Deeply personal accounts of pleasurable and unwanted sexual experiences are coming to the stage again next weekend in The Vagina Monologues.  After a successful first weekend, Lismore Theatre Company expects to see full houses for the play’s last shows on December 5, 6, 7 and 8 at Rochdale Theatre in Goonellabah.The award winning play consists of a selection monologues written by Eve Ensler after interviewing 200 women of varying ages, backgrounds, cultures and experiences. The 12 monologues chosen by Director Sharon Brodie for Lismore Theatre Company’s latest production are delivered by nine local women actors.‘My short skirt’ is a powerful piece delivered by Kashmir Miller, the youngest member of the cast. Her piece, she says “is very important to everyone young and old who has had assumptions made about how they look and act”.The individual stories are accompanied by group pieces where the actors provide the responses to questions such as “If your vagina could speak, what would it say?” and a list of the very funny names women call their vaginas. There is also brief bridging narration with lots of facts that will make audiences laugh, feel sad and reflect. This is the fifth time over twenty years that LTC has produced The Vagina Monologues.As long term stage manager Jos Wright says “it’s as relevant today as when it was first staged”.The show on Friday, December 6 will have Auslan interpreters.Bookings can be made at http://www.lismoretheatrecompany.org.auPantomime audition call out: Audition callout: Is your child the next acting star?Children and teenagers who would like to be on stage in the pantomine Puss in Thongs are invited to audition on December 7.Puss in Thongs is the next children’s production of Lismore Theatre Company (LTC) and will be coming to the Rochdale Theatre in the April 2020 schoolholidays. 

A Total Fire Ban has been issued for the Far North Coast for Monday December, 2.The NSW Rural Fires Service (RFS) Northern Rivers Zone said the Total Fire Ban applies until midnight tomorrow and includes Ballina, Byron, Clearance Valley, Kyogle, Lismore, Richmond Valley and Tweed."The Fire Danger Rating is VERY HIGH. Forecast strong winds, low humidity and dry conditions mean there will be an elevated fire danger."Northwest winds are predicted to become stronger and shift around to the west into the afternoon."Mt Nardi Bush Fire update after the rainMore dry, hot weather predicted for summerNSW RFS - Northern Rivers Zone said that whilst we’ve seen rain in some areas this afternoon, weather conditions are forecast to deteriorate tomorrow with strong winds, high temperatures and low humidity."Tomorrow (Monday 2 December) residents south of Ashby-Tullymorgan Road, including the areas of Ashby and Ashby Village, need to actively monitor conditions."You need to be prepared to activate your Bushfire Survival Plan, if your plan is to leave, know where you will go and leave early in the day. Don’t wait for a warning."If you are in the areas of Brewers Road near Kippenduff, Gallaghers Road or Mororo Road you need to monitor conditions and know what you will do if threatened by fire."If you are in the areas near Iluka and Woombah you need to stay up to date and know what you will do if the situation changes."

Yesterday's rain offered some relief for the Mt Nardi bush fires but not as much as expected although there has been some respite for fire crews. Lismore received the most rain with 40mm falling to 9am this morning while only 14mm was tipped into the gauge at Nimbin where it was needed most.(photo from ABC North Coast facebook page)Still, Paul Fowler from the Northern Rivers Fire Service said "patchy rain did occur across the fire ground yesterday making us cautiously comfortable with the future of the Mt Nardi bush fires"."The rain did hinder access to some areas through the deterioration of roads for back burning to continue", he went on.Yesterday's storm did provide some stunning pictures of lightening strikes across the Northern Rivers but this does present more potential new fires to start so fire crews were looking for new ignitions today. A spot fire was put out to the north of Tungun Road (above Whian Whian) earlier today while fire crews are back burning near the Rocky Creek area to secure containment lines.While being cautiously optimistic about the Mt Nardi bush fires, Paul did say that "tomorrow sees the return to higher winds, higher temperatures and lower humidity so we will remain vigilant". "The fires will continue to burn in the coming weeks although the immediate threat has eased" he said.Abrar Shabren from the Weather Bureau told the Lismore App that more rain is expected this afternoon but it will be isolated. "The front moving up from the south will not affect the Northern Rivers today and tonight so the best chance of rain is from some cloud activity building from the west", he said.Abrar went on to explain that we should get between 5 and 10mm today but it will be quite isolated. "You will get 10mm in one area then two kilometres away you can get nothing", he said.

Emergency services were called to the Lismore Square shopping centre car park in Brewster Street after a concern for welfare call about 6.55pm Friday night.Richmond Police District said in a statement officers arrived at the scene and found a man slumped over the steering wheel of a car. They had a look inside the man's car and allegedly located methylamphetamine, cash and a mobile phone.The man, aged 63, was arrested and taken to Lismore Police Station.Following inquiries, police searched a home on Cathcart Street and allegedly located hashish, cannabis seeds and gold chips within a safe, believed to be unlawfully obtained.The man was charged with supply prohibited drug, deal with property proceeds of crime, two counts of possess prohibited drug and good suspected stolen in premises.He was refused bail and was to appear before a registrar in Lismore Local Court on Saturday 30 November.

