Most people don't know what they want to do with their life when they are young, while others have a passion that turns into a career. This is what happened to Sue Higginson. Sue has been passionate about the environment even as a teenager. This has led her to become an environmental activist, a lawyer and now a member of the Legislative Council in the NSW Upper House. Lilly Harmon managed to get some time with Sue to hear her life story.I was born in the south of England in the beautiful region of Cornwall. When I was two, we moved north near Manchester to Preston, the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution.My Dad was a manufacturing guru who subscribed to Thatcher’s Britain. He was from extreme poverty and was determined to work his way out of it. His work and politics were central to our lives.After my birth, my beautiful Mum suffered severe post-natal depression and suffered dramatically for most of the first part of my life. It was a difficult time because mental illness was taboo in those days; it was interpreted as some form of weak infliction.My Dad's ambition brought us to Australia in the early 80s, when I was about 10.We left everything behind and arrived in Melbourne to start our new life. For me it was like being reborn, I think it was for Mum too. The minute I arrived here on this land, I was impacted by how beautiful, big and wild it is.In England, my Dad used to love taking me and my siblings hiking and camping in the countryside, so I had a relationship of sorts with nature. When we arrived in Victoria, one of the first places he took our family was the Dandenongs.I will never forget walking into this place called Sherbrooke Forest. It was just this absolutely unbelievable tall temperate forest environment. It was something I had never ever experienced in my whole life. It was wild, ancient, alive and full of life. I suppose at ten, those kinds of experiences are very long-lasting and make a massive impression on your soul. I don't think I realised at the time that nature and being an environmental activist would be such an integral aspect of my life, and it wasn't a conscious thing at the time, but looking back, it definitely was formative. I realised this later in life when I had to start questioning why I was so passionate about the environment and why I found myself locking myself onto bulldozers ten years later, trying to stop the logging of forests. When I found myself locking onto bulldozers ten years later trying to stop the logging of forests. When I'm trying to really reconcile how that was happening and what was driving me, I look back and reminisce on my experiences in nature; it must have meant something.I remember that first time I walked into that forest, I couldn't believe the utter size and the age of these giant trees. I saw crimson rosellas as well and shining bright rubies flying through the forest. I think it probably took me straight back to my early childhood, and those few happy magic places of adventure and wonder that I held on to, like reading Enid Blyton's Magic Faraway Tree and The Enchanted Forest. I just couldn't believe that forests and land like this was real and it was here, in my new world!I did my high schooling in Melbourne, and I was always quite political. I was part of my school's first Student Representative Council. I was always a news watcher and my Dad was very engaged in politics and the economy, part of my engagement was a way of relating to him.I formed my politics in opposition to his, which was very hard. I think it is so much easier to follow your parent's politics, but I just couldn't.As a young kid in England, my Dad agreed with Margaret Thatcher's vision for Britain; he was fundamentally a capitalist. I couldn't see how anyone could hold the view that the only reason a person is poor is because they don't work hard enough. I could only see Margaret Thatcher as the Iron Lady she became known as, and a mean person who didn't have much compassion for the disadvantaged or sick.In 1983, I remember watching the news and seeing the reporting of the Franklin Dam protest in Tasmania. I grabbed me physically and emotionally. I saw these incredible people putting their lives on the line for the protection of our natural environment. I now look back and think, wow, that was Bob Brown, and essentially the beginning of the Greens. I can't now look back and say, I remember seeing Bob Brown on the TV, I just saw people.I saw a group of deeply passionate, creative, dedicated people who were willing to give up everything to protect something so valuable and important. The arguments, the logic, and the rationale that was being put forward as to why it's so important to protect these incredibly important wild places rather than damage them irreversibly really shaped me. I must have been about 14 at high school, in about year 9. I looked at these people; I saw leaders, carers, and evidenced-based operators as part of a connected movement of real-life heroes.I followed the High Court case around the Franklin where Tasmania took the Commonwealth to court for passing laws that stopped the building of the Franklin Dam. Bob Hawke has made a big deal about protecting the environment. It was an exciting time in Australian political and legal history. It was environmental justice in action and there was a movement of standing up for the country, for our precious environment and for biodiversity.One day at school, I mentioned the Franklin dam to our politics teacher, he very coyly said to me during the lunch break that during the school holidays, he was at the Franklin blockade. A few of my mates and I wanted to know all about it, what he had seen and what it was like.He talked about how exciting, meaningful and important that work was. It made me realise that it really is just a group of amazing people and their determination that can protect the environment and change history. Even then, I don't think that it solidified in me that I was going to be an environmentalist; I was young and caught up in many things.After I left school, I travelled to India and Nepal, where I saw some serious environmental degradation. I was questioning many things; I saw so much injustice, unfairness and environmental destruction. I saw what can happen when you don't have a strong rule of law and an environmental protection priority. I'd come from England, which, as beautiful as it is, it's a very modified landscape without many wild spaces. I felt a longing to return to Australia to live somewhere warm and do something meaningful.I found myself here in the Northern Rivers, joining the campaign with friends and the North East Forest Alliance to protect the last remaining Old Growth Forests in NSW. I found myself on the forest blockade frontlines at Chaelundi.It was the most incredible experience I could have had. I met incredible people, so many clever scientists and ecologists. I learnt so much about our forests and their functions. I realised that all the people I was working with and connecting with were people who could see environmental injustice and were prepared to fight it.I realised that a lot of the people that I was connecting with were also people who were here at Terania Creek in 1979, at Protester Falls. The people who stood up against the State and the Forestry Commission and stopped the logging of our precious unique rainforests.Some had gone to the Franklin blockade. It was a serious sense of deep connection and community with people who came from all walks of life, yet had this common thread pulling them together, a cause bigger than us all.Our campaign was part of a bigger picture to get the Government to pass better environmental protection laws. We are such an exploitative culture, so much of our so-called productivity is based on environmental exploitation, harm and destruction. My campaigning was very much engaged in the frontline, blockading, so the frontline civil resistance movement, but also legal cases, the law around the environment, and the politics and the policy of environment.  I suppose, we were all people ahead of our time, trying to buy time until others wake up to the understanding of how important the health of our environment is to all of us.  Around that time, when I was finishing my time on the forest frontlines, I was bringing up my family. I had my first baby when I was around 20, so I knew I had to settle down and stop blockading and locking onto bulldozers. I was living on the beautiful Mt Nardi, behind Nimbin, and one of my friends and wonderful colleagues, now former Magistrate and Dean of the SCU Law School, David Heilpern, said to me that I should go and study law at Southern Cross.  I was very hesitant at first. I barely finished my HSC. I was quite a distracted student, as I was so focused on the world and other issues. I eventually enrolled in the law degree at Southern Cross University as a mature-aged student, and after completing my first semester, I just loved it and fell in love with the law; it all just made sense. It felt like it was a language that I knew. It had concepts about justice and fairness, which I was passionate about. I remember, at the beginning of my law degree, having a vision of opening an Environmental Defenders Office in the Northern Rivers. EDO is a community legal centre which specialises in public interest and environmental law.  The EDO was based in Sydney, and I watched it at the forefront of environmental law in New South Wales, winning cases and protecting the environment by working with communities. I just thought, ‘Gosh, wouldn't that be great? That's what I'd like to do!’ I got my law degree with first-class honours, and I also won the University Medal. I was an absolute nerd for the law; I couldn't stop. I just loved it!  I had my second child halfway through my law degree, and then I worked as a lawyer in Lismore with a wonderful solicitor. I was also lecturing Environmental Law at Southern Cross University at the time as well.After some time, the then CEO of the Environmental Defenders Office called me and said, “Hi, Sue, we've never met, but we're thinking of opening a branch office in the Northern Rivers, and we'd love your advice and perhaps even for you to be a part of it.” I was just so taken about and thought, “How did that happen? Who would have thought?” Then he called me back and I gave him advice about how he could set up that Legal Centre that would work. He called me back and informed me they were advertising for a solicitor and thought I should apply. I knew it was my destiny. I applied and, of course, I got the job.  Two of us solicitors opened the branch office of the Environmental Defenders Office in Lismore servicing the Northern Rivers region. We were co-located with the Northern Rivers Community Legal Centre. My colleague Jessica and I pioneered this amazing Legal Centre that specialised in public interest, environmental law, and it was just fantastic.I was there from about 2006 till 2012. We worked with heaps of people in the community around the whole region. We helped farmers, environmentalists and communities to use our environmental laws to protect their local environment. We were around when the Bentley CSG battle was on. We provided a lot of assistance around that. I took on lots of court cases and provided so much legal advice. We also offered lots of education for farmers and rural landholders to help them better understand environmental laws and help them comply with their environmental legal obligations. It was an unbelievably positive experience.  We were so successful at the EDO and not just the Northern Rivers branch, that I worked very closely with the NSW head office. We were taking on some big coal companies, such as Rio Tinto and BHP in court, challenging their coal approvals in the Hunter Valley because of the impact they were having on the climate. We were the victims of our own success because we won, and we were right.The mining companies fought back really hard, and politically, they tried to stop us from doing what we were doing. That's where I learnt how corruptible our democracy really is and how much influence the fossil fuel industry has over our democracy. Even though the court said we were right, the mining companies couldn't hack it. They went to the Government of the day and told them that they had to get rid of the EDO. They were saying you can't have a Legal Centre run by a bunch of environmental lawyers that challenge them in courts and stop them from mining. It was very controversial because politics and law are meant to be separate, but they were attacking our funding, and the EDO took a hit.Many in our organisation became insecure about their job status, causing a few to leave. Our CEO said to me, maybe you could come to Sydney and take over the EDO as the principal solicitor. I knew I had to do it because I was good at my job, but I also understood the politics of what was happening, and we just needed some of that campaign and fight back spirit.  I made the decision to do it. However, it meant I had to work in Sydney, away from my family. My partner and I had six kids between us, some still young and living in South Gundurimba out on our farm.My partner is a farmer, among many other things. He was so supportive of me taking this job, understanding that it was really what I had to do. I knew I couldn’t bring my family with me cause it was unrealistic having to relocate school-aged kids to Sydney and having to give up the farm. From 2012 until 2017, I was going to Sydney every week to work and coming home on weekends when I could to spend my time back at the farm with the family.  We saved and turned the EDO around, but unfortunately, we had to close the Northern Rivers branch office, which was really sad and a lot of people in the community wished it was still here. It was a great institution and a great place for the community to come, get educated about the law and go out and make a difference. In 2017, I felt like it was time for me to move on from EDO. I'd been at this fantastic institution for over a decade, and in that time it had very much become me, and I had very much become it. It was a heavy load, and I loved it. Nearly every week, I was in the newspapers and on the TV talking about what we were doing across the State. I was taking on the big end of the town, and we were winning most of them. I knew for me it was time to move on, it was someone else’s turn.  I opened my own small boutique law firm here in Lismore, where I worked from home and just took on cases I wanted to. I also took on a load of cases representing environmental protesters from around the state and in Queensland. I represented lots of Adani protesters, who were all some of the most wonderful clients imaginable. Nurses, teachers, doctors and many amazing members of the community from all across Australia.I took that time as well to begin working more at our farm out here in South Gundurimba and investing in our farming business. We predominantly grow dryland rice, and that's because I convinced my hubby that we should be activist farmers. He is amazingly innovative and hardworking, and I knew we could make it work. We wanted to prove that you can grow rice without having to steal so much water from the rivers, as they do down in the Riverina. Irrigation paddy rice is a terrible contributor to climate change, causing intense methane emissions. The world has been put on notice that we're going to have to change the way we grow rice, and I wanted to be part of that.  I eventually decided that I would run as the Greens candidate in the 2019 State Election. I'm not completely sure why I ultimately made that decision; I just got very excited about the prospect of change for Lismore with the then Nationals member Thomas George retiring from the seat. I thought it was a great opportunity to try and swing Lismore in a more progressive direction for the first time in 54 years. I ran a very positive community-powered campaign on the grounds of environmental protection, cleaning the river, rebuilding the agriculture sector and dealing with climate change. I wanted Lismore to be a part of that change. But I also campaigned for more innovative transport, housing and more public health and education services for our region. I first got involved in the Greens back in 1996 when I was involved in forest politics. I actually ran in the 1996 election for the seat of Page. I did that to elevate the campaign around forest protection. It wasn't the politics at the time I was interested in, but it was the issue I wanted to draw attention to.  When I was at the EDO, I was not engaged in party politics. I supported the Greens locally because the Greens resonate with my deep concern for the environment and commitment to justice. A number of people contacted me and asked me to run for Lismore, and I did. We ran with a goal to get elected, but to support Labor because we knew Lismore needed change, and it was time to have a progressive woman representing us. I loved every minute of the campaign. We worked super hard, and we ran a positive exciting campaign.  After the state election, I was getting back on with my law work having a ball here at the farm. That’s when a casual vacancy in the New South Wales Upper House came up, and Bob Brown and a couple of other Greens colleagues tapped me on the shoulder and encouraged me to run. Initially, I made the decision not to do it because I was so satisfied with what I was doing in my small legal practice and here at the farm. However, it just kept twinging in my mind. I realised that all of the work I had done, with all of the wonderful people across the State for so many years, was not going to end. I had to take all of their work, passion and the knowledge they had instilled in me to the Upper House and keep fighting for justice.  I ran for the casual vacancy and was very privileged and humbled that the Greens elected me as their representative in the New South Wales Upper House. I've been there for two years now as of next month and I am absolutely loving it. My current portfolios are environment, justice planning, agriculture and First Nations justice. I am also very active in the Parliament's committees. I am the Chair of Portfolio Committee 7 Planning and Environment, and I am a member of a number of others. All of my work as a lawyer, a farmer and an activist has really helped me to be able to slip into my role in the upper house. I am a worker, I find it hard to stop. I have lost the off switch, and I think that's ok for now.   Right now, I'm very rarely in the same place for too long. In sitting weeks, I’m obviously down at Macquarie Street in Parliament for the week. I travel the State a lot, but I also love working from the farm. I love gardening, and our horses and we have koalas. I am passionate about protecting koalas and growing their habitat. We have planted 10,000 trees, and we have more to plant. I have my eighth grandchild on the way right now which I’m very excited and grateful for.  I love where I am right now, in the Upper House with the Greens and balancing that with the farm back at home. The reality is we are far from where we need to be. We are in a climate, an extinction and a cost of living crisis, and our young people are really struggling, but the politics is not responding. We are still logging our precious public native forests for goodness sake. I will keep fighting for environmental and social justice with all of my might.

Mel Connell is another of Lismore's young entrepreneurs. Mel has worked in construction, media and the police, all pathways leading Mel opening her own business in the CBD. Maive McKenzie sat down with Mel to learn her life story.Growing up, my roots can be traced back to Forbes, a quaint town nestled in the heart of New South Wales. However, my family embarked on a journey that led us from Forbes to Moore before finally landing in Goulburn. This transition was primarily driven by my dad’s career as a District Emergency Management Officer within Law Enforcement, a role that demanded a lot of dedication and commitment. While his job was known to be a bit intense, my mother, a kind and beautiful soul, had dedicated years as a devoted stay-at-home mum before reentering the workforce in the field of accounting. During the initial years of my schooling, I encountered various obstacles, but as time went on, I found the most enjoyment during the grades of ten, eleven, and twelve. Although these years presented their own share of difficulties and demands, I managed to cultivate deep, enduring bonds that continue to enrich my life today. These friendships have provided me with unwavering support and happiness. It was during this period that my enthusiasm for starting my own business was ignited. The idea of being self-employed, breaking free from others’ expectations, and being my own boss felt so appealing. I discovered that I had developed a deep affection for delightful smells. That magical instant when a beautiful scent wafts by, and you find yourself thinking, ‘Wow, that smells incredible! Where is it coming from?’ Those are the moments when all the stress seems to dissipate, and you're left to bask in the soothing aroma, simply savouring the moment. It was these instances that inspired me to name my store “Mel’s Melting Moments.”But before that, I need to backtrack to the time when I first arrived in Lismore in 2001. Initially, I enrolled in a TAFE course for Floristry, but later, I went back to complete the business program. I ended up gaining extensive experience working at a local floral shop right on Molesworth called “Cupids Fine Chocolates & Flowers.”However, throughout the years, my professional journey took me through diverse roles, from positions in construction to managing a tool store right along Molesworth Street as well, and even serving as an NBN receptionist. Each role I undertook provided me with valuable life lessons, significantly contributing to my personal development and ultimately shaping me into the person that I am today. I learnt how to communicate better with others and definitely learnt from bad bosses! In 2002, during my time managing a tool shop, I had my first experience of witnessing flash flooding in Lismore, where the water levels rose up to the levy. This event marked my initial encounter with flooding in Lismore, setting the stage for what would unfold in 2022, an even more impactful year in terms of flooding. It wasn’t until 2007 that I found myself back in Goulburn, this time working at the Police Academy. Here, my main responsibility involved overseeing the training of highway patrol interns. This role entailed gathering crucial information and structuring their learning activities. While the job could get intense at times, having been around law enforcement since the age of three, nothing here really fazed me much.I realised, however, that this was not the job for me but my love for all of those people I met there. They were lovely and strong, and I was certain I wouldn’t want to do their job either. Coming back to the Northe­rn Rivers region felt like­ returning to a second home for me­. In 2012, I made the exciting de­cision to open my very first market stall at the­ local Carboot Markets. My initial venture was cre­ating handmade candles. I started by e­xperimenting with differe­nt scents and moulds, blending various fragrances and trying out unique­ candle shapes. Over time­, through trial and error, I develope­d my own distinct line of candles, proudly owned and crafte­d right here in Australia. My unique candle­ creations quickly gained recognition among marke­t visitors, and my stall started to become a popular destination­. (Mel at the Car Boot Markets at the Lismore Square Shopping Centre)As my small business began to flourish, I expande­d my product range, venturing into the cre­ation of fragrant diffusers and luxurious bath bombs. I didn't stop there­, though. In a playful and humorous twist, I introduced a line of gag gifts – funny and amusing items. The­se lighthearted cre­ations were designe­d to make people chuckle­ as they walked by or to serve­ as entertaining gifts for friends and family.In 2018, I took the leap and launched my online website, expanding my business to reach a wider audience. The virtual platform allowed me to showcase my handcrafted candles, diffusers, bath bombs, and many others. It was a significant step towards growing my business and gave me the opportunity to connect with customers beyond the local market scene which would later come in handy for the Coronavirus that was a little while away. It let my business re­ach more people and ke­ep going strong even during difficult time­s.The opening of my shop in March 2021 was one of the most exciting days in the creation of my business. The day finally arrived after months of planning, designing, and so much time and effort. The location felt so perfect, right in the heart of the town, surrounded by other local businesses and a bustling, lively and loving community.I have two kids and when I first started. I had my lovely little four-year-old right in the back with me as I created my products and throughout the day. There was a lot of pressure and jobs to do when both running a business and having kids, but people were so supportive and caring. They understood and respected the struggles and joys of motherhood and never even blinked or hesitated to give a helping hand. Some would look after them just to give me a break to get some things done, and even whenever it was a birthday, they would bring in choccies for the kid even though we had some here. The support and care that came from this community not only showed that they care for small and local businesses but also that they care for the people who run it. The support I receive will never be forgotten, and I am always deeply grateful and touched by the love our community holds and gives to everyone.During the COVID-19 pandemic, I found unexpected success in my business, being able to ship out locally and people being able to access my store virtually was such a lifesaver. More recently I’ve been getting orders all across the country, shipping all the way to Western Australia, alongside many other areas like Victoria and South Australia. However, one of the biggest struggles during this time was having to turn people away. The pressures of Government restrictions and a looming fine of $50,000 led me to have to turn some away from my business, something I would never want to do. Interacting with people is one of the best elements of running a business, and that part being limited was one of the biggest struggles of this time. Some people I found were even abusive, which is a hard thing to experience for anyone especially as I never meant them any harm.The 2022 Lismore flood brought unprecedented devastation and challenges to our region, leaving a trail of destruction in its wake. As someone with a shop right in the heart of it all, the impact of the flood was extensive, testing our limits of resilience and determination in the face of such a monstrous event. Yet, amidst the wreckage and challenges, the seeds of hope and resilience were sown, paving the way for a new beginning and a brighter future ahead. While navigating the challenges the flood brought was a long process, I’m glad and proud to have my doors open again, with the open sign waving happily out in the wind once more. We were able to rebuild with the help of the community, and I am grateful for all the support. The way we were able to come together to help each other out showed how the heart of Lismore can never be washed away and I feel like this disaster made us stronger, as individuals but also as a community. Ever since the flood, I’ve been happy coming to work every day, almost wanting to kiss my shop because I know more than ever how special and important it is to me, especially after I had lost it before. However, after the flood, I have had to adapt and adjust it all just in case of another. Almost everything is detachable, I can move the shelves higher or completely take them out, so I can be as ready as possible.After all of that, the recent financial crisis posing issues around our country has posed problems for my business as well, even more than COVID did. Yet, much like COVID and the flood, it will pass and afterwards, we will be even stronger. There will always be ups and downs in business, all I can do is get on my board and ride that wave, and I don’t think I would want to do anything else.At the end of the day, I wouldn’t be here if it was for the support of our community. These people are like my family, and if there is one thing I have learnt from the people of Lismore, it is how nothing can crush the spirit of a community with unlimited resilience, love and kindness, and I am so proud to be a part of this community.

