Congratulations to Kadina High Campus for making it as a finalist in the NOVA Employment 2020 Focus On Ability Short Film Awards.The film is promoting Dylan, Warrajarra and Jayden’s abilities in the classroom, their interests and what they can provide to potential employers. The students have all attended The Rivers Secondary College, Kadina High Campus from Year 7 through to Year 12. This short documentary gives the students an opening to help with their transition from school into employment.The documentary is called 'Sign Me Up' and is filmed and edited by Harry Witt & Dion Meredith.While a fantastic effort to make it as a finalist in this competition Kadina High now needs your help to vote for their documentary which will enable them to win a $3000 Harvey Norman voucher for the most on-line votes.The link to view and vote for the Sign Me Up documentary is https://www.focusonability.com.au/. Once on the home page click on the 'View and Vote Now' button below 'School Films open for voting' heading. Then click on 'School Entrant Documentaries' and look for 'Sign Me Up'.You can only vote once and this must be done before this Monday September 7, 2020.Ian Davies Executive Principal of the Rivers Secondary College said "We are confident that the judges will love our documentary ‘SIGN ME UP’ but if the we all join together and support Dylan, Warrajarra and Jayden, their film can win Most Online Votes!!!""If that happens we will spend the money on resources for students with disabilities."Mr Davies also encouraged people to vote in different categories, as well, so please watch other films, be inspired by the abilities of students with disabilities and their films. Voters go into the running to win a $50.00 iTunes voucher.Other prizes include the Judges Choice – Documentary: Toshiba package valued at $7000 and the NOVA Employment School Choice Awards: Five winners each receive $1000 cash.Good luck Dylan, Warrajarra and Jayden!

Bagels made with a New York friend’s recipe and vegan cupcakes are just two of the offerings from Lismore’s newest delicatessen. Freshly opened this week, Doughboy Deli in the Embassy Arcade, off Keen Street, is the new venture for Joe Steele and Jessica Smith.Inspired by Joe’s love of New York eateries, the pair wanted to bring an international coffee culture to the heart of Lismore.“We decided Lismore needs affordable, quick, easy light food,” Joe said. “Since Covid, there’s a big need for take away food and sometime you just don’t want to cook for yourself, so let us do it for you.“Jess and I travelled Europe for a few months and fell in love with the pastries and the coffee culture there,” Joe said. “You are quickly in, out and walking down the street with a giant Danish in one hand and a coffee in the other.”Jos also spent time in New York and he loved it the Italian and Jewish delis there which reflected his own Italian heritage.“New York is a world onto its own,” he said. “You walk in and they recognise you from the day before and the next thing you know there’s a sandwich being flung at you over the counter because they have remembered you and already made it.”While Jessica is passionate about making bagels and vegan cupcakes which sell out as fast as she can make them, Joe makes homemade pastrami – which has also been so popular, he needs to make more every night.“It’s a pickled brisket with a secret rub on it and its smoked,” he said. “The meat balls we make are an old family recipe from my mum and the napolitana sauce is my Nonna’s.“Our bagels will soon be vegan soon too we work out how to replace the honey.”On the wall in the shop are menus of sandwiches for sale – all with quirky names.“We’ve sold out of the Reuben twice,” Joe said. “It’s a quintessential. The New York deli style meatball sandwich is classic too and the Punky Rooster one of our flavour combos we’ve made up, with a herb yoghurt sauce.”The pair also use a special coffee blend that they have made up especially for them.“We are also selling the ingredients we use in our food from the olives and the feta cheese to chargrilled vegetables,” Joe said.“We can make salads with any of the ingredients – no bread – and we will soon launch anti-pasto boxes that people can take home.“The biggest thing we wanted to do was use local producers. It’s incredible ‘our cheese supplier gets Australian products or amazing Italian imported cheeses.“We will start working directly with local farmers in time – our area has great a agricultural industry and we want to make sure our food is ethical.”Jess and Joe used to work at Dragonfly Café together, when Joe’s mum owned the café. Now after working and travelling together they are ready to build a successful new business while working for themselves.With Joe’s background in business and marketing, it seems set to grow.“We’ve been so touched by the support we’ve had over the last few days,” Joe said.“We do free CBD delivery and people have been ringing up with orders, so we invite people to call ahead, email or text us. We like email so we can keep track of what comes through.”You can contact Doughboy Deli on 0401 064 211, via the website www.doughboydeli.com or email [email protected]