The first weekend of December (or part there of) is mostly sunny with maximums a very warm 34 degrees. There is the possibility of a Thunderstorm on Saturday and Sunday with Sunday looking the most likely. Keep everything crossed! (Weather)This weekend you can start to feel the run home to Christmas Day. I know, for those of you like me, it starts heart palpitations. So, to ease you into the festive spirit you can take the kids and check out the Lismore City Councils 'Santa Wonderland' which opened this morning. Every day between 10am and 4pm you can visit a unique space guaranteed to give you a smile. There will be Santa Photos between 10am and 2pm, the kids can tell Santa what they would like for Christmas or they can write him a letter. If you have bought some gifts you can get them wrapped plus adults can take a load off in the 'rest area' (no beer though!).The first Christmas Carols of the season is on at the The Channon Tavern at 4pm on Saturday afternoon. The 'Yuletide Sing' is lead by Julie and Mish with booklets provided, there are pony rides between 4 and 6pm then Santa arrives on the back of the well used fire truck at 7. The Rock Valley Hall Christmas BBQ and twighlight markets are on Saturday from 5pm with Santa making another appearance.A reminder that, next Sunday afternoon the annual Carols In The Heart is on at Crozier Field. Gates open at 4:30.You can check out the Lismore App's Christmas button which launches on Sunday. This will give you all the information you will need to have a wonderful Christmas. If you have an event or want to know about Xmas Lights then you can send my an email via the contact button on the app (Contact The App). For those that use the Christmas Lights Northern Rivers facebook page, Mathews lights is always the first to have the big light turn on and this is happening Sunday night at 8pm at 84 Crown Street, South Lismore. The full list of lights is put up this Monday December 2.If housing is something you are interested in, then read on because there is a special Open Day in Clunes tomorrow that you have to go too. Northern Rivers Tiny Homes is local business that, as its name suggests, make tiny homes. They are simply quite incredible and come with one or 2 bedrooms, solar panels, full kitchen and bathroom. Take the short drive to Clunes and check out two completed tiny homes. There is an information session at 10am so you can learn more plus their experts will be on hand to answer any questions from an electrician, plumber, trailer manufacturer and solar installer.The Lismore Speedway has their Christmas meeting on Saturday afternoon/night . The kids can ride their push bikes around the track, there is face painting and Santa will arrive in style as well. The main race is the 35 lap Production Sedan series as well as the Wingless Sprints, AMCA Nationals, Compact Speedcars, Junior Sedans, National 4's and Street Stocks. If you only go once a season to the speedway this is the one to choose.Lismore Workers, back in the Far North Coast Cricket Council L J Hooker League for the first time in eight years, will be batting against the league leaders Pottsville at Oakes Oval, Lismore, from 1pm tomorrow. Pottsville declared on 5/328 and Workers were reduced to 3/27 but Jason Caught's team bat to 11 and the pitch will be a beauty for lots of runs, hopefully.Far North Coast Softball Association is staging its Strike Out Cancer event for Breast Cancer Awareness and the softball action is of a high calibre. There will be plenty of pink on display that's for certain. There are two great clashes in Division 1 with Rous Warriors against Premiers Ballina Sharks and the new side Motley Crew facing Rous Rangers at Albert Park, East Lismore. The first match is at 1.30pm but get there early as you can buy these great key rings. With the weather, take a chair and umbrella and go and watch the lads play in the Northern Rivers Cricket League. There's action on Nielson Park, East Lismore, between Eastern Districts and Marist Brothers and Heaps Oval, Uralba St, Lismore, pits reigning premiers and leaders Goonellabah Workers Sports against Kyogle Turkeys. It's 40 overs a side and the first bowl is at 12 noon.Sunday is actually the quiet day after a huge Saturday of events. The Lismore Car Boot markets are on under the Square from 7:30am 2pm.There is a great bit of local theatre happening at the Rochdale Theatre with the Vagina Monologues play kicking off tonight at 7:30pm. The season runs until December 8 with other dates Saturday 7:30pm, Sunday 2pm then next Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 7:30pm with the final performance on Sunday at 2pm.You can show your charitable side over the weekend with two events needing to raise some money.The first is the 'Strike Out Cancer' fundraiser at Albert Park put together by the Far North Coast Softball Association. There is a host of games for you to watch, tonight from 5pm to 9pm and Saturday from 1:30pm to 8pm. You can give money buy purchasing key rings or taking part in a raffle.Saturday afternoon you can help some bushfire victims in the small community of Wytaliba near Glenn Innes. Over 50 buildings were destroyed including the bridge and the school so Jasmine Knight Smith wasted to do something to help out this community. Get along to the Station Hotel (2 Casino Street, South Lismore) where a host of local bands will be forming between 2 and 11:30pm. You can read the full story here Lismore locals help fire-ravaged Wytaliba communityNow that is a busy weekend and that is the Weekend Wrap. Enjoy!