Nui Gordon's life has been flat out since she was born in Thailand. Speaking four languages, becoming an accomplished chef and entrepreneur, a wife and mother, all while travelling the world and Australia, has meant a life on the go. Lilly Harmon sat down with Nui to get her life story. I was born in the town of Seka, in North-Eastern Thailand, about 30km from the Mekong River border of Laos. I grew up speaking both Thai and Lao as my native languages. At school, I started learning English, and then later, I studied Japanese. Seka is a rural community, about a 10 hour drive from Bangkok, and reminds me a little of Lismore. My dad had a business where he bought crops from local farmers like rice, cassava, rubber, watermelon and timber. Anything that the farmers wanted to sell, he’d buy the whole lot by the ton and sell them to factories in big cities such as Bangkok.My mother started off as a maternity nurse in the local hospital and through hard work and study, got a load of promotions and ended up running the whole local health network as the boss of the hospital. She was away a lot for work and was presented with different awards in ceremonies by the King, Queen and princesses over the years.I originally studied in my hometown until nine years old, when my parents sent me to St Mary’s – a Catholic boarding school in a bigger city about 2 hours away because it was an International School and the best offered education I could get. They wanted to be able to provide me with that opportunity. It was really a great multicultural climate and I was able to meet so many amazing people but the first few years felt like jail.After year 12, I went to university in Bangkok to study for a bachelor’s degree in Food Science and Nutrition. In Bangkok, I started my cooking career, working with some amazing chefs. One of the biggest lessons I learnt from my teachers in university was to really focus on what you were tasting, to really understand what flavour was. They kept pushing us to understand taste and it has been my best experience and helped develop the direction of my career. Every dish I create is all about flavour – I can't stand bland food!After university I came here to Australia, arriving in Sydney in 2004. It was definitely a lot of freedom given to me in a short period of time, coming straight from university and straight from an all-girls school and so far from home. When I first came here, I had to share an apartment with 11 people from all different countries who were all studying different courses. I had to really take care of myself for the first time, and when I wasn't studying, I was working in kitchens, and cleaning hotel rooms and cleaning a lot of offices in Sydney CBD at night. It was exhausting but I understood that to get somewhere, I had to work hard.I was able to get an apprenticeship at a five-star restaurant in Sydney CBD. After I qualified, I moved to Japan for a year because I had met so many Japanese students and loved their food and culture. I worked in restaurants there and had to learn to read and speak Japanese very quickly. I lived near the beach and would go surfing regularly. One day, I was surprised to find the beach was empty; no people were there. I could hear a man yelling, but it took me a while to realise he was calling me. He was saying “Tsunami!, Tsunami!”, then I realised what he meant and ran to safety. That was scary but a fun story.When I came back to Sydney, I started working at a Japanese restaurant at Bondi Beach and within 3 months, they offered me the position as Head Chef. That job definitely allowed me to build up my confidence and was beginning to gain some notoriety in the industry, even appearing in newspapers. Then came the opportunity for me to buy a restaurant on Norfolk Island at the RSL. It was a 200-seat restaurant, so I applied to buy it. I was successful and had that business for nearly two years. It was a great learning experience as I was able to gain a great understanding of what running my own business was like and the community there was great. It was crazily busy working there seven days a week for lunch and dinner. After Norfolk Island, I was a bit burnt out from the kitchen and really wanted to do something different, so I began to study IT Multimedia and learnt how to make websites, but I wasn't able to get any jobs in the industry. I was living in Wollongong and started studying for my Masters at the University of Wollongong at the same time. To support myself, I started working at The Scarborough Hotel, which is a famous location on the cliffs overlooking the ocean. Again, within a few months they offered me the Head Chef position. At the time, because I was a young, Asian, female Head Chef, I wasn't getting the the respect from the chefs under me. One night, none of the chefs were listening to me, so I sacked all seven chefs that were on that night. I told them to get out, and I managed the dinner service all on my own. I had to go into the dining room and inform the customers that their food would be slightly delayed, but I was able to finish it all on my own. I started rebuilding my team the next day with people I could rely on and trust in my kitchen. I definitely had to be tough, and some people say I can be a bit of a Gordon Ramsey sometimes – without the swearing. I was in Wollongong for about three years, and in that time I met my future husband Tim. We kept in touch throughout my time after that when I moved to Melbourne, working in restaurants. I took on a role as Head Chef in an Italian Restaurant. Eventually, I moved back to Sydney to be with him, and we opened our first business together. We had a cafe/restaurant called Nude Cafe. Don’t worry—only the food was nude. The name was inspired by my ideal of keeping the food simple (nude) and letting the natural flavours stand out.I also made the decision at this time, in 2013, to start my own coffee brand. I was working with coffee roasters to perfect the taste I was going for, and there was a lot of trial and error. We entered the beans in the Hobart Fine Foods show and received a medal on the first try.We operated that for just over a year, in which time we got married, and I quickly became pregnant with our son, Oscar, in 2014. We made the decision to move back to Thailand so I could have Oscar surrounded by family, and we remained there for about a year and a half until 2016, and that time was both exciting and troubling.We saw that the family business was buying and selling a lot of Eucalyptus wood, and we realised that we could add value by turning it into charcoal instead. We built a simple, yet modern style charcoal factory. We were marketing internationally and developed a lot of opportunities but realised that because of shipping costs and fire risks, we could make just as much money selling into the local market.(The family charcoal business in Thailand)We expanded our business and started dealing more in buying bulk rubber crops from local farmers. In the end, we got ripped off – buying and supplying hundreds of tons of rubber to a factory that never paid us. The con man at the factory stole about $4 million from the local community. We lost all our money. My family and many other people in our neighbourhood lost money to this man. We were going so incredibly well, and then boom—it was all gone—no money!! It was tough being a young family that had worked so hard.We had to borrow money from our family and friends to be able to come back here to Australia, and effectively, we came back with just two suitcases, a one-year-old baby and no money in 2016. We had to sleep in a garden shed with mattresses on the floor for the first few months in winter in Melbourne and it was really horrible.We had found a pub restaurant in Williamstown, Melbourne, that needed someone to lease the kitchen and Tim and I took on that. (Nui and Tim)The first night’s sales paid for the stock to operate for the second night. Then, the second night’s sales paid for the stock to operate for the third, and we just built up from there. We were able to not only re-establish ourselves in the industry but also be back up on our feet within six months. My food just kept bringing in the crowds and after a few months, we were packed every night! It was a beautiful historic hotel, built in 1847 and we loved it, so many great regular customers and characters. We even left little food offerings out for the ghosts every night.Since we had built up the restaurant, the pub was doing well and the owners decided to sell. We tried to buy it but couldn’t raise enough money at the time. After that, Tim and I looked for another opportunity and found another pub restaurant for lease – this time in Moree, right in the middle of nowhere, which was so far away. It took two days to move from Melbourne to there and it was a great road trip for us. We operated that for a year, seven days a week and it was wildly successful. We began to realise that even though everyone loved my food there, working all day every day wasn’t for us and considering that Oscar was growing up, we needed to settle down more and stop working nights and weekends.We started searching, and the opportunity of buying a 5-day-a-week business in the SCU plaza came up. I had it in the back of my mind that I wanted to go back to the city but we decided to come here to Lismore to have a look at the opportunity. As soon as we saw it, we said, Yep, let's do it! We pooled all our money together and bought the business. Over the last six years of being here at The Quick Brown Fox at the University, we’ve absolutely loved it. It has been an amazing experience.We began on the other side of the Plaza from where we are today, in what is now the TAFE office. It was a tiny space, only a quarter the size of where we are now. After a year, we had the opportunity to move across the plaza into our current space and have been here ever since.When Covid struck, it was an absolute nightmare for us, and we were under so much pressure and stress. We’d only just recently bought a new house as well. So, just as we’d settled in, the whole country was shut down, and we needed to find a way to make an income. We worked with the University to be open as much as possible in a Covid-safe way, but business was down about 90% because everyone was learning and working from home.We decided to bake gluten-free cakes, which were wildly successful in the cafe, and market them to other cafes. We started selling them to shops in Casino, Lismore and Ballina. All weekend we’d be baking and then deliver on the Monday. That was a way that we were able to stay afloat during Covid for about a year. One of my philosophies is that there’s always a way to make money as long as you’re not scared to work hard.(Nui doing what she loves, cooking at the Quick Brown Fox)Also, during COVID, we had another issue that was quite distressing for Tim and me, and it was the fact that due to the border closures, our son Oscar got stuck in Thailand with his Grandmother. My mother needed to go back to Thailand to renew her visa, and it was a great opportunity for Oscar to go back and reconnect with family. However, the day they were set to come back, the borders closed, and he and my mother were left stranded there for about six months. Each time Oscar was set to come back on the plane, they reduced the quotas, and he got bumped off flights time after time. But with time, we were able to get him back, and it was amazing for us to all be reunited as a family despite all the heartache the situation caused.Just as we were over that, then boom, the flood happened. I remember being in the shops with my mum the day before and there being nothing on the shelves; then, the next morning, there was water everywhere, and we were getting calls from the SES and the University asking for catering for breakfast, lunch and dinner. We were one of the only places left in Lismore that was offering fresh food, so we had everyone in the flood response coming to us for their daily feed. We worked there all day, every day, for about 17 hours without sitting down for three months!The army had set up in the Uni Bar, and the police in A-Block and the university also hosted the evacuation centre. We were up at 3am each morning and by 4am, there were queues across the plaza of all people needing coffee and food, even before we were opened. We could hardly get any supplies and it was an absolutely crazy time for us. It was heartbreaking talking to all the people affected by the flood and listening to their amazing and harrowing stories.It's been a real pleasure working here in the university cause it's such a lovely community. We've gotten to know so many fantastic people. It never gets boring. Instead of having a shop where you are on a main road and you get different customers every day, it’s really nice to have so many regulars come through where you know their names, stories and their orders when they come in every day. The students as well, you see them coming in young and grow up through their years at university. It’s sad to say goodbye when they graduate.The University has changed so much in the past six years since we have been there. With the move to online learning and then after the flood, the schools such as Trinity, Richmond River, the Living School and TAFE that now call the University area home, we’ve gotten to know so many more great people. Our business has turned into our social life.I have always had a positive outlook on life, and I think I get my hard work ethic from my parents. I love travelling, and each time I go away, I pay attention to the local cuisine. I am always trying to learn to improve my skills, and over the years, I have become proficient across a wide range of Western and Asian food styles.The only thing that has hurt me over the years is the negative judgements that people make against me on nearly a daily basis. They find it hard to believe that I am the Chef, just because of my appearance. Too many times people have popped their heads into my kitchen and told me to give their compliments to the chef for an amazing meal. I say thank you kindly and they say – No, not you, for the Chef! And there I am, standing there in my chef uniform, plating food.The basis of my business has always been about my passion for food. You can really tell when food is made with love and I strive every day to make a wide variety food that is delicious that will keep people coming back.We get to the cafe at 4.30am every morning because nearly everything is homemade and takes time to make. We open the doors of the cafe at 5am. More and more locals are discovering us, but some people don't realise that we are open to the public.We love the SCU atmosphere and the Lismore area. We love the people, the positive attitudes, and the resilience that the community has shown. We try to repay the kindness by keeping our prices low. Even with all the inflation of the past two years, we have hardly changed our prices because we know how hard it is for people, and we want to offer them some great value.Even though it is long hours and hard work, you will always hear me laughing out loud and joking with the customers.Thank you for the opportunity to tell my story.

Moira McDade is not from a 4th or 5th generation Lismore family but she now calls Lismore home. Moira has lived a very interesting life from her birthplace in Forbes to Canberra, Papua New Guinea, Cairns, Tasmania and the Northern Rivers. She started one of the first neighbourhood centres in Queensland. Lilly Harmon sat down with Moira to get the complete life story.I was born and raised in Forbes in central New South Wales, a very rural small country town. It’s very well known for being a farming area with a lot of wheat fields and sheep about. I’ve actually been doing a lot of digging into my family ancestry in the last few years and I’ve discovered how my great-great-grandfather settled in Forbes during the Gold Rush. I’d found someone who knew information about my grandmother’s ancestry and I have just been sort of piecing it all together since and going down all the rabbit holes and deep dives finding out about amazing stuff. My fathers family were shoe retailers for many generations, beginning by selling boots to miners in the 1861 gold rush. This evolved into selling boots to farmers and then into a more general shoe store. The story of the gold rush is interesting. Forbes currently has a population of about 9000 people but during the gold rush, it swelled to 30,000 people. The street where the shoe business was actually the richest gold seam.I just had a standard primary school and high school upbringing in public schools. My grandmother was Catholic and my mother was Protestant so there were a lot of disagreements that came out of that regarding my education. My grandmother desperately wanted me to go to Catholic school and my mother said absolutely no. My grandmother made sure I got a lot of Catholic input by sending me over to the convent across the road from her house. I was sent for singing, speech and drama, dancing and piano. Of course, growing up in a small country town, everyone wants to leave and get as far away as possible. I did work briefly with Dad in the shoe shop, but I knew I needed to get out of there. (Moira and her family during the 1954 floods in Forbes)I went to Canberra for a little while and I fell in love with a boy named Greg from out of town. That's what you do, because you want to get out so you find the first decent boy that looks like he’s not from Forbes. He was what I call a ‘baby Pilot’, he was learning to fly and building up hours to join the airlines. We first came to Lismore early on in our marriage where, after I received a Speech and Drama qualification, I became a Drama teacher at St. Mary’s which is now Trinity. Even though it was a brief time here initially, I fell in love with the place and always knew that I wanted to come back to the area, which I did. After several years, the pilot needed to get hours so we went to live in Papua New Guinea which was a very radical decision made by us. I was a child bride as they say, so I got married at 20 in Forbes with the big shebang and we ended up in the eastern highlands of Papua New Guinea, right in the middle in Highland territory. There were a fair few expatriates there so they went out of jobs incredibly fast. Obviously, there were no available positions for a speech and drama teacher in the small town of Goroka, so I had to reinvent myself. I had done a bit of drafting as well as drawing buildings and maps in my early career so there was one job in town that was for a draughtsman which I applied for.I wasn’t the best-qualified person for the job, but I really personified the phrase fake it till you make it, but I got it! That job was to draw the maps for the roadworks required to link to the outposts. The Goroka and Mount Hagen areas are still pretty primitive there, so it was amazing learning about their culture and also the impact of church groups coming and trying to impose their beliefs. Groups made natives wear bras and shorts, when they’d previously had only been wearing modesty garments. But I had a lovely time in Papua New Guinea, and towards the end of my time there, I even started teaching young people how to draft. We drew the road plan for what now is a famous road at an 8000-foot mountain called the Daulo Pass. Every time I drew the plan for the bulldozers to come in and cut through that bank and fill that thing. I’d go back the next day and dirt would be all down the steep valley. We drew a lot of crowds from the locals in that project, and I learnt how to speak Pidgin to make sure I'd be able to communicate with them. We left Papua New Guinea just before their independence in 1975. It was beginning to be unsafe because of constant uprisings and riots. We had to have a German Shepherd protecting us in the house, staying on alert and bars on all of our windows. We came back to Brisbane and Greg got offered a bit of flying work, but ended up getting a flying job for the Bush Pilots which transported supplies, undertook rescue operations and transported people as well. We went to live in Cairns for a period of time after Brisbane for him to undertake that job. By then I had two little kids, Adam was going to primary school and Joanne was just a little preschooler. I needed a job again, and the pilot travelled a lot. He was very dangerous flying all over. He was even making a map of Papua New Guinea by having a camera mounted under the plane doing aerial photography. I got a job as a draughtsman again, working for an architect in Cairns. We were drawing up a plan for the first-ever high rise on the esplanade. Aquarius, the eventual name for it, was a radical and wide high-rise building. I'm a bit ashamed of it now because they shouldn't have had a high rise go along that beautiful esplanade as an eyesore along the coast. The kids did some of their primary schooling there, and then we went back to Brisbane where Greg got a job with TAA, which is now no longer but from that he went to Qantas. At that time, I had a major illness that I was battling. I had a leaking artery in my brain and I was at risk of having a brain haemorrhage. I had to have major surgery to prevent it, which took a big toll on me. My kids were little, and so it was fairly traumatic and testing time for all of us and I had taken a long while to recover. In that recovery period, I had people from an organisation called Sunnybank Family Care and Support come and help me with the kids, housework and stuff like that. I was so impressed by the whole community work thing that I thought to myself, that's what I want to do. So I volunteered to help them after my recovery period at a family crisis centre. After about three months of volunteering, they offered me a job, so I began my work there which lasted for several years. At that time, there was no such thing as neighbourhood or community centres in Australia, but they started to be developed in South Australia which had Don Dunstan as Premier and was incredibly socially progressive. I went to a conference to look at what was happening in South Australia with these things called neighbourhood centres, which no one ever heard of. So I begged to go and my boss let me, and I came back and said, “We're going to have one of those in Sunnybank.” My boss tried to support my endeavour as much as possible but there was not much money freely available and no free available building. She told me to see what you can do, but you can do it. The local council had an old hall, near our family crisis centre. We supported victims of domestic violence, children at risk, and other people of poor means. I asked the council if I could make a neighbourhood centre in the hall, and I got support from them. I just ran around getting donations and started this little neighbourhood centre. We had a painting program and cooking, but we very much orientated the programs to people who didn't have many family skills. We also ran a playgroup where we were modelling to the mothers how to play with their children, or cook, or even how to shop on budgets.It became very successful and by the time I left there were 600 people a week coming through that neighbourhood centre and it still exists. I take a lot of pride in that centre in Brisbane and look back with so much happiness on the contribution I made in that community. Then my marriage began to fall apart, so I needed a source of money because even though I loved the Neighborhood Center, it was very poor pay. I got a job with the Queensland Cancer Council and it was my first job in the Big Smoke. I had to commute into the city and my job was coordinator of volunteers. They extensively use volunteers for things like breast cancer support, brain tumour groups and men's prostate cancer groups. I had a really good boss again. One thing I think about my working career is that I had some really good bosses. He interviewed me and said, “I want the best volunteer program in Australia”. We had 3000 volunteers that I managed doing all kinds of things, plus money from fundraisers while I was there. I also received a scholarship. Someone nominated me to a leadership program at QUT and I was part of their leadership program they offered. You were to dream something big for yourself in your career and research it and then share it with the world. So we had amazing people talk to us including Quentin Bryce. I got it in my head that I was going to be a consultant and work for myself. In my project, I went out and interviewed women who left organisations, because the men so dominated the lead roles, and went out and set up consultancies. I had to do a presentation for the final assignment of the leadership program so I announced that I would do what those women had done and start my own consulting business. I had two kids, no money, out of the house, and I said, I'm going to do this. Once you announce it to everybody, it's like you've shut a door behind you. I had to do it from there. I was very, very lucky indeed because I went looking for a mentor who was pretty assertive. When I asked the head of the Australian Institute of Management if he'd mentor me, he said he’d helped me get my first jobs with companies. He’d find places that needed people to be trained up, I worked with fighting staff and all sorts of HR organisational development work.I went back to study, which I hadn't done since my teaching degree long ago, which landed me my job at Trinity as a Drama Teacher. I enrolled in a masters of management, cause I thought that would be best suited for my dream career. After I'd been to a few economics classes I immediately knew that this was not for me in any way. So I got some help inside the uni and I swapped Masters to do a Masters of Education specialising in workplace learning. I was very interested in how people learn new skills on the job rather than in a formal environment, and I found that similar to my previous teaching degree I had. I had that consultancy job for around 30 years just working for myself, and still do a little bit of work every now and again here in Lismore and beyond, where I now have come back to. It’s really a job that you can never predict what cashflow will be like, especially with the floods, COVID and droughts. Midway through my career, after about 13 years as a single parent, I remarried Geoff who lived in Tasmania. We loved this area, sometimes coming here for Bluesfest, and we had family connections here. So we chose to live in the outskirts of Lismore.I hope to stay in this region and eventually downsize while still contributing to community by doing some part-time work as well as volunteering. My last consulting job was writing a tender application for a Women's Refuge in Byron. I’m mostly still passionate about community development and bringing the community together, and I try to do that in my own community. Just tomorrow we're having a curry night for our street, to just bring us all together for the holidays. Everyone brings a curry and it pulls the whole of the street together. 