With the weekend weather looking a bit Jekyll and Hyde it may be best to get outdoors tomorrow (Saturday) because Sunday is looking likely to get us about 4-10mm of rain with a potential thunderstorm in the afternoon. Having said that the BOM say there is a chance of thunderstorm late Saturday afternoon or evening too but most of the day should be fine with a top of 27. We will experience a drop on Sunday when the change comes through with 21 expected.So, what's on offer this weekend?As reported earlier today two local businesses are having their official Grand Openings following their soft launches recently (Two Lismore stores hold grand openings on Saturday)NPC Amusements is a man cave warehouse at 16 Rifle Range Road, East Lismore and will be open between 9 and 4pm tomorrow. They have an amazing stock of products for Fathers Day if you are one of those late buyers!Stepz Fitness is Lismore's newest gym on the Ground Floor of Lismore Central. Stepz open at 7am tomorrow and will hold FREE Group Fitness Classes between 7am and 9am.The Lismore Farmers Markets is on tomorrow morning from 8. As well as some fresh local fruit and veg you will see Jyllie Jackson and her team raising money to save LightnUp which is Jyllie's not for profit business that runs the Lismore Lantern Parade. With no events at all in 2020 and therefore no money coming in the door Jyllie needs our help to keep operating. Imagine no more Lismore Lantern Parades? (COVID-19 threatens survival of iconic Lismore Lantern Parade).You will also find Jyliie and the team at the Lismore Car Boot Markets on Sunday. Don't forget the new venue during COVID is at the Lismore Showgrounds with the 7:30am to 3pm time frame the same.Blue Knob Community Markets are on tomorrow from 8:30am to 11am.The live music scene comes back to life tonight for the first time at the Lismore City Hall when NORPA and Kate Stroud put on the first of what is hoped to be many Studio Sessions. Ben Wilson has an album launch tonight while Lucie Thorne & Sarah Tindley play on Saturday night. Unfortunately if you are reading this for the first time, both sessions are sold out. Check out the NORPA website for more Studio Sessions in the coming months.The Lismore Regional Gallery has a few exciting exhibitions running at the moment. Language of the Wounded and Body Language will be showing until November while at the Serpentine Gallery they have the opening tonight for David Shaw's 'Through My Eyes' exhibition between 5pm and 8pm.The cheap petrol is 112.9 at the United on Ballina Road for unleaded E10, Unleaded 91 is 114.9 at United and the Woolworths Caltex near the Square while there are three diesel options at 117.9 at United and Liberty on Ballina Road, the Shell on Wilson Street and now the Caltex on Union Street near the Three Chains Road roundabout.It is round 7 of the Far North Coast Football league over the weekend.Saturday sees Richmond Rovers home to Bangalow at Nielsen Park with kick off at 1pm while the other game on Saturday sees Lismore Thistles away to second placed Byron Bay at 3pm.There are two Fathers Day matches on Sunday including the ladder leading South Lismore Celtics up against Maclean at Nesbitt Park at 2:30 and the Goonellabah Hornets tackle Alstonville at Weston park also at 2:30.In the NRRRL Gold competition, Northern United look set to continue on their winning way when they take on Mullumbimby at Crozier Field with a 1.20 kick off. The Marist Brothers Rams have the bye this week.While the Lismore Rugby Club senior team ended its season last weekend the junior teams continue their season while the Colts take on Casuarina for a Grand Final spot tomorrow.You will find the weekend results on the Lismore App Sports page which will include Hockey and Baseball too.Neil Marks' Blog tomorrow is about Fathers Day with a dig at Qld Premier Anastacia Palaszczuk, stand in line Neil!Happy Fathers Day to all Dad's all that play that role.As always, here are this weeks funny meme's;

The Australian-Italo Club in North Lismore has finally re-opened after months of closure.Italo Club president Americo Melchoir said the club officially reopened last Friday, but they “didn’t want to make a big fuss out of the first night”.Read more business news: Two Lismore stores hold grand openings on Saturday“Last night was our third big night and we got good numbers,” Americo said. “We had 35 people – that’s not bad for having been closed so long.“We have a new chef – Dallas – who is the same chef who makes the food at East Lismore Bowling Club.“People will be coming back because his food is good – the T-bone steaks are amazing.”Americo said the club is “back to normal” and has beer on tap again, with five varieties available and there are plans to sell martinis and cocktails.“We are going to get training soon so we know how to make them well,” he said. “I’m in the process of buying the equipment so we can do it."The Italo Club will be open Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, from 4pm.MergerAmerico said the merger of the Italo Club with the Sydney-based Club Marconi is still going ahead, but that it will be a long process until it is finalised.“It will take another two to three months until the legals are sorted,” he said. "It’s early stages yet.”Club Marconi stepped in earlier this year with an offer to take on the Italo Club and save it from certain closure, after Covid forced the club to shut down. The process of taking the merger to completion has been slowed by the Sydney Covid outbreaks - which impacted on the ability of Club Marconi officials to travel to Lismore and work with the local management. “I’m happy about the future of the club – everything is looking good and I think we’ll make it,” Americo said. Read more news: Local Italo Club's future hangs on tonight's meeting  

