Opening a new business can come with delays. That's what has happened to Lismore's new Korean fried chicken shop, Dak Jjang. Earlier this week, The Lismore App reported that the new Carrington Street shop was due to open on Wednesday, May 26.But shop owner Roy Lee said that while the shop fit out is complete and he is ready to open, there have been delays in getting approvals.Roy said it's not Lismore Council that have put up the roadblocks."We are waiting for PCA safety approval for the shop fit out changes," Roy said. "We just need one final document approved."Roy said he hopes the okay will be given today, so he can open tonight."But it might not be until next week on Monday or Tuesday," he said."We will post the exact opening date on our Facebook page once we know, so people can check and be sure we are open."To find out more about Dak Jjang, visit https://www.facebook.com/dakjjangORIGINAL STORY: Korean fried chicken shop opens with secret spices and night diningThe lighting is mellow and there’s black on the walls. Day and night dining is on the way to Lismore with new Korean fried chicken shop, Dak Jjang.Dak Jjang is the new solo venture for Roy Lee, originally from South Korea and who now calls Goonellabah home.Roy said the shop name, Dak Jjang, has two meanings. It means ‘best chicken’ and ‘also ‘chicken cage’. The décor in the shop includes some black cages on the walls, reflecting the chicken cage theme.While he’s not new to running family food businesses, it is Roy’s first chicken and beer shop.His goal is to make consistently delicious chicken pieces that bring smiles to the faces of everyone who eats them – because they are made with love and care.Secret marinadeThe chicken is made with a special – and secret – marinade that Roy said is based on traditional spices that have been honed and refined over generations in Korea.“We’ve spent a lot of time and money on the marinade for the chicken, to get the spice blend just right, Roy said.“It’s made from fresh ingredients that are good for you and take time, cost and effort to prepare.“We don’t just want to keep churning out chicken.“We are looking to sell a limited number of good quality chicken pieces, until we sell out each day.“Each piece should have the same quality and I want customers to know that each time they come back, the chicken will always be of the same high standard and taste.“When they know the food quality is consistent and enjoy it, they will come back.“In Korea, if you have really good food, people will travel a long way to try it.“We don’t want to just sell a lot of food to make a lot of money. We want to sell quality and service.“I want to see lots of people smile over the food and be happy by having food here.”Opening hours and menuDak Jjang will be open seven days a week, from 10am to 9pm and is located on Carrington Street, next to Ciao Belli Café and Lismore Central Shopping Centre.Beer is planned for the menu, but not yet - Roy is still waiting for the liquor licence to be approvedAlso on the menu will also be poke bowl, which is made of rice, vegetables and grilled or fried chicken.Roy said there’s a special radish pickle they use, made with Korean pickle, which is spicier and different to the taste of Australian radish.First of manyRoy said he hopes the Lismore CBD shop is just the first chicken and beer shop he opens in the local area.“If get enough community support and have the staff and family members to help start up another shop in the area, we want to help the community and bring more business to Lismore and surrounding areas,” Roy said.Read more news: Rental crisis sends fulltime workers to live in Lismore caravan park

NSW Health is urging everyone to make sure they and their loved ones get immunised to protect against severe flu this year, particularly those in higher-risk groups.Children under five, pregnant women, Aboriginal people, people aged 65 years and over, those living in aged care facilities, and anyone with medical risk conditions such as severe asthma, diabetes, and heart disease should all get their free vaccination to protect them from severe flu this winter.While flu cases to date are significantly lower in NSW and throughout Australia than in previous years – most likely due to the public health measures which have been taken to limit COVID-19 transmission – that should not deter people from getting their vaccination.Executive Director of Health Protection NSW, Dr Richard Broome said the flu shot is safe and it is vitally important to have the vaccination.“While flu numbers are lower than usual at the moment, most likely due to the public health measures which have been taken to limit COVID-19 transmission, NSW could still experience an atypical flu season – one that begins later in the year or in the warmer months. Getting a flu shot is the best protection against this in the coming months,” Dr Broome said.“It’s also important to remember that when booking your vaccines that you make sure to space your influenza vaccine and COVID-19 vaccines at least 14 days apart.”The NSW Government will this year distribute more than three million doses of the flu vaccine to GPs, Aboriginal Medical Services, more than 400 aged care facilities, community health centres and 160 public hospitals for health care workers, with more than 1.9 million doses delivered so far.People who are not eligible for a free flu vaccine can get it from their GP, Aboriginal Medical Service or pharmacist for a fee. NSW Health is also reminding GPs of the importance of the flu vaccine and to ensure they are contacting their patients.  Flu symptoms include a sudden high fever, cough (usually dry), headache, muscle and joint pain, feeling unwell, and a sore throat.In arrangements announced last year by Minister for Health and Medical Research, Brad Hazzard, children over 10 are now able to get their flu vaccine at a pharmacy, down from the previous minimum age of 16. The NSW Government has invested approximately $142 million in the 2020-21 Immunisation Program budget, including Commonwealth and state vaccines.Speak to your GP or Aboriginal Medical Service or get more information here.This message is intended for the addressee named and may contain confidential information. If you are not the intended recipient, please delete it and notify the sender.Views expressed in this message are those of the individual sender, and are not necessarily the views of NSW Health or any of its entities.