I was born in Sydney, at Belmore South Hospital and our family lived in Lakemba and Wiley Park for the first few years of my life. That is why our family are die-hard Bulldogs supporters. My Dad played for the club during the 1950s.Our family moved to Carlingford in Sydney, and we lived there until the end of my schooling. After that, we moved to South Maroota, which is halfway between Wisemans Ferry and Windsor, a beautiful part of Sydney. There were the four of us mum, dad and my brother Darren. I was involved in ballet for most of my young life. I loved dancing, ballet, tap and jazz and I loved performing on stage and competing in eisteddfods. In fact, when I started work I stopped dancing for a while but missed it too much and returned. I was lucky enough to be a choreographer at a youth theatre company in my twenties and I still have a love of attending the theatre to see musical comedy and ballet. I finished school in 1977 and I commenced studying at Macquarie University but really did not enjoy it. I was studying anthropology, politics and English and realised these subjects were not leading me to a worthwhile profession. So I left university and obtained work in an administration role at the CSIRO.As part of this role, I was required to study, and I completed a course at the local technical college called the Personnel Administration Certificate which led me to my career in human resources management. I have worked in human resources management for over 40 years with a variety of organisations.After the CSIRO, I started working as a Personnel Officer at the United Permanent Building Society in Parramatta. Then I went to Johnson and Johnson in Sydney as a Human Resources Manager. I worked in their head office in St Leonards and at a manufacturing plant at Campbelltown. Then I moved to Bathurst to work for Uncle Ben's (part of the Mars Corporation). During this time I became a mother, and when I came back from parental leave, I was transferred to Albury to work at the Uncle Ben’s manufacturing plant.I found being away from my family difficult with a young son and trying to work full-time, so I made the decision to move up to Sydney to be closer to family and work as a Human Resources Manager at Dow Corning. I was only there for a short while as my son became quite sick and the cost of childcare was skyrocketing. My parents had retired to the North Coast, and so I decided to relocate to be with my family. It was difficult at first trying to find work in human resources as there were few positions at that time on the North Coast. I did a couple of things; I started my own business providing human resource advice and training to small companies. I also started to teach the Human Resources Certificate and Diploma at Lismore TAFE. This was also a time of learning for me as I was able to complete my degree part-time in Human Resources Development at Southern Cross University. After a few years of part-time work, I did get a job with the NSW Business Chamber as an industrial advocate. Then Southern Cross University and Norco as HR Manager. I was appointed as a director on the board at Summerland Credit Union (now Summerland Bank) in 1999, and after about two years they offered me a full-time job as the Chief Operating Officer.This role has allowed me to take on a broader range of responsibilities, including human resources, property, security, compliance, payments and financial crimes. I have also been involved in the development of Summerland’s sustainability program where we have implemented a number of activities to improve the environmental and social sustainability of the business, our customers and the community. We have now been accredited as a B Corp organisation in recognition of the work that has been completed in sustainability, something I am very proud of. Summerland is a lovely organisation to work for. It is a small organisation; the staff are very genuine and care for all our customers. It is also an exciting business to work in. We compete with larger banks so there is always change in our organisation to keep up with the competition. I love this environment and it makes work interesting. No day is ever boring..As a business, we were affected by the floods in Lismore with two of our floors damaged I am currently managing the project to refurbish the building and we are looking forward to getting everyone back into the office in April when the work is completed. Another part of my life I am passionate about is my community work. I have been on the Northern Rivers Conservatorium (the Con) board for 10 years now, currently as the Deputy Chair.It is a wonderful organisation who provide musical education on the north coast. The conservatorium is located in the old Lismore School which absolutely beautiful building and will be going through a refurbishment over the next twelve months recovering from the flooding and updating the older infrastructure. The Board meets on meet on Zoom now, but before the floods, we used to meet in the building, and often an acapella group would be practising upstairs while were in the meeting. I am on the board of CASPA in Lismore. It is an organisation that provides child welfare and care services in the community. I am quite new to the board there but believe the work CASPA does is very worthwhile, and I am looking forward to working with the organisation. I am also a council member of Business NSW Northern Rivers, which provides assistance to business on the Northern Rivers. From a personal perspective, I have been a member of Toastmasters for the past 29 years, which is an organisation that teaches public speaking and leadership skills. I have been involved in clubs in Lismore and Ballina.Toastmasters provides a program that assists you to be more confident to speak in public from formal presentations to interviews or speaking at meetings. Toastmasters also provides education on developing leadership skills. It is a great organisation to be part of and the members are very supportive. Currently, members of clubs I am involved in are conducting a six week speechcraft course for our staff at Summerland Bank. In the next few years, I will be retiring, and I am thinking about what I can do in the next stage of my life, I am really interested in being involved with the Red Cross if I can, particularly in their emergency services. I have an elderly mother who I care for, so I am looking forward to spending more time caring for her. Travel will be on the agenda as well. It will be difficult to say goodbye to my career after working for so many years in an area I love but I am also looking forward to the next stage of my life. I absolutely love living in Lismore. I feel so honoured to be able to serve this community.

Paul O'Neill is a Lismore icon. Mention his name and the majority of locals know him personally of know of him and his family.Last Tuesday evening, unexpectedly Paul suffered a heart attack and passed away shocking the Lismore and Northern Rivers community. Our love and support goes out to Wendy, Paul Junior & Molly and Victoria.Paul sat down with the Lismore App in 2019 to tell us his life story, mostly his passion for Lismore, cars, speedway, the Marist Brothers Rams and Rammettes and of course, his family.This Sunday Profile is a tribute to a Lismore legend, Paul O'Neill. When Paul was growing up his main passion was cars."I never played any other sports, I only raced cars. I was a mad race car driver. I always loved it whilst I was growing up. I started racing when I was 15 and stopped when I was 50.”Paul went on to win the Super Sedan National Titles in 1982 and 1983, as well as winning a New South Wales Championship. He held the one-lap Super Sedan record at Archerfield for more than 10 years during the 90s, and was even invited to race against the 'Yanks' multiple times."I just love cars. They’ve always interested me, and they always will,” he said."I started off as a mechanic by trade, and then started working for the Holden dealer in Lismore. I then went on to buy Lismore Nissan 20 years ago. I just really love cars, and that’s what I’ve gone on and worked with my whole life. It’s been great.”Paul O'Neill was undoubtedly one of the best sedan drivers on the East Coast during the 80s, 90s and early 2000s. Photo: Tony PowellWhen Mr O’Neill’s footy-mad son, Paul O’Neill Jnr, was just six years old, his mum Wendy took him down to play for the Marist Brothers. Twenty years later, Paul Jnr now plays hooker for the First Grade side in the NRRRL, while his sister Victoria is playing for the Ramettes in the NRRRL Women’s Tag League."It’s great seeing Paul and Victoria play. Paul has been in the First Grade side for three or four years now, he really enjoys it. A lot of those boys, like Tony Gava, Lochie Perren, all those boys have come right through from juniors. It’s great to see the juniors come through over the years, you really need them at the club. Without them, the club wouldn’t survive.”Paul O'Neill Jr is the First Grade hooker for Marist Brothers Rams. Photo: Ursula Bentley @ CapturedAusVictoria O'Neill bursts onto the ball for the Ramettes. Photo: Ursula Bentley @Captured AusPaul, wife Wendy and their children Victoria and Paul Jr. Photo: Wendy O'Neill / FacebookPaul Jr works with his mum and dad at Lismore Nissan and Victoria owns Victoria’s Beauty in Magellan St, Lismore.Being affiliated with the 106-year-old club for about 20 years, Mr O’Neill sees a lot of the things that the Marist Brothers do for the community, which a lot of other people may not."I think all clubs are unique in their own way, but for me, I believe that Marist Brothers is a very community minded club. We do a lot of charity work, such as the Relay for Life, and a few years ago we took a young boy with Cerebral Palsy up to the top of Mount Warning. The club always does whatever they can whenever someone’s in need.”This year, after serving many years on the club’s committees, Mr O'Neill became President of the Marist Brothers, and praises all of the work everybody involved in the club does."There’s a lot of good people affiliated with the club, and everyone does a great job. The club wouldn’t function without the help of all the people behind the scenes. On the club’s home games, there’s a lot of things to run, like the bar, the canteen, and getting the grounds ready. Everyone’s always up there early getting set up. Players from all teams help in the canteen too, everyone just has a dig, and that’s what you have to do in local clubs, otherwise they won’t survive."Our club consists of young members which makes the future of the Marist Brothers Club very exciting. They are bringing in new ideas and motivation. It is wonderful to see strong numbers within the 2018 U/18’s Marist Brothers Juniors coming into First Grade and the Women's tag team (the Ramettes)."They are the future of the Marist Club and I hope will ensure it will remain the club it is today."Paul O'Neill also recognises the hard work put in by trainers, coaches, and other staff to ensure the club is doing well on the field."I have the utmost respect and confidence in our coaches for the 2018 season: First Grade coach Michael Woods, Reserve Grade coach Paul Robinson, Under 18’s coach Mark Robotham, and the Ramettes Tag Team coach Hayley McAnnelly,” he said.Paul and Wendy O'NeillMarist Brothers Rams have many local sponsors, including Mr O’Neill’s family business Lismore Nissan, The Rous Hotel and Greg Clark Building, all of whom, the club shares a great relationship with."All the sponsors are people we know around Lismore, and the vast majority of them have supported us for a long, long time, and we’re very appreciative of our sponsors. It’s getting harder and harder to get sponsors for clubs these days, so we’re very thankful. Everyone heads back to the Rous after games to support their club, as they do ours.”Paul has been a community member of Lismore since the day he was born. He has seen many things happen to the town, and has watched as it has progressed through the years, somewhat."I don’t think we’ve grown. That’s what I think is the biggest issue in Lismore. We need growth, we need growth to survive. We need more jobs, more shops opening up, but it’s just not happening. We need more development, whether that’s subdivisions, or whatever, but we definitely need something to provide more jobs. If you look at other places around here, they’re always growing. There’s builders from here who have been working in Ballina for two years, when really we want them working in Lismore, that’s how small town’s survive.”Flooding has been a major issue in Lismore for a very long time, affecting businesses and families many times through the years, possibly being a reason the town struggles to grow. In 2017, the town was devastated after the impact of Cyclone Debbie, Lismore’s biggest flood in over 30 years. Mr O’Neill’s business was one of many affected by the flood, and are still recovering one year on."I think we’re still struggling after the flood, as well as everyone else who was affected, it cost us a lot of money. The community was very good during the disaster. We had people who we didn’t even know in here helping us clean up, it’s just a fantastic community. I think that’s one of the main reasons we have survived after the flood, the community’s act of kindness. We definitely don’t want any more of them (floods), but I guess that’s the town we live in, so we just have to get on with it.”You can find Paul O’Neill watching the racing at Lismore Speedway religiously, cooking the best hot chips in the canteen with Wendy at Crozier Park when the Marist Brothers are at home, or running Lismore Nissan every other day.His driving ambition for the Marist Brothers Rams is to see the club win a Premiership."That’s why we do it. Obviously we’d love to win a Grand Final. We will have a red hot crack at it, if we win, great, but if we don’t, life goes on."Reserves won and First Grade coach Michael Woods got Coach of the Year in 2017 - that was great.”Vale Paul.

Darren Butcher is a fifth-generation Nimbinite who recently sold the Nimbin Bakery after 13 years. Darren sat down with Lilly Harmon to talk about his life in Nimbin, Lismore, a love of sport, banking, sales and baking. I was born in Lismore Base Hospital and grew up in Nimbin. When I was around six months old, we moved out to a dairy farm on Gungas Road that my grandparents had owned. It had ceased dairying along with many of the other dairies in Nimbin, but my parents continued to farm it while both working other jobs.Mum was a nurse at Nimbin Hospital and Dad spent many years as a domestic at Lismore Base Hospital.I had the best cricket pitch among my friends on an old tennis court beside the house. My mates and I were never bored as we had bikes to ride, trees to climb and Mulgum Creek to swim in. Growing up I was very much into sport. I’d played soccer since I was 10 for Nimbin Soccer Club. I kept playing into seniors except for one year, 1987, I played with Lismore Workers Club in the U19 regional league side. In 1984 I obtained my soccer referee ticket - I was one of the first junior referees in the area. I went to Nimbin Central School for my primary years, then came into Lismore and did high school at Richmond River High School. Apart from always getting report card comments “Could always do a little better” in my final year I received the Student of the Year award. I had great dreams of being a policeman and after finishing school. I was sitting in the police station going to a recruiting interview when I read on the pamphlet that you had to be eighteen and nine months old! At that time I wasn't quite eighteen and didn’t want to embarrass myself, so I hopped up and left the station before the interview. I found out later that was the age you needed to be on entering the academy, so in hindsight I would have been fine. But instead with my resume in hand, I walked across Browns Creek Car Park to the ANZ Bank. I asked if they had any jobs going, and started there a week later. I spent the first years of my working life in the ANZ Bank. I went from Lismore to Tamworth, back to Casino and then Inverell, and did relief in many other branches as well. I enjoyed my work in the bank. I started dating Tricia Nugent, my now wife, in 1990. Tricia is the daughter of long-term Nimbin locals Bill and Nancy Nugent. When I got out to Inverell in the bank, I guess I missed her, so I went to find her a job as well and she moved to Inverell about three months later and we’ve been together ever since. In 1993 I made the decision to leave the bank and I had my first venture into small business. I started a sports shop from scratch, a business called New England Sports Warehouse. Inverell is a very sporty town, and still is. I saw a need for greater access to sporting gear in the town. I had never done small business before, but I decided to give that a good crack. We opened the business and then in that same year got married in October 1993.I had good friends who helped and looked after the shop. We didn't have much of a honeymoon as we had to get back to the shop. My first venture into small business taught me a lot about the importance of relationships. In 1994 Tricia got a job managing Stefans back in Lismore, so that was the catalyst for us to move back toward home. It took a couple of months before I sold the business and wound that up.Upon return to Lismore, I started working for my brother's business North Coast Drinks and Snacks in sales. Tricia & I bought our first house in Lismore Heights in 1995. I was able to get back into playing soccer and refereeing which I enjoyed very much. I was part of the management committee for Football Far North Coast referees for many years. In 1997 my brother Jeff decided he was going to sell North Coast Drinks and Snacks so I started looking for another job. He sold in September 1997 at the same time I secured another sales job with Norco in the milk section, and at the same time, our first son Dylan was born. Our daughter Erika was born in August 2000. I continued to work with Norco Pauls Milk right up until the Joint Venture split in June 2006. At that time I made a decision to join the Parmalat side of the business. I continued with Parmalat until 2008 when I was made redundant along with about 20 other middle managers from across the business. Redundancy was definitely a life changing moment because I had engrossed myself so much in trying to make success in the Parmalat business that I hadn’t realised how much of my life I probably missed out on. It was time for a reality check. I had a couple of weeks off, and then I started working bizarrely enough back with North Coast Drinks and Snacks again with the new owners. It was the same company my brother had sold, but they were now doing more than drinks and snacks. In fact, they were selling milk as well which I was clearly familiar with. Then an opportunity arose at the end of 2010. The bakery in Nimbin had recently closed, and my friend was buying the freehold building. He asked me if I would be interested in starting up the bakery if he couldn’t find another tenant? In reality, I was his fallback plan. In February he contacted me and asked if I would reopen the bakery. I was ready for a change so we gave it a crack. We spent three weeks cleaning the building and had it reopened by Easter of that year with the most basic stuff to get the doors open. We grew from there – year on year working on making quality products and providing great customer service to the Nimbin community and surrounds. I hope that is what people can remember the bakery for. Just in the months before Covid hit, we’d kind of gotten to the point where we thought we'd probably done as much as we could do and so we listed the business for sale. Then about three months after we listed it, the pandemic started. I didn't hold much hope of a sale while the pandemic was on. We had good support from the government and amazing support from the local community in Nimbin during Covid. We were lucky that we were an essential business so we were able to keep trading and government support helped us pay all the staff and keep the doors open. We learned some very important stuff in Covid, but we most importantly learned how to do things a bit more efficiently. We learnt that we weren’t really a cafe so we didn't need as many seats for people to sit down because we were more a fast food place. We had some basic seating but we didn’t have the floor space or the footpaths to work with. We came out the other side of it. A couple of months ago, Tiarra who used to work for me approached me and said they wanted to buy the bakery. Not only did she have experience from working with us, but her husband Clinton had worked in the bakery side at Woolworths for many years. We officially handed it over on the first of March 2024, and now I hope that they’re able to enjoy running this business I love so much. Trish’s parents as well, Bill and Nancy, should be definitely acknowledged because they were an amazing help with us.Bill, despite being retired, would always help us out with slicing the bread every morning and checking in on everything from time to time. Despite him once being the owner, he never put too much pressure on us. He was an amazing presence, but only fully retired two years ago from being a bus driver. We wanted to support the community as well with as many charity things and looking after people following the floods. Whenever there was a decent flood, the community gets isolated. We’d make up bread for everyone and keep the community fed.During the bushfires in 2019 too we supported a lot of people who were losing houses, particularly in the communes up in the hills near where we were. We were feeding the RFS for a good period as well. Nimbin is a great community and we have very much enjoyed our time there. I’m not sure what is next, but I am very much looking forward to visiting our son Dylan in London in July this year. 

Pretty much from when I learnt how to talk I wanted to be a hairdresser. I used to love going to the barber with my dad and brothers and seeing the whole process and the business. I always wanted him to just cut my hair then and there but because he was a barber, he obviously never cut female hair. From then I always wanted to be a hairdresser.I went through school here in Lismore and then when I started year 11 began attending TAFE and began my Cert II course in hairdressing. Eventually after that, I decided to leave school and then get an apprenticeship here in town at an old hair salon in Lismore Central. After I completed my apprenticeship there, I began working at a hair retail store in the Lismore Square. It was a great taste for me working in haircare with cutting, dying and the retail aspect of it as well. I was able to understand how different products worked with each hair type and I got an understanding of the process which did eventually help me with opening Cut Loose later on in 2019. They never reopened after the flood, despite it being one of the only places in Lismore that easily sold hair products for all different kinds of hair. From there, I went to Stephanie Hair Design in the Warina Walk Arcade around the corner from where we are now. I was there for nine years, then I moved to Cannes for 12 months. It wasn’t a change that I viewed as permanent at all, I just wanted a change of scenery and to do something different, cause I always knew I wanted to come back and fulfil my dreams of opening my own salon here in Lismore. After that period of time, I came back and bought Cut Loose at 125 Keen Street in 2019.Just under a year after I opened I was forced by the government to shut up during COVID. They brought in a lot of restrictions and regulations at the beginning of the lockdowns to ensure that people still had access to essential things like haircuts. However, we were only allowed one person in here for half an hour at a time. Now, with lady's hair it obviously takes longer than half an hour with colouring and other processes. So, therefore, I was pretty much forced to shut up shop. With all the lockdowns and things I closed but I opened up an online store where I was still selling products. That way, my clients were still able to access the essential products they needed for their hair and other things I was delivering locally to people’s houses. I also set up a day initially where people could come into the store in town and send me a message and I’d happily package it up and pass it out to them very carefully. I ensured that there was minimal contact and even some people that didn't want to come in contact, I'd set it out the door when I could see them coming I’d place it out the door and then they’d come and pick it up, we managed that way. I was able to get myself through the pandemic through that, but I was patiently waiting for the restrictions to end so I could have all of my clients back in the salon and back to business as usual. I think we had two or three lockdowns in Lismore during COVID, so in my first three years of owning the business since 2019, I hadn't even done a full 12 months of trade. After the lockdowns, then came the flood. The flood was devastating. I actually had to walk through flood water to get back here in the store to assess the damage, considering we are right on Keen Street. I can't remember if it was the Tuesday or the Wednesday after the flood, but I was ankle-deep in the water trying to get my way in here. The initial opening of the door and seeing that everything was trashed and covered in mud was absolutely devastating for me. All of my hard work of my new business, especially after COVID, just gone in an instant. I said to myself at the start of the process, I can't do this. Probably for a good couple of weeks after February 28th, I had it in my mind that I was done and that I wasn't coming back, I couldn’t. There was no coming back from it. After that, I thought about it. I opened a temporary salon just at my house so that I could continue to do people's hair and to make them feel better after something so traumatic. I had a lot of clients reaching out to me who went through the flood themselves and lost their home wanting to come and get their hair done so then they could still feel nice about something. I decided to open up from home until I rebuilt the salon downtown. Initially, I had the thought that I was going to move away, like a lot of people thought in those first few weeks from the shock, and do a lot of things that went through my head. The main thing that truly kept me here in town and in the CBD was that without Lismore I don't have a business. My entire career has been here, and this town helped me go from a small store with just myself doing hair, to what it is today. Coming back after the flood was a no brainer really.My main reason for branching out into the products was to definitely give back to the Lismore community. Everybody lost so much in the flood and there was a predominant hole in the market for hair care here after the closing of the other retail suppliers after the flood. I had a lot of people coming in not wanting to go to supermarkets and things like that to buy their hair care because it tends not to be the best quality compared to the high-end products that we sell here in stores from our suppliers. After the flood I was ordering things individually based on recommendations from people, but then decided why not just get everything in and people have a one-stop shop? I did a lot of research on a lot of the brands before I added them in-store. I want to highlight the industry here in Australia and remain local, so a lot of my brands are Australian owned and I wanted to stick with more of that. I do have a few overseas companies that I use, but I was pretty much just getting what I thought would help people in this hot and humid climate with different products. I cater for all different types of hair, colours, lengths and textures and all things like that. From there I just started contacting different companies and organising meetings so I could hopefully begin selling their products. We still have reps come in monthly from each brand. So it's pretty full on but Deb, that works here with me, she handles a lot of it for me too which is amazing. I just want to thank the community for all of their support with the initial business, the rebuild and now with the current Cut Loose. Like I said, without Lismore I really wouldn't have a business. I'm just really grateful for everyone and hope that I’m able to give back in a small way to the greater community by offering these new services and having a one-stop shop for all your hair care needs. 

