The latest Bureau of Health Information (BHI) Healthcare Quarterly report (July – September 2024) once again paints a bleak picture for Lismore Base Hospital.It was also the first report to capture a full quarter of data from the new Tweed Valley Hospital, which commenced operations on May 14, 2024.The brighter news begins with planned procedures for the Northern NSW Local Health District (NNSWLHD). From July to September 2024, 3,572 planned procedures were completed, with the vast majority (85.4 per cent) performed on time. This is an improvement of 8.2 percentage points compared with the same period in 2023 (77.2 per cent).At the end of the quarter, there were 232 patients waiting longer than clinically recommended for their planned surgery, a reduction of 67 per cent, or 477 patients fewer, compared with the end of September 2023.Median waiting times decreased for both the semi-urgent and non-urgent categories and remained stable for the urgent category.Any patient who feels their condition may have deteriorated while waiting for their surgery is encouraged to contact their treating doctor who can review their condition and place them in a higher urgency category, if appropriate.The inherent problem for Lismore Base Hospital lies in the emergency department.NNSWLHD Director Clinical Operations Lynne Weir said hospitals continued to see increasing numbers of patients presenting to emergency departments and arriving by ambulance, trends which are being reflected across NSW.“We had 56,041 emergency attendances in the quarter, an increase of 3.4 per cent, or 1,840 additional attendances when compared with the same quarter last year, and the highest July-September quarter ever recorded.Lismore Base Hospital bucked this trend with a 0.1% decrease in ED attendance to 10,046.“We also saw 9,775 arrivals by ambulance, an increase of 585 arrivals, or 6.4 per cent, compared with the same quarter in 2023, and the highest ever on record.Lismore Base was up 8% to 3,022.“It’s incredibly busy in our EDs, and I’d like to thank all our staff for their continued efforts in caring for our communities at their most vulnerable.”From July to September 2024, almost seven in 10 patients (69.5 per cent) started their treatment on time, which is better than the NSW average (61.3 per cent).Lismore Base was ten percent lower than the state average with 51.3%, which was a 12.2% decrease for the same period in 2023.More than eight in 10 patients (80.7 per cent) were transferred from ambulance paramedics to ED staff within the 30-minute benchmark time, which is better than the NSW average (77.5 per cent).Lismore Base also performed above the state average, with 66.6%, down 2.2%.The majority of patients (71.0 per cent) left the ED within four hours of arriving – which is also significantly better than the NSW average (54.7 per cent).Lismore Base performed well below the NNSWLHD average, with 50.6% of patients leaving the ED within four hours. This was down 4.6%.All patients are seen and triaged on arrival at the ED and the most seriously unwell patients are treated first. During busy times, those with less urgent conditions can experience longer wait times when there are large numbers of seriously unwell patients being prioritised for emergency care.“As a district, we are focussed on supporting patients to access timely care in a range of settings, depending on what’s most appropriate for their condition,” Ms Weir said.“In many cases, that may be through our emergency departments, but we are also implementing alternative avenues such as combining our Hospital in the Home and community nursing services across the District to improve the capacity in the community for out-of-hospital services.”For non-life threatening illness or injury such as a cough, nausea, sprain or minor cut, residents canphone HealthDirect on 1800 022 222 for free, expert health advice 24 hours a day.A registered nurse will answer your call, ask some questions and connect you to the right care, which could include connecting with a health expert by phone or video call, booking an appointment at an urgent care clinic or other local healthcare service, and also calling an ambulance or directing to the emergency department if the situation is life-threatening.The numbers, once again, prove that Lismore Base Hospital is in dire need of government intervention.In our September interview with CEO Tracey Maisey, she pointed to a lack of beds and a lack of aged care facilities from an increasing elderly population that stay in hospital longer as the main problems that Lismore Base Hospital underperforms in key categories.INDIVIDUAL HOSPITAL RESULTSBALLINA DISTRICT HOSPITAL had 4,635 ED attendances during the quarter, an increase of 6.7 per cent (290 attendances) compared with the same quarter in 2023. More than six in 10 patients (62.1 per cent) started their ED treatment on time. More than seven in 10 patients (74.0 per cent) left the ED within four hours. More than eight in 10 patients (87.1 per cent) were transferred from ambulance to ED staff within the 30-minute benchmark, an increase of 3.7 percentage points compared to the same quarter in 2023.BYRON CENTRAL HOSPITAL had 5,354 ED attendances for the quarter, up 1.8 per cent (95 attendances) on the same quarter in 2023. The vast majority of patients (85.0 per cent) started their ED treatment on time, which is better than the average for hospitals of a similar size in NSW (77.3 percent). Eight in 10 patients (81.5 per cent) left the ED within four hours of arriving. More than nine in 10 patients (93.4 per cent) were transferred from ambulance to ED staff within the 30-minute benchmark, which is in line with the average for hospitals of a similar size (93.3 per cent).CASINO & DISTRICT MEMORIAL HOSPITAL had 3,456 ED attendances in the quarter, an increase of 7.4 per cent (237 attendances) on the same quarter in 2023. More than five in 10 patients (59.8 percent) started treatment on time and more than eight in 10 patients (84.0per cent) left the ED within four hours of arriving. More than nine in 10 patients (93.5 per cent) were transferred from ambulance to ED staff within the 30-minute benchmark.GRAFTON BASE HOSPITAL had 7,023 ED attendances during this quarter, a 4.4 per cent increase (293 attendances) on the same quarter in 2023. More than five in 10 started treatment on time (56.3 per cent). Almost seven in 10 patients (69.6 per cent) left the ED within four hours of arriving, which is better than the average for hospitals of a similar size in NSW (59.0 per cent). More than eight in 10 patients (87.7 per cent) were transferred from ambulance to ED staff within the 30-minute benchmark an increase of 4.7 percentage points compared to the same quarter in 2023.LISMORE BASE HOSPITAL had 10,046 ED attendances during the quarter. The District also saw 3,022 ambulance arrivals, an increase of 8 per cent (225 arrivals) on the same quarter in 2023. More than five in 10 patients (51.3 per cent) started their treatment on time, and 50.6 per cent of patients left the ED within four hours of arriving, which is slightly above the average for hospitals of a similar size in NSW (48.7 per cent). More than six in 10 patients (66.6 per cent) were transferred from ambulance to ED staff within the 30-minute benchmark.MACLEAN DISTRICT HOSPITAL had 4,073 ED attendances during the quarter, up 7.5 per cent (283 attendances) compared with the same quarter in 2023. More than seven in 10 patients (75.5 percent) started their treatment on time. More than eight in 10 patients (86.2 per cent) left the ED within four hours. Almost all patients (93.9 per cent) were transferred from ambulance to ED staff within the 30-minute benchmark.MURWILLUMBAH DISTRICT HOSPITAL had 5,089 ED attendances during the quarter, an increase of 5.7 per cent (275 attendances) compared with the same quarter in 2023. The vast majority of patients (80.7 per cent) started their treatment on time, which is better than the average for comparable hospitals in NSW (65.4 per cent). More than eight in 10 patients (85.1 per cent) left the ED within four hours of arriving, significantly better than the average for hospitals of a similar size in NSW (59.0 per cent). Almost nine in 10 patients (89.7 per cent) were transferred from ambulance to ED staff within the 30-minute benchmark.TWEED VALLEY HOSPITAL had 14,138 ED attendances during the quarter. There were 2,944 ambulance arrivals, an increase of 10.8 per cent (or 288 arrivals) compared with the same quarter in 2023 (at The Tweed Hospital). More than seven in 10 patients (79.1 per cent) started their treatment on time, which is significantly better than the average for hospitals of a similar size in NSW (53.7 percent). More than six in 10 patients (66.1 per cent) left the ED within four hours of arriving, which is also better than the average for hospitals of a similar size in NSW (48.7 per cent). More than eight in 10 patients (84.3 per cent) were transferred from ambulance to ED staff within the 30-minute benchmark, also better than the average for comparable hospitals in NSW (75.0 per cent).