Tiny homes will be on display at Clunes Hall this Saturday, November 30. Northern Rivers Tiny Homes owner and operations manager Allison Rainbird sees tiny homes as a solution to the future of housing. Registered as caravans, they are perfect for eco-minded people ready to downsize and embrace minimalistic living, without a lot of possessions.Allison and her team of builders and carpenters have built a showcase of tiny homes on wheels for their open day this weekend and invite everyone along to check them out.There will be a talk at 10am and food and coffee will be available to purchase – as well as a jumping castle for the kids.You can just show up or register before the day on Eventbrite for a chance to be in the running to win a beach house holiday at Wooli.For more information, visit the website https://www.northernriverstinyhomes.com.au/Allison started her business last year and has been operating from a workshed in the Lismore industrial estate.The tiny homes are about 4.3 metres high, 2.5 metres wide and weigh up to 4.5 tonnes. “A 3.5 tonne tiny home can be pulled by a Landcruiser,” she said. “We can create and modify designs as needed. Allison with 'The Clunes' tiny home.Energy efficientAllison loves building beautiful, practical and energy efficient tiny homes.Her eye for detail has created small buildings with matching colour schemes all the way through the wood work, bench finishes, trimmings, appliances and tiny details such as the toilet pipes being hidden from view.“It’s the tiny details that matter,” she said.“I want people to have the impression of a quality build.“I wanted a house light and airy, where you don’t need air conditioning because the design lets the air flow through.“There are windows set high up in the walls to allow cross ventilation and keep the house cool. Tiny townsEach of the tiny homes Allison and her team are building have their own names - named them after tiny towns in the local area.“We love being a local business and being known for being local – we even buy materials local as much as possible,” she said.The deluxe model is called The Clunes and the new, cheaper model is the Larnook.“The deluxe model has all the extras and costs about $125,000 and can sleep five people across three areas,” she said.“The basic model costs about $99,000.”If people from social housing organisations want tiny homes for people to sleep in and they need disability housing, Allison and her team can change the design.“We can make it all on one level, with a bathroom wet room for someone in a wheelchair – this also can cut building costs and make it cost effective,” she said.“We can also design tiny homes as emergency housing, where people use it for sleeping and the amenities are outside. “It’s cheaper to build bunk beds in these too.“We’re open to anything people might want.”“Social housing tiny homes is a great opportunity to give back to the community and give people who can’t afford homes a second chance“In a flood town, a moveable home on wheels could be an ideal solution” The future“In this region, people can’t afford normal housing and can’t live like that anymore,” Allison said.“People who want to be less materialistic and own less possessions want to be part of the tiny house movement. “If you can’t embrace that, then the tiny house living is probably not for you."In a fairly new industry, fitting tiny homes into a regulatory structure in council planning will be one of the future challenges.“Tiny homes can be a good option for people renting on AirBnB, or who have teenagers, elderly parents or extended family,” Allison said.“You can put it on land where someone has space.“It’s ok to be used on a sporadic basis, like for seasonal accommodation for woofers.“If it’s a secondary dwelling for a member of your household, it’s ok.“But if you are living on vacant land alone, you’ll need approval from the council.“We urge people to meet council regulations before committing to buying.”Read more: SUNDAY PROFILE: Tiny homes creator Allison Rainbird

Lismore Base Hospital saw fire emergency crews arrive last night in response to a fire alarm in the hospital’s carpark.Concerned local residents reported seeing the fire trucks and a TV camera crew, but hospital staff have clarified that it was just a false alarm. Lismore Base Hospital general manager Ian Hatton said “a break glass fire alarm was activated in the hospital carpark on Thursday night”.“A fire crew attended but did not find any evidence of a fire,” he said.“It appears the alarm was activated in error.”