I was born here in Lismore in 1961 from a family who lived here for 6 generations, currently we have 4 generations of my family living in Lismore.I went to St Carthage's Primary School, then went on to Marist Brothers High School which is now Trinity. My great-grandfather immigrated from Ireland and landed in Sydney in the early 1880’s, he moved to Nashua on the Northern Rivers to help build a sugar mill for Tooheys Brewery. On completion of the Sugar Mill construction he worked on the construction of St Carthage's cathedral and he then became a ferry master working on the ferries in South Gundurimba.  I completed my schooling in 1977 and began an apprenticeship as a boilermaker at Jason Fabrications in South Lismore. I enjoyed my trade and did well with my studies.In 1983 I applied for a Teaching position with TAFE NSW and was successful and was offered a position at Granville TAFE. At the time I was the youngest engineering trades teacher that had been employed in the Engineering Trades area. I completed my Teaching degree at Charles Sturt University.I worked at several colleges including Granville, Taree, Lismore, Casino and Coffs Harbour. Most of my working life was in Coffs Harbour and I semi-retired roughly 18 months ago. I was more or less doing that until I turned 60. Even back in 2009, I was actually awarded the Director General's Award for Excellent Service, Education and Training which was a great honour. It was nice to be recognised after almost a 40-year career in the industry. I still have the award here with me at home. (David receiving his education award in 2009)I was involved with WorldSkills Australia, both as a national judge, mentor and coach. Worldskills is about finding the best apprentice in each trade in Australia and then having our best compete with nations from all over the world at the World Skills Olympics. I have been fortunate to coach and mentor an Australian Champion.I had a great and amazing career with TAFE which I loved every day, however, I’ve spent the last 15 years in a more consultancy role. In terms of my time in public and community service, it started while we were living in Coffs Harbour and I was a part of APEX. I was president of the club there and it was really a great experience working with the young people there before moving back to the Lismore Area. Hockey has been a big part of our lives. I have played and coached for much of my life, including coaching NSW school boys teams and many years in mens, womens and junior teams. I have also represented NSW at Veterans.Our move back to the Northern Rivers came after both my wife Robyn's father and my father became ill. We just really wanted to come home to care for them and be there as a support. My parents Valmai and Steve had been living in their house in Gundurimba for years so coming back home was a great way to be with them.When we moved back, we joined the Rotary Club of Ballina at Richmond around 10 years ago. It was a really great way for Robyn and I to be active in the community and really contribute back to such an amazing area.After nine years of being active in the club, I became president of the area from 2019 to 2021. In that time period, I really wanted to transform the club, and that's what we did by becoming much more connected with social justice causes.I had a personal circumstance where someone I knew was murdered by their partner in a domestic violence situation. When I was at their funeral and the memorial service, I knew that being the incoming president at the time, I wanted to make our area a safer place for women so they would not be living in fear even in their own homes. We started the Say NO to Domestic & Family Violence and YES to Respectful Relationships campaign to shed light on this. From that small beginning in 2019, we went from a small club project to a rotary district project and then last year it was adopted in 16 countries with 30,000 Rotarians across 1,300 rotary clubs! We even were able to launch it at Parliament House last year, which was the first time in Australia that a campaign from the club had been launched there. That is impressive for our small area.I've been able, through Superintendent Scott Tanner at the Lismore Police Station, to form a really good working relationship with him in combating domestic violence.(David with Superintendent Scott Tanner at the Lismore station)He and I were able to form a partnership between Rotary New South Wales and New South Wales Police. It’s really allowing this campaign to get ready to partner with all police jurisdictions throughout Australia. It’s a great way to get rotary working in the community with all the different agencies to raise awareness and educate the community about domestic and family violence. We have a prevention strategy to raise awareness within the community and also educate their community what's going on. We do that through having big community walks and other activities in towns and then we work with an education program in schools called LoveBites. It’s a program that helps teach primary kids and secondary kids all across the country about respectful relationships and how to recognise and have them. Our Rotary Club here in Ballina, helps fund that and Robyn coordinates it on the Northern Rivers.So that's been a really big mountain of work for the last six years, but we're really getting to see really big results now. One of the most recognisable things from our campaign is definitely our purple shirts. We have what's called Purple Friday and around 90 businesses in Ballina and several in Lismore participating as well as the City Councils. It's starting to get out a bit more widely.We have Adelaide now where a lot of businesses are doing it. The Cherry Street Bowling Club, they're the ones that enabled us to get out and give away roughly 1000 shirts for free to businesses, after we did a club grant with them for $25,000 for free shirts.(On a Stop Domestic Violence march in Ballina)Every Friday, you'll see those shirts which allow great recognition of the cause and give victims the confidence to go to the police to notify them if they are ever going through any situations involving domestic violence, and reduce bystander behaviour.Currently, I am the District Governor for the Rotary District 9640, which comprises 58 rotary clubs spanning from the Gold Coast in the north, to Grafton in the south. Sadly it is a role with only a one-year placement, which I’m currently halfway through, ending in July. But I hope that I’ve been able to make a real difference with my position, leaving it in a better place than when I came in.It was a bit of a natural progression after being president for two years in our rotary club. When I started we had 33 members and by the time I finished after two years as president, we had 76. Part of this attraction to members was what we're doing as a community by working with social justice causes. A lot of people were very interested to come and work with us because of what difference they’re able to make. I was asked when the time came around by everyone, why don't you look at being a governor and take your story further? That really encouraged me, so I put my hand up and nearly three years of training later I was in the role.What that enabled me to do was take our cause to the next level and by being a governor, I was able to present a proposal to the other 19 governors in Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands. I presented to them that we all adopt the say no to domestic violence as a campaign and cause and they all agreed and was the first time in over 30 years there was a unanimous agreement. Being governor enabled me to do that and I’m so grateful for my position.I travel to every club when I can. It's a bit like having a business and you have 60 franchises and you have to manage them and do all the governance, insurances and all the work that goes with a franchise.My wife Robyn and I met socially when I was around 20 and she was 17. She came with me to Sydney when I don't think we were engaged. When I was able to get a transfer back to the north coast, we eventually got married in 1984 and have been together ever since.(Robyn and David together for 43 years)She is an Assistant Principal with behaviour and learning based in Ballina. She's a Rotarian herself and all of this work we’ve done is very much a team effort with her and I with the domestic violence campaign.Mental health is a big area we both work on. We ran a big health symposium here after the floods. We were very concerned about the mental health of the Northern Rivers and it’s still not in a good space. In COVID, we worked with a local restaurant to give away free meals to those who couldn't afford food for their families, but also women and children escaping domestic violence. They're really the passions we have. Rotary is an amazing organisation and it’s the biggest of its kind in the world. We were founded in Chicago in 1905 and have 1.2 million members around the world in 221 countries.We are a humanitarian organisation that's very much connected with helping those who need help and being a voice for those who don't have one. I’m so grateful for the change I’ve been able to make not only in our club and area, but Rotary Australia as a whole.I hope that for the rest of my term as District Governor ending in July, and for years to come, I can continue to make a difference for the Northern Rivers. 

Doug Blythe must have been born with two green thumbs. He has such a love for plants, gardening and creating native environments for the community to enjoy for most of his life. Lilly Harmon sat down with Doug to learn more of his story.I was born in the suburbia area of Melbourne, where I lived for the first 38 years of my life.I went to school in Melbourne and after I finished school, I started landscaping and now I'm in my 51st year of landscape gardening. I had always been interested in nature. I would definitely have described myself as a nature boy from a young child. I’d always be out in the garden and in the forests near where I’d lived just pottering around. I always loved the country and wanted to live out in the country, but couldn't figure out a way of doing it when I had just left school, so I ended up doing landscape gardening. I did an apprenticeship with another company down in Melbourne, and then began just working for myself down there for many years. At that time I met my wife and settled down and had four kids. I worked by myself for about 15 years and then left Melbourne and went and lived up north in the Kimberleys (W.A.) for around 3 years in 1990. We relocated the family out that way which was definitely a big change for all of us having to move to the complete opposite side of the nation.From there I did landscape gardening as well as farming and building, just a bit of everything. Then we all made the decision after a few years, to move to the Northern Rivers in Alstonville in 1993. It was my escape to the country that I had always dreamed of. We lived there until ultimately relocating 11 years ago to Goonellabah next to the Birdwing Butterfly Walking Track.At first, I tried working and doing landscaping by myself for a couple of years. Ultimately it didn't work out as well as when I was back down in Melbourne. I ended up getting a job at a nursery in Alstonville called Alstonville Tree Farm. I worked there for what ended up being about seven years. The owner not only had the nursery, but a big landscaping company so I did a lot of little tiny bits of landscaping for him while mostly working out day to day in the nursery. However, a friend of mine was out working at a place called Alpine that had just moved up here from Sydney in 2005. They were immensely successful down there and bought land up in Alstonville with the hopes to expand up north.They started building a fifty-acre nursery here and the person building it at the time wasn’t working out, and I knew they were searching for someone else to take up the role. My mate suggested it to me and I applied. After some chats with the owners, we agreed for me to continue the building. From there, we have had many expansions over the years and I’ve been here 18 years going strong.(14-year-old rainforest at Alpine Nursery)This is definitely the best nursery in Eastern Australia that I'd built for these people. It's currently a 65-acre nursery. Just looking at photos of it and of small areas truly doesn’t give it justice and the true feeling of what the place is like.The whole project took around 11 years, starting in 2005 and after many small increments and little projects, we had pretty much finished the majority of it in 2016. We’d design up and quote each project and then allocate the money for it. In between projects, I’d do a lot of maintenance and fix things up and all sorts of stuff. Also part of all that, we have the whole rainforest trail along the creek that runs through the middle of the nursery and I built the whole 2-acre rainforest there. Currently, it’s about 14 years old. That wasn’t a part of any of my work at the nursery, it was completely out of my own time and energy.It took about 4 years to complete working on it once a week, and I still do maintenance on it. The people who owned the nursery didn’t see any potential in the rainforest, as they couldn’t see themselves making any money from it. I knew how much potential it had so I took over the land voluntarily and made it into what it is today on my own.This nursery actually changed hands about five years ago, and they ended up buying 50 acres next door. There are plans in the works right now to build another 50-acre nursery here for these people. One day somewhere down the track it will end up being a 100-acre nursery.There are about 36 people that work here at the moment. But I just work on my own or they might give me one other person to work with me. That’s just because I don't actually have anything to do with growing the plants here in the nursery. I do building and rebuilding of things. At the moment, I'm pulling one section apart and then rebuilding it on the nursery. I end up doing a lot of things like that. After the major construction of the nursery ended, I ended up doing a few projects here and there. I worked with some of my kids who had bought houses wanting different things built and landscaping to be done. Then when I got all that out of the way, I thought okay, now it's time to do it on public land. One thing I’ve noted over the years of doing landscaping work for private people. You can go in and do a landscaping job for somebody and then a couple of years later they sell it up, and then new people come in and it all just gets bulldozed and all the trees get cut down to be redone. Everything sort of goes back to what it was like before you went in with all the hard work. I thought, now I'm sick of watching it all just get wrecked after a while. So I prefer to just do it on public land where it's going to stay there for a lot of years. That's when I really started working with the Goonellabah Tucki Landcare around 7 years ago. My wife and I moved to a different place in Goonellabah where the Butterfly Walking Track was, so I had great easy access and I could just work on the Landcare there. I joined that about seven and a half years ago. At the time, it was a lady and a couple of old guys that did it.We met once a month for about an hour or something and I just said to them, this isn’t good enough. We were never going to change this place by doing that. We've really got to step it up and make a difference around here! I started working all day every Saturday on the trail.Over in the nursery in Alstonville, they allowed me 500 square metres of space out there where I could grow trees for Landcare which is amazing. The people who own it, they're sort of on board with that and they sponsor our Landcare as well.(Trees and plants growing at the Alpine Nursery area dedicated to the Goonellabah Tucki Landcare.)Since I've got the space out here to grow the trees and what we do, our style of Landcare is totally different than probably any other Landcare group in Australia. I also think it comes about because of my landscape gardening background which changes our approach. I like to grow trees to a really good size before we plant them out in the bush. Most Landcare groups will plant little tiny seedlings and little trees around 200 millimetres in what we call tubes. We don't plant anything in tubes at all at the park. We bring them here to where I work at Alpine and then we repot them into bigger pots and grow them much bigger.So we're trying to plant trees that are already a metre high. That probably takes 12 months to grow them from tubes at the nursery to be able to transfer them into the ground. We’re sitting at about 99% success rate with all our plants, so you can definitely say our approach is successful. That means that when we do little projects in Goonellabah, the people actually notice and it really makes a difference pretty quickly.After I joined, the president ended up stepping down and then I took the role. I've been the president for probably about five or so years now. We’ve had a couple of guys join me since then and it’s been great, and they're pretty keen about it too. I've been teaching them a lot about how to care for the area, and different forms of labour. (12-month-old planting Bretmark Court, Goonellabah, adjacent to Tucki Creek)One guy in particular is my Secretary Treasurer, Shaen Springall. He works full-time as a nurse at the hospital. He saw me and another guy walking on the track one day talking about trees and he said something about the trees and the area, just asking how to be more involved. We said, well we're the Landcare group. He ended up wanting to join and in the four years since I've been teaching him a lot of stuff. He has been the fastest-learning person I've ever worked with in my life.There's a walking track that runs for about two kilometres along the creek, towards Holland Road. When I started working there, it was just a very weedy kind of area and a totally neglected wasteland that the council had put a bitumen walking track along. There was the occasional bridge across the creek but nothing else.I've been trying to teach these guys about getting rid of all these exotic weeds and trying to put this area back to the original forest that was here with all the Australian plants. We've killed hundreds and hundreds of canopy trees and maybe 50 pine trees. I have no idea what the number of weeds overall that we’ve killed and in some ways, we've got ourselves in a fair bit of trouble doing that. A lot of people freak out when they start seeing big trees dying. People that don't understand this stuff and don't understand our need to get rid of these plants to replace them with native ones that won’t impact the natural environment. Some people who do have some sort of understanding of what we're trying to do are just totally amazed by the amount of work that we've done there.Since I started seven years ago, we’ve probably had about 35,000 trees and plants go into the ground in that area. Just this year, Shaen and I were the joint winners for the environment award this year at the Australia Day Ceremony for our work with Landcare. A few different people nominated us for those awards after noticing our work in Goonellabah. It was an absolute honour for both of us, also having been nominated for the Services in the Community Individual Award. Shaen is just putting an absolute amazing effort in regard to this. He puts in way more time these days. We both work full time but I’m pretty wrecked after work and can’t do much. He's 15 years younger than me, so he seems to have a lot more energy. He's turned his whole backyard into a nursery where he just works on that religiously, maybe around 20 hours a week. It’s great because then we’re able to use that here in the park for Landcare because it’s basically a propagation nursery.(Shaen's Goonellabah Tucki Landcare propagation nursery in Goonellabah)A couple of weeks back he did a count of plants in his backyard and he had 12,000 plants in his backyard. Also, out in the nursery where I work where we've got space allocated to grow bigger trees, we have probably got about 8000 plants sitting out there at the moment. They’re all getting planted out in this financial year. So we’re pretty set up for the time being.We've just recently created a second Landcare group. It was like a sort of subgroup of us because they've got their name and group of people, but they come under us and we're still supplying all the plants to them. They are in Just Street, which is just below Oliver Avenue.They did a couple of projects there last year and we've set up three major projects for them this year. We also did a couple of projects there for ourselves last year in what's called Brettmark Court, which just runs off Just Street near there. We've got a lot of plans for this coming year with planting. We also have a great program set up with The Living School. They come in to help us out with planting and gardening during school time.We set up a planting area for them and Shaen will go and dig all the holes for them and they just put the plants in the ground. I can't be involved in those kinds of things because I'm at work at Alpine. I did do a couple of them last year though because usually when I take holidays from work I just work on Landcare. This year, we're planning to do holidays in May, where Shaen and I will just work every day and try and get a lot of trees in the ground. That's the sort of stuff I do both at the nursery and with Landcare. I’m immensely grateful for where I’m at and the land I’m able to work with.In the short span of 7 years, I feel like I’ve been able to give so much to the community who use the walking track. But also I’m so proud of how the nursery also turned out, being one of the best in the nation here in Alstonville.In reality, the park has got to get to sort of 10 years or more before it really starts to show up or make a difference from the work we’ve done. A lot of people have already noticed a lot of changes happening there and that's absolutely amazing. 

