As contact tracing continues for the case of the Sydney man who visited the Northern Rivers – more contact venues of concern have been released today by the Northern NSW Local Health District (NNSWLHD).Read more: Byron Bay visit sees man charged for breaching health ordersNNSWLHD acting chief executive Lynne Weir said while there are no new confirmed cases of COVID-19 reported among local residents, anyone who attended the following venues needs to get tested.“Anyone who attended the following venues at the times listed is a close contact and must get tested and isolate for 14 days since they were there, regardless of the result,” Ms Weir said.“NSW Health sends a text message to people who have checked in at close contact venues with further information," Ms Weir said.“We also make a follow-up call to close contacts to discuss the isolation and testing requirements. If you have not received a text message, please call 1800 943 553.”"If you are directed to get tested for COVID-19 or self-isolate at any time, you must follow the rules whether or not the venue or exposure setting is listed on the NSW Health website. NSW Health does not disclose details about venues of concern unless there is a public health reason. COVID-19 Testing Update  "We want to thank everyone who has come forward for testing in the past few days," Ms Weir said." It is such an important part of our community response in terms of identifying new cases and tracking where the virus may have spread. "On Tuesday 10 August, more than 3000 tests were conducted at NSW Health and drive through clinics across the District, with many more conducted at other GP and respiratory clinics in the region.  "This comes on top of sustained high testing rates over recent weeks, with 9,177 tests conducted among NNSWLHD residents for the week of 1-7 August."All the local testing clinics and their opening hours are listed on the NSW government website at: https://www.nsw.gov.au/covid-19/how-to-protect-yourself-and others/clinics or, you can also contact your GP.

Police will today serve the 52 year old man who visited Byron Bay and other local areas recently, with a Future Court Attendance Notice for breaching public health orders. Following police inquiries, including appeals for public assistance, the man from Rose Bay in Sydney will be charged after he allegedly travelled from Sydney to the NorthernRivers region, without a reasonable excuse and in contravention of the public health orders. The Notice will be served on the man at the Lismore Base Hospital with strict bail conditions. He will appear at Lismore Local Court on Monday, September 13 and police inquiries are ongoing.Police will also allege the man failed to check-in to several venues using either a QR-code through Service NSW or through a written register at premises in Byron Bay and Bangalow.The Future Court Attendance Notice lists seven offences including:Not comply with noticed direction re s 7/8/9 - COVID-19 (x3)Fail to comply with electronic registration directive (x4)LockdownThe charge comes after the Northern Rivers region was plunged into a lockdown on Monday when the man tested positive for Covid 19, after becoming unwell.He was admitted to Lismore Base Hospital while police investigated where the man had visited during his travels in the region.He was also travelling with two teenagers, who also tested positive for Covid 19.Because of the man's alleged failure to Covid check in at any of the venues, a quick contact-tracing response by authorities was delayed.It is also believed that the man was visiting the region to look at real estate properties - in effect taking advantage of a potential loophole in the Covid restrictions which allow a person to look at real estate. NSW cases In a press conference this morning, the NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian was asked about the Byron Bay case and what could be done if it was found he had broken the Covid restriction regulations. “If people step well beyond the orders, there are a range of things the police can investigate in terms of whether that journey was reasonable – such as the timeliness of it,” she said. “We can we beef up fines if people intentionally travel against the orders. “The minimum penalty is $1000, or it can go before the courts and police will look at the best outcome and what the community expects should happen." Chief health minister Dr Kerry Chant said there were 344 new Covid cases overnight in NSW, and two deaths in hospital – a man in his 30s and one in his 90s. “There were 40 new cases overnight in the Hunter region and it looks like it won’t come out of lockdown later this week,” Dr Chant said. Dubbo in lockdown Dr Chant said Dubbo also goes into one week lockdown from 1pm today, after two cases were reported last night. Dr Chant reiterated the importance of vaccinations in the effort to return to “life as usual” in NSW – with six million jabs to be delivered by end of August. “We are expected to hit a 70% vaccination rate by the end October,” she said. “Then life gets more back to normal and freedoms we had before covid will come back into place,” she said. “We are working to get more popup vax clinics – it is a priority for us." Of the new locally acquired cases overnight, 62 cases are in ICU and only 19 of them are aged over 70 years old. Dr Chant said 57 of the cases were not vaccinated and 5 received only one dose of the vaccine. “There is noone in ICU who has received two doses of the vaccine,” she said. “Even one dose provides protection.” 