Trinity Catholic College student Matilda Howe (14) has been named Cancer Council NSW's Young Hero of the Year.“I had no idea I would win,” Matlida said. “Mum kept it a secret from me at first, but I knew I was a finalist in the awards.“It was nerve wracking and I had a tear coming out of my eye.”Despite being so young, her work as a volunteer and supporter of the Cancer Council’s fundraiser Relay for Life has earned her a trophy and an even greater desire to help others. Matilda said she first got involved with Relay For Life a few years ago because her granddad had cancer and she wanted to help raise money for the cancer Council.“The relay involved getting together sponsorship for our team to walk around the oval at Southern Cross University,” she said.Matilda’s school had encouraged their students to get involved in community services, so she began the journey of finding a charity that fit just right. After attending 2018’s Lismore & Villages Relay For Life, Matilda took it upon herself to get involved with the Cancer Council and hasn’t looked back. Since then, she has been heavily involved in serving her community and has supported numerous Cancer Council NSW events across multiple committees. Now, Matilda is an integral member in both the Lismore & Villages Relay For Life and the Stars of Lismore organising committees, where she volunteers her time to attend regular event coordination meetings and fundraising efforts.Matilda and Lismore & Villages Relay For Life chair Leanne Thompson. She can often be seen selling raffle tickets or lending a helping hand at any number of fundraising functions including at this year’s Lunch in the Country Luncheon. “Being part of the organizing committee is so much work, but I really enjoy it” Matilda said.“You see what happens behind the scenes and you get to meet so many people.“The amount of stress involved was crazy.”Matilda’s even leant a helping hand to her neighbours in Ballina when she volunteered at their Relay For Life event earlier this year as Cancer Council’s famous mascot, Dougal Bear. “It was a really hot day and I was wearing a furry suit and could hardly see anything,” she laughed. “I’m glad I didn’t fall over.”Matilda said she loves helping out, doing whatever is needed, because she gets to be her own boss.“People trust you,” she said.“I learned so many new skills and I got more confident going up to people I haven’t met before and talking to them.“It pushed me out of my comfort zone.“I have anxiety that comes and goes and I think what I’m doing is helping me to overcome it.”With a few years of school still ahead of her, Matilda said she’s still not sure what she wants to do with her life.“Sometimes I think I want to be a police officer, or work for the Cancer Council in Byron Bay.”Her mum Deb said Matilda’s reliability, passion and skills make her perfect for event management.Matilda encourages people to get involved with next year’s Relay For Life, to be held in March.“People can register their teams of any number of people,” she said.  Matilda was nominated for the Cancer Council award by Lismore & Villages Relay For Life chair Leanne Thompson – who Matilda said has been a huge support to her, along with her mum Deb.“I’m so pleased to have been given the opportunity to nominate Matilda for this award, we are very proud of her efforts and know she will continue to do great things,” Leanne said.Cancer Council NSW provides numerous support services to the Northern Rivers community and relies on the fundraising efforts of the community to operate.The Cancer Council Information Service - run by volunteers – is based at Lismore’s St Vincent’s Hospital and provides the local community with personal support and access to helpful information. Lismore’s Transport to Treatment is a key service in the community that provides free transport for patients to reach their local treatment centres. As well as these, the Lismore community can also access In-Home Support, Pro bono financial and legal advice, accommodation services, Cancer Support Groups and the Cancer Council’s hotline 13 11 20. For more information or to register a team in the Relay For Life, visit http://www.relayforlife.org.au/lismore or visit Facebook for updates at http://www.facebook.com/RelayForLifeLismoreVillages 

The refurbishment of Lismore Library is complete and the library will reopen as normal this Saturday, November 30.The library has undergone a refit and now has new shelving, furnishings and carpet.So drop in and say high and maybe borrow a book!  

An evacuation centre has opened at Southern Cross University, Military Road, East Lismore, for residents of the areas around Reardons Lane, Gap Road, Woodburn, Swan Bay-New Italy, and Evans Head.Please note NO evacuation orders have been issued by the NSW RFS at this time.If you are leaving the area, first place of call should be family and friends.Those needing further assistance should visit the SCU evacuation centre. A number of agencies are on hand to help answer your questions.Small domesticated animals are welcome.We encourage all people in and around fire-affected areas to register online with the Red Cross operated Register Find Reunite site at https://register.redcross.org.au/

