About 1.20pm yesterday (Thursday, 24 July 2025), emergency services responded to reports of a stabbing in the Lismore CBD. NSW Ambulance paramedics treated a 37-year-old man on Molesworth Street before he was taken to Lismore Base Hospital in a stable condition, suffering a single stab wound to the right shoulder. A short time later, officers from Richmond Police District arrested a 28-year-old man on the same street without incident. He was taken to Lismore Police Station. Officers also recovered a knife at the time of the arrest. Police will allege that the stabbing occurred in Woodlark Street near the intersection of Keen Street. It will be further alleged that the men are not known to one another, and the incident appears to be unprovoked. The younger man was charged with reckless wounding and was refused bail to appear at a court today (Friday, 25 July 2025) via Audio Visual Link.

Researchers at Southern Cross University are inviting mothers across Australia to participate in a new study examining the impact of key relationships on perinatal well-being during the first year after birth.Led by Bachelor of Psychological Science with Honours student Natalie Joy, under the supervision of Adjunct Fellow in the Faculty of Health, Dr Julia Marsden, the online study is open to Australian mothers with babies aged 0-12 months.“Perinatal well-being is a dynamic and deeply personal experience — it encompasses the physical, emotional, social, and relational changes women navigate as they transition into motherhood,” said Dr Marsden.“Through this study, we hope to better understand how close relationships influence that journey, so we can help ensure support is more holistic, personalised, and truly responsive to women’s needs.”Many women experience emotional, social and psychological challenges in the first year after birth; however, support systems are often inconsistent or poorly tailored to their needs. According to the Centre of Perinatal Excellence (COPE) and the Perinatal Anxiety and Depression Australia (PANDA), around one in five mothers experience anxiety during the perinatal period and 10 per cent experience depression.“This study shines a spotlight on a critical but often overlooked aspect of maternal mental health,” said Dr Marsden.“While anxiety and depression are rightly recognised as serious concerns, we also need to better understand what supports mothers to thrive, not just avoid distress. By exploring how close relationships and attachment styles shape perinatal well-being, this project could help identify protective factors and early warning signs, ultimately guiding more personalised and preventative approaches to care during the first year postpartum.”How to participateRecruitment for the study is open now. The anonymous online survey takes around 15-20 minutes and is open to Australian mothers aged 18 and above, who are within the first 12 months postpartum, have lived in Australia for two or more years, and are English-speaking. Participants go into the draw to win one of four $50 gift vouchers.To participate in the survey, click here.This study has been approved by the Southern Cross University Human Research Ethics Committee (Approval number: 2025/114).

AC/DC said Let There Be Rock in 1977, and about thirty years later, Snoop Dog said, "Well, Hip-hop is what makes the world go round".By the same analogy, Rock to the Rescue began as a fundraising event for the Westpac Rescue Helicopter Service (WHRS) in 2015, and next Saturday, August 2, the second Rap 2 the Rescue concert will take place at the South Lismore Bowling Club, as both music genres help the much-loved local charity.Only three weeks ago, Rock to the Rescue (RTTR) featured seven local bands on stage at the Northern Rivers Hotel in North Lismore.RTTR co-ordinator John Bancroft told the Lismore App that the event was another huge success, raising $3,500 for WHRS"Sincere thanks to members of New Vintage, Plan 9, Hop Ups, Slug, Ghostown, Claymores, and This Kiss Kills for offering their services on the night, and new sponsor MGL Freight for sponsoring the T-shirt sales. An enthusiastic crowd of 200 + enjoyed the talent on offer and witnessed history as local legends SLUG performed their last gig.(SLUG on stage)"Many thanks must go to the small group who put the event together, being Darrell Crockford, Jasin Hughes, Dave Slade, Matt Lee (MGL ), Andy Lee, Neville Cain and Ben Wordsworth. We look forward to a bigger event in 2026."Plans are now underway for the 10th Rock To The Rescue, which will be held in mid-2026 at a date and venue to be announced.A different style of music will attract a younger, different crowd next Saturday, when Rap 2 the Rescue takes place at the South Lismore Bowling Club.Organiser and rapper Jordan McMahon said he was inspired by Rock to the Rescue."We saw what was happening, and it has been pretty successful, so me and few mates who make some rap music thought we'll give it crack."Jordan's father, Jeff McMahon, has been heavily involved in supporting the WRHS, so that was additional encouragement to create an alternative event.Rap 2 the Rescue will showcase seven fantastic rap artists playing for the cause. Jordan will be performing on the night as Thirsty Mac.The bands in order of appearance on the night are:D.A.S.H.Thirsty MaczFTTOMDJ MudcrabEric FluSaxBardiIn its first year, Rap 2 the Rescue raised just over a thousand dollars for WHRS. Jordan's hope is for more in 2025."We're hoping for about $1,500 next Saturday night. I'd like to obviously go further than the last one.""I'd love people to show up and help support the charity and the local music scene. There's a lot of talented acts that are going to perform."Entry is only a $10 donation at the door, and merchandise will be on sale along with a raffle.For enquiries, contact Jordan McMahon on 0412 760 013.RAP 2 THE RESCUEDate: Saturday, August 2Venue: The South Lismore Bowling Club, 25 Wilson Street, South LismoreTime: 7:30pm until late.