Leila and Amie Gray have abandoned their busy professional lives to 'slow down', regroup and share their love and purpose of sustainable living in their new Lismore shop the Upcycled Heart.Amie Gray told the Lismore App the idea is to limit waste, reuse and repurpose old things and to slow down.“Textiles in particular are one of the biggest forms of wastage we have now,” she said.“The general idea is to use old things and look after them as long as we can and when they become no longer useful to turn them into something else so a lot of the art and craft we have is using recycled materials.”Ms Gray said the other ideal is about slowing down.“Slow down production of new clothes, slow down our own lives as well.“Leila was a teacher and I was at University doing psychology honours and both of us were feeling very burnt out,” she said.The sisters, originally from the Blue Mountains and having lived for ten years in New Zealand have been raising their families in Jiggi for the past twenty years. The idea for an upcycling shop has been on the table for the Gray sisters for some time. “We just noticed everyone, when they’re talking to each other and asking ‘How are you?’ ‘busy’, ‘busy’, ‘busy’ and everyone is saying ‘We’re all in this together’.“We’ve all got to stop. “Leila and I said to each other one day over a cup of tea, we were looking at rent in Jiggi for somebody else actually and we saw that there were some empty shops in Lismore and that rent was reasonable at the moment and we just said, ‘Should we give it a go? Should we just start? Start slow and see what happens?“Try and begin what we said we want, a slower life where there’s work/life balance, where we’ve got time for our craft as well and so we actually started renting it around three months ago and we’ve only just opened now because we’ve done every single thing ourselves in the shop.”The Gray sisters have repurposed all the interior and exterior of the old Fashion Profile shop in Woodlark Street, hand-painting their own signage over the old signs and making furniture from old racks left inside. “We’ve made our own curtains, and the wallpaper was a five-dollar roll from the op-shop.“We paid homage to the flood by just stripping back this wall and we’ve just BondCreted it so that it’s all sealed so that none of that flakes off anymore.”Upcycled Heart is another addition to what is becoming known as the Woodlark Street hub for antiques, collectables and vintage wares. What stands out differently for the Gray sisters is that they invite and encourage makers, artists, and musicians to collaborate in sustainable, natural practises. “The evolution of the different crafters includes people who get involved like a woman who contacted us who makes natural face products like the beeswax wraps.“She’s already selling in a few places so we’ll probably get some of her products. “It’s great to be able to invite anyone to put anything in here as a natural market research, what sells is what will bring more in. “Local musicians are more than welcome to bring in their CDs and we’ll play them in the shop, just come in and see us.”With plenty of hand-made ornaments, interesting attire, and an open space for the community to engage with their local upcyclers, The Upcycled Heart is another keystone in the Northern Rivers burgeoning re-use ethos. “We love that Woodlark Street is becoming known as a hub and remembered thinking ‘how serendipitous and wonderful!’ Located at 59 Woodlark Street, Lismore, Upcycled Heart is open Monday to Friday between 10.00 am and 3.30 pm."Mum took us op-shopping as kids and I've been collecting beautiful clothes ever since." - Amie Gray sitting on her repurposed couch in Upcycled Heart.

Northern NSW Local Health District is reminding local residents about the border restrictions which applies to people who have been in an affected local governmentarea (LGA) of Queensland.Under the concerns notice, which came into effect on Saturday 31 July, anyone in NSW who has been to one of the 11 identified LGAs since 21 July must only leavetheir residence with a reasonable excuse for 14 days after they were last in that LGA.The 11 LGAs are: Brisbane City, Moreton Bay Regional Council, Gold Coast, Ipswich, Lockyer Valley Regional Council, Logan City, Noosa Shire Council, Redland City,Scenic Rim Regional Council, Somerset Regional Council, and Sunshine Coast Regional Council.Acting Chief Executive Northern NSW Local Health District, Lynne Weir said the stay-at-home rules mean people can only leave their place of residence with a reasonable excuse, such as shopping, medical care, caregiving, outdoor exercise with a member of your household or one other person, and work or education, if you cannot do it from home.“NSW does not have a border bubble with Queensland as the areas of concern in Queensland extend all the way to the border."The stay-at-home orders are in place to reduce the risk of people transmitting COVID-19 among the Northern NSW community after visiting Queensland.”People who have been to a close contact place at the time specified in the notice must not enter NSW unless they are a NSW resident (or transiting to the ACT). If they are in NSW, they must self-isolate for 14 days since there were last at the close contact place.People who have been to a casual contact place at the time specified in the notice must not enter NSW unless they are a NSW resident (or transiting to the ACT) or they have had a negative COVID-19 test after being at the venue.If they are already in NSW, they must immediately get tested and self-isolate until they receive a negative result.All people entering NSW from Queensland must complete a declaration form.Anyone who has been to an affected LGA must also travel directly to their accommodation or residence.The declaration form can be completed 24 hours prior to entry, or on arrival.The form is valid for 72 hours.There are no new confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Northern NSW Local Health District, and testing rates remained high for the second week in a row.Figures show there were 6,560 tests conducted among residents of the District for the week 25-31 July, following the previous week’s total of 6,857 tests.“If you are feeling at all unwell, please don’t wait to get a test."Come forward straight away, and self-isolate until you receive a negative result,” Ms Weir said.“As new case locations are being identified every day, we’re asking people to regularly check the Queensland and NSW Government websites for updates, particularly if they are crossing over the border or travelling out of their usual local area.“When it comes to our workforce, we risk assess staff who return to work after travelling outside our District, and this includes staff who have been in the South East Queensland LGAs.“There are additional measures we can apply when needed, such as requiring staff to have extra COVID-19 testing, wearing additional personal protective equipment, or working from home.“We urge everyone who can get vaccinated, to do so as soon as possible, in order to protect themselves, their loved ones and their communities.“I want to thank our community for their continued support throughout this challenging period," Ms Weir said.The Queensland Government contact tracing website is:https://www.qld.gov.au/health/conditions/health-alerts/coronavirus-covid-19/currentstatus/contact-tracingThe NSW Government case locations are listed at:NSW COVID-19 case locations | NSW Government