The Alexandra Parade rail bridge was on Lismore City Council's agenda at Tuesday's council meeting, they are seeking the removal of it after the Union Street rail bridge is removed first.Transport for NSW wants to remind motorists that the 3.5-metre clearance single lane at Alexandra Parade, North Lismore, remains closed following damage caused to the rail-over-road bridge by a vehicle impact earlier in the year.From today (Friday, 13 December), Alexandra Parade will be open to a single-lane traffic flow for light vehicles under the 2.8-metre span, with a give-way for northbound traffic at the approach to the rail-over-road bridge. Over-height vehicles will continue to use the existing signposted detour via Terania Street.Motorists are advised to drive to the conditions and follow the directions of signs.For the latest traffic updates download the Live Traffic NSW app, visit livetraffic.com , or call 132 701.

The NSW Government has opened expressions of interest for community-led primary prevention initiatives as it continues to invest in meaningful action in an effort to prevent domestic and family violence.Up to $4.25 million in grant funding is on offer to local organisations statewide, including regional and rural, for proposals that address the drivers of domestic, family and sexual violence in our community.Proposals that align with the Pathways to Prevention strategy will be given priority consideration, including gender-based violence prevention programs that:Focus on high-impact settings such as schools, workplaces and sporting clubsEngage men and boys in prevention initiativesAlign with the ’Change the Story’[1] framework, including related frameworks ‘Changing the Picture’, ‘Changing the Landscape’ and ‘Pride in Prevention’Support LGBTQIA+ communities through inclusive programmingSupport migrant and refugee communitiesExplore innovative approaches, including the use of digital spaces such as social media.Successful projects will run over a three-year period.Following the EOI, eligible organisations will be invited to submit detailed proposals for funding consideration.The full grant application process for the Primary Prevention Multi-Year Partnership Grants Program will be run in early 2025.The NSW Government has committed $38 million over four years to roll out the state’s first dedicated primary prevention strategy to partner with local organisations on addressing the drivers of domestic, family and sexual violence.For more information and to apply, go to: https://dcj.nsw.gov.au/service-providers/grants/grants-open/nsw-primary-prevention-multi-year-partnerships-grant-program.htmlMinister for the Prevention of Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Jodie Harrison said, “Violence against women and girls can and must be prevented.“Our government’s first dedicated primary prevention strategy provides a roadmap of the work we need to do to address the drivers of violence against women and stop the violence before it starts. “We want to partner with local organisations and the community on programs that disrupt the drivers of gendered violence, promote healthy and respectful relationships, and change attitudes towards women. That will be the key to ending violence against women and girls.”Support:If you or someone you know are in immediate danger, call the Police on Triple Zero / 000.If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic and family violence, call the NSW Domestic Violence Line on 1800 65 64 63 for free counselling and referrals, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. For confidential advice, support, and referrals, contact 1800 RESPECT or 13 YARN on 13 92 76.

Lismore City Council has signed a five-year Memorandum of Understanding with the Friends of Lismore Rainforest Botanic Gardens to support the volunteer organisation to continue their vital functions at the only volunteer-run botanic gardens in Australia. In addition to providing the community with a place to visit and relax as they learn about our native environment, the garden importantly partners with other Botanical Gardens and universities across the nation to undertake scientific studies. Council’s General Manager Jon Gibbons said Council has supported the Friends of the LRBG for more than 20 years. “In the last 10 years in particular, the Botanic Gardens has grown a great deal,” he said. “The plants are well established, and much infrastructure has been added, including a Visitor Centre, toilets, BBQ area, picnic tables, signage, decks, seating, bridges and plumbing fixtures. “It has become a destination for local, interstate and international visitors, and serves as a cultural and recreational venue, attracting theatre performances, as well as regular guided walks. “Alongside this growth is a need to balance the future development of the Botanic Gardens with maintaining and upgrading what we already have. “The MOU and Management Plan 2025 – 2029 focus on identifying the Botanic Gardens’ assets, the responsibility for those assets, processes for building new assets and applying for grant funding, as well as work, health and safety procedures on site.” The Lismore Rainforest Botanic Gardens opened in 2013, and last year, the group volunteered about 4,800 hours. Vice President of the Friends Tracey Whitby said the new MoU was an acknowledgement of the hard work of the volunteers. “The Gardens’ main goals are to engender and facilitate scientific research into rainforest species, to contribute to their conservation and to develop understanding about rainforest ecosystems,” she said.“They also provide the people of Lismore with many opportunities for reflective appreciation of rainforests.”

Tuesday's final council meeting for 2024 covered a lot of ground on a lot of topics during a marathon seven-hour session. Today, we cover the Regional Vision and Masterplan, who owns the Lismore Levee? how many code of conduct's did council receive on councillors or our GM in the last 12 months? Bridge removals and a change of plan for our waste serves.Regional Vision and MasterplanWe learnt during the Mayoral Minute that during February's Northern Rivers Joint Organisation (NRJO) meeting, discussions will begin about what to do with the vacant blocks of land created by the Resilient Homes Program House Buybacks. A Community Leaders Forum will put forward a Steering Committee to the NRJO for the creation of a Regional Vision and Masterplan.The Steering Committee will be chaired by Member for Lismore Janelle Saffin. It will involve Mayor Krieg as the Chair of Regional Cities NSW, Councillor Cherry from the Tweed Shire as Chair of the NRJO, plus members of a new planning body that includes Kiersten Fishburn the Secretary of the Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure, Minister for Planning and Public Space Paul Scully and former NSWRA CEO Simon Draper who is now Secretary at the Premier's Department.The idea is that the Steering Committee will drive the Regional Vision and Masterplan through the CSIRO."So, the NRJO is virtually going to be a funding body because there is money available," Mayor Krieg explained, "So, government money will go to the NRJO to administer to the CSIRO.""We're hoping to have an outcome in the third quarter of 2025 with a draft Regional Vision, which will be led by our state member."Who Owns and Operates the Lismore Levee?This question has been an ongoing debate for over a decade. Mayor Krieg suggested an answer may be agreed to in 2025 as Rous County Council want to offload the asset and have Lismore City Council own and maintain the levee wall. Mayor Krieg said Rous councillors, which include himself and Cr Andrew Gordon, have asked for a briefing on the issue. The mayor asked for Lismore City Council staff to be included in the briefing.If Rous moves the asset of its books and on to Lismore City Council what financial ramifications will that have on Lismore Council?Code of Conduct Statistical ReportingEach year council is to provide a report of the annual Code of Conduct statistics, which is forwarded to the Office of Local Government.Council received 20 complaints from the community and 4 from councillors.The number of complaints referred to the Office of Local Government was 4. There were 2 referred to a conduct reviewer, while 1 was progressed to full investigation by a conduct reviewer.CBD Footpath UpgradeMayor Krieg put forward a motion, which was passed unanimously, to seek funding opportunities so council could continue the rest of its footpath upgrades."It's something that if we're promoting civic pride, if we're promoting a fresh, new, vibrant Lismore, we need to get the small things right," the Mayor said.There was some debate over the pebbly finish that Keen Street has, as it is unsuitable for those with disabilities or using wheelie walkers.Lismore & Villages Community PrideThere was another unanimous vote for Council to establish a 'Community Pride' team that would be responsible for:Enhancing and maintaining the entrances to the city and villages by improving landscaping, signage, and aesthetic features Coordinating an appropriate cleaning and maintenance schedule for all signs, footpaths, bench seating, BBQ facilities, and public areas within the city and villages Engaging with the community to identify priority areas and collaborate on beautification projects Providing a quarterly report to Council on the activities, improvements, and outcomes of the ‘Community Pride’ teamBridge RemovalsLismore's heritage-listed rail bridges have never been spoken about more in 2024. It was a monumental moment when the Terania Street rail bridge was finally dismantled and removed.Council now has its sights on the other rail bridges.A motion was moved by Cr Bing to write to Janelle Saffin and Transport for NSW to seek the expeditious removal of the Union Street and Alexandra Parade rail bridges, in that order, before moving on to Winterton Parade in North Lismore.The rail bridge at Crane Street will not be removed to ensure proper connectivity for future sections of the Northern Rivers Rail Trail. This was another unanimous vote.Balanced Regional Model AThe last item on the agenda was about Lismore City Council's waste services.In December 2023, council adopted Balanced Regional Model C following the most comprehensive review of Council's waste and resource recovery operations. It was said that Balanced Regional Model C would save council $6-8 million each year.In a confidential session, council has now rescinded that motion to adopt Balanced Regional Model C and adopt Balanced Regional Model A.As the matter was in confidential, no further details were supplied.The Lismore App has asked council to explain what Balanced Regional Model A involves. The next Lismore City Council meeting will be held on February 11 2025. Let's hope it doesn't run for another seven hours.