A group of WATER Northern Rivers Alliance activists who don’t want to see a dam built at Dunoon took the issue to the front doorstep of Rous Water today.Fronted by Cara the koala and Widjabal-Wyabal woman Cindy Roberts, the delegation handed over 1000 hard copy public submissions to Rous County Council. The submissions were responses to the exhibition of the revised Integrated Water Cycle Management plan (IWCM), which is open for contributions till tomorrow.WATER Northern Rivers Alliance spokesperson Nan Nicholson said she would like to see more people make submissions.PolarisationThe future of water in our region has seen a polarisation within the community take place.While the proposed dam for Dunoon was scrapped as an idea by Rous County Council, some people in the community have been calling for the dam idea to be brought back as an option.Read about the Dunoon Dam poll: Dunoon Dam Poll Update: Yes or No Nan Nicholson.Read about the history of the situation: Elders say 'no dam', as future water discussed at tonight's Rous County Council meetingDepolarise the debateIt’s a situation that Nan said needed to be cleared up.“We want to set the record straight and address the many misconceptions that have been circulated by the campaign pressuring Rous County Council to re-introduce the discarded Dunoon Dam,” she said,“Everyone has different ideas about water and some people have different ideas about what’s true – and that has been a problem. The future of water is a community issue, not a political issue.“To begin with this has never been a dam versus groundwater issue. The Future Water 2060 plan includes groundwater with or without the dam.”Read more: Dunoon Dam rescission motion defeated but is the dam now dead?Changing climateKnitting Nanna Jalley said she would like to see people who are promoting the dam to "lift their vision and read the regional water plan and the State Government’s water plan".“Both say we need a number of options to deal with the changing climate," she said."It’s vital that we don’t rely on single solutions with a large outlay and no guarantee in an increasingly unpredictable climate.“The solution is that we need a number of different options to come in in different contingencies. If it’s a dry period or a drought period, we can include different water sources.“I want to move the debate away from local politics – the peak body of water suppliers wrote the all options on the table report. “If you have read it, you will know they say that dams are a possible white elephant and a standard asset. So, we are saying we need many options for our future water.”Cindy Roberts.So, does that mean we also need a dam?“We already have a very good dam and the community was consulted over a decade ago about it,” Nanna Jalley said.“A consultative group did a lot of study over three years looking at all the options and the result was there was no way we can have a dam in Dunoon for different environmental and cultural reasons.“That was a decade ago, since then, technology has changed - and in the future, technology will change and we have to keep up with the times and look at ways to reuse water.”The issuesAccording to WATER Northern Rivers Alliance, some of the ‘polarising’ issues at the heart of the future water debate are the misinformation being spread about the costs of a dam, employment and environmental issues.Costs and water rates“Water rates are likely to go up if the dam is built. The spending on non-dam options is spread out, going up in steps as new water sources are required. For example, several larger projects (e.g. Tyagarah and Newrybar) will not be undertaken for decades,” Nan said.“Population growth forecasts indicate a 37% increase in drinking water demand in this area by 2060. Climate forecasts predict a reduction in available surface water of 22% by 2060.“Demand is expected to exceed current supply from Rocky Creek Dam and other sources by 2024. We need to source water and it’s going to cost money.“The striking picture that emerges is that the financial costs of the dam exceed the preferred scenario in the revised IWCM every year until 2060.“This extra cost will have to be borne by the current generation of ratepayers for the next 40 years. Employment“Advantages of the non-dam options are the boost to long-term regional employment.“These wages however would stay in the economy and boost economic activity via the multiplier effect for years.“This is the opposite in the case of a building a dam, which would only provide a short-term boost to the local economy, taken up by a multinational corporation followed by a sharp drop in employment on completion.Environmental“The environmental destruction associated with the dam option is many times higher than the alternatives.“If the dam went ahead, we would lose rare remnants of lowland rainforest, crucial wildlife corridors used by Koalas and other species as well as endangering many rare and endangered plants and animals.“The Tyagarah groundwater scheme has to be approved by the NSW Natural Resources Access Regulator (NRAR) as well as the National Parks and the Wildlife service.“That means that the level of the aquifer cannot drop and that tapping the water source must not affect the Nature Reserve, or koala habitat. We are required to leave 82% undisturbed for nature alone. Social“The report identifies several adverse social and cultural impacts that a new dam would have if it were built.“It is impossible to put a monetary value on these impacts but the costs are very real and will be disproportionately borne by the local Aboriginal community, the Widjabul-Wiabal tribe of the Bundjulang Nation.“The Aboriginal sites collectively are of State significance and any threat is likely to be fiercely contested. This delay could take years adding to costs including finding other sources of water. Toilet-to-tap“The pro-dam lobby’s cynical references to ‘toilet to tap’ recycling ignore the significant potential to use recycled water for non-potable purposes.“Recycled water is used in many cities around the world. In WA, Perth is already replenishing its groundwater supplies with recycled water.“In NSW, Ballina Shire uses developer contributions to source infrastructure for dual reticulation (the purple pipe scheme). Remember that 90% of treated drinking water actually ends up down the drain.”For more information about WATER Northern Rivers Alliance, visit the website https://waternorthernrivers.org/

Preparing the tea room special of four sandwiches, cake, and tea is something that Norma Blume does for love each week at Lismore's Red Cross Tearooms.Norma is one of the volunteers who keep the Red Cross charity’s Keen Street shop running, selling cheap meals and snacks. Their coffee and cake deal is one of the most economical ways to eat out in Lismore.Now, more volunteers are needed to run the shop and Norma is calling for people who want to join the volunteer roster.Norma began helping out in the Lismore tea rooms in 2007. She said her mother used to be in the Red Cross and it inspired her to volunteer and follow in her mum’s footsteps.“Working here keeps me busy and it’s better than sitting at home,” Norma said. “It’s all about making new friends and having company.“The work also gives me challenges and I learn new skills.”Sandra, Norma Blume and Robyn.What does the work entail?Volunteers will learn how to prepare sandwiches, clean up using the sanitisation station, use the cash register and coffee machine.Norma said part of the training will be to learn how to make the sandwiches in the signature Red Cross Tearooms style.“Working hours are from 10am to 2pm, Monday to Friday, but you can just work the days and hours that you want - even just 11am until closing time,” she said.“We need to have three staff members each day to keep the kitchen going.“It means staff can have a lunch break and someone else can keep the sandwiches being made, while someone takes the orders.“Some days there’s a 9am start while the ladies prepare salads for sandwiches - and then there’s the clean up when the tea rooms close.“All our workers are volunteers and it’s the work of the volunteers and the monies raised that keeps the Red Cross going,” Norma said.The Red Cross charity began in 1959 and runs a Telecross phone service, as well as providing emergency disaster assistance to communities in floods and bushfires.If you want to volunteer, then visit the tea rooms on Keen Street (near Fundies) and say you are interested. You will then be given an appointment for an interview to work as a volunteer.