What do you want to ask pollies about the state border closures?With the political battle over state borders heating up, ABC television’s Q+A program is tackling the Border Wars issue and is calling for people to submit questions for the show’s panel by 9am Monday.Read more news: Border closure heartbreak for family separated by cancer treatmentThe program Q+A will be screened on Monday next week at 9.35pm on ABC TV, and also streamed live on ABC iview and the ABC website. The show’s host Hamish Macdonald said the State Premiers are standing firm on closures and the Prime Minister wants interstate travel to resume by Christmas.“Hard border closures are helping contain COVID cases but have caused massive problems for business, health care workers and families in need of medical attention,” he stated. “And thousands of Australians remain stranded overseas faced with a cap on international arrivals, soaring ticket prices and quarantine costs. “So, who’s got the power when it counts? Are we getting the balance right when it comes to restricting free travel in the name of public health?”The panel will include:Michael McCormack, Nationals Leader and Deputy Prime MinisterKristina Keneally, Shadow Home Affairs MinisterDr Omar Khorshid, Australian Medical Association PresidentKim Rubenstein, Legal scholar and citizenship expertTania de Jong, Entrepreneur and sopranoQuestions can be submitted via the ABC website https://www.abc.net.au/qanda/

There are two store grand openings are happening this Saturday, after what seems to be a rush of new business in Lismore over the last two to three weeks. It is an exciting and positive sign for the post COVID recovery.Read more news: Lismore's Italo club finally reopensNPC Amusements in East Lismore and Stepz Fitness in Lismore Central have both had soft launches recently but have held off their official launches until tomorrow (Saturday September 5).NPC Amusements moved from Ballina Road to 16 Rifle Range Road, East Lismore in July to get out of the flood area and into a much larger warehouse that holds and displays all of their product items. The result means that they are now open to the public as a retail outlet as well as an on-line store.Celebrations kick off at 9am and run until 4pm with a cars and motorbikes on display and food from Junkyard BBQ including Take Away Packs for Fathers Day. Owner Nick Contojohn said "if you have a nice car bring it along and park it in the driveway"."We are not sure how many cars there will be," Nick added, "Car Clubs have said they will bring their cars along but we don't have an official count from all of the people involved".There will be free pinball, fussball and a classic space invaders game for the kids or big kids at heart to play as well as quoits set up for some fun.The warehouse is a very large area but with the COVID restrictions this means a maximum of 80 in the shop at any one time. You may have a short queue at various stages of the day and there will be hand sanitiser available.Nick explained it is difficult to put pricing on all the shelves because it varies so much depending on the exchange rate so if you wish to get a price look for the Code Scanner above the item and hold your camera over the code. This will take you to the NPC website and give the current pricing of the products you want.This is also your way to get 10% off your Fathers Day presents. When you use the scanner to check the price and you want to buy it, you can check out via the website by paying on-line. Once you have done that take your purchase to the front counter and show your receipt."It's all about making purchasing items a quicker process for everyone," Nick said.Another way to save 10% is to buy on-line before you go into NPC Amusements and pick up your goods when you are checking out the store.Stepz Fitness have been working hard finishing off their brand new gym on the ground floor of Lismore Central under the escalators.It is worth getting up early on Saturday morning and heading into Stepz Fitness in Lismore Central. Stepz has FREE Group Fitness Classes between 7am and 9am with Stepz Hiit, Stepz Fit and Stepz Strong.Manager Alyce Benson said there will also be a Kids Colouring Competition between 10am and 11am along with free prizes and giveaways."The rest of our equipment has arrived just in time for our grand opening which is fantastic so I want to invite everyone to come and have a look at our brand new gym with brand new equipment," Alyce said, "we are ready for action."If you are looking for something to do Saturday as well as supporting two new local businesses, call into 16 Rifle Range Road, East Lismore and ground floor Lismore Central.

Volunteer organisations can now apply for Federal Government grants of up to $5,000, to support the efforts of their volunteers. Page MP Kevin Hogan said the supplementary grants program funding was provided through The Centre for Volunteering. “Grants of between $1,000 and $5,000 will help community organisations buy equipment such as laptops, pay fuel costs, train volunteers and improve their fundraising,” Mr Hogan said. “Volunteers are the lifeblood of our community and by continuing to help each other and work together we are building a stronger and safer community.” “I encourage all not-for-profit organisations in our community to apply for the Volunteer Grants to help make the work of our volunteers easier, safer and more enjoyable.” For more information or to apply, visit https://www.volunteering.com.au/supplementary-volunteer-grants/ Applications close September 20.