NSW Farmers have backed calls for an independent scientific panel to review federal authorities’ decision to lift biosecurity restrictions on US beef imports into Australia. NSW Farmers’ President Xavier Martin said there was no room for error when it came to biosecurity and said a review was vital to ensure confidence that US beef imports would comply with Australia’s biosecurity and food safety standards. “You can’t trade away our biosecurity, Minister – farmers cannot and will not support that,” Mr Martin said.“Any changes to our market access must be subject to rigorous, evidence-based science and independent scrutiny, and our industry will simply not accept anything less than that.” A review of the decision must take place before US beef found its way into Australia, Mr Martin warned.“The Albanese Government needs to be prepared to be held accountable if this all goes wrong,” Mr Martin said. “Put our farmers and our clean, green nation first – we’ve warned you what might happen to our industry if you don’t.” 

Mental Health has been spoken about regularly in Lismore and the Northern Rivers since the 2022 floods, as those directly involved sought help for the trauma they endured during the catastrophic event.The latest snapshot of Australia’s mental health system highlights growing challenges in the mental health system, particularly around affordability and access to care. The National Mental Health Commission (the Commission) has released its 2024 National Report Card for the 2024 calendar year, which examines the prevalence of mental health challenges, the drivers behind it and the performance of the mental health system. CEO of the Commission, David McGrath, says by collating the data and analysing trends, the Commission can take the pulse of Australia’s mental health system, measuring its successes and shortfalls. Mr McGrath explains that “the Commission has an important monitoring and reporting role. The Report Card calls out issues for governments to pay attention to, and that’s the value of this report.”Key elements of the Report Card 2024 shows:Increasing financial pressure:The proportion of people finding it difficult or very difficult to cope on their present income has doubled from November 2020 to January 2024, with women consistently reporting higher levels than men.Cost preventing access:More than a fifth of people delayed or did not see a health professional for their own mental health when needed due to cost.Treatment still falling short:Despite more people with a mental disorder accessing treatment compared to earlier years, treatment rates are still well below current targets proposed through the National Mental Health Service Planning Framework.Sense of control decliningThere has been a decline in the percentage of people reporting a high sense of control over events in their life since 2019, dropping from 75.8% to 71.3%.Encouraging progress of seclusion and restraintProgress continues in reducing the national rate of seclusion and physical restraint in public hospital mental health care.Mr McGrath says it’s important that funding of mental health supports and treatment meet the needs of our communities. "We need to see planned service commissioning matched to people’s needs, with greater integration amongst health services and with other services, like housing and financial supports. Ultimately, everyone deserves fair access to the right mental health care, no matter where they live or how complex the system may be.” The Commission will continue to build on the Report Card with key stakeholders and the sector.For more information, read the full National Report Card 2024, which is available on the Commission’s website. 