At Lismore Caravan Park, Krista Goddard gets dressed for work each morning and heads into the CBD office when she works five days a week.Her husband and 14 year old son also get ready for work and school, in the camper trailer they moved into last week when they were made homeless.Their routines continue like they did before the house they were living in was sold –and they had to move into the caravan park.Despite her situation, Krista has kept her sense of humour and laughs as she says “don’t call me trailer park girl”.The Goddard family are one of a growing number of working people who are affected by the dire shortage of rental properties in the local area. It’s a situation created the booming North Coast property market, rising house prices and a growing population.In this story, The Lismore App also speaks with local real estate agencies to get the lowdown why it's been so hard to get a rental property and what the process of applying for a house is. Read more news: Rare 'blood moon' total eclipse will appear in our skies tonight“The problem is fuelled by skyrocketing house price values and people taking the opportunity to sell their homes for huge profits,” Krista said.“I work full time and earn good money and now I am living in a caravan park in winter, still trying to find a rental property.“There are a couple of others at the caravan park with the same problem – who were living on properties that sold and now they can’t find rentals.Read more about the housing crisis: Local housing crisis could worsen as new ad campaign targets city dwellers Skyrocketing house pricesKrista said her family been living on a property in Caniaba when the owner decided to sell the house.“The owner was offered $100,000 more than the original value for the property,” she said.“That wasn’t the original agreement with us renters, but he got a quick sale – the house was sold within two weeks, with a quick settlement and contracts signed.“Six weeks after the house was put on the market, we had to move out.”“We couldn’t even find an empty storage shed in Lismore. We had to use a shed on a friend’s property that is not even enclosed to store out stuff in.“We tried to find a rental but there are so many people looking and there’s not enough houses.“The caravan park is a nice place but it’s really cold in winter and I prefer my privacy.Pet problems“We just had to let go of our family dog too. We are putting him on a plane to go and live with family members now because we can’t have him here.”Real estate agents “When the house was put on the market, people were bidding on it in an auction without seeing it.“I saw a Current Affairs report regarding real estate agents who were putting low prices on houses, so more people would bid and send the sale price through the roof.”Read more about house prices locally: Our region tops property value growth nationallyRental vacancy rates snapshot In the month of April, the Northern Rivers region had the second-lowest rental vacancy rates in NSW (with Albury being the lowest at 0.3%).A monthly survey by Real Estate Institute of New South Wales (REINSW) reported that our region’s rental vacancy rates were at 0.4% in April – up from 0.3% in March. The rental problemThis small rise in vacancy rates still isn’t enough to meet the demand for rentals for local people.Krista said she has been in touch with all of the local real estate agents in her search for a rental property and has experienced competition, long delays and big discrepancies in what is needed to apply for a house.Krista said it’s time-consuming and confusing and she wants to know how the successful house applicants are actually chosen.Some real estate agencies require house inspections before applications are submitted- and others want pre-inspection applications made.Wait times“I’ve been looking at rentals every day and request house inspections and often need to wait,” she said. “The real estate agents wait until there are a large group of people before they show us through – and it makes the wait even longer.“There are lots of confusions because some houses are listed for rent but are not actually ready yet and are still being renovated.”“I want to know how real estate agents pick their clients.“I have a job and still can’t get a house and some people are just trying to survive. With some houses, you even need $3000 bond to get a rental property.“I don’t want to leave the area because of this. I love where I work and my job is what keeps me going. Everyone at Biztax are doing what they can to help me get a place.”The Lismore App contacted some local real estate agents to see what the different processes of applying for a rental property were.PRD Real EstateAt Lismore’s PRD Real Estate agency, rental property applicants are required to inspect the house first, before submitting an application.PRD senior property manager Courtney Lane said viewing first was important to make sure people were happy with the house, prior to applying.“We have between 80 to 130 applications for a rental that costs under $500 a week,” she said. “We still have a few properties with three bedrooms under $500 a week, but only three that are under $400 rent a week.“With so many people applying, we wouldn’t be able to get through the workload if we did pre-applications.“Some people might get put off applying by the number of others at the inspection, but some of them might not apply because the house is unsuitable for them.“I advise people to still apply and to do it within one day of looking – because houses are going quickly. They should also make sure they answer all the questions and have all of the correct supporting documents too.Who decides which person gets the property?“We submit all the appropriate applications to the property owners, and they approve which tenants they want.”Ms Lane said anyone with a bad rent history is ruled out, and it was important for all tenants to make sure they don’t get their rent in arrears.30% of income rule“We also look at proof of bank savings and assess house affordability,” she said.“This rules out some people because your rent can’t be more than 30% of your income.“The 30% rule culls a lot of local people out because rents have increased so much – even those with good rental history.“We hold people’s applications for eight weeks and if they are still looking and apply for other houses too, we might just need them to update their ID or provide a newer payslip for income proof.“Most house owners have a clear good applicant they choose. They will look at your income and make decisions based on if you can pay the rent – so they can pay their mortgages.What about pets?“We try to encourage owners to allow pets at their properties. This helps us to have the right clauses in the rental agreement to cover the renters and owners – and might include things like the carpets need to be cleaned or flea sprayed before the tenants leave.”R Gordon & Son Property AgentsReal Estate business owner Andrew Gordon said pre-applications before seeing a rental house were accepted at his business.“The good thing about pre-applications is that we get to check referees and the paperwork first, then we talk to the owners, who make the final decisions,” he said. “This means that when you do view the property, you are ready to go.“But, even though you might pre-apply, we don’t like signing a lease unless you actually inspect the home.“Sometimes people look on behalf of family members – and then the family didn’t like it.”Does a person with a higher income get preference over a lower income?“Capacity to pay is always a consideration,” Mr Gordon said.“But a lot of people don’t work at all and that doesn’t make them lousy tenants.“If there were two applicants and all had perfect applications with the right paperwork, except one earned more, it might give them an edge – because it means you are more financially capable of paying.“In the end, a perfect applicant proves they will honour their obligation. They will have references from previous landlords saying they pay rent and look after the place, and it doesn’t matter about income.What about pets?“There is a shift toward landlords becoming more friendly toward having pets.“When you rent a property, you want 100% of the market to apply and most families have dogs and cats.Rent rises and stockMr Gordon said 90% of renters are renting properties costing less than $500 a week and that the rise in property values and rental prices started in the last year.“The average rental price before that was about $360 a week,” he said. “It’s definitely become a more difficult rental market and more rises are expected.“The problem is not just high rent prices and house sales.“The ideal of accumulating assets over time for others to benefit from later is long done. Times need to change.” Read more about affordable housing: Affordable housing crisis gripping the region sees action at local forum

A rare total lunar eclipse of the full moon, called a 'super flower blood moon', will appear in our skies tonight, Wednesday, May 26.Tonight’s spectacle was last witnessed in 2015 and was not visible from Australia. Tonight, it will only be visible from the Pacific Ocean, Australia, Asia and large parts of the Americas. The next one predicted will be on May 16, 2022 and will only be visible in North America, South America, Europe and Africa.Read more news: Korean fried chicken shop opens with secret spices and night diningSo why is tonight’s skywatching event called a super flower blood moon?Lunar eclipses are called ‘blood moons’ when the moon darkens and turns a dull red as it passes into Earth's shadow.When a full moon occurs in May, they are known as flower moons – and when the full moon reaches the point closest to our planet on its elliptical orbit, it's called a supermoon, and appears larger than usual in the sky.The term blood moon is also sometimes used to refer to four total lunar eclipses that happen in the span of two years - a phenomenon astronomers call a lunar tetrad.When does the eclipse begin?The lunar eclipse will begin at 6.47pm tonight, when the moon goes into the earth’s lightest shadow (or penumbra). At this point, the eclipse will be barely visible, and the resulting shadow is called penumbral. The eclipse will finish at 10.52pm.Read more news: Rental crisis sends fulltime workers to live in Lismore caravan park Why does the moon turn red? When the lunar eclipse begins and the Moon travels through the Earth’s umbra, it obstructs all direct sunlight from illuminating the Moon’s surface.Despite this, some sunlight still reaches the lunar surface indirectly, through the Earth’s atmosphere, radiating the Moon in a reddish, yellow, or orange glow.This creates a phenomenon called Rayleigh scattering, where a few colours in the light spectrum are filtered out, leaning more towards the violet spectrum.This happens when the sun rays pass through the atmosphere. The same mechanism is the cause of colorful sunrises and sunsets.The red wavelengths are barely affected by this effect, so the light reaching the Moon’s surface has a reddish hue, which allows the fully eclipsed Moon to acquire a red color.The Moon can also look yellow, orange, or brown during a total lunar eclipse which depends on the composition of the atmosphere where the varied parts of the light spectrum are filtered.

