‘I want my country back. I want to bring back prosperity.’ As we listen to the strains of Pauline Hanson and her calls about how existing parties have ‘run this country into the ground’ following the One Nation win in the Farrer by-election I have to reflect on how her good mate Donald Trump has made America great again (MAGA).
Byron Council has moved to impose the maximum developer contributions currently allowed under NSW planning rules, backing a draft infrastructure funding plan that could see new housing developments charged up to $20,000 per dwelling.
John Milford, Captain of the Wilsons Creek Rural Fire Brigade, has been in the Rural Fire Service (RFS) for about 34 years and when the 2022 floods hit he became a lynch pin in linking his local community. But for him it was ‘just doing my job’.
A community rally will be held this Sunday, 17 May, starting in Apex Park, Byron Bay opposite the Beach Hotel at 11am as part of a Nationwide Day of Action to mark the 78th anniversary of the Nakba.
I was spitting chips when I read this article of Council being forced to take over Crown lands and the financial risks of compensation. Oh dear, my very point for Council has been how much compensation has been taken...
With respect for the lives lost in Ballina waters: When love and courage, join together as one, Sometimes grief is born, rather than anticipated fun. As I sit by the river, who flows silently through our town, I feel the heartbreak, the shock...
Congratulations to Winter Whales, Byron Surf Club, volunteers, water safety, and all the sponsors for pulling off yet another incredible Big Swim. I was frothing to see the ocean of community, locals and visitors coming together to commune with...
Thank you to The Echo team for providing a free and informative local newspaper. As I’m taking the time to read the last edition, I am feeling quite angry at the article about the constant fight local communities have to...
David Attenborough reaching one hundred years of age feels reassuring. I grew up with him and he undoubtedly shaped my love of nature. In many ways he’s the original influencer, staring down the barrel of the camera from exotic locations with an unparalleled dedication to his craft. It’s as if nature is talking through him.
On 1 May, family and friends said goodbye to the founding president of the Brunswick Valley Historical Society (BVHS) Robyn Anne Gray (nee Harkness) OAM.
The upgrade of the Old Bangalow Road rail bridge in Byron Bay has been completed. The old timber bridge, located along the non-operational Casino to Murwillumbah railway line, has been replaced with a modern steel arch structure and widened to accommodate two lanes of traffic.
Last Friday the Byron Bay Services Club stood with more than 200 registered clubs across NSW to turn purple as part of the first weekly ‘Purple Friday – Clubs Say No to Domestic Violence’ campaign.
The federal government’s Budget has committed $2 billion for housing-enabling infrastructure, including $500 million dedicated to regional Australia – over four years from 2026-27, to fund critical infrastructure and build up to 65,000 new homes.
The Eureka Hall is turning 120 this year and the community kicked off the celebrations with the inaugural Eureka Art Show on Friday evening with walls and plinths full of wonderful work, and the hall filled to capacity with celebrators.
The Byron Bay Chamber of Commerce is encouraging the business community to reconnect through its upcoming Business After Hours event as they shift focus into the winter season ahead.
A draft NSW government transport blueprint has warned that deep ‘transport disadvantage’ is leaving many North Coast residents struggling to access jobs, healthcare, and education without a private vehicle, widening the divide between those who can afford to drive and those who cannot.
Booyong Abattoir has approval to slaughter 5,000 pigs per week, although it has historically slaughtered 7,000 to 10,000 animals at times, and a Booyong Village local residents’ group doesn’t want the abattoir’s development application (DA 10.2024.305.3) to be approved by Byron Shire Council (BSC).
With all the concern about de-radicalising the children returning to Australia whose parents had connections with ISIS, an estimated 1,000 Australian dual citizens serve, or are, active reservists in the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF), with some serving in Gaza. Their...
It is quite evident there’s increased antisemitism across Australia, in fact the world. The Royal Commission is asking ‘Has it increased?’. Sadly, Blind Billy or Blonde Barbie could tell you that. The Royal Commission should stop immediately, or ask the real question:...
We all know people are saying the demographic is changing – Hollywood has arrived in Byron etc, but a lot of people forget our real community is still there, and it’s our real community who attract the tourists that...
The battery revolution will bring a grim demise for the grid a lot faster than cars trod on the horse. Sapoty Brook, Main Arm
I am writing again to The Echo with a ‘different perspective’ than those who have been unhappy with me for expressing my views. Their stories and grievances with the current president of Suffolk Park Community Association (SPCA) have been given...
The Melbourne-based developer behind a luxury beachfront apartment project in Byron Bay is seeking to push the building more than two metres above the town’s height limit, describing our height rules as ‘unreasonable’ and ‘unnecessary’.
The closure this week of ACM’s (Australian Community Media) Tamworth printing facility has once again led to the closure of more local, regional newspapers.
Mandy Nolan is to be commended for her excellent Soapbox article in the Byron Shire Echo on 5/5/26, ‘Why Only Nature Can Save Us’. Thank you Mandy, for reminding us all of the nurturing and recuperative power of nature! Brian...
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