Motorists should be aware there will be a speed reduction on a short length of the Bruxner Highway from near McKees Hill to South Gundurimba before Christmas.Transport for NSW carried out a speed zone review, with the result being a speed reduction from 100kmh to 80kmh for the 6.1 kilometre stretch of road.State Member for Lismore Janelle Saffin has welcomed confirmation of the speed reduction. Ms Saffin said the changes were being made in response to requests from Bruxner Highway road users and the East Lismore-based charity Friends of the Koala (FOK) group.“An application to change speed limits is approved when a review, conducted in accordance with the NSW Speed Zoning Standard, finds there are safety benefits for motorists and other road users. In this location, there is the added bonus of providing protection for koalas.“There were five koala deaths on this section of the Bruxner Highway in August alone, and any protection measure we can take to reduce that toll is worth taking.“In addition to the speed zone change, signs to alert motorists that koalas could be present in the area are also to be installed, and this should also be a big help in reducing the impact on the local population of these beloved animal species.“I know a lot of the people who use the Bruxner daily are aware of their presence and slow down accordingly, but a lot of non-locals also use this road, and it’s great that signage is there to increase wider awareness.”Ms Saffin said she was pleased to see Lismore City Council and other agencies working together on another koala protection measure.“These groups will help with the installation of protective fencing to provide further protection on the corner of Tatham Road and the Bruxner Highway at Tatham,” Ms Saffin said.“With funding from the NSW Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, council plans to install 1.5km of fencing along both sides of the Bruxner Highway, commencing at the Pelican Creek Bridge and including the intersection and 120m of Tatham Road.“A safe crossing point will also be constructed under Pelican Creek Bridge, along with fauna escape structures and koala grids which are similar to cattle grids. “This is great news for the motorists who use this road every day and for the koalas in the area. I’d like to thank Friends of the Koala for their advocacy and Lismore City Council for their support. I’m confident that with a combination of measures we can reduce the number of koala strikes on the highway and make the journey safer for all.”Lismore Mayor Steve Kreig said, “This is good news and will improve safety for motorists and koalas along this section of the highway. This section of road has seen far too many koala fatalities, and I thank Transport for NSW for reducing speed in this area.“Thanks to a State Government grant, Lismore City Council will also install a koala exclusion fence in this area to further reduce deaths. The fence is currently in the design phase.”Friends of the Koala area coordinator, Ina Egermann said, “Friends of the Koala is very thankful to Transport for NSW for hearing our concerns and reducing the speed limit where we lose the biggest number of koalas due to car strikes in the Lismore City Local Government Area yearly.  “Members of the public regularly call us about koalas in roadside trees, which causes sleepless nights wondering if they will be the next ones hit that we have to pick up.“Many have supported us in this quest and lobbied over a long time, and we are hoping it will reduce the casualties along this stretch of road.”

They say that Christmas is a time for giving. Three local blood donors were celebrated for a lifetime of giving yesterday as each hit significant milestones at the Lismore Donor Centre.Richard Gibson donated for the 500th time. His wife Beryle, for the 100th time, and Narelle Fox, coincidental timing, donated for the 200th time.Combined, Richard, Beryle and Narelle have saved 2,400 lives during their donation journey.All underplayed their achievements.Beryle said, "I suppose it is. It's nothing special, while Richard said, "I guess. I don't think about it. It's just something I can do, and it doesn't cost me anything."The other similarity between the three wonderfully generous plasma donors was their starting age, between 18 and 21.Beryle's mother was a nurse, so that inspired her to start donating."It has taken me a fair while to do 100. I couldn't give for a fair while because I was taking medication and stuff like that. They couldn't get it out of the blood. And then kids and work, all that sort of thing."Beryle gives plasma every month, "I just found doing it every fortnight. I was getting so tired, plus I couldn't look after my crippled mum."Narelle said while she is celebrating 200 donations, she started at 18 when there were only paper records, so she thinks a few donations went missing in the early years."I used to give whole blood and then started giving plasma. But after having children and having stops and starts with different things, I'm finally here at 200."Donating blood plasma does make me feel good. My aim was to get to 200 before the new year. So, I made it, I'm here."Narelle has no set pattern to her donations; sometimes, it's every two weeks and sometimes, it's monthly, "Depending on how life is. But now I'm retired, I've got more time to come and do things a bit more."When Richard started donating, you could only give whole blood every 12 weeks. He said if a young person started donating now, they would quickly get to 500 donations because plasma can be given every two weeks.Helen Sager is the welcoming face you see most of the time at the Lismore Donor Centre on Bounty Street.Helen made a short speech, "One thing that I was thinking about this morning is what a pleasure it is, what an absolute honour it is to be part of this day where someone finally reaches the halfway mark," she said to a room full of laughter.Lifeblood spokesperson Scott Morrison said it was a Merry Christmas yesterday."It's like a milestone Christmas for us here at the Lismore Donor Centre. We are so excited about the fact that we've saved over 2,400 lives with these three fantastic people over the course of their donation history. It's phenomenal, isn't it? It gives me goosebumps."It has been so good to see, and it gives you a warm glow this time of year. It's so encouraging to see that around Christmas time, everyone's busy, things get hectic, but they still turn up, and they still want to donate. It's a special day."That's what it's all about, having that feeling of accomplishment where they're at now. This is a lifetime achievement. This takes decades and decades and decades. They should be celebrated."Not only celebrated but given a free plug for this lifetime achievement.Richard and Beryle run a delicious coffee plantation in Alstonville Three Valleys Coffee. Check it out and give it a try.If you can spare an hour over the festive period, click here to make an appointment to donate whole blood or plasma to begin your own journey of saving lives.

