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Byron Shire
March 22, 2023

Latest News

We all live in a magic submarine…

Several commentators have remarked that, while the mainstream media is locked in furious agreement with the government over AUKUS and the trillion dollar submarines (a guess at the final price tag), social and independent media are telling quite a different tale.

Other News

AJP’s Susie Hearder

Animal Justice Party (AJP) candidate Susie Hearder responds to The Echo’s questions on building on State Significant Farmland (SSF),...

What the ph’c is going on? The ecological crisis and the steady-state solution

What is relevant for our earthly concerns at this time, is that from the perspective of modern science, matter and energy are the foundation of everything that exists. 

Alignment of DCP and LEP for Kingscliff ‘welcome’

The Kingscliff community has been active in taking the opportunities offered to them over the years to have input into how their community will be shaped into the future. However, differences between various planning instruments such as the DCP and the LEP have often left locals frustrated.

Swimmers take plunge for mental health

Swimmers took to Byron Bay pool and swam over 2000 laps to raise money to help improve services to...

Clarence candidate Dr Clancy talks mining and waste incinerators

As a founding member of the CCA Greens candidate Dr Greg Clancy does not support mining in the Clarence catchment. Here he shares his position on the Casino Waste incinerator and the action needed to address the climate emergency. 

Have you got a funny kid?

Do you have a funny kid? The search for Australia’s funniest teens is making its way across the nation and three is a free workshop coming to Brunswick Heads

Made Here Magazine

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Made Here – Issue #3, Spring 2022

What we are and what we will become is in our hands. How we treat ourselves, those around us, our environment, and how we imagine our future creates the opportunities for what happens to, and in, our world. When the ‘hippies’ moved to the hills and beaches of the Northern Rivers in the 1970s they were turning their ideas into the world they wanted to create and that has become the reality we see in the region and that continues evolving here today.

Those ideas, art, music, politics and philosophies continue to shape the lives of people far and wide, even the humble Echo and this Made Here magazine are outcomes of those ideas and what has been created here.

Thankfully we don’t stand still. There is never a perfect world and we can constantly self-critique, improve, and see new opportunities individually, culturally, and in business.

Innovation is certainly part and parcel of the region – from bread baking and vegan food, from footwear to creating art, jewellery, and incense; there is no shortage of ways people express themselves to heal, inspire, and support each other.

‘I think what we do know is the Northern Rivers has an entrepreneurial element to it,’ says Jane Laverty, regional manager Northern Rivers for Business NSW.

‘There is everyday oxygen and Northern Rivers oxygen. This is a real strength to our region as a place, as a tourism product, as an inspirational place to come and create.’

This can be seen in the development of the Tweed Artisan Food Week that takes place between 21 and 30 October, the Sample Food Festival in Bangalow, and the Harvest Food Trail, all of which celebrate food, growing indigenous produce, unique products, and innovative cooking in the region. These events are complemented by a range of music and arts festivals, such as the Mud Trail for sculptors, Bluesfest for musicians, and many more that celebrate artists of all types.

As many say, the limits are really our own imaginations and if there is a place to make your dreams come true then it is certainly here in the Northern Rivers. Fight for what you believe and make the difference you want to see.

– Aslan Shand, editor


Made Here – Issue #2

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Welcome to our latest publication, Made Here!

There is an idea of belonging that often inspires people to try the waters of the Northern Rivers. An idea that, if they come here, they might discover themselves and others in a more true and connected way. It is often based on the principles that those original hippies came here in the 1970s as they sought to reassess and redefine their relationships with themselves, their community and society at large.

Those ideas were based how to change the relationships with the people around them positively, how to protect the environment and how to reconnect…

While it may have started with the Barter Field and moon dances in Main Arm, the Aquarius Festival in Nimbin, and the Terania Creek protests, it continues to grow and change. You can still head to local markets like The Channon and buy things that have been lovingly made by local hands and minds, but it has also become an area where ideas and businesses can seed and grow beyond the region.

The focus on community has allowed the development of The Farmers Markets and Lismore Produce Market that provide an outlet for local growers to connect directly with their customers. At the other end of the spectrum you can now pick up Byron Bay Cookies on the other side of the globe, and there are businesses like Brookfarm – which has expanded from muesli and macadamia oil into a successful range of healthy food products.

Whether it is food and farming, woodwork, essential oils or art the key is that being part of a local community allows people to come together, to make connections and support one another. That can be in so many different ways: from helping build tiny homes for the homeless and supporting the local community centres, to innovative regenerative farming practices and business development and employment. As all these elements weave together they create community, support lives and the local economy. The hope is that as we move forward the idea of community is not lost, that what has been created, in terms of connection and support, can grow stronger in the face of the challenges of climate change and political corruption. That integrity, hope and the value of people, the environment and caring is one of the things we can keep as an integral part of what we have made here and what might continue to inspire.

Aslan Shand, editor

Made Here – Issue #1

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• Made Here Issue #1 was distributed with The Byron Shire Echo issue 36.16
• Made Here Issue #2 was distributed with The Byron Shire Echo issue 36.45
• Made Here Issue #3 was distributed with The Byron Shire Echo issue 37.17

Could Tweed Hospital see the first patient cannabis consumption room?

Marc Selan of the Legalise Cannabis Party is keen to keep the old Tweed Hospital open and says he would like to see the first patient cannabis consumption room at that site. 

Voting guide to preferencing in the NSW lower house

The NSW election, to be held on Saturday March 25, uses optional preferencing in both houses of parliament.

Homeless koala house hunting in Manly

As the trees continue to fall at the hands of the NSW government's Forestry Corporation in Yarret State Forest Blinky the koala has had to abandon his home.

Residents of Cabbage Tree Island want to go home

Anger and frustration at not being able to go home saw a group of residents reclaim their properties yesterday on Cabbage Tree Island.