Byron Bay will host an opening round match on March 27, taking on Port Macquarie FC.

The official draw was released by leading football commentator Andy Harper and Northern NSW Football CEO David Eland, along with representatives from Schweppes Australia and local teams.

Mr Eland is pleased with the response for the Solo Cup in its inaugural year.

“The competition is a Statewide knockout designed to further develop the rich football culture throughout Northern NSW and is a unique opportunity for clubs to compete against clubs from outside their regional competitions,” he said.

“The success of this year’s Solo Cup will certainly lead to women’s and also Over-35s knockout competitions.” 

Northern NSW Football would like to work towards the winner of the Solo Cup progressing to compete against the winner of Football NSW’s equivalent competition.

The Solo Cup will culminate in finals to be held at BCU International Stadium, Coffs Harbour, in July.

The Statewide competition with a total prize pool of $10,000 has attracted 56 teams from across Northern NSW Football’s seven zones.

The Solo Cup launches a new partnership between Schweppes Australia and Northern NSW Football, with both organizations excited about the opportunity to develop the game at grassroots level, commencing with the inaugural Solo Cup.

Schweppes has an association already with Football Federation Australia at a national level and is looking forward to now working with Northern NSW Football on grassroots initiatives with clubs located on the Far North Coast.

“Schweppes is very excited to announce its new partnership with Northern NSW Football, and proud to be a partner of football in Australia,” said Phillip Flanagan, Account Manager, Impulse & Convenience for Schweppes Australia.

“Connecting our iconic brands like Solo with the rapid growth of football in Australia represents a genuinely exciting opportunity for us, and we have been thrilled with the response of the football community to date.”
 
Due to the expansive area covered by Northern NSW Football, the competition is divided into two pools, the Northern Pool and Southern Pool, to determine quarter-final placings.

The Northern Pool will comprise of club teams from Mid North Coast Football, North Coast Football, Northern Inland Football and Football Far North Coast.

Round One of the competition will be held on Saturday 27th March 2010. The winners from Round One will then progress into knockout rounds until the Northern Pool quarter-finalists are determined. 

Round One draw for FNC teams:

• Host, Kempsey Saints FC, Kemp Street Fields (Kemp Street, West Kempsey), Pacific Palms v South Lismore Celtic FC 1pm.
• Host, Byron Bay Rams, Byron Rec Ground (Carlyle Street, Byron Bay), Byron Bay Rams v Port Macquarie FC 3pm.
• Host, Coffs City United FC, Forsyth Park (Maclean Street, Coffs Harbour), Goonellabah FC v Norths United 3pm.

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The Alzheimer’s Australia NSW Memory Van is a mobile education resource that travels statewide to help raise awareness on the importance of brain health and dementia risk reduction.

The Memory Van provides communities with information designed to help educate and assist people living with dementia, their carers and health professionals.

Staff can also assist with enquiries about memory loss.

The Memory Van is fully equipped with Help Sheets, Fact Sheets, DVD and video resources and a Nintendo Brain Game.

The Alzheimer’s Australia NSW Memory Van and experienced staff will be at:

• Ballina District Community Services Association Community Centre, 20 Bangalow Rd (next to IGA) on Tuesday, 9 March, from 1.30pm – 4pm
• Mullumbimby Ex-Services Club, Dalley Street, Mullumbimby, on Wednesday, 10 March, from 1pm – 4pm
• Byron Bay Plaza carpark, Jonson Street, on Thursday, 11 March, from 2pm – 4.30pm
• Ocean Village Shopping Centre, Rajah Road, Ocean Shores, on Friday, 12 March, from 9.30am – 12.30pm

1300 new cases of dementia are diagnosed a week in Australia and 1 in 3 Australians with dementia live in NSW. Dementia is a fatal disease and there is, as yet, no cure.

The Memory Van visit has been made possible by Community Development Support Expenditure funding from the Mullumbimby Ex-Services Club.

Alzheimer’s Australia NSW is the peak body for people with dementia and their families and carers. It provides advocacy, support services, education and information.