Lismore Regional Gallery is known for its inventiveness in keeping art thriving in Lismore.It has been acknowledged statewide at the Imagine 2024 Awards with two highly commended nominations in the two categories it was entered.These commendations were granted despite the Regional Gallery building being closed and unusable.Ashleigh Ralph, the Director of the Gallery, said,”I'm pleased to share that at the Museums and Galleries NSW 2024 IMAGinE Awards, Lismore Regional Gallery received a Highly Commended Award for two projects while operating without a building. We are thrilled that our projects were competitive with other fully resourced galleries.”This isn’t the first recognition the Gallery has received, but it is while the gallery was not actually open.The Pop-up exhibition was held at a shop in the CBD, while The Future of Toys project was held in the neighbouring pink building behind the Gallery on Rural Street, where the owners had generously offered the space.Ms Ralph explains the process of developing the initiatives, “After the floods and we had no building, we thought, what are we going to do to keep the gallery alive and to keep our community engaged and active? “Once we got through the initial recovery phase, we were awarded grants from Create New South Wales and the Australian Government to run a pop-up space downtown.” Image Credit: Cherie WinterThe other award nominated was for the Future of Toys exhibition, where “We engaged lots of young people to make new toys out of flooded toys or damaged toys.”It was a popular event and well organised so the participants could make the most out of their creativity.Image credit, Anna SnowsillThere was one other exhibition post-flood that the Business Economic Development team at Lismore City Council worked with the Regional Gallery on - displaying artworks in empty shop windows in the CBD.  “The idea was to activate windows, shop windows, with images from our permanent collection. The intention was to lighten things up a bit and remember the history of this place and the cultural richness of it all.”Asked if she would do it again, “Yes, we'd love to. If we could activate all the empty shops, now, we would.”Congratulations, Lismore Regional Gallery!About the IMAGinE Awards (supplied)The IMAGinE Awards highlight the resilience, innovation and creativity of museums, galleries and Aboriginal cultural spaces and recognise the people who work in them. The museums, galleries and Aboriginal cultural centres of NSW provide historical, contemporary and future context.They tell stories about their communities and reflect on what they might become. Their programs record history and grow ideas; they generate and support creative processes that contribute to economic, social and health related wellbeing. They help build resilient and sustainable communities.IMAGinE celebrates all institutions and pays homage to those organisations run by volunteers, with limited budgets and minimal resources. These Awards offer a unique opportunity for museums, galleries and Aboriginal cultural spaces in NSW to advocate, promote their achievements and raise their profile within the sector and the broader community.

The Richmond Police District (RPD) welcomed seven new Probationary Constables yesterday at the Lismore Police Station in Zadoc Street.The seven are part of Class 364, which consists of 298 graduates from the Goulburn Academy, the largest class in ten years. Another ten will be completing their 12 months of on-the-job training at Tweed/Byron. Six of the seven (one was ill) enjoyed an induction day in Lismore.Superintendent Scott Tanner told the Lismore App this is the largest intake he has received in the four years heading up the RPD."There were a lot of vacancies, that's why they've been on the big recruitment drive. So, these seven will just come into positions that are already here. It's not an additional strength, but it certainly is additional boots on the ground for us."This group of young recruits graduated from the NSW Police Academy at Goulburn last week. They were the final group before the Be A Cop in Your Hometown gets underway in 2025.This means the recruits had to nominate five NSW Police districts they would like to work, including city stations. If they don't like the preference they have have given they get two weeks to initiate a swap with another recruit.Two of the six we talked to are local Northern Rivers residents, while the others came from a mix of areas, including Western Sydney."Just growing up here, and it's a nice area. It's busy but not too busy, as opposed to the city," Jarrod Thompson said, "I thought it would be a good place to learn and get on my feet to start off with.""Knowing that my family is nearby definitely helps, especially if it gets difficult because the four months I was at the academy, I didn't get to see them."Ben Wilton added, "I think this is the best part of Australia, like in the Northern Rivers, the coast and stuff. My family's here as well, and I'm pretty family-oriented. So, it's good to have the family sitting around."Even the non-locals, like Nathan and Cooper from Western Sydney, knew people in the Northern Rivers and decided to put RPD down as their top option.The two grew up together, went to school together and now will spend the next three years together in the Northern Rivers as part of their first stint in the NSW Police Force.The first 12 months is the probationary period. If they pass the requirements, both academic and operational, they'll get their hook and be confirmed officers.Acting Sergeant Michaela Smidt said once the three year tenure is up, the new recruits can put in for transfer."Unless they're applying for a hard to fill position, which sometimes you only need two and a half years tenure," Acting Sergeant Smidt said.As for accommodation, which you might expect to be difficult to get, none have had a problem. Some are staying with family, one at Ocean Shores and another at Tweed doing the daily commute, while others are staying with family or renting in Evans Head or house sharing in Byron Bay.All seven were raving about being paid to do their training at the NSW Police Academy. The approximate $1,360 per week gave some the opportunity to be able to join the police force as they could continue to pay off a mortgage or keep paying their rent for their young families while they are away for four months.Four Probationary Constables will be based at the Lismore Police Station, two in Casino and one will be in Ballina for the next three years.You may well see Calib, Jarrod, Ben, Quinn, Nathan, Cooper or Jordan on the streets today; it is straight on the job after induction day. If you do, welcome them to Lismore and the Northern Rivers.

