Neighbourhood Centre leaders from Lismore, South Grafton, Casino, Nimbin, Mullumbimby and Pottsville gathered with Senator Stephens and Ms Saffin to discuss their plans for celebrating Social Inclusion Week 2010.

The first Social Inclusion Week was held last year and was the brainchild of Jonathan Welch, best known for establishing the Choir of Hope and Inspiration (formerly the Choir of Hard Knocks).

The Australian Government and the Brotherhood of St Laurence were major sponsors of the inaugural Social Inclusion Week.

The objective of the Week is to bring about more inclusive communities through taking practical steps to fight loneliness and isolation by bringing people together.

Last year’s week was a great success, with a wide diversity of events held across Australia – from sausage sizzles to jazz sessions, from cricket matches to market stalls, and even roller-skating displays.

The focus of each event was on bringing people together, particularly those who are traditionally isolated from the rest of the community such as people suffering a mental illness, those who are homeless and people with a disability.

“Neighbourhood Centres are a touchstone for finding out about local services and getting involved in the community,” said Senator Stephens.

“From the ideas that the Centre leaders have been discussing today, it’s clear that Social Inclusion 2010 is going to be even better than last year.”

Ms Saffin acknowledged the invaluable role that Neighbourhood Centres play in the Far North Coast and hinterland region and congratulated them on their proactive role in preparing for Social Inclusion Week 2010.

“Social Inclusion Week is a great time for showcasing the strong community spirit that we have here in the Far North Coast and hinterland,” she said.

“I’ve told the centres that I’m happy to help out with their celebrations in any way, and I encourage all local community members to get involved too – whether it be through participating in an event or running one.”

For more information about Social Inclusion Week 2010, go to http://socialinclusionweek.ning.com/

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Police will allege the 20-year-old man entered the business on Bayshore Drive about 9.45pm and demanded cash. The employee, believing the man was armed, complied.

The man allegedly took cash from the till and drove from the scene in a white Toyota Hilux utility.

Police from Mullumbimby stopped the vehicle a few minutes later on the Pacific Highway and arrested the man at gunpoint.

He was then covered by a Taser while handcuffed.

Police will allege they recovered a sum of cash from the man’s jacket when searched. No weapon was located. The man was also wearing a beanie allegedly stolen from the service station.

The man, from Pacific Pines, Queensland, was taken to Byron Bay Police Station charged with robbery. He was refused bail to appear in Mullumbimby Local Court today.

Tweed/Byron Crime Manager, Detective Inspector Shane Diehm, praised the quick actions of the officers in arresting the man.

“A description of the vehicle was circulated to patrolling police and only minutes later the man was in custody without further incident,” Det Insp Diehm said.

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It will be music from the sublime to the ridiculous, from Henry VIII to Bach, Purcell, Mozart and Elgar, and a musical setting of the nonsense words of Edward Lear’s Owl and the Pussy Cat.

Acapelicans, based in Ballina, and Spiritsong, based in Bangalow, are mixed voice choirs under the musical direction of local musician, Warren Whitney.

Both choirs sing a range of secular and sacred items covering 400 years of music and perform throughout the Northern Rivers.
Among other works, they have performed Bach’s Peasant Cantata and Sir Charles Wood’s St Mark’s Passion.

Spiritsong’s rendition of Saint Saëns Ave Verum was recorded and played on 4MBSFM, a Brisbane classical music station.

La Fontanella recorder ensemble plays classical and modern items using the whole range of recorders, from the tiny to what look like organ pipes with holes in and need keys to reach the notes!

During its heyday, the recorder was traditionally associated with birds, shepherds, miraculous events, funerals, marriages and amorous scenes.

It was revived in the 20th century, partly in the pursuit of historically accurate performances of early music – the sound is remarkably clear and sweet.

A sound that will enhanced by the acoustics of both churches with their magnificent high-pitched roofs, timber work and stone walls, their small size making the music even more intimate.

