The event had been scheduled for Australia Day last Thursday at Tyalgum, however, the event was postponed due to heavy rains and flooded roads.

The recipients of the Tweed Shire Australia Day Awards will be:

• Doreen Welsh (Citizen of the Year)
• Rosie Kahl (Young Achiever)
• Pottsville Beach Public School musical (Arts and Cultural Achievement Award)
• Kane Townsend (Sporting Achievement Award Individual)
• Kingscliff High School’s 17-19 years male 4 x 50 metre freestyle relay team (Sporting Achievement for Team)
• Tweed Valley Equestrian Group – Power of Pink Dressage (Community Event of the Year)
• Claire Chauvier and Georgina Harbottle (Academic Achievement Award)
• John Lee (Volunteer of the Year).

The Tweed Shire Awards will be presented by the Mayor of Tweed Councillor Barry Longland and the Chair of the community-based Tweed Shire Australia Day Committee, Don Beck.

Meanwhile, 40 Tweed residents are set to become Australia Citizens on Saturday, originating from 16 nations across the globe.

Emergency services were called to Duranbah Beach shortly after 5pm responding to reports that five flares had been activated from the 54ft timber trawler.

Police arrived to find two crewmen, aged 29 and 33, still on board but with the boat smashing against the rock wall.

The men jumped into the water and were assisted to shore by local surfers before being checked by NSW Ambulance Paramedics.

The younger man was taken to Tweed Heads Hospital with chest and shoulder injuries.

The vessel was unable to be retrieved.

While a ban on outdoor water usage has been lifted, Council encourages residents across the Tweed to continue to minimise water use as much as possible today to allow the system to recover.

The damaged water pump station is critical pumping infrastructure which delivers treated water through the distribution centre to 75,000 residents across the Tweed, including the major centres of Tweed Heads, Banora Point, Tweed Coast, Murwillumbah and all other surrounding residential areas.

Vital equipment in the pump station was damaged following a power surge caused by an electrical failure on Wednesday.

Mayor of Tweed Barry Longland said he hoped residents would co-operate in continuing to minimise their water use for at least today.

“While treated water is now being pumped into the distribution system, we’re still recovering from the low levels due to the outage since Wednesday,” Councillor Longland said.

“The situation reached a serious level with around 24 hours of water left in the system.

“I had every confidence our technical staff would be able to fix the problem in time, and they did.

“I’d like to thank all the Council staff, suppliers, contractors and external agencies who were involved in achieving this outcome.

“In particular, I’m proud of the professionalism and commitment of our technical and field-based staff.

“We also thank our water customers for their co-operation during this water shortage.”

Council staff are today monitoring water supply levels and distributing water to reservoirs as required.

There are also measures still available should the single pump fail to deliver water.

Council is still carting water to the village of Tyalgum, as the water from the Oxley River is too dirty for the local water treatment plant to operate. Tyalgum residents are also asked to minimise their water use as much as possible until further advised.

Uki village residents remain unaffected as the village has its own water supply.

The majority of community events at towns and villages across the Tweed have been cancelled or postponed because of the rain and flooded roads.

Mayor of Tweed Councillor Barry Longland said it was unfortunate that events would not go ahead as planned tomorrow, but the safety of residents was paramount.

“It’s a great disappointment for all the volunteers from a variety of community organisations, including the Tweed Shire Australia Day Committee, who have worked tirelessly to organise these events,” Councillor Longland said.

“However, given the circumstances, it would be unwise to plan events which many residents would be unable to attend.

“We will take the first opportunity to organise another citizenship and award ceremony where everyone can receive their certificates.”

The one bright bit of news is that if the weather improves, the Mad Sports games and other activities planned for Jack Evans Boat Harbour will go ahead tomorrow, starting at 10am (NSW).

Many roads have been cut across the Tweed due to the rain. Road closures are being kept updated as information comes to hand via Council’s website www.tweed.nsw.gov.au. This links through to the regional site, www.myroadinfo.com.au. This regional site provides road closures for Tweed, Ballina, Byron, Kyogle, Lismore, Clarence Valley and Richmond Valley councils.

