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Checkout the new faces of the Lismore Show
Checkout the new faces of the Lismore Show

15 October 2024, 9:00 PM

 A new gallery of images showcasing some of the beloved moments of the North Coast National Lismore Show are now hanging in the newly renovated Norma’s Kitchen (under the main grandstand near the Farmers Markets), and will be available to view as part of the Show, which starts tomorrow..The works were unveiled by award-winning photographer Jacklyn Wagner and Lismore Show President John Gibson.These images are for Lismore’s future. Mr Gibson said, “People like to come and have a look at what's happened in the past, and we all like to reflect on how things have evolved.“The show formed in 1885 so it's been running a long time, and we've only missed about three shows in that time. It's a community centrepiece.”The stunning photos depict show favourites, like the rides and fun aspects, intimate moments shared, like a father and son at the woodchop, and young people tending to their cattle to help them shine in the ring.Jacklyn Wagner is very pleased to have had the opportunity to make this project a reality. Semi-retired, it was a whim to follow her passion, not a necessity that she was at the show last year taking photos. Ms Wagner is very grateful to the Lismore Show for the attention they have received. She says, “They're a little bit fly on the wall. All types of images which I really like. I love photo documentary, and there's a cross-section of people in them.“I think it's a really lovely thing for me to have a legacy here.”The importance of the show touches deeply with Ms Wagner, “I grew up in a country town, and I was a horse rider. I always had dogs, and now I kind of live on a lifestyle farm with a couple of cows. I like earthy sorts of people and the characters. “I think it's lovely that, given the times that we're in where everything's so techno and things are really uncertain, I think there's a real wanting to touch base with your community and where you are in your history.”The seven new images are available to view at this year's show in Norma’s Kitchen, and other photos taken this year will add to them.Another work of note by Ms Wagner, is her exhibition, Through the Heart... a Flood of Fears and Tears, that put the effects of the flood under the nation's nose in Canberra.  100 images taken in the weeks immediately following the flood serve as a harrowing reminder of what took place here. The images have been made available in a book.

First LCC meeting for new four year term springs big surprise!
First LCC meeting for new four year term springs big surprise!

15 October 2024, 7:02 PM

The first Lismore City Council meeting of the new four-year term was held last night at council chambers. It was supposed to be a ceremonial and procedural meeting as councillors took their Oath or Affirmation of Office and made decisions about which councillor would be on which committee.When the agenda moved to 11.6 Council's Ordinary Meeting Schedule, returning Councillor (Cr) Gianpiero Battista put forward an amendment that council meetings start at 10am on the second Tuesday of each month rather than the historical 6pm.Waiving his right to speak on the matter until his right of reply, Cr Big Rob said he would resign at first."So, this is a surprise. 10am starts. I'll resign, and we'll see how we go over a count back because I ran for council that started at 6pm. I work during the day, I'm in court at 10 o'clock most days. Most of the people around this table actually have jobs and have to go to work, and to do this at 10am is going to make this council ineffective because people won't be here because they'll be at work."This is going to be a big problem for this council. We've looked at it before, it doesn't work, 10am starts. It just doesn't work. People can't come and speak because they're at work. So we lose all that. This is a this is a way to stop engagement. I think it's a disgrace that it wasn't circulated before this meeting so we could lobby and get some people here to try and stop this because this is an absolute joke."Cr Guise was also surprised by the potential time change."This is a bit of a surprise. Look, I can appreciate Councillor Batista's sentiment, but you do have to acknowledge that there's a number of Councillors here that do have day jobs, and this would preclude them from participating fully as councillors and also would exclude members of our public that have daytime commitments. So it is a departure of tradition and what was put forward in the business paper, and it would require some discussion."In his right of reply, Cr Battista did say Lismore City Council was the only council in the Northern Rivers to have a 6pm start."There's a lot of issue with staff having to work long hours and then having to continue at night time. Some of us work during the day, and then has to come in at six o'clock and I do remember meetings finishing at like midnight. I believe, in the previous term, you finished at two o'clock. Is that correct one time? I mean to ask people that live in the rural areas to travel back to their place of (residence), that's just like a WHS issue. You don't want to do that."Cr Battista also addressed Cr Guise concerns about 6pm being a tradition."We need to change. We need to make things better for for us, for Lismore, for the staff, for everybody. And I think changing the time to 10 o'clock till 2(pm) once a month. I'm not asking to change the briefing time. The briefing time will be still at six o'clock or workshop. I'm only asking for for us to change the time of ordinary meetings once a month for four hours, maybe five. If we decide to go to three o'clock, but there will be after a resolution of council voting. So, I just think that it's a good idea. I think we need to move on and to change things and make it better."When put to a vote, it was 7/4 in favour.Following the vote, Cr Rob then asked to go back to point 4 on the agenda which was Apologies and Applications for Leave of Absence or Attendance by Audio Visual Link (AVL)."Since you did that, sprung it on us without any notification, which is completely inappropriate for something like that. We go back to Apologies, Applications for Leave of Absence. I'll take the rest of the year off because I can't make that time because I go to court."Cr Rob then asked that he be approved for the AVL link, "In case I can make it, but I can't make it to the meetings."That vote was unanimous.Back to the ceremonial and procedural part of the meeting.Aunty Thelma gave a Welcome to Country before every councillor, except Big Rob, as he had taken his Oath at a private ceremony, took the Oath or Affirmation of Office. Starting with Mayor Krieg, they each read out the Office of Local Government oath according to Section 933A of the Local Government Act.General Manager Jon Gibbons said in his opening speech, "I certainly believe there's no greater honour than being elected to serve your local community in local government, and I would like to congratulate all councillors for putting your hat into the ring. I now have the privilege of overseeing the taking of the oath and affirmation."I, Steve Krieg, swear that I will undertake the duties of the office of councillor in the best interests of the people of Lismore and the Lismore City Council and that I will faithfully and impartially carry out the functions, powers, authorities and discretions vested in me under the Local Government Act 1993 or any other act to the best of my ability and judgment."Mayor Krieg was followed by new councillor Virginia Waters, Harper Dalton-Earls and the rest in a clockwise direction.When the oath or affirmation was complete, Mayor Krieg welcomed the councillors to the new term and said, "The best referendum you can have is an election, and we are all sitting here as a result of the voting public. And so we are all equals as councillors, and we should perform our duties to the best of our abilities."Cr Jeri Hall retained her position of Deputy Mayor with a 7/4 vote over new Labor Councillor Jasmine Knight-Smith through an open vote.When it came to nominating and in some cases voting on which councillors would be on which committees, it was decided that some advisory groups, such as the Nimbin Advisory Group, the Aboriginal Advisory Group and the Sister City Advisory Group would go to a workshop to look at each group's terms of reference."It's a great refresh. We've got new people in the room here tonight. They may have a different set of eyes on how they run."The list of committees and groups and which councillor will sit or chair them is:ARIC (Audit Risk & Improvement Committee) - Cr BingGeneral Manager Performance Review Committee - Mayor, Deputy Mayor and Cr Jensen. The general manager has the right to appoint another person to that committee.NRs Bushfire Management Committee - Cr Battista and Cr Knight-SmithNSW Rural Fire Service Zone Liaison Committee - Cr Battista, with Cr Knight-Smith as the alternateNRs Joint Organisation Committee - Mayor KriegLocal Traffic Committee - Cr HallArts Northern Rivers - Cr Jensen, with Cr Waters as the alternateAustralian Day Awards - Mayor is Chair, Cr Hall, Rob Cr and Cr Dalton-EarlsFlood Risk Management Committee - Cr Dalton-Earls, Cr Rob, Cr Waters, Cr Knight-Smith and Cr Jensen. The Mayor nominates the Chair which was Cr RobRichmond Tweed Regional Library - Cr Knight-Smith, Cr Dalton-Earls, with Cr Waters the alternate.Local Government Conference - Mayor Krieg, Cr Hall and Cr Waters.The vote to see which two Lismore City Councillors represent Lismore City Council on Rous County Council for water security and some flood mitigation was through a ballot vote.The nominations were Mayor Krieg, Cr Gordon and Cr Waters.Cr Gordon received six (6) votes in the first round and was the first delegate confirmed, followed by Mayor Steve Krieg in the second round of voting. Both votes were 6/3.Cr Adam Guise was the only councillor to not nominate or be confirmed to any advisory group or committee at this stage.It should be noted that the Casual Vacancy proposal was declared when a unanimous vote was received.This states that if, for some reason, a councillor cannot carry out their duties or they resign within 18 months, the countback method from the September 14 local council elections will determine who will replace them. If a vacancy occurs after 18 months, council will operate with one (1) fewer councillors or more. This was the case when Lismore City Council was reduced to eight (8) councillors when elections were delayed due to COVID-19 in 2020 and 2021.There will be an extraordinary Lismore City Council Meeting on Tuesday, October 29 at 10am.