Kristy Saad has called the Northern Rivers home for most of her life, apart from a brief stint in North Queensland. She is one of Lismore's young entrepreneurs who has a passion for beauty operating two salons in the Lismore LGA, one in South Lismore and one in Goonellabah. Lilly Harmon sat down to learn about Kristy's life and how Affordable Beauty began.I lived in Woolgoolga for pretty much my whole life up till my teenage years around when I was 15. At that time my mum and dad separated which was a little bit difficult to deal with as a teenager, but I stayed with my mother for about 12 months. Then my mum and dad decided to get back together and they wanted a fresh start all the way up in Cairns so I spent the rest of my teenage years up there.I stayed until I was 19 and I had a few different jobs out there. KFC, Go-Lo, which back in the day was Crazy Clarkes as you would now call it.Then I met a boy and decided to move down to Airlie Beach, and within about 12 months of being at Airlie Beach, that particular partner and I split. Eventually, I found my husband. From there we had our first son up in Airlie Beach and that's where I started my beauty career at 19. I was actually trained as a nail tech. I had always loved nails, so when I moved to Airlie Beach there were a lot of hairdressing salons there but no nail techs. One of the salons realised I was a nail tech and they were like, would you like to come and work in our store and do nails? That was pretty much like my first break, and I started doing nails there. However, I was also working at a bar at the same time because obviously it wasn't enough to compensate for my wages. So nails by day and a barmaid by night. I loved what I did at the salon and they asked if I would like to move further into a beauty career because they could offer a Cert II in Beauty Services there. I was like, let's give it a go! I liked to do this kind of stuff but it wasn't something that I was really overly passionate about.When I was a kid, I really wanted to be a hairdresser. I used to braid my My Little Pony’s hair and everything. That's what I wanted to be but never got the break to do it. I took on this Cert II in Beauty Services and really loved it.I jumped out of that particular position when I completed it to move to another salon where they pretty much turned around and said you have full rein. The owner Robin, pretty much let me run the beauty side of things which was absolutely amazing. I was only 20 at the time.She had two salons, so she had one in a hairdressing salon but she also had another one that was like a day spa, that one would only open for the local resort. We had the lease agreement on it so that when the hotel patrons wanted a beauty service, they would contact us and they would send me to go unlock it and do the beauty service. So she basically gave me full rein and it was pretty amazing.She taught me so much because she had that much trust in me. I was selling retail and I was doing facials and some things that I didn't even know. I would pretty much just jump in and do it and the clients were always happy. It’s definitely one of the main things that inspired me to open my current shops. I fell pregnant with my son while I was still working for her. I had no care for my son, and I thought what can I do? So, what I did was I started a little mobile service and I called it 'I Care Mobile Beauty Services'.I would go to people's houses to do their waxing for them, and basic services. I’d pack up my nail table and everything like that and go to their house and do the services at their house. It got very difficult because obviously carrying around all this equipment is a lot but I kept doing that right up until I was ready to go back to work and I contacted Robin and she took me back.I pretty much finished up the rest of my time in Airlie Beach with her until my husband and I bought our first house down here in Lismore in 2005. My husband has a twin who lived in South Lismore so we wanted to be closer to him and his family, so that's how we ended up back down here.When I first got here, I couldn't find a job to save my life. It was really, really difficult and so I walked into the Commonwealth Bank one day, and I looked at the uniforms and I thought, jeez, these are fashionable uniforms. I'm gonna get a job here. So I did!I started working for the Commonwealth Bank and ended up being a customer service specialist. I'd help people deal with their personal loans and credit cards and all that stuff. It was a great job because you're interacting with real people and you're helping people so that was really awesome. I ended up at Casino for that particular role which was lovely because it was a small little country town and so nice compared to a larger area like Ballina and a different clientele baseWhile I was there, I fell pregnant with my daughter. I knew I couldn't keep this momentum working in the bank because it is a very high-pressure job. You're always thinking about your customers and what have you. I knew that having two children, it'd be too much. While I was at the Commonwealth Bank, and I was making reasonably good money, every week I would take a portion of my pay and buy a piece of beauty equipment. I did that all the way through my pregnancy, right until I finished up.When I got to about seven and a half months pregnant with my daughter and they had this big plague of whooping cough going around. Unfortunately, I got it and I was pregnant with her. That pretty much finished my career in the banking industry. I had my daughter and six months after she was born in 2009 I started the first Affordable Beauty, my current business from home. We had a two-story house in South Lismore, and my husband barricaded off a certain section underneath my house and made that into a little beauty room.As my daughter would have her day sleep, I would schedule clients in for then. I was very routine with my kids, it was like you go down 12 and you don't get back up into 2! So, I knew I had a two-hour window where I could put kids down and I could take on clients. I remember pushing my daughter in the pram when I’d take my son to school and drop him off, I would have leaflets that I would deliver around the area. Then after some time and more clients, I decided to grow my services so it wasn't just waxing and basic facials. I grew into microdermabrasion and I was doing full sets of nails. The original services that you had were just basically waxing, tinting and nails. That was pretty much the extent of it back then.When my husband saw the business kind of growing, he did an extension onto the house creating an extra bedroom and ensuite. Just below that he made me a proper beauty room. That was pretty amazing because it was an actual proper beauty room, not just a random one stuck under my house. That's definitely when things started to really kind of pick up.I would have clients every single day and my babies would be on the mat on the floor in the big patio area. I'd leave the kids on the mat with the dog and clients were like, they're gonna be okay? They absolutely were, my dog is so protective, they were fine.Then after about 2 years, there was the breaking point of having the business at home. My husband used to come around the side gate next to where the salon was after a long day of plumbing. You’d hear him take off his shoes, and walk under the house to the fridge and grab himself a beer. I remember I heard the cracking of the beer in the middle of doing a facial. I remember running out there one day and calling out, shush I’m doing a facial!!!. He looked at me and he just rolled his eyes saying you've got to get out of my house. He was so done. From there, we started looking for a place to call home for Affordable Beauty. I wanted to keep it in South Lismore because it was all about South Lismore. We decided there was a shopfront just next door to where the pharmacy was and I thought that was perfect and that's where my first salon ended up.I remember that first week of being there I was so petrified. I didn't even think I could make my rent. I was so scared. Before we moved in there, the home salon had about 10 clients a week so I kind of really took the plunge.I knew that there were no other salons in this area that could service the people of South Lismore. I thought with my people skills and my background from being a barmaid I can talk like a sailor but then in the next breath, I’m back to the Commonwealth Bank and could be super proper. I'm very broad, so I was able to really adapt to every person that came into the salon.The clientele was built reasonably fast. But I'll never forget that moment of like, oh my god, I'm not even going be able to pay my rent! My girlfriend rang me halfway through the day and she would say, have you made your rent? I just said, yes!Straight off the bat, that's where I really delved into microdermabrasion properly. We also began to offer teeth whitening and eyelash extensions. I really broadened it so that I would be a go-to variety salon where you get all your services. Now as for my other stores. I met my next-door neighbour where I lived in South Lismore. Her daughter-in-law Jamie was moving back from out of town. I'd never met her before but my neighbour said to me, you will absolutely love her and I'm like, okay, whatever. I did love her, she's like my best friend. Anyway, she started working with me at home because she was right next door. She learnt how to do treatments from me. When I opened the store down here, she would come in and she would help me out of the salon and try to do a day here and there. She soon realised she had a real passion for it, but I just didn't have enough work here for her. So I thought about it and asked myself where would another Affordable Beauty store be fantastic. Where would they need one? So I opened up the Ballina store in late 2011 to employ her so I could have her full-time.She's just one of those people where there's nothing not to love about her. I basically opened that for her and we had that salon for six years. She basically built it, ran it, and did everything.Then, I was randomly contacted by a Property Group in 2015, and said, we know your business and we’d really love you to move you into one of our shopping centres in Goonellabah.I always thought I wouldn't do that because there are a lot of restrictions when you move into shopping centres. You've got to follow certain criteria and that kind of thing. But then when I spoke to this particular lady, she said it's a village, we don't follow the same kind of protocols as shopping centres. That's when Goonellabah opened. At this stage, my husband said, when are you gonna stop? At this point, it was all becoming very big and I was taking a lot of risks. I had all three going and in that time, we had the 2017 flood. We lost a lot of my salon over here in South Lismore but we managed to salvage quite a lot of the equipment and everything because it only kind of came to thigh-high.With that particular flood as well, we pretty much were able to hose out the salon because all the walls were still intact, everything was still intact. We were up and running in around 5 days. We were so lucky in that sense that, as I said, it only got to sort of thigh-high and it wasn’t something that was able to stop us in our tracks too much.During COVID, it was really hard because unlike hairdressers, we were completely shut down. The way that we tried to deal with it was me and Jamie sat down one day and started making up these kits because a lot of clients still had acrylic nails on and needed other services. They wouldn't know how to get them off away from the salon.We offered pedicure and tinting kits, and things that would make people feel good that they could technically do themselves. I got a hold of my wholesale companies and made up a basic pedicure kit with clippers files, just basic stuff. They were keen to help and to keep us busy before we opened back up. We also sat there and we typed out all of the instructions to make sure that it was as clear as we possibly can for these points. Not only did it keep our minds busy, but it also felt good that we were still kind of a little bit out there. Later on, as with all businesses in Lismore, we had the 2022 flood. Like everybody's story, everything was gone. Now what I had to do with that particular scenario is I had full-time staff members based here in my salon in South Lismore that we had to send off to our other two salons.We had just purchased our current building in Union Street, and we bought it outright. On Casino Street where the old salon was, we were just renting. When the flood hit we were in the process of moving stores. However, when it did hit we just handed the keys over to the landlord at Casino Street and fully focused on Union Street.Nothing was saved. The front of the building on Union Street had entirely fallen out and shattered with the framework. In that time we kept all nine (9) staff members employed the whole time. I gave my husband a deadline of July 1 to reopen and bless his cotton socks he actually did have us ready by July 1. We were up and running within 5 months. We prioritised getting everything ready in here as quickly as possible, and it greatly paid off.When the South Lismore store reopened on July 1, funnily enough, we had made the decision to expand in Goonellabah, as it is a very small store. What I wanted to do is introduce different treatments that nobody has and I wanted to bring Jamie over from Ballina to Goonellabah because she was driving from South Lismore to Ballina every day for nearly five years.To make it worthwhile, I decided to go into infrared saunas and floatation therapy meditation pods to offer something completely different to what anybody else offers in Lismore. That July, I sold my Ballina salon on the same day that I opened South Lismore. So I managed to get Jamie back over here. A new owner took over Ballina and she turned it into her own beautiful little salon.After the flood, we have expanded to 11 employees, which is great for the business. In South Lismore, we added an infrared sauna and added a few more different treatments like hydrogen abrasion and digital photographic skin analysis.We are just about to take our annual trip for all our staff. I take all the staff to Angourie for two nights and we get massages and facials and those sorts of things. It's very nice having other people do it for you for a change. It's been a pretty full-on few years after COVID and the floods, now everything is starting to settle.I think this is where I'm stopping, as in I can live happily feeling like I am done. I’m managing such a, I mean to me, it's a big group. I've never managed that many girls before. It can be challenging but I feel really great about where we are and how we’re operating right now being able to service Lismore and play a part in the community.

Alyce Benson was born and bred in Lismore. She had a passion for sport and fitness that led to her buying her own gym in the CBD before the big flood almost ruined that dream. It has been a fight to get back to where Alyce wants to be but she is not one to give up. Lara Bell sat down to discover Alyce's life story.I was born in Lismore in 1987 and grew up here my whole life, Bentley, actually, which is 15 minutes from Lismore. My parents are still there to this day, so it's nice going back out there.Growing up here was fantastic because you've got the best of both worlds as far as living the country life but also the beaches aren't too far away. Growing up in a small town like this you know a lot of people, so it's nice to have lots of friends and networks.Growing up on the farm was fantastic with motorbikes and paddock bashers etc. Now I've got my own kids and they go out to the farm that we grew up on, and do the same thing as what we did. South Lismore was our primary school, then onto Lismore High. For my whole life, sports was a huge part of my world. Swimming was my biggest achievement. I went to Nationals many times, swimming breaststroke.(Alex Mills, Alyce Benson, Alex Hahn and Jessica Henshaw)I swam nine to ten times a week, year in, year out. It was a huge commitment and, you know, kudos to my parents (my dad mainly) getting up at 4am with me every day to take me swimming and then either mum or dad picking me up to take me back home. I did that from about the age of 12. I just loved it, it was something I was passionate about.I also played hockey from the age of 12. And I did that right through to the age of 18. And I also do little athletics in the offseason. I was a really good sprinter and a long jumper.When I was in year 12 I won the “Pierre De Coubertin Award” in recognition of my sporting achievements which are consistent with the aims of the Olympic movement. I was the only female in the state given the award that year. So yes - sport has been my whole life from a very young age. Growing up on the farm there was no such thing as iPads and technology. We were outside all the time, constantly active. Through high school, I was part of every sporting team that they offered. I loved helping coach the teams as well. And then take some of them onto state level. I just liked being fit and healthy really. I guess that's where owning the gym all started really - my passion for sport, fitness and being in that group environment. Pretty much the start of year 11 I knew what I wanted to do and that was work in a gym doing personal training group fitness.In 2005 I completed my HSC and then (the last day of my exams) I moved to the Gold Coast to study my Cert III and IV for fitness. I lived there for almost two years and I hated it. I'm not a city girl. But my twin brother was living there and my older brother was living there, so I moved in with them.Then I worked there for almost two years in gyms and that was sort of my start in the fitness industry.I loved it but hated the Gold Coast. So yeah, I moved back home to Lismore in early 2008. I bought my first house when I was 20 and renovated it and was doing that whilst working full time in a gym and here we are now, almost 18 years later, and I'm still doing what I had set out to do. But now, I own my own gym, which is what I've always wanted.I went and did my aqua aerobics and boxing course, I did a metafit and group fitness instructor course and that was all outside of my Cert III and IV training. I've also done a business diploma and a marketing diploma - that's all based around managerial work for the gym. So in the 18 years of working in gyms, I've been in management a lot of that time.I worked at GSAC for 11 years acting in managerial roles and, yeah, then Stepz Fitness opened and I started managing this gym.The owner lived in Sydney and from the get go, one of the first questions he asked me was ‘Would you ever want to own your own gym?’ And I was all for it. I guess, from when I started in August 2020 I always knew at some point, this would be mine, so I ran it like it was my own business. Even though I wasn't technically the owner, it was still my baby.It took a while to commit to buying the gym in the first place because, you know, the hesitancy of being in a flood zone. My husband was really worried about that. Making that decision and taking that leap of faith really wasn’t easy. On the 17th of February 2022 we officially took ownership and then 10 days later - disaster!(Stepz before and after February 28 2022)There had been floods before, but nothing to that extent. We actually made the call on the Saturday night, a couple of days before the flood, to start moving gym equipment. We always had a flood plan on paper, but until you put that into action, you've got no idea how long it takes you to move things.We started making calls to all your team members to ask ‘hey, who can come help us?’ so we had about 15 people helping us move stuff. We moved what we could but not everything could be moved. And then Sunday we came back and we were helping other shops move all their stuff as well. We decided to stay the night because we thought it was best to get in and wash any mud out early. So that's why we decided to stay and knowing that this is such a big building we felt we would be safe.We knew that it was going to be a big flood but no one knew it would be as bad as what it actually was. We thought personally that it was going to be a 13-metre flood. That's what we had prepared ourselves for.As the night progressed, we weren't sleeping because it was so loud, it sounded like a cyclone - I don't know how people slept through it. We were up worried all night.We were constantly coming back down here wondering what else we could do. The SES kept sending text messages out every couple of hours updating us just to what the new river heights was going be. As soon as it went from a 13-meter flood to 13.5 meters of flooding we thought ‘uh-oh, how high is the second floor?’ because that's where we (and all our equipment) was. So we got the tape measure out and discovered that it was 13.4 meters. So then it was kind of like, well, it's game over. Everything we put upstairs gets flooded anyway. What do you do? I think about 1.30 in the morning when the last text came through, and it was going to be around a 14.5 to 15-meter flood.At 2.30 in the morning, the water started coming through the shopping centre. And we watched it come through. An hour and a half is all it took to go from the ground floor to the second floor. We could hear everything being destroyed. I remember at one point I turned to Paul and I was sobbing… sorry, I’m still emotional! Talking about it just brings back memories. I can still remember that day, minute by minute, hour by hour exactly where the water was on each of those buildings. It's cemented into my brain.(Carrington Street on March 1 2022)The Centre Manager stayed the night with us, as well as my mum, a cleaner and a security guard. There were six of us that stayed there. They all came over and gave me a big hug and said, ‘Look, we need to get to the roof. Grab whatever supplies you have’. We had water, food, blankets. We carted stuff up a ladder, up to the roof.We had garbage bags as ponchos to try and protect us from the rain. We actually stayed under the plastic dome on top of the roof, so we had a bit of shelter from the rain. Watching it come into the centre was one thing - once we were up there, we could see everything. We were looking over at the motel and there were people stuck on the balcony, and they're all going ‘help us, how do we get off here?’We got rescued by a boat. Some friends came and got us and that was about 10.30 in the morning. So we'd been up on the roof for about four hours by then. A beautiful friend of ours put us up in her house for a few days. The kids were out with Paul’s parents.We don't have flood insurance it is too expensive. We got quoted $40,000 a year! Who can afford that? I don't think anyone in town can. So we only had stormwater insurance and I think because we stayed the night, and we had video evidence and photos of the initial stormwater that came through the centre, we were able to claim.We were very much one of the lucky ones really because so many people didn't get stormwater cover. And the shopping centre was very, very helpful and they helped pay for some of our fit-out as well. We've been really blessed by people helping out through my GoFundMe page as well, which all helped to get us back to where we are today. We couldn't have done it otherwise.You go from your highest of highs to your lowest of lows in such a short amount of time, and then stress runs your life. Where do we go from here? How do we rebuild? What can we salvage? What's gonna get tossed out? You know, how long is it gonna take to rebuild, if we do rebuild because it was huge?Paul was a lot more stressed than I was. He was adamant we were not coming back. He had his walls up. He works in garage doors. So he was going around and quoting all these families and businesses that have just been flood-affected themselves and seeing and hearing all the trauma. That was really hard for him. He couldn't escape because he had one week off work and then it was right back amongst it.I always tried to stay as positive as possible. I personally knew we were always going to rebuild. But it was a matter of how do we do this? Where do we get the finances? For the first four or five months, there was not knowing where the future was going to take us and what we were going to do.It wasn't till about yet six months after the flood that the insurance company got in contact with us and said that we had some money coming through. So that's when we could really start thinking about the positives and planning for the future.We were very blessed in finding a builder, Gary Rossington - an absolute legend. I found him a few months after the flood. I just happened to be at a cafe, and he was there hearing me talk to someone so he reached out to me and we stayed in contact the whole time.What made it easier for us to refit is that we went back to the initial suppliers who built the gym in the first place because it was only 18 months old at the time of the flood. So everything in here was brand new anyway. It was really easy to go back to them to say can you build me the exact same thing as what you built last time? Just don't bolt anything to the floor - I need everything on wheels! We've built back a lot better this time. So we are feeling really positive now we've rebuilt. Here we are now, 23 months post-flood. We've been back open now 11 months, and the gym is doing better than it ever was, even before the flood. So now I guess we’re really setting our eyes on what the future holds for the gym and where we can take it now that we've got past the initial rebuild phase and got it back to where we were membership-wise pre-flood. The next goal is to set sights on more members and growing the business to become better than ever. (Stepz just before its grand opening in August 2020)We can't dwell on the past. I’m not a negative person. I'm always a positive person. You just have to shake the bad stuff off. You can't live life dragging it around because that impacts not only you but other people too. People come here to Stepz, not just for physical changes, it's so much about their mental health. If I was not a positive person, then that would impact other people. I love what I do. I'm a social person.On a personal note - I first met my husband in high school. We were in the same grade, but Paul was pretty shy back then. We didn't talk too much. Five years after I finished school, we met each other again while he was training at the gym that I was working at and he was working on his shoulder as he just had shoulder surgery. We just got talking and then we started dating, then in 2011 we got engaged and then in the same year we got married.In 2012, we welcomed our little girl into the world, Amelia. She's now 11. Then in 2014, we welcomed our son Logan into the world.Having kids in your mid-20s is great - you're busy working but you also have a whole social life with them and can be super active. I have always wanted to be a mum but I also love my job, so trying to juggle both was always a hard task but we had both our parents helping us.Paul's mum and dad and my mum and dad helped us out from day one. That allowed me to go back to work very soon - I actually only had two weeks off with both our kids. I was casual at the time, so I didn’t have maternity leave benefits and I wanted to keep my position there. Even now both sets of grandparents help out on a weekly basis. They do that because they want to support us and they love us and they love spending time with their grandchildren. I know the kids absolutely love seeing grandparents (also because they get ice cream and slushies and endless lollies, hahaha!) They have the biggest smiles when they see their grandparents.Working full time with a family you have to be so organised. I like things to be tidy and routine. I like everything to be chill. So everything's got its place, everything’s organised, everything’s planned out weeks in advance. That's how I operate. I am currently working 40 hours a week. I do it all myself here - the planning, the marketing, the advertising, the cleaning. I don't have any help.I spend about two hours a day cleaning and many many hours each week attending to marketing. There are a lot of other small things that come into running the business. Sometimes I can switch off really easily and then other times I'll find myself on weekends, spending hours on the computer doing financials or business or planning, whatever it might be. But I try not to book myself out with PT sessions so that I have time to finish everything while I’m at work because when I leave here, I want to be a mum.I don't want to be a businesswoman and a mum clashing. I want to be present with my kids. So I try and leave work at work. If I could knock back a few hours so I can take the kids to sport and spend a bit more time with them, that would be great. That's something that I look forward to. I know that's in the foreseeable future and I’m working towards it. I know the kids would appreciate that too.I've always been a driven person. If I want something I usually go after it and I make it happen if it's something that I know will benefit me, my husband and our family in the future. I think, well, if someone else can do that, I know I can do it too. I guess with 18 years' worth of experience in the fitness industry, I know what I'm doing. I know how to run a business and to me, it's not hard.I don't get stressed. Everything's cruisy - I guess it comes back to being organised. Everything is planned and well-thought-out, usually weeks and months in advance for what's coming up.As far as what Stepz offers, we are a 24/7 gym, we offer over 18 classes a week. There's staff here 50 hours a week as well, who are super approachable, if people want to come in and have a chat, or if they need assistance or ask questions.You totally don't have to be fit. Anyone who signs up gets a free gym program. We do that so that everyone is feeling confident. They know how to use the machines safely and correctly. They can come in and do their own workout knowing that it's controlled and they know what weights how many sets and reps they're doing. That helps them relax and be more at ease and they don't feel intimidated. If someone's got an injury, you modify the exercise and give them something else to do. That way they still feel included.And that way everyone's doing something all at the same time but you cater for all age groups are fitness levels. We’ve also got an exercise physiologist, working near, his name's Lachlan. He is essentially full time running his business from here. We've got Johann, he's a personal trainer. He also runs his business from here and then Ashley who is a personal trainer and she also does classes.I love seeing people gradually getting into something new and seeing them blossom. That is the best thing.

