Catholic Diocese Bishop of Lismore, Greg Homeming has said that it is “great news” that the fire that began in the sacristy of St Carthage's Cathedral early this morning has not injured anyone. Richmond Police District has reported that no-one was inside the cathedral at the time of the fire, but that the fire had caused significant damage to the building.Officers are investigating the circumstances surrounding the fire, which is being treated as suspicious.“This morning the sacristy of the cathedral was found to be on fire - the cause of which at this stage is unknown,” Bishop Homeming said. Bishop of Lismore, Greg Homeming.“Very quickly the police arrived on scene and it seems at this stage, they have the fire well under control. “By the time I got down there, there were no flames to be seen and only smoke. By 8.30am, I couldn’t see much smoke.“I thank police and the fire brigade for their good work to bring it under control.“The great news is no one has been injured, no one has died and all we have is a damaged building. It’s only a building.“The church remains undamaged, because the church is the people – you. As long as you continue in your love, the church will go on.”Bishop Homeming said he was waiting to see what the police investigation would report about the cause of the fire.“Please keep us and the whole of the diocese in your prayers," he said.School closedSt Mary's school, next to the cathedral, will be closed today, but Trinity Catholic College Principal Brother John Hilet confirmed that supervision for children will be available.ORIGINAL STORY: UPDATE: Fire at St Carthage's Cathedral closes school and roads 

Another $900,000 is now available from the Vinnies Bushfire Appeal to help communities lead their own local bushfire recovery projects.The St Vincent de Paul Society NSW invites registered community organisations to apply for grants of up to $20,000 each in Round 2 of the Community Bushfire Grants Program.Read more news: Mt Nardi becomes part of new emergency communications network Vinnies NSW chief executive Jack de Groot said “we are so grateful to everyone who has donated to the Vinnies Bushfire Appeal enabling us to provide financial, material and emotional support to communities devastated by the Black Summer bushfires”.  “During Round 1 we approved $308,000 allocated across 19 community projects, and hope to continue to make a real difference to communities as they recover and rebuild from the traumatic events of last summer,” he said. The Community Bushfire Grants Program from Vinnies NSW will stand in partnership with recovery initiatives from Vinnies Canberra/Goulburn. Vinnies NSW Bushfire Co-ordinator, Mike Riley, has been managing the bushfire response in NSW and will oversee the grants application process. “We understand that the bushfires have impacted communities in different ways, and that affected residents have the first-hand knowledge of what projects will provide the most benefit to the whole community,” Mr Riley said. “This program is part of our long-term response in supporting communities impacted by the bushfires. We will assess a wide range of applications put forward, including infrastructure repairs, counselling, education and programs promoting community inclusion and engagement.” Applications for Round 2 grants will close on October 11. Interested organisations are invited to visit http://www.vinnies.org.au/bushfiregrants. 

While emergency services clean up at the site of the fire at St Carthages Cathedral this morning, a police investigation into the 'suspicious' fire begins.Trinity Catholic College Principal Brother John Hilet has also confirmed in an email to parents that the St Mary's school site will be off limits all day today. “Under current Covid-19 restrictions, we cannot accommodate all students on one site hence the closure,” he stated.“Supervision is available on SJS for those students who are unable to be collected by parents/carers. “Please be assured we will be open on Monday and the Delaney Cup that was to be held today has been transferred to Monday.”Read more news: Lismore bishop unsure of cause of 'suspicious' cathedral fireORIGINAL STORY:A fire has broken out in the rear of St Carthage's Cathedral with emergency services on-site.As a result Trinity Catholic College will be closed today with parents asked to keep their children at home. If you are unable to keep your children at home supervision will be provided on the St Joseph's site.  The fire is reported to have started at 6.48am this morning and NSW Fire and Rescue, Police and Transport for NSW are on the scene.Richmond Police District police have closed Orion and Dawson Streets, as well as the area in front of the Cathedral. There will be no parking available on Orion Street.Police are urging commuters to avoid this area where possible. Students/parents of St Carthages and Trinity College will be notified via school websites.Read more news: Man appears in Lismore Court charged with 16 child sex offencesDiversionsTraffic management reported that local traffic diversions are in place and that commuters should allow extra travel time and exercise caution.Eastbound traffic is advised to travel via Woodlark St, Keen St and Brunswick St. Westbound traffic is advised to travel via Richmond Hill Rd and Bruxner Hwy. These local diversions are not suitable for B-doubles - which should use the Bruxner Highway as an alternative route. 

