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Byron Shire
June 11, 2026

Latest News

School is the beating heart of Bruns

From floods to festivals, Brunswick Heads Public School has long the been the anchor of village life.

Other News

Byron Council’s Sandhills Wetlands project takes first place at LG awards

The Sandhills Wetland restoration project in Byron Bay has won another major award, with Byron Shire Council taking first place at the Local Government Professionals 2026 NSW Excellence Awards.

Cinema: The Christophers

From acclaimed director Steven Soderbergh, The Christophers is a sharp, darkly comic exploration of art, legacy and deception, led by Golden Globe winner Ian McKellen and Emmy winner Michaela Coel.

What sovereignty?

The gravest threat to Australia’s sovereignty comes from the security doctrine and foreign policy of strategic dependence on the...

Building sites ‘blitzed’ between Coffs Harbour and Tweed Heads

More than 100 building sites from Coffs Harbour to Tweed Heads have been inspected, which has been described as a 'blitz' by the NSW Labor government.

Byron local Stephan Schnierer receives the Order Australia

Stephan Schnierer, a Byron local, has been awarded an Order Australia (OA) from the Kings Birthday honours list.

Protests against closure of life-saving facility in Murwillumbah

The announcement that Murwillumbah's Safe Haven would be closed this week due to the end of funding arrangements has been greeted with shock by locals who have come to rely on the mental health support services the facility provided.

July 24, 2024

Byron Shire Echo issue 39.07 – July 24, 2024

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Local News | Comment | Letters | Articles | Byron Writers Festival | Making Spaces | Sport | Good Taste | The Good Life | Byron Arts & Industry Estate | Seven Entertainment | Gig Guide | Cinema | Soapbox | Crossword | Stars | Echo Property | Property Business Directory | Service Directory | Classifieds | Community at Work | Backlash

In this Issue:

Federal Drive reopens 

Federal Drive, located in the shire’s hinterland, reopened last Friday, two-and-a-half years after it was severely damaged from a landslip during the 2022 floods.

SAE teachers seek increased pay to match increased workload 

Teachers from Byron’s SAE college took part in the higher education union’s National Day of Action last week, as part of their campaign for improved wages and conditions.

Book fair raises $23k for Byron Shire libraries

Last week’s book fair, held by Friends of Libraries Byron Shire (FOL), was a huge success say organisers, raising more than $23,000 for the Shire’s three local libraries. 

Mullumbimby’s Tallowood garage sale returns

After the success of last year’s Inaugural Tallowood community garage sale day in Mullumbimby, residents in Corella Crescent are again coordinating an event for August 10. 

Councils have no business playing with international politics

Esther Berkon of the Facebook group ‘Jews for Palestine Northern Rivers’ spoke at the Byron Council meeting in favour of the motion for action re Israel and the Gaza war. At this point, this Facebook group does not have...

Rewriting the laws of war

Israeli Professor Neve Gordon, an expert on international law, claims that Israel is seeking to rewrite the laws of war. The concept of proportionality, based on customary practice, means that it is tolerable to kill innocent civilians if the...

Sharing my experience as an Israeli Aussie

I want to share my experience as an Israeli Aussie. While visiting Israel, my husband became very sick. We spent more than a half a year in hospital. During that time, I was so surprised more than two-thirds of...

Breaching the political divide

Domestic violence has become more than a scourge, it seems the daily accounts of suspected cases make ‘plague’ a more appropriate term. It is therefore pleasing to see advertised forums raising vital community awareness. Well done to the organisers,...

BackFlash

Well there you go: Backlash is still cooking with gas while the rest of us are singing ‘Jumping Jack Arc, it’s a Spark Spark Spark!’ Sapoty Brook, Main Arm

What do the new coercive control laws mean?

When you think of domestic violence (DV) often the first images that come to mind are physical: black eyes, broken bones, often cowering, and sometimes dead, women and children.

Editorial – Dead celebrity holograms

Ah the promise of Artificial Intelligence (AI). The disrupter of everything, and now the replacer of musicians. 