The Premier of NSW, Gladys Berejiklian, has given local Year 12 students a glimmer of hope regarding this years graduation ceremonies when she announced a review of milestone events for Term 4.Until then all high schools were forced to make alternative arrangements involving a graduation ceremony that involved their fellow students and a handful of teachers but no parents, siblings or extended family.The positive news is that in a worst case scenario, parents would not miss out completely as all High Schools will create an on-line ceremony which will be streamed and recorded so the ceremonies can be downloaded as a keep sake.Ian Davies Executive Principal of The Rivers Secondary College (Lismore High, Kadina High and Richmond River High) told the Lismore App "To compensate for the inability for parents to be a part of the celebrations each campus has committed to creating an online ceremony. The ceremonies will have pre-recorded speeches, musical items and of course the students themselves being awarded their 2020 portfolios."Lismore High 2020 Captains (from front row left) Abbey Bailey, Angus Gallagher, Ella Campbell, Emily Buckner, Alyssa McDonald, (back row) Lockyer Wilson, Liam Pollack, Inanna Ihalainen and Bailey Crabtree. Photo: supplied.HSC Trails are now complete with the HSC Exams to begin on Tuesday October 20.In a sign of maturity beyond their years the school captains from the campuses are very appreciative that they will be recognised in some way as they complete their secondary schooling. Ben, one of the school captains from Kadina High Campus says “considering everything that is going on I feel lucky to be able to complete the HSC in a modified structure and still have some opportunity to celebrate our graduation with my peers.”Richmond River High 2020 captains (from left) Elijah Wraight, Will Scott-Wales, Rattana Bowyer, Joshua Bryant, George Shepherd and Tameka Devine-Davey. Photo: supplied.Catholic Schools Office media officer Lisa Kwok confirmed that similar plans were in place at Woodlawn and Trinity College's to provide on-line streaming of the Year 12 graduation ceremonies. Details had not been finalised as this story is being written and now the regulations around milestone events may be changed for Term 4, the ceremony day may have a number of alternate options.Hopefully, for the sake of our graduating Year 12 students the 2020 graduating ceremonies will physically include their families.Stay tuned.

As four-year-old Charlotte fights for her life in Brisbane Children’s Hospital, her heartbroken Lismore-based father Brad Jones can’t get over the border to see her.Charlotte and her mother Melissa have been in Brisbane since January 23, since Charlotte was diagnosed with leukemia at Lismore Base Hospital.For the past few months, Brad has been holding down a job, as well as regularly travelling up to visit them while Charlotte undergoes chemotherapy - however the recent changes as to who is allowed to cross the border have put a stop to that.To make matters more complex, Brad is looking after the couple’s other children at home, while his partner and daughter stay in children’s cancer care accommodation in Brisbane.Read the update: Border politics still stands between Lismore dad and his sick daughterDeterioratingCharlotte’s health has been deteriorating and this week, she even stopped breathing. Brad said he is desperate to find a way that the family can be together.“I’m trying to not show too much emotion for my children’s sake,” Brad said. “I’ve been talking to border control and I’ve enlisted the help of Page MP Kevin Hogan.“Before the border closure I could go as freely as I chose as we had compassionate grounds passes and oncologist reports.Stuck“The last time I was up there, I left three of my children up there as I didn’t think we would be locked down as hard as we are – then I found out there was no medical or compassionate grounds any more and they were stuck up there.“Last week, my partner’s brother drove the kids down and they walked through the border and I picked them up. We are lucky he was up there, or no one would have been able to look after the kids in the unit while Melissa was at hospital with Charlotte.Border crossing“While I was there waiting at the Queensland border to pick them up, I watched surfboard riders and dog walkers walking across and back again.“I could have walked across too – I guess if I was stopped by police and asked for ID my licence would have shown I’m not in the border bubble - the security were only stopping cars.“When I talked to Queensland border security, all they said to me was we can exempt you but you will have to stay in hotel quarantine at your expense and pay for your meals – and you’ll only be allowed at the hospital for a maximum of two hours.Ridiculous“That’s ridiculous. The people at the cancer support unit have said if I can get over the border, I can stay there."Brad said even if he could get an exemption to go up there for a week and take the children with him, there is still a two hour visit restriction at the hospital.“And I don’t know if they’ll let us do it again anyway,” Brad said. “There’s hardly any COVID-19 cases up there now – there’s more road crash fatalities than coronavirus. I know it’s a pandemic, but this is a hard one.“I knew this year would be hard with Charlotte, but it’s harder than I ever could have imagined.Football disgrace“I think it’s disgraceful that Queensland is allowing footballers to go back and forth - it’s not right. It’s not State against State – maybe they are taking it hard that they lost the football – but they can have the trophy back if it gets us over the border.Birthday tears“I haven’t held my daughter for four weeks – we’ve never been apart that long before.“We missed out on a family birthday together – we had a video call and a cake on both ends and there were lots of tears.“She’s got a port in her chest and been through chemotherapy, steroids, had 11 blood transfusions and platelet transfusions.“She needs support and her dad needs to be there. When we Facetime, she’ll look at me and say ‘daddy I need you to come here’ and then she gets sad.“She’s a warrior. If she died and I didn’t get to see her…. I don’t know what will happen.“I’ve done 21,000 kilometres travel in seven months visiting her already. Now, it breaks my heart that she is 2.5 hours up the road and I can’t see her.”MP Hogan slams border decisionFederal Member for Page Kevin Hogan has released a statement slamming the Queensland Premier’s decision to keep the borders closed.“There seems to be one rule for some and other rules for others,” Mr Hogan said. “Following extensive lobbying by the Premier, Queensland is now hosting the AFL Grand Final.“Why is she happy to open the border for AFL footy players, but not for us from our COVID-free region?“Our region has no community transmission of the virus. We are not a 'hot spot'. There is nothing but heartache and damage being done to families health and livelihoods.“This might be playing well for the QLD Premier politically in the short term, but this border closure is causing havoc."TragedyMr Hogan also cited the case of a local tragedy of a pregnant mother from Ballina who needed emergency care for her unborn twins.“She waited 16 hours to fly to a Sydney hospital, rather than a short trip to Brisbane. Sadly, one of the babies has now tragically passed away,” Mr Hogan said.“This is not Australian, this is not how we operate.“The Queensland Premier says Queensland hospitals are only for Queenslanders, well more than 6000 Queensland citizens were treated at Tweed Hospital (in NSW) in 2019. This represents 20% of all in-patients.”

