Community campaign to save Telstra jobs

Page MP Janelle Saffin said it has been encouraging to see the strong community opposition to Telstra’s plans to close its call centre in Goonellabah.

However, she says Telstra CEO David Thodey’s response about the reason for the planned closure is totally unconvincing.

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State Government grants $200,000 to Margaret Olley Art Centre

The NSW Minister for the Arts, George Souris, today visisted the Tweed River Art Gallery in Murwillumbah to announce $200,000 in funding for the proposed Margaret Olley Art Centre.

The funding, which will be matched by Tweed Shire Council, has been provided through the 2012 Arts Funding Program.

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NovaSkill-NRRRL preliminary final results

Northern Rivers Regional Rugby League preliminary finals at Grafton, August 26:

A Grade: Grafton Ghosts 26 d Ballina Seagulls 20.

Reserve grade: Grafton Ghosts 50 d Murwillumbah 16.

Under-18s: Grafton Ghosts 22 d Marist Brothers 12.

Grand finals on Sunday at Murwillumbah:

First grade: Murwillumbah v Grafton Ghosts.

Reserve grade: Mullumbimby v Grafton Ghosts.

Under-18s: Mullumbimby v Grafton Ghosts.

Gates open 9.30am. Entry $12.

FNC Rugby Union results for Round 20

Round 20 – 25th August 2012

First Grade

Wollongbar Alstonville 22 (Jake McIntyre, James Vidler, Vincent Chee tries, Jake McIntyre 2 conversions, penalty goal) d Ballina 10 (Rick Randall, Luke Watling tries) Half Time: Wollongbar 15 – Ballina 5

Lennox Head 67 (Lachlan Creagh 4, Mathew Barnes 3, Scott Cardow, Jeff Wilson, Kalib Cupples, Mick Muir tries, Scott Cardow 6 conversions) d Casino 5 (Jarred Newton try) Half Time: Lennox 24 – Casino 5

Southern Cross University 32 (Harry Witt 2, Matt Anderson, Blake Brewer-Charles, Kodi Southgate tries, Matt Urquhart 2 conversions) d Grafton 7 (Jacob Page try, Jono Speechley conversion) Half Time: SCU 10 – Grafton 0

Lismore – Bye

Pointscore – Wollongbar Alstonville 71, Lennox Head 66, Lismore 52, Ballina 40, Grafton 29, Casino 28, Southern Cross University 14

Reserve Grade Lennox Head 50 d Casino 0 Wollongbar Alstonville 24 d Ballina 19 Grafton 29 d Southern Cross University 28   Under 19 Wollongbar Alstonville 24 d Ballina 23

President’s Cup Byron Bay 45 d Murwillumbah 0 Iluka 14 d Kyogle 5 Grafton 22 d Bangalow 20 Yamba 33 d Evans River 14

 

FNC Rugby Union teams for Round 20, August 25

Southern Cross University: 1. Tom Purcell, 2. Brett Johnston, 3. Daniel Wade, 4. Pat Wilton, 5. Matt Scanlon, 6. Craig Dangar, 7. Harry Witt, 8. Matt Anderson , 9. Matt Urquhart, 10. Luke Neal, 11. Kodi Southgate, 12. Rhys McNaughton (C.), 14. Harry Vivers, 15. Will Latham Coach: Matt Barlow

V Grafton: 1. Chris Owen, 2. Jacob Page, 3. Beau Brotherson, 4. Ben Robertson, 5. Declan Collie, 6. Brad Lloyd, 7. Simon Hampshire, 8. Jono Speechley (C.), 9. Scott Lloyd, 10. Kyle Hancock, 11. Billy Weatherstone, 12. Tony Baldwin, 13. Keaton Ingram, 14. Trevor Walters, 15.  Ben Stone Coach: Brad Lloyd Referee: Mick Melino

Ballina: 1. Adam Thomas, 2. Aidan Cubis, 3. Nathan Groves, 4. Aaron Lupton, 5. Josh Lupton, 6. Sean Grace, 7. Andrew Burke, 8. Danny Lickiss, 9.Troy Nichols, 10. Paul Lynch, 11. Ben Robinson, 12, Beau Milner, 13. Trent Gasnier, 14. Joe Jansson, 15. Luke Watling Coach: John Doktor

V Wollongbar Alstonville: 1. Joel Crowther, 2. Kirk Taylor-Brown, 3. Justin Whicker 4. Dominic Brown, 5. Dane Mitchell, 6. Gavin Short, 7. Daniel Mather, 8. Shaun Ellis, 9. Hamish Millane, 10. Jake McIntyre, 11. Tom Barden, 12. Arlo Cluff (C.), 13. Adam Law 14. Vincent Chee, 15. Reece Brown Coach:  Ben Grayndler Referee: Graham Cook

Lennox Head: 1. Isaac Foley, 2. Daniel Watt, 3. Jack Bungate, 4. Mick Muir, 5. Harry Bungate, 6. Brock Jensen, 7. Jeff Wilson (C.), 8. Rob Fish, 9. Scott Cardow, 10. Paul Crozier, 11. Lachlan Creagh, 12. Sam Croke, 13. Kalib Cupples, 14. Matt Bindon, 15. Mathew Barnes Coach: Tony Bundock

V Casino: 1. Reece Manning 2. Rory Hughes, 3. Craig Connolly, 4. Ben Osborne, 5. Cal McLennan, 6. Blake Birmingham, 7. Carl Tahatu (C.), 8. Jarred Newton, 9. Stephen Murchie, 10. Lachlan Winkler, 11. Glen Pollard, 12. James Whitnell, 13. Tom Bishop, 14. Tim Cameron, 15.  Michael Sherry Coach: Darren Winkler Referee: Steve Williamson

Lismore – Bye

 

iByron launch draws crowds

It’s been a long time coming, but the Byron shire now has its very own online portal for community groups.