Currently 257,000 people have dementia in Australia. This number is projected to double by 2030. 

National Dementia Helpline: 1800 100 500

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Fears for the pair’s safety began after their clothing and personal items, including wallets, were found abandoned on Belongil Beach at Byron Bay yesterday at 7.45am.

During the course of the day, an extensive search was conducted for the two men, aged 31, by officers from Tweed/Byron Local Area Command, the Westpac Rescue Helicopter Service and Byron Surf Lifesaving Club.

Shortly after 4pm, the two men walked into Byron Bay Police Station after hearing reports of the search under way for them.

The men told police they had decided to go for a ’skinny dip’ about 2am that day, after a night out in Byron Bay.

When they got out of the water a short time later, they could not find their clothes and assumed they had been stolen.

They gave up searching and returned to their nearby accommodation.

Police wish to remind the public about the dangers of swimming in open waters at night, particularly under the influence of alcohol.

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Following three years of planning, installation and approval by the Byron Shire Council, the coffee plantation in Federal is now fully utilising the $135,000 facility.

“We’re pretty over the moon about it,” said Richard Kelly, pictured, General Manager of Green Cauldron Coffee.

“With this recycling facility we’ve basically achieved a closed loop for water usage and waste and we are able to capture and use every part of the coffee cherry, not just the bean.”

Leading Environmental Health scientist Tim Fitzroy worked with Green Cauldron Coffee to plan and build the facility.

“The design is both contemporary and best practice,” Mr Fitzroy said.

“So it’s fitting that the Byron Shire should be home to such groundbreaking work. It’s been a joy to work with such an innovative company willing to invest in green technology.”

Most Australian coffee producers use a wet process to wash and separate coffee.

However, the natural sugars found in coffee, together with debris from leaves and branches, deplete oxygen levels in the waste water and increase biochemical oxygen demand (BOD).

Water in this state is unsafe to release into waterways and is too strong to be used for irrigation.

Green Cauldron’s bespoke water recycling facility uses a sand filtration process combined with anaerobic bugs to significantly reduce BOD and increase oxygen levels – making the water safe to use.

Any solid waste is composted and used to fertilise the coffee trees. The net effect is a reduction in water consumption and protection of waterways and catchment areas. The process takes four to five weeks.

“Optimal health and vitality for our coffee trees is what we’re after” said Mr Kelly.

“And we hope that people can taste this in our single origin coffee.”

For more information, visit the Green Cauldron website .

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Following extensive investigations, Homicide Squad detectives with assistance from officers at Tweed/ Byron Local Area Command located the body of a man yesterday.

The body was located in a shallow grave in the Broadwater area. Formal identification is yet to be completed.

This follows investigations by police into the alleged murder of a man who was reported missing on Wednesday 10 February. The 54-year-old was last seen at Lennox Head on Monday 8 February.

Detectives are conducting further investigations and are appealing for public assistance to locate the man’s car, which is described as a 2003 model silver-coloured Holden Astra, with NSW registration plates AON-89L.

This follows the arrest of a 38-year-old man on Friday 26 February. He was subsequently charged with murder.

Strike Force Whip comprises detectives from the State Crime Command’s Homicide Squad and Tweed/Byron Local Area Command, and was established to investigate the man’s disappearance.

Inquiries are continuing and investigators are appealing for anyone with information about the incident or the vehicle described to contact Byron Bay police on (02) 6685 9499 or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

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On Wednesday 10 February a man was reported missing to Byron Bay Police. The 54-year-old was last seen at Lennox Head on Monday 8 February.

Strike Force Whip was established to investigate the man’s disappearance, which comprises detectives from State Crime Command’s Homicide Squad and Tweed/Byron Local Area Command.

Following inquiries, a 38-year-old man attended Lismore Police Station about 12.30pm yesterday (Friday 26 February) before being arrested.

The man was interviewed and subsequently charged with murder.

He was refused bail and is due to appear at Lismore Local Court today.