If you see more mullets around Lismore than usual, don't worry it is not a massive new trend than has moved from the AFL into the broader community.It is all part of 'Mullets for Mental Health" that is running throughout the month of September.Anthony MacDonald from Greg Clark Building got in touch to promote the cause, raise some money and show off their newly acquired hairdos."There is seven of us and now six of us has got the mullet cuts in the last two days but to be honest the seventh guy kind of already had a mullet so he's just getting a tidy up," Anthony told the Lismore App.(The Mullets For Mental Health cut begins for Jack Jeffrey. Photo: supplied)Anthony has had three tragic personal experiences with mental health in his life, two this year. An ex Lismore Swans AFL player committed suicide and a painters father, that was used by the company, also committed suicide in 2020 while a school friend of Anthony's ended his life in 2006.The company behind Mullets For Mental Health is the Black Dog Institute. Anthony and his work mates heard about their September endeavour through emails and watching footy when the NRL Canberra Raiders wore the logo on their jumpers.Black Dog say that 1 in 5 people will experience mental health issues in any given year, that equates to about 5 million Australians. The sad fact and the part of the reason for the campaign is that 60% of those people will not seek help. For some one like Anthony MacDonald it is not only raising money for the charity but to gain awareness of mental health issues and that we need to openly talk about our experiences more and that will help save lives.(Jack Jeffrey's new mullet for the month of September. Photo: supplied)"It's one of those things, it is everywhere and you know it's there but the awareness is not. We decided to do something about it in our small way," Anthony said.When Anthony and the team at Greg Clark Building started their campaign on Monday their financial goal was to raise $2000, I am pleased to say that they have raised $1858 already. You can help by pushing on the link and donating what you can afford https://www.teamblackdog.org.au/fundraisers/GregClarkBuilding.What has been the reaction to their new mullets?"We did send an email out to our clients and friends to warn them," Anthony said, "People were interested to see what we looked like"."You look hideous has been the first reaction but there have been many comments from people who have donated that are positive like 'rocking that mullet for a great cause."(Abe Crawford shows off his new mullet. Photo: supplied)"After all this is a cause close to my heart."Mullets For Mental Health runs for the month of September.

Young writers from Northern NSW have the opportunity to win cash prizes from a prize pool of $1300 and publishing opportunities through Byron Writers Festival.You can submit a short story of up-to 1000 words into the 2020 Susie Warrick Young Writers Award (SWYWA ) - which is open to Stage 3 Primary students and all Secondary School students. Susie Warrick was a much-loved member of the Byron Writers Festival team. The award was established to honour her memory, celebrate the art of the short story and to support emerging young writers in furthering their career. This year Byron Writers Festival has introduced a new age category for Stage 3 Primary students in memory of the late Jesse Blackadder, founder of the children’s outreach creative writing program, StoryBoard. Jesse was an acclaimed author, StoryBoard mentor and Byron Writers Festival board member. ‘We encourage all eligible young aspiring writers to apply’, says Byron Writers Festival’s Gabby Le Brun ‘entering a competition can be the push you need to finish your story, regardless of the outcome’. This fantastic opportunity for young people is generously sponsored by the Warrick Family, Hilarie Dunn and the Byron Writers Festival Jesse Blackadder Memorial Fund. Applications close Friday 18 September, 11.59pm.For submission guidelines and to apply go to byronwritersfestival.com/swywa/Enquires contact [email protected]