State Government to cap rent increases at one per year
State Government to cap rent increases at one per year

15 October 2024, 4:01 AM

The Labor Government will cap rent increases to one per year under reforms to rental laws to be introduced into NSW Parliament today.The new rule of one rent increase per year will apply across periodic and fixed-term leases and closes a loophole in the existing legislation.The reform is part of a comprehensive overhaul of rental laws which will benefit the more than 2.2 million renters across the state and includes:ending no ground evictions to give renters and owners more clarity by introducing reasonable and sensible reasons to end a fixed term or periodic lease;making it easier to keep pets in rental properties;ensuring renters have a free way to pay their rent including bank transfer and the Commonwealth Government’s Centrepay; andprotecting renters from having to pay for background checks when they apply for a property.Current protections against multiple rent hikes do not apply to fixed-term leases of less than two years or when there is a change in the type of lease, such as from periodic to fixed term. The changes limiting rent rises to one per year will make renting in NSW fairer, simpler, and more certain and will align NSW laws with the National Cabinet’s Better Deal for Renters.The changes to make it easier to have pets in rentals will mean a tenant can apply to keep a pet, with landlords only able to decline on certain grounds.Landlords must respond within 21 days with grounds for refusal, including if it would contravene other laws, the property is unsuitable, or the landlord lives at the same property.Renters who disagree with a decision will have appeal rights before the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal.The introduction of these changes to Parliament follows extensive and detailed discussions with renter advocates, industry stakeholders and tenancy experts, as well as a ‘Have Your Say’ public consultation process which received more than 16,000 submissions and survey responses.The introduction of the Residential Tenancies Amendment Bill 2024 will complement key initiatives already announced to rebalance the rental marketplace, including the establishment of a Rental Taskforce within NSW Fair Trading, the launch of the free online Rent Check website and the ongoing development of a Portable Rental Bond Scheme. The Government is continuing to work with stakeholders across the sector on reforms to better protect renters' personal information.Quotes attributable to Minister for Better Regulation and Fair Trading Anoulack Chanthivong said, “Ensuring renters can only be hit with one rent increase a year will provide greater certainty and protection for renters regardless of whether their lease type changes.“By ending no grounds evictions, making it easier to have pets, and ensuring people can pay their rent without hidden charges, these landmark reforms will make it fairer for the state’s 2.2 million renters.“This Bill is the result of the Government’s extensive consultation on how to best modernise the market with renters, owners, industry groups, experts and advocates. These reforms are focussed on getting the balance right.“We are now one step closer to a fairer and more affordable rental market in NSW.”

Our Kids Melbourne Cup Luncheon ready to race
Our Kids Melbourne Cup Luncheon ready to race

14 October 2024, 9:00 PM

The Our Kids Melbourne Cup Garden Party Luncheon will be held on Tuesday, 5 November, at the award-winning Invercauld House.This is one of Our Kids longest-running events, and it attracts ladies from across the region to gather the girls, frock up, don a fascinator, and enjoy a day of dining and fundraising for local charity Our Kids.Throughout the day, there will be the BASEC Sweeps, where the ladies could take home 1, 2, or 3 cash prizes. Local businesses will generously treat the ladies. There will be a beautiful surprise from Mel's Melting Moments and stunning products from Winks Hairdressing.Halls Bus Co is sponsoring prizes to encourage generosity, and the 5-Star beachfront Bryon Suites has generously donated one of its luxury suites and Amber Bryon a $500 dinner voucher to auction.Continuing the theme of spoiling the ladies, The Fairmarket Lismore Antique Centre has stunning pearl necklaces valued at $595 for two of the ladies who attend and a beautiful smoky quartz and diamond ring retailing for $3,000 that one lucky guest will take home.The day raises funds for Our Kids, the charity who purchases paediatric equipment for our local hospitals in the region that help keep our children local when needing medical care.This year, the funds raised on the day will help purchase an Icon Go Retinal Imaging System that costs $159,000. This equipment helps our premature babies, who are vulnerable and need examination for Retinopathy of Prematurity. It is cutting-edge technology that will give a picture of the back of the eye so that the local team can send pictures immediately to the Queensland Paediatric Team, which can provide specialist treatment remotely.This equipment is needed as some babies are at risk of going blind at 35 weeks. Having this equipment locally and portable means that the local medical team can do a scan on any day and at any given hour, and treatment can commence immediately.Currently, babies must travel to the Gold Coast for tests, and at least two to three examinations are required.For some context, retinopathy of prematurity was the cause of Stevie Wonder's blindness.This equipment will impact Grafton, Lismore and Tweed babies as it is portable and can be shared between sites.Our Kids Melbourne Cup Garden Party Luncheon Details:Date: Tuesday 5 NovemberLocation: Invercauld HouseTime: 11 am startTickets are $125 per person, with tables of 10 available.To book, donate to the Icon Go Retinal Imaging System or for more information, contact Rebekka Battista at 0438 417085.

Pens at the ready as HSC Class of 2024 begin written exams
Pens at the ready as HSC Class of 2024 begin written exams

14 October 2024, 8:32 PM

The Lismore App is wishing good luck to local Year 12 students in Lismore and the Northern Rivers as they start their HSC exams this morning. They will be among more than 76,000 HSC students who will be filling exam centres across NSW from today as the formal exam period kicks off for the HSC Class of 2024. Starting with English Paper 1 at 9:50am, 124 exams will take place over the next 19 days. At the conclusion of the exam period on November 8, close to 400,000 unique exam sessions will have been completed.With a record 80,166 students completing at least one HSC course in 2024, the HSC remains the most popular high school credential in the country.The HSC exams, which contribute to 50 per cent of students’ HSC mark, are an opportunity for students to demonstrate all they have learnt over their 13-year schooling career.While today marks the start of written exams, close to 30,000 students have already completed language oral exams, performance exams, or handed in a major work in Term 3.HSC marking will be conducted by 5,500 subject matter experts – teachers from classrooms – who award marks based on how students respond to questions, in line with the syllabus and marking guidelines.Students will receive their HSC results and ATAR on Wednesday, 18 December.Visit the NESA website to view the written exam timetable and the 2024 HSC Enrolment Snapshot.Deputy Premier and Minister for Education and Early Learning Prue Car said, "All the best to the HSC Class of 2024 – the largest high school cohort in the country and in NSW history – as you head into written exams.“Trust that the hard work you’ve done has prepared you well, and go into every exam room determined to do your best."Thank you to all of the teachers who have been part of this cohort’s 13-year education. I know every teacher and parent is looking on with pride today as these young people take this big step in their educational journey.”NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) Chief Executive Officer Paul Martin said, “The next 19 days are a huge logistical operation for schools, exam staff and NESA.“Our aim is to ensure students have a safe and positive exam experience – so they can show markers all they have learnt when they are in exams.“We know this is a big day for families too – who have been supporting their young adults through the highs and lows of school assessments, exam preparation and the idea that a new life chapter is about to begin.“My message to students: there are many ways to reach your goals. Be passionate, be curious and feel confident in all that you have learnt over the last 13 years.”

A glitch in Lismore City Council's plans to keep people informed
A glitch in Lismore City Council's plans to keep people informed

