16.5 C
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

Appeal to locate teen missing near Lismore

Police are appealing for public assistance to locate a teenage girl missing from The Channon, north of Lismore.

Tour de Cure pays tribute to Professor Richard Scolyer AO

Renowned Australian pathologist Richard Anthony Scolyer AO, died yesterday after living for three years with a grade 4 glioblastoma IDH wild-type brain tumour.

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.

School is the beating heart of Bruns

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

E-bikes rule

Teenage gangs on e-bikes now rule our roads at night in Byron Bay. Driving, or even walking, in the hours...

Greens silence ‘lacks integrity’

In response to Ian Clements’ letter last week, we wish to clarify a few things. Firstly, on the pools debate,...

December 4, 2024

Byron Shire Echo issue 39.26 – December 4, 2024

Download PDF (36MB)
Jump to:
Local News | Comment | Letters | Articles | Good Taste | The Good Life | The Arts | Festive Season | Magic Murwillumbah | Mullum Shop Local This Christmas | Seven Entertainment | Gig Guide | Cinema | Soapbox | Crossword | Stars | Classifieds | Community at Work | Service Directory | Echo Property | Property Business Directory | Backlash

In this Issue:

Meet the Pollock family cricket champs

Three generations of the Pollock family took to the field for the Lennox Head Pirates last Saturday. Pictured are Max (12), Nathan (40) and Brendan (71), who started playing together last season, and have stayed with the team this...

CWA raises concerns around 3G closure 

Two key advocacy groups – the Country Women’s Association of NSW, and the Isolated Children’s Parents’ Association of NSW – have united to demand immediate action from telecommunications companies and governments.

Bruns surf club works begin

The new Brunswick Surf Club demolition and rebuild started on Thursday, December 5. 

Neurotic fearmongers

Mandy Nolan slugging down her morning fix of caffeine before hopping on a plane to Newcastle to bang on with fellow holier-than-thou saviours about hallucinations of future generations living the brief dystopian life of a fried egg. Nolan has just...

Israel Hamas

It should be obvious to everyone by now that Israeli claims that they only target Hamas in Palestine and Hezbollah in Lebanon are what I would call complete bullshit. It is usual for the Israeli government to issue warnings...

Jones

Richard Jones’s Echo articles are always a good read. Last week he questioned how Albanese’s Labor government will convince voters that they’ll be worse off, if they elect, the Dutton Coalition. Richard suggests bold actions: firstly, get the Teals back...

Banner

Why not call it the Byron Bay Echo and save yourselves the waste of resources further south?       Peter Walters, Ballina

Why did thousands of people join Rising Tide in Newcastle?

Last week I went to my first Rising Tide blockade of Newcastle coal port. I marvelled at the courage of people of all ages who put aside personal comfort to join in direct action for our planet.

Poker machines

Roadmap for gaming reform report published

The Independent Panel for Gaming Reform has published its Roadmap for Gaming Reform report.

Syrian family welcomed into Bruns 

Happy, excited, safe. These three words sum up the feelings of the Bloudani family as they adjust to their new lives in Brunswick Heads, 12 years after fleeing war-torn Syria.

Shed Fest this Sunday in Mullum

This Sunday, December 8, a free Shed Fest event in Mullumbimby will encourage the community to discover their passion for tools and design.

Editorial – The biggest little town could do with a gurney

Oh Dear Lordess, if only there were some leadership around this place. Without any interest from councillors to make improvements, it looks set to just continue to deteriorate more and more. 

Ghosts

In the article ‘The Ghosts of 2016: How the Democrats’ betrayal of Bernie Sanders and embrace of neoliberalism paved the way for Trump’ Chali Donati asserts incorrectly that neoliberalism (free market capitalism) was having a ‘slow and painful death’,...

Fake views

I agree with Chaiy Donati’s (Echo November 20) warnings about governmental authorities determining what news is fake. I think fake news should be investigated and prosecuted through the legal system, case by case. Preferably cases should be filed by...

Soaking up a temporary Kyoto stay

After seven years without leaving the Byron bubble I recently had the good fortune to travel to Japan, joining thousands of other tourists from all over the world, including many Australians.

Pods profiting

A recent Facebook post by someone asking for help for a woman with two children living in her car prompted someone to comment on the pods situation. She said ‘just recently learned there are people occupying the pods post...

Van-dwellers

Continuing on from my comments regarding ‘van-dwellers’, if I may, to further the understanding of ‘van-dwellers’ amongst the general community, I will share a little of my story and what I know of other travellers, which is not a...

Nothing major will be done

Sapoty Brook wrote an excellent letter (November 27, 2024 and 2013) about things we all can do to prevent the greenhouse effect. This is the identical letter from 11 years ago, I didn’t even have to change the date: Unfortunately,...

Byron’s new emergency services precinct

Plans for a new, state-of-the-art emergency services precinct in Byron Bay for NSW Police and Fire and Rescue NSW were announced on Tuesday.

Last dips for Billi swim school

Billinudgel-based indoor swim school and aquatic therapy centre, Swim For Your Life, will close its doors in December, after nine years of operation.

Railway Park toilets

I am responding to the excellent letter from Jacqueline French in last week’s edition where she offered suggestions to how a visit to Byron could be a more enjoyable experience. Unfortunately, some of the suggestions were out of Council’s control...

A wee baggie

I loved Sarah Buchanan’s letter last week about picking up ‘small to medium’ rubbish on her walks around town with her sister. I too, like to pick up rubbish, especially when at the river and beach. My particular penchant is...

Foreshore development

Living in our family home in Lawson Street I can only but agree with Jan Hackett’s concern regarding the rate of sand loss and dune erosion at Main Beach, Byron Bay. Jan (and other concerned residents) may not be aware...

Cartoon of the week – December 4

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.

Mandy Nolan’s Soapbox: Keep it Clean

Clutter makes me angry. When I open a cupboard and things fall out I feel emotionally precarious. I am in a constant battle with stuff. In fact, I feel like the older I get, the more stuff I have. The more stuff I have, the more time I have to spend cleaning, arranging and sorting stuff. Most of the stuff I don’t use, but it’s nice stuff. Or it’s stuff I’m emotionally attached to. Or it’s stuff my kids have left at my house because they don’t feel like sorting through it. I work so hard that by the end of the week I’m literally stuffed. Which is ironic because tidying my stuff when I’m stuffed is crucial to maintaining my mental health.

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...