Spring in Northern NSW is the peak of the tick season. All pet owners need to be more vigilant in checking their fur babies to make sure they do not end up at the Vets in a life or death situation due to the dreaded paralysis tick.Local veterinarian Daryl Deeley from Keen Street Vet told the Lismore App while Spring is the peak time of year for ticks we do get them all year round in the Northern Rivers. "We had four tick cases in June", Daryl said, "they are around all year so pet owners should be aware for 12 months of the year not just the peak time."This was supported by VetLove Vet Director Simon Arnesen, "we have had three cases in the last week and if the forecast wet spring weather comes true then it will only get worse because ticks become even more prevalent after we have rain."Both vets said 'prevention' is essential, it is the simplest and best solution.Daryl Deeley said the cost of prevention is around the $55 mark for 3 months treatment for a medium size dog if using Brevecto. This amount varies depending on the size and weight of your pet.Simon Arnesen said there are some very effective products that have been released in the last 18 months to two years which has seen an 80% reduction in the amount of ticks cases.If you are weighing up the cost of prevention versus the risk, something to keep in mind is the vet bill if your animal gets rushed to your local vet seeking treatment from a paralysis tick."With no complications and depending on the size of the animal, an owner would be looking at $500-600 and if there were breathing difficulties or other issues the cost will be closer to $1200", Mr Deeley said.What signs do you look for in your pet?If your pet has been outdoors especially in bush areas then stroking their coats feeling for ticks is a good habit to get into.If you miss the tick, other symptoms to look out for are weak in the back legs, vomiting and nausea, gagging, difficulty breathing and if your pet is off their food. "The key is to get them in early to your vet before the symptoms progress," Daryl said.How do you remove a tick?Both vets said the easiest way is to get down to your local vet let them remove it and do a test to see if it is a paralysis tick or not.If you are likely to try and remove the tick from your pet, the advice is to pinch it with your nails under the head and pull gently with tension to remove the entire tick. Another way is to get some cotton, make a lasso, tighten it under the ticks head again and pull gently with tension again.Importantly you are looking to get the entire tick out of your pet and not leave the head, this can cause a small infection."You can see the head and legs still wiggling if you remove the tick properly," Mr Arnesen said, " people should keep in mind that just because the tick is out doesn't mean your pet is out of danger.""A paralysis ticks poison is slow working so monitor them closely over the next 24 hours. Pets can get sicker once the tick has been removed."AntiserumWe are lucky in the Northern Rivers as this is the only place where an antiserum is made.Mr Deeley explained that in the 1950's and 60's his old boss Jack Frogley along with David Jones and Keith Curtain produced an antiserum that is still available today, in some cases it is being produced by their children.When you think of ticks this spring, the key word appears to be 'prevention'.

George and Anne Singh just can’t get enough local workers to come and pick blueberries at their Caniaba blueberry farm.Their daughter Suzanne Singh-Dhesi (owner of Pirolos Fruit Barn) said it’s because the people who pick regularly for them, year after year, are sitting comfortably at home, receiving Jobseeker payments.Read more news: Border closure brings heartbreak to local family“They don’t want to work 20 to 30 hours picking blueberries to make same amount of money they are given in Jobseeker,” Suzanne said.“Normally we would have 30 people picking at this time of year, but now its only family and friends helping us out.“I’m even helping mum and dad picking and packing, even though I’m working all week in the shop. Our kids go picking after school and my son who works full time as a lawyer also helps out when he can.”Local help neededThe blueberry season runs from May until the end of November and Suzanne said the family really needs more locals to come and help pick the berries before the hotter months kick in.“When the weather gets hotter, the berries will waste on the trees, so we really need to get onto it now,” she said.Suzanne said other blueberry farms are hiring backpackers to pick the berries, but the Singhs have strictly chosen to avoid that.“My parents are elderly and we don’t want the risk of backpackers bringing Covid-19 to the farm,” she said. “That’s’ why we want to make sure the pickers are locals.“You don’t know where the backpackers have been – sometimes they go missing for a few days and they might go to Sydney and come back.”A day in the life of a pickerSuzanne said the average day for a picker can be flexible depending on what your needs are.“Some people with kids start at 9 or 10am and leave at 2.30 or 3pm to pick up the kids,” she said.“Some don’t have responsibilities and when daylight savings changes, they start early and finish late.”The one thing to note about blueberries is that you can’t start picking in the morning until the dew had dried off the berries.How much can you make?Suzanne said the good pickers can make $800 over three or four days.“We pay $10 a bucket and the good pickers do 2.5 to 3 buckets an hour,” she said.“People often expect to start picking that straight way, but you have to get used to it and it takes a few weeks to get to that speed. There’s also a technique to picking the berries and we grow a few different varieties that are picked a bit differently.“We also do everything above board and pickers receive a pay slip every week and they know how much tax and superannuation is.”Covid-safeSuzanne said distancing between pickers is taken very seriously and people are given opposite ends of a row to pick so there’s no close contact.“Pickers write on their own tickets for their buckets so they can keep tabs on it, then people pick up buckets for them.“We also have a shed with a shower, toilets and kitchen where people can heat up their own food.”What to bringIf you want to pick berries, make sure you pack your hat, a long sleeved shirt and a water bottle. It’s an outdoors job but it’s not too sunny because the branches of the bushes shade you.Suzanne said the farm, which has been growing blueberries for 11 years now (among other things) is closer to Lismore than Goonellabah, about 10km out of Lismore after the airport.You can phone George Singh for information if you are keen on 0468 352 497.