If you have been a resident of the Northern Rivers for a while, it will come as no surprise that a new national report confirms that the Richmond-Tweed area has topped the Australian housing market in property value growth over the last 12 months.The new quarterly Regional Market Update report by CoreLogic shows Australia’s regional housing market has far outpaced value growth across all of Australia’s capital cities.Regional area house values are rising twice as fast as city counterparts, sitting at 13%, compared with a 6.4% gain in capital city values.Read more news: Council asks for patience as record number of DAs submittedThe report looks at capital growth over the 12 months to April 2021 in Australia’s 25 largest non-capital city markets.The new report shows that Richmond-Tweed area topped the list, with capital gains across both house and unit markets of 21.9% and 15.5% annual growth respectively. Bunbury was the worst performer across both house and unit markets, with 3% and - 4.4% yearly growth respectively.Best & Worst Performing Regional House Markets – April 2021Best & Worst Performing Regional Unit Markets – April 2021Housing and rentersLismore, sitting in the Richmond-Tweed profile area has already been experiencing an affordable housing crisis for some time now.The Northern Rivers region currently has the lowest rental vacancy rates in NSW - reported to be at 0.3% in March – while in April 2020, it was 2.7%.Read more: Local housing crisis could worsen as new ad campaign targets city dwellersRegional living CoreLogic’s research director, Tim Lawless, says the faster pace of growth reflects stronger demand flowing into the regional areas of Australia through the COVID-period to-date. “This can partly be explained by the new popularity of remote and flexible working arrangements, but also increased demand for lifestyle oriented properties and holiday homes. No doubt the more affordable housing options across many of Australia’s regional markets is another incentive; in April there was a $247,400 difference between the median value of capital city dwellings and regional dwellings. “Playing into the lifestyle trend, it’s no surprise to see the Richmond-Tweed area topping the list for capital gains over the past 12 months. This region includes high profile beachside destinations such as Byron Bay, Suffolk Park and Lennox Heads as well as popular hinterland villages such a Bangalow. The median house value across the Byron council area is now $1.4 million, which is higher than Greater Sydney’s median of $1.147 million,” says Mr Lawless. “No doubt the more affordable housing options across many of Australia’s regional markets is another incentive; in April there was a $247,400 difference between the median value of capital city dwellings and regional dwellings.\\Richmond-Tweed “Playing into the lifestyle trend, it’s no surprise to see the Richmond-Tweed area topping the list for capital gains over the past 12 months. “This region includes high profile beachside destinations such as Byron Bay, Suffolk Park and Lennox Heads as well as popular hinterland villages such a Bangalow.“The median house value across the Byron council area is now $1.4 million, which is higher than Greater Sydney’s median of $1.147 million.“Looking forward, regional housing markets remain well placed to record higher than average levels of demand, especially those markets that are located close enough to capital cities to provide a commuting option, and those lifestyle markets that are popular with sea and tree changers. “While surging values are probably good news for homeowners in these regions, for those that don’t own a home, affordability is being stretched. Particularly for long-time locals whose incomes are unlikely to be rising at anywhere near the pace of house price appreciation, they may be forced to seek out housing options further afield.”Read more:Affordable housing crisis gripping the region sees action at local forum

Samuel Todhunter has lived through the Korean war, the Vietnam war and spent his whole life working in the aviation industry.Last week, he received an Order of Australia Medal for his service to aviation – and at the age of 89, aviation is something he’s still passionate about.Bill Kiernan and Nathan Parker with Sam Todhunter. Read more: Nathan's Wings Award sets his aviation career flying even higherSamuel still works in Lismore as a flight instructor at the Northern Rivers Aero Club (NRAC). He’s one of three flight instructors at NRAC – along with Bill Kiernan and Nathan Parker.While he retired years ago, Samuel has never wanted to stop flying and kept busy instructing people in how to fly planes and get their recreational or commercial pilot’s licences.He wants to encourage more people to pursue their dreams and passion for flying.Inspired to fly as a child by the wide open skies of Western Australia and the courage of Korean war pilots, Sam followed his heart and passion into flying.It’s a life that has taken him all over the world, working in nearly every possible role the aviation industry has to offer – including setting up his own aviation company.He’s flown a lot of different planes and said he’s never felt scared of flying.Samuel tells his life story to the Lismore App in this week’s Sunday Profile. So, to find out more, follow his story this Sunday, May 23.

Receiving a Wings Award has seen Northern Rivers Aero Club (NRAC) flight instructor Nathan Parker fly even higher this week.Earlier this year, he received the NSW Young Australian of the Year Award for 2021. Now, at the age of 25, Nathan has been recognised by Australia’s peak aviation bodies as Australian Aviation Young Achiever of the Year 2020.Read more about Nathan: SUNDAY PROFILE: Losing a hand won't stop Nathan Parker flyingSetbacks didn't stop Lismore's Nathan Parker being NSW Young Australian of the YearNathan Parker with his mentors at NRAC, Samuel Todhunter and Bill Kiernan.Nathan's catch cry is “come and chase your dreams and goals regardless of your situation".Despite losing an arm when he was involved in an army vehicle accident, Nathan never let go of his dream of becoming a pilot and went on find a successful career in aviation.Nathan was-chosen as the winner of the national award by The Royal Aeronautical Society of Australia, Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) and Australian Flying Magazine.In the award citation, the editor of Australian Flying magazine wrote “despite setbacks that prevented a military flying career, you have nevertheless worked hard to pursue your aviation dream and in the process have achieved the key milestones of a career in civil aviation.“Your passion for aviation and willingness to contribute are not lost on your peers who value your input and respect the way you have approached the challenges that are behind and ahead of you.“This award recognises the esteem in which you are held and what you gave achieved with dedication and hard work, so thank you Nathan you are Australian CASA Wings Awards 2020 winner.”Nathan said it was humbling to receive the award, but recognised the role his NRAC instructors played in giving an opportunity to fly after this accident.“I’ve been lucky,” Nathan said. “There are a lot of young people out there trying to start a career in aviation that don’t have such an impressive club full of support behind them.Nathan with NRAC members and representatives from The Royal Aeronautical Society of Australia, Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) and Australian Flying Magazine.“Without my instructors Sam Todhunter and Bill Kiernan, I wouldn’t be able to chase the dream.“They took a risk giving me a chance and the opportunity to see what is possible.“I think their words were ‘shut up, get in the plane and see what is possible’.“I see myself as a normal guy who is chasing an aviation dream and I’m sure many young people have that dream too.“As an instructor at the club, it’s cool that I have been able to help people of all ages - young and old who have always wanted to fly.“If you have always wanted to do it, come in and partake in aviation and be a part of the club as well.“Anyone can do it and its easier than you think – bring your love and passion for it and share it.”

From Lismore’s dengue fever outbreaks in the 1920s, to Covid-19 fever in 2021, St Vincent’s Private Hospital in East Lismore has seen a lot of changes in its 100 year history.Since it was established 1921, the hospital has grown from being staffed by four Catholic nuns – to having a modern workforce of over 550 staff.In 2021, the nursing nun’s habit has now been replaced by Covid-safe masks, gloves, scrubs and eye protection.But one thing hasn’t changed over a century of change – it’s the care and dedication given by the nurses and doctors that keeps patients alive and happy.Read more hospital news: NSW survey shows patient satisfaction high at Lismore Base HospitalNurses in old and new uniforms in front of the original hospital building.Hospital historyWhile St Vincent’s wasn’t the first hospital in Lismore, in 1921 it was the first non-metropolitan Catholic hospital to be founded in New South Wales. Lismore Base Hospital was actually the first to be established in 1879, with eight beds.When St Vincent’s did open in 1921, it wasn’t a private hospital as it is now is. It was only privatised in 1990.Nursing uniforms in 1965.St Vincent’s chief executive Steve Brierley said the hospital’s centenary this year gave staff the opportunity to look back and celebrate 100 years of history and what the hospital has been able to achieve for the community.“When the hospital was first established, it was because the Church bishop at the time felt there was a need for another hospital in the community,” Mr Brierley said.“So, the bishop invited the Sisters of Charity to come up from Sydney and they ran the hospital from a weatherboard building called Tarmons, off Dalley Street for 10 years,” he said.The Sisters were then in charge of the hospital until 1980.“Then in the mid-1920s, there was a dengue fever outbreak in Lismore and the hospital wasn’t big enough to cope with it,” Mr Brierley said.“So, people began a fundraising campaign to create a purpose-built hospital, which opened in the early 1930s.”Changing nurses uniforms - from old to new.Nursing uniforms over the years: 1979.GrowingSince then, the hospital has progressively added more buildings to the site and become more modern, performing 1000 surgical procedures a month. Now, the hospital has five operating theatres, a refurbished endoscopy unit, day service, medical oncology and rehabilitation units, as well as a long day-care centre for the children of staff.Public to private“We were a public hospital until 1990, but there were concerns that services could be withdrawn,” Mr Brierley said.“So, the bishop decided to set us up as a private hospital to ensure we could keep delivering services on site.“Now, we have a growing community and a wide availability of medical services which we use as both private operator and work in partnership with the public health system.Read more health news: Local Covid vaccinations numbers growing, and so are anti-vaxx followersNurse Nic in a modern day operating theatre.Pandemic partnership“Since the pandemic impacted us locally, we entered into a formal partnership agreement and support the public health system to provide surgical services for public patients.“It was important because after the partial suspension of elective surgeries last year during Covid, it meant both hospitals are in catch up mode.“Now we can share surgical operating theatres and services and most of the work done here is in operating theatres with advanced technology.“With the Lismore Base Hospital upgrade it also means we share specialists and the expansion means new specialists will be attracted to the area and do private work here.”Modern day operating theatre.Changes in healthMr Brierley said because health care has progressed over time and diseases are better understood, previously untreated conditions can now be addressed. It means people are not staying as long in hospitals and day services are popular.Nurse Katie Holmes.Aged care“St John’s Nursing Home, our residential aged care service, has 130 residents and the aged care beds are full,” Mr Brierley said.“The service started in the early 1980s and followed on from St Joseph’s Hospice, which opened in the mid-1930s to provide care for chronic and terminal illness. Over time, it branched into a specific facility for aged care.”Centenary memoriesThe hospital has created a special centenary celebration website, full of historical photographs and memories of changing times. You can see a historical timeline of the hospital and a video.You can visit the hospital’s website to see it here: https://100years.svh.org.au/Nurses on an ANZAC Day March.On the ANZAC Day 2021 march in Lismore, nurses Jenny and Annika dressed up in the old nurses uniforms.