14 October 2024, 8:01 PM

Last week, the Lismore App ran a story about Woodburn North residents feeling isolated and left out of the Lismore LGA (link at the end): “Living on the wrong side of the river and feeling forgotten.” There are a few examples dotted around the LGA, such as parts of East Coraki. Through conversations, it appears this is not an isolated experience, even within the city itself. People have voiced the feeling that attention has not been distributed evenly, especially since February 2022.Lismore City Council have answered our questions to give us a glimpse into what actions have been undertaken and what changes have been made to ensure this feeling of isolation is minimised in the future. We found out why, at least in Woodburn, that this information is not getting through.The 2022 floods were an unexpected event that would have caught out any resident in any place that was vulnerable to flooding. The challenge since has been to ready our first responders, community and most importantly, ourselves as to how to navigate these incidents and recover the best way we can.A spokesperson for Lismore City Council said, “Since the devastating natural disaster in 2022, the Lismore City Council has been unwavering in its commitment to support communities across the Lismore Local Government Area (LGA) through targeted recovery initiatives. “Central to these efforts was the 2022 Flood Appeal, which successfully raised and distributed over $1.7 million to flood-affected residents across the LGA. “Collaboration with Resilience NSW, Lismore City Council played a crucial role in disseminating essential information through printed flyers distributed across the LGA. Council also helped establish and provide staff support to the Southern Cross University Recovery Centre, and extended assistance to recovery hubs in Nimbin, Woodburn, and Goonellabah.”Much of the works done was behind the scenes and happening over time, which does not help the situation of “now” when you are in a damp residence or business.Council also reports that, “In November 2022, Lismore City Council further supported recovery across the LGA by onboarding two funded positions for Community Recovery Officers (CROs). These officers have conducted rural outreach focused on flood, storm, and landslip-impacted rural communities, farmers, isolated communities and community halls.”“Council has organised or supported more than 45 rural recovery events across the LGA, from the border areas of Cawongla, Broadwater, Woodburn, and Repentance Creek to Ruthven, Wyrallah, South Gundurimba, Numulgi, Nimbin, The Channon, Whian Whian, Jiggi, Rock Valley, and Goolmangar.”All kinds of events have been staged, from direct recovery needs and outreach to celebrated community events like fairs. “They provided residents with access to support services, information, grants, and recovery programs while also gathering feedback to communicate the challenges faced by rural communities to state and federal authorities.”In Woodburn, two events have taken place; a Weeds Workshop and Recovery Bushdance. Chrissie Allen was one of the badly flood-affected people we spoke to in last week's story (link at end). Chrissie had no knowledge that these events had taken place and said, “Have they happened already? Community events are hugely important to rebuilding our strength and union, but I haven’t heard anything.”Council has its outreach methods, however channels may be stymied at times of flood and in border towns. Chrissie has not received any leaflets or Lismore Council newsletters. She does receive the Richmond Valley Council newsletters. We surmised that her postie picks up his council letter box drops for the larger population on the other side of the river. Lismore council newsletters and information are not delivered to this part of the LGA.“I think advertising the help that they have available by door knocking or to try and spread the word a lot more. Because a lot of things I only found out second hand through people who had already known somehow themselves - heard from someone else.” We discussed the possibility of council information at the Woodburn Hub, but Chrissie does not recall seeing anything there, “ I think it's one of those things, unless it's presented to you personally, you don't kind of register it at the time because you're in a bit of a haze from all the trauma and everything you have to do.“A door knock, at least for those hardest hit, is vital.”On the topic of councils' flood recovery events, she said, “It's a great thing to know that these happen. We need that connection and to catch up. “I think there are still a few people out there that would prefer to forget the whole thing now and kind of move on. But in saying that, I think any community event is great. I think we need more of them.”When I spoke to Chrissie this weekend, she was painting as part of her post-flood recovery effort. It is understandable that things are missed when you are preoccupied with building back. We have supplied links below to help you find an established communication channel to tap into.Council's statement continued, “Council's efforts and outreach have been reinforced by solid partnerships with Uniting, Social Futures, Nimbin Neighbourhood Centre, Red Cross, Rural Aid, Headspace NSW, Richmond Landcare Inc., and many more. “We've also worked closely with local governments in the Northern Rivers and relevant NSW state agencies to ensure rural communities receive timely information and access to essential services.”Lismore has a good understanding of the effects of floods within its city. Now, it is looking at those effects in the further reaches of the LGA. This may have made outlying villages feel less knowledgeable, but there are plans in place to change this.“In 2023, Richmond Valley Council completed the Richmond Valley Flood Study, which included comprehensive flood modelling for the southern portion of the Lismore LGA. This data was integrated into Lismore City Council's flood information portal in March 2024, allowing residents south of the Lismore urban area, including North Woodburn, to access detailed flood levels for the 1% (1 in 100), 0.2% (1 in 500), and probable maximum flood (PMF) events. This information is publicly available at Lismore's Flood Data Portal (link below).For more information on what a PMF is, refer to this recent story on the weather and preparation.“Historically, Lismore's hydraulic flood model was limited to the urban area due to inadequate topographic data, which restricted accurate flood event modelling. “However, with new access to high-quality LiDAR and bathymetry data from CSIRO, we are now actively extending our flood model to cover the entire LGA. This enhancement is underway and expected to be finalised within the next six months.“Lismore City Council remains dedicated to advancing our understanding of flood risk across the region and ensuring that all communities have access to the most accurate and up-to-date information.”Council has been doing a lot of work in flood recovery and building rectification. However, the real work on roads is only just beginning. Perhaps Woodburn will get some more visible attention in this phase of recovery.Links and Further InformationThe story from last week that prompted this article.Call or email councils Community Recovery Officers with enquiries to this address: [email protected] is a list of resources to tap into to keep yourself informed:Councils flood recovery newslettersLocal Matters - Lismore City Councils regular newsletterRecovery resources recommended by councilYou can follow Councils socials - Facebook or InstagramOr you can get involved and have your sayLismore's Flood Data PortalBelow is a list of flood recovery events that have already been held across the Lismore LGA:Whian Whian 2-year anniversary event First aid training series of events Whian Whian community recovery hall eventAccidental Counsellor trainingJiggi Valley: Ping Pong, Pizza, & Recovery ReadinessRock Valley: Ping Pong, Pizza, & Recovery ReadinessWhian Whian: Ping Pong, Pizza, and Recovery Readiness Wyrallah Hall: Ping pong, Pizza, and Recovery ReadinessLismore LGA Sim Table demonstration CHaRGe quarterly meeting 1: Whian Whian Memorial HallRepentance Creek Hall: Community information and CRT launch Channon - community radio network procedure exerciseCHaRGe quarterly meeting 2: Jiggi Hall Jiggi Valley Spring FairNimbin ShowWeeds Workshop Woodburn HallFarmers Night Out Rock ValleyDunoon Farmers Night Out Aussie Farmers Barber, BBQ event – Ruthven Hall Woodburn Community Recovery Bush DanceCraft and a Cuppa Recovery morning tea - Ruthven Hall Community gathering - Barber, BBQ and BlazeAid - Ruthven HallRecovery Christmas party - community gathering Keerrong Hall Bexhill outreach doorknocking with Red CrossFarmers Night Out RuthvenGoolmangar/Keerrong outreach doorknocking with Social Futures and Uniting Recovery Support Services Cawongla Landslip Information nightGoolmangar Community Recovery event/Flood mapping with SESThe Channon Disaster Resilience Bush Dance - Recovery support Farmers Night Out Numulgi Dunoon Community Get Together Recovery eventSouth Gundurimba Community Get Together/Flood mapping with SESNimbin Landslips Information night Dungarubba/Broadwater and surrounds Community Get Together night - SES, Red Cross, LLS Engagement with Lismore LGA community hall committees Channon and Nimbin AirSeed community workshopsJiggi Valley – Community Day 2023Primex – Recovery stall 2023/2024 Nimbin Anniversary event 2023 

Simmo inspires a nation to donate blood and plasma
Simmo inspires a nation to donate blood and plasma