Ned Cain has a passion for music which has led to him becoming one of Lismore's new young entrepreneurs, he is an accomplished motorcycle racer which led to him being named Lismore's Senior Sportsperson of the Year on Australia Day. Lilly Harmon sat down for a chat with Ned to find out his life story.I was born in Darwin, later moving to Lismore when I was a child, attending Wyrallah Road.I have been surrounded by music my whole life, and my parents were heavily into the punk scene in Sydney in the '80’s, so there’s no doubt it influenced me growing up. My dad was a drummer and played in a whole load of bands throughout his time, so there was always a drum kit in the house. I don’t necessarily remember learning how to play, because it has always just seemed to be an extension of myself.I played drums from as young as I can remember, continuing when I began high school at Lismore High and throughout my schooling, particularly in the elective music class early on (where I was always the drummer because I was the only one who knew how to play). I just kept on playing and it all went from there. I didn’t view it as a career until I was 19, when I started studying at the Lismore Conservatorium. Before this it was more of a hobby, but it was slowly evolving into a lifestyle.Around 2012 my friends and I started forming bands and from then I decided that drumming would be an amazing thing to do as both a job and to have fun! My primary driver for my current career was the passion I had for music.When I first started out at the conservatorium, I’d be practising for around three to four hours every day, behind the drum kit. I had the initial ambition of being a session drummer or touring with bands and I just kept thinking to myself, “I’d love to do this forever”.(Ned behind the drums) During my time at the conservatorium, I was in a band called Substation and we would write our songs alongside studying. In 2013 I won the Lismore male Young Songwriter of the Year for the band, with the song ‘Spooks of Hazard’ and that was a clear point where I realised my actual skill level and that I could take this dream further. The following two to three years after I won that award, I started playing in as many bands as I could so I could get the experience, exposure, and be active in the scene.As mentioned, my first band was called Substation, next were bands called The Snatchettes Fly Agaric, Raygun Mortlock, Jamhog and Fly Agaric More recently, I'm playing and touring in the bands Masochist and Dahlia. Being the drummer, you're the member of the band where it’s easier for the bandmates to come to you to rehearse because who wants to lug kit a drumkit around!? I was lucky that my parents lived in a place that didn't really have any neighbours and was in an area on its own.We set up a jam space in the kitchen in my parents’ house where the bands began to constantly rehearse. We were probably there two or three times a week just jamming, and it was loud! My poor parents had their kitchen overrun by instruments and the constant noise; even when they were cooking, they had to avoid leads. After a year or two of it, my dad finally got over it and decided it was time to build a studio for the bands. Initially, we built the studio just for us and our bands so that we had a dedicated place to rehearse, however, over time it began to evolve organically into the business it is today, Nedlands Studio. After some time of letting friends use the space and seeing the potential it had, we decided to open it as a commercially available rehearsal space for bands to come and book to rehearse. There is a high demand for rehearsal space in the area because there's so many local musicians and so little space for them to rehearse and record. Even during the COVID lockdown, we decided to build another studio to allow for more area and more opportunities for local artists, particularly when lockdowns were over, and the music scene would begin to come back.This time, we built it with a control booth which allowed it to have recording capabilities that artists could use. Yet again, initially, we just built that for ourselves to learn how to record and produce in-house without having to rely on external sources. It just so happened that when we'd finished the build, a producer and recording engineer friend of ours, Allen Peg, reached out to us. I had recorded a few albums with him as he had a studio in Corndale called Old Dog Studios, and he needed to relocate his recording gear, so I invited him to come and record out of the studio we’d just built.So now we've got the two rehearsal studios, one of which is a recording studio where Al Pegg from Old Dog Productions operates from. If bands need, everything can be done in-house from recording to production. A highlight of running the studio is being able to organise the Nedlands Studio end-of-year party where we showcase a music line-up of local bands that have been rehearsing in the studio that year. It has been steadily growing for 10 years now from what started as a small party at our house to an all ages 1-day mini music festival in Lismore. After COVID, the 2022 Lismore flood came around. The rehearsal studios were actually fine because they are high up on a hill over in North Lismore. However, the other part of my business, the screen printing aspect was destroyed. I'm operating that from a studio under my house which all went under, with the help of the community we rebuilt, replaced everything and got back to printing as soon as we could. The screen printing side of the business stemmed from the idea of bands being able to use us as a central hub. We wanted to be able to screenprint merchandise for our own bands individually, which then expanded to other bands.(Ned (right) selling his I Back Lismore t-shirts on Magellan Street)It allows artists to sell merchandise and t-shirts at shows, which is a great way of connecting with fans and the audience. My parents being punks in the 80s, they were screen printing all their own T-shirts and posters at the time. So, when it came time, Dad showed us how to create our own silk screens and expose them and then print our own designs onto T-shirts. The screenprinting side continued growing and is now a fully-fledged commercial part of the Nedlands Studio business, expanding outside the music scene to numerous other industries and productions.We have screenprinted for a lot of local businesses in Lismore. Notably, if you went to the Lismore Show, chances are you got a bag that we hand screen printed with the I Back Lismore campaign, we screen printed 10,000 of those before the show as well as the shirts and you may have screen printed a Lismore design with us at one of our pop-ups for the Lismore delights over the last 2 years. We also have a big focus on printing sustainably, so we only partner with ink brands that are sustainable. The brand we use, Permaset - all their inks are produced through 100% renewable energy and they're all water based and environmentally friendly. Ideally, I view our space as a place for bands to come and record, rehearse, produce and print merch all in one place. More recently I have been pursuing my other passion – Motorcycle Racing.I have been quite passionate about motorbike racing all throughout my life. Growing up Dad always had motorbikes and religiously watched motorcycle racing. Along with drumming, that was another thing that really rubbed off on me and I became infatuated with motor vehicles.I always wanted to race go-karts as a kid, but we couldn’t afford it. It wasn’t until I had a pretty bad motorcycle accident on the road at 27 that I decided to buy a race bike and take my need for speed to a safer environment on the track.My first year I crashed a lot learning and in my third year, I won the NSW State Titles for Short Course Road Racing. Last year I won the NSW State Titles for a second time, and I also raced in the QLD Southern Downs Series in Formula 4, winning the championship in my first year. I also won some 4-hour endurance racing events at the Pheasantwood circuit in Marulan racing against (and beating) 2 x World Superbike Champion Troy Corser who I'd watched race on TV as a kid with dad. This year I plan to compete in the NSW Short Course Road Racing State Titles with North Coast Road Racers, the QLD Southern Downs Series, the QLD Road Racing Championship, the OZ BEARS Championship and endurance racing events at Pheasantwood.Just this past week, I was nominated and selected as Lismore’s Senior Sportsperson of the Year at the 2024 Australia Day ceremony. It was a great honour.  I feel really lucky to have a huge support network of family and friends in this area that has allowed me the opportunity to pursue all my passions and I really want to give that support back wherever I can whether it’s through helping expose screens for people looking to start screen printing at home, organising live music events & gigs, motorcycle coaching for my club North Coast Road Racers or just going out to support as many venues and live music as possible.I love being able to call this beautiful area home.

Lisa Lamarre owns La Trouvaille, a French-inspired gift shop in the Star Court Arcade on Molesworth Street and has a timber farm. Lisa has lived all over the world and has an amazing life story which she tells to Lilly Harmon.I was born in Casino in 1967, to a registered nurse and a young detective who both worked in the area, and had themselves been born in Mudgee/Gulgong. We lived in a little house in Clay Avenue near the railway - I went back recently to see it from the street and it is exactly the same 50 years later - neat, untouched and suffused with black and white memories of another life.We moved to Sydney in 1971, by which stage I had a brother and sister, and settled in Castle Hill, which at the time was still the edge of a sprawling rural community.Dad went back to work as a Detective Sergeant around inner Sydney and mum worked her way up to managing a nursing home. Life was filled with schoolmates, push bikes and swimming carnivals, and later our after-school jobs at the local McDonalds. I still have lifelong friends from my time there.The big bad 80s hit, and with it the “recession we had to have”. Dad had quit the force early, probably with PTSD, after too many years of infamous names and cases which regularly made the nightly news (and later, TV productions). Our dinner table conversations were regularly peppered with what were to become the worst names in criminal history. He chose to switch to work as a developer. Unfortunately, timing and a series of events during this chapter would result in the end of our life as we knew it, and saw us lose our home and just about everything else.As teenagers, my sister and I were suddenly the architects of our own futures. I was lucky enough to get myself qualified as a draftswoman, switching from full-time to night study through the help of a very kind lecturer, and worked for surveyors in Liverpool in the meantime.Sydney in the 80s - what a riot of big hair and shoulder pads, rock bands in pubs, MTV, and getting everywhere on red rattlers until we could afford our first jalopies. Mine was a Datsun 180B, bright orange… and probably still being driven.Eventually, in ‘87 I made my way to Canberra as a 20-year-old and settled into contract work with the Dept of Housing & Construction, which would see a number of name changes over the four years I lived there. I loved it. Design work was still done on the drawing board with pen and ink and I’m grateful for those skills; we worked fast and hard and everyone had their own style. Friday nights at the Contented Soul in Woden were always packed with architects, engineers and drafties.Most design work is now done via sophisticated CAD packages. I’ve been lucky enough to experience this whole sea change in my lifetime and have worked right across the spectrum - as a user, administrator and customiser. Now CAD figures largely in my own business.1991 saw me back in Sydney working for a project north of Newcastle - Tomago Aluminum. The joint venture on the potline expansion involved a Montreal based EPCM (Engineering, Procurement, Construction & Management) firm, SNC-Lavalin.Our office in St Leonards housed almost 200 people, including a bunch of young French-speaking expats. I think this is one of the best projects I’ve ever been involved with; they really were the glory days and I’ll miss the camaraderie and friendships we took from that one. I also met a young Canadian engineer from Quebec, Michel, whom I later married - once we got across each other’s languages. He had way more success with English than I did with French!Fast forward to 1993 and we were transferred to South Africa for another aluminium project in Richards Bay. South Africa would figure largely in our futures as expats. We saw the first democratic elections held in 1994 and the rugby World Cup - later the subject of the movie Invictus.We married near Howick, in the southern highlands in 1995, in a tiny settler church close to where Nelson Mandela had been arrested before his long incarceration. There is a beautiful sculpture there now but back then it was just a small stone marker. During our second assignment there from late 1999, both our kids were born in Johannesburg. A further project in Mozambique, which was emerging from civil war and then the horrendous floods of early 2000, really was sobering.We lived in a compound, drinking water was supplied by trucks and crime was rampant as the country dealt with the complete collapse of infrastructure. Furthering the misery of the population, who already dealt with TB and staggeringly high AIDS rates, came an onslaught of Cholera, Typhoid, Dysentery and Malarial Meningitis thanks to the floods.I could write a whole book about that experience, like watching the Sydney 2000 Olympics with friends and colleagues thanks to an old generator that kept cutting out. Grocery trips took all day through bombed and potholed streets and you always carried mosquito repellent. De-mining was commonplace.In the middle of this, a figure familiar to anyone on the planet happened to wander onto the project site (a feat in itself considering it was protected by razor wire and AK47s…) The guards simply melted away, whispering “Madiba…” none other than Nelson Mandela himself had casually wandered in to check out this project which employed 9,000 people and was the greatest economic boost to the country since the war, doubling its GDP.His third wife, Graca, was Mozambican herself and the widow of its president, and Nelson was all about getting across what was happening there. Of course, heads nearly fell off their shoulders and Michel was lucky enough to spend a good hour with both of them in the project office. Great memories.Another four years in Brisbane and then seven years in Canada followed. We had lived in Quebec (Montreal) right across to Toronto and finally Kitimat, northern British Columbia. All that time we maintained a home we had built by the St-Maurice river in Quebec… somewhere to come home to between projects, hang with Michel’s family, spend the summers fishing and boating, and messing around on the wharf into the long Canadian summer evenings. Christmas was always deep white snow and a roaring open fire. It was perfect. We only recently sold it.Kitimat, far north of Vancouver and home of the grizzly bear and salmon runs, proved to be our last project as expats and ended in 2014. Our time there was unforgettable; I joined the dragon boating team for a while and we would train in the frigid Douglas channel with the osprey and seals.Since there’s not a lot for young people up there and winters are long and deep, they’re either ice hockey players or swimmers - or both. Our kids elected to swim, and our lives became about training, swim meets away and the inevitable partying with parents while we all hollered from the pool deck. We had the time of our lives and the kids benefitted from brilliant coaching. We returned to Brisbane where our kids finished school and I started a jewellery business (OXUS) with my sister. It has pride of place in my shop and was the reason I went into retail in Lismore in the first place. The original idea was to rent a small space from where I could design, work, assemble and sell once we relocated permanently from Brisbane to our timber farm, which we had bought years prior.Our trajectory was severely truncated with Michel, who by then had his own startup in machine intelligence (MOVUS) suffering a massive stroke in 2017.As he was always super fit and handling six things at once, this brought all of us screeching to a stop as our daughter finished year 12 and son year 10. None of us (including neurologists who witnessed his struggle firsthand) are really sure how he survived, given the assault on his brain and body, however, seven years on he has proven quite the medical marvel. From almost sedentary in a wheelchair he now walks, drives, cycles, speaks two languages fluently again, takes on consulting work, manages a timber plantation and is back to the bossy Frenchman we know.Our kids have moved on to their own lives now - daughter Vanessa with a hybrid of Architectural Engineering in Adelaide and son Gabriel an Industrial Designer… no surprise really given our backgrounds. I managed to study off campus with Deakin Uni over the years and this has underpinned my work with my jewellery business, which we started over a couple of margaritas on the Sunshine Coast on our return from projects.By 2019 we settled permanently at the farm while Michel continued his recovery and I started thinking about what direction to go in next. The two shops that were to become La Trouvaille popped up for sale and for some reason, I swung from renting to buying. By mid-2021 we had completed the refit and I’d started sourcing other brands to fill a space that was suddenly a whole lot larger than I’d planned on. Epic timing, of course. We all had our flood plans, didn’t we….…And the skull in my branding? A watercolour memory of Dad taking us to an abandoned circus site when I was about 10. I found an old, dried-up steer skull amongst the stones and dry grass patches and had to have it. Dragged it home, painted it in rainbow colours and took it to school for show and tell. It languished in a cupboard until the end of the school year when a frustrated teacher asked me to please take it home.I thought it was just the best thing I’d ever owned, a chance encounter with something wonderful… which is the meaning of La Trouvaille. All I need to do now is paint my sign in rainbow colours for next year’s Fruits.Dad passed in Feb 2022. My parents lived in Dunedoo and it was becoming clear that mum could not be on her own, so we moved her here with us as the rain pounded down. She arrived here on the 25th and three days later we made history for terrible reasons. What we could salvage, clean, restore and offer in my flood sale essentially helped me get back into business. I also learned which brands are indestructible.The shop has been rebuilt floodproof (well, except for the plaster ceilings, which I couldn’t live without). Even the beautiful dome chandeliers survived their mud bath; I painstakingly restored them and had them rehung.Meanwhile, Michel got to work organising for the arcade to be refit; since it’s common area it came down to the shop owners themselves to finance the arcade reconstruction. He did the work pro bono and assembled an amazing team of local professionals who just got it done. I’m so proud of all of them, and my good friend Ian, who was instrumental in pulling my precious shop back together.People ask me about the little stuffed bear in a cloche, high above my head on the top shelf of my shop. His name is McMuddy. He belonged to a collection of Canadian Christmas pieces I owned and which we stored in a second shop in the arcade. Not high enough, sadly.When the floods hit and the cleanup was underway, I wandered into the street, still shell-shocked I guess, and looked down into the gutter which had been swept several times by Bobcats. I’ve often said it’s funny what brings you undone. Laying there on his back, stuffing poking out of his head, one eye clouded in dry debris and looking utterly miserable, was my tiny little bear.I cracked, I don’t mind telling you.I brought him in and sat him on a ruined shelf, took a picture and for some reason posted it. In short order a friend advised that he had already made the news; his photograph had been taken in the gutter before I found him. I’m not particularly sentimental but he became our mascot - McMuddy had a good soapy bath and found his way with us to trivia nights and parties, then sat around on scaffolding and window ledges as the new fitout progressed.One day soon I’ll design a little tattoo of him flopped over a stitched-up scar on my shoulder, to remind us we survived it.What’s next? To tell you the truth, my retail career was never intended to be a long one. Of course, the devastation wrought on our town has had personal implications too. I’m close to retirement and I have a farm and a jewellery business to run, so not planning on stopping work but will, before too long, shrink my operation in town and take some time out.Art, drawing, design, and manufacturing are my first loves. Sourcing beautiful items from Australia and around the world has been an unmitigated joy, fuelled by the enthusiasm and interest people have shown for their stories and their uses. But I look forward to eventually wandering down to my workshop at the farm, dreaming up a timber and resin piece, designing a silver cuff, or messing around on the lathe with my son.We’ll see.

Noel Field has lived in Lismore for almost 65 years and that measure alone ‘almost’ satisfies the high benchmark to be considered a local? Fieldsy, is well known in sporting circles, most notably soccer, in addition to golf and cricket and his affable manner endears him to a countless number of people, as being a true Lismore identity. Rarely short of a word and even more rarely seen wearing long pants, the most obvious things about Fieldsy include that he is both a jovial character and a great bloke. This is a snippet of the Noel John Field story; EARLY LIFENoel Field was born in Lismore Base Hospital on the 16th of October 1959, and his connection with Lismore has remained firmly entrenched ever since. Noel (senior) and Joan Field raised young Noel, his older sister Cathy and younger sibling Sue, from the family home in Union Street South Lismore, with the Field family being like most in this community in the sixties, where money was not plentiful.Noel (senior) worked at Jason Steelworks and Joan found work at various places, including iconic South Lismore business, Bowen Pies. Mr and Mrs Field were working class people from a staunchly proud part of the relatively small community of South Lismore and this is where the sound foundations for life were set to raise their family. Noel (senior) passed away in 2010 after enjoying a well-earned retirement for 14 years and he is remembered with great fondness. Joan is now 91 years young and is said to be in good health and sharp of mind. SCHOOL DAYS Primary school for Noel was spent at Our Lady Help of Christians, South Lismore (of course) and Noel’s memories are not from classroom pursuits, but consumed by the many thousands of hours spent kicking a soccer ball around the playground.Being in a classroom did not resonate with Noel and he often says that there are few things that he has learned in his life that were ‘read’ from a book? He recalls a teacher (Sister Miriam) from those days expressing some frustration about efforts to prompt young Noel to concentrate on anything remotely aligned to reading, writing or arithmetic.Noel did however have an extraordinary memory and the day that he recited a complex numerical puzzle, Sister Miriam expressed interest (even hope) that young Noel was not a complete lost cause as a student?High School saw Noel head to Richmond River, but academic goals did not rate on Noel’s bucket list, so it was inevitable that he would leave school when he finished Year 10 (called Fourth Form back then).Learning can of course be delivered in many ways and for Noel, the school of life would prove to be his almanac. Meeting Jenny Frater, who also attended Richmond River High, would surpass most High School romances, and 43 years of marriage later, Jenny and Noel have survived and prospered, through the good times and bad, like true Southies do.(13-year-old Noel Field playing with Rovers)(19-year-old Noel playing with South Lismore) EMPLOYMENT Noel’s first job was as a rigger, at Jason Fabrications (formerly Jason Steelworks), joining his father at the same employer.After six years in his first job, Noel joined John Taylor for 4 years, building dairies.A move to the Northern Star, that had been a significant regional organisation for many decades, saw Noel working night shift in the press room between 1985-2019.The demise of the once powerful Northern Star impacted Noel, as it did many locals, but serious working folk are typically ‘glass half-full’ types and Noel wasn’t ready to retire, so he found work driving a taxi and he now drives a school bus. Every job that Noel has ever had, came as a result of an introduction from someone who he had met through sport.   FAMILY Noel and Jenny have four children, being Katie, Michael, Stephen and Kim and are grandparents to eight grandchildren, ranging from Macy who is 14 years to the youngest Augie who is 4.Talking about his grandchildren ignites even more excitement in Noel’s gravelly voice than is normally heard and like all grandparents, he facetiously says that if he had known how extraordinary grandchildren are, he would have had them first?Eldest daughter Katie lives on the Gold Coast and with Noel firmly entrenched in Lismore (he is said to get a nosebleed if he leaves the city limits), getting all grandchildren together with ‘pop-pop’, is a rare event, but is a must-do each Christmas.This doting grandfather has a story about each grandchild to highlight their sporting prowess, with evidence of future stars plying the family gene in several codes.Eldest grandchild Macy attends Woodlawn and apart from being a good swimmer, she plays rugby league for Marist Brothers, which is likely to be a consequence of the influence of her other grandfather, former top-line league player Steve Bartlett.13-year-old Jimmy also plays league, in addition to union and just as I was about to quiz Noel about the sport of choice for his bloodlines, he waxed lyrical about next grandchild, 11-year-old Hunter, who plays as a soccer midfielder like Noel and according to pop-pop, is a natural goal-scorer.The other 11-year-old, Reggie, plays league and union and thrilled the family by being named man of the match in the grand final last season.Nine-year-old Evie, plays hockey for East Lismore and is also a cross-country runner.Field’s influence returns parity to soccer with 9-year-old Benji and 7-year-old Willow already completing several seasons and youngest grandchild Augie ready to start playing for Rovers as he turns five in 2024.(11-year-old grandson Hunter)(The extended Field clan)(Michael, Stephen, Jenny, Katie, Kim and Noel in 2003)(The eight Field grandchildren Christmas 2023)Noel muses about five of his eight grandchildren being left-handers, which is a standing joke for many sportspeople, who see sporting endeavours as being biased towards right-handers? The current golf 12 handicapper (who has played off as low as 9), says that there is still time for the grandchildren to become even better sportspeople by changing to right-hand dominance.Although Field has not always possessed a svelte athlete’s physique, don’t be fooled by thinking that his sporting ability was (or is) mediocre. Golf is the priority every Saturday, where he is a member at Coraki, but he is happy to play anywhere and proudly highlights the three hole-in-ones that he has recorded in his trophy cabinet.Post soccer playing days, Field played cricket and was scouted to be a handy batsman and bowler with the Lismore Workers Third Grade team, colloquially called the ‘Test Team’, in response to its dominance under the leadership of prolific veteran opening batsman Mick Ryan. SOCCERThe magic of kicking a soccer ball first consumed Noel before he started primary school, and the love of the game has remained ever since.As a young Noel Field grew, he made friends with other lads in his neighbourhood, starting a lifelong friendship with Neil and John Wraight, each of who would share many great soccer moments with Noel.In 1968, John Wraight senior would take Noel to games with Neil and John (junior) and it was only a matter of time before Noel started playing with Lismore Richmond Rovers Soccer Club (now football club). Field would play a further 20 consecutive years and would become a prodigious left half or centre half (that we would now call a mid-fielder).Although diminutive for much of his career, Field had extraordinary skill on the ball and possessed exceptional soccer vision. His capacity to see a play well ahead of most and to understand how to utilise space on a soccer field made Field a special player. Despite being colour blind, which created a different perspective, with some colours being indistinguishable, Noel talks about having to adapt to counter the limitations of not having a full and normal vision, but he adapted. The first stint with Rovers continued until 1979, when Field transferred to South Lismore when that club was trying to form a senior team. Noel went across as Captain Coach, to guide a young and inexperienced squad, that had a tough initiation into the top grade.Field was captain-coach for 2 years, then returned as a player-coach (not captain) at Rovers in 1981, staying for two years. The transfer journey between clubs continued in 1983 when he found himself back at the Celtics and finally back to Rovers in 1985, where he retired as a player at age 28 in 1987 with a First Division title, when Rovers claimed the Cyril Mayo Trophy by defeating Bangalow 4-1 in the grand final.(Grand Final Winners 1987 Lismore Richmond Rovers)(Field in action for South Lismore against Rovers)Field was identified as a very talented junior soccer player and he progressed through Lismore soccer, to State tournaments and as a 13-year-old, he played for Northern NSW that contested the Nationals in Newcastle.A recent chance conversation with Liverpool Legend Craig Johnston reminisced about that occasion, when Johnston represented Lake Macquarie and he says that he recalls his tussle with the equally tenacious Field, who was a skinny, red-headed kid.While the days of being young, slightly built lads have passed, both Johnston and Field, maintain a passionate love of the game and each sport a ‘long ponytail’, which prompted some amusement when the men caught up for a chat recently. There was a clear connection evident between former junior opponents, who last met when young teenage midfielders.Each is now almost in their mid-sixties and while Johnston became a global soccer superstar and Field remained a local resident in regional NSW, each possesses a genuine down-to-earth disposition and this chance introduction five decades on, rekindled a conversation that sounded like it had been going for the past fifty years and delivering much entertainment.                                                   (Field holding a ball signed by Craig Johnston)Soccer has been integral to Noel’s life and Jenny was always close at hand, noting that Noel first coached a junior side at age 17 (an Under 10 side) and Noel and Jenny would often ferry the WHOLE team in one car (clearly not legal these days) to games as far as Ballina to play.Field has coached many teams and while he is reluctant to single any out above others, he nominates Troy and Brendan Matthews, Scott Coster and Troy Kenny as being ‘as talented’ juniors,’ as any that he has seen locally.Making Field’s short-list of best senior men that he has coached includes Ian MacGregor, Brett Lane, Tim Sheridan and Luke McAnelly. The opportunity to coach female teams and marvel at the skills of players like Martene Wallace (nee Edwards) and Katie Parker, is also fondly remembered by Field.At club level, Field has seen many good players, but he considers that Tony and Shane Wilson, Steve Bryen, Steve Braid and Chris Rose that each played in his era, were the very best that Rovers have ever produced. Field spent two years as a committee person with Soccer Far North Coast (now Football Far North Coast) in 1986-87. He was encouraged to join the committee that was looking for younger people with fresh ideas and a new focus promoting junior soccer, with an eye to the future.Noel recalls successfully lobbying for the abolition of penalties for competitive juniors in finals matches, in response to a view that junior players should not have to endure the scrutiny and emotional pressure that comes from deciding matches by penalty. Field has always been able to understand balance and context in sport and while he enjoys the celebration of sporting success, he tempers a pursuit of winning in junior sport, at the expense of the greater good of promoting participation that is inclusive and fun. What you see is what you get with Noel Field and while his opinions are always direct and can be too honest for some people, his assessment is rarely off the mark? He continues to enjoy every opportunity to watch local soccer and he doesn’t care what level, what location or what the stakes of a game are?You will regularly see Field sitting for hours, watching the game he loves and he is highly respected by generations of players and others who have benefited from his soccer wisdom. Field’s appreciation and understanding of grassroots football reflects much of what makes him the man that he is, so the last word should go to Noel;“I have always tried to be the best person that I can be. Family and community are everything to me and while not a highly spiritual person, I have been blessed to have lived a life where riches have been gifted in things that come from the heart."