Inquiries into the disappearance are continuing and investigators are appealing for anyone with information into the incident to contact Byron Bay detectives on (02) 6685 9499 or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

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The public relations representatives, who arrived in Byron Bay this week (25 February), work to promote Australia as a tourism destination internationally and domestically. They are making the most of their first visit to Byron by undertaking a famil of Byron and the broader Northern Rivers region.

They will meet with more than 30 tourism operators in Byron Bay, Bangalow and the Tweed as well as visit the Green Cauldron, one of the eight experiences in Australia’s National Landscapes program.

Stretching from Byron Bay to the Gold Coast and west toward the Great Dividing Range, this vast caldera shelters a huge diversity of rare flora and fauna, subtropical rainforests and a breathtaking rim of mountain ranges.

“The Byron at Byron has been working hard to promote nature-based and wellness tourism, both domestically and internationally for many years,” said Kerry I’Anson, Manager Global Public Relations from Tourism Australia.

“They are very supportive of Tourism Australia initiatives including our visiting journalist program. We are happy to be here now experiencing the resort and the Green Cauldron region for ourselves.”

The Tourism Australia representatives will spend time meeting with local identities and business people to get a feel for the identity and issues of the region.

“Having Australia’s peak tourism marketing organisation in the Northern Rivers is a great privilege,” said Russell Mills, Chief Executive Officer of Northern Rivers Tourism.

“We’ve put together an itinerary that we hope will give them plenty of story angles to pitch to the world’s travel media and in turn generate positive publicity for the region”.

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Filmed on location in Chile by renowned photographer/cinematographer Dave Homcy, El Mar Mi Alma captures the essence of a coastal road trip and surfing journey with some of the world’s top pros – Dave Rastovich, Ramon Navarro, Dane Ward, Crystal Thornburg, Chris del Moro, Joel Parkinson, Christian Merello, Leo Acevedo and Diego Medina.

Director Jones describes the film as essentially a visual tone poem, which juxtaposes images, music, poetry and animation and inter-cuts cinematic surf sequences with littoral landscapes, local people and places, the movements of cast and crew, to paint a picture of Chile’s beauty and close association with the sea.

The film also features an original soundtrack by Chilean folk artist Manuel Garcia.

Jones’ and Velasco’s presentation is part of the launch of a month-long local celebration of international surf art and culture, taking place throughout March, showcasing new and different perspectives on our relationship with the ocean, through film, photography painting, drawing and sculpture.

It starts with Byron Bay International Film Festival (BBFF), which has always featured surf films and keeps a strong focus on this specialist genre throughout its 10-day 2010 program, from March 5 to 13.

BBFF Director, J’aimee Skippon Volke, says highlights of this year’s Festival include Bob McTavish, A Life in Shape, about one of Byron’s most famous pioneering surf personalities; The Arena: North Shore, chronicling the epic 2008 winter season in Oahu; and Somewhere Near Tapachula, which tells the story of an Australian couple who changed the lives of orphans and street kids in Tapachula, Mexico, with hope, love and a set of boards.

She has programmed nine surf films this year, but points out that this is just a tip of the iceberg of great films in this specialist genre.

On Friday February 26 at Harvest, she’ll join Jones and Velasco, whose film will premiere (as a sneak preview) at BBFF, to provide an insight to the latest developments and trends in surf film and docos, what she’s included in her program and why.

Then from March 11 to 25, Retrospect Galleries presents El Mar Mi Alma, the exhibition, exploring the global phenomenon of surf art across a multitude of media, from Byron Bay to Chile, the crest to underground.

The show will feature works by international surf artists, photographers and sculptors including Dave Homcy and Crystal Thornburg (Hawaii), Harry Daly (USA), Christian Tuki (Rapa Nui), Jose Nacho Vargas and Alfredo Escobar (Chile), plus leading Australian surf artists, Mambo’s Jeff Raglus, Quicksilver’s Peter Webb, legendary surf photographer Paul Witzig and some exceptional new talent such as Ryan Heywood, Luke Taaffe, James McMillan and Alberto Sanchez.