State Member for Lismore, Minister for Recovery, Minister for Small Business and Minister for the North Coast, Janelle Saffin, sat down for a Talking Lismore podcast this week to discuss Lismore's flood recovery.While talking up business activity in the CBD and South Lismore, Ms Saffin moved to North Lismore, where the future lies with what is created on the vacant land once the Resilient Homes Program buyback houses are removed or demolished."The Living Lab will be doing some work, I think they've done some, and I've said that I'd like to see the community asked, What do you think? I remember there was one radio program on ABC where everybody was asked what they thought, lots of ideas, but in a serious way, what do you think can happen with this land?"Remember, I got that money for Lismore City Council. It's about $800,000 odd to do walkways from North Lismore. So we've got that, we've got the school, the Showgrounds, you know. And I know the Showgrounds want to do more there, and I still want the Richmond River High area to be a car boot market, but that's me.While the options for what will be a lot of vacant land, mainly in North Lismore and the CBD, will be pondered for the next couple of years, the flood mitigation modelling options are being discussed next week when the CSIRO and NEMA (National Emergency Management Agency) arrive in the Northern Rivers for community consultation."We've got hydrodynamic modelling that can be laid across a number of scenarios. We've got Kevin talking about the one to two metres; he and I have had those discussions. Of course, we've all had those discussions, and it would be fantastic if that could happen. It depends on the science and not us MPs."And this means we'll have that broad view. So we'll be looking at, can we do this here? What will that impact there? Can we protect them there? And that will be the conversation. But clearly, we're all hoping that we can have a situation, a scenario where we can do that reduction of the water, slow it down, divert it, hold it, all those sorts of things."Not being a hydrologist, but everything I know about what they've done, what I know about hydrology in general and floods, indicates that that could be possible. So we're hopeful."A question that the Lismore App asks every level of government is the level of confidence they have in the federal and state government handing over $2 billion to fund a CSIRO flood mitigation modelling scenario, where it can take 1 - 2 metres off a flood?"None of us know how much it would cost, so there's guesstimates about it, but we know things are expensive, so yeah, I'm hopeful. I'm hopeful because I've been in public life for quite a few years, and I've seen many good things happen, and I've seen the impossible happen. So I'm forever hopeful. I'm the optimist."Another flood project making some progress is the Disaster Adaptation Plan, or DAP, which is being created by the NSW Reconstruction Authority."What do we do to adapt to the weather events we experience? What would be best practice? What are the things we do? It may also include some mitigation, but it's basically a disaster adaptation plan. It doesn't mean it has to exclude mitigation; it can be there. One of the things that I've been discussing is the difference between forecasting and early warning."The BoM does forecasting. They have all the information. They have all the models. They look at a variety of models, and they forecast what might happen on this day, on that day, etc, etc. And then, at a more local level, or another level, we can say, okay, if that's the forecast, this might happen. But early warning is saying, Well, what will that mean here in this area? What will it mean in your locality? What will it mean in your street? What will it mean for a CBD? What will it mean for the farming area? And SES have increasingly done that more."And this involves locals. And I say to locals, like we often say, Oh, well, we relied on Farmer Joe up country. I used to listen to the Tabulam guys up above the Clarence. I know who they are. I'd always listen and go, Oh, okay, they're saying that we better go. And I think we have to reclaim some of that ourselves, not just say everyone's got to do it for us. It's that shared sense of responsibility. And yes, it's inconvenient packing up, but it's the price we pay to live in paradise."Since the 2022 floods, one of the statistics we often hear is that 97% of funding is spent on recovery, while only 3% is spent on prevention. The state government has said it wants to change that ratio, thereby spending more on prevention. The CSIRO flood mitigation modelling is expected to be the main driving force in the Northern Rivers, and the DAP will also play a part in lowering flood risk in the Richmond River catchment."Can I just say that Andrew Colvin, when he did the Colvin review on disaster funding relief arrangements, or recovery arrangements, he said, then it had changed to 87/13, so the 97/3 has flipped to 87/13. That's in his report, and is a step in the right direction."Adaptation is identifying the hazards you experience in your area, in your region and your locality. So what are they? What are the risks from those hazards, and what are our vulnerabilities? Are they physical? Are they socio-economic? Are they this? Are they that? And mapping that out, and looking at that, and then we get a clear sense of what we need to do across the region."Here, with seven local government areas, and then what each local government area needs to do in that. So, in essence, that's what the disaster adaptation planning is about, and we haven't done it before. It's quite, I can't think of the word, rather groundbreaking, but we don't kind of see it like that yet, but it is."And then for me, remember, there's adaptation plans being done for climate, for the climate challenges. And I said, Well, we're doing it for climate, for weather, natural hazards, natural disasters, natural events. I want to see us have a plan out to 2050 because there's a net-zero 2050. But I want to see us in sort of parallel, have up to 2050 risk reduction, because that's what it's all about; it's about reducing risk. That's the key thing."So a DAP is about reducing risk, building resilience, stronger, safer communities."Ms Saffin said a completed Northern Rivers DAP document should be released in 2026."The Disaster Adaptation Plan guidelines, they're for the state, they should be released quite soon. I've signed off on them."Another project that is close to release, and also one of Lismore's worst-kept secrets, is the change of ownership of the Southern Cross University development site on Military Road. The 400-site development, which includes 50 Build-To-Rent properties, is officially owned by the NSWRA. But when is the announcement?"Oh, I think we might do that Monday. Monday looks like a good day," Ms Saffin said with a grin."It means that we'll start to see the plan fleshed out to end up with 400 dwellings on that site, 50 Build to Rent with Landcom, and then the other 350. So, we'll start to see that there, and that's a good thing for Lismore.""Any housing is a good thing. So I'm quite excited about that. I also would like to make sure that we do some real affordable homes there as well, because we often talk about affordable, but I want to still see real affordable."Any new housing development will lead to an increased load on the East Lismore Sewage Treatment Plant. Recently, Lismore City Council has said its estimated $108 million funding to fix the South Lismore ($20-25 million) and East Lismore ($70-80 million) has been reduced to $38 million. This was Lismore's share of a $145 million announcement by Minister for Lands and Water Kevin Anderson in May 2022.The dispute with the state government on the decrease in funding leaves Lismore City Council unable to fix the East Lismore Sewage Treatment Plant to the level it was before the 2022 flood, let alone to build back better, as was the catchphrase used at the time.Ms Saffin says she is across the issue."I'm trawling through all the documents and figures of that at the moment, because I have a different memory of it. And I was at the announcement with Minister Kevin Anderson when that was announced. I can remember we were in our overcoats and stuff that day."Because it was recovery money, it wasn't intended to give it to anyone for future growth. Future growth comes through councils working at that themselves, putting forward, then for grants and things. So it wasn't about future growth. But if we've taken, say, 660 houses so far, out, and we're adding 400 in, I don't see the issue. Maybe there's something technical I don't understand."The East Lismore Sewage Treatment Plant is shaping up to be the first big dispute between Minister for Recovery Janelle Saffin and Lismore City Council Mayor Steve Krieg. In the end, Lismore needs a fully functioning sewage treatment plant with its critical components out of flood, or we could well be having the same discussion when the next big flood hits the catchment.The complete conversation with Janelle Saffin, including a part on insurance, can be heard on the Talking Lismore podcast via the Lismore App or through the Lismore App website.