Called iByron and built for the Community Centre by Community Engine, the website has been developed over the past 18 months and was launched on August 22 with fanfare at the Byron Community Centre. Present were many of the community groups who will benefit from the tool, as well as candidates for the upcoming election, who spoke in support of the website.

“iByron will enable people throughout the Byron Shire to publicise and communicate their projects and activities,” said the Community Centre’s Paul Spooner. “We’ve never had this before in such a clear and accessible way. It’s bringing community organisations into the 21st century.”

The website will utilise social media and Youtube, providing simple web publishing and planning for groups and individuals who may otherwise be unable to afford or access such tools. As well as being able to search for and communicate with community groups, the site will promote a calendar of events and volunteer registry.

Community Engine’s Dean Power, who oversaw the tool’s development, spoke at the launch of how we are living through a time when more than half the Australian adult population carries in their pocket a smart phone, which has more computing power than NASA had when they put man on the moon.

“We will create more information in the next five days than we did from the start of cave painting until 2003. And it’s our close connections, our community that help us make sense of that deluge,” he said.

At the launch Community Engine also gave out three oversized cheques as a part of their $100,000 giveaway to Northern Rivers not-for-profit groups. Rainforest Rescue, the Byron Youth Service and the Byron Community Centre all received their first cheques. “We have close to $90,000 left to give,” said Dean Power, “so we strongly encourage Byron groups to actively participate in this giveaway.”

Zenith Virago from the Natural Death Centre closed the evening by facilitating a group visualisation, where guests blew iByron as bubbles from a wand out into the wider world.

PICTURE: Di Mahoney from Byron Youth Service collects a cheque at the launch.

Digby Moran a dual finalist in NSW Parliament art award

Bundjalung artist Digby Moran has been selected as a finalist in the Parliament of NSW Aboriginal Art Prize for not one, but two artworks.

Both Starlight and Someone’s Always Watching You, painted by Digby this year, have been selected. The Prize is an annual acquisitive prize of $40,000 and is awarded to the finest example of contemporary Aboriginal art in New South Wales.

Each of Digby’s selected artworks is currently on display at the Northern Rivers Community Gallery as part of Digby’s solo exhibition Bundjalung Dreaming. The exhibition continues until 2 September, however the two selected works will leave early to travel to Sydney for the Art Prize exhibition.

Starlight takes inspiration from the diamond pattern carved on the narrow Bundjalung Boondie (c1850) also currently on display at the Gallery. The painting has a sophisticated composition that features the intersection of four concentric diamond patterns marked out by white lines, at regular intervals, on a black background. Two of the concentric diamonds are further detailed with grey lines alternating with the white.

Centre yourself to this painting, stand back and the result is something quite hypnotic and to many, optically unsettling.

The sophisticated use of a limited palette, line and space creates a lenticular-like image that moves and vibrates like shimmering or shooting starlight.

Someone’s Always Watching You is another example of the artist’s incredible ability to create images that seem to move right before your eyes. A series of black lines that suggest form around two eyes start to ‘move’ against the white background. As this occurs eyes look as though they are flickering and following you around the room.

Of the inspiration for this painting, Digby said: “Growing up an old wise man said to me ‘No matter what you do, someone’s always watching you’. Now I am older and wiser I understand he was telling me that my ancestors’ spirits are always around me, protecting me.”

The Gallery is open from Wednesday to Friday between 10am and 4pm and on weekends between 9.30am and 2.30pm. The Gallery is closed on public holidays.

 

Athletes get Local Sporting Champions grants

Federal Member for Page Janelle Saffin has congratulated a Ballina junior netball team and nine outstanding individual athletes after they received grants from the Australian Government’s Local Sporting Champions program.

“Sporting achievements and events are on people’s minds, following so close on the heels of the London Olympics and our exciting performances there and with the London Paralympics only a week away, it is a good time to recognise our up-and-coming athletes from across the electorate,” she said.

“Ballina Netball Association’s 12-years representative side used their $3000 team grant to help with the costs of competing in their first NSW State Age Championships at Gosford recently.

“Coach Elizabeth Shaw reports that her charges finished a creditable 16th against teams from much larger netball associations and had a great experience.

“Team members included Charlotte Cornwell, Georgi Fettell, Ashleigh Glenn, Tara Meaney, Samantha Meredith, Lucy Miles, Charlee Mitchell, Mayha Nowlan and Olivia Peak.”

Ms Saffin again thanked her Local Sporting Champions expert judging panel of SBS football analyst and former Socceroo Craig Foster, Southern Cross University lecturer and sports commentator Dr Dave Arthur, champion canoeist Ros Lawrence and Daily Examiner sports editor Patrick Allen.

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NovaSkill-NRRRL preliminary finals draw

Draw for Northern Rivers Regional Rugby League preliminary finals at McGuren Park, Grafton, on Sunday, August 26:

Under-18s: 11.30am Grafton Ghosts v Marist Brothers.

Reserve Grade: 1pm Grafton Ghosts v Murwillumbah.

A Grade: 2.45pm Grafton Ghosts v Ballina.

Gates open 9.30am. Admission: Adults $8, children under 16 free.

Police investigate fatal crash – Kyogle

A report will be prepared for the Coroner following a fatal crash in the State’s north yesterday.

About 7.30pm (Tuesday 21 August 2012) a Holden Rodeo was travelling south on Green Pigeon Road, Kyogle, when the vehicle left the roadway and rolled.

Police and emergency services were contacted and arrived a short time later.

The 36-year-old female driver, and sole occupant of the vehicle, died at the scene.

A crime scene was established and examined by forensic specialists.

Police said it appears the woman was not wearing a seatbelt at the time of the incident.

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