During yesterday's Lismore City Council December ordinary meeting, SCU dumping its art program in 2025 and adopting a new Code of Meeting Practice for this council's term proved divisive.Within 12 months of a newly elected council, they must adopt a new Code of Meeting Practice to comply with Section 360 of the Local Government Act.Lismore City Council staff suggested some changes now that council meetings start at 10am on the second Tuesday of each month (not including January). This was the motion put forward by Cr Battista.The main change revolved around Public Access and how it is used on council meeting days. This was a source of contention for half of the councillors.It was proposed that Public Access move to 9am, so it is not part of the council meeting, thus allowing councillors to move straight into the agenda. This would attempt to keep each meeting to a manageable time. Yesterday's meeting was seven hours finishing at 5:12pm.Other restrictions were to:Limit the number of speakers to two (2) for and two (2) against.Lower the time, each speaker has to be 3 minutes (from 4).Have a maximum of ten speakers per meeting. This is necessary if the Council meeting is to start on time at 10am.Limit responses to councillor questions to one (1) minute.Cr Guise started the debate by saying Cr Battista's motion is "Essentially to shut out the community even more from council meetings and the decisions we make."Mayor Krieg said that a briefing on Public Access changes was held and that only "5 out of 11 councillors that were here, enjoyed the session very much." Indicating Cr Guise did not attend the briefing."I think we need to get with the times every other council in and around our LGA and indeed across the state, have public access not part of their meeting because meetings should be used for council business and for notices of motion."Cr Waters spoke against the motion because it was not compulsory for councillors to attend the public access sessions. "It's a crucial opportunity for the community to directly engage with us elected officials."Cr Rob agreed with Crs Guise and Waters in voting against the motion.Cr Dalton-Earls said that "limiting their time was not best practice" and that the community had valuable opinions, so Public Access should be live-streamed.Cr Dalton-Earls then put forward an amendment to livestream the Public Access and increase the time for each speaker to 4 minutes, which was accepted by Cr Battista and Cr Bing, who seconded the original motion.Cr Rob then made a further amendment, which was not seconded.In his right of reply, Cr Battista said he remembered a meeting during his last time in council where public access took two and a half hours before they started the meeting. "That's not the reason why we're here. I'm sorry. The reason why we're here is to make a decision."The vote was 6/4, with Crs Dalton-Earls, Gordon, Battista, Bing, Jensen and Krieg voting for and Crs Rob, Knight-Smith, Guise and Waters against. Cr Hall was absent from the meeting.The new Code of Meeting Practice now goes on public exhibition for 28 days. The public can leave comments for 42 days on Council's Your Say website.The other contentious issue was a motion put forward by Cr Waters.The motion called on Southern Cross University (SCU) to reconsider its position to discontinue its undergraduate programs in art and design, contemporary music and digital media from 2025, and that council urges SCU to reconsider and work collaboratively with stakeholders to find sustainable solutions that preserve these critical programs.The motion included writing to Federal Ministers urging them to restore equity to the cost of Humanities degrees, plus writing to the relevant State Ministers to take urgent action to increase funding and other support for regional arts and music events and advocate to Federal Ministers to restore equity to the cost of Humanities degrees.The motion divided the chamber.While everyone agreed the arts are an important part of Lismore's history and community makeup, some councillors were troubled with telling a business how it should be run.A similar motion was put forward and unanimously supported by the Ballina Council. The motion was split in Lismore."The creative arts are not merely an extracurricular activity or luxury. They are central to the vibrancy, diversity and resilience of Lismore and the region," Cr Waters said speaking for her motion.Cr Jensen said she was going to support the motion, but was torn because "I don't think we should be telling business how to operate. But I do appreciate we are a creative area, and we don't only need SCU. We have a lot of vibrant, intelligent people that create things outside of using the SCU space."Cr Jensen then put forward a foreshadowed motion that council meet with the Vice-Chancellor of SCU to understand the reason behind the decision to discontinue its undergraduate program in arts and design, contemporary music and digital media from 2025.Cr Knight-Smith supported Cr Waters's motion and the right to advocate for the community.Cr Gordon remembered the days in the '90s when there were over 7000 kids that went through the university, "They were a major financial presence in this town. Not only from an educational perspective, but they rented homes, and they spent their money."He suggested that if you look at the numbers now, there are probably less than 1000 students due to the way university education has changed and the opening of the Gold Coast SCU campus."So, I will support it because you're asking for an explanation. But, I just think it's a slippery slope when we start telling the Vice Chancellor what they should be doing."Cr Battista agreed with Cr Gordon about Lismore's 1990's heyday with a thriving student population, and the fact council shouldn't be telling a large organisation how to run their business. "But, in this case, we should be telling them because this will, once again, affect Lismore."Cr Rob called SCU Lismore's biggest landlord.The vote was a 5/5 split, with Crs Dalton-Earls, Knigh-Smith, Guise, Jensen and Waters for and Crs Gordon, Battista, Rob, Bing and Krieg against. The mayor used his casting vote to defeat the motion.Cr Jensen's foreshadowed motion to meet with Vice-Chancellor Professor Tyrone Carlin, which was supported 8/2. Crs Dalton-Earls, Gordon, Battista, Knight-Smith, Bing, Jensen, Waters and Krieg voting for and Crs Rob and Guise against.That was the final council meeting until February 11 2025.

Fromelles Manor, an ex RSL retirement complex has been bought by Social Futures, and with funds from the State Government, will be turned into a resource for homeless people.30 beds will be made available that will go some way to helping approximately half of the suspected number of people sleeping rough in Lismore, currently. Grants are opening up for services that can support the homeless.The state government has provided $768,862 towards the project as part of its $100 million Homelessness Innovation Fund being rolled out across NSW.The manor is located in the streets behind Lismore Square - towards the medical precinct. The manor was built and dedicated in 2012, however the 2022 floods inundated the lower level and all residents were relocated. It has sat empty ever since.  Barrie Lawder from Social Futures, State MP Janelle Saffin, and Minister for Homelessness, Housing, Mental Health and the North Coast, Rose Jackson were at the manor to announce the plan and see the property first hand.Social Futures CEO, Tony Davies welcomes the news of a grant to help turn the old building into a functional resource once more to support the highest rate of homelessness in NSW outside of Sydney.“The Homeless Innovation Fund grant will enable us to deliver a unique support services hub model in the heart of Lismore’s proposed Health Precinct.“It will meet the needs of the community’s most vulnerable and offer wrap around support to benefit health and wellbeing.”Barrie Lawder expanded on the concept, “The accommodation can be provided while we help people get what they need to re-establish their lives.“There is space for services, such as Centrelink, housing and drug and alcohol support to address each person's needs to help them get back steadily on their feet.”The accommodation is for temporary use, prior going into transition or social housing. The length of stay is dependant on the needs of the person.Barrie also mentions the potential for a cafe, which can help people’s work skills and subsequent chances of finding work.This approach is a new way to assist people holistically. Its focus is on early and comprehensive intervention to minimise a person's experience of homelessness.Member for Lismore Janelle Saffin is pleased with the plans, “This project is a vital step forward in addressing homelessness in Lismore. Transforming a disused facility into a safe and secure place for individuals and families shows what can be achieved when the government, community organisations and local leaders work together.“The government is demonstrating its commitment to finding long-term, innovative solutions to homelessness that focus on dignity, stability and hope for the future.”In the new facility, families can have adjoining rooms where a lockable access door can provide flexibility for the needs of the people using the facilities. A secure wing will provide separate accommodation for women.The upstairs area, flood free, will be used for the accommodation. The area has flood evacuation plans in place in the event they are needed. The new plans for the property are being drawn up, and the aim is to have it up and functioning by mid-2025.A one-off grant for organisations will be available to accredited homelessness services and registered Community Housing Providers or Aboriginal Community Housing Providers, including those applying for accreditation.The aim is to improve outcomes for people facing homelessness with the aim of reducing demand for temporary accommodation and supporting people to find and keep some security and stability in their lives.Minister Jackson is satisfied at this start - to offer Lismore's homeless a place to rebuild lives after some incredibly challenging times.“We’re delivering on our promise to harness the expertise of non-government partners, frontline workers and those with lived experience to fund innovative ideas and services that set us on the path toward needing homelessness in this state.”The NSW Government has offered the funding as part of its $6.6 Billion Building Homes for NSW Package announced in the 2024-25 budget. It is the largest-ever investment in public housing and homelessness by any NSW Government.“We’ve been clear: relying on costly hotels and motels is not the solution. We need person-centred approaches that provide high-quality, tailored support and help people move towards stable, long-term housing.“Following our significant investment, we are firmly focused on delivery. Applications remain open, and we strongly encourage organisations to put forward bold and innovative ideas to help transform the way we address homelessness.”Follow these links for more information on grants available:Reforming Temporary Accommodation Grant HIFService Reform and Innovation Grant HIF