“Any residents wanting to know about road closures are asked to go to this site for information, bearing in mind that it covers major roads only and some minor roads will not be listed,” Councillor Longland said.

“I’d like to remind residents to follow the direction of Council, Police and the State Emergency Service (SES) if you have to be out on the roads during the wet weather and please don’t drive through flood waters,” he said.

Here is information about other Council services affected by the weather:

Water restrictions at Uki and Tyalgum

Due to the extreme weather, Council is currently unable to operate the water treatment plants at the villages of Tyalgum and Uki, or cart water due to road closures.

Residents who are connected to these supplies are requested to minimise their water use as much as possible in order to conserve the limited reservoir supplies until the weather eases.

Garbage, recycling and green waste collections

Council requests that residents whose garbage, recycling or green waste collections occur on Thursday 26 and Friday 27 January (and those missed on Wednesday 25 January) to please leave your full bins out on the kerb until they are emptied.

Council intends to service all bins on the normal service day, however, due to uncertain access and weather conditions, it may not be possible to service the bins on normal collection day.

Garbage, recycling and green waste collection services will be conducted over the weekend to catch up if required. Please leave any full bins out on the kerb.

Stotts Creek Resource Recovery Centre is closed today (Wednesday 25 January 2012) and will be open Thursday 26 January 2012 and Friday 27 January 2012 (dependent on access).

Tweed Regional Aquatic Centre

Please note that the Tweed Regional Aquatic Centre (TRAC) in Murwillumbah will close today at 3pm, as it is unable to comply with regulations due to staff shortages because of the rain. At this stage it is proposed to reopen 9am to 5pm tomorrow (26 January).

Sportfields

All Council-owned sports field in the Tweed are closed until further notice. For sports field closure information, go to Council’s website www.tweed.nsw.gov.au

With rainfalls of up to 200mm overnight, flooding continues across the area. Rainfall averaging 80-100mm is expected, with the potential for very heavy, localised falls up to 250mm in the Tweed area.

There is a high potential for flash flooding in the area and the Bureau of Meteorology has a Severe Weather Warning in place.

There are also eight Flood Warnings, a Flood Watch and a Severe Thunderstorm Warning in place. People in the affected areas are advised to check the Bureau of Meteorology’s website for updates on the warnings.

The NSW SES has deployed members to the areas of concern, including Flood Rescue Technicians and Incident management Teams. At present there are over 110 requests for assistance that have been received and multiple flood rescues have been undertaken.

The Northern Rivers will continue to be the focus for today, with the Tweed and Chinderah areas of particular concern. Holiday makers in the area are asked to listen to local radio stations for updates on the situation and be prepared to act.

With heavy rainfall, motorists are urged to drive to the conditions of the day, and to avoid any unnecessary travel. Road information can be obtained from the RTA through the Live Traffic website or by calling 131 700.

If you require flood or storm help, call the SES on 132 500.

Remember, never ride, drive or walk through floodwater and stay clear of rivers, creeks, stormwater drains and causeways as heavy localised falls may cause flash flooding.

Road closure information.

As a volunteer for the Tweed Kenya Mentoring Program, Tweed Shire Council’s Senior Construction Engineer, Nigel Dobson, will work with Kenyans to rehabilitate the Gona Dam at Obambo Kadenge. This is a very poor area of rural Kenya, located some six to eight hours west of Nairobi.

Nigel will certainly have some company, with a further 12 volunteers – many Tweed residents – set to join him in the village as they help the district’s residents in their own ways.

While Nigel’s focus will be establishing a fresh, safe water supply for drinking, Murwillumbah midwife Lyle Burgoyne and his small team of nurses and other volunteers from Kenya Health will meet him in the village to conduct health clinics to administer free medicine, medical treatment and advice.