We kick off our 2024 Sunday Profiles with Jacob Harmon. Jacob is a young Lismore musician making a name for himself as a musician and a producer. Lilly Harmon sat down with Jacob to find out his short story and learn of his lofty ambitions.I was born in 1993 and grew up around the Port Macquarie Area, but my dad lived here in the Lismore Area which led me to live here in my older years and currently. I was always exposed to music growing up, with my dad and his brothers playing songs at family events and around the house, so it was pretty natural to just pick up the guitar like them. Other people in my family around that time also played, my brother and my sister’s boyfriend at the time also played. It became a hobby when I was around 11 years old and it eventually morphed into a career over time when I moved here to Lismore. Going through High School I’d dabbled in the music scene, playing a few gigs with a band that me and my friends created. After finishing school, I initially wanted to be a high school music teacher, to expose other youth to the joys of being able to play an instrument and the creative form of music. I’ve picked up an assortment of instruments over the years, such as the bass, keys, and even the violin, but it always comes back to the guitar and in recent years singing as well. I went on to study a Contemporary Music degree here at Southern Cross University after school, and about halfway through my first year, my interest shifted away from teaching.(Jacob studying music at SCU)In University I began to explore the production side of music rather than the teaching aspect and I became obsessed with the process of it. Experimenting in the studio, and working with artists felt like the best way I could connect with the art and the music. It allows you to be a part of the song, seeing the track progress from the bare bones to a fleshed-out piece ready for release, which is why I have been doing it ever since. After a few years at SCU, I decided to expand on my studies at JMC Academy in Brisbane, which is a university that specialises in music and the entertainment industry. I then graduated in 2017 with a Bachelor of Creative Technology in Audio Engineering and Sound Production. After University I started playing in bands, while also recording and doing live sound in any places I could. I primarily specialised in live sound early in my career, cause I found a rush in doing everything in real-time and being in the moment while actively problem solving. I was working in corporate AV doing functions and events for a company called Scene Change before I moved back to Lismore. During my time at Southern Cross University in 2013, we also started up a band called Ahiru. It basically sprouted from a group of us in the music course who all wanted to start experimenting in composing music. It just started out with us writing stuff that felt pretty natural for us to come out with, and it evolved into our prog rock band Ahiru. We’ve had many changes and lineups over the years into what it is today. In recent years after the COVID lockdowns, we have started playing shows all throughout the area in Byron, Brisbane, the Gold Coast and here in Lismore.We've released two EPs now, Waterfowl, and It Means Duck, with it all produced and recorded in-house by me. We're about to start working on a new single now as well, coming out in the new year which us and our fans are all looking forward to with a talented young local artist being able to feature in it. After university and when I moved back to Lismore with my family, and I took on a role at the Lismore Workers Club as their Audio Visual tech for live events. Starting out, it was a great opportunity to cut my teeth on the many touring acts, functions and events that would come through the venue. Every night was completely different for me.Some of the highlights of that came from that, included the 3 day Rotary International conference, several comedy acts like friendlyjordies, as well as artists like Taylor Henderson and Timomatic. Not to mention the plethora of touring tribute shows that come through on a regular basis. A personal achievement of mine or the organising of the Workers Club 2019 Battle of the Bands. We were lucky enough to have sponsorships from the Workers Club, Nedlands Studios, Southern Cross University and Living Entertainment and we had 16 bands battle it out. It was a great opportunity for local artists and bands to be exposed to our local community and show the talent we have here in Lismore. I also regularly work as a freelance live sound tech, mixing shows all over the Northern Rivers and southern QLD. I did the Ballina Cherry Street Bowlo’s flood recovery show in 2022 while Shannon Noll performed, and it was a very fun and enjoyable experience. (Jacob working on his production skills)However, since the COVID lockdowns, I have navigated more from live producing to being in the studio working on the actual recording side of my career now. I currently have a small mix/recording space at home that I work out of, and this year alone I have worked on several large releases, and a few single releases for artists both in the Northern Rivers and around the country.The good thing about a lot of my equipment is that it can be mobile, so if my space doesn’t quite cut it for a recording session, there are plenty of spaces in the area that I can turn into a temporary recording studio for the day. My most recent works include The Lovebomber’s new album “Decent Exposure”, and Vola Inertia’s recent single releases, with a just announced album “East Coast Low’ on the way as well. My own project, Ahiru, has also released our EP Waterfowl, this year.With more projects lined up in the new year, 2024 should be just as lucrative.As a producer, I want to be able to highlight the talent that we have here in our local Lismore music community and beyond. We have so many artists and so much potential, and now that the industry is coming back post COVID, venues are opening back up after the flood and gigs are becoming more common, I hope to be someone to help the local music scene thrive, both in a live, and studio setting.

Lyn Larsen is Lismore's most famous locally-born cricket player. She captained the Australian Women's Cricket team at the tender age of 22, played in 15 Tests and 49 One-Day Internationals including the World Cup victory in 1988. Lyn's list of awards are impressive, NSW Hall of Champions, NSW Cricket Hall of Fame, Sport Australia Hall of Fame, Life Member Cricket NSW, Honorary Life Member of the MCC (Lord's cricket ground) and in 2020 was awarded the Member of the Order of Australia for significant service to cricket as a player, selector, manager and coach at elite level.Last week, Lyn added to that list when she was inducted into the Australian Cricket Hall of FameFor those that haven't read Lyn's life story, this is her Larsen's Sunday Profile. For those that have, enjoy reading it again for Lyn deserves the credit she has received.I am a born and bred Lismore girl, being brought into this world at the Lismore Base Hospital on 3rd of February, 1963. I lived my entire life at the family farm at Tuntable Creek where my parents, George and Beth Larsen, ran a dairy farm which later changed to bananas and beef cattle. My grandfather came from Denmark when he was 15 and married Lillian Rose, whose family had selected a number of properties in Tuntable Creek, hence our address Rose Road, Tuntable Creek. My brother, Peter and I still run the family farm but with us both working, it is more of a lifestyle and a lot of hard work, than to make a living.The other side of my family came from Nimbin and were quite well known. Mum, Elizabeth Faulks (daughter of Bert and Myra Faulks) grew up on a dairy farm as well. My great Grandmother Eleanor Stewart was the first woman to drive a car in the area and Nanna was a stalwart of the CWA, Anglican Church and Nimbin Show Society. Pop was well known for his dairy cattle and love of horses, rugby league and cricket. The family farm was close to the village and as such was secured as the site of the Nimbin Aquarius festival in 1973.Some people might remember my family from the old-time dance band where Mum, Dad, Peter and myself would play dances, kitchen teas, 21st birthdays and weddings around the Lismore district.The Larsen band, May 1977 (I was 14). Dad (George) on drums, Beth (Mum) on piano, Peter (brother) on trumpet and Lyn on the button accordion.I did my schooling at Tuntable Creek Primary School, a one-teacher school with anything from 12 to 15 children in total. My teenage years were spent at Richmond River High School before I did a Diploma of Teaching at Northern Rivers College of Advanced Education. I converted that to a Bachelor of Education, graduating with Distinction and being awarded the College Medal for Academic Excellence.My cricketing career was not derived out of a childhood passion. My first love was tennis. Dad and I would play for hours on our home court. Cricket was always there though. We used to play out the front of the house at home, at Pop’s place on the weekend and we played it a lot at primary school. In fact, sport was a big part of my early schooling. We did our schoolwork in the morning and in the afternoon we’d play a variety of games. The playground was quite hilly but there was a flat patch. We used to play matches against Numulgi where they had predominantly boys and we girls, and yes, we would come away victorious!One day when I was 14 one of my friends from high school asked me to fill in one Saturday, this was my first official game of competition cricket. It was completely by chance. That became the summer ritual for Dad and I (he ended up umpiring) for the next 15 years or so.I was selected in the Lismore team to contest the Country Championships the next year. From there the NSW Country Firsts, the NSW Under 21 side to play in Perth and the following year, 1979, the open NSW side. My first Australian representation was in the Under 23 side in 1981 and then Vice Captain of the Australian Under 25 team to tour New Zealand in 1983. My full Australian debut was on the 1984 tour of India, where I celebrated my 21st birthday. That was my favourite tour, probably because I had no responsibilities as such and could just enjoy being part of the team and embrace all that India had to offer.I made my debut for Australia in 1984 and was made captain in 1986 at 22, the youngest captain at that time.A 22-year-old Lyn Larsen at Oakes Oval after being named Captain of the Australian Women's Cricket team in 1986I remember the first time I was named captain. I was batting in the final against Victoria at Flinders University, Adelaide when, at tea, someone asked me to go to the back of the change room building. I found myself in front of Sylvia Faram, President of the AWCC (Australian Women’s Cricket Council), who in her very distinguished English accent said "Lyn, I’d like to invite you to captain the Australian Women’s Cricket Team”. I can still hear those words. Obviously, it was a very proud and life-changing moment. In lots of ways, that title defined me, who I was and what I did for that period, and was the catalyst for opportunities that emerged down the track. That became the ritual from 1986 to 1993, being called aside and invited to lead the team.My most special memories are team/captaincy related, not so much me as an individual. I took 8 for 58 in a tour game in India, 4 for 33 and a half-century at the Gabba against England in 1985 and made 86 at North Sydney oval in a world record fourth-wicket partnership at the time with Denise Annetts. Those individual performances were eclipsed when we won my first test as captain in England in 1987 when we defeated England in the first women’s 5-day test in Sydney with only seconds to spare before a torrential downpour which would have seen the game end in a draw and winning the 1988 World Cup at the MCG as captain.The victorious 1988 World Cup team at the MCGSo much has changed in the world of cricket since I was playing. The standard and the skill level of the top players is fantastic. The contracts are very lucrative, full-time playing commitments through the year, media, crowds and a cast of support staff, it is quite surreal and blows me away. Cricket for me was never a career when I started my journey. It was a love, an enormous commitment and a source of satisfaction and pride but it had to fit into everyday farm life and study and work. There were numerous overnight bus trips to Sydney to attend trials and matches. I’d play club cricket Saturday afternoon at Richmond River Park, leave early to catch the overnight bus, get off the next morning and go to the trials or practice match then get back on the bus Sunday night and be back in Lismore Monday morning for school, college or work. Add Australian commitments to that and it was pretty full on.Back in those days, you paid for everything at every level, so it was a big financial impost for my parents and when I look back on it, I feel quite guilty as I know they never had a lot, but there was never any hesitation in finding the money for my cricket exploits. I always said we probably owned Kirkland’s Bus Lines by the time I finished playing.My other great support was the Lismore Women’s Cricket Association which hosted countless fundraisers. I will never forget the Lyn Larsen appeal that was launched to assist my trip to England in 1987, a feature of that being the Women vs the Gentlemen of Lismore Cricket match on Oakes Oval, where the local businessmen donated generously to be involved. I was blessed to have such a supportive network of family and friends, and was always proud to be Lyn Larsen from Lismore because of that support.I am so proud to say that I am a Member of the Sport Australian Hall of Fame, the NSW Hall of Champions, a member of the Cricket NSW Hall of Fame, Life Member of Cricket NSW and last year I was privileged to be given Honorary Life Membership of the MCC (Lord’s Cricket Ground). I am overwhelmed and to some extent embarrassed as I felt there were so many more deserving players. I was a successful captain, not a great individual, so felt somewhat of an imposter receiving accolades based on the performances of my teammates. My Mum had passed away at this time and my Dad was in the Nimbin Aged Care facility when I received my awards so my brother Peter was by my side. The staff in Nimbin photocopied the article from the Northern Star and put it up in his room, reading it out to him when they could. They said he was very proud.Funnily enough, I never missed cricket once I retired. I missed the comradery and team side of things though. So loved my years managing teams as I got to watch cricket, to travel and had time to talk to people on the sidelines, something I hadn’t been able to do whilst playing. The opportunities that followed provided similar outcomes, so while I retired in 1994, I was still engaged with cricket in different capacities until 2012.So, do I have any regrets about my playing days compared to now? None at all, and I think that is a view shared by many of my era. I heard one of the Australian girls say recently that on their last tour to India they got to do some sightseeing. That is a far cry from a young Lyn Larsen and her teammates who rode mopeds around Hyderabad in the wee hours of the morning, who slept in concrete stadiums with toilets that didn’t flush, who roamed the streets at will without bodyguards, who mingled with the crowds and supporters, who were billeted for the majority of a 2-month tour of England. It is great to see where the game is, but I wouldn’t change my time for anything.

