Lismore City Council announced that the Tucki Tucki Walking Track Footbridge linking to Hepburn Park has re-opened after it was damaged by the February 28 natural disaster.

It is one of the most popular urban walking tracks in Lismore and is well worth a visit. You can start at Hepburn Park and walk along the path through the Birdwing Butterfly Park to Kadina Street or the reverse.

Council wish to thank the local Landcare group which has beautifully regenerated the area.

Keep an eye out in the mornings and late afternoons for the resident platypuses and other wildlife. Please remember to keep your dogs on their leash.

In other Council news, the Lismore community has been recognised after being awarded the 2022 Golden Wattle Award that Mayor Krieg will officially accept on behalf of the community later this month.

The citation reads:

“The 2022 Golden Wattle Award honours the Lismore Community, who when faced with the most challenging and difficult circumstances, displayed the very best in Australian support for each other and solidarity. They are an inspiration to the rest of the Australian community. The Golden Wattle Award is recognition of their courage and resilience during the recent flood events and the recovery that is still ongoing.”

The Golden Wattle Award winner is announced by the Wattle Day Association each year in conjunction with National Wattle Day. It endows the winner with honourable recognition of their work or actions as being noble and expressing the best of the Australian spirit.

The 2021 Golden Wattle Award winner was Olympic swimming champion, Emma McKeon. In 2020 Australia’s health and medical professionals and allied workers, were recognised with this Award. Tennis greats Ashleigh Barty and Dylan Alcott were joint winners of the 2019 Golden Wattle Award.

Previous Golden Wattle Award winners were cave rescuers, Craig Challen and Richard Harris (2018), Samuel Johnson and his sister, Connie (2017), Melbourne Cup winning jockey Michelle Payne and her champion strapper brother, Steve (2016), surfers Julian Wilson & Mick Fanning (2015), VC winner Ben Roberts-Smith (2014), Mel Irons a Tasmanian student and community activist (2013), Nobel Prize winner Professor Brian Schmidt (2012) and Tour De France Winner Cadel Evans (2011).

The Lismore Community is certainly in esteemed company.