Mount Nardi has become one of five new radio sites for the Lismore region's expanded Public Safety Network (PSN).The sites, which include Mallanganee, Mount Nardi, Parrots Nest, Legume and Pretty Gully are now part of a single, integrated communication network which will give emergency services like the Rural Fire Brigade a better chance to save lives. Read more news: Vinnies opens round 2 of community bushfire grants programWith the summer bushfire season approaching, Nationals Member of the Legislative Council Ben Franklin said the new radio sites, delivered by the NSW Telco Authority, are vital to ongoing community safety across Lismore.“By expanding the footprint of this critical infrastructure, we are ensuring that frontline responders have a more reliable network to help keep people and places safe,” Mr Franklin said. “PSN sites were crucial in protecting communities and supporting the Rural Fire Service, Police, Fire and Rescue, Ambulance and the State Emergency Service during the 2019-20 bushfires in NSW.”Minister for Customer Service Victor Dominello said the NSW Government was investing more than $600 million in essential infrastructure to better protect communities.“During an emergency every second counts. The new radio sites in the Lismore area will make it easier for our local emergency services to communicate when it matters most,” Mr Dominello said.“The PSN’s expansion represents the biggest investment in critical communications infrastructure by the NSW Government in two decades.”The delivery of these new emergency communications sites follows a $217 million boost to the Telco Authority in 2020 to continue to expand the footprint of the PSN across NSW.

When her twins Ruby and Carla were born premature at 31 weeks, Melissa Gahan said it was a surprise that she wasn’t prepared for. But thanks to a humidicrib and the care of Lismore Base Hospital staff in the special care nursery, the twins, now two years old, are thriving.So, when this year’s NAB Darryl Chapman Fun Run was on for the Our Kids charity to raise money to buy another hospital humidicrib, Melissa got a team together.Her Team Twinnies went on to raise $2,340 and win a trophy for raising the most money in the NAB Community Challenge.Read more news: Cow killed and butchered in CaniabaMelissa’s twins featured in the 2020 Our Kids calendar earlier this year.“My twins spent the first four weeks of life in a humidicrib, so raising money for Our Kids is close to my heart so they can purchase another one,” Melissa said.Team Twinnies was one of 277 teams registered in this year’s fun run – which for the first time, went virtual due to Covid-19 restrictions.Team DCFR: Rebecca Kent, NAB, Denis Byrne, Graeme Hoskins, Rebekka Battista, Suzette Pearce and Nigel Rumble. Virtual fun runThis year, there was no big event where the streets of Lismore were shut down for hundreds of runners and walkers – instead participants registered online, nominated their own distance and chose walking, cycling, horse riding and even rowing dragon boats to go the distance.Melissa said this year she chose to run 10 kilometres over two 5 km runs and got her friends and family involved too.Denis Byrne one of the top fundraisers with Graeme Hoskins from the Lord Taverners.“I have a friend who grew up in Lismore who is now in London and he ran 42 kilometres for it,’ she said. "We also had a Facebook group ad uploaded pictures to keep each other motivated. One friend did her run in Toowoomba.“When we won the trophy, the twins were passing it back and forth with big grins on their faces.”Read more news: Get on your bike and win prizes in the Biketober challengeHolly Irwin one of the top fundraisers.HumidicribOur Kids fundraising coordinator Rebekka Battista said in total, Our Kids raised $41,000 and will now be able to buy a special BabyLeo humidicrib, costing $50,000, for the local hospital.“The success was due to local individuals and businesses rallying their networks and asking people to contribute to the cause,” she said. “This included a ‘call to action’ day from NAB, the naming sponsor, which alone raised over $9,500.”Rebekka said the unusual format for the virtual event allowed people to expand it in ways she’d never thought about.NAB Corporate Challenge AMPT Fitness, led by Ashleigh McGuiness.Dragonboats“Amazingly, the Rainbow Dragonboats in Ballina did the distance on the water with about 14 people in two boats,” she said. “The reach has been far and wide.“Some Lismore ex-pats in Melbourne lockdown did it - they were allowed to go out for an hour, 5 kms from their houses, so they took their time and went out did it for Our Kids.Samantha Foster one of the top fundraisersFuture hybridRebekka said last year there were 630 runners, and this year 617 people donated money.“We had about the same amount of engagement so it was a success,” she said.“We will continue to do a hybrid model of the event even when we can get back to putting on a community event and shut down the street, so people can still join in wherever they are throughout the week.“We wouldn’t have looked at that before. We are so surprised how much we made and we are proud of our beautiful community – especially in light of Covid and the impact it has had on our community and local charities who have had to change the way they do business.“Donating means this humidicrib will continue to positively impact on families in years to come.”Naming partners from NAB Bank, Rebecca Kent and Nigel Rumble.WinnersRebekka said this year’s leaderboard was based on highest fundraising amounts, rather than the first across the finish line.The 2020 fundraising results were: NAB Corporate Challenge: 1st place: AMPT Fitness Team 2nd place: O’Brien Electrical and Plumbing Lismore 3rd Place: Summit Fitness NAB Community Challenge: 1st place: Team Twinnies 2nd place: Summerland Christian College Run Club 3rd Place: Team Ballina Highest Individual Fundraisers: 1st place: Angela Grayndler from team O’Brien Electrical and Plumbing Lismore2nd place: Denis Byrne 3rd Place: Holly Irwin from team Trevors Pals