A preview of the show will be on exhibition at Harvest on February 26, and two local surf artists will talk about the unique influences that have shaped the development of their practice. James MacMillan, an Australian former pro surfer turned painter, and Alberto Sanchez, a Spanish artist/photographer/musician, who grew up in Madrid and first saw the ocean when he was aged 14,

El Mar Mi Alma (The Sea My Soul) at Harvest Café, pays homage to local surf culture and gives a view to what’s happening internationally.  Come along to meet some of the local artists and filmmakers who are a part of this incredible movement, plus enjoy great food (buffet style BBQ) and music by acclaimed singer/songwriter Danny Ross.

Starts 6.30pm, Friday February 26 at Harvest Cafe, 18 Old Pacific Highway, Newrybar. Tickets $35 per person, bookings, 02 6687 2644

Images: Hilton Dawe, Sunset Silhouette on location for El Mar Mi Alma; Alberto Sanchez, Silver Surfer.

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“This is especially important in times of emergency,” said Cr Jenny Dowell, president of the Northern Rivers Regional Organisation of Councils (NOROC).

“Although the new system will show roadworks and scheduled road closures on an everyday basis, it will come into its own during a flood or in other emergency event.

“It is the experience of most councils that the information people request most is ‘what roads are closed?’ and ‘how can I travel from A to B?’

“This new system will put that information at their fingertips.”

Travellers will be able to view a map of the Northern Rivers region, from Clarence Valley in the south to Tweed in the north and out to Kyogle in the west which shows ‘roads closed information’ with markers placed at the location of the closure.
This visual guide will indicate the most reliable routes for travel across the region.

The RoadInfo website, www.myroadinfo.com.au, will be launched at the NOROC meeting on Friday, 26 February at 11am.

The initial idea came up during the post-flood review conducted after the January 2008 flood.

Councils applied for and received $14,000 from the Natural Disaster Mitigation Programme courtesy of the NSW Department of Emergency Services in May 2009.

The past nine months have been spent designing and developing the website.

The development of the website has seen strong collaboration between Lismore, Ballina, Kyogle, Richmond Valley, Tweed, Byron, and Clarence Valley councils.

Cr Dowell said, “It is really good to see our Councils working together, especially to provide such a useful service. This project shows just what can be achieved by us working together.

“We have shared resources and kept the cost down to an absolute minimum. I would like to thank all the councils for their hard work.

“Giving people across the region easy access to road closure information will be a real benefit to the whole Northern Rivers community, and although during a flood people should keep their travel down to a minimum, this new website will help to keep people safe when travel is essential,” she said.

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Announced last Friday 19th February and covered in The Weekend Australian, this accolade has been awarded to The Byron at Byron for the second year running.

“We are constantly surprised at the recognition we receive from both our new and repeat guests,” said John Parché, General Manager at The Byron at Byron.

“It was an absolute surprise and a great boost to the staff that this award was announced in our favour. We constantly strive to ensure that total guest satisfaction is achieved, and our staff are just overjoyed to receive this accolade”.

Receiving an award for two consecutive years places The Byron at Byron in the salubrious ‘Best of the Best Winners Circle’ with only three other tourism operators nationally.

These being Abercrombie & Kent (Best Tour Operator), Crystal Creek Meadows Luxury Cottages & Spa Retreat in Kangaroo Valley (Best Hosted Accommodation) and Kingfisher Bay Resort on Fraser Island (Best Family Focused Tourism).

“The Byron at Byron Resort has contributed hugely to the local community, both financially and through their on-site ecological restoration,” said Russell Mills, Chief Executive Officer of Northern Rivers Tourism.

“They constantly win awards because they maintain the highest commitment to delivering a wonderful experience to every guest. This latest award is a great achievement for our region. I congratulate them wholeheartedly as they have worked tirelessly for it.”

To celebrate this Award The Byron at Byron is offering locals a complimentary glass of wine with every mid-week restaurant booking for the month of March (lunch and dinner Monday to Thursday).

For bookings phone (02) 6639 2000 or visit thebyronatbyron.com.au

PICTURE: Lyn and John Parche celebrate with staff.

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