After experiencing one of the top five driest and hottest springs on record, the long range forecast for summer is – no surprise – hot and dry as well. The Bureau of Meterology (BoM) has released its 2019/20 Summer Outlook forecast and the climate outlook shows a high likelihood of warmer than average days and nights for most of the country, while rainfall is likely to be below average for large parts of the nation's east.BoM’s head of long-range forecasts Dr Andrew Watkins said we have fairly high odds getting about 80% of a drier than normal summer and also very high odds of above 80% of warmer days and nights in NSW.Dr Watkins said Australia's outlook was being influenced by one of Australia's main climate drivers – the positive Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD). "The key culprit is one of the strongest positive IOD events on record," Dr Watkins said."A positive IOD means we have cooler than average water pooling off Indonesia, and this means we see less rain-bearing weather systems, and warmer than average temperatures for large parts of the country.Bureau of Meterology's rainfall outlook for the month of December."The positive IOD means we're also expecting a delayed onset for the northern monsoon, one of the key drivers for tropical rainfall during the summer months."At this stage we're expecting the onset of the northern monsoon by mid-summer, which should see the odds for closer to average rainfall increasing from January and into February." “Spring has been hot and dry we’ve seen one of the top five driest Springs on record and one of the top five warmest springs on record.“We’ve also had a lot of dust blowing in from inland Australia and of course the smoke and bushfire as well.”Dr Watkins said the outlook was an important reminder for communities to be alert to the potential severe weather risks over the coming months."We've already seen significant bushfire activity during spring, and the outlook for drier and warmer than average conditions will maintain that heightened risk over the coming months."This outlook also means the risk of heatwaves is increased, so it's important the community stays up to date with the latest information and advice from authorities and the Bureau's heatwave forecasts and warnings.Bureau of Meterology's rainfall outlook for January."Even with a drier than average outlook, localised flooding remains a risk under particular meteorological conditions such as thunderstorms, and of course communities in the north need to be prepared at this time of year for tropical cyclones."For more information on Australia's severe weather risks visit: bom.gov.au/knowyourweatherFor more information from the Bureau of Meterology, visit http://www.bom.gov.au/?ref=logoWhat about the rest of the country?The climate outlook shows a high likelihood of warmer than average days and nights for most of the country.Only coastal areas of Western Australia, stretching from the Midwest to the Kimberley are showing increased odds of wetter than average conditions.NSW spring summaryThe preliminary spring summary for New South Wales - as a whole - was dry.Despite some rain around Bourke in early November and in the northeast late in spring, the far northeast was particularly dry.Days were warmer than average especially in the northeast, but nights were closer to average.A blast of extreme heat in late November increased fire danger and broke spring temperature records in the southeast.Large fires, persistent smoke and dust storms were features of the season. Bureau of Meterology's rainfall outlook for January to March.National spring summaryVictoria, South Australia and Queensland also experienced one of the five driest springs on record and it was one of Western Australia's warmest and driest springs on record.VictoriaIn Victoria, rainfall was close to average around Melbourne and near the southwest coast.Days were warmer than average for most of the State, with record hot spring weather late in November.A blast of extreme heat in late November increased fire danger and broke spring temperature records at many sites.Cool nights were common, and the State's spring mean minimum temperature is on track to be the lowest since 2003.QueenslandQueensland was especially dry in the southeast, but rainfall was close to average in the southwest. Days were warmer than average for most of the State, but nights were cooler than average in many areas.Overall the southeast had a warmer than average spring but the far north was cooler than average.South Australia Days were warmer than average, especially in the west, but nights were colder than average in parts of the southeast.A blast of extreme heat in late November increased fire danger and broke spring temperature records in southern districts.TasmaniaFrequent gusty westerly winds meant western Tasmania had a cool and wet spring, but days in the east were warmer than average.Nights were cooler than average for much of the State.A blast of extreme heat in late November increased fire danger and broke spring temperature records Western AustraliaMaximum temperatures record warm across almost the whole State, and the Western Australia mean maximum temperature is on track to break the previous spring record.Numerous sites had their hottest spring day around the middle of November.Rainfall was well below average for most of the State, although the Pilbara picked up some rain toward the end of November.Northern TerritoryNovember days were warmer than usual in the Northern Territory, and record warm in parts of the northwest.Nights were much cooler than average in the southeast, but warmer than average in the northwest.Rainfall was below average over most of the Territory, although there was rain into the northwest late in the month.

In the aftermath of recent bushfires, most of the Wytaliba community near Glen Innes are trying to get their lives on track. With over 50 buildings destroyed, including the bridge and local school, Lismore local Jasmine Knight Smith wanted to do something to help the community that she grew up with.So she started organising a fundraiser for them, to be held at the Station Hotel in South Lismore this Saturday, November 30. It’s the first in series of benefit fundraisers that will take place over the next few months.With a host of performers ready to volunteer their time to the gig, Wytaliba Love is set to bring musical love to the stage from 2pm until 11.30pm.“Over half the Wytaliba community have no home,” Jasmine said. “Most escaped the fires with nothing but the clothes on their backs.“I’ve been speaking to friends on Wytaliba and they’re just so grateful that we are going to help them - every little bit helps.“Many people fled after the fires and are staying with friends and family. “Some are down the hill in tents and some are couch surfing in Glen Innes. Wytaliba fire. Picture: Vanessa LeishmanJasmine said she grew up in Wytaliba and has a deep connection to the community.“My mum was one of first three to live there – she and my dad were part of buying the land there initially in 1979,” she said.“The house my parents built burned down, and Joe who lived in the house is homeless and will be coming up for the gig on Saturday.“When the fires approached Wytaliba, it was described as a hurricane of flames and heat - very fast and without warning. “I’ve heard incredible stories of bravery and loss - including the loss of two lives, Vivian Chaplain and George Nole.“George was an eccentric who had worked for NASA on the Apollo Program and Vivian Chaplain was just relentlessly wonderful - she died protecting the animals and home she loved.” Jasmine said all proceeds from the benefit gigs will go directly to those affected.“The money will be divided between those who have lost their homes and some for community infrastructure.“It will go into the Wytaliba trust account and be divided up by the board of directors . Jasmine said Lismore locals Robyn Dein, Cat Reid and Darren Bridge have been helping out with organizing the gig.The line up for Saturday’s fundraiser includes headlining band Huckleberry Gin [- whose front man Simon Burton hails from Wytaliba.There will be raffles, a photo display of the property before and after the fire, stories of loss and survival and great music.There will be no cover charge - donate whatever you can.Jasmine said information about Wytaliba and upcoming events will be shared on the webpage http://www.wytalibalove.com “It’s a work in progress and things will be added as the residents of Wytaliba are more able to share their stories and photos,” she said.“Right now they’re just trying to find a place to sleep and some clothes for their kids.” Wytaliba Love line up:2:30 John and Matt 3:25 Tradesmyth4:15 Postmortemists 5:00 Mocri$ and Triple 6:00 Huckleberry Gin 7:00 Queen of the Ants 8:00 HDM 9:00 The Munted 10:00 Baby Fist