For a brief period of time, a couple of weeks ago, the Wilsons River had a large, wide turquoise/blue streak through it near the Lismore boat ramp in the CBD.  There are conflicting reports of what caused it or how it got there.On November 27th, the blue streak was noticed by local Jennifer, who said it was very obvious, “We live beside the river, I just walked past the window and it was there.“We have seen slicks before, but not for at least about five years.  “We’ve never seen anything like this before.”Jennifer tried to report it, but she said nothing was done straight away while the discolouration was apparent.A social media post generated a lot of discussion, and an eyewitness at Heritage Park on the same day spoke of a problem with blue-coloured water.“There was the same colour blue/turquoise dye coming out of the kid's water park sprinklers yesterday at Heritage Park.“All the kid's hands were blue, and clothes were getting stained. It was running out of all the water holes and all over the ground.”After an initial enquiry on Friday, Lismore City Council directed questions to the EPA.Last Tuesday, A spokesperson from the EPA said, ”The EPA received a report of discolouration in the Wilsons River on Thursday afternoon and passed the details onto Lismore City Council as the appropriate regulatory authority.”Yesterday, Lismore City Council reported, “Lismore City Council has concluded an investigation into reports of turquoise discolouration in the Wilsons River near Ballina Street Bridge. “Council’s inspections confirmed that the discolouration likely stemmed from a blue dye substance found at the water park in Heritage Park, which does not pose any environmental risk. “The dye appears to have originated from a private event, such as a party, with residual waste like blue balloons found on-site, which were subsequently cleaned up. Council suspects that this is the origin of the pollutant. “The water park operates on a flow-through mains water system, with residual water draining directly into the stormwater system. Importantly, no water is stored or recycled. “Inspections confirmed no discolouration at the stormwater discharge point into the river.(Image credit: Jennifer Joy) “Community members play a vital role in protecting our local environment. This involves personally reporting any incidents but also simple things like cleaning up after private events and considering any impact from materials used at celebrations.”The EPA encourages all suspected pollution to be reported immediately for the best chance to track the source.Pollution can be reported to Lismore City Council on 6625 0500 or the EPA’s 24/7 EnviroLine on 131 555.Lismore City Council also advises to share as much information as possible, such as the location, time and nature of the pollution. “You can also contact Lismore City Council for advice or support addressing local pollution concerns. “By reporting incidents promptly, you help ensure swift action to mitigate environmental harm. “Lismore City Council is committed to maintaining the health of our waterways and ensuring public spaces are safe and enjoyable for all.”

The Big Map made a return to GSAC today after an initial visit in September 2022, about six months after the big flood.It was acknowledged by Andrew Moss from Disaster Relief Australia (DRA) that the first visit was too soon to have any meaningful impact on residents as the emotional trauma was still too real at the time."There was still a lot of pain. There was still a lot of hurt in the community. There were still a lot of community members going; how the hell did this just happen?"The goal of the Resilient Towns Initiative, as the Big Map is officially called, in the Northern Rivers is to help residents better understand how flooding occurs in the entire Richmond River catchment area and for them to be better prepared for when the next flood hits so people can make better, more informed decisions.Member for Lismore Janelle Saffin, who made the opening speech, said the Big Map clarifies where you are in the Richmond River catchment and what effect it has on your home or your village."When you visually see the whole catchment and see where you are in it and your CBD or your village, it just helps you understand better where the water's coming from and what you don't know and what you need to know because we all have to prepare ourselves. But equally, it shows what's missing in the formal systems as well, and that's part of what we need to do to prepare better.One of the RA's legislated objectives is preparedness, so the RA is working with different agencies to achieve this."The Red Cross is one of them, and the smaller mitigation stuff that's happening in the NRRRP. The SES has also stepped up from 2022, and you can see that they come out, I wouldn't say almost ahead of the BOM, but they do let us know locally what's going to happen, which is a good thing."Yesterday's information session was led by Andrew Moss, "Mossy", as he likes to be known from the DRA.DRA is a not-for-profit organisation that unites the skills and experience of Australian Defence Force veterans with emergency services specialists to rapidly deploy disaster relief teams in Australia and around the world in the wake of disasters. They have held over 50 of these Big Map sessions right across Australia for different disasters. They have no political affiliation.Mossy was running the coordination centre with the Queensland Fire Emergency Services the day before our big flood. He was looking at the impacts it could have in Gympie before moving to the Gold Coast and the impact of rising waters at Tallebudgera Creek and Currumbin Creek.He explained how the rainfall on 28 February 2022 could have been so different. It all depended on how long the weather system stayed over one city or town."We actually did a big map in Currumbin and Tallebudgera on Saturday. And it's literally a matter of 38 minutes. 38 minutes of where that weather system stayed in the air as it came across the border, where it dropped a large amount of rain at the top of Terania Creek. 1400 ml in a certain period of time."38 minutes earlier, that could have dropped on that (the Queensland) part of the border, and that would have impacted Tallebudgera and Currumbin Creek, and they are still trying to work out what those impacts may have been."If that system had stayed in the air for another 42 minutes, it would have cleared the Richmond and actually landed at the top of the Clarence, which would again be a completely different disaster scenario, which would have had Grafton and all of the southern parts of the Clarence Valley under full major flood alert."So, when you come back to the flood event, and you start to prepare, and you start to talk about the preparation space, in terms of the bigger picture strategically, it's all a matter of minutes. If that had landed 38 minutes earlier, you would have been watching the Gold Coast, the hinterland, that part of the state would have been in a world of hurt. Unfortunately, it landed in your backyard."As we mentioned, Mossy and the DRA have run over 50 Resilient Town Initiatives throughout Australia. He said that every other council and community is looking at how we step ourselves out of this recovery and better prepare ourselves for future events."Unfortunately for you, you are now the leaders in the flood space for two things. A, what not to do, and B, what to do. The world, definitely Australia, other councils, other areas down south that have flooding as a serious impact are looking to list more as leaders. How are they going to manage that? And how are they going to deal with that? They then wait for the outcome and go, yeah, that probably is not how we'll approach that. We'll actually come at it from a different angle. Don't be afraid of that. That's just how it is."It wasn't too long ago that I was in Queensland Reconstruction Authority, and we had a flood event in our own little valley, where for the next 10 to 15, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, years, the same discussion will be asked for people who live in that valley. Why did you buy my house and not the one next door? Right? They'll be asking that same question for another 50 years. You're now going into that as well in this part of the world."Mossy then went through points we all know too well. We live on a floodplain, and the rain falls in the upper catchment and makes its way to Lismore, Wiangaree, Casino, Coraki and Woodburn before heading out to the ocean. He said the catchment was designed to be fast-flowing so the water could move quickly through the system.As we now know, slowing the water flow down in the upper catchment is going to be one of the key mitigation measures that could take a metre or a metre and a half off a major flood in Lismore, Coraki and Woodburn.Finding the rain gauge level information in the Richmond catchment can be difficult when you want to monitor conditions during a severe weather event. You need to search around the Bureau of Meteorology website, which is not an easy task. DRA has made a Flood Card to make this process simple.Mossy explained that there are three types of gauges in the catchment."There's the data gauge, information gauge and the forecast gauge. Generally, what happens is your data gauges can also act as rain gauges, depending on where they are, but in this particular case, your information gauge can also have a minor, moderate and major flood height attached to it. But, because it's not a forecast flood gauge, you're actually not going to get a broadcast flood alert from the Bureau; that's only ever going to come from your forecast gauges."So, it means a lot of information is going to Lismore, going to someone, the agency, the Bureau, and then from there that it starts to provide that flood forecast to downstream.There are a number of 'Not Live Gauges' in the Lismore LGA, such as Keerong, Tuncester and Ewing Bridge, Corndale. This means that the landowners have to get up at any time and get a reading from the gauge to report it to the SES or BOM."For Lismore, the ability to provide you with that flood water and that flood forecast, you won't get that unless you know Annie who's upstream. Annie, what's going on? Can you tell me? Unless you've got her on speed dial or someone else up there, then there's other ways to get that information through other sources, Facebook, Twitter, other community groups that are now starting to keep that information. But with that, there is a kind of misinformation as well."Mossy could not provide any information on rain gauge updates. So, it was unknown whether the Not a Live Gauge would become a Live Gauge in the future.He did say there is a PDF program that people can use to follow rainfall down various tributaries."Once I send you the link for it digitally, you can just upload it, and it's yours on your computer. And how I like to have it is during a flood event, or when I'm working with councils or catchments, is just tell communities, have it up on your computer screen. You know where the rain's falling, then have a look at the gauge and see where the water's going up and then go, okay, I can actually see water going up there. There's no water at this gauge. So somewhere, there's water now travelling down the river system."The Big Map session is about preparedness.Are we better prepared than in 2022? Yes.Are we fully prepared for another 14.4m flood? No.Is every new resident who has moved to Lismore and the Northern Rivers in a vulnerable area aware of the flood risks? Do they have a flood plan? Are they prepared?Time will tell.