Bundjalung and Gaangalu artist Amarina Williams loves painting landscape topography onto old vinyl records.Her unique artworks reflect her Indigenous heritage and are proudly on display in her new ‘Amarina Art’ gallery in the Star Court Arcade.The 27-year-old artist has been painting her whole life and said her mum has photos of her painting before she could even walk.So, it’s not surprising that she has followed her passion to open a gallery and studio dedicated to displaying and selling the works of local Bundjalung artists.“I really wanted to open a studio space and I love the energy of the Star Court Arcade with the theatre and the café,” Amarina said.“There’s was no dedicated Indigenous gallery in Lismore – and this is the hub of the Northern Rivers, so I wanted to create that space.”Amarina started painting on old vinyl records when she was younger and was “too broke” to buy canvases.“I would go to op shops and garage sales and pick up whole boxes of vinyl cheaply,” Amarina said. “I love the shape of the records.”She has no plans to start painting on CDs, because she prefers vinyl records, which are much are bigger and sturdier.HistoryAmarina grew up in Tenterfield and has lived in Lismore a few times – recently returning here to live.She said following her Indigenous heritage has always been important to her.“I am a Williams, and my mum is from the western Bundjalung area, on the border of Githabul and Bundjalung Country,” she said. “My dad is Gaangalu from Rockhampton.“I grew up with stories of growing up on Country and my art is about painting the topography – the contours and the lay of the land from an ariel view.“It’s always fascinated me – how country and rivers changed over the years.“We still have a piece of land that’s been in the family for three generations and the river topography there has changed three times over the years.”“I grew up doing orienteering and I’ve been map reading my whole life. I often walk around the land and see how it's laid out before I start painting it.”Amarina recently painted a mural in the entranceway of the women’s section at Lismore Base Hospital.“I went through the old maps before I designed it,” she said. “A lot of them are online and I look at the soil contents which influences the colours I use.“If an area is rich in iron – I will use red and orange tones.”In the new gallery, Amarina already has on display the art of seven Bundjalung artists - including Peter Faulkner-Roberts.“I come from a business management background and I have the skill set to support local Indigenous artists to help them market and sell their work,” she said.She invites people to come in, have a look and perhaps buy some art.She also plans to run small workshops once a month on Saturdays, featuring a different artist each month sharing skills in telling stories through art and pigment making with ochres.Amarina Art Gallery and studio is located at shop 9 in the Star Court Arcade. The opening hours are Tuesday 10am to 4pm, Wednesday & Thursday 11am to 5pm, Friday 10am to 4pm and Saturday 10am to 2pm.To contact Amarina, you can email amarinasart@gmail.com or find her on Instagram.

Seeds collected to grow another million seedlings for north coast plantationsSeed collection is now underway to grow another million native seedlings to replant another 1,000 hectares of hardwood timber plantations in State forests on the north coast next year.Forestry Corporation’s Nursery Manager Kath French said Grafton Nursery staff were currently collecting seeds from specially selected trees in preparation for the 2022 planting season.“We have doubled the capacity of Grafton nursery, allowing us to grow a million eucalypt seedlings this year to replant hardwood timber plantations, and we’re now getting ready to plant another million eucalypt seedlings in 2022,” Ms French said.“Our nursery staff have been gathering seeds from trees in Wedding Bells State Forest near Coffs Harbour that we’ll propagate and nurture so they can be planted early next year,"Seeds are carefully selected from trees with good genetic properties that have adapted to local conditions and that will grow straight and strong.“Once we’ve collected our seeds, we will spend the next nine months or so growing them into seedlings before distributing one million trees to State forest plantations early next year,” Ms French said.Forestry Corporation’s Hardwood Plantation Manager Craig Busby said the seedlings would restock plantations that have recently been harvested for timber.“Unfortunately, many of the hardwood timber plantations we manage were impacted by fires in 2019-20, so we have been working to harvest and replant the affected plantations as quickly as possible. "We have also increased the amount of timber we have been harvesting from plantations over the past couple of years following the fires while we’ve been carrying out environmental assessments and monitoring recovery in the native forests that produce timber,” Mr Busby said.“Every time we harvest a timber plantation we completely replant it for the next generation, so we have doubled our replanting rate to restock these plantations for the future.“This year, we hand planted one million native eucalypt seedlings to restock 1,000 hectares of timber plantations – that’s about the equivalent of 2,000 football fields – and we are preparing to do the same again in 2022.“Plantations are a really sustainable way to supply the community with renewable timber products that look beautiful and store carbon for life and we manage them to be harvested and replanted so the same plantation continues to produce renewable timber in perpetuity.“Hardwood timber is a product the community love in their homes, it is in high demand for everything from flooring and decking to fencing, furniture and power poles, and it is processed right here on the north coast of NSW, supporting local jobs.”For more information about Forestry Corporation, visit www.forestrycorporation.com.au

As Covid spreads into more regional areas, the Hunter region, north of Sydney, will go into a one week lockdown at 5pm tonight, after students at two schools tested positive for Covid 19.In a press conference this morning, NSW Health chief health officer Dr Kerry Chant called for people who may have been to the Newcastle area to get tested if they feel sick.The same restrictions and stay at home provisions will be in place as in Sydney.Morrisett High School and Maitland Christian School are currently closed for deep cleaning, while NSW Health conducts contact tracing.Maitland Christian School reported on social media this morning that a student at the school has tested positive for Covid-19 - and all staff and students were asked to self-isolate until further advice.Dr Chant said contact tracing had identified that the source of the Morrisett school Covid cases was a household in the Central Coast."There have also been sewage detections of Covid in Armidale and Dubbo," Dr Chant said. "There's no time for complacency as levels in the sewer get higher."A high "virus load" was also detected at Shortland, Merewether and Belmont and Target at Stocklands Glendale had been identified as a venue of high risk. New cases and more pfizerDr Chant said 262 new Covid cases were reported in NSW in the previous 24 hours, with 45 infectious in the community.There were five deaths overnight, with three people in their 60s, one in their 70s and one on their 80s. Four were not vaccinated and one had one dose of AstraZeneca in late May.She also announced that 180,000 doses of Pfizer have been allocated in NSW and 20,000 will be redirected to Year 12 students in the Sydney area within the next fortnight.