Every Wednesday night at Christina Sharman’s Lismore home, there’s an open invitation to friends to come over and watch The Bachelor on television. It’s a show that many love to hate - watching 22 women compete against each other for one man.For Christina, seeing her daughter Izzy Sharman-Firth on the show is something best done with a glass of wine.“I’m horrified I’m watching it - it’s not a feminist show is it?” Christina said. “It’s not my thing, but Izzy told me she wanted to apply for the show and I’ll support her in what she does.”Izzy meets the bachelor Locky.Izzy (Isabella), 29, grew up in Lismore and went to Trinity Catholic College and according to Christina, she has brains as well as beauty. Izzy now works as a human resources consultant in a cyber security firm in Brisbane.So why would she choose to go on a national TV show where women fight for the love and attention of a man?Christina said Izzy went on The Bachelor as a profile-building move for her career – and her Instagram profile has got quite a few followers now.“She wants to go into business by herself and have a job where she can travel with her consultancy,” Christina said. “She loves her job and has no intention of leaving it, but she always thought she would travel next.“I’m not horrified with how she’s conducting herself in the show. I said to her, ‘you’re not going to be the bitch are you?’“When I wonder how come my daughter is not on screen? - it’s because the ones with all the screen time are bitching madly - the producers want drama.”The idea behind The Bachelor is spruiked as the search for love - and this year’s bachelor, Locky, is an outdoors adventure type man. Christina said Izzy also has a sense of adventure and likes those things too - perhaps one of the reasons why she was chosen for the show.“Applying to get on the show was big process for Izzy,” Christina said.“First you apply, then there’s a video call and finally a screen test,” she said. “It was all done last year before Christmas.“Then the show started and they had to lock down in the Sydney mansion, and the girls were all given dresses and nice clothes to wear - until Covid made them all come home and they did the show via zoom.“She was looking forward to getting an adventure date with Locky, but Covid put a stop to that.”Contestants on the show.Christina said once Izzy entered the mansion, her mobile phone was taken away and she was allowed one phone call once a fortnight - with a producer listening in. So, who does Izzy call with her one call?“Of course, she calls her mummy,” Christina said. “She’s not allowed to tell me too much about the show, but she can tell me how she’s feeling. She often says ‘yeah good, thanks mum’. She says the bachelor is funny, nice and charming.”While the show is already “done and dusted” and Christina can’t say what happens next, she did say that if Izzy makes it into the final four, it means Christina heads off to Sydney to grill the bachelor about what kind of man he is, along with the other contestants’ family members.The Lismore App will keep you updated as the fun and games of The Bachelor progresses. You can watch it tonight (Wednesday) at 7.30pm on WIN. 

Local sporting clubs can now apply or a share in $50,000 of funding in the NSW Government’s 2020-2021 Local Sport Grant Program.Lismore MP Janelle Saffin said "you have to be in it to win it" and encouraged clubs to apply soon, before the grant closing date of October 7. “I’m disappointed that the electorate allocation has dropped from $93,780 under the 2019-2020 program," Ms Saffin said. "Because that more generous amount allowed 11 local sporting clubs to utilise these small grants extremely well as Covid-19 hit.“I know that many sporting clubs really struggle with fundraising and this very much has been the case as the pandemic led to cancellations of sport or curtailed seasons over winter. “If applications stack up and are successful following an assessment process, any extra assistance in the form of small grants, I’m sure will be welcomed by club officials and members.” Ms Saffin said maximum amounts available for four project types under the Local Sport Grant Program are: Sport development: $2000; Sport events: $5000; Sport access: $5000; Sport facility: $15,000. The minimum requested amount available is $500 for all project types. The maximum available to any one organisation under this round of the program is $20,000 in a financial year. For application details and guidelines go to https://www.sport.nsw.gov.au/clubs/grants/localsport

Slow down on the road and watch out for koalas! Lismore City Council is urging motorists to keep a close eye out when driving, as koalas are taking advantage of the spring weather to venture out in search of food and a matCouncil’s Environmental Strategies Officer Wendy Neilan said while we are lucky to live in an area with a significant koala population, it is up to all of us to help protect them, particularly after last season’s devastating bushfires.“Spring has sprung and koalas are actively moving around trying to find territory with enough food and opportunities to breed in the ever reducing and fragmented koala habitat areas,” she said.“Unfortunately, during this time each year the Friends of the Koala (FOK) receives an ever-increasing number of calls about injured or dead animals. in the past 10 days alone 7 koalas have been hit by cars around Lismore. “Koalas are vulnerable to extinction in NSW and many of our roads cut right through some of their prime habitat.“People need to be especially careful in areas that we know are hotspots for koala vehicle strikes. For example, on Wyrallah Rd, Coraki Rd, Bruxner Highway and Ballina Rd, Rous Rd, Bangalow Rd, Dunoon Rd, Nimbin Rd, and near The Channon and Rosebank.“Koalas are most active and on the ground between dusk and dawn, but it’s important that motorists are vigilant at all times.“Please slow down and watch out for koalas. If you see a koala that is sick or injured, phone FoK’s 24-hour rescue hotline on 6622 1233.“Lismore City Council will place variable message signs at hotspots over the coming months to remind drivers to be vigilant when driving through koala habitat.”

