←Volume 34
May 6, 2020
In this Issue:
Biodiversity plan on the table
A colourful, info-packed, 94-page strategy from Council is before the public! It’s a draft 10-year biodiversity plan for Byron Shire, and those who know this area well would be aware of its very special and unique biodiversity. And as most...
Non-violent action, for the love of forests
Mandy Nolan The violence we do to the natural world is preceded by the violence we do to each other, and the means of change must prefigure the ends. Such ideas have informed Kelvin Davies for over thirty years in...
Battle of the traffic assessments over large Byron DA
Residents are keeping up the pressure over developer Graham Dunn’s plans to use a narrow residential laneway as the entry/exit point for the traffic exiting from his massive multi-level mixed use proposal
Brick walls or rubber bands? The nature of ecological limits
The concept of a limit can invoke the image of a brick wall; when driving at high speeds, sudden death can occur with one small error in steering.
Student challenges – and rewards, in iso
Parents of Australia are learning a new respect for teachers as they walk a mile in their shoes during the COVID-19 lockdown.
5G thrust upon a sceptical community #1
Corrina Beacham, Mullumbimby The federal government’s $9m campaign to ‘re-educate’ us about 5G safety seems to have devolved into rehashing the tired ‘5G dangers are just conspiracy theory’ line, now with the added notion that if you oppose 5G, you...
5G thrust upon a sceptical community #2
Graham Mathews, Possum Creek I read, with a distinct lack of enthusiasm, the front page of last week’s Echo. Once again, we have witnessed Telstra’s remarkable lack of sensitivity in its handling of these installation/upgrade issues, particularly in areas such...
Plans afoot for Minyon Falls
Lydia Tumbilis, Goonengerry As a local resident of the Minyon Falls area I wish to draw the community’s attention to the proposed changes that NPWS have planned for the Falls area. See: www.environment.nsw.gov.au/topics/parks-reserves-and-protected-areas/park-management/community-engagement/minyon-falls-master-plan. Unfortunately, most of us have not seen these...
Byron Bypass a joke?
Janét Moyle, New Brighton I so love it when you guys put funny things in the paper like April Fools articles and bogus classifieds. This edition just out, you have really floored me with your humour. That joke on page 3 about...
Bypass PR and Greens’ principles
Paul Jones, Byron Bay How truly extraordinary to see a full double page public relations campaign by the Byron Council across both local papers, complete with cutesy snail graphic and its little road tunnel. This is significant public funds being utilised...
COVID-19 crisis by the numbers #1
Damian Byers, Byron Bay John Scrivener (Letters, 29 April) asserts that the global COVID-19 pandemic is a ‘fraudulent’ and ‘manufactured’ crisis, which is not real. His argument seems to be that repressed data shows that the rates of viral infection...
COVID-19 crisis by the numbers #2
Anton Vanderbyl, Mullumbimby Despite the plethora of COVID-19 paranoia presently pumped out by the mainstream media, the actual evidence suggests the effects are really no worse than the seasonal flu – 90 per cent of people are recovering without medical...
COVID-19 crisis by the numbers #3
Robert Podhajsky, Ocean Shores The top 5 causes of death in 2018 in Australia account for above 57,000 deaths. Number 12 on the list, death from Influenza and pneumonia, is 3102 deaths. Then there is all the illness that people suffer...
Parking aplenty
Wally Hueneke, Byron Bay It’s great to see the beach car park empty. Dig it up and add it to the park – what a wonderful vista we could have.
Turnbull Book
Keith Duncan, Pimlico The release of Malcolm Turnbull’s tell-all book about the extreme right star-chamber controlling the inner sanctums of the Liberal party, (albeit by the pirates within the Liberal Party), has come and gone without surprising anyone. We well remember...
Railway lines
Chris Abraham, Mullum Creek I refer to Ross Kendall’s letter on 29 April and feel the need to dispute some of his contentions. Railways provided the only form of connection except for shipping, Australia wide, until well into the 20th century. Although...
All hail Aunty!
Jill Keogh, Ocean Shores A cantata of shout-outs to our wonderful Aunty ABC who has kept us informed, connected, reassured and entertained through recent times of bushfire, drought and pestilence! In particular, to Dr Norman Swan with his daily updates on...
Cartoon of the week – May 7, 2020
We love to receive letters, but not every letter will be published; the publication of letters is at the discretion of the online and print letters editors.
Local surf clubs looking toward next season
It’s been a tough year on a lot of levels and no different for surf lifesavers.
Anglicare: permanent welfare increase essential for housing affordability
Increases to welfare payments under COVID-19 must be made permanent so that all locals can afford a decent place to live, a new rental snapshot has found.
Generosity flows amidst the COVID crisis
Locals have been digging deep to help the Byron Community Centre support the Shire's most vulnerable during the COVID-19 crisis.
Residents fight Byron solar farm plan
A group of Coorabell residents are fighting Byron Council’s plans for a solar farm at Myocum on the grounds that it will ruin the iconic views from the escarpment out over the hinterland.
Bayleaf and Suncoast delivering the noms
Eve Jeffery A woman arrives at Suncoast Fresh. ‘I’ve got some more stuff from IGA!’ Dan Readman, from Bayleaf in Byron, comes out. ‘Great, I’ll grab it.’ ‘I think you’ll need a trolley,’ says the woman. By the time Dan gets...
Entertainment in the Byron Shire for the week beginning 5 May,...
Drive IN Art The BSA (Byron School of Art) in Mullumbimby has come up with a unique way of showing art during this challenging time of social distancing. They are using their shopfront window as a ‘mini’ gallery. ‘It’s a temporary...