The most topical conversation in our LGA, without a doubt, is water. It seems that we either have too much or not enough. And herein lies the challenge. How can we store enough water for long-term supply, and slow the inundation of water that Lismore suffers when we get too much rain?Let's start with water security.There's no doubt we all have to be smarter about how we use water. But we also need to think about the supply of water to our growing population.Rocky Creek Dam, built over seventy years ago as Lismore’s primary water source for a population of around fifteen thousand people, is quite simply too small. Now, under the control of Rous County Council, the dam services a population in excess of one hundred and twenty thousand regional residents.Its size of fourteen thousand mega litres categorises Rocky Creek as a small dam, and the only possible way it can service the number of people it does, is because of our high average yearly rainfall. If we had zero rainfall for nine months, our dam would be dry.Water security needs to be approached regionally, and funded by state and federal governments, but we in Lismore should be driving this forward. Previous terms of council have sold us out on water security by not fully exploring all options and pushing individual agendas.You will remember only a few years ago, when Councillors Ekins and Cook were our Rous Council representatives, they both voted to move the head office of Rous to Ballina, taking many jobs out of Lismore and down to the coast. Forget the fact that all of Rous’ main water assets are in the Lismore LGA!Councillor Ekins, who is currently standing to be the next mayor, is openly saying that she encourages business in the CBD and wants the CBD to thrive, yet voted to take forty jobs away from our CBD only three and a half years ago.Not only that, they also removed water storage options from the future water strategy. Many would think of this as being the Dunoon Dam, but all water storage options need to be scientifically considered, and the best outcome reached for the long term growth and benefit of the region.Top of Councillor Ekins's agenda is recycled water, which is basically filtering our wastewater treatment plant and putting it back through your taps to drink, wash and play in. We live in an area with the highest rainfall in the state. The Greens and Labor want to build an incredibly expensive filtration plant, made from mined products and powered by fossil fuel, to filter our wastewater. Why don’t we just capture what falls from the sky? I know what I would rather drink!And then there's flood mitigation. What do we do when there’s a flood?Again, a very complex issue, which has multiple layers to be a successful strategy. For the first time in our history, our catchment is being analysed by the CSIRO, in a report called the Northern Rivers Resilience Initiative (NRRI).Previous councils have spent countless ratepayer funds getting small reports done to mitigate against small to moderate floods. Finally, we are getting a funded report by Australia’s eminent scientific body, to help our region combat major flooding.The report is due to be released in June of 2025, with practical solutions to potentially reduce the impacts of major flooding for Lismore and the region. I look forward to the findings of this report, as it gives council a measure of how to better protect our businesses and homes. Personally, I will be strongly advocating for every recommendation in the report to be implemented, to give our businesses and ratepayers the confidence and security in the future of Lismore.My team and I are backing the future of Lismore through sensible and affordable water security and best-practice flood mitigation to enable our city to grow and thrive for generations to come.Water Water Everywhere by Mayor Steve Krieg

Elections are very interesting. There are a lot of opinions, allegations and sometimes outright lies that are put on public record for the sake of gaining a few votes.As I have read on more than one occasion, voters in the upcoming local government election need to make informed choices based on the facts. So here are a few myths that need busting.WasteCouncillor Ekins has stated on record that in this current term of council, waste collection has been privatised and “effectively ripped a million dollars out of the local economy and gave it to a contractor from out of town and out of state.”This is simply not true.The fact is that this current term of council has inherited a waste operation costing ratepayers an average of $4.31 million per year since 2019; without intervention, this would have likely grown to $6.5 million at the end of FY25.What council has done is undertake the most in-depth review of waste services that has ever been done in Lismore to determine the best path forward to enable meeting environmental expectations, recycling obligations and general waste management.Councillor Ekins has proclaimed many times that LCC’s waste collection services “makes a million dollar profit every year.”This section of the business of waste is determined by a forward projection of costs. These projections aim to cover the cost at best, so that council will break even at the end of the financial year. There is definitely no profit!In fact, due to a complete disregard for adequate asset management over the past decade or more, the fleet of waste collection trucks are in such disrepair that out of the seven trucks owned by LCC, up to four of them can be in the council workshop for repair on any given day.We have also inherited a fleet with such old technology, that our drivers are following printed maps with highlighted routes! No GPS, no camera’s, an outdated and inefficient system has led to the most inefficient operation possible. This is absolutely no fault of staff. This is a total neglect by elected officials from previous terms of Council to maintain and improve assets.Why am I paying so much more for waste collection and receiving less service?The reality is that the oversight of our collection service has not kept up with the demand of our LGA.Previous terms of Council have not made these decisions for over a decade, which has placed us in this precarious position. A sobering statistic is that a truck has to pick up a bin every 17 seconds to cover the cost of having that truck on the road. That is possible in urban areas, but as the landscape moves into less densely populated areas, this becomes harder to achieve.The new fee structure aims to ensure fairness across the LGA, ensures compliance of Councils cost recovery policies, and brings greater equity to those who are using the waste collection service. Previous councils have been asleep at the wheel in managing fair and equitable distribution of fees, and this council has been tasked to rectify that.I would encourage everyone to have a good look at their rates notice, and talk with council officers to ensure your waste collection plan is what is best for your needs. Many people don’t actually know what service they are paying for. I spoke with a lady who was able to save a significant amount of money through a simple modification of her collection service.Changing habits is hard, but in our waste services, it is absolutely critical to ensure viability and sustainability. We are projecting that with current changes, we will be at a break-even point in the 24/25 financial year. That is a dramatic turnaround from a potential $6.5 million loss last in FY25. That's $6.5 million to go into areas that you care about, like road repair, parks and gardens, footpaths, and other infrastructure to make our LGA a great place to live.We have a plan for our LGA. Waste reform is one important step in strengthening the organisation of council to provide the services our ratepayers expect and deserve. Decisions made by this council may not always be the most popular, but I believe them to be the right decisions to undo decades of neglect in the critical core business of council operations.The Truth About Our Waste by Mayor Steve Krieg.