Fairy lights and live music will set the scene next weekend, for the Morgans Financial Winter Ball fundraiser for Our KidsThe good news from Our Kids fundraising coordinator Rebekka Battista is that there are still some tickets left - but not many - so make sure you don't miss out on the fun.The Winter Ball will be held at Lismore Turf Club on Saturday, May 29. It includes a feast from The Secret Chef and Nimbin Bakery, along with dancing the night away with the Cath Simes Band.“If you can’t come, but you want to support Our Kids, you can also contribute by bidding on an online silent auction, which is now open," Rebekka said.“We have some fabulous prizes in the online silent auction including and air conditioning unit with installation."Childeren's Ward“Funds raised will be used to purchase paediatric equipment for Children’s Ward and Special Care Nursery at Lismore Base Hospital and the surrounding hospital is our region,” Rebekka said.“The night will have fun activities to raise funds for Our Kids. One of the favourites is the Lismore Jewel Centre Diamond Code.“There are a limited number of Codes sold on the night and only one is the lucky code with the winner taking home a $3,500 white gold, diamond cross over ring, donated by Gary & Mariska Pinkerton from Lismore Jewel Centre.“We’ve also had Leo Senese and Kai Hansen from Morgans Financial and many local businesses donate to ensure the night is full of surprises and incredible prizes.“The support of the Winter Ball is beautiful, thank you to all our volunteers, our sponsors, and those who give to help make the night great, we could not do this without them.“Particularly after last year which had the majority of our functions going virtual. It is fantastic to gather again for Our Kids.”Silent auctionFor the first time Our Kids is hosting an online silent auction which is now open for anyone to make a bid. The Auction closes on Saturday May 29 at 10pm.There are some fabulous prizes in the online silent auction including:Northernair - Air conditioning with supply and installation. 2.5kw Daikin L Series High Wall SplitHello World Local Day Tripper - Distillery and local brewery Tour for 6 peopleA Richmond Sand and Gravel 800 high Concrete Bird Bath with Rose Pedestal, 1.2m diameterGeorge Gooley RM Williams bootsHorns Gas Supplies Warrior Absorption Mini Bar Fridge2021 Roosters Team #1 Signed Jersey, donated by Aaron DiehmSigned Cricket Bat by the Greats donated by Ben Andersen from Wayfarer Publishing and Media.To share, register and bid prior to the night see: https://app.galabid.com/ourkidswinterballTickets cost $150 per person. To attend, contact the Our Kids office on info@ourkids.org.au Other prizesAlong with the diamond ring there is over $18,000 worth of prizes including a Heavy Duty CAST IRON Da Vinci 900mm Fire Pit donated by Richmond Sand and Gravel, Porsche Track Experience donated by the Goonellabah Business Hub, Former Wallaby Berrick Barnes PT session.2 x Platinum Wallaby tickets, Dinner for 10 at La Baracca, a Helicopter ride for 5 over Minyon Fall and prizes form Betta Electrical Lismore.

While the local rollout of Covid 19 vaccinations is underway and numbers are growing, a new report by Reset Australia shows that the number of Australians hesitant to be vaccinated is rising – and the report blames it on social media.Local vaccination numbersHealthy North Coast (HNC), the organisation responsible for the vaccination rollout in our area, has recently reported that 57,000 COVID-19 vaccinations have already been administered across the North Coast region.HNC chief executive Julie Sturgess said numbers are going up in the region and local residents are showing strong support for the COVID-19 vaccine rollout and getting protected against the virus.  So far, 51,663 doses of the COVID-19 AstraZeneca vaccine have been administered, predominantly through primary care, and more than 5,300 Pfizer doses have been provided to older people living in Residential Aged Care Facilities (RACFs) and frontline health workers. “We are a long way off the majority of residents being vaccinated though,” Ms Sturgess said.“The threat of a COVID-19 outbreak remains a real possibility. Expanding the dose availability in the coming weeks will give more and more residents the opportunity to get protected, which is great.”COVID-19 vaccinations to 11 May 2021 on the North Coast Facebook anti-vaxx groupsIndependent group Reset Australia has also conducted research which shows Australians following public anti-vaxx Facebook groups grew nearly 300% during the pandemic.The report says the rise correlates with Australia's rising vaccine hesitancy rates, and identified 13 public Facebook groups with users based in Australia. Researchers tracked their growth between January 2020 to March 2021.The 13 included anti-lockdown style groups, such as 'End the Lockdown in Australia, ' Digital Warfare', and 'Australia Freedom Alliance', and larger, established anti-vaxx groups, such as 'Australians for Safe Technology'.During the research period, subscription to these groups grew by 280%, and as of March 2021, these groups had a combined total of over 115,000 members, generating over 2.66 million interactions.A University of Melbourne survey found between October 2020 and February this year, the percentage of Australians willing to get the COVID-19 jab fell by 8.2% from 74% to 66%. ConspiracyReset Australia spokesperson Chris Cooper said social media has “supercharged conspiracy theories and misinformation, pushing some people into echo chambers where false information is all they see”.The research found engagement with the Facebook groups exploded during the initial national lockdown. Melbourne's lockdown restriction generate over 177,000 monthly interactions, and this engagement has remained consistently high. Members of the group 'Wake Up Australia' frequently shared links, photos, videos and statuses with false and misleading information about the pandemic and vaccines. Reset Australia found common themes included: the safety and efficacy of vaccines including the promotion of treatments using Ivermectin (201 mentions) and Hydroxychloroquine (601 mentions); threats to civil liberties and personal freedoms that lockdowns pose; mandatory vaccination programmes (1649 mentions); the political and economic motives of leading political figures such as Bill Gates (1390 mentions) and Dan Andrews (1592 mentions); and well-established and novel conspiracy theories such as the The Great Reset (927 mentions).Mr Cooper said public groups like those Reset Australia monitored were often gateways to private groups which shared more radical and extreme content. This research only captured a small snapshot of the true extent of misinformation on Facebook. "Public Facebook groups are the tip of the iceberg when it comes to track and tracing anti-vaxx and COVID-19 misinformation.  "The real danger of rampant vaccine hesitancy and scientific scepticism is tucked away in algorithm-created bubbles of Facebook, YouTube and Twitter, where ideas fester and spread, unseen and unchecked by mainstream conversation."But now social media can instantly find you thousands of like-minded people who are eager to reinforce and exacerbate your misguided views."Reset Australia has developed a policy, the Data Access Mandate for a Better COVID-19 Response in Australia, that would allow public health officials, researchers and journalists access to anonymised data about what COVID-19 related content is being shared in these kinds of private groups.This policy would force social media companies to generate a ‘Live List’ of the most popular COVID-19 related URLs shared on their platforms, including in private and public groups, and keep it updated in real time. Such a Live List would help Australian public health authorities identify anti-vaccination narratives to inform community engagement responses."A Live List would begin to quantify the extent of misinformation and help us target appropriate misinformation to disrupt the conspiratorial feedback loop."The report can be found here.