The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) is advising of a shortage of Estradot (estradiol) hormone replacement therapy transdermal patches due to manufacturing issues.Estradot HRT patches are used for short-term relief of symptoms associated with menopause.To assist patients to access medicines during this shortage, the TGA has published Serious Shortage Substitution Notices (SSSNs) for Estradot 25 and Estradot 100 patches. These SSSNs allow pharmacists to dispense a substitute medicine without requiring patients to get a new prescription from their doctor. The TGA has also authorised five overseas registered medicines for supply in Australia during the shortage.If you are affected by this shortage, please talk to your pharmacist or doctor about substitutes or alternative products.For more information, visit https://www.tga.gov.au/alert/shortage-estradot-estradiol-hormone-replacement-therapy-patches-multiple-strengths

Rather than hopping in your car for that next trip around town, why not jump on your bicycle instead?With the Biketober Business Challenge only a couple of weeks away and prizes up for grabs, Lismore City Council is urging local businesses to sign up and encourage their staff to jump on their bikes for at least 10 minutes during October.The challenge is being organised by Get Healthy at Work, a NSW Government programme that aims to create healthy workplaces and improve the health of working adults across the state.As a lover of bikes, I love riding my bike and take every chance I can to ride my bike around Lismore. I also live close to town - so it’s a pretty easy decision to use my bike as a practical way to get to places while getting exercise. So, what if you work in town but don’t live close to town? OptionsWhy not think about car pooling to work and having a bicycle at the workplace that employees can use to go about their business in town?Or take your bike into town in your car and use the bike while in town for the day?Lismore Mayor Isaac Smith said “it’s not just about who can cycle the furthest or the most often, but who can encourage the most people to give cycling a go”.“It would be great to see someone jump on their bike for the first time and go to work during this challenge,” he said. “It’s about getting fit and healthy and staying that way.”Glenys Ritchie.Bike sale spikesGlenys Ritchie, another lover of cycling - and an avid proponent of the proposed rail trail for the Lismore area – said Covid-19 has been “horrible, but it’s been great for cycling and walking”.“There’s been spikes in bike sales everywhere and people are out there cycling and walking more,” she said.“There’s also been a 20% increase in people using rail trails and getting out and being active.”Biketober Business ChallengeLast year, 3798 participants from 392 organisations took part in the Biketober Business Challenge, including 613 new riders, riding a total of 932,900km – that’s more than 23 cycles around the world.For information and to register for the challenge visit http://www.lovetoride.netIndividuals who are not part of a workplace are welcome to take part. All individuals who live or work in NSW and are eligible to win spot prizes.

Now with solar heating in all the pools, Lismore Memorial Baths is ready to re-open for the summer season on Monday, September 21.Lismore City Council announced today that swimmers will notice a difference on their return to the water with Council completing repair work to the solar heating system during the winter recess.The system was damaged in the 2017 flood. The cost of repair, and the installation of two additional electrical heat pumps, was covered by insurance with no additional outlay by Council or ratepayers.All pools – the 50m, 25m and toddler – are now solar heated. The replacement of three existing heat pumps and the installation of additional pumps, means Lismore Memorial Baths will remain heated when the sun is not shining.To protect the heating system from future floods, Council has also constructed a mezzanine level in the pool’s plant room to raise the heat storage tanks.The operating hours of Lismore Memorial Baths are:Monday to Friday: 6am – 6pmSaturdays and Sundays 9am – 3pm Daylight Savings:From Monday, 5 October, the baths will remain open from 6am – 7pm weekdays Term 4 Learn to Swim:From Monday, 12 October – Saturdays and Sundays will extend from 9am – 5pm As usual, in extreme heat of 35+ degrees, it will stay open until 8pm Mondays – Fridays and extend the weekends by one hour. Admission costs: Adult Casual: $5.50Concession Casual: $4.70Spectator: $3.40

Police are investigating after a cow was unlawfully killed and butchered on a property on Spring Road, Caniaba last Sunday September 13, 2020.Police were called to the scene, where it was apparent from the cow’s remains that it had been butchered and the meat removed.A forensic examination of the scene subsequently took place, including items left behind by the offenders.Investigations are continuing however police are urging anyone with information, or who may have seen anyone acting suspiciously in the area, to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or the Rural Crime Prevention Team at Casino Police Station on (02) 6662 0099.