The brand new North Tower at Lismore Base Hospital is nearly ready to become operational and will be open by the early April 2020.The freshly painted new tower now joins seamlessly with the existing hospital tower, which will be the subject of refurbishment in the future.North Tower, to be known as F Block, will include two inpatient wards (one medical and one surgical), an Intensive Care Unit (ICU), pharmacy, imaging, day surgery and endoscopy units, hospital administration facilities, security office, and admissions department.Patient recovery areas inside the new hospital tower.Yesterday, the building was open for inspection and Parliamentary Secretary for Health, the Hon Natasha Maclaren-Jones MLC inspected the eight-storey building, ahead of it being handed over to the Northern NSW Local Health District.The new tower has been completed ahead of schedule, marking a major milestone in the $322 million Stage 3 redevelopment project for the local hospital.Ms Maclaren-Jones said the early hand-over gives hospital management and staff greater opportunity to familiarise themselves with the new building and carry out the necessary preparations before it opens to the public via a staged process.“The construction company John Holland and Health Infrastructure have done a fantastic job completing the project two months ahead of schedule,” Mrs Maclaren-Jones said.Brand new operating theatres and hospital rooms are getting finishing touches.Construction of the North Tower commenced in May 2018, with an average of 115 people working on the site each day, generating 745 jobs on site.Northern NSW Local Health District (NNSWLHD) board chair Brian Pezzutti is excited that the building is almost ready for operation. He’s been overseeing the project and said the new operating theatres had state of the art equipment and were different to what we’ve seen before.“Now we have two endoscopy theatres and the theatres are hybrid theatres where patients can receive a number of procedures in one place,” he said.“Having these new services available will bring more medical specialists into our regional area to work.“It will be a magnet for people looking for the opportunity to live in a rural area with the regional lifestyle – it will provide work opportunities usually only found in metropolitan areas.Mr Pezzutti said the inclusion of the intensive care and surgical ward was the result of former local politician Thomas George.“He fought hard to get the extra $50 million extra on top to get it done,” he said. “It would be great if we could name something after him.”NNSWLHD chief executive Wayne Jones said having the new expanded services mean that local people will have access to new services.“we will see a significant reduction in the numbers of people who have to leave the area to go to a major city for surgery,” he said.With 90 new beds for patients, the times spent in hospital for surgery are expected to reduce, with more surgeries complete and patients going home within one day.“The rooms are more spread out, the operating theatre is bigger and the new surgical ward is a contemporary state of the art design,” he said.  Between May 2018 and September 2019, 745 workers were employed on the construction of the new tower, including 61 apprentices, 162 workers who participated in structured training or upskilling, 17 Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander workers, and 19 women working in trade roles.Once the tower opens next year, there will eb a recruitment of people for more new jobs in a number of areas, from cleaning to administration. The $322 million redevelopment project is scheduled to be completed at the end of 2021. The NSW Government has invested more than $10 billion since 2011 to build, upgrade and redevelop hospitals and health facilities across NSW. An additional $10.1 billion is being invested over the next four years to continue current projects and start upgrading or building a further 29 hospitals and health facilities.

While our bush fires are under control for now in the 2480 postcode, spare a thought for our southern neighbours in Woodburn and Evans Head.Today the New Italy bush fires are out of control and are being driven by a southerly wind moving the bush fire threat towards Woodburn and Evans Head. Residents are being warned by the NSW RFS to leave their homes if their property is not prepared for or is undefendable while others are asked to monitor the situation closely. The fire is very large at more than 93,270 hectares and burning out of control.Some people have family and friends living in these areas as well as areas closer to the fire hot spots in New Italy and further south towards holiday areas like Iluka and Yamba. We will leave the Lismore App Bush Fire button live for the next few weeks in case anyone wants some immediate information on your smartphone. We have added the Woodburn RFS Facebook page as a link plus Live Traffic NSW as road closures are changing constantly.The Lismore App will keep you up to date as the holiday season approaches in terms of traffic conditions as we head towards the Christmas break.

Lismore City Councillors last night voted for a second time to apply for a special rate variation over four years to fund a massive investment in our local roads and help re-invigorate the CBD. Read more: Council decides: Rates are set to rise Mayor Isaac Smith said he and other councillors were aware there is opposition to the rate raise but added it was the job of elected councillors to put the interests of the entire community first. He also noted that there were supporters of the rate rise as noted in the feedback that was made available to all parties.“I acknowledge that this is a controversial decision and that, for some, this may create a small financial burden” he said.“We are very aware of that, and we make provisions for this. "Ratepayers can contact council to make an arrangement to pay their rates off over time. “People can also apply for assistance under our Hardship Policy and all Centrelink pensioners and certain Veteran Affairs pensioners are entitled to a discount, many people take this up already and I encourage others to apply for these.“No councillor wants to raise rates but there is no alternative. Over the term of this council we have cut spending by millions of dollars, appointed a new General Manager to put new cost-saving measures in place and much more.“We all want the Lismore community to grow and to become a vibrant economy that will support us into the future.”“As I have said previously, there is nothing left to trim, which means if we didn’t vote for the rise, we would have to cut essential services and not invest anything in our growth.”“We have the largest road network of any council in the Northern Rivers, and a maintenance backlog of more than $54 million which has been built up over consecutive councils.“Unfortunately, previous councils have kicked the issue down the road. “This must stop now. “If we continue to duck this, it will make it worse for the next council and the cost that will be required to rectify the infrastructure backlog will greatly penalise the community in the future.“We are not alone in this. “Other councils in our area, like Byron Bay, Richmond Valley and Ballina councils have all increased their rates by as much as 33.5% and we can all see the economic growth that has occurred in these areas.“If are application is approved, this will be the largest investment in our roads in living memory.” The council will now write to the Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal, which will make the final decision on whether to approve the increase.The council voted to ask IPART for a rate increase over 4 years, starting with 7.5% in the first year, 9.4% in the second year, 3.9% in the third and 3.2% in the fourth year.