Local wildlife carers used to travel to Currumbin to take injured animals to a vet hospital, but everything has changed now that a new mobile wildlife hospital has opened - based in Byron Bay.The new hospital is the first of its kind – and will tour to Lismore next Wednesday, to showcase the new 17.5 metre long mobile facility.The hospital’s veterinarian Dr Bree Talbot invites wildlife carers, members of the public and local vets to come and meet the staff and bring any animals that need care, or a check up.Overwhelmed local vetsLocal WIRES NR volunteer and bat coordinator Lib Rutyenberg said the Byron Bay Wildlife Hospital (BBWH) has taken the load off local Lismore vets who are often so overwhelmed, they have no time to fit treating wildlife into their schedules.“We have 23 vets in the Northern Rivers and four in the Lismore area,” Lib said. “All of them treat wildlife for free and give their time generously.“Before, when we needed specialised treatment for an animal, we had to do a 200km round trip to Currumbin Wildlife Hospital, but now WIRES only needs to travel to Byron, and we take at least one animal there a day.”There are a number of wildlife care groups in the Northern Rivers area all utilising the new hospital – including Northern Rivers Wildlife Carers and Seabird Rescue.Lib said the WIRES wildlife hotline gets 8000 inquires a year and about 20 a day. In the Spring busy season, call numbers peak to 40 or 50 a day. There are 300 bat rescues a year, and many are from bats found on barbed wire fences.Vets and vet nurses: Katarina Fossey, Dr Bree Talbot and Hayley Farley.Busier than ever beforeLib said even though it’s now Autumn, which is historically a quieter period for injured or traumatised animals coming in, the hotline has been busier than previous years. It’s a situation echoed by BBWH vet Dr Talbot, who has treated 300 birds since the mobile hospital was completed in February -and treated over 700 animals.“We are seeing so many animals being brought in, that the need for this hospital is obvious,” Dr Btalbot said.NeedDr Talbot said the idea for the mobile hospital was born out of the Northern Rivers region being one of the most biodiverse regions in NSW and the need for wildlife care was more important than ever.She said the plight of wildlife needing care really took the community’s attention after the massive bushfires hit and people saw the devastation and animals losing lives.“That’s when the need for a mobile vet hospital was evident,” she said. “So, we could respond quickly and take the hospital to the animals, wherever they were.”There’s no bricks and mortar in the BBWH, it’s a 17.5 metre long truck with an xray, triage and sterile surgery area. It’s stationed at Ewingsdale and can travel on the road if there is a crisis such as flood, fire or an event like heat stress affecting colonies of flying foxes.Bring the animals“Vets, wildlife carers and also members of the public bring animals in,” Dr Talbot said. “We can help local vets who don’t have time or inclination to treat wildlife and take stress off them.“It helps local carers don’t have to drive too far and helps the members of the public feel empowered too. They can call up and find out about how the animal is going.”Echidnas, turtles and birdsWhile it’s mostly birds that are brought in, Dr Talbot said a member of the public recently brought in an echidna which had been hit by a car.“It had bruises and a broken spine and soft tissue damage, so we treated it and gave it pain relief and released it back into the wild a week later,” she said“We’ve also had sea turtles in - a shark bit a turtle’s flipper off and so we amputated the flipper. It’s pretty nasty and it was in rehab for three months while she learned to swim with three flippers.“We released her two weeks ago and people report that they spot her swimming around.”“Our aim is to work together to give Australian wildlife the quality treatment and care they deserve.”CharityAt the moment, the hospital is staffed by Dr Talbot and two vet nurses. Dr Talbot said she loves her work and does it because she is passionate about looking after wildlife.The mobile hospital is a not for profit charity and relies on donations from the public to keep going. “Wildlife don’t come in with a credit card to pay and we need money to keep afloat,” Dr Talbot said. “We are currently open five days a week and we are trying to find more funding to open on weekends too and put on more staff.“Our aim is to work together to give Australian wildlife the quality treatment and care they deserve.”The mobile hospital is just starting to meet the needs of our community – and will work collaboratively with the new Northern Rivers Wildlife Hospital set to be build at Wollongbar.Tour event detailsIf you wish to come along and see the mobile wildlife hospital on tour, it will be visiting Southern Cross University next Wednesday May 19 from 9am to 12pm.Visit the website for details about how to register to attend the session https://www.eventbrite.com/e/wildlife-hospital-regional-tour-tickets-151782885697The Wildlife Hospital Tour is sponsored by World Animal Protection, the Foundation for National Parks & Wildlife, UD Trucks Australia and Volvo Group Australia. 