Recently Lara Bell persuaded The Lismore App’s founder Simon Mumford to sit down and share his story that ends with the creation of the Lismore App. I was born in England, in Croydon, south of London. I don’t remember anything about it. I was two when we emigrated. My father apparently said to my mother “I'm going to go to Australia, do you want to come?” So, we ended up in Perth in 1967.I grew up in Sorrento, which on the coast north of Perth. We were lucky enough to live 400 meters from the beach. When we moved in it was a gravel road and about 500 meters down the West Coast Highway (as it was known) was as far north as you could go. Now days, 40 km north is Yanchep which is considered an outer suburb of Perth. It has just changed so much.(16 Robin Avenue, Sorrento, our first home in Australia in 1967)When we grew up there was nothing there, which was was fantastic. We had one of those upbringings that most parents wouldn't let their kids have now. My older brother, Nic, and I had pushbikes and my parent would just say “come back by dinner”, and you'd just be gone - exploring and doing whatever at the age of 6 and 8.My father was a mechanical engineer working for the General Electric Company or GEC back then. He worked in water pumps and irrigation in Perth for all his life and that's why he wanted to change.He has an unusual background. My mum is very English, born and bred, so it was a big move for her. Dad grew up in Kenya. One of those cliched stories - I had a farm in Africa.His father was English and travelled to Africa due to TB in the early 1900s. He went to work for his uncle who had a coffee farm in the north. His mother was German, a four-foot-nine German and my grandfather was over six foot so a very odd couple.Anyway, they met, married and had my father. They had an older son who died in childbirth. They blamed the doctors, so my father was actually born in Berlin because they didn't want the same thing to happen again. My grandmother went to Germany to have him and then came back and he grew up north of Nairobi in a town called Nyeri where they bought a coffee farm.(My father Richard as a young boy on the beach at Mombassa south of Nairobi where his family went for holidays)He ended up being educated at a private boys school in Nairobi, served his two years in the military and then went to University in England, which is when he met my mother. When I was eight we went back to England for six months to live. Just because they (Mum and Dad) wanted a change I think. By that stage, my younger brother, Jeremy, was born so it was good to meet our cousins, aunt, uncle and grandparents for the first time and get to know them. We were spoilt by them which was nice.We've grown up without grandparents and cousins. It's just been the five of us our entire life, that has been our family. When we moved to Perth there were only five Mumfords in the whole city. I often get asked, 'are you related to such and such Mumford?' and then go through our family history.(Simon at kindergarten in 1969)When we came back from England we moved up into the hills of Perth because Mum wanted to breed horses, Welsh Mountain ponies actually. For what reason? I don't know. We bought a five-acre fruit farm in a place called Sawyers Valley Mum purchased her first mare, Susie, and we ran a small orchard too, oranges, apples and pears.It was a hobby thing. We'd pick the fruit, put it in a crate, take it down to the local Italian greengrocer, get five bucks, get an ice cream and then head home. We did that for a number of years before we moved further east to a 15-acre property in a place called Chidlow. Now Mum could have more room for the horses.The bigger the farm the more you have to do with clearing saplings from the paddocks and fencing etc. My brother and I remember building the horses a round-yard. We went and got the wood from the National Park, which we bordered and built this round-yard so Mum could break the ponies in. We also built two stables and a hay shed.On the weekend we’d play sport (Aussie Rules football) and otherwise, we’d be working around the farm and doing odd jobs. We had a cow, only one, just so we could have our own milk supply. Dad would milk in the morning, Monday to Friday, and then my brother and I would alternate the afternoon milk. Then we would do the weekend morning milks to give Dad a sleep-in. We had three sheep to get our own meat when it came time. I went to Easter Hills Senior High School 5km down the road from Chidlow. Halfway through Year 11, I was a typical teenage boy getting involved with my first serious girlfriend when the timing wasn't right. The study and dedication slipped and I missed getting into the course I wanted to do at uni by about three marks. I wanted to do Phys Ed because I loved sports. I could have gone on to do a Bachelor of Social Sciences or something like that but decided against it.So I ended up with a job as a housemaster in a College about 90km north of Perth on an agricultural farm. I studied French and accounting through correspondence (the equivalent of online) while I was there. I looked after a dormitory full of Year 8 students and made sure at night that everyone was there, and up and ready for school, and then I did sport with them as the AFL football coach and cross country. After 12 months, I was 19 and decided to pack up my car and head to Sydney to see my ex-girlfriend and stayed there for two years. I got a job in an accounting firm because I was studying accounting, not that I wanted to continue it but it got me a job to pay the bills. I was living in a great location, Neutral Bay on Sydney's lower north shore just a three-minute walk to the famous Oaks pub.As luck would have it, the group of people I was living and associating with were doing community radio in Chatswood to 2NSB FM. They said “Do you want to come and have a go?” so I went and joined them. I would do a shift on Tuesday and Thursday nights and some weekends. I really enjoyed the radio side and went and did a course at 2DayFM in Sydney with Grant Goldman and Dave Norman, two announcers who ran an annual course. Halfway through that course, I applied for jobs and landed my first radio job in Merredin (about halfway to Kalgoorlie). Merredin had a population of 4000 people in the Wheatbelt of WA so it was wheat and sheep and I was the breakfast announcer for 14 months.(A 20 year old Simon Mumford applying for radio jobs)I had met Linda in Sydney (the sister of a radio friend). We fell pregnant just before I got the job so we moved west together. My eldest daughter, Sarah, was born in in a place called Kellerberrin, which is smaller than Merredin but that's where the hospital was.Here's a funny story. The doctor was old and due to retire, so when Linda went into labour, (it was very early, one of those 3am calls after a 24-hour long labour) he was tired and cranky, and he just did an episiotomy rather than wait for everything to stretch naturally. After Sarah was born Linda had complications and so we always referred to him as the butcher. As my daughter grew older she literally thought that because the town was so small that he actually was the butcher and the doctor as well!After 14 months, I began applying for other jobs. My wife was Sydney born and bred, so we ended up getting a job in Nowra to be closer. I was the drive announcer there on an AM station, before we started the region's first FM station which I ended up doing the morning show on. Then, I became the music director and program director so I got to be in charge for seven years. During that time, we had two more daughters, Chrissy and Tara. Linda and I broke up around that time.My radio life continued when one of Austereo’s (now known as Southern Cross Austereo or SCA) consultants was driving from Sydney to Canberra to do some work at the radio station there and he heard me on-air. I received a call asking if I wanted to have a chat about joining Austereo?” This was the big league so I said, "why not?”I was flown to Melbourne to talk to Fox FM about a midnight to dawn shift as they were still available at that time before automation came into play. They said “Look, there's another job coming up in Canberra as Assistant Program Director. Would you like to do that instead?” I was more interested in programming and I always thought I was a better programmer than I was an announcer or a DJ. So I ended up taking the job in Canberra.Interestingly, the guy who was the program director had an issue just before I started and he suddenly left the company. So, they said “Do you want to be program director? You don't look a gift horse in the mouth so I jumped at the opportunity. It certainly was a baptism of fire. Which takes me to my first day. They put you up in a hotel for a couple of weeks so you can find a place to live, mine was on Northbourne Avenue. The radio station was the second storey of a building not far from the hotel ans on Northbourne Avenue too. I had a motorbike at that stage and I pulled out to go to work on my very first day and cars were banked up forever and I was thinking “Geez traffic around here is really bad.”I ended up waiting in traffic moving slowly down the road and all of a sudden I looked up and there was a building with smoke pouring out of it. I remember looking at the building and then saying, “That's my building!” On my very first day, a guy had a fight with his partner and drove a ute full of acetylene tanks into the bottom story of our building where his partner worked. It exploded and our building on the second floor was engulfed in flames.Later that night on the news there was the picture of our breakfast announcers being rescued out of the window by the fire brigade. They had to smash the window to get them out.We did a radio rebuild for FM104.7 because the fire totally destroyed everything. We had no records in those days, it was compact discs, no much was digital. We had no equipment, no studio, no anything as the building was deemed unsafe to return to.We ended up working from the ABC building and literally asked listeners to come and supply us with music, which they did - it was amazing. We just ran everything by the seat of our pants for about three months, I think and we were in the ABC studio for six months before we could move back into our own building in the Jollimont Centre. I met Donna, my wife of 30 years next year, in Canberra. She's a Lismore-born and bred girl. She was working at 2LM/ZZZ when a friend of hers, who had moved to Canberra six months earlier, rang and said, “Look, there's a sales job here. Do you want to come to Canberra?” On a whim she accepted. I started there in November 1993, and Donna joined in February the next year.(Donna and Simon with Tara, Sarah and Chrissy March 7 2004 at the wedding reception just north of Goolmangar Shop after the ceremony at Bexhill Open Air Cathedral. There was a flood the day before forcing the wedding to be postponed as the Nimbin Road was cut off)I did two years there and then got a job offer to go back to Perth to 96FM. I did a couple of months to set it up and then Donna came over. We had a great time there, it was a small but great team. We turned the station round in eight months. It was in awful shape. 96FM was a heritage radio station, it was rating a 4.6, probably last of all the commercial stations, and we went from a 4.6 to 14.6 in eight months and ended up being number three in the market. It was hard work but a lot of fun rebuilding the brand. After that short stint, we moved to Adelaide and worked at SAFM for 12 months before another move to Triple M in Sydney for seven years as Assistant Program Director for a while and then Program Director at the end of the stint.Triple M was a fantastic radio station, again rebuilding its brand but with some incredible people. Andrew Denton and Amanda Keller were doing breakfast, Club Veg were doing the drive show. The station had an attitude and punched well above its weight for what it was.You could see how hard people worked. People like Andrew Denton, Amanda Keller and their team would get in at 4am and do two hours preparation and planning before they went on air at 6am to 9am. And then sometimes, if they were writing skits, they could be there until 1pm or 2pm. Yes, they were paid very well but they definitely worked hard for all the success they had. Breakfast radio is a different lifestyle.Triple M was a load of fun with some really interesting characters and some good people.(Skydiving in Sydney for a radio promotion Offsrping's 'Pretty Fly For A White Guy')From there I ended up in a radio consulting job. I always wanted to consult, I loved it. So I ended up working for ESP in Brisbane as a consultant for about four years. That company was taken over when a couple of the guys who hired me retired, and I ended up taking their international arm which was where I was spending my time, so we started our own consulting company.When I joined ESP initially I did some overseas travel. We had clients in Manchester and Bristol in the UK, the Netherlands and Germany. BigFM in Stuttgart became our client for about eight years when we started CSC (Creative Strategy Consultancy). We would go to Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia and New Zealand.I didn't love the travel but I loved the destinations. All of a sudden I was learning about different cultures that I hadn't experienced before, trying different foods playing tourist where I could. You're sitting in Jakarta and you pick your own eyeballs or brain for a soup, it was fascinating. If I could take a few days to go and see certain destinations or tourist points I would.We were in Brisbane for 16 years. Donna and I were told we could never have kids but 11 years later, Callie was born. It was a complete surprise! When you're told you can't have kids, and we were 40 at that stage, and thinking “We're probably too old now anyway”, it is a shock, in a good way. I was overseas at the time and when I came back Donna had a gift box for me and in the box was the pregnancy stick. I couldn't believe it.(Callie in the arms of her grandfather Ben Mulcahy in the family Peter Street home in East Lismore)If I had a trip (for work) and Donna and Callie could tag along for a holiday, we did that. We went to New Zealand a couple of times and Kuala Lumpur. At one stage, when Callie had just started preschool, we did a five-week trip through Europe.We landed in Paris, hired a car, did Disneyland, went to Germany for work then drove to the UK to see family for a week. Then we caught the ferry to Calais and drove through the south of France up through Monaco, Italy, Switzerland and back to Germany for work, drove the hire car back to Paris, full of gifts and an extra suitcase, and flew home. So where we could, we travelled because we believe life experience is so valuable. It's something that you're not going to learn in the classroom.During one to Jakarta, a Kiwi friend who is a bit of an entrepreneur moved from Auckland to Wanaka, near Queenstown. Wanaka had a local newspaper which he thought wasn't very good. So he started the first digital local news app.When we would catch up, I discovered more about its development and became interested in what I thought was a great idea for the future. I think someone else started another local app in New Zealand and Lismore was the third. Donna and I discussed it and we thought let's do it.People would say, “Why Lismore?” But it was because Donna was born and bred here and I'd been coming with my girls since we got together for the last thirty years. I'm not officially local because I wasn’t born bred here but 30 years is still a long time. We had family here and we had friends so we thought let's start the Lismore App. Initially thought we could make it work from Brisbane so we hired Will Jackson, Jilly Jackson’s son, as our first journo and we hired a sales guy.We quickly learnt that the digital news space was too futuristic for some who were still stuck in traditional media like the Northern Star (they were still printing then), but we knew there was a crossover point as younger people wanted to get all the information on their mobiles, tablets or PCs and older people would still go and buy the newspaper and sit down to read it like they always had. However, newspaper sales were on the decline in regional markets throughout Australia so we knew the time would come when the Lismore App would be a strong brand in the community.I love change because I love the opportunity that presents itself. If you don't adapt, you end up operating the same way over and over and over again. You'll peak at some point and then you'll start to detract. It's really hard to keep a business running at maximum profit without adapting in some way. You have to embrace it rather than fight it.Donna and I thought that to truly make the Lismore App a success we needed to move down to Lismore. We originally launched The Lismore App in November 2017 with Apple owners joining in January 2018. We moved back to Lismore in 2020. As an owner, you're better off in the market. You know people, you've got connections, you make relationships and that's been the best move for us. I'm a bit nomadic. Coming from England to Perth, moving from Perth to Sydney to Merredin to Nowra to Canberra back to to Perth, Adelaide, Sydney, Brisbane and now Lismore, we've travelled everywhere. My family was just our (immediate) family. So it was more about how Donna felt about coming back to her hometown. Callie was in Year 8 so that was another potential issue, uprooting her from her friends. But we bribed her - she wanted an egg chair! Six months after we had moved she told us she didn't want to go back. She loves it here. She's made good friends at Trinity and has found her life dream to be an actor. She has recently played Moana at Ballina Players, finished a role in Beautiful and will play older Nala in the upcoming Lion King musical. I'm a keen golfer. Once a week I try and get out and play golf just to unwind plus you meet a lot of people that way. The goal is to get my handicap to 18 or under in 2024, we'll see.Our three older daughters are in Sydney, and we are grandparents to nine. Sarah has three boys, Chrissy has two girls and a boy and Tara has three boys as well. The three girls have been coming to Lismore since they were very young, we even have a photo of them swimming in Lismore Lake and driving a car around the old track. Now, they bring their kids (our grandkids) and see the changes and experience what we have to offer.(The old car track in the mid 1990s)(The nine grandchildren, although there are 10, the child in the middle is not a grandchild with Callie in the background)I guess we've had a couple of tipping points as far as the Lismore App goes. One was COVID and the other was the February 28 2022.A global pandemic and Lismore's biggest-ever flood were incredibly tough on the community. But we are a digital newspaper that knew people wanted a trusted source of local information so we worked really hard during those times to make sure that we gave people what we promised. The Northern Star stopped printing during COVID and ended up on the same platforms that we were on and had been there for two and a half years. They also had a paywall and we didn’t. It's a big sticking point for people.February 28 2022 was on another level, it was on such a scale that I still have trouble imagining where the water level rose to. Again, we worked really hard over those first three days, getting four hours sleep to make sure people had all the information they wanted because people were desperate for it. We wanted to make sure that we served the community. If we promise it, we want to deliver it, and not just have it as a hollow promise. It just builds trust in the brand and what the Lismore app stands for.It's been a good move. It's been positive. And I love what the Lismore App represents and what we can do. I love supporting the community, we can do a lot of good and I hope to make people accountable when we need to.

Bundjalung woman and arts powerhouse Rhoda Roberts has spent decades shining on an international and national stage.She talks to Liina Flynn at the Lismore App about her life as a writer, actor, radio star and event director; how she grew up with racism, a prominent preacher father - and dealt with the tragic death of her twin sister.Now, in 2021, Rhoda said she’s now happy to be home, working on Bundjalung Country as NORPA’s inaugural Creative Director First Nations.“It was hard to get job in this town,” Rhoda laughed. “Everyone thinks I’ve moved back to the region, but I’ve been travelling home regularly for years“I bought a property at Jackie Bulbin Flats years ago and lived on a property with no power - and saved money to finished the build.“My arts advocate and patron, Steven Field is a builder and sandstone mason – he helped me built it with love.”NORPAAfter being the Head of Indigenous Programming at the Sydney Opera House for nine years - as well as running major arts festivals such as Festival of Dreaming and Partijima, she’s now happy to slow down a little.“It’s great to now be working part time at a venue in regional Australia on the lands of my Widjabal Wiabal people,” she said.“I never expected it – all those years living overseas, now I’ve come back home and secured a position in the Northern Rivers.“I’ve been on the NORPA board for a while – they have always encouraged working with Elders and building capacity to tell the stories of First Nations peoples.“There are so many stories to tell and I’m looking forward to developing talks and programs.”BeginningsRhoda was born in Sydney’s Canturbury Hospital in 1958. She spent the first years of her life in Sydney before her father, Widjabal man and preacher Frank Roberts jnr,became homesick – and in 1963 decided to move the family back to Lismore“Australia was a redneck country at the time and my father was dedicated to making life better or Indigenous people,” she said.“My dad was appointed to the Australian Mission Board and his job was going to Aboriginal missions and bringing attention to the poverty and shanty dwellings there.“So, we moved back to Lismore and lived on the outskirts and I went to Lismore heights Primary School and Richmond River High School.”Rhoda Roberts and NORPA creative director Julian Louis.True love storyRhoda said her mother and devout father getting together was a “true love story”.“Dad grew with my granny in a shanty on Country at Cubawee (and Lismore Council bulldozed it on her).“Dad moved to Greenwich to do theological studies - and mum was a third generation white Australian,” she said.“At the time, Aboriginal people lived under apartheid and were still classified as flora and fauna and fauna. Dad lived under the protection act and curfews applied to him.“They met at a meeting - she noticed him and thought ‘who’s that?’ and he saw her and thought ‘she will be my wife’, then they fell in love.“My mum didn’t listen when people said a child of colour didn’t work - it was about how you brought someone up and honouring blood lines and building relationships with both sides of the family.“Mum taught me the classics at a young age and would always pull us up on our grammar and said we needed to outsmart and outclass other people, to them show themwere equals.”Lismore“When the family moved back to Lismore, dad set up a language centre and the Bundjalung Tribal Society,” she said.“He wanted to access about 35 houses across Lismore so Aboriginal people could rent them, but real estates had a different assumption about what that might mean.“Through the Bundjalung Tribal Society, dad wanted to start a newsletter and became the first chairman of the Koori Mail Board – along with all the uncles.“They developed it into national Indigenous newspaper The Koori Mail - then dad set up Namitjira Haven at Alstonville.“He always looked at things through a compassionate lens – it was to help Australians come to terms with the atrocities that still happen every day to Indigenous people.“Every day, when a house is sold, it is an act of theft against Indigenous people. We needed teach a better understanding of why our Mob would self medicate.“We needed to educate everyone and create opportunities and prospects for us – to create pride in being Aboriginal.Visionary“Dad was a visionary, so was his father and grandfather – and it obviously made a big mark on me.“My grandfather Lyle Roberts senior was the last senor initiated Bundjalung man – in the time when cedar cutters were destroying the Big Scrub and rivers were used as transportation.“As Lismore was being built, he could see the greed and theft and the white approach to success and could see it was here to stay.“He wrote some core principles for us to live by – and you can read it on a plaque in Spinks Park.“He said as Bundjalung people, we always retain pride in race and colour and retain our identity in language – and consider our relationships to make a future world.“He knew it would take time for change because most Australians had no understanding of ecology and bloodlines.“For me, the creative industries became a platform to be able to express our insights and communicate our messages to the wider audience.”School and racism“I wanted to be a journalist, but Lismore in the early 70s I was advised by my school careers advisor teacher that even though I was biracial, I would end up like cousins on the mission.“That career advice was destroying - but I’m glad I had to prove her wrong. She had no belief we could reach benchmarks.“I was a good student and didn’t miss a day of school. From the age of 16, even the careers advisor at Richmond River High made me aware I had no value as an Aboriginal woman in our society.“I was brought up to believe by my parents that you can achieve anything if you work hard - so, I did communications and journalism studies.“I had been volunteering as a nursing candy striper and saw a total lack of empathy for our people – dad always encouraged us to volunteer.Nurse“At Lismore Base Hospital, a matron interviewed me and told me girls like me would never be a nursing sister, but I could be a nursing aid.“Luckily my mother was a strong independent woman and said I should go to Sydney and be a registered nurse“I graduated then cam back home and celebrated with my parents - my mum was proud I was a registered nursing sister.“Before that, I worked at Woolies, and when I left, HR there told me I’d be back in six weeks because ‘my lot won’t last at anything’. I came back and said ‘you were wrong, I did achieve this’.London“Then I went off to London. I travelled overseas and worked and had a stable career."Then I left nursing to study in the arts in 1987.“My mum was shocked I gave up the security for a career in arts.TV and radio“My school drama teacher had inspired me to be a writer and actress. I got some acting work making a guest appearance on A Country Practice and Home and Away.“Then I got involved with playwriting and the National Aboriginal Theatre Trust in the 1980s and I took the role as assistant director of writing.“I was volunteering for Radio Redfern and it was through those shows that the ABC offered me a job on national radio, then on TV.“I was the first Aboriginal to host a prime time national affairs show - Vox Populi and also Instyle on Channel Ten.“I was skinny then,” Rhoda laughed.Olympics “Then the Olympics came to Australia in 1993-94 and SOCOC employed me to direct the cultural Olympiad program.“They has seen a show I did at a festival - and invited me to work with David Page from Bangarra on the opening ceremony.“It was an opportunity to share and make sure we represented our culture in the right way. After that, we started the Deadly Awards and grew that over the years.Opera House“In the 1990’s, I was on the board of the Opera House – at the time, there was no Aboriginal programming or resident companies and we chose Bangarra.“I spent nine years on the board of the Opera House, then took up the position as Head of Indigenous Progamming there.“It was a wonderful opportunity and when I finally left, I knew it was time to move on.“When Covid came, I wanted more control with what I did and I wanted to freelance more.“It feels good to have set it up for the next great person to come along.“We brought change through narrative and showcased our art and diversity – it was a brave thing to do because we were taking risks.“In 1995 I founded the Festival of Dreaming and was its director until 2009.Songlines“At the Opera House, looked at gaps in the market and built capacity and increased increase audiences – including First Nations audiences.“We increased the visibility of our culture – even using the sails of the Opera House to project the Songlines project onto.“We were looking at our endangered languages and it happened because language was outlawed by government policies. We needed to disperse myths about the cultural bases of our societies because so much of what was written about it was inaccurate.“It was an important project that brought awareness to the fact that in urban environments, as well as all territories across Australia, Aboriginal lands were unceeded and the response we got was great.Dance Rites“We also developed Dance Rites because dance was also outlawed and we created a platform and space to reactivate and give new energy to a people whose children had been kidnapped and elders incarcerated.“I also wrote a performance called ‘Natives Gone Wild’ which was about how Indigenous people had been kidnapped and dehumanised to be included in Barnam’s human zoo. I wanted to change the narrative and make people see our history.”PartijimaRhoda was also curator of Partijima, a Festival of Light in Alice Springs.“We used lots of Aboriginal artwork and told the stories of thousands of years through light installations.“The festival took a few years to grow, but now it is a unique festival.“Now, it’s a compliment to me that whether I am in urban or regional environment’s, the fact our senior artists, law men, dancers, painters and story tellers trust me with their work is the greatest review you can get.TragedyIn 1998, Rhoda’s twin sister Lois Roberts was found dead in a forest near Nimbin. Her death remains an unsolved murder to this day.It’s something Rhoda said she still thinks about “every day upon waking and sleeping”.“Her greatest gift to me has been the opportunity for me to raise her daughter Emily,” she said. “It’s quite normal in Aboriginal culture to raise children with family members. “Lois’s death reminds me about the valuing of out women – so many Aboriginal women and men have gone missing and it has been discredited by police when we try to report it.“We said we didn’t know what had happened to her and we were upset and worried.“The police said stop being a nuisance – she’s gone walkabout. She wasn’t valued or investigated. “These days, the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement is looking at structural changes needed in our society to change this.“In Lismore, when the German backpacker woman Simone was murdered, we saw the police investigating.“We even saw the mayor, who lives on our land, encourage community to do a fundraiser for her boyfriend – but not for a woman who grew up here all her life“Now BLM is the catalyst, along with Covid, for us to review ourselves.“It’s time for us to change, be inclusive and see kindness in all things.”Rhoda has also been awarded an order of Australian medal for distinguished service to the performing arts through a range of leadership and advocacy roles in the development, promotion and presentation of contemporary Indigenous culture".