A further group – Nigel’s wife, Tiffany Dobson, mother Helen Dobson and friends Hopal McClintock and Cara Gately – will travel to the village with Kenya Health, but will stay on after the clinics are completed to work with the grandmothers of the village and students in the nearby school to teach basic health and sanitation.

Another two independent volunteers from Murwillumbah, Cathy and Nicole Heffernan, will be working in an orphanage at Nakuru. It is this same orphanage that Kenya Health uses as a “home” base while running clinics.

“We knew about each other’s work and organisations through contacts with various Seventh Day Adventist churches but it is amazing that we can all work together at the one time in the one location to improve the lives of the people of this village,” Nigel said.

The aim of the Tweed Kenya Mentoring Program project – known as Safe Water Four – is to provide an accessible and hygienic drinking water supply for the district’s 6000 residents. The project will increase the storage capacity of the existing dam and boost water security for residents.

“Clean water will be achieved by installing new SkyJuice SkyStations, an ingenious water treatment unit that utilises membrane microfiltration to purify dam water without the need for chemicals or power,” Nigel said.

“The unit used is produced by the Skyjuice Foundation, who is a major project partner in the Tweed Kenya Mentoring Program.”

Nigel Dobson is following in the footsteps of three of his Council colleagues, who have also delivered water projects in Kenya as volunteers – Tom Alletson, Marty Hancock and Sebastien Garcia-Cuenca.

“Safewater Four is at the same site as Safewater One, the Gona Dam. When the dam is dry, it is a five-kilometre walk to the next water source which is salty,” Mr Dobson said.

“Our aim for Safewater Four is to work with the community to restore and increase the capacity of the dam so it is a permanent source of water all year round.”

Nigel will use his own annual leave for the trip, and flies out tomorrow to Kenya for about a month.

The Tweed Kenya Mentoring Program is an initiative of Tweed Shire Council and the International Riverfoundation.

For more information, visit Council’s website www.tweed.nsw.gov.au

Kenya Health was founded by Murwillumbah registered nurse and midwife, Lyle Burgoyne, three years ago.

Paying for their own travel and other costs, Lyle and other volunteers have travelled to Kenya many times to hold the health clinics, which attract 300 to 400 people per day.

“There’s no free health care in Kenya, and there’s such a great need,” Lyle said.

“We treat basic things like malaria, pneumonia, ear infections – anything we can treat, we provide free medication for.

“The project has recently expanded to include a local Kenyan health worker and nurse, who can continue the work of following up patients after we leave.”

Lyle felt something more was needed when he met a man whose arm had been broken, and untreated for two years.

“He had been bashed two years ago and his fracture was still floating around,” Lyle said.

“We started using the local doctors to provide operative services and paying for these services so these people could have some sort of normal life.”

The Kenya Health and other volunteers will leave for Kenya in a fortnight.

For more information about Kenya Health, visit the website www.kenyahealth.org

PICTURE: Inspecting the ingenious Skyhydrants which will produce safe drinking water for rural Kenyas are (from left) Lyle Burgoyne, Tiffany Dobson, Sue Anderson, Hopal McClintock, Helen Dobson and Nigel Dobson. This is part of the volunteer group from a number of local organisations set to travel to Kenya.

Mr Annesley said: “The NSW Government is proud to support the Malfunction Surf Festival, which has grown from a 3-day amateur event to a 5-day international surf festival attracting thousands of spectators and over 300 participants and officials.”

Malfunction promotes the sport of longboard surfing and provides a world-class experience for local competitors and officials.

As part of the ASP Longboard Qualifying Series for men and women, it provides opportunities for our local athletes to shine on the world stage

As well as showcasing outstanding sporting talent, the Malfunction Surf Festival features a range of surf culture activities including a vehicle rally, live music, movies, learn-to-surf lessons and a high-performance coaching clinic.

Mr Annesley said the $5000 grant was awarded through the NSW Government’s International Sporting Events Program. 