14 October 2024, 7:00 PM

Simon Braun, or Simmo, as he likes to be called, is inspiring a nation to donate blood or plasma. When you meet him, you can't help but instantly like him and admire what he is trying to achieve.Lifeblood's Scott Morrison summed it up easily, "Look, Simmo is just a bloody great human. He is travelling around the country, but he is stopping in Lismore. He knows how important community is here."Earlier this year, Simmo purchased a caravan for himself, three children and a friend to travel to every Red Cross Lifeblood Centre in the country. All 78 of them. Although Simmo mentioned, there could be 80 because two more may open before he finishes his journey.It was August when the caravan was hitched to the car, and Simmo's selfless Bloody Good Tour began. It was a quick trip to Cairns and then a slower trip down the east coast. Lismore is donor centre number 20."I've been donating for 25 years, and I had some big changes in my life last year, but I kept donating. It kind of made me realise that so many people live in this busy culture these days, just head down, and we're so focused on our own lives and we're busy in this bubble. But I think that culture is really toxic."I mean, no one thinks that donating blood is a bad idea, but only 3% of Australians donate. And so for those other people, come and spend an hour in a donor centre. Sit down, stop, enjoy your life and save some other lives while you're doing that. I think that's really important."So, I was doing a regular donation at Town Hall (on the Central Coast), talking to a nurse about all the donations I'd done in different centres, and she said to me, you should do all of them. Just this throwaway comment, and in bed that night, kind of laying there, staring at the ceiling, it's echoing through my head. Do all of them? Do all of them? And I thought, You know what? This 'Bloody Good Tour' could be a great way to take my kids on an adventure, teach them to have the courage to do something big, serve the community and get a new line of messaging out there to the public. Doing good, feels good. And get out of your busyness and try something like this."Simmo's children are two, six and eight and enjoying van life. He also has an aide to do social media and help out with the children when he is donating, doing workshops and various media commitments to help increase the number of Australians that donate."We're seeing places I've never even heard of before. It's great, and they're loving it. We're balancing distance education with a lot of life schooling, and for them, getting out and meeting other people and seeing donor centres and people doing good to serve their community, it's been really powerful."Twenty donor Centres from Cairns means a lot of travel and a lot of conversations with a wide range of people from differing communities. In Australia, there are about 10 million eligible donors; however, only 500,000 donate. Simmo explained the two reasons people do not donate blood or plasma."The two biggest barriers are a fear of needles. And to that, I say that you're going to need needles at some point in your life, whether it's a vaccination, a blood test, you go into hospital, you will need needles. You might as well overcome that fear here in the happiest clinical environment. This is where the nurses do 2000 jabs a year. They smile at you, they look after you, and there's awesome refreshments afterwards."The other one is, I'm just too busy. I get it. You know, I've been part of this busy culture, but one in three Aussies will need blood at some point in their life. So you will know someone who is going to have the need for blood. So, that need for blood is going to smack you in the face at some point. I think it's better to get on the front foot, donate and contribute back into that community so the blood is available when it's needed. You also get that warm fuzzy feeling that doing good, feels good. And it costs you nothing. In fact, it costs you less than nothing because you get a free lunch here. The milkshakes are good, and so are the sausage rolls."Mayor Steve Krieg, a 30+ donor himself, stopped by to say thanks for stopping at Lismore."It's amazing. You know, you hear of a lot of different people doing amazing, extraordinary things, cycling around the country, or running across the Nullabor, but this is the first time that I've heard of someone visiting every single blood donation centre in Australia and donating as he goes. What an incredible effort."We're standing here in the blood bank now, and you know how critical this service is. The key point is you never know when you might need it, so those who can donate should donate as often as possible."On the donor leaderboard for 2024, Lismore City Council is at number five with 139 donations."We've got a bit of work to do to get to that number one spot, but it's something that the council actively encourages, to get their staff to come down to the blood bank and donate. As I said, you just don't know when you or a family member or a friend or someone that you know might need a blood donation and we can see from their advertising that even an Olympic athlete like Michael Klim, who everyone knows and loves, is relying on plasma donations.It was a coincidence yesterday that Sharon Pratten was donating again. This time, she was celebrating her 200th donation.(Sharon getting prepped for her plasma donation)"It feels really good. It's something you can do to help people, and it doesn't cost you anything, and it's a free checkup every two weeks to give plasma. You don't have to pay $90 for the doctor to get your blood pressure taken or to count your blood hemoglobin level.For Sharon, it has been a life of donating blood and plasma, starting at 16 (in the days when the age was 16. It has moved to 18 now)."They put a call out for A positive blood, and I always thought I'd like to donate blood because my grandfather donated. He had a rare blood group. They said, you're 16, and if your mother signs it, you can donate. Mum signed it. I think the only time I had off was when I was pregnant and when I had the kids and was feeding them.Simmo said each donor centre is unique and tailored to the local community."There's is I guess, a standard national type footprint, each one's unique. So, they they tailor it to their local community and the culture that the staff have. There are some differences that you see. One of the great things here at Lismore is the donor legend speech bubble, right? Where milestone donors shout out their reason why they donate.(Simmo showing off the Donor Legends board at the Lismore Donor Centre)"Each centre has something a little bit different that they do, or maybe they have different refreshments; like Bundaberg has the ginger beer running their refreshments for donors with the factory next door. It's been quite cool to see that. But one thing that's consistent through it all is the staff are happy they're working in a great place. And all the donors are good, generous people that are coming in."The stories that I get are so unique and different, but they've all got that same thread through it. They're all bloody good humans. They just want to help. They're just doing the right thing, and they feel good about it."You, too, can feel good about it by booking an appointment at the Lismore Blood Donor Centre at Level 1/26 Bounty Street. Call 13 14 95, jump online at https://www.lifeblood.com.au/ or download the Australian Red Cross Lifeblood app from the App Store or Google Play Store. You can even join the Bloody Good Tour team, just ask the person you speak to at the desk when you arrive.Donating blood takes less than an hour, while donating plasma is less than 90 minutes.

Bloody Good Tour has Lismore, and saving lives, on the itinerary
Bloody Good Tour has Lismore, and saving lives, on the itinerary

13 October 2024, 8:01 PM

A Central Coast father is undertaking the incredible endeavour of visiting every blood donor centre across the country. He will be in Lismore today (Monday, 14th October), encouraging locals to get on board “The Bloody Good Tour.”Simmo Braun is aiming to save thousands of Aussie lives during a tour of all Australian blood centres and is calling on locals who have never donated blood or plasma before to sign up for The Bloody Good Tour Lifeblood team Bloody Good Humans.He also wants to spread the word about how saving lives can bring wellbeing, happiness, and connection, with Lifeblood research* showing that 4 in 5 donors think donation is good for their mental health and 1 in 4 associate feeling energised with donating blood.“Over a period of 12 months, my kids and I will be caravaning across the country to visit every town with a blood donor centre, and I and my crew will donate plasma fortnightly,”“While I haven’t experienced the need for blood myself, last year I faced some deep personal challenges, and I found regular blood donation positively impacted my mental health,”“I’ve experienced tough times, just like everyone else, and as a blood donor, the lifesaving part of my identity lifts my spirits,”“Thousands of Australians are alive because of blood donors, and those people have families, friends, teammates, colleagues, clients, whose lives are also better as a result, that is a pretty special feeling!”“I want people to know that if they are experiencing similar life challenges, that doing good feels good, and blood donation is a great way to feel connected and happy and be a bloody good human.”Lifeblood spokesperson Scott Morrison said that a survey of donors and non-donors to find out what they think about blood donation and its impacts on mental and general health supported Simmo’s experience.“Our findings show that people who donate blood strongly believe that blood donation is positive for their mental health, with most reporting they felt nothing but good after their donation, particularly."“With blood demand at a ten year-high and plasma demand the highest it’s ever been, we’re calling on locals in Lismore to show their support by donating blood and registering for the Bloody Good Tour donation team,”“Our donor centres are happy places filled with ordinary people doing extraordinary things, and we think many people out there could benefit from being a part of this community.”.To register to donate, visit lifeblood.com.au or call 13 14 95 and join the team Bloody Great Tour.

NRs Macadamia Farms: Breakeven at best last few years
NRs Macadamia Farms: Breakeven at best last few years