Another person has been caught filming in Court.Richmond District Police will allege that at 11.45am yesterday, a 30 year old Ballina man was at Lismore Court. He was seen by a Sheriff to be filming Court proceedings on 'snapchat'. He had filmed a Magistrate and had the words 'F*** I hate Court" on his snapchat (you can fill in the blanks).The 30 year old will be back at Lismore Local Court next month on a charge of 'Use Recording Device in Court Premises'.Police said this is sadly becoming a regular occurrence on the Northern Rivers. If you are caught filming or recording at Court you can expect to be arrested and charged. If you have to go to Court, turn your mobile phone off.

Lismore councillors last night voted to bring in a Special Rates Variation (SRV) which will see a property rates rise of almost 25% over four years.The decision to bring in the SRV was made two weeks ago, but after a recission motion against it was lodged by councillors, the decision was put on hold. After almost two hours of discussion, last night’s meeting saw five councillors vote to continue with the introduction of the SRV (Crs Ekins, Marks, Bird, Cook and Smith) and four councillors vote to stop the SRV (Crs Battista, Casson, Moorhouse and Lloyd).Read more: Mayor offers options for ratepayers in hardshipThe SRV will bring extra revenue to Council for the roads budget and economic development opportunities such as reinvigorating the CBD.The Council will now send the decision to the NSW Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal (IPART) for a rate increase over 4 years, starting with 7.5% in the first year, 9.4% in the second year, 3.9% in the third and 3.2% in the fourth year.The decision included clauses which would see Council develop a way to provide greater accountability and transparency in the management of the extra revenue and ongoing road works.This included developing a way to track and regularly report expenditure and progress against the SRV, R2R and General Funds road programs.Another clause requested that Council’s general manager look at alternative resourcing models, “over and above council’s road team to complete the additional road works so they can be completed within a time frame that is acceptable to the community”. The discussion about the SRV has generated passionate discussion in council meetings, or social media and on the street.The debate in Council chambers last night also gave rise to passionate speeches from councillors. Cr Lloyd gave an empassioned speech around making sure governance was followed with regard to the SRV lodgement.Cr Battista gave his ideas of where to get some of the $5.4 million needed to fix the roads from if the SRV didn’t go through, which included looking at savings internally.Cr Casson gave an emotional speech about the State Government shifting more costs every year onto local councils – effectively putting councils in financial stress.“Instead of punishing ratepayers, why don’t we campaign against the State Government to stop cost shifting and fund councils adequately,” she said.Mayor Smith said Council has been working with the state body LGNSW to fight cost shifting, along with all the other local councils who have been under financial stress.Councillor Battista questioned Council staff about why only 27% of last year’s road works were completed.Mayor Smith responded saying that was the year following the flood and most staff were taken out for three or four months as a result of it.Cr Lloyd suggested the community has lost confidence in the Council's ability to manage the money to be used for the roads. Now, it’s a matter of waiting to see if IPART accepts Council’s decision to introduce the SRV.Read more: Elly Bird: On the Special Rates VariationNeil Marks: Why I voted for a large rate riseWhere will the money come from? Council's SRV voteDivided council delays action on massive rates increaseLismore rates set to rise after emotional Council debateCouncil postpones Special Rates Variation voteLismore rate rise causes a stir in Council