Essential Energy has worked through the night to restore power to over 7,000 homes and businesses in the Lismore and Richmond Valley LGAs.Just over 3,500 customers remain without power this morning.An Essential Energy spokesperson said the 66,000-volt powerline between Lismore and Woodburn has been damaged, affecting power supply for customers across Woodburn, Coraki, Evans Head, Broadwater, Wardell and surrounding towns. Widespread damage hampers power back-feeding capability.Approximately 250 customers in parts of Lismore, Goonellabah and Parrots Nest are also without power, after the local network was damaged by lightning and vegetation.Crews will continue with repairs today, utilising a helicopter to assist in surveying damage in hard-to-access areas.Outage tips and estimated times of restoration once known, can be viewed on Essential Energy’s website at essentialenergy.com.au/outages.Impacted customers relying on power for their well-being, are recommended to employ their power contingency plans.Essential Energy thanks customers for their patients and reminds the public to stay at least eight metres away from fallen powerlines, power poles or damaged electricity infrastructure and report immediately to 13 20 80 or if life threatening call Triple-0.

Businesses in Lismore and the Northern Rivers can now apply for a share of $50 million for initiatives that will help create new jobs, retain existing jobs and drive local economic opportunities and development.State Member for Lismore Janelle Saffin said the Regional Economic Development and Community Investment Program can support infrastructure projects such as industrial precincts, research centres, major event facilities or programs that promotes regional employment and economic growth.“The Minns Government is committed to ensuring regional communities like the Northern Rivers and Northern Tablelands thrive, and this investment from the $400-million Regional Development Trust is great news for local jobs and economic development,” Ms Saffin said.“I’m keen to be fully briefed on projects and initiatives across our Electorate of Lismore that end up being put forward for funding support under this new program.” Grants of between $500,000 and $5 million will be available for infrastructure projects and capital investments to create jobs and economic opportunities.Between $250,000 and $1 million will be available for regional programs to improve service delivery and community connection and capacity building.This next phase of funding from the NSW Government’s $400-million Regional Development Trust will provide a targeted investment in regional NSW that has been guided by the Regional Development Advisory Council and informed by several roundtables with rural communities hosted by the Minister for Regional NSW, Tara Moriarty.Projects funded under this program will align with the Regional Development Trust’s key focus areas of:Sustainable regional industriesAboriginal economic development and enterpriseCommunity connection and capacity buildingImproving regional service deliveryThis funding follows the NSW Government’s modernisation of the Regional Development Act to better reflect the needs of contemporary rural and regional NSW, expanding investment opportunities and enshrining integrity in the system. The Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development will host community information sessions in the new year so potential applicants can learn about the program, how to apply, and what projects and initiatives are eligible for targeted investment.Applications are now open and will close at 5pm on Thursday 20 February 2025.For more information, go to: nsw.gov.au/regionaldevelopmenttrust

A local Lismore family has been hit with the news that no one wants to hear at any time of the year, let alone Christmas: that one family member has been diagnosed with cancer.Lindsy Barton has been diagnosed with Ewing Sarcoma, a rare and aggressive form of cancer that typically affects children and about 1% of adults.Lindsy and his partner Heidi Green own Furniture Wiz in South Lismore.The Lismore App has followed their story through the February 2022 big flood, which wiped them out personally (house) and professionally (business).Our last story was entitled 'Happier Times" as they moved into larger premises on Three Chain Road, South Lismore (from Casino Street), to get their heads above water after a tough period, like so many other businesses.This story starts in December 2021, just two months before the 2022 floods, when Heidi was diagnosed with a brain tumour."I have a mass in my head. So, I'm in what they call remission at the moment. I get scanned every year just to make sure it's not growing any more," Heidi said.The second bit of bad news was the floods of 2022, and they say bad news travels in threes, which is where Lindsy's story begins."We found a lump on my left calf muscle back in July," Lindsy explained, "Being the typical person, I didn't really do much about it because I was too busy with the shop. I thought, I'll deal with that later.Lindsy and Heidi's son Reece had a lump in his calf on the same leg, which turned out to be fatty tissue so that lowered the urgency. Reece's was operated on and removed."It wasn't till my mum found out that she had cancer of the uterus that made me think, okay, maybe I should get it checked."We had the ultrasound on the Friday, and the ultrasound lady said you need to go straight to a doctor. This is urgent."When I came home, I started to feel a bit sick. I'd had been off, but I felt like I had the flu or something, and I hurt my back. We had to go to the doctor on Saturday, and then I got admitted to hospital with pancreatitis. Just doubled over in pain, I was on endone every three hours, sleeping in between because I couldn't handle it anymore."While we were in hospital, we're pushing the point that we had to get the results of the ultrasound. They were meant to arrive on the Monday, but because we're in hospital, we couldn't get to the doctor to get the results."After a phone consult with their doctor in Goonellabah, it was determined Lindsy needed an MRI and a biopsy sooner rather than later. It turned out that being in hospital at the time was a blessing as it meant they could do both quickly."That's how we found out that the lump was a little bit more serious than what we thought it was," Heidi added.The next step was a trip to Brisbane to meet the medical sarcoma team, who said they thought Lindsy's lump was disorganised blood vessels. That was followed by another trip to Brisbane for the biopsy, and after arriving back in Lismore, Lindsy had a flare-up of pancreatitis, so he was back in hospital.At the same time, the Brisbane hospital said Lindsy needed to go back to receive his results in person. It could not be done via video conference call."They said I don't care if you have to transfer him, but he has to be here," Lindsy continued."So, it was out of hospital, pack the bags, and we went back to the other hospital and waited for the results, and that's when they told me that I had Ewing sarcoma. It's pretty aggressive, can spread through your body, so it either goes into your bone or into the soft tissue. 1% of adults get it, so it's pretty rare for an adult to get it."Lindsy described Ewings as two cells that fuse together and multiply.The news from the doctor in Brisbane was everyone's worst nightmare."He said, look, you've got 12 months' worth of chemo ahead of you. You have to come up to Brisbane every fortnight to have the chemo. We can't do it in Lismore. That was a bit of a shock to the system."The positive news for Lindsy is the 70% success rate for people with Ewing sarcoma following treatment. It is important that this treatment works and that the cancer doesn't return because the success rate drops to 12%.Chemotherapy every two weeks in Brisbane means that Lindsy cannot continue to work at his passion, Furniture Wiz, for at least that 12-month treatment period."So after that, we came back to try and devour that sort of news and said to John and Jade, who work here, that we have two options. We can either pack up the shop because I'm 90% of it, I guess, otherwise, I'll hand it all over to you guys, and you can run it. We'll just reduce the shop down, change the hours to suit them. They said they want to try and run it, and we'll help them as much as we can."The big issue for Lindsy and Heidi is that they will have no wage for twelve months. Lyndsy will more than likely not feel well enough to work during that time, and Heidi will be his full-time carer. So, they have set up a GoFundMe page to raise enough money to get through the next year.Lindsy has been told he is a Stage 3 cancer patient. It is a bit early to tell if the sarcoma has spread into other parts of Lindsy's body. A PET scan will determine that in the next two weeks, along with another MRI and an ECG."I was lucky it was in my leg, and we noticed it because if it was anywhere else, we wouldn't have noticed it. There is no physical pain to it. It's just like a silent killer."There are still some questions unanswered by Lindsy's Ewing sarcoma team because the oncologist nurse has been away."So, a lot of the questions that would normally get answered straight away, like accommodation and stuff like that, that can't be answered now. We don't know how far away from the hospital he can be having chemo every day. Do we have to be within the block radius where there are a lot of accommodation blocks at the moment, which are used by people who are in the hospital, or can we go ten minutes away?"Lindsy's typical routine will involve alternating weeks."Week one, we have five days, four hours each day, and then have a week off. And for week two, we have two days, two and a half hours each day, and then have a week off. Then, that cycle repeats itself for the rest of the year."The hardest part is with accommodation. I don't know how good I'm going to be after the chemo, even though we're up there for a week. I still might not be able to move for a week. I don't know how toxic the stuff is. Maybe I can't go anywhere new for 48 hours. There's still a lot of unknowns at this stage."Lindsy and Heidi will get some financial assistance through IPTAAS, a NSW government scheme to help people with some travel and accommodation costs when they have to travel more than 100km for treatment."You get 40 cents to the dollar for your kilometres, and then you get $75 a night for accommodation up to eight nights," Heidi explained, "And then, I think it jumps up to $100 per night after that, depending on how long. But looking at the rooms that are in around the hospital, they're all $160 a night. So, you know, you're still up for about $90 to $75 each night for accommodation while we're up there.""The hardest part is I'm not making money," Lindsy added, "You have to pretty much give up your job. So, because whatever the shop makes is just enough to keep it open. That's the hard part."Lindsy is a man who is used to working 12 hours or more a day, seven days a week. He likes to keep busy. That is about to change."I am not going to be able to do what I want to do. So, to sit still for four hours each day is going to be a struggle. The doctors said I needed to watch the depression side of things.The goal is for the sarcoma to be reduced in size enough so it can be operated on and removed. Chemotherapy will then continue for another six months. At the moment, this is a 9 to 12-month treatment plan.Another part of this awful ordeal is asking people for help."One of the reasons why we sent you the message was we had to swallow a lot of pride and put our hands out."It doesn't sit well. We didn't do it during the flood. We've done everything we've done without doing that. But this is too big," Heidi exclaimed."I dislike it with a passion. It makes me sick."If you are able to help Lyndsy and Heidi, please click on their GoFundMe link https://www.gofundme.com/f/they-say-it-comes-in-3s-and-our-3rd-one-just-hit?attribution_id=sl%3Abf56c361-d5fb-41f0-930c-5e51a8177f37&utm_campaign=natman_sharesheet_dash&utm_medium=customer&utm_source=copy_link.They have an $80,000 goal and have raised $4,485 in just over 48 hours.Furniture Wiz will remain open for business. Check out their website for the change of operating hours for John and Jade.....https://www.furniturewiz.com.au/.

