a story, and celebrate the art of living large. Direct from standing ovations at the Newcastle and Melbourne Ukulele...
Helping children to be humans rather than machines
Geoff Dawe The reality of a lot of high school education is that children are pushed to use the reasoning part of the brain when the relevant neural pathways for reason are still not fully developed. The educational philosophy of a...
Satan’s good points?
While there’s plenty to be alarmed about with Drumpf (which is his German ancestors’ name), let’s examine some of the positives. There must be something good, right? The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) is dead, for now. For Australia, it was a...
Get ya smock on for Renew Fest
Renew Fest have launched a youth-artisan campaign and are on the lookout for six young artists to create a piece featuring the word Renew to express one of the six key themes of the 2017 festival. These themes are renewable...
Something funny about Andy Saunders
Andy Saunders is one of the featured comedians at Lismore Laughs in March. So just what makes this funny man tick? My favourite dance move is the… conterpretive, cross between interpretive and contemporary, it’s hard to not watch. The song I like...
Eshay-style thugs heading nowhere without intervention
A serious community problem has been bubbling away in the north of Byron Shire. The end result – from past experience – will be that some local young men will become sad statistics: dead, drug addled or in jail.
Lennox takes to the street over Lake road
The planned closure of an access road to Lake Ainsworth in Lennox Head sparked weekend protests, with residents claiming they were not ‘sufficiently notified or given a choice.’ As part of the proposal by Ballina Shire Council, a new park is planned.
Homeless elderly man bashed in Byron Bay
A 69-year-old man living on Byron’s streets was brutally bashed last Wednesday night, according to Veronica Rowe from the Northern Rivers Homeless Alliance.
Yelgun festival site unveils its plans
North Byron Parklands (NBP) management say that 51 people braved the heat and attended the Parklands community information meeting and Q&A on Sunday afternoon.
Affordable housing summit ideas hatch
An affordable housing summit at the Cavanbah Sports Centre last Friday saw a healthy turnout and a full day of talks and Q&A with industry professionals, both local and interstate.
Can You Herd Me?
When gritty Aussie hip-hop outfit The Herd hit the airways with Scallops back in 2001, the band forged themselves into the Aussie psyche. This was Aussie hip-hop, from a crew composed of Ozi Batla, Urthboy, Berzerkatron (MCs), Unkle Ho (beats),...
Culture Roundup: Wednesday 15 February, 2017
Incorruptible The season for the Drill Hall’s Incorruptible has been extended. Marika Bryant reviewed the show, showing just why audiences are coming in their droves! She says, ‘No stone is left unturned and the brilliant actors carry us through some...
Mandy Nolan’s Soap Box: Sharing isn’t always caring
Last week lots of my lovely friends on Facebook asked me to share a heart on my wall. Some sort of hold-your-finger-down, share-with-your-gal-pals etc to raise awareness for breast cancer. It’s hard to check your breasts when you’re sharing...
Soli unleashes at Pipeline
Soli Bailey, a 21-year-old Byron Shire local, has won the prestigious Volcom Pipe Pro. Bailey scored a remarkable underdog victory against Pipeline veterans to secure the highest-profile win of his professional career at the World Surf League Qualifying Series (QS) 3,000 event.
League greats help Mullum Giants return to the NRRRL
The Mullumbimby Giants rugby league club is ready to get back on the football field in 2017 and will mark its relaunch with a star-studded Sportsman’s Lunch this Friday at the local Leagues Club. League greats Laurie Daley, Paul Sironen,...
Ocean Shores win district bowls triples
Ocean Shores beat Bangalow in the final of the Tweed Byron District President Reserve Triples held at Condong on February 5. The Ocean Shores team of Jason Haywood, Neil McLeod and Kirk Olive had to launch repeated fightbacks until they...
Dragon boaters compete ahead of Open Day
Rainbow Region Dragon Boat Club was one of 22 clubs that raced at the first regatta of 2017 at Broadwater on the Gold Coast. In blistering conditions, the Rainbow Dragons raced in the hotly contested Women’s 10s division against 15 other teams and won all their heats before placing 4th in the finals.
Winning streak pushes Byron XI into finals contention
Byron Bay Cricket Club held off a rampant Tintenbar-East Ballina to claim a two-run victory last Saturday, and has moved into fourth place on the Coastal League table. The Byron team got off to a strong start with both openers...
Women’s tag comes to Byron
The Byron Bay Red Devils are looking to field a women’s league tag side in the NRRRL competition which will be played in conjunction with the normal men’s comp. To be eligible you need to be fifteen or older and...
Sensei teach self-defence
Australia’s top-three Kase Ha Shotokan Karate instructors are in town next weekend to run self-defence seminars. Sensei Mark Smith, Mark Johnson and Terry Raftry are all Shotokan Karate Godan (5th Dan). Dedicated Karate and other martial artists are invited to attend...
Local athlete wins four silver
Mullumbimby’s Matilda Vial won four silver medals at the Regional Athletics Carnival held in Ashmore (Qld) in early February. Around 80 competitors from the Tweed Little Athletics were involved in the Regional carnival. Matilda is in the under 10s and competed...