Farewell Hannah Grace

Sometime before she passed away last month, Hannah Grace wrote the following note to The Echo: ‘Dear Echo people, I want this picture to go across two columns of the dead people section. Thanks a lot for everything.Cheers, Hannah xx’.

Byron’s mayoral candidates – what is their point of difference?

So far, three mayoral candidates have nominated for the September 14 Council election – current mayor Michael Lyon (Independent), Crs Sarah Ndiaye (Greens) and Asren Pugh (Labor).

‘Grandpa Wars’

Mandy Nolan’s article, ‘The Grandpa Wars’, had some great lines, but it was surprising to read ageism, racism, and sexism written in such a triumphal tone. Biden and Trump may both be too old and incompetent puppets in a...

Lyon’s Scott Morrison moment

On the morning of June 26 at 4.30am I witnessed and documented around 50 security guards descending on the peaceful protest camp at Wallum in Bayside Brunswick Heads. In what can best be described as the actions of a...

Mulling over justifiable assassinations

I've have a terrible confession to make. I think I have lost my moral compass in these most interesting of times.

Cr Pugh backs mayor, staff, on Mullum’s  future water supply

Mayoral candidate, Cr Asren Pugh (Labor), says he supports current mayor Michael Lyon and Council staff’s position around the future of Mullum’s water supply.

Byron venue looks to triple capacity

The immersive, digital art venue, Otherworld, has sought permission to triple its patron numbers as it seeks to become a popular night-time venue in the centre of Byron Bay.

Hydrological ignorance?

Mayor Lyon has a nerve accusing the Mullumbimby Residents Association of presenting a ‘one-sided’ view of the Rous County Council (RCC) Lavertys Gap water supply issue. Byron Council has two reps on RCC, being Crs Michael Lyon and Sarah...

Council workers

Look, I know there are more important issues in the world, and I know this one is a bit of a cliche and ongoing joke, but observing Byron Council workers constructing the footpaths down the bottom of two particular...

Major land rezoning given the conditional tick

Council’s Residential Land Strategy 2041 has been conditionally approved by the Department of Planning Housing and Infrastructure says Shannon Burt, Council’s Director Sustainable Environment and Economy.

No assassination

Despite what my letter (July 10) says, I must clarify that I absolutely do NOT advocate assassination. I simply wanted to highlight the extreme breadth of apparently ‘lawful’ actions allowed by the recent US Supreme Court decision in relation...

Ocean Shores pool

Have you seen the swimming pool at the Ocean Shores Country Club? It seems not many people have, even those who live nearby or visit the club for drinks or meals. The crescent-shaped pool that overlooks the hinterland sunset...

Cartoon of the week – July 24, 2024

Letters to the editor The Echo loves your letters and is proud to provide a community forum on the issues that matter most to our readers and the people of the NSW north coast. So don’t be a passive reader, send...

Mandy Nolan’s Soapbox: The Wicked Truth

I have this joke I do on stage. It’s a throwaway line that always gets a laugh: ‘I breastfed all my kids, except my stepdaughter. Her mum got a bit weird about it.’ It’s funny because it’s true.

Israel’s assault on Global Sumud Flotilla – a first-hand account

It hit me like a lightning strike. It was the latex gloves that did it. Those pale blue five fingered clinical sheaths made me want to vomit. Last Tuesday, having just been repatriated from my time on the Global Sumud Flotilla, I was at Tweed Valley Hospital getting a forensic medical examination for my sexual assault at the hands of the Israeli occupation forces.

Voters are not ‘always right’

The mantra ‘voters always get it right’ is repeated after every election by winners and losers. The decision of voters must be respected, blah, blah.

Lismore councillor pay rise divides chamber at June meeting

The sharpest debate from Lismore City Council's 9 June ordinary meeting saw a majority vote to increase councillor and mayoral fees, following a 3.7 per cent rise determined by the Local Government Remuneration Tribunal (LGRT) – a figure tied to the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for the 12 months to February 2026.

Here’s to the Flotilla

The Global Sumud Flotilla is about brave people doing exceptional things with skill, compassion, colour, spirit and gruff chutzpah. Would I leave my comfy chair...