There’s fresh paint on the walls and the coffee machines are being set up in the new Piggy Bank café on Molesworth Street. The café, at the front of MP’s the Meeting Place, is the new venture of The Bank café owner Brad Rickard.Read more business news: Food, craft beer and family friendly vibes planned for CBD venueBrad said he has been busy setting up the new “hole in the wall” cafe – on top of running The Bank cafe and The Loft restaurant.Brad said the Piggy Bank is set to open in about three weeks’ time and he’s excited about it.“It’s going to be good, clean, honest lunches for office workers and the business community,” Brad said.“It will offer simple salads, wraps, rolls cakes and coffee. There are no gimmicks, no fads - just affordable, fast grab and go food.“It’s a lot of work to organise it – I’m a busy man at the moment.”Brad is looking forward to seeing more life come back to shop fronts in the CBD, with so many shops currently being unused.Watch this space - The Lismore App will keep you informed on progress as Brad’s new café unfolds.

Whether you use the regional Mobile Library or not, lovers of reading are called to take part in a review of the local Mobile Library by September 6.While the Mobile Library is not currently running due to COVID-19 restrictions, Richmond Tweed Regional Library (RTRL) is in the process of planning the future for the service and wants input from the community.“If you don't currently use the Mobile Library or any of our branches, we would still like to hear from you and how you use it, or why not,” a library spokesperson said.“The more contributions we get, the better able we are to target library services.“The Mobile Library has been providing the community with outreach services since 1980 and during that time the service has evolved to meet changing community needs and expectations,” the spokesperson said.“The outcome of the survey process may result in changes or adjustments to the current service, or we may find that what we are currently offering best fits the need. We need your input to plan what happens next.Focus groups“We will be facilitating four focus groups during September and October to seek feedback on the findings of the online survey and possible library responses. “To express your interest in participating in the focus groups, please complete the online survey which has a section to leave your details. We will then contact you with further details.”To complete the survey and register your interest for a focus group, visit http://www.rtrl.nsw.gov.au/cp_themes/default/page.asp?p=DOC-BOT-68-53-24Questions?You can visit https://rtrl.nsw.gov.au/cp_themes/default/home.asp, email [email protected] or phone Support Services on 02 6625 5100 

It’s the first official day of Spring and the magpies in Lismore are already building nests, ready to swoop and chase as they protect their young.As the daylight hours increase, the temperature will soon be warming up and the breeding season for many birds is underway. The national Birds in Backyards Spring survey is also underway throughout September and October and you can take part by recording breeding bird activity in your home.Spring survey webinarsIf you are new to bird surveying and want to find out how to take part and why these surveys are important, you can join a free webinar. Register to attend on either Wednesday September 9 or 23. How do I take part?To do a Birds in Backyards survey, spend 20 minutes in one spot where you can view birds - your backyard, local park, school, or other favourite outdoor place. Simply count how many you see of each bird species you see using that space and tell us about what the outdoor space is like. Then to enter your survey data, register your free Birdata account, read the instructions for the web or app or watch the video. If you download the Birdata app you can take your smartphone or tablet outside with you to do your count. There are a few important interactions you can share if you see them. The biggest one to keep an eye on this season is breeding behaviour. If you see a bird carrying nesting materials, sitting on a nest or feeding chicks, let the survey know.Remember to keep your distance though from birds who are breeding. We don't want to disturb any nests. Be sure to limit your observations and don't get close enough to scare a bird off its nest.Also keep an eye out for:• Aggressive interactions – Let them know if you have observed any species initiate interactions with other birds and whether this interaction could be classed as aggressive – you can do this in the sighting details tab using the specific species interactions option.• Have you seen any birds feeding on the native plants in your garden? If so – who was dining on what? – you can tell us in the notes section when you record the species you have observed under “sighting details”• Have any birds been dabbling in some Oscar-worthy acting? – tell them about the weird and wonderful things your backyard birds have been up to you using the notes section in the sighting details tabs.Why do these surveys?Your surveys are used by BirdLife Australia and the Urban Bird team to track the health of our urban birds, and to monitor the impact of our gardens, outdoor spaces and even our own behaviours on bird populations. We can learn a lot from Birds in Backyard surveys, like how different types of gardens can attract different types of birds, and which features birds may be avoiding or are negatively affected by.Your surveys also contribute to the on-ground conservation work including local planting and habitat improvement projects and national advocacy and campaigns. To find out more, visit https://www.birdsinbackyards.net/getinvolved/How-survey