This afternoon's storm cancelled the 2024 Carols in the Heart, blew trees and branches down, left debris on Lismore's roads and left 10,600 homes and businesses without power.The unplanned power outages occurred just after 5:00pm today, following the ferocious storm that hit the area, impacting the high-voltage electricity network.An Essential Energy spokesperson said safety equipment automatically operated, isolating power to customers after faults were detected on multiple major powerlines, keeping the community safe until crews could assess. Crews were immediately deployed, commencing patrols of impacted powerlines, assessing damage, safeguarding the public from damaged electricity infrastructure and completing some repairs.Fallen powerlines, damaged electrical equipment and vegetation on powerlines have been reported in multiple locations.Power was restored to 1,121 customers in parts of East Lismore just before 9:00pm. Crews will continue to work into the night, addressing safety issues and completing repairs where it is safe.Due to the widespread damage impacting major powerlines, customers in parts of Lismore, Coraki, Wardell, Woodburn, Broadwater, Evans, Booerie Creek, Koonorigan, Coffee Camp, The Channon, Nimbin and surrounding areas are likely to be without power overnight. Power outage tips and estimated times of restoration can be view at essentialenergy.com.au/outagesEssential Energy thanks customers for their patience and reminds the public to stay at least eight metres away from fallen powerlines, power poles or damaged electricity infrastructure and report immediately to 13 20 80 or, if life-threatening, call Triple-0.

The Bureau of Meteorology has issued a Severe Thunderstorm Warning for HEAVY RAINFALL, LARGE HAILSTONES and DAMAGING WINDS for Lismore and the Northern Rivers.A warm and humid airmass combines with a southeasterly wind change and is generating severe thunderstorms over the northeast of the state this afternoon.Severe thunderstorms are likely to produce heavy rainfall that may lead to flash flooding, large hailstones and damaging winds in the warning area over the next several hours. Locations that may be affected include Lismore, Byron Bay, Ballina, Coraki, Alstonville and Brunswick Heads.The State Emergency Service advises that people should:* Move your car under cover or away from trees.* Secure or put away loose items around your house, yard and balcony.* Keep at least 8 metres away from fallen power lines or objects that may be energised, such as fences.* Report fallen power lines to either Ausgrid (131 388), Endeavour Energy (131 003), Essential Energy (132 080) or Evoenergy (131 093) as shown on your power bill.* Trees that have been damaged by fire are likely to be more unstable and more likely to fall.* Keep clear of creeks and storm drains.* Don't walk, ride your bike or drive through flood water.* If you are trapped by flash flooding, seek refuge in the highest available place and ring 000 if you need rescue.* Be aware that run-off from rainfall in fire affected areas may behave differently and be more rapid. It may also contain debris such as ash, soil, trees and rocks.* After bushfires, heavy rain and the loss of foliage can make the ground soft and heavy, leading to a greater chance of landslides.* Unplug computers and appliances.* Avoid using the phone during the storm.* Stay indoors away from windows, and keep children and pets indoors as well.* Stay vigilant and monitor conditions. Note that the landscape may have changed following bushfires.* For emergency help in floods and storms, ring the SES (NSW and ACT) on 132 500.The next warning is due to be issued by 8:25 pm.

A man will appear in court today via audio-visual link after being charged following an alleged stabbing and pursuit in the Northern Rivers.Emergency services were called to Ballanda Crescent, Iulka, about 4.30pm yesterday (Saturday, 7 December 2024), following reports a man armed with a knife had allegedly forced his way into a home and attacked the resident.Officers attached to Coffs-Clarence Police District attended along with NSW Ambulance paramedics, but the 58-year-old man died at the scene.A crime scene was established, and inquiries commenced into the circumstances surrounding his death.A short time later, police attempted to stop a man driving a 4WD ute north along the Pacific Highway.When the driver allegedly ignored police directions, a pursuit was initiated and continued north from Iluka to Woodburn, where road spikes were successfully deployed by officers attached to Coffs Traffic and Highway Patrol Command.The ute continued to Uralba Street, Woodburn, where a 41-year-old man was arrested.He was taken to Lismore Hospital for assessment, before being taken to Lismore Police Station and charged with murder, predatory driving and police pursuit-not stop-drive dangerously.He was refused bail and will appear via audio-visual link today in Parramatta Local Court.