13 October 2024, 8:00 PM

The Northern Rivers macadamia industry is changing, not quickly, but noticeably. The industry has been a strong part of the Lismore and Northern Rivers agricultural history for over 50 years.According to owners and managers, the general public's perception of operating a macadamia farm is that you plant a few thousand trees, wait until they fruit, pick them, and make loads of money. The truth is a long way from that perception.This is Part II in our three-part series on whether the Northern Rivers macadamia industry will survive and, if so, in what form.We talk to a former farmer, Peter Colby and Peter Cloutier; a current farm manager, Paul Mavis; a former Australian Macadamia Society Executive Officer and macadamia farm owner/grower Andrew Heap; and Australia's largest grower, marketer and processor, Marquis Macadamias.(Paul Mavis managing his macadamia farm in Alstonville)The bottom line is that if you want to make a living from growing macadamias, revenue needs to be more than the costs. After all, it is a business like any other.In recent years, that scenario has not been the case for the small-scale macadamia farmers in the Northern Rivers. When we are talking small-scale, we are referring to those farms that are under 10,000 macadamia trees. In essence, these are the people who purchased a macadamia farm in the 1980s or 1990s when the industry was growing. Sydney-siders looking for tree change or investors looking to get into the burgeoning industry as well as looking for a beautiful area to take holidays.Former Lismore City Councillor Peter Colby is one of the Sydney tree change population calling the Northern Rivers home. Peter purchased land around Clunes, which had about 2,500 macadamia trees."I saw the writing on the wall not long after I got into it. Basically, I saw that the costs were going through the roof, like labour. It was an old design plant. Half the trees were quite mature, and I just saw the writing on the wall that this wasn't a business that was sustainable for me because it needed continual investment to get it back to what it was, and 2,500 trees in 2025 will be unproductive.One key problem for small macadamia farm owners is replacing the mature trees, 25 to 40 years old, with new trees. Older trees still produce nuts, but the yield is lower each year, while new trees take 2-3 years to produce their first crop. This has improved from 10 years ago when seven years was the timeframe before the tree would bear fruit. Then, every year after that, each tree will triple or quadruple its crop until maturity. The timeframe between crops leaves the grower with less annual harvest, leading to less revenue while costs continue to increase."I sold the whole lot as a going concern. I looked at it differently. I wasn't emotionally attached to the macadamia farm, and I found it after coming from the corporate world; sitting on a tractor for a day and not talking to anybody wasn't my world."When you look at the business model, I could see the issues and the challenges ahead. I'm surprised that, in some respects, there wasn't a lot more energy put into helping farmers overcome their next hurdles, which were the actual productivity and costs of harvesting macadamia nuts. And then you start to think about all the issues relating to the pests and the chemicals that you've got to use and all those sorts of things. Bugs become more resilient to chemicals, and there's a whole different flavour coming to the game."Paul Mavis manages a macadamia farm at Alstonville and has done so for the last forty years.Paul's farm is 90 acres with 6,000 macadamia trees. It was purchased by a Sydney family in 1979 and has since been handed down to the owner's children. They travel north, spend time on the farm, have meetings, a holiday at times and fly home. According to Paul, they will never sell, even if the land is worth $3-4 million."I've got blocks out there that have four-year-old trees on them because the old ones weren't producing anymore. They were one of the first blocks that we planted."Paul has now prepared a patch on the property to graft and grow the next generation of macadamia trees so they can reach that two to three-year nut-producing age before replacing older trees with declining yields. This is Paul's way of managing the vital transitional period to keep the annual tonnage as high as possible in the future.For former Australian Macadamia Society (AMS) Executive Officer and macadamia farmer, Andrew Heap, the process and choices are more difficult because his farm is much smaller.Andrew and his wife Jacqueline purchased their farm in 2000. Working for the AMS, Andrew felt he would have a much deeper understanding of the industry if he became a grower. While that part was certainly true, Andrew is now finding that working a small macadamia farm is all-consuming because keeping the costs low means doing the majority of your work yourself, with labour costs so high."I've proved to myself that you can do it on a small farm. I had some very good teachers early on and was in the fortunate position of being able to see what was happening in the industry. So many others who come into the industry don't have that benefit. But I proved to myself that you can be viable on a small farm, provided you prepared to do the work."That work often involves 10-12 hour days, six to seven days a week during peak times. The Northern Rivers has the highest rainfall area in NSW, and as we know, we have experienced an increase in intense rainfall, which makes farming even more difficult, especially if you have steep topography as part of your property."It can get really, really tough. We've had these 300 mil raindrops over two or three or four days. That plays havoc with the farm and managing nutrition, picking up limbs that fall off, particularly from taller trees, although small trees can be blown over as well."(A bin of macadamia reject nuts at Andrew Heap's property in Wollongbar)Small macadamia farm owners are now asking themselves the question, "Should I get a full-time job and pay someone to manage my farm, or should I go full-time into farm management myself? Will I make enough money?""Not on a smaller farm. You can't do that, particularly as wages have pushed ahead. And then we're a high-cost country. We are a regulated country. It's one of the reasons I try and do it myself because I have great uncertainties about employing labour that you are accountable for. The premiums you're going to pay on insurance are going to be higher, one way or another. But, there's also a degree of satisfaction from doing yourself too."Marquis Macadamias is one of Australia's largest growers and processors of Macadamia nuts. Ben Adams is the CEO.Ben agrees that many macadamia orchards in the Northern Rivers are small and challenging to manage. Lismore's 2023 receivals was significantly lower than the previous year at 7,825 tonnes of NIS, which was eclipsed by Bundaberg for the first time, which received 11,139 tonnes of NIS.(Marquis Macadamias processing plant in Lindendale. Photo: supplied)"The devastating floods of 2022 and 2023, combined with the reduced notional price, led some growers to remove trees and transition out of macadamias or replace them with updated varieties. However, there’s good news for the current season: prices have improved, and Lismore has already reached 8,800 tonnes. Our Grower Services Team is doing an excellent job supporting small farmers by implementing best farming practices to boost productivity."But the question remains: will best practice be enough to make small orchards profitable enough for people to make a living?REVENUE VERSUS COSTSAll macadamia owners or managers agree that the yearly revenue cannot be controlled. They have to accept what comes their way from whichever processor they sell their nuts in shell to. Processors have to think about how much of their crop they can sell to the Australian and global markets. The global markets buy 90% of the Australian harvest each year.As we mentioned in Part 1, 2020 secured the highest price in its history of $6 per kilo at 33% premium kernel recovery and 10% nut-in-shell moisture content. That dropped to $1.70 in 2023, and Marquis has said the notional price for 2024 will be $3.20 p/kg, with some growers achieving a higher price if the quality of their harvest is higher than the 33% kernel recovery.Cost is the one component that is in the grower's control. Labour, spraying, fuel, fertilising, hedging, pest control, electricity 24 hours a day running fans, replacing trees, replacing tractors or harvestersPaul Mavis said it is costing a lot more to run the farms now than it did five or six years ago."It's all our fuel, fertiliser, contractors and such that have gone up, but our price of nut has gone up much.""The last couple of years, we have lost money. That is all farms. I don't think anyone made any money. I know people that were pulling them (trees) out.""We've got to cut down on our costs, which we've had to do the last two years. The main ingredients we need, like fertiliser, because you've got to feed them, so that's done regardless, and spraying your trees has to be done, we keep doing. But your pruning and selective limb removal can wait."Selective pruning and limb removal allow sunlight to reach more limbs of a macadamia tree between rows. Like a rainforest, the limbs crossover, blocking the sunlight, thus reducing the tree's capacity to produce a maximum yield.Pests and disease are another important part of a farm cost base that maximises the harvest.(Diseased and a perfect macadamia nut in shell)Regular spraying to keep out pests like borers is a must. The height of a tree can affect the effectiveness of the spray. Some 40-year-old macadamia trees are taller than what small spray machinery can reach.If the ground cover between rows and around the trees is not kept low and tidy, rats can cause a 10% loss of a harvest, especially if they are the thinner shell variety that can generate a higher kernel percentage.Andrew Heap says rats can eat through a nutshell in less than a minute. "Rats are a major issue, a major issue. There was quite a lot of research 20 years ago that shows that unless you manage the rat problem fairly carefully, you can lose anything up to 10% of your crop if it's dirty. They get into them very quickly. Less than a minute, we're talking seconds if they're angry.""They will build up over time. The thing that's interesting is that rats get educated. So, you need to have a gap in the feeding regime so that the next generation don't learn from their parents."The above scenarios are examples of regular operating costs and show how the cost base per unit has continued to rise. That is not taking into account the capital-intensive costs of tractors, harvesters, dehuskers and storage silos. As an example, a brand new Robmac harvester will cost more than $72,000.Breaking EvenMacadamia growers get an indication of the size of a crop each year around December to early January. Harvesting starts in March and runs until September in the Northern Rivers.As everyone knows about farming, climate can influence what sort of harvest year it is going to be. It is the one aspect, like selling prices, that is completely out of their hands.To make money, in Lismore and the Northern Rivers, you have to get your tonnage up."If you can get your tonnage up, your $3.50 is still going to make you money," Paul Mavis said."I tell the owners we might get maybe 70 to 80 tonnes if it goes all right," Paul Mavis said, "So if we didn't get this wet weather this year that we got early, we would have got over 100 tonnes here."The average tonnage for Paul's orchard is around 80 tonne; this year, the harvest was 92,000 tonnes. In 2023, the harvest was only 50,000 tonnes, and the year before that was 60,000 tonnes. If you have a low tonnage and low prices, it is very easy to see how you can lose money.The topography in Lismore and the Northern Rivers makes managing a macadamia orchard difficult. North in Bundaberg, there are long, flat rows of trees that can be sprayed or fertilised easily. In contrast, we have steep slopes that were initially planned to be hand-harvested. There are times when the ground is so wet and steep that a tractor or harvester cannot get access to that part of the property, which leads to disease and loss of produce."If dealing with intense weather events isn't enough, when the cost of production is increasingly set by newcomers to the area, it calls for greater flexibility in land use because most serious farmers do not have a paid job to cover shortfalls", Andrew Heap said. (Andrew Heap's macadamia harvester)The chance of turning a profit can rely on the number of higher-quality nuts in shell. The price per kilo is based on 33% kernel recovery, but if that percentage increases to 34% or 35%, then the grower will receive a higher price for their crop.One of the newer varieties of macadamia trees has a thinner shell, so it has a larger kernel. One key is to have the right balance of thin-shell varieties and solid, reliable grafting trees with thicker shells.In recent years, the combination of wet weather and low prices has seen macadamia farms in Lismore and the Northern Rivers lose money or break even at best. Let alone make enough money to earn a living or re-invest money back into the farm and hoping for a better harvest the following year.In Part III of the Northern Rivers Macadamia Industry, we will ask our experts to gaze into the crystal ball and predict the future of macadamia farms in our region.