Finker Bubble owner Wen Chua was relieved to finally open her bubble tea shop on Keen Street a week ago. Wen arrived in Lismore about a year ago – and this It was her second attempt at trying to open the shop.In February, she was only three days away from opening - when Lismore’s biggest flood arrived and destroyed the new business.But, Wen knew she was not going to give up. Now, after months of renovations, she is now finally serving bubble tea to the Lismore community.“I always knew I would try and open again, I put a lot of money into the shop – and I had friends who helped me,” Wen said.“I love bubble tea – I know many people here haven’t had it before, and I want everyone to try it.”So, what is bubble tea?Bubble tea is a sweet drink, based on mixing milk with tea and adding toppings like coconut jelly, and popping balls – as well as fruit flavours such as strawberry, lychee and mango.Bubble tea is often referred to as a ‘chunky’ drink – because of the chewy pearls of tapioca that sit in the bottom of the cup – and you suck them into your mouth through a thick straw.It’s a drink that’s been popular with kids and adults all over Asia – and it’s a drink that Wen has grown up with.“As a child in Malaysia, nearly every day after school I would gather with my friends to drink bubble tea,” Wen said.“We would stand around in school uniform at the bubble tea stall on the street and drink bubble tea.”Wen said her favourite bubble tea is the one made with matcha tea, but the most popular one that’s sold in the shop is the brown sugar with fresh milk, cheese foam and boba (bubbles, or pearls of tapioca).“When you drink the cheese foam, you taste it first, then sip the tea, then combine it and the balance should be perfect,” Wen said.Finker Bubble will be open six days a week, Monday to Saturday from 11am to 8.30pm.This photo of the shop was taken by Wen just days before the flood arrived to destroy the shop.

For aromatherapist and holistic bodywork practitioner Anne Walker, finding a new space to open in since the floods has been tricky. But now, Anne’s business, Le Petit Aromatique Apothecary, has found a new home in Lismore’s Club Lane.In her new second floor premises, Anne has set up her massage clinic. But unlike her pre-flood shop location in the Star Court Arcade, she doesn’t yet have a shop front to sell her essential oils from. It’s something she hopes will change over time. For now, she’s just glad to be open again. ‘The little aromatic pharmacy’Anne first opened ‘the little aromatic pharmacy’ in 2019 after she visited the South of France and loved it.“Aromatherapy is very affiliated with French culture and I’d always dreamed of having an apothecary,” Anne said.“Usually an apothecary (pharmacy) is associated with herbal medicine but I wanted to open one dedicated to aromatherapy.“So, when I came back, I moved my massage clinic from Nimbin to Lismore and opened a shop front dedicated to selling over-the-counter aromatic medicine.“People would drop in and I would mix oils, creams or lotions on the spot. I would also do massages using essential oils.”The shop lasted three years, until the February flood destroyed her business.Like many other business owners, she had moved her stock up high, but it wasn’t enough.“I saved a few things that I’d put in the Star Court Theatre, but not much,” Anne said.“It was the second time I’d lost a business to flood – it happened to my previous business in 2017 as well.“Reopening this time took a while because I wasn’t emotionally ready for a long time. I needed to be in a good space to look after other people.“Then I found the Club Lane place when I was visiting the naturopath next door.“It’s a nice room with lots of light and a good affordable starting point for me.“I’m taking massage bookings and will have some apothecary items for sale and some flood stock is also available.“People can book in for consultations – I’ve been practicing remedial massage and reflexology for 20 years and bio-dynamic craniosacral therapy for ten years .“I also do aromatherapy massage and facials or feet treats.”Anne said she loves the essential oil single vetiver for grounding - but also likes to use rose, for grief and loss.The new Le Petit Aromatique Apothecary is located at Level 1, Suite 4 Club Lane, 71 Molesworth Street. If you would like to book in for an appointment, you can phone 0408 490 385, or visit Facebook https://www.facebook.com/lepetitaromatiqueapothecary   

When Serpentine Community Gallery volunteers were cleaning up after the February flood, they lamented the lost artworks of Lismore. Not just for the art that was lost from the gallery’s walls – but for all the artworks lost in local houses and businesses.That’s when the idea to put on a free art exhibition was borne - to gift ‘free’ art to Lismore’s empty walls and damaged homes.Now, in a show of good will from Lismore’s art community, an exhibition of free art will be held at Two Mates Brewery on October 8, and the community is invited to get some free artworks – or swap over ones they already have.Exhibition coordinator Cassie Can is now calling local artists to donate some artworks to go into the exhibition. Art is not a luxury“As we rebuild in Lismore, art can be seen as a bit of a luxury, but it’s important to bring beauty back to our homes and businesses too,” Cassie said.“So, we want to make art free to everybody in Lismore – because as a town, we all lost something.“So if you have any artworks you don’t want anymore, you can donate them to this free art exhibition - and give them new life on someone’s walls.“Kids can donate art too – and people can also swap any works they already have for new ones.“You can just show up on the day with art, or donate artworks prior to the event. Then, people can take home the art they like on the day.Uplift spirits“It will be a beautiful gesture of generosity and a part of the vision to uplift the spirits of the people in Lismore.”Cassie said some of the Lismore Art Club members were keen to donate artworks.“They are passionate about holding this event in a region where we have so many artists and art appreciators,” she said.Cassie said the local brewery was donating the exhibition space out of goodwill to help rebuild the local community.Local face painter Rachel Creamer will be at the free day, painting faces.Family friendly day“We can all mingle and it will be a family friendly event with activities too,” Cassie said ““There’s a lovely grassy space out the back with a kids playground and gazebo.“Rachel, a local face painter will be there and we’ll have a needle felting workshop run by Nimbin Textiles – but there are limited spaces in this workshop and you need to prebook for it.“Kyogle gelato cart and Sam’s burgers will be there providing food – and we are also looking for donations of cake for morning tea.”There will also be live music performances from 11am to 4pm, followed by more music until 8pm.On the day, people can also donate money toward helping Serpentine Gallery rebuild the local community gallery space.Serpentine Gallery president, Susan, said the rebuild of the gallery is slowly happening - and it is expected to be open for 'Ink and Mud' - an exhibition by local printmakers in December.Cassie said it’s hoped this networking event can be the beginning of local artists connecting again after the flood.“We can put this community back together and start working and inspiring each other again,” Cassie said.If you would like to get involved, donate art or cakes, contact Susan on 0409 056 976.The exhibition will be held from 11am to 4pm on Saturday, October 8 at Two Mates Brewery at 8 Engine Street, South Lismore.  