Ballina Road has become the “Berlin wall” for residents of Girards Hill, who say it’s a “nightmare” to cross the road, also known as the Bruxner Highway.Despite being so close to the Lismore CBD, locals say the highway has turned Girards Hill into an island that they can’t get out of easily, without the fear of being hit by a car.Dawson Street resident Anne Meagher said “it’s only a matter of time until someone is killed.”“We’ve been fighting since 2015 to get a safe pedestrian crossing installed near the roundabout there,” Anne said.Making the road safer for pedestrians to cross is an issue that has already been identified as important by the NSW Government.In a 2019 election pledge, the Government promised a $6 million safety upgrade and traffic lights installation at the Dawson St and Bruxner Highway roundabout.But now the Government has changed its mind - and plans to upgrade the Bruxner Highway and Molesworth Street roundabout instead.Anne said the reason the government changed its plan was because the cost of upgrading the Dawson Street roundabout was too high.“They have funding resources of $6 million allocated, but the they have delayed too long and now it’s about money,” she said.“They have put it in the too hard basket.”AngryThe issue has made many Girards Hill residents angry - and activated State MP Janelle Saffin to champion the issue.Recently, Ms Saffin sent letters to 312 Girards Hill residents expressing her concerns about the NSW Government’s decision.The letter arrived in the same week as a glossy NSW Government brochure detailing the new proposal for the Molesworth street intersection upgrade.Having the support of MP Saffin is good news for Anne Meagher, who is one of many people who try to negotiate a roundabout that sees 25,000 cars a day - with no safe pedestrian crossing.“Girards Hill is so close to the centre of CBD and people should be able to ride their bikes or walk to town,” Anne said.“The kids living here get their parents to drive them to school because there is no crossing.“The irony is that the kids live too close to school to get a government bus pass, even though the road is classed as dangerous by the Education department and deemed unsuitable to cross.“I have a dog and getting to the island between the sides of the multilane highway with 60 km/hr is a challenge.“People who are not fit, or elderly, or have injuries or children tend to avoid it – and many people take their cars instead, because walking is dangerous.”Central to CBDNear the Dawson Street and Ballina Road roundabout is a cluster of food take away shops, a laundromat and an Aldi.The roundabout is a central to town and people also use it as a short cut through to Farmer Charlies and then onto the CBD.Girards Hill residents Mark Butcher and David Dyer said they have often made a “mad dash” to the centre of the road while trying to cross.“Just standing at the side of the road waiting to cross is also dangerous,” Mark said. “I’ve had to step back to stop being run over by truck tyres.“Large trucks can’t navigate the roundabout and override the kerb frequently – you can see places where the concrete has been broken away by trucks.”David said he tried to cycle through the roundabout and has” nearly been collected”.“I’ll never do it again. Trying to the road is a logistical nightmare – the stuff of nightmares.”Options and solutions Anne wants to see the government honour its 2019 election promise to make the Dawson Street intersection a safer place to cross the road.“Dawson Street is the gateway roundabout that continues onto Bangalow Road and gets all the north bound traffic,” Anne said.“More and more trucks use this road as a shortcut to Ballina. Moving the traffic lights to Molesworth Street won’t resolve the issues.“People can already choose to walk under the bridge at Molesworth Street and use the park throughway to cross the road.“One the other side of the Ballina Road bridge, there is a bottleneck there too – and traffic often backs up to the Hollingsworth bridge – something needs to be done about that too.”The Molesworth Street upgrade planThe NSW Government’s brochure about the proposed upgrade to the Molesworth Street and Ballina Road intersection said the upgrade would “ease congestion at the intersection to reduce travel times”, “allow safer crossing for pedestrians” and “complement future planning for the Bruxner Highway through Lismore”.The plan involves creating signalised pedestrian crossings, more dedicated turning lanes and ‘storage lanes for stopped vehicles.The upgrade also plans to remove car parks from the western end of Bounty Street and remove trees in the road reserve between the road and Heritage Park.Cheap fix solution“The cheap fix solution to the Molesworth Street intersection is easy,” Mark said.“Where the two lanes of Ballina Road lead onto the Ballina Bridge, make one lane a designated right hand only turning lane.“Then bring the traffic lights back to the Dawson Street gateway roundabout and put in a pedestrian crossing where people access services.”Anne said there used to be a zebra crossing in the vicinity, but it was taken away because traffic didn’t stop and people were injured trying to cross Ballina Road."In a previous consultation period to find a solution, a number of options for the road were considered and dismissed," she said.“The government entertained having an underpass, but the area was in the flood plain so it deemed inappropriate."“And an overpass was deemed too expensive and not accessible for those with disabilities or bicycles.”“Lismore City Council’s Traffic Advisory Committee also decided that the upgrade at the Dawson Street roundabout was a preferred option.”To have you say about the NSW Government’s plans, you can complete an online survey by Friday, August 6 at http://www.yoursay.transport.nsw.gov.au/molesworthYou can also call Region North on 1800 653 092.More information about the proposal can be found at http:///nswroads.work/molesworthstreet