• Sunday, 20 JUNE, 2010, 1.30PM St Bartholomew’s Church, Alstonville
• Sunday, 27 JUNE, 2010, 1.30PM, St  Martin’s Church, Mullumbimby.
• Tickets: $10 at the door
• Enquiries 0429 185 361

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The approved projects in the Federal electorate of Richmond are:

·       Broken Head Road from Near Midgen Flat Road to the Council Boundary at Broken Head: $105,000 to install guideposts with reflectors, improve delineation and remove roadside hazards;

·       Tyalgum Road from North Wollumbin Road to Old Lismore Road at Tyalgum: $80,000 to install curve alignment markers and edge lines;

·       Intersection of Tintenbar Road and Friday Hut Road at Tintenbar: $52,310 to improve pavement friction, install signs and lay thermoplastic strips;

·       Intersections of Bangalow Road and Coopers Shoot Road, Old Bangalow Road and Broken Head Road at Byron Bay: $35,000 to construct medians at intersections, install advanced intersection warning signage and upgrade delineation;

·       Intersection of Burringbar Street and Dalley Street at Mullumbimby: $22,000 to construct two medians with line marking and signage for pedestrians;

·       Intersection of Myocum Road and Tyagarah Road at Myocum: $16,000 to install advanced intersection warning signs and upgrade line marking and delineation; and

·       1.5km section of Left Bank Road from West of Tristran Parade to East of Yankee Creek Road at Mullumbimby: $12,000 to install centre line, reduce the speed limit to 80kmh and upgrade delineation.

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North Coast LHPA general manager Brian McInnes says the landholders who participated in the meeting helped to make it a success, with approximately 50 questionnaires completed and these landholders agreeing to take part in a group baiting program.

“We can begin to see some positive outcomes from the meeting, and for those local landholders who have agreed to bait, we will plot their addresses on a map and work closely with them to co-ordinate a group baiting program for each area,” Mr McInnes said.

“As wild dogs in this area have a home range averaging about 20 km2, the group programs will mean that the coverage of baits on multiple properties will give the wild dogs the best opportunity to find a wild dog bait.

“Even though some properties cannot be baited due to Pesticide Control order requirements, wild dogs inhabiting these areas are very likely to find a bait on another property where baiting can occur.”

The group control programs will be monitored and if problems continue to arise in areas where 1080 baiting cannot occur, the LHPA will look at other methods to alleviate the problem, for example, soft jaw trapping and remote cameras to determine what dogs are in the area.

A wild dog information brochure has been developed to provide landholders with information on where and how to report incidents and where they can find assistance.

Landholders in the area should be receiving a brochure in their mail box in the near future. If you have not received a copy and would like to, please contact your local LHPA office.

Over 120 landholders attended the wild dog meeting, which included representatives from the LHPA and National Parks and Wildlife Service (NSPW). The meeting incorporated presentations from LHPA and NPWS staff, as well as an opportunity for landholders to discuss their issues in an open forum.

Landholders are urged to report all wild dog attacks or sightings to their local LHPA office. LHPA rangers are available to work with landholders to combat wild dog numbers.

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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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NPWS Pest Management Officer, Lisa Wellman, said prior to the start of each program, which began in 2006, advertisements are placed in local newspapers advising people.

“The program is undertaken twice a year in autumn and spring and looks for evidence of wild dogs, which can then be controlled,” Ms Wellman said. 

“Control programs are based around baiting programs, and monitoring is also undertaken after control to determine how successful the program has been.

“Neighbours of these reserves are notified of this program and areas that are baited are signposted.

“Our monitoring allows us to target wild dogs in specific areas where they are found and in the past has shown that control has been effective.’
 
“We have received very positive feedback from the community in response to our programs. We encourage park neighbours to report wild dog incidents to the NPWS and the LHPA.

“Local LHPA Wild Dog Management Plans outline where and when wild dog control should be undertaken and have a central objective to reduce the impacts of wild dogs on agriculture and biodiversity.
 
“The local LHPA Wild Dog Management Plans are to be reviewed in 2011 and this provides an opportunity for the community to have input into the priorities for wild dog control in the region.

“The reserves to be targeted this autumn are Maryland, Toonumbar, Richmond Range, Mebbin, Mt Jerusalem, Bundjalung, Nightcap and Goonengerry National Parks, Whian Whian State Conservation Area and Bungabbee and Muckleewee Mountain Nature Reserve.

“Landholders in areas nearby who wish to conduct baiting on their own properties should contact their local Livestock, Health and Pest Authority.”

For information on where wild dog control programs are taking place, contact your local NPWS office: Kyogle Area 6632 0000, Tweed Area 6670 8600, Richmond River Area 6627 0200.