It might feel like groundhog day, but yes, tonight will again see Lismore Council debate and vote on whether Lismore should get a Special Rates variation (SRV).The rate increase of nearly 25% over four years has been on the cards of Council meeting agendas for a while now. The first time it was due to be voted on (three weeks ago), the vote was adjourned until the next week. At last week’s extraordinary Council meeting, the SRV was voted in – with three councillors being absent (Crs Bennett, Lloyd and Guise) and only three councillors voting against it (Crs Casson, Moorhouse and Battista).Then the next day, a recission motion was lodged by three councillors (Crs Casson, Bennett and Battista) – effectively putting a stop to the SRV being sent to Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal (IPART) to make a decision on whether to accept Council’s decision.Now, tonight, Council could discuss it again.The revenue gained from the SRV has been mostly earmarked to fix the roads in the Council area.If the SRV does not go ahead tonight, Council will need to find $54 million out of its budget to fund the roads.The big question is where will the money come from? Cr Nancy Casson believes the money needs to come from looking at the budget and making appropriate cuts.“I voted against the SRV because as a business owner, I knows that to cut costs you need to look internally,” she said.“I don’t have rate payers to ask for the money.“I think there’s a better way of doing things in Council.“Council staff are loathe to admit that more can be done with less - and accept that reality, look at processes and change them.“I questioned Council staff about the 80 staff jobs that were cut – I’d like to know more - because there’s a lot of new faces in Council I don’t know. “I was also surprised at briefing information for tonight’s meeting that shows we are $4 million in the red. All year I’ve been told in our quarterly statements that we were in the black and all of a sudden we are in the red.“I think Council staff have been giving council lords incorrect information.“We need to look at every dollar - even after we found we had a $6.2 million deficit, we still gave out $15,000 worth of community grants and I said why?“The answer was because we’ve done that for years. “The definition of madness is to keep doing same thing and expect different results. “My biggest concern is that if the SRV goes ahead and the roads are fixed, I don’t see the rates changing in five years – it will be with us forever.Cr Casson also believes some of the past roadworks had used funds that shouldn’t have been used because “we keep screwing up constantly”.“The Carrington Street roads works cost more money than it should have and when I put in a councillor request to ask why, I was told that the extra $71,000 was in the contingency plan,” she said.“That level of thinking was appalling.“We need to change the thinking and mentality of staff and don’t put our hand out to ratepayers. “We need to look at every process and make adjustments.”“Why does Council think its ok to have the Lismore Shopping Square pay one third of the rates that the Lismore CBD businesses do?“What about staff pay rates and accrual of annual leave?”Councillor Casson also mentioned the elephant in the room that no one has been talking about.“We were told Council staff are afraid of administrators coming in if the SRV isn’t approved,” she said.Tonight, the decision will be made. 

The acclaimed stage production The Vagina Monologues is coming to the Rochdale Theatre in Goonellabah.Performed by the Lismore Theatre Company (LTC), The Vagina Monologues is based on interviews with 200 women.First performed in 1996, the play is a series of individual monologues and four group pieces.It explores consensual and nonconsensual sexual experiences, body image, genital mutilation, direct and indirect encounters with reproduction, vaginal care, menstrual periods, sex work, and several other topics through the eyes of women with various ages, races, sexualities and other differences.For this production, Director Sharon Brodie has selected 10 local women to present 12 monologues by characters aged from 16 to 72 and four group pieces.Sharon Brodie has directed The Vagina Monologues two times over the past eight years, each time varying the monologues and the group pieces.  “I love presenting The Vagina Monologues to audiences because it combines my passion for theatre with my commitment to human rights,” she said.“These stories are educational, empowering and powerful and they can be enjoyed by everyone.”Actors in this production include actors familiar to LTC audiences, Elyse Knowles, Beth Hobbs, Kashmir Miller, Natalie Havilah, Sarah Jane Loxton, Megan Lester, Jenny Dowell and Sivi Tuioro, and newcomers, Mechelle Anderson and Ajita Cannings.Elyse Knowles has participated in The Vagina Monologues previously and said “it is truly an honour to be involved in the Vagina Monologues for the third time”.“The beauty of this show is that it not only deals with the experiences of women in the world but it continues to evolve over time and as each new person brings it to life,” she said.The youngest member of the cast, Kashmir Miller said being a part of The Vagina Monologues “is an empowering experience”.“It has made me think about the power of womanhood and sisterhood in new ways,” she said.“My piece explores contemporary attitudes towards young women, and it’s been a pleasure so far learning with my character how to embrace yourself and become free from others perceptions.”The show is confronting, poignant and funny and while there are references to sex and violence and some coarse language, it is suitable for mature teenagers.The Vagina Monologues runs from November 29 until December 8 (Thursday to Saturday at 7.30pm and Sunday at 2pm) at The Rochdale Theatre, 603 Ballina Road, Goonellabah.Ticket costs: Adult $23, Concession $17, Members $17Bookings can be made at http://www.lismoretheatrecompany.org.au or http://bit.ly/VMbookingsFundraiserThe Saturday 30 November performance of The Vagina Monologues is a special fundraiser for Heartfelt House. Friday 6 December will have Auslan interpreters. To purchase a ticket ($25) for this special night of The Vagina Monologues, please contact Heartfelt House on 66288940 on Tuesdays and Wednesdays 8am-3pm.  Heartfelt House provides telephone counselling and support and holds 18 week therapeutic group programs that address the impacts of abuse on participants’ daily lives. The organisation also delivers three hours seminars for family and friends to assist them in supporting survivors and managing self care. Seminars can be arranged for professional people working with survivors in other work spheres.Lismore Theatre Company is proud to make a donation to a worthwhile charity. Previous shows this year have benefited Jodie’s Inspiration, Beyond Blue, Dementia Australia and the Australasian Order of Old Bastards.