The Gilchrist Foundation is a new charity supporting educational and sporting scholarships for students of all backgrounds and disadvantage.The Foundation has been established by the Gilchrist Family, with the mission of identifying eligible students and young sportsmen and women and assist them to further their education or skills through financial assistance together with active engagement and mentoring.The inaugural Gilchrist Foundation Dinner is set to be an entertaining and educational experience and will be held at the Ballina RSL on Friday 7 October.The dinner will give guests an opportunity to learn about the Foundation, meet current students being supported and hear from former Australian Soldier Anthony “Harry” Moffitt and his story of Eleven Bats….combat, cricket and the SAS. More information can be found about Harry Moffitt at https://www.elevenbats.com.au/ The night will include a unique raffle where attendees can purchase a personally signed Adam Gilchrist cricket ball as a raffle ticket and be in the draw for some fantastic accommodation and experience prizes.There are also a large number of unique prizes on offer in the online Gala Auction. Bidders do not need to be present on the night for the auction as all prizes are online and can be bid on at anytime in the countdown to the night.Prizes include a range of interesting items including a vintage-style bespoke cricket bat replica as used by Adam Gilchrist during his stellar career, the opportunity to brew your own beer and holiday packages. Bidding is open at https://app.galabid.com/gilchrist/itemsGo to the Gilchrist Foundation web site https://gilchrist.foundation/ for all dinner and ticket details or phone Julie on 0431 764 776.

U-buds and Doobers (not Ubers) were on duty last weekend, driving hundreds of people to and from Nimbin’s annual MardiGrass drug reform rally and festival.Nimbin HEMP Embassy president Michael Balderstone said having the drug free drivers was great – allowing people to enjoy the pro-cannabis drug reform celebration without having to worry about the usual police roadside drug testing.“Thousands of people were in Nimbin over the weekend and they came from all over Australia,” Michael said.“There was lots of passion for the roadside drug testing laws to change. Cannabis users are frustrated about not being heard and the lack of reason that goes with police saliva testing.“It has nothing to do with being impaired, it’s just about the presence of weed.”“The police told me they got more people this year with saliva testing than last year,” he said. “But we will have to wait for the official figures to come out.“Were any of those drivers actually impaired? It’s a huge impact on country drivers if they lose their licences – they need to be able to drive around.”“The frustration is also about not being allowed to grow our own cannabis – and then have to pay high prices for the legally prescribed stuff – and then still not be allowed to drive while using it.”Despite the police drug testing van being present on the side of the road on the way into Nimbin, Michael said there were not many arrests this year.“But I’m still waiting for the official numbers from police – we’ll know by next week,” he said.The annual MardiGrass is normally held in May, but was postponed due to flooding earlier this year. Michael said crowd numbers were still good, despite the change of dates. “People seemed to have a good time,” he said. “They enjoyed the weather and it wasn’t too crowded.”“Next year, I’d like to hold it in May again. That coincides with the 50th anniversary of the Aquarius Festival – a week after MardiGrass, so we might do something together.”One of the highlights of the festival were live DJs in Mingle park from 5pm each day – and the spectacle that is the law reform rally parade (complete with the big joint) on Sunday afternoon.“This year, Ponyland made a fantastic float for the parade – it was best rally we’ve had in years,” Michael said.“At the HEMP symposium, speakers included West Australian HEMP party politician Dr Brian Walker who spoke about drug law reform.“The Kombie convoy on Saturday was great, so was the 420 and the HEMP Olympix.“This year was the first time we had the MardiGrass marijuana music awards – and the winner was a Gold Coast reggae group.“Gary the bullet proof monk won the pot art competition with his banner ‘The law is the crime’ that hangs outside the embassy.”