While the supply of Covid-19 vaccines has increased across 110 general practices on the North Coast, Lismore’s health clinics are still struggling to keep up with demand.Healthy North Coast (HNC) announced over the next three weeks, GP clinics that have been receiving 50 doses of vaccine a week, will now get triple the amount.Clinics receiving 100 doses a week will receive 200 - and general practice respiratory clinics (GPRCs) will also receive an increase of several thousand doses a week.However, just because supplies have been increased doesn’t mean Lismore is getting enough to cope with the demand.In Lismore CBD, the Lismore Clinic and the Keen Street Clinic are both approved vaccination providers for Covid 19 vaccines. In Goonellabah, the GP Superclinic is an approved distribution point.Molesworth Street’s Lismore Clinic reported that it originally received only 50 doses when the vaccine rollout to the area began – and that was a small amount compared to other practices in the area. The clinic is already booked out until August, with many people trying to get in for the jab sooner.Supply and demand shortfallSince HNC announced the increase in vaccine doses, the Lismore Clinic has now doubled the number of vaccines doses it administers, but the supply doesn’t meet demand.Now, Lismore Clinic staff refer people to the Ballina Respiratory Clinic for the jab.When the vaccines were first released, the Ballina Clinic received 1000 doses - a week before Lismore did.So, that’s good news for people in Ballina – but not so great for Lismore-based people who need to travel to Ballina to be vaccinated.A staff member of the Lismore Clinic said the rollout of the vaccines has put lot of pressure on health clinics, doctors and staff - and it’s making it hard for other sick people who need to be seen by a doctor.While the phones have been busy with queries about the Covid vaccines, it has been stopping sick people getting through to make an appointment.The Lismore App contacted the Goonellabah GP Superclinic and Ballina Respiratory Clinic for comment, but have not yet received a response at the time of publication.Vaccination numbersHNC reported last week that more than 40,000 people have received COVID-19 vaccinations across the North Coast region so far.The projected increase in weekly vaccine doses delivered to local general practices is set to increase vaccination numbers from 12,950 to 22,550. Healthy North Coast Chief Executive Julie Sturgess welcomed the Australian Government decision to boost the number of COVID vaccine doses. ‘There has been a great response to the vaccination program, with many people trying to secure a vaccination appointment,” Ms Sturgess said. “Close to 10,000 extra doses of COVID-19 vaccine a week will now be offered by GPs across the North Coast, which is great news for our community.“Combined with the increased vaccine availability at GPRCs and through NSW Health, we will see people getting vaccinated at the highest rate since the rollout commenced.”The best way for people to find out when and where they can book in for a vaccination is by using the online Vaccine Eligibility Checker and clinic finder. (Some GP clinics have chosen not to be listed.)  Vaccines and how the vaccine rollout works If you don't already understand how the rollout works, read on. The Australian Government has implemented a staged rollout of the COVID-19 vaccination program. The most vulnerable people in the community are targeted to receive their vaccination first. Details are available here. There are two different COVID-19 vaccines currently available in Australia – AstraZeneca and Pfizer. In general, the AstraZeneca vaccine is recommended for people aged 50 and over and the Pfizer vaccine is recommended for people under 50. Having a vaccine is voluntary and there is no cost. The vaccines are made differently and are considered safe and effective. For more information, visit: Pfizer vaccine recommended for people under 50 years of age AstraZeneca vaccine recommended for people aged 50 years and over Weighing up the potential benefits against risk of harm from AstraZeneca vaccine. Phases and datesPeople in Phase 1a and Phase 1b of the staged rollout are currently being vaccinated. States and territories have begun vaccinating people in Phase 2a, starting with all adults aged 50 years and over. This group can now receive the AstraZeneca vaccine at GP respiratory clinics and state and territory-run clinics, which are mostly hospital-based. From 17 May, people aged 50 years and over will also be able to receive the AstraZeneca vaccine at participating general practices. Vaccinations are also available at many Aboriginal and Community Controlled Health Services and, in coming months, will be delivered from some local pharmacies. COVID-19 vaccination second doses — make sure you check AIRMany patients are now becoming eligible for their second dose of vaccine. We are being asked to highlight the importance of confirming any previous vaccinations in the Australian Immunisation Register (AIR) to ensure that the correct vaccine is administered for the second dose.

UPDATE:Essential Energy has reported that a car accident near Oliver Avenue in Goonellabah caused an unplanned power outage for hundreds of residents this morning. An Essential Energy spokesperson said the incident took place at approximately 8.45am this morning."Just over 1400 Essential Energy customers in Goonellabah and surrounding areas were affected by an unplanned power outage, following reports of a car coming in to contact with electrical equipment near Oliver Avenue," the spokesperson said. "To ensure the safety of the community and people in the car, power was turned off until crews could get to the site to assess the damage. "Essential Energy crews responded immediately, restoring power to majority of customers by 10am."The spokesperson said 65 customers remain without power while crews work to repair the damage. Updates on the estimated time for restoration will be available on Essential Energy’s outage page www.essentialenergy.com.au/outages or customers can call 13 20 80. Essential Energy reminds the public to stay at least eight metres away from damaged electricity equipment and call Essential Energy immediately on 13 20 80. ORIGINAL STORY:A motor vehicle accident has brought a power blackout to the Goonellabah area.Richmond District Police told the Lismore App that the accident took place in the vicinity of Ballina Road. Goonellabah residents are experiencing a power blackout, with no phone or internet services.The Lismore App has contacted Essential Energy for comment and will let you know when more details come to hand.

Being born with spina bifida didn’t hinder 16 year old Lismore swimmer Benjamin Auckram from setting his sights on the Olympic Games this year.The Trinity Catholic College student already holds six Australian swimming records and two open records, and has amped up his training regime as he prepares for the Olympic qualification trials in Adelaide next month.Read more news: Albert Park School kids meet the shadow ministers“If I make the team, I will go to Tokyo,” Benjamin said. “I probably won’t make the team this year, but it’s about getting the experience for the next one.”Benjamin lives near the Channon and trains with the Lismore Workers swim team.Benjamin was born with a condition that meant his spine and spinal cord didn't form properly and could lead to him not being able to walk. Having spina bifida means Benjamin has a disability swimming classification of S7 –for someone who has the use of arms and trunk, but who may have limited leg function or is missing parts of their legs.It’s because of his spina bifida that he started swim training with coach Peter Harvey five years ago.“I got into swimming to lose weight and it’s good for his hips and legs,” Benjamin said.“It really eased the pressure on my legs and makes my hips more stable.“If I kept going the way I was, I probably wouldn’t be walking now.“Then I qualified for the State team and I realised if I trained a bit harder, I could go further.”Now, he also holds two open records for the 200 metre backstroke and 800 metre freestyle events.“I also did some personal bests (PB) recently at the national swim titles on the Gold Coast. It was for the 400 metre freestyle and I made a 2 second PB to swim it in 5 minutes 31 seconds,” Benjamin said.At the moment he is training about seven sessions a week with 1.5 sessions in the pool.“I swim about 3.5 km every night and a couple of mornings too,” he said.“Then I do three gym sessions of about an hour each.”His dedicated training regime comes with the loving support of his parents, who drive from his home near the Channon into Lismore for school and training.Benjamin was one of 12 local students who recently received a Local Sporting Champions Award from MP Kevin Hogan in recognition of his achievements.He was awarded $550 to help with the costs of travelling to sporting event from the Local Sporting Champions grant program. 

The Year 6 kids at Albert Park School had a visit from some of the NSW Shadow Minsters last week, as part of Lismore MP Janelle Saffin’s information gathering tour. Ms Saffin said Shadow Ministers Kate Washington (Environment and Rural Health and Paul Sculley (Minister for Resources) were on a tour to see how the portfolios of environment and resources could work together. Part of their visit was to see the riparian restoration works on the Wilsons River – done as part of the Richmond Landcare’s Wilsons River Schools Education Project.Read more news: Fourteen Lismore schools to receive a new roofThe goal was for the Ministers to gather on-the-ground feedback from local landcare groups, and the seven local schools involved - including the children from Albert Park School.Alongside the ministers, the children planted trees on the Wilson’s River Landcare restoration project (near the Keen Street baseball fields) and spoke to the politicians, telling them about was happening.“It was really lovely – the kids really engaged with them and talked about their project and how they feel about it,” Ms Saffin said.“The project is now eight years old and so the year six students have been able to see the development of the trees over time.“It’s gone from being from a messy degraded riverbank, to one that looks good and functions well in a flood zone, binding the riverbank together.“The Ministers said the project showed the importance of landcare as the perfect model of cooperation, so that community and schools can work together look after and restore the land and the river.”“Its value is understated.”Earlier in the day, Ms Saffin had taken the Ministers to visit a Hurfords sustainable forestry farm operation.“It is also good model of how forest farms and logging can be done,” Ms Saffin said.“Hurfords utilise cell grazing models with cattle – and get rid of bell miners and log on a rotation model.”