Known as the ‘Purple Plague’, the highly invasive Miconia Weed could be set to take over Lismore.Recently found near Tuntable Creek, it’s a weed that Richmond Landcare coordinator Hannah Rice-Hayes said she has heard horror stories about if is left to spread unchecked.“It’s already happened in other parts of Australia and in Hawaii,” Hannah said. “If the incursion goes too far, we could lose entire hillsides - it’s a scary prospect.”While there has only been one or two discovered so far, the Purple Miconia tree invades rainforest and competes with native vegetation for resources and reduces habitat for native fauna.When established and in large numbers, Miconia can cause expansive hillside erosion due to its shallow root system.“Luckily, it has clear identifying features that make it easy to spot, so people can go online and find out more about it – and help stop it before it spreads too far,” Hannah said.The plant is easily identifiable by its very large leaves, between 20 and 80cm long, which are purple underneath.Hannah said in the past, other weeds like Giant Devil’s Fig were able to infiltrate the local area without being stopped quickly enough.“Now we are starting to see more popping up in Lismore,” she said. “It’s an easy plant to hate and I’m getting more enquiries about it.“We tried to get a hold before it spread too far, but unfortunately. it’s identification makes it difficult. With spring just around the corner and more plants about to grow, flower and spread – now is the time to take action.The discovered Miconia tree was already mature and fruiting, meaning seeds may have already been distributed by birds and mammals.landowners and landcarers are asked to be vigilant in checking their properties and assessing for weeds, including Miconia.This weed is classified as Prohibited Matter under the NSW Biosecurity Act 2015, meaning any known plants must be reported to your local authority, Rous County Council immediately on 66 233 800.For more information scan the QR code which will direct you to a full description of the plant via the Weedwise app.  

Get your green on this Sunday 1 August with Wilsons River Landcare and the South Lismore Duck Pond Landcare groups for National Tree Day.All are invited to the event which will be held at two sites and will go from 11.00 am- 3.00 pm.Starting at WIlson River Landcare, South Lismore Duck Pond will be planting in conjunction with them on the day.South Lismore Duck Pond are planting at their site on Ostrom Street, South Lismore from 12.00 midday to 3.00 pm while Wilson River Landcare will be planting at their site at Pitt Lane in North Lismore between 11.00 am and 2.00 pm.South Lismore Duck Pond Landcare posted on social media they are wishing for beautiful weather to plant out much needed trees for the Duck Pond.For more information please visit South Lismore Duck Pond Landcare and Wilsons River Landcare or check out their event page here.Read more:Lismore's future biodiversity plan needs your ideas

Two new exhibitions are opening tonight, July 30 at Lismore's iconic community artspace, the Serpentine Gallery. "After the environmental exhibition which transformed the gallery with the strong presence of forest, the gallery is now filled with the blue hues of water. "We hope you all enjoy Michelle Gilroy's study of coral reefs and our latest members show called Flow," Serpentine Gallery posted on social media. "The Garden" by Michelle Gilroy is a body of work featuring under water scenes inspired by the great barrier reef, and "Flow" - a group show exploring the theme of water.Opening night is scheduled for a 6.00 pm start at 17 Bridge Street North Lismore. You will enter the gallery into 'The Garden' by emerging artist Michelle Gilroy. Gilroy's oil paintings are described as delicate and delightful, moody and technical.In the next room you enter 'Flow', a group show by members of the Serpentine Gallery exploring water, the birthplace of life on Earth and will showcase various mediums by a variety of artists. Drinks, cheese and crackers are available.The Gallery cordially requests those attending to behave in a safe and respectful manner and to please abide by the Gallery's covid rules:masks are to be worn inside the Gallerythe Gallery capacity is 18 people in order to comply with social distancing requirementsplease use the provided hand sanitiserThese two exhibitions are on show until 4.00 pm the 8th of August 2021.Upcoming exhibitions include 'Les and Lis - Drawn Together Again' which will be opening on Friday 13 August.

Goonelabah has seen social media posts about increased criminal activity in the past few weeks sending out a warning to other homeowners to be vigilant with locking their cars and house doors.Last night, Lismore General Duties Police arrested three young persons for their alleged involvement in a break and enter at a house in Earls Court, Goonellabah last night. The young persons aged 13 and 14 were conveyed to Lismore Police Station where they were charged with Aggravated Break & Enter dwelling etc in company steal <=$60000. They were granted conditional bail to appear before Lismore Children's Court on the 6th of August. A motor vehicle was stolen from a home in Canterbury Chase, Goonellabah last night was also recovered by police a short time later in Carson Street, Goonellabah. It was seized for forensic examination as the investigation continues.