Maddy Dillon and Rose Mills are 2024 Young Woman and Teen Showgirl
Maddy Dillon and Rose Mills are 2024 Young Woman and Teen Showgirl

13 October 2024, 7:00 PM

Maddy Dillon and Rose Mills won the North Coast National Young Woman and Teen Showgirl titles on Saturday night at Norma's Kitchen under the main grandstand at the Lismore Showground. The first official function in the building since its flood refurbishment was completed just before the 2023 Lismore Show.A full room of supportive parents and friends eagerly awaited the result as seven contestants were introduced and interviewed by MCs Marilyn and Tara Coles.As part of the judging criteria, each entrant spent some time with the three judges, Jeri Hall, Lyndall Gordon, and Joe Martin, before Saturday night's presentation event.Lyndall Gordon said that each entrant has shown " remarkable character, leadership, and commitment to your community, which is exactly what this competition is all about.""We're looking for more than just skills and achievements. We're here to celebrate resilience, vision and the power to inspire and change. The future belongs to those who lead with heart, and tonight, you've proven you are ready to make this mark."(The Young Woman and Teen Showgirl entrants for 2024)Young Woman EntrantsCharlie Murray is 22 from North Lismore and works at the Casino Food Co-op. Part of her role is to receive, draft, and muster the cattle at the Co-op. Her dream is "to go to Canada to see how the red meat industry is done, but I really want to go to the Calgary Stampede."Lucinda Downs is 19 from Wollongbar and works as an office junior for Sommerville Laundry Lomax Solicitors. Lucinda has been part of Rous Unplugged, a monthly talent show donating money to various causes, "I perform about three or four times. I play piano, and my friend sings with me."Maddy Dillon is 22 from Coraki and works on dairy farm. She gets up at 3:30am, starting work at 4am to bring the cows in and milk them. Maddy explained how AI is being used to manage the herd; "They're essentially like a Fitbit for a cow. They record movement on the cows, and can record their heat cycles, which makes it easy for farmers to know when cows are in heat."Eliza Toole is 20 from Lismore and is a Disability Support Worker. In the future, Eliza wants to combine working for the NDIS and her love of animals. "I love being a support worker but bloody hell I love the animals. So, I was like how do I get this to mix in well."Maddy Dillon was announced as the 2024 North Coast National Young Woman and won $1,000 from the Far North Coast Law Society, a gift from the Jewellery Design Centre, and a Deportment Course in Dubbo in 2025, thanks to Mortgage Choice. The runner-up was Charlie Murray. She received a gift from the Jewellery Design Centre.Teen Showgirl EntrantsIsabella Johnson is 15, is from South Lismore, and attends Richmond River High School. Isabella was part of ABC Takeover Lismore and with friends created High School Haven, "Which is a program where teenagers from 14 to 18 who are in school, work, family home situations, everything, where they can go in and be themselves and make friends."Shenae Flanagan is 16 from Wyrallah. She is studying Beauty Therapy full-time at Wollongbar TAFE whose dream is to work in the movie make-up industry, "To do all the special effects like you see in the movies, like Spiderman or Deadpool."Rose Mills is 14 and attends St John's College Woodlawn. At a young age, Rose has her career path set out, "When I graduate, I want to be a Human Rights Lawyer. So, studying at Sothern Cross University or the University of Melbourne. I really like the concept of Human Rights where everybody is equal, and there is justice for all."Rose Mills was announced as the 2024 Teen Showgirl and won $250 thanks to Warren Innes Contracting. The runner-up was Shenae Flanagan, who won $100.Maddie will now be an ambassador for rural, regional and remote NSW for twelve months and will represent North Coast National at zone level. Two zone winners then head to Sydney to represent Lismore at the Royal Easter Show.Maddie and Rose will be part of the 2024 Elders Lismore Show, which begins on Thursday morning at 8:30, with the horse events in the main ring at the Lismore Showgrounds.President John Gibson said the ground is in good condition considering the rain we've had, and was confident in the weather forecast for the three days. The Bureau is forecasting some showers but with a low chance of rain.Due to the cancellation of the Kyogle Show last weekend, some ride operators arrived early, including the Ferris Wheel, which has been lit up every night.You can check out more information about the 2024 Elders Lismore Show via the North Coast National website or through the button on the front page of the Lismore App 2024 Lismore Show.

The great Aussie Bird Count is here - time to get out and see what you can see!
The great Aussie Bird Count is here - time to get out and see what you can see!

12 October 2024, 10:01 PM

BirdLife Australia is calling on all Australians to join tens of thousands of others taking part in this year’s Aussie Bird Count. Now in its eleventh year, the national Aussie Bird Count is one of Australia’s biggest and most beloved citizen science events – and all you need to get involved is your phone.From October 14th to the 20th, you are invited to take part, and all you need is your phone. You can do this from anywhere: your backyard, go on a hike, visit a park or a wetland… It’s a great excuse for anyone of any age to go outside and get to know the birds we share our space with.“Last year, over 60,000 people counted more than 3.5 million birds ‒ but we’re hoping this year might be our biggest yet,” said Sean Dooley, BirdLife Australia’s “chief bird nerd” and Senior Public Relations Advisor.“We know that people in Lismore area love their birds. We had a great turnout last year, with over 500 surveys submitted. But we would love to see even more people getting involved this year. Sean has provided an annual snapshot of how our birds are faring.“There have been some surprises along the way with the Australian White Ibis (aka the Bin Chicken) breaking into the national top ten while the notorious introduced common Myna has slipped down the rankings. So far, the Rainbow Lorikeet has reigned supreme as Australia’s most frequently counted bird year after year.(Galah Image credit: Georgina Steytler and Laughing Kookaburra, Image credit: Chris Tzaros)In the Northern Rivers, some of these figures are a little different.  “Two out of three people saw rainbow lorikeets, which fits with the national results as rainbow lorikeets have consistently been the most commonly seen bird around Australia.“It's really special to see Lewin's Honeyeater in the top ten in Lismore. It doesn't rank that highly in many other parts of Australia. It shows how connected Lismore is with the rainforests nearby, and that's something Lismore can be very proud of.“It's also really pleasing to see Eastern Rosellas in the top ten in Lismore. There are some concerns that this species could be in decline in New South Wales.”It’s these types of discoveries that make this an important exercise.The top 10 most commonly seen birds in the Northern Rivers in 2023 were (in order):1. Rainbow Lorikeet2. Noisy Miner3. Australian Magpie4. Pied Currawong5. Lewin's honeyeater6. Laughing kookaburra7. Torresian Crow8. Crested Pigeon9. Eastern Rosella10 Australian White Ibis(Welcome swallows and a damp New Holland Honeyeater. Image credit: Georgina Steytler)Sean advocates the count for many reasons: “As well as the bird numbers it gives us, people tell us every year about how much they love taking part in the Aussie Bird Count. People of all ages genuinely enjoy spending 20 minutes watching birds because it’s a relaxing and rewarding thing to do. Parents and grandparents love doing Aussie Bird Counts with their kids, and last year, we had over 800 schools participate.” “Having the Aussie Bird Count app to guide you means you don’t have to be a bird expert to join in the fun. People love it and feel great knowing their sightings are going to BirdLife Australia who are working hard to conserve Australian birds and their habitats.“We’re looking to see what the next ten years will mean to the birds around us – what changes will we see?”To take part in this year’s Aussie Bird Count, register at www.aussiebirdcount.org.au and download BirdLife Australia’s free Aussie Bird Count app. From this Monday, the 14th to the 20th of October, spend 20 minutes in one spot watching birds, using the super-easy app to count them.“This year we would love people to get their friends and family involved. Get your flock together for a count. We know you’ll love getting to know the birds right on your doorstep.”

Janelle Saffin Talking Lismore elections, Norco and insurance
Janelle Saffin Talking Lismore elections, Norco and insurance