If you thought property rental and purchase in the region was already scarce and expensive, a new advertising campaign could make it an even bigger challenge. Called Move to More, the national awareness campaign will urge capital city dwellers to move to regional areas. It’s due to hit city TV, radio, digital advertising and billboards on major arterial roads later in May.Developed by the Regional Australia Institute (RAI) and supported by the Federal Government, the campaign is heralded as a way to encourage “new energy, new people, new businesses and new investment to regional Australia”.It challenges the people of regional Australia to not see themselves as the "victims" of change, but instead help improve the quality of life for all Australians.RAI chief executive Liz Ritchie said the campaign was developed to solve the challenges facing Australia after the pandemic – and based on consultation with regional decision makers across the country. Are we ready?The Lismore App asked the question 'are we ready?' to a range of local stakeholders - from real estate agents, to social housing providers and regional development chiefs - and found the campaign has sparked a division of opinions about how we support and sustain growth in our area.Rental vacancy ratesThe Northern Rivers region currently has the lowest rental vacancy rates in NSW.According to a survey by Real Estate Institute of New South Wales (REINSW), the month of March showed that residential vacancy rates across much of regional NSW dropped, while Sydney’s residential rental vacancy rate rose.In the Northern Rivers region, rental vacancy rates in March were reported to be at 0.3% – while in April 2020, it was 2.7%.So, are we ready for an influx of more people to the area?Social housingNorth Coast Community Housing chief executive John McKenna says “no”.“We’ve already seen an influx of people moving to the area because of Covid, even before this campaign gets off and running - and we already have tightest rental market in the State,” Mr McKenna said. Rental prices increasing“It will even further tighten the rental and purchasing market. Rental prices have increased across the region by greater than 30% - and purchase prices have gone up even more. “Byron is the highest, with rental prices up by 66%.“For the social housing properties in our current leasehold program, we are facing an increase in rents from $50 to $150 a week."No clause evictions“With all the people coming from the cities, many locals can’t get a rental because new people are putting 12 months rent on the table up front," Mr McKenna said. “It’s pushing up rents and current tenant are being served with no cause evictions – it’s something we need to change in government." Real estate developmentLismore real estate agent Andrew Gordon said although the idea of decentralising metropolitan areas is a “wonderful’ idea, he questions where people will live.“We manage over 600 homes and I would say the vacancy rate on the ground is far worse than 0.3% in Lismore,” he said.“Lismore has more pressure on it than other surrounding areas - I would wage it’s zero.“We have a waiting list for properties and recently, 148 people turned up to an inspection of a two bedroom unit in flood zone.”Housing crisis dilemma“Who doesn’t want to raise their kids in a country environment,” he said. “The dilemma is where will you put them.“We have a housing crisis.“How can we offer anyone an opportunity here when local government hamstrings development and seems to have a moratorium on growth. Until we change that, nothing is going to happen.“We need growth here. We have a declining rate of growth here and all I see is Kevin Hogan handing out Federal funding everywhere except here.”Wholistic viewRegional Development Australia (RDA) Northern Rivers director Tim Williamson took a wholistic view and said the Northern Rivers region has different needs.“Some areas need population growth and some might not,” he said.“Towns like Kyogle could need people with younger families to keep the vibrancy of the local community going,” he said. “They can feed into areas where there are labour shortages.“But we need to take a wholistic view and make sure the infrastructure is in place to accept the growth is required.“These people will need services.”"Change victims"The RAI website states that its work focus is to “target the issues that matter to both policy makers and our regions and outline options for change”.It further states that “Regional Australia can increase its contribution to national innovation and growth and provide improved quality of life for its 8.8 million residents. “But we must stop seeing our regions as victims of change and we must stop misunderstanding this part of our economy", the website states.“Regional success is built on a balance of local ingenuity and proactivity, and informed, consultative state and federal leadership. "We need to lift expectations; about what our economy can do what government can do and what regional people can and are already doing. It’s time for a period of change on our own terms".“Renaissance”RAI chief executive Liz Ritchie said “regional Australia is on the cusp of an incredible renaissance”. “In 2019, our report Regional Population Growth – Are we ready? recognised the need for an intervention in our existing population trajectory, and in turn, an opportunity to create a more balanced population settlement for the good of our nation," she said.“But while a lot of Australians living in our capital cities feel a positive connection to regional Australia, there is a big difference between liking the place and packing up and moving there.“So, we set out to understand the attitudes and behaviours of those living in our capital cities when it to contemplating a move to regional Australia.Research“We started off by undertaking extensive qualitative and quantitative research and found that one out of every five people living in our capital cities is considering a move to regional Australia.”Ms Ritchie said the research also identified that while the ‘push’ factors motivating people to leave the cities are strong, the ‘pull’ factors – essentially the appeal of regional Australia — are the more powerful motivators.“These insights led to the development of our brand platform – Move to More. It positions regional Australia as offering new residents more space, more career opportunities, improved quality of life and more bang for their buck when it comes to real estate.“The Move to More campaign features extensive advertising across the country that creates a new brand for regional Australia – a brand that is offering Australians a chance to shape their best life.Ms Ritchie said a website would be released at the same time as the advertising campaign and would allow people to “unearth and discover Regional Australia in a way that suits their life stage, interests and career aspirations”. “It invites users to take a short quiz and then filters functional aspects (housing, employment, transport, schools, health and entertainment) to arrive at a selection of towns that meets their desires,” she said.Skills and jobsWith the new Federal budget about to be released after a year of pandemic recovery, Ms Ritchie said the significance of skills and job vacancies “continue to be front and centre across rural and regional Australia”.“Our most recent Regional Job Vacancy report revealed a record 66,200 jobs were advertised in March,” she said.“This new record again confirms what regional leaders and employers have been telling us – regions need more people."

Pub Rock Project and Human Dinosaur Machine are two of five bands playing at the Rock to the Rescue fundraiser gig this Saturday, May 8. After a temporary move to the Lismore City Bowling Club, the annual event has now found a home at the South Lismore Bowlo and starts at 7pm.Rock to the Rescue is the annual fundraiser for the Lismore based Rescue Helicopter Service and is the brainchild of the Service’s admin and fundraising coordinator John Bancroft.“I cooked up the idea and now it’s the sixth year we’ve held it,” John said.“We have all local bands who volunteered to play for free. We charge a donation of $5 at the door and sell tshirts and do raffles. It’s always a good night”John said the event raises over $2,000 for the rescue helicopter service each year and is one of the vital events that raise money to keep the free, life-saving service going.“We transported our ten thousandth patient not so long ago - and they got the service free of charge,” he said.“It’s all about keeping the helicopter going, maintaining it, putting fuel in it and making sure its available 24/7.“The service resonates with people. A lot of people know someone who has needed has a flight –and almost everyone knows someone whose lives have been affected by the service.“We hope to see lots of people come along and support the gig.BandsOther bands playing at the gig are The Claymores, Strangers Inc, Pub Rock Project, and Doc Rock Each band will play a 50 minute set - and the inaugural South Lismore Corn Hole Championship will be contested.“You’ll have to come along to find out just what this enigmatic title refers to,” John laughed. “We’d like to thank the bands for offering their talent and support and would like to particularly mention Jason Hughes, Andy Lee, Brad Redden, Cameron Bracken, Matt Lee, Tony Edwards, Dave Slade, Darrell Crockford and Ned Cain for assisting with the music side of the event over many years,” he said. It begins at 7pm and entry is a $5 donation (or more if you feel willing). Under 18s much be accompanied by an adult.For more information, visit the Facebook site.