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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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A regional launch of the prize will be held at the Tweed River Art Gallery at 11am on Tuesday 16 February to officially launch the 2010 prize and invite artists to enter.

The $35,000 Country Energy Art Prize for Landscape Painting is Australia’s richest annual landscape prize.

In its eighth year, the art pPrize showcases the wealth of artistic talent across country and coastal New South Wales while contributing to the visual arts industry.

A series of regional launches are held across NSW announcing that the annual prize is open for 2010, and inviting artists to enter.

Entries for the 2010 Art Prize close on 25 June 2010, with the finalists exhibited at the Glasshouse Arts, Conference and Entertainment Centre in Port Macquarie. The winner will be announced at an opening event at the Glasshouse on 30 September.

Entry is exclusive to artists whose principal place of residence is within Country Energy’s network distribution area, which covers 95 per cent of New South Wales’ land mass.

The prize is open to all artistic styles, mediums and contexts, ranging from figurative to abstract, charcoal to traditional oil paint and landscapes to seascapes.

The Art Prize also includes the Youth Encouragement Award. This award is designed to support and promote the work of emerging young artists from regional NSW. The additional prize of $5000 from Country Energy is presented each year to an artist who has entered Countryscapes and is aged 25 years or younger.

Artists and art lovers are all invited to the launch of Countryscapes 2010. The guest speaker, and three time Countryscapes exhibitor, painter Robyn Sweaney from Mullumbimby, will speak about her experiences as a regional artist and being a finalist in the prize.

PICTURE: Graham Lupp of Bathurst won Countryscapes 2009 for his work Hen and Chicken Lane (courtesy of Country Energy).

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“The Sustainable Street program is a joint initiative of Tweed and Byron shire councils which aims to bring neighbours together for local environmental improvements,” Councillor Warren Polglase said.

“This project has been so successful that Tweed and Byron shire councils are now seeking more streets to take part.

“Tweed and Byron councils are pleased to announce that we have secured State Government funding through the Tweed-Byron Bush Futures Program to deliver the Sustainable Streets package to two streets in each shire in 2010.”

For the past year, Murwillumbah Street has become ‘Sustainability Street’ and neighbours have become friends through swapping goods, information and ideas.

Murwillumbah Street resident Lisa Blackwell was one of the instigators of the project, and sought help from Tweed Shire Council’s Sustainability Officer Dan Walton to help move the project from the discussion stage to reality.

“Initially we wanted to get our little street operating as a community – we wanted to get back to grassroots,” Ms Blackwell said.

“We live in a town but it can be a village. We all know our neighbours but we don’t live in each others’ pockets.”

Interested residents meet once a month at a bench under a shady jacaranda tree to discuss joint and individual projects to reduce water and energy consumption, swap vegetables, eggs, unwanted goods and talk about practical environmental improvements, such as car pooling.

“Through our meetings, we have identified common goals, including a bushland restoration project in a nearby reserve,” Ms Blackwell said.

Over the last few months, Dan Walton has initiated a monthly project to improve environmental outcomes. One month, residents painted gutters with stormwater messages, while another, they set daily targets for water (150 litres per person per day) and energy consumption (less than five kilowatts per person per day).

Through the Bush Futures program, Mr Walton also helped residents at access a State Government grant to plant sustainable street trees, including oranges and lemon myrtles.

“This program offers residents practical ways to restore local biodiversity, improve household water and energy efficiency as well as organic gardening and ethical shopping workshops,” Mr Walton said.

“We’re hoping residents of other streets in Tweed and Byron will be inspired by the hard work, enthusiasm and practical example of Murwillumbah Street.”

Once chosen, the successful streets will participate in series of council-led workshops and community activities including the planting of community fruit trees, painting stormwater messages on gutters, energy and water efficiency workshops and culminating in a community feast using locally sourced ingredients.

Participants will also get the opportunity to provide ideas and suggestions on activities and outcomes they’d like to see for their street.

If you think your street would benefit from this exciting grassroots initiative, download the information package including the application form at www.tweed.nsw.gov.au/sustainability

The closing date for applications is 1 March 2010. People without internet access can call Dan Walton, Tweed Council Sustainability Officer on 02 6670 2555.

The Sustainable Streets program is funded by the Tweed-Byron Urban Bush Futures grant – a local government partnership under the NSW Government Urban Sustainability Program.

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