12 October 2024, 9:01 PM

Member for Lismore Janelle Saffin joined our podcast series Talking Lismore (Podcasts) to chat about issues that are affecting the Lismore electorate, including the local council elections, the Norco milk e-petition and the possible insurance solution, not just for Lismore but for the Northern Rivers.Ms Saffin said the September local council elections were "peaceful and friendly"."Everybody was rather friendly when I was giving out some how-to votes. Everyone was friendly, laughing, talking, it was good. I think we're good at elections and the way we do them here."What about the Lismore results, was it good to have consistency this election?"I think it is a good thing because we've had such a battering over the last few years, from the fires to Covid to the mammoth floods. So consistency is a good thing. People know what's going on, know what needs to be done. But there is a little bit of new blood, too, so that just adds to it.Harper Dalton-Earls led the Labor ticket in Lismore. He will be one of two fresh faces for Labor; Jasmine Knight-Smith was the other newly elected councillor."Harper's very sensible, and this is new to him, but I watched him during the floods, and the way he was able to work with people when he set up that Facebook group, Meta group, about relocating houses and the way he engaged with people. He didn't let himself be pulled one way or the other. He's very sensible in the way he dealt with all of that and engaged with the community. He got a lot of votes over south."The e-petition to reinstate Norco as the milk supplier for hospitals across the North Coast and Mid-North Coast regions of NSW is not as strong as Ms Saffin would like. The e-petition needs to reach 20,000 signatures, where it has to be debated in parliament."It's attracted about 3,000. I thought it might have got more than that, because we all love Norco, and I have promoted it. The more we get, the better. I know the other members of parliament, state members for the north and north coast, they've got a petition as well.""I had a meeting with the Minister for Health. I mean, I've said some very strong words to the Minister for Health about all of this and to Health. We have had a meeting, though, and Norco was in that meeting.Why can't the government just change its mind as it did in 2018?"Well, that's the question I've put (forward). Just change it, and if it costs a bit of money, so be it. Just do it. You changed the ground rules because we didn't know it was going to be a statewide contract, whereas it hadn't been before. "It is a simple process to sign the e-petition. Go to Janelle Saffin's website or Facebook page, or click here."When people sign it, get someone else to sign it, pass it on. The more that we get on it, the better. But we'll keep advocating on it. I hope to win it. I don't like to lose things like this, but if it doesn't get reversed, I just want to make sure that we go to local content with other contracts coming up and in future."Ms Saffin had a 100-page document in front of her that would form the basis of a submission to the Federal Parliamentary Inquiry into Insurance. Does this document mean we have hope?"We've always got hope. That's why we've got this report because this report formed the basis of a submission to the federal parliamentary inquiry into insurance, that was established post-2022 flood. People will recall they came to Lismore. Kevin Hogan sat on that for that time."When we had the NRRC, we all talked about how we should do an insurance report looking at Lismore as the case study, but it can be applied anywhere across our region or other places that flood a lot. I said we don't want a report that just sits on a shelf. I fashioned the report so that it becomes the submission to the inquiry, then it's more useful."It went forward on behalf of the community leaders. So the four state MPs, two federal MPs, seven mayors, we put it forward. Whether we agreed with everything in it or not, it didn't matter. That was the submission we put forward. It gave voice to the Northern Rivers."We came up with six recommendations. But basically, most of Lismore, particularly the flat area, does not fit into the affordable insurance, and we know that already. That's why we're being priced out of insurance because they do what they call reflective risk pricing. So it's based on the risk, and that means it's going up. It went up 48% across Australia, and Lismore's, on average, was about 36%. Everyone feels that pain. If you are up the hill, it's still gone up, so it's not just down on the flats.The options Ms Saffin discusses in Talking Lismore include the Parametrics scheme. This is where a group of people or businesses get together and agree that if an event happens at this height or this damage level, you will pay this much. The money is paid within 24-48 hours, so you can start building straight away.Then there is the Cyclone Pool type model, which is used in the north of Australia and is the option recommended by the submission.To be eligible for the Cyclone Pool, you have to be in a cyclone area, but the submission argues that three of Lismore's major floods, 1954, 74 and 2017, came off the back of cyclones that came down the east coast."The BOM determines if it's a cyclone. Then it has a start time and date and a finish time and date. And you can be covered for that in our report submission.""Basically, in essence, whatever system, it's saying the government will have to help us out for a while. Until we mitigate."There lies the problem, as the CSIRO report is not due for release until June 2025. Lead scientist Jai Vaze and his team then run a few scenarios through the model to come up with the best mitigation solutions. Those solutions need to be approved, funded and built, which will more than likely take 5+ years."Jai's done fantastic work, including the way he's communicated with community, with people, great work on the Lidar and bathymetry, which means the whole catchment, the Richmond catchment, plus other catchments. He's got that understanding of how they work. We've never had that before, it's precise."He's doing well with the modelling. I know June is the operative date. I think it might be sooner, but I don't want to verbal him. Everything he's said he would do, he's done. And then once we get the modelling, then we'll do scenarios."The million-dollar question is, when we mitigate for future floods, and the risk is lower, will that lead to a reduction in insurance policy costs?"I haven't seen the hard evidence yet. The Insurance Council of Australia told me Townsville, which floods a lot too, after they did some mitigation, and St George are two areas where prices dropped."Unfortunately, until that time comes we pay very high insurance prices that some people and some businesses cannot afford to pay, unless the the federal government underwrite insurance policies for the Northern Rivers as they do in North Queensland.You can listen to Janelle Saffin's full podcast in Talking Lismore through the Lismore App Podcasts or through the Lismore App website www.lismoreapp.com.au. Go to News, click on the drop-down box and click podcasts.

Pedal power through Nimbin to Triumph over Trauma.
Pedal power through Nimbin to Triumph over Trauma.

12 October 2024, 8:00 PM

Pedals n Medals rode through Nimbin on Friday - a bike event raising money and awareness for the charitable foundation 4 Aussie Heroes.They stopped in at the Nimbin Bush Theatre for refreshments and to meet some of the locals before completing the 165km ride, climbing 6000 feet. Saturday saw another 145km ride.David Hyett, the proprietor of the Bush Theatre, was very glad to make the acquaintance of the team out fundraising for a very good cause - for first responder personnel (military, ambulance and police) who find themselves suffering as a result of trauma caused by their service.Some of the 24 people fundraising for the ride are first responders or are directly affected by those first responders. The son of a policeman who is finding life really hard was with the group today. And the director, Gerry Garard, pushing 80, has fought in Vietnam.(The Pedals n Medals fundraising crew. Image Credit: Gerry Garard)Gerry and his wife Renita are co-founders and directors of the charity they started seven years ago. They saw the effects front-line jobs were having on people around them, and they were compelled to do something about it.A group of around seven people developed the initial program, determined to provide help for those with PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder). Gerry said, “We met every three weeks for 18 months, and we produced a program that was nothing like anyone had tried before.“I believe horses and dogs do more than tablets and medicines. I believe humour and laughter is a big thing in helping people with PTSD.”To get it up and happening, they raised funds, slowly at first, but they managed to get the program, called Triumph over Trauma, underway. To make things move faster, Renita and Gerry decided to go into a mortgage to provide land to build their own facilities on. People could see they were serious, the program started getting good results and funds started to come more easily.“Professionals measure each person that comes through under national and international scales, and the results that we get are incredible. “We don't advertise. We're well known now, and people contact us through psychologists or psychiatrists or word of mouth from people who've been in the program. Every program, we get more people than we can handle.”The charity has regular fundraising events like the Pedal n Medal, which is a regular event. This one just happened to be in the Northern Rivers.(Pushing Pedals. Image Credit: Gerry Garard)So far, $7.1 million dollars has been raised and they are building their own facilities in South East Queensland, “We're now more than halfway through building our own rehab retreat, which has been called Camp Courage.“This event is up to about $37,000, but we get some that don't want to go through the fundraising website, and we respect that. We've had about $3,000 in those payments. There is usually a late rush.”Triumph over Trauma costs $52,000 to run for 10 participants. “They're accommodated. They get all their meals. There's all the insurance, all the manuals and things. We're just waiting for the day when we're running ten a week. We'll find a way. The program is divided into phases: a two-week retreat, followed by three months of follow-up discussion, and a refresher after that with more follow-ups. Currently, four programs can be run each year, but with the new facility and the right funds, the plan is to run many more.“The people that participate don't have to pay a cent to attend Triumph over Trauma."They have to pay their airfares at the moment,” but Gerry and Renita are doing work in this space.  “The Department of Health in Tasmania are now funding their airfares from down there. We've got a charitable organisation in Victoria that raises funds specifically to have people fly up to our program. And so we're working on that basis to get more for people.”If you would like to know more about the charity, check out their website.If you would like to donate, click here.To get involved in participating in events like Pedals n Medals, have a look here If you feel you could use some help and guidance, contact the organisation and chat with Gerry about how they can help you. You can also have a closer look at the programs here.

The Channon Market turns 48 this weekend!
The Channon Market turns 48 this weekend!

12 October 2024, 7:00 PM

The Channon Craft Markets, one of the most popular markets in the region, are on today at Coronation Park.Normally, this would not be news worthy as they are held every second Sunday of each month. However, today The Channon Markets are celebrating their 48th Anniversary! Not only that, they are the oldest craft market in Australia.  Robyn Kelly has “Had the joy of working at these markets for over 25 years, advocating for our incredible cottage industries and supporting the talented folks who make, bake, and create.“We’ve had so much fun over the years—dancing in the rain, splashing in puddles, and even the occasional mud fight! The relationships we’ve built are truly the highlight.”The markets have faced their moments of adversity, “We’ve encountered challenges like the fires, COVID-19, and the floods of 2022, all of which have tested our resilience and community spirit over the past few years.“Like many small businesses in NSW, we've seen changes that affect our artisans and producers, such as the push towards a cashless society and stricter health regulations. But none of this has stopped us!” (Guy and Honey. Image credit: Robyn Kelly)Jacob Stone, the president of The Channon Craft Market, said, “I am incredibly proud to be part of an organisation with such a rich history, celebrating its 48th birthday this year. “Having been involved for the past 18 years, I’ve seen firsthand the resilience and dedication of our community as we’ve navigated numerous challenges. (Hairdressing at the markets. Image Credit: Robyn Kelly)“Our market continues to support hundreds of small businesses and artisans, staying true to the vision that started nearly five decades ago. “It’s an honour to contribute to the legacy and growth of a place that means so much to so many."Why do people flock to The Channon Markets every month?Robyn says, “Our secret sauce is being community-minded. We focus on supporting local organisations and nurturing meaningful relationships with our stallholders.“We’re a non-profit organisation, and countless dedicated individuals from our community have contributed to nurturing this market’s spirit and success.”“ I feel truly honoured and privileged to work alongside the artisans and producers in our region. Their creativity and passion inspire me every day.(1978 at The Channon Craft Markets. Image Credit: Robyn Kelly)Everyone is welcome to enjoy the festive atmosphere, “We love celebrating our anniversary each October, bringing everyone together for a wonderful day. You’ll find friends, community members, and many enthusiastic local stallholders eager to share their creations with you.”Please note that due to the recent damp weather, the markets may be called off. Please check their Facebook page to confirm that they are on.