For more information visit www.malfunction.com.au

More information on the International Sporting Events Program can be viewed at www.dsr.nsw.gov.au/grants

About 1.20am (Sunday 25 December 2011), a white Nissan Pintara was travelling south on the Pacific Highway, South Tweed Heads, when it left the roadway and crashed into a steel guard rail.

The Nissan then crossed both lanes and crashed into a steel and concrete pillar of the Greenway Drive Overpass.

Police and emergency services were contacted and attended the scene.

The 49-year-old male driver suffered severe injuries and died at the scene.

The 50-year-old female passenger was removed from the vehicle and taken by NSW Ambulance Paramedics to Tweed Heads Hospital, where she later died.

A German Shepherd-cross puppy was located in the car and has been taken into police care.

Police from Tweed/Byron Local Area Command and specialist forensics officers are investigating the circumstances surrounding the crash.

Anyone who witnessed the crash or has information that may assist investigators is urged to contact Tweed Heads Police or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

Dr Reis, attached to the School of Tourism and Hospitality Management, was commissioned to do the study by the four councils in which the rally was conducted including Coffs Harbour, Clarence Valley, Bellingen and Nambucca shires.

“Some businesses reported less trading but some reported more,” she said.

“Impacts varied largely between shires, with some reporting significant social benefits, despite more neutral economic impacts.

“Most of the economic benefit was concentrated on the accommodation sector, but that was mostly in Coffs Harbour, which was the base for the Rally.

“There was a degree of disappointment directed towards the organisers of the Rally as many of the businesses did not think the amount of people expected to come eventuated.

“Despite this, the overwhelming majority of businesses, whether they made money or not, want the Rally to return.

“You can put this down to the feeling of pride the region can get by holding such a high profile event.”

The basis of Dr Reis’ findings was on 226 surveys completed by businesses based in the region. According to Dr Reis’ report, approximately an extra $460,000 was recorded as additional revenue by the businesses surveyed and 34 per cent of businesses indicated that they had additional customers compared with the same time the previous year.

Still a considerable proportion of businesses reported losses due to the event, but aggregated data indicates that a net gain was reported by surveyed businesses.

“Although this total is a positive result, it is important to note that significant losses were also reported, which indicates that benefits were not evenly spread within the community,” Dr Reis said.

“In general, the event was considered positive by the business community, particularly if the event returns and some mistakes are avoided. Several respondents mentioned the long-term benefits that may be derived from the positive exposure of the region to other markets, possibly attracting new visitors and trade to the region.”

Dr Reis also found that businesses said they would now know how to better prepare for the event to maximise income after the 2011 race. The councils and businesses expect the Rally to return in 2013, although this is still not confirmed. The Rally previously was held in the Tweed and Kyogle regions.

The WRC round in Coffs Harbour this year was the first time the event had been held on the Mid North Coast.

A full copy of the report is available on request by emailing arianne.reis@scu.edu.au

NPWS Pest Management Officer, Lisa Wellman, said that the survey is being undertaken from until December 16 as part of the Fox Threat Abatement Plan and will provide important data on shorebird numbers and movements to assist with management.

“The survey targets three key threatened species – the pied oystercatcher, beach stone-curlew and little terns – in order to get a snapshot of their abundance,” Ms Wellman said.

“The region is an important habitat for shorebirds and there are many challenges for conservation in managing an area of high population growth like this.

“This is the second year the survey has been undertaken. Last year’s survey found that the Northern Rivers region had about one third of the state’s pied oystercatchers (102) and about half of the beach stone-curlews (9). Little terns were in comparatively small numbers, with only 27 adults found in the region, out of about 1400 across the state.’

“The survey will target beaches and the estuaries of the Clarence, Evans, Brunswick and Tweed Rivers.

“Visitors to the coastal areas may well see NPWS rangers, Marine Park staff and volunteers including the Byron Bird Buddies out and about in boats and on foot with binoculars.

“We are looking forward to seeing how shorebirds are faring in the region, 12 months on.”