We proudly display a ‘Yes’ poster on our house because we believe the Voice will deliver positive change for all Australia. Today we received an anonymous typewritten letter alleging we support a communist agenda and should move to China....
It is with great sadness that the Rainbow Power family shares the news of the passing of our founder, Peter ‘Pedals’ van der Wyk. Pete was a true pioneer of the renewable energy industry. Author of the seminal work on home...
Byron Shire Council has been freed from a set of state government-imposed rules that had effectively forced it to invest with financial institutions linked to fossil fuels.
Aussie farmers are a particularly fine vintage. In fact, the average age of an Australian farmer is between 50 and 60 years old. This is the result of a number of interconnected social, economic and ecological challenges that typically inhibit the success of aspiring farmers.
Alan Watterson’s recent ad hominem attack, under the absurdly inappropriate heading ‘Scrivener’s Ukraine’ (Letters, 30 August), demonstrates uncritical acceptance of the mainstream narrative and contempt for anything else. He was triggered by a letter that he clearly didn’t read,...
Federal funding to build a new two-lane roundabout at the intersection of Byron Bay Road and Byron Street, Lennox Head has been pledged by local MP Justine Elliot (Labor).
Disaster funding must favour social capital and community building, rather than just ‘mopping up’, the head of the philanthropic organisation, Northern Rivers Community Foundation, says.
I Run For Her is an annual community event held by Got Your Back Sista, which aims to spark critical conversations around domestic violence on a national scale, and for the first time will host events across Australia on October 15.
I feel quite dismayed by the imbalance and rhetoric in reporting. Nowhere is there a cogent letter from a constitutional lawyer or an Indigenous Elder or anyone with on-the-ground experience of Indigenous communities and the challenges they face. It...
I attended the last Byron Council meeting in order to support a motion from Cr Duncan Dey. Cr Dey questioned the costs of commissioning consultants and included as an example the recent Burchills railway corridor report. I am part of...
The Echo’s story on Mullum High School students building a rainforest river trail is a reminder of the creative ways to better engage students and prepare them for life. Sadly our education system is dominated by standardised testing. Despite almost...
My head and heart say ‘Yes’ to supporting Indigenous communities and improving government engagement, but my intellect says ‘No’ to a permanent Indigenous Voice in parliament. A gap in health, education and social cohesion primarily exists in remote communities...
A Byron local says a dead wallaby found on Belongil beach last Saturday had all the hallmarks of a dog attack, and is calling on the public to be more vigilant and for authorities to step up to help protect native wildlife.
Congratulations to Council staff and Mayor Michael Lyon on convincing the NSW Labor government that Byron Shire is a unique place, and as such, it will now have a tailored holiday letting policy.
I wanted to express my feelings on this very important time in the history of the world. The Voice is so much more than a handshake. It is an opportunity to acknowledge the sacrifices and courage it has taken for...
Byron’s only homeless hub says it has to reduce services owing to an increase in demand and a lack of government funding.
The strange urge to play cricket has a rich history in our local area.
On Saturday, on the way to visit Feros Byron Bay residents, The Echo was told via text and email from a Feros Care media spokesperson that, ‘Unfortunately we have a policy of no media on site.
Australians voted in the 1967 referendum on May 27, 1967. Harold Holt was the prime minister at the time, a Liberal MP who led a Coalition with the Country Party.
I have largely ignored the Voice campaigns but had just read the first argument put forward against the ‘Yes’ vote on page 13 of the Australian Government referendum booklet. It states: This would be the biggest change to our...
As a white man living on Bundjalung Country, I acknowledge that it is not easy to make the cross-cultural shift from a Western paradigm lens to comprehend and appreciate the rich diversity and complexity of 65,000 years of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples’ sociocultural and spiritual history.
The long-discussed plan for a cycleway between Mullumbimby and Brunswick Heads has hit a pothole, with an independent report finding a raft of issues with the preferred route.
meeting that, if eventually adopted, could see upscaled urban development across the Shire via ‘infill, new release, existing zoned vacant land and living differently’.
In addressing the topic of the names ‘Khoisan’ and ‘Hottentot’ and their implications for the indigenous people of South Africa. Firstly, the name ‘Khoisan’ is not offensive to the indigenous people of South Africa. It is a term that...
The letters deadline for The Echo is noon Friday. Letters longer than 200 words may be cut. The publication of letters is at the discretion of the letters editor.