When a Covid-19 special edition of the Global Drug Survey was released last week, it’s probably no surprise that two in five Australians reported drinking more alcohol during lockdown, while the same proportion said they were drinking less.The report’s co-lead researcher Dr Monica Barratt from RMIT University said the results provide a snapshot of changed drug use patterns, drug markets and other drug-related trends during the pandemic based on over 55,000 surveys, including 1,889 in Australia.Speaking in relation to the Australian sample, Dr Barratt said drinkers who reported having a diagnosed mental health condition were more likely to report increasing their drinking compared to February, before COVID-19 restrictions.“Twice as many drinkers reported drinking alone with friends who were connected through video/audio calls or 'watch parties', compared to the 12 months before COVID-19,” Prof Barratt said.“Almost half of the sample who reporting drinking alone said they were drinking alone more often compared to before the pandemic.“Around half of the sample who reported cannabis use said it had increased compared to February.“Over half also reported that they are now more likely to consume cannabis alone compared to February.“Of those who used illicit drugs in the previous 12 months, MDMA and cocaine were the most likely to have decreased compared to February, with lack of access to normal settings of use (like nightclubs, festivals, parties) being the most common reason for the change.“Drug market shifts were reported too: including half of the Australian respondents saying availability of illegal drugs had decreased, one third reporting increases in drug prices, and one in five reporting decreased drug purity.“Of those who did access illegal drugs during March–June 2020, most (64%) reported there was no change in the drug transaction.“Only a few reported signs of a constricted drug market when profiling their last drug purchase, such as higher price (8%), difficulty finding a supplier (6%) or taking longer than usual to get the drugs (6%).”The Global Drug Survey COVID-19 Special Edition was co-led by Dr Monica Barratt of RMIT University and Professor Adam Winstock of University College London, in collaboration with Associate Professor Jason Ferris of University of Queensland

Woodburn, Broadwater and Wardell will be bypassed tonight with the opening of 34 kilometres of new Pacific Motorway between Woodburn and Pimlico.New bridge over the Richmond River at Broadwater at sunset. Woodburn Evans Head.Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development Michael McCormack said the milestone was one of the last major pieces of the Pacific Highway upgrade to cross the finish line, with the duplication of the highway between Hexham and the Queensland border now more than 96% complete. “This is yet another critical piece of the Woolgoolga to Ballina project and with this complete, we will have opened a staggering 97 kilometres of new dual carriageway just this year,” Mr McCormack said. “This section is critical as it will alleviate what was a persistent traffic bottleneck around Woodburn during the peak holiday season.Broadwater interchange.Federal Member for Page Kevin Hogan said improving safety had been the key driver of the upgrade. “We have already seen a significant reduction in fatal crash numbers since work to upgrade the highway began two decades ago,” Mr Hogan said. “The new section will provide smoother, faster and more reliable journeys and we are all excited to see an end to long traffic queues during busy holiday periods. “The route includes the new bridge at Broadwater, which is the second longest bridge on the upgrade and an impressive structure sweeping across the Richmond River.”We are investing in our post-pandemic future by delivering lasting infrastructure which will kick-start our economic recovery and benefit Australians for years to come.” New South Wales Minister for Regional Transport and Roads Paul Toole said the opening of this section would transform the journeys along the north coast of NSW for the better. “The Pacific Highway upgrade has been a major investment in our regional communities, creating more than 3,000 jobs during the peak of the Woolgoolga to Ballina project alone, injecting millions into local economies and giving local communities the highway they deserve,” Mr Toole said. “We are now so close to the end of this multi-generational project and the benefits are clear – faster, safer journeys and improved connections for local communities." New Italy area.State Member for Clarence Chris Gulaptis said the latest milestone would see interchanges open at Woodburn, Broadwater and Coolgardie, offering safe access to and across the new motorway. “Following the traffic change, the project team will complete finishing work at the Woodburn and Coolgardie interchanges and the connecting local roads,” Mr Gulaptis said. “We are also going to see bypassed town signage installed at Woodburn, Broadwater and Wardell, which aim to send tourist dollars to town by showing the services and attractions on offer.” Electronic message signs will provide wayfinding information and motorists should be aware of traffic management and reduced speed limits though the area while work continues to build the upgrade.

It’s musical shops in the CBD of Lismore.After 30 years of trading at the front of Mathers Arcade on Woodlark Street, Fashion Profile is moving. Tracey Ryan, the shop’s owner said “it’s time to move on”.Tracey said the move would happen in about two weeks – and she’s moving to the Woodlark Street shop left vacant by Daleys Homewares and Monogramming.“Pre-Covid, I had no intention to move out of our bustling location in the alleyway,” Tracey said. “But we always had other traders here too and