For the local Year 9 and 10 students who attended a problem solving workshop this week – it wasn’t just about finding solutions to real world problems.According to workshop organiser Karen Ramsay, from the Rivers Academy of STEM Excellence (RASE) – it’s all about creating a resilient generation of problem solvers, who are changing things little by little.Read more news: Air quality monitoring program opens to local schoolsThe RASE schools program has recently been recognised for its amazing results – and has won the NSW Government Secretary’s Award for an Outstanding School Initiative.Karen said the program has been running in 12 local schools since 2020 and works with students and teachers in Kindergarten to Year 12. Participating schools include Kadina, Richmond River, Albert Park, Bexhill, Dunoon, Goonellabah, Lismore Heights, Lismore South and Wilson Park.Dunoon Public School students at a STEM Design Thinking Process workshop.“The Rivers Academy of STEM excellence focusses on using STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) design thinking practices across the curriculum – in literacy and creative arts too,” Karen said.“It’s not a new way of thinking - businesses use it too.“We get our kids to think creatively and critically, rather than work out of textbooks.“We are getting them ready to face the world.“Today at a workshop, we have Lismore High School and three campuses of kids at a STEM process workshop.“We have Year 10 girls working on a problem about how to engage more year 10 girls in choosing STEM subjects.“This is their third day working on the problem and they brainstorm and identify why it’s a problem and what’s caused it. Then they work on their solution.“The idea is we keep things as authentic as possible, with real world problems - and they come up with amazing ideas.“The Year 9 boys chose any problem they wanted - and they chose to look at how there’s not much mental health help available here for young people Their solution is a mental health app.”Karen said the STEM thinking process they learn now are processes that will stay with the students as they move on from school.“The kids are also becoming more resilient - instead of thinking why the solution didn’t work, they ask why and what can I do about it,” she said.Karen and Zane - another RASE program staff member - attended an awards ceremony in Sydney last week, after successfully submitting the RASE program application into the Public Education Foundation, which manages the awards.They accepted a certificate on behalf of all the principlals in the academy. It was presented to them by Georgina Harrison, Secretary of the NSW Department of Education.

If you thought the taco love had left Lismore after the February flood, think again.Taco Love Bros owner Dylan Morris said it’s been a slow journey to get back to Lismore – but that he will reopen the Conway Street restaurant later this year.But first, he’s bringing all of his popular menu items from Taco Love Bros back to Lismore, at The Met, every Sunday.“Our home was innundated in the flood and we were forced to move to Casino - and we opened a business there on Barker Street,” Dylan said.“We are still displaced and living in Casino and not yet ready to open two businesses.“Before we open Taco Love Bros again, we want to be back living in Lismore again, but it’s going to take a while.“We will offer a better service to community when we are back home.”When the February flood hit Dylan’s Lismore business in February, he said it was fortunate he managed to save most of the shop gear.The building also fared well compared to other Lismore buildings that were completely submerged in the flood. Read about the shop beginnings: New taco business jumps another hurdle Still keen to be a part of the Lismore community, Dylan said he recently went to the Met for a beer one day and talked to Simon who is running the restaurant there.“Simon mentioned it would be nice to do a food collaboration,” Dylan said.“It would be a good way to be visible again and we could let the people of Lismore know we are coming back to our original location, while still having access to our food locally.“I loved the idea – it was a bigger venue and gave us a chance to offer our taste back to Lismore.”Taco Love Bros will be offering a taste of what they used to sell on their menu every Sunday at the Met on Keen Street from 1pm to 7.30pm. The menu includes tacos, nachos and quesidillas. Read more about Dylan: SUNDAY PROFILE: Taco Love Bros' Dylan Morris

Bread rolls, pies and Vietnamese food will be back this week when Millers Bakery opens its doors again.Six months after the flood, Millers Bakery owner Trent is happy to see work on the Woodlark Street bakery almost complete and hopes to be open this Wednesday or Thursday.“We are nearly ready to open – it just depends on the electrical work being finished,” he said.“It’s been a big job to get open again, but we have a good landlord who has fixed the floor and electricity to get the shop ready.“It’s lucky I have a big family here to help clean and repair things - without them, maybe we never would have come back."Trent said he and his family had taken on running the bakery only nine months before the February flood came - where he lost his bakery equipment to the water. “We have a big family business and have shops in East Lismore and Central too,” he said.The new Millers bakery will sell salad rolls, bacon and egg rolls and coffee – as well as pies, bread and a selection of Vietnamese favourites.“We’ll have pork belly roll and vermicelli rice dishes and beef soup,” Trent said.Millers Bakery will be open Monday to Friday, 5.30am to 4pm; Saturday 7am to 4pm and Sunday 7am to 2pm.

With our history of alternative lifestyles, it may not be surprising that microdosing psychedelics such as LSD or psilocybin is gaining popularity in the Northern Rivers region. So, Psychology student and Honours researcher Rebecca Bushby has decided it’s time to explore just what effects microdosing is really having on those who try it.Rebecca lives locally, but studies at Edith Cowan University – and she’s calling out for people to get involved with a confidential research study she’s doing for her Honours thesis.  “Lots of people are choosing to take psychedelics for depression, anxiety and ADHD,” she said. “But there’s not a lot of current research and we are still picking up from what was done in the 1980s.“There are considerable anecdotal reports of microdosing and a big interest in the topic of psychedelics in the Northern Rivers region, so I was hoping people could get in touch with me.“My study explores emotional competence and wellbeing in people who microdose psychedelics compared to those who have never consumed psychedelics.“The survey is confidential – we don’t take details from the person we are talking, particularly because we are talking about illicit substances.“We just want to understand why they are taking it and how.“Are they taking regulated doses and what are the effects? How does that correspond to their wellbeing.“We would like to see the practice decriminalized so people don’t have to do it unregulated.“With big pharma, we have to be careful how we approach it and bring some science behind it.“There have been clinical trials for psilocybin coming out and with mushrooms, we are able to extract at a certain growth size and calculate the correct amount to use.“Microdosers not have hallucinations or visual effects, but the underlying benefits combating suicide and depression are powerful.”Rebecca would like to hear from people in the next couple of weeks and is compiling an email list for people who want to find out the study results later. “This study will help contribute to the expansion of psychedelic research and education, and is an important extension to the growing field of psychedelic science,” she said.The study involves completing a one off anonymous online survey expected to take approximately 20-30 minutes.The study has been reviewed and approved by Edith Cowan University Human Research Ethics Committee. To take part, visit https://eaecu.au1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_5ckZRrQe0ndyapgIf you have any questions or need more information please contact, you can contact Rebecca Bushby on rbushby@our.ecu.edu.au.

