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Byron Shire
June 11, 2026

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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

School is the beating heart of Bruns

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

Matthew Laverty recognised with OAM

Recognising his  passion for golf and long-term commitment to community service, Mullumbimby’s Matthew Laverty received the Medal of the...

Pool tender

Why! Why! Why! Can someone – in particular one of our councillors – tell me, us, the community, why...

Cartoon of the week – 10 June, 2026

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 us your epistles.

What lies beneath – AUKUS grows murkier

Senate Estimates descended into 'Yes Minister' territory last week when the vexed subject of AUKUS came up, following the revelation from deputy PM and defence minister Richard Marles that Australia's best case scenario was now that we would receive three second-hand submarines from the USA during the transition stage of this very expensive project, possibly between 2032 and 2038.

Nazi ideology crack down sees fines of up to $11,000

Reforms that crack down on conduct which indicates support for Nazi ideology has passed NSW parliament.

January 15, 2025

Byron Shire Echo issue 39.32 – January 15, 2025

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Local News | Comment | Letters | Articles | Health & Healing | Good Taste | The Good Life | Mullum on the Map | Hello Summer | Soapbox | Crossword | Stars | Seven Entertainment | Gig Guide | Cinema | Classifieds | Service Directory | Echo Property | Property Business Directory | Backlash

In this Issue:

Byron Council’s Draft Community Strategic Plan on exhibition

Now is the time to have a say on the Draft Community Strategic Plan 2035 – Council’s ten-year guiding document which sets out the vision and objectives for the whole of Byron Shire.

CT subdivision proposed for Main Arm

The plans for the proposed development at 84 Blindmouth Road are currently on public exhibition and they are seeking a significant number of changes to their DA.

Bushfire preparedness – red tape slashed

Bushfire preparedness – red tape slashed

Court allows farm stay Gulgan Road access

A long-running issue over road access from a farm stay development in Brunswick Heads has been quietly settled in favour of the developer in the NSW Land & Environment Court.

Feedback

Mandy Nolan’s column (Echo, December 11, 2024) title ‘You want my feedback?’ demands that very thing about one very salient matter. Now, we know that Adam Bandt is the worst leader the Greens have ever had (coming from his Trotskyist...

While the world watches

After reading so many letters and articles referring to atrocities over these months and years, inflicted by man upon men, women, and children, (I don’t watch television – that’s too perverse for me), thousands mercilessly killed, (an extraordinary percentage...

A call for bike helmets

I am alarmed to see children riding ebikes at high speed on busy streets in shorts and T-shirts without helmets. I ask other members of the community to join me in taking responsibility in which parents are failing by donating...

What’s needed to win?

Mandy Nolan has been advertising that the Greens only need 1.8 per cent to win so l decided to give this claim a test run. The best starting point is the distributed 2022 federal election results after elimination of...

Editorial – It’s Hell, hey (LA)

It was shocking to learn from Elon’s vanity project X (formerly Twitter) that the ongoing LA fires were the fault of extreme environmentalists, the Democrats and trans people, who apparently now run the LA fire department and have infiltrated the deep state. 

Zion’s new art adorns Tweed Gallery

Mullumbimby artist Zion Levy Stewart’s latest exhibition, ‘Life is Art’, opens on Valentine’s Day, February 14, at the Tweed Gallery.

Lennox meets to address youth crime 

Installing CCTV cameras and motion-sensor lights is one of the best ways for locals to protect their homes from the wave of break-ins and car thefts occurring across the Northern Rivers, a community meeting has been told.

Re: Suffolk traffic lights letter

Oh the mock humility Dean! At the insufficient awe I showed for the illustriousness of your campaign group. Sorry, I’m actually more interested in people who need to use that Clifford Street exit to get to work, transport kids,...

Suffering Park

I have lived in ‘Suffering Park’ for 17.5 years. I drive into Byron town on most days. Sometimes two to three trips a day. I know the traffic conditions and how to time departures to avoid congestion. I have...

Is land sharing the future?

Christmas is a time for visiting, and boy, did we visit. Up in humid hills around Nimbin, a few sunsets on a MO near Main Arm, long long lunch/dinner/breakfast at a grass castle at Wilsons Creek, dinner in strata-titled Billen Cliffs, then to a couple of long-established communities a bit south in sandy Clarence country near the coast.

Cane toad bust community event today!

A community cane toad bust event is planned for Waterlily Park, Ocean Shores, today, Thursday, January 16, from 5.30pm till 8.30pm. 

Power bikes on footpath

Walking along the footpath between Clifford Street and the service station in Suffolk, quite a few times recently, the Black Power Bikes have whizzed past, almost brushing me at a great rate of knots, into the sunset. No warning as...

Covid petition to Council, really?

So Backlash is now promoting any idea that comes across the desk. How did it become Byron Council’s responsibility to investigate the health outcomes of the Covid vaccine? This has been studied to death, including one study of 99...

Vadasz’s architecture recognised

Byron architect, Christine Vadasz, describes herself as an ‘organic architect’ and has been awarded a Life Fellowship by the Australian Institute of Architects (AIA). 

Colour comes to Coorabell Hall

Coorabell Hall marks the start of its 2025 arts program, with Jan Rae’s latest exhibition, ‘Hinterland + Dance’.

Fire ants

Much as I agree with the need to eradicate the red imported fire ant or RIFA (Solenopsis invicta), there is no need to misreport or sensationalise. The baby that died in the day care centre in America (Letters, January...

Happy New Year

Will the catastrophic and unprecedented fires in Los Angeles wake up the masses to what our new outlook for the future is, because we see all these famous people in tears and devastated? While we’re getting ready for our...

Mandy Nolan’s Soapbox: The names that drive us

I am driving on the highway and there’s a giant ute up my butt. It’s making me nervous. I can feel the ‘get out of my way’ energy. I’m a menopausal woman. I don’t respond to coercion.

Photo of the week –January 15, 2025

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.

Sensory Blender delivers Aroop Roy

Prepare for an unforgettable event as Sensory Blender presents Aroop Roy, an acclaimed producer, musician, and DJ. Renowned for blending house, techno, and garage with jazz, disco, and global rhythms, Aroop is celebrated as one of today’s most versatile artists.

Come Alive

Alive In The 70s will bring the unforgettable sounds and distinctive style of the 1970s back to life at a show at Byron Theatre on Saturday, January 18.

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...