South Lismore gets a new childcare service: Explorers School of Early Learning
South Lismore gets a new childcare service: Explorers School of Early Learning

11 October 2024, 8:00 PM

Childcare has been in short supply in Lismore and the Northern Rivers for a number of years. The 2022 big flood exacerbated the problem to the extent that parents were driving long distances so their child/children could attend a childcare centre, asking grandparents to fill the void or delay re-entering the workforce.There are some solutions in the pipeline, with the Rous Road Centre in Goonellabah being built and another at the Goonellabah Shopping Centre being approved. In South Lismore, the Explorers School of Learning Childcare and Preschool Centre reopened recently and is now accepting children.Sean Cornell is the Approved Provider Management, Compliance and Operation for Explorers. Sean has plenty of experience in Childcare; he started the Learning Cottage on Keen Street in 2018.The Wilson Street, South Lismore location was formerly the Possums Early Education Centre pre-February 28 2022. When the opportunity arose to lease the building and bring childcare back to South Lismore, Sean jumped at the chance to introduce Explorers to the community."I wanted to focus on bringing Explorers to life and use the opportunity to sort of reinvent the industry, or have a positive impact on the industry, by focusing on going back to basics of delivering food in the service."Secondly, focusing on the educators, making sure we have the most qualified and experienced educators available, and thirdly, creating the environment, especially the outdoor environment, for nature-based play."The Childcare industry has been criticised for the low pay that qualified Early Childhood Educators receive. Last week, the federal government announced a 15% pay rise to alleviate the struggles to attract and keep good people in the job. Sean explained that Explorers is going a step further."It's an industry where the quality of the educators has such a large impact on the well-being of children, and it's very rewarding for children and families, and it can be very rewarding for educators. But what we've seen is that in the past, the pay hasn't matched the cost of living. So in order to have an impact on the industry, what we've done is raise salaries 25% above Award, which equates to $1,000 a month for experienced educators."We offer flexible benefits, so there are perks and discounts to lower the cost of living. Educators can have an additional four days annual leave paid, or they can invest in their own learning and development funded by us."The third one is we focus on continuous improvement and we invest in learning and development across the service, so we make sure that everyone is supported to achieve that next level of certification or qualification. And the fourth one is we focus on a great team culture, because we know that's what makes educators feel safe and secure in their environment so they can support children to learn and grow."When asked why Explorers can implement higher wages while other childcare centres don't, Sean said they want to have an impact on the industry and lead by example."I couldn't comment on other services, but it's something that is our guiding philosophy. We really want to have that impact on the industry, so we lead by example. I think it could be replicated by others, but we have the advantage of coming in and seeing the industry afresh, seeing what's needed to serve the community and to serve children, and establishing ourselves on best practice."For parents looking to place their child into a childcare facility, Explorers has four (4) rooms. A nursery room for children under two, a toddler room, a junior room and a preschool room."We engage more in a school readiness program to engage them in developmental milestones and to build and foster them to be curious and confident lifelong learners. So when they go to school, we find that they are prepared for that. For example, we encourage achieving certain development milestones, whether it be gross motor skills, fine motor skills, or social-emotional development. We look at every child holistically and support their development for that transition.""We're really lucky to have a fantastic outdoor environment. We have an incredible, expansive outdoor playground with real grass, a fantastic sandpit for digging and exploring and we have garden beds. We find that we maximise that time outside so the children can build that connection to the environment, and it really helps balance the indoor learning activities as well. Basically, the more time a child can spend outside in a nice environment, the more settled they are.""Our educators share that philosophy. We have a very clear routine where we're constantly going outdoors and indoors to make sure that they have a space to run and play and then come back in and have a nice, hearty meal and nice quiet time."The hearty meal comment from Sean, leads to the point that Explorers has a full kitchen, so all meals are prepared on-site for every child."Nutrition is incredibly important. We focus on regular meals throughout the day. For the main meals, we have a nutritionally diverse and balanced list of menu items that can vary from mushroom stroganoff to healthy dahl to taco bowls and beef bolognese. All meals are made on-site by a qualified, experienced commercial cook who has also designed the menu to be appropriate for children's needs. And we cater to intolerances of gluten-free, lactose-free and vegetarian.""We find providing food creates an incredible opportunity for children to share the food, so to serve it out themselves and to experience that. We find that it's better for families as well. You know, working families say that having the field food provided on-site saves them time in the mornings. It's one less thing to worry about; it's less stress. We can also ensure that the food is really high quality and safely prepared within a regulated setting, rather than having to transport food in."Explorers have the capacity for 70 children. Currently, there are 20-25 children from two to five days a week, depending on parents personal circumstances."We do have the space, and we'll bring on more educators. We want to give every child an opportunity to come and settle in."We focus on only experienced staff with qualifications across early childhood. So, we have bachelor qualified, we have diploma qualified, and Cert III, and we'll grow the team in that way as well."Kathleen Trickett is a Director of Explorers and an Early Childhood Teacher who has been in the industry for over 15 years. She said she is looking forward to mentoring new teachers.(Kathleen Trickett and Sean Cornell on the balcony of Explorers in South Lismore)"I think the years that I've had in the industry, I can mentor other teachers. I'm still inspired. By the time you get to my age, a lot of educators have often moved off or doing other things, whereas I've stayed in the industry. Most of the time, people get a Bachelor and they go off to primary schools, especially if they have the four-year degree. I haven't given up on inspiring other educators to teach, to scaffold learning, which is when children are playing, and you play alongside, but you also implement learning into that, which we do in our everyday context, but understanding what that means and what that looks like."Learning through play is not just watching children play; it's playing alongside, like I said, and teaching them and knowing what you're doing, rather than just watching or supervising."Kathleen's education in what the industry calls 'long daycare' started with a Cert III, followed by a Diploma and a Bachelor of Education and a Masters in Play Therapy.Alanna, is an Educator at Exlporers. She explained how she came about studying for her Diploma of Education.(Alanna at play with the kids at Explorers. Photo: supplied)"When I asked for support to complete a Diploma, Explorers made a call the next day and signed me up. We have a great culture. Everyone is invested in our service and our growth.”Sean sums up Explorers philosophy."At the end of the day, a great educator will be a trusted advisor to families. We talk about how we work in partnership with families. We're not childminders for people who are after childminding services, that's not us. We engage in a developmental program for children to establish them right from the early years right through to when they go to school. And so educators really enjoy that role of being that trusted advisor, of getting to know the children, documenting their milestones, and helping through the challenging times, like the terrible twos.""We support their upskilling here, and we provide traineeships so that the educators who are Cert III qualified can actually complete their studies to become Diploma qualified at the service. They're given time off the floor to complete their studies. Their assessor or supervisor comes in and watches their professional practice at the service. So we're constantly providing a platform for them to grow and develop as well."Kathleen adds, "I think it's rather a growth journey, rather than a systemised journey. That's what we're trying to get with our educators, too is that consistency. They want to follow their journey, care about the children, and want to see the growth and know the growth of the children. There's nothing more rewarding. In my early career, I was able to follow a group of two-year-olds all the way up to the four-year-old room, and just watching that growth and those milestones was just amazing."This leads to opportunities At Explorers for local people, perhaps fresh out of high school, when the HSC exams finish in early November."We're looking for experienced educators who want to engage in a fresh approach to the industry, and we're supporting new entrants to the industry as well. We find that there are many different personas of people that are engaging with us. Some people have had a whole career before they mature age. They've gone down a certain path, whether it's into nursing or into financial services, but they're identifying that at this stage in their life, they want to spend more time with children, so they're coming in as an entrant. Whereas others have been in services before, and they're wanting a service that they can grow with."Explorers School of Early Learning is at 45 Wilson Street, South Lismore (not far from Lismore South Primary School).They are looking for people to join the team, so you can apply here.Parents looking to place their child into a childcare service as outlined in the story, can click here.

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