While NSW Forestry Corporation invites us to celebrate National Forestry Day today, conservationists are calling it a “day of shame for Australia”.At the heart of the issue is the logging of Australia’s native forests.Behind Forestry Corporation’s promise to plant 14.7 million seedlings to grow timber this year, is a long history of logging that doesn’t use plantation forests as the source.North East Forest Alliance spokesperson Sean O’Shannessey said the native forest logging industry “hides its appalling record of environmental vandalism behind the achievements of the sustainable plantation timber industry”.“There is no such thing as sustainable industrial logging in native forests,” Sean said.“Houses are not built out of native forest timber, they are built of softwood plantation timber.“Most of what they rip out of our threatened species homes is used for low value disposable products.“The most valuable products of our forests are water, carbon, biodiversity and tourism.“These are about 10 times the value of the trees taken by loggers, and are destroyed by driving bulldozers and chainsaws through them.“Courageous community volunteers are standing up for our forests all over NSW and will keep doing so until they are safe from forestry loggers."Forestry Corporation Forestry Corporation Chief Executive Officer, Anshul Chaudhary said “wood is the ultimate renewable resource, and the forestry cycle means organisations like Forestry Corporation can keep supplying the community with essential materials for generations to come”.“Native forestry is essential for sustainably supplying wood products for wharves, bridges, telegraph poles and our homes,” Mr Chaudhary said. “NSW’s two million hectare State forest estate and the renewable wood products it supplies actively sequester and store carbon.  “National Forestry Day also highlights the positive impacts of the state’s native forestry industry and the stringent environment it operates in. “NSW’s strict environmental regulations mean timber from native State forests is amongst the most sustainable in the world with the forests careful managed to provide timber while also supporting wildlife populations in concert with surround national parks and other forested land,” Mr Chaudhary said. “Timber harvesting operations take place in around 0.1 per cent of NSW forested land and all harvested areas are completely regenerated.” “In NSW State forests have been harvested for timber and regrown for over 100 years.“Today these forests are open to the public for free camping, mountain biking, four wheel driving and so much more. “

Lismore’s longest running vegetarian restaurant and ashram, 20,000 Cows, is about to be reborn in a new format - as the Wolf and Lamb Cafe.Since the North Lismore venue was destroyed in the February flood, owner Marijonas Vilkelis (Mari) has been trying to find a way to reopen, including running a GoFundMe fundraiser to reconstruct the building.But now, thanks to his inspired collaborators Jodie and Manny, Mari has found a new home for his signature dishes, in Nimbin.Mari, cooking inside the 20,000 Cows North Lismore venue.“Jodie was inspired to create a vegan restaurant for Nimbin,” Mari said. “So now we are working together to bring a vegan menu to the new cafe.“Manny makes Maltese vegan food at the markets and will do part of the menu.“Some of the 20,000 Cows menu faves like potato croquettes, mellawah and middle eastern dishes and curries will be too.”Damage inside the 20,000 Cows North Lismore venue after the flood.Opening dayWhile the new cafe is not ready to open yet, Mari said the three of them (and a handful of volunteers) have been working hard to get it finished. He hopes to be open before Mardi Grass on September 16.“We keep hitting snag after snag,” Mari said. “We said we’d be open two weeks ago, about a month ago and we are still not there. “So we aren’t taking bookings - we’ll just open doors when we are ready.”The cafe will be open days and evenings, from Wednesday to Saturday and is located on Cullen Street, next to Tribal Magic.The new cafe’s name Wolf and Lamb, refers back to Mari’s famous cookbook of his recipes. Maris said he chose the name because in the bible, the Prophet Isaiah wrote a prophesy about "a day will come when wolf and lamb ... will be at peace”.“It seemed like a worthwhile thing to work toward,” he said. “Most people say a wolf won’t be vegan, but the way nature is now, is consequential and we don’t know what it was at the begin of existence – it’s become that from something else.“Humans aren’t the same as back then. I like to think that if we stop creating death and suffering, then the load on the planet will lessen.”His vision of a safe haven inspired the concept of calling the restaurant an ashram – an ancient Sanscrit word for sanctuary.Damage inside the 20,000 Cows North Lismore venue after the flood.History and futureMari first opened 20,000 Cows in Bridge Street, North Lismore in 1996. It was his sixth restaurant.Mari said his love of making food started in 1979 in Melbourne after he did his first 41 day fast.“I had a vision to create a restaurant and so I went on to do that,” he said.“Opening again in Nimbin gives me a chance to finish off the tracks that I started.“Now, the new restaurant is hopefully stepping a stone to heaven.“I have a theme I like to work with – that the definition of professionalism is a procedure toward self redundancy“So I’ll be teaching other people to make the food.“It will be a relief to have income again, as I’ve been living off my savings all year."