Thursday is puppy day at Fairy Dog Mother Doggie Day Care - and just as with human children, the first day for some dogs (and their owners) can be nerve wracking.That’s where Donna Smith, the Fairy Dog Mother comes in.Donna loves working with dogs. She grew up with them and understands their behaviour and recently started the new doggie day care business in Lismore.Already she has had an overwhelming response from loving dog owners.“I used to work at another dog day care and grooming business that closed down because of Covid, so I knew there was a need for this service,” Donna said.Donna has created a welcoming space for small and medium sized dogs.Fairy Dog Mother Doggie Day Care is just like a preschool - there’s a sandpit, a pit of balls, lounges, water stations and play equipment.Some dogs arrive with packed lunches – and others just want to play all day.But just like with children at a human preschool, Donna said it’s important for dogs to have play time and rest time.“Dogs actually sleep 16 hours a day, so having quiet time is important – and I sit down with them and get them to chill out,” she said.At doggie day care, socialisation is an important part of play – and Donna said the dogs naturally form friendships with other dogs.On puppy day, the daschunds have formed a close bond - and the dogs with longer legs seem to have chosen each other to play with more.“Some dogs who have had a hard life have been changed by coming here,” Donna said. “I love that I can help change the experience for the dogs.“But it is important that any dogs coming here are already well socialised and desexed - particularly males because otherwise they are too aggressive - but breeding female dogs are ok.“I treat the dogs like my own and give them what they would get at home - including cuddles and pats – and they all get excited to come.“The owners know the dog is safe and secure and that the dog is getting loved.”One of the dogs on puppy day is an older, placid dog, Daisy.“Daisy was found by her owners on side of road with burnt paws burnt and they gave her a new life,” Donna said. “She’s so lovely. And Lilo the beagle is the sweetest ever. She makes friends with everyone and makes everyone feel comfortable.”So, if you want your dog to have a play date at doggie day care, the Fairy Dog Mother invites you to bring your dog and come and check it out first.It’s open Wednesday to Friday from 7.30am to 5pm and it’s a great service for working parents.Bookings are essential. For more information, visit the Fairy Dog Mother Doggie Day Care Facebook page.

Flying ain’t what it used to be. Despite Covid changing the way we travel, Lismore Airport is still firmly in the local limelight.Since The Lismore App recently reported on aircraft noise complaints made by local residents, the issue has been discussed at a Lismore Council meeting and now, a community consultation is set to take place.To add to this, Caniaba resident Ross Robinson lives near the airport and contacted the Lismore App with concerns about the fencing that’s been built around the airport. In particular, he is worried about the unsuitability of the fencing that has been installed on a flood plain - across a creek bed and drain - on a bridge he regularly crosses on Caniaba Road.“When it floods, water can come over the bridge up to two metres,” he said.“I’m disappointed Council has wasted time and money building an unsuitable fence that won’t last.“It should have been built up off the ground, or as a swinging fence, like at Lismore Showgrounds with hinges so it swings up and down when water comes through.“The creek bed often has a lot of water come through in a heavy downpour of rain and the chain wire fence will collect any any rubbish that comes down, get bogged up, and fall over.”“I understand the new fence is to keep kangaroos off the runway,” Ross said. “It is definitely not for security purposes because it can be crawled under.”Council responseA Lismore City Council spokesperson said that the fence is actually a “first of its kind”.“The fence was designed to be collapsible so that in the event of heavy rain it will not stop the flow of water in the drain,” the spokesperson said.“The installation of fencing around Lismore Regional Airport is the final part of a $1.8 million NSW Government-funded project to upgrade the airport.“The fence is necessary to improve security at the airport and to prevent wildlife, such as kangaroos, from wondering onto the tarmac creating safety issues.“Other works carried out under this project included new runway lights, the refurbishment of the terminal, reseal of the runway and taxiways, street lighting at the general aviation end of the airport, one plane parking spot and a tourism display in the terminal.”Noise complaint update Following complaints from residents about increased aircraft noise from flying schools, the noise issue was raised at a Lismore Council meeting earlier this month. Lismore mayor Vanessa Ekins said she is taking the issue seriously and will begin a consultation process with the local community and open up a conversation about aviation rights and responsibilities, good neighbour policies, Council’s role and the future of the airport.“We know there is some confusion about what the regulations should be for plane noise and flying rules,” she said.“The Civil Aviation Authority (CASA) determines allowed flight hours and heights, not Lismore City Council. “But if people are being disturbed by noise, we have an opportunity to review our good neighbour policy.“Then we can the identify community expectations and begin a formal consultation process with CASA to make it clear.”Ms Ekins said the first stage of the consultation will involve information sharing about how the airport operates and gauge community expectation about the future of the airport.“It’s important we start getting information back from the community,” she said.“Since Covid began, the nature of the airport has changed, with Rex reducing flight numbers.“Aviation tourism has also increased the number of little planes flying into country areas – and the airport has expanded for flight schools to run out of Lismore airport.”

After 40 years of bringing his dry sense of humour to customers at Southside Pharmacy, pharmacist Michael Hermann is retiring. Michael said he originally became a pharmacist because he “wasn’t smart enough to be a vet”."Being a vet was my first choice – but I’m scared of blood too - so it’s lucky I am a pharmacist,” he said.This week will be his last week of working in the local business that he opened in July 1981 – and the local community is sad to see him go.Michael said Southside Pharmacy is built on foundations of building relationships and providing great customer service – and it’s something that his customers have grown to love.“Being in South Lismore, I’ve seen a few floods over the years,” Michael said. “People came out of the woodwork to help us in floods in the old days - cleaning up the mess underneath and moving things back into the shop.“The community have been very good to me.”BeginningsMichael said he originally opened the pharmacy to fill in a needed gap in services for South Lismore residents.“There had already been a small pharmacy in Southside, but it closed down,” Michael said.“So, after locals asked me if I could do it, I originally opened a little shop down the road that used to be a junk shop. “We renovated it into a pharmacy and I had one staff member - Janelle Morrisey.“After a few years, the saddlery shop next door moved to North Lismore and was vacant, so we took that on too.”The current pharmacy opened in its current location 15 years ago and now Michael has 24 staff.“I’ve had the right staff to help me build the business over the years,” he said.“Although I’m the figurehead, it’s the staff you but staff you attract who make it happen through their hard work and service and you don’t have to watch what they are doing.”Over the years, as the pharmacy business grew, Michael started providing surgical equipment too.“The surgical hire business was a gradual addition because people were asking for surgical items, so it grew into a big business – Southside Health and Hire,” he said.“The time is right time for a new energy and enthusiasm to keep providing great customer service into the future.”The futureAfter working five and a half days a week for most of the past 40 years, Michael is ready for whatever retirement offer him.You might even see him filling in whenever a pharmacist is needed around town. Taking over the reins as pharmacist will be Kyle Wood. “Even though I’m retiring, the services will remain the same,” Michael said. “Kyle will keep the same staff and continue to expand the services."It's not Michael's just good customer service that will be remembered by locals, it's also his desire to give back to the community through supporting local charities that will be missed.Read more: Chemist's calendars keep the rescue helicopter flying

Organisers of the city’s celebration of all things Italian have announced the postponement of LisAmore! 2021 and the Lismore Italian Film Festival. The Lismore Italian Film Festival at Lismore's Event Cinemas scheduled for Saturday, August 7 and Sunday, August 8 2021 has been postponed to April 2022. Organisers announced today their understanding of the disappointment felt by regional movie buffs and community partners. It is hoped when the challenges of the current health and safety protocols subside they can once again engage audiences for a wide range of high quality Italian films.While saddened to reschedule this event - which acknowledges the city’s Italian cultural heritage while celebrating over 30 years of the city’s friendship relationship with two NE Italian cities of Conegliano and Vittorio Veneto - they look forward to welcoming everyone next year. Lismore Friendship Festival Inc expects that like a phoenix LisAmore! will rise and return refreshed by the prospect of partnering with the revitalised Italo-Australian Club at their North Lismore premises in June 2022. This popular annual event offers authentic Italian entertainment, a fabulous Italian food court, games, dancing, displays of Italian cars and bikes and fun for locals and visitors of all ages.The Lismore Friendship Festival formerly held four very successful community celebrations at Spinks Park and had scheduled their family friendly outdoor event for Sunday, August 29 this year.They are disappointed they are unable to host the event this year due to the challenges facing most event organisers concerned for the health and safety of their guests. The festival committee is working with its supporters, sponsors, stallholders, performers and volunteers preparing to deliver a robust and engaging experience for all involved with this great community event in 2022. Once again it will acknowledge the contribution Italian settlers have made to our region. It is hopeful that by then COVID protocols will be better for accommodating such special events. Keep an eye on the Lismore Friendship Festival Facebook site for regular updates of preparations or at https://lismorefriendshipfestival.com.au/  Benvenuti e tutti.

Weekend weather outlook for Lismore is shaping up for a nice weekend out in the sun, albeit with cooler daytime air temperatures accompanied by a cool North-westerly wind blowing off the ranges.A cold front is expected to move through the region on the weekend, bringing showers and windy conditions to mostly the ranges. Conditions are expected to stabilise Monday and Tuesday as a ridge of high pressure extends over the state following the front.Locally, Lismore has had cooler than average temperatures due to the cold front passing through on Tuesday and Wednesday.“With especially clear nights the temperatures have dropped further due to the already present cool daytime air temperatures,” Spokesperson from the Bureau of Meteorology said.Today, Friday there is a high-pressure area moving west to east and heading offshore. The high-pressure trough is over a low-pressure trough which is bringing clouds and medium chance of showers today with a top daytime temperature of between 16-19 degrees. Tenterfield has showers and a cold front passing west to east which indicates colder air moving in and will affect Lismore over the weekend.“Saturday we see daytime temperatures rising again, especially over lower terrain, sunny conditions with a daytime top expected temperature at Lismore 21 degrees.”No rain is expected in Lismore on Saturday.As the cold front moves east it will push cold air towards the coast with possible showers, however, Lismore and the coast will remain mostly dry and sunny. Sunday, the cold front will be passing west to east over the higher ranges with windy conditions starting and colder W-NW 15-20km/h picking up to around 30 km/h in the morning then easing in the evening. Small change in temperatures Monday after the cold front passes, with only slight changes, days will remain sunny but with cooler air temperatures. 

A new rainbow pavilion and a queer black mob mural are on the way to the Tropical Fruits clubhouse in South Lismore. The new installations are set to make Lismore’s diverse LGBTIQ+ social club into an ever bigger, vibrant community hub than it already is.Tropical Fruits president Marie Reilly said the new infrastructure was thanks to two grants recently won by the club – one of which was a $9,000 Federal Government Stronger Communities Programme grant to build a new picnic shelter and additional art space at the clubhouse.“We have a parcel of land next to the clubhouse that we will build the permanent, roofed structure on, and we have bought a nearby house too, so we can expand and make the dream happen,” Marie said.“We have a big dream to make our clubhouse a community hub with more outdoor, all weather events held here. “Recently The Lesbian Caucus ran a women’s event ‘Women on the Green’ here and it was great.“Our long term goal is to have a pizza oven and a fire circle too.”Marie said the club also won a Healthy North Coast grant to create a ‘celebrating queer black mob’ mural at the clubhouse.“We are collaborating with the Queer Black Fruits Indigenous advisory group and local Indigenous artists for that,” she said.“We may create it as a free standing mural on the western side of the paddock and plant shade trees there.”With the help of community volunteers like the Bush Fruits Landcare group to plant trees, Marie is excited to make the two projects come to life.“We love the clubhouse,” she said. “We have the Transformers monthly trans social group and the Fresh Fruits youth group who meet here and use the space too. We love bringing people together.”EventsMarie said Tropical Fruits’ annual New Years Eve event brings in an estimated $5 to 10 million dollars to the local economy each year.“We are proud to be part of Lismore and the event’s cancellation last year was a blow to the club and the whole town,” she said.“It is not a little thing is a small regional economy like ours.“Tropical Fruits is a social club that is run by and for the LBGTIQ+ community and all our friends and allies and we have a great relationship with Lismore town,” she said.Fair Day in SeptemberMarie said plans were going ahead to hold the annual Fair Day at the Lismore Showgrounds on September 12, from 11am to 5pm.“It is an outdoors event and we are very confident it will go ahead as planned, under restrictions,” she said.“We will have the usual dog show, kids’ activities, cabaret show, hat parade show, bake off and photography show.“This year we also have a t-shirt design competition for young people. The winner gets their design printed onto a t-shirt.“It’s an inclusive day for the whole family – kids and dogs too. Come and chill on the grass and listen to tunes and it’s only costs a $5 entry fee.”

It may come as no surprise – but this morning, Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk announced that Queensland is closing its border to NSW.The closure begins at 1am tomorrow morning (Friday, July 23) as Queensland declares the whole of NSW a hotspot.For the next four weeks, only NSW/QLD border zone residents can enter the state for "essential reasons".In good news for Lismore – our area is included in this allowed border zone.This is despite the news that two construction workers at the Lismore Base Hospital redevelopment site were identified as close contacts of a COVID-19 exposure site in Coffs Harbour. Read more: Lismore Base Hospital construction workers in isolation.Essential reasons for cross border travel include healthcare, work, education, essential shopping and caring for vulnerable people.Queensland residents will be able to travel into the NSW border zone for similar reasons, but not further than the border zone.Queensland residents can return from non-border zone locations in NSW, but will need to complete 14 days in hotel quarantine.Other local government areas and regions in the NSW/Qld border zone are Ballina, Bourke, Brewarrina, Broken Hill, Byron, Clarence Valley, Glen Innes Severn, Gwydir, Inverell, Kyogle, Lismore, Moree Plains, Richmond Valley, Tenterfield, Tweed, Unincorporated Far West and Walgett.The border closure comes after NSW records 124 new locally acquired cases. It is the highest daily number in the current outbreak, which began mid-June.The QLD/NSW border could reopen sooner than the four weeks, depending on the outcome of their current outbreak.Travel requirementsFace mask restrictions will continue to apply in South East Queensland. This includes anyone who has been to the impacted areas in South East Queensland in the last 14 days.If you need to travel to Queensland, you must complete a Queensland Travel Declaration to enter Queensland from anywhere in Australia or New Zealand, including returning Queensland residents.You must complete the Queensland Travel Declaration in the 3 days before you travel to Queensland. It takes a few minutes to complete and your declaration will be sent to your email.You will be asked where you have been in the past 14 days. You must list all states and territories you have visited, even if your visit was brief or you travelled through an area.If conditions change or you need to update your travel details, you’ll need to complete a new declaration with updated details before you enter Queensland.Read more about where you can travel to: https://www.qld.gov.au/health/conditions/health-alerts/coronavirus-covid-19/current-status/public-health-directions/travelling-to-queenslandNSW Covid updateOf the 124 NSW locally acquired cases, 67 are linked to a known case or cluster – 45 are household contacts and 22 are close contacts – and the source of infection for 57 cases is under investigation.Thirty-seven cases were in isolation throughout their infectious period and 22 cases were in isolation for part of their infectious period. Forty-eight cases were infectious in the community, and the isolation status of 17 cases remains under investigation.No new overseas-acquired cases were recorded in the 24 hours to 8pm last night. Four cases reported previously, but since found to be false positives, have been excluded, bringing the total number of cases in NSW since the beginning of the pandemic to 7,164.There have been 1,648 locally acquired cases reported since 16 June 2021, when the first case in the Bondi cluster was reported.There are currently 118 COVID-19 cases admitted to hospital, with 28 people in intensive care, 14 of whom require ventilation.There were 85,185 COVID-19 tests reported to 8pm last night, a new record compared with the previous day’s total of 83,477.NSW Health administered 23,549 COVID-19 vaccines in the 24 hours to 8pm last night, including 7,923 at the vaccination centre at Sydney Olympic Park.The total number of vaccines administered in NSW is now 3,226,932, with 1,258,864 doses administered by NSW Health to 8pm last night and 1,968,068 administered by the GP network and other providers to 11:59pm on Tuesday 20 July 2021.