Latest News
Ballina Shire Council supports application for new croquet club
The Ballina Croquet Club is hoping to receive up to $300,000 in funding for a new club house at Cawarra Park.
Other News
Staged rollout change for large OS DA
Plans by a developer to change the staged rollout for a large Ocean Shores subdivision, and nine dwellings on 11 and 13 Warrambool Rd and 9 Bian Crt, Ocean Shores, are now on exhibition on Council’s website.
Local government elections postponed – again
NSW local government elections are postponed again due to the pandemic.
New gallery and studio breathes life into old church and graveyard
Was it divine intervention or western democracy that changed the fate of a former country church on the Northern Rivers last week?
Saddle Road land snapped up for $10m
A picturesque property in Brunswick Heads that was once slated to become an eco-village may become a light industrial precinct after the owners sold it to a developer for $10 million.
Cherry-picked COVID-19 statistics: Were the weekend’s ‘Freedom Rallies’ based on science?
A flyer recently dropped into the letterboxes of some New South Wales residents urged people to attend the controversial ‘Freedom Rallies’ – Let’s break it down and present some context.
Ballina Shire Council supports application for new croquet club
The Ballina Croquet Club is hoping to receive up to $300,000 in funding for a new club house at Cawarra Park.
Stories about "mental health":
Regional areas coped better than the city during COVID
A study shows that rural and regional communities across NSW have fared better than those in Sydney in dealing with the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health.
Mental health workshop for girls in Lennox
The mental health organisation Beautiful Minds is holding a one day workshop for pre-teen girls in Lennox Head on Sunday 27 June 2021.
Healthy Minds Club powering ahead
Since The Echo last spoke to Lennox Head's Jackson Connellan, from The Healthy Minds Club, things have become even busier.
Formed originally in response to...
Ballina Council wants more cops
Councillor Eoin Johnston won the support of fellow councillors in late May to have staff write to the NSW police minister requesting a review of police numbers in the Ballina shire with specific emphasis on actual rostered shifts for the Alstonville Plateau.
Free mental health workshop for Byron businesses
Business owners in Byron Shire are invited to attend a free 'Healthy Mindset' workshop aimed at providing them with resources and tools to improve mental health and wellbeing, as well as the opportunity to connect with other business owners.
Local NSW Youth Taskforce member addressing public transport and drug driving
18 young people from across regional NSW, including Francois who is a year 12 student at Emmanuel Anglican College in Ballina and lives in Tintenbar, were selected to join the second NSW regional Youth Taskforce for 2021.
The politics of demonising mental health
For years now, Australians have been told to be honest about their mental health: to openly seek help, to be unashamed about having discussions with employers and family about their struggles, and to fight the damaging, hurtful stigma around a common human experience.
Mental health first aid invite from Healthy Minds
The inspiring young fellas at The Healthy Minds Club are offering a series of free mental health first aid classes for anyone in the community who wants to gain some life-saving skills.
Rural health under threat from climate change
The National Rural Health Alliance has called on the federal government to take tangible action on climate change, saying inaction has serious consequences for rural health.
Improving mental health recovery after disasters
A new website hopes to improve mental health recovery after disasters – bushfires, extreme weather, floods and other traumatic events.
Storylines
Storylines: Growing hope
Hope is a fragile thing in 2021. With the current pandemic and the uncertainty in so many aspects of life, our hope is being shadowed by fear. It is profoundly affecting our humanity.
Local News
Northern Rivers responds to cal for COVID-19 testing
Following the flight of a COVID positive traveller from Sydney to Ballina and the detection of COVID fragments in the Byron Bay Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) both locals and visitors have responded to calls for more testing in the region.
Local News
Open-air art walk by the river at Murwillumbah completed
Aslan Shand - 0
The Ages of the Tweed mural that accompanies the open-air riverside art walk has now been completed.
Science Goes Viral
Cherry-picked COVID-19 statistics: Were the weekend’s ‘Freedom Rallies’ based on science?
A flyer recently dropped into the letterboxes of some New South Wales residents urged people to attend the controversial ‘Freedom Rallies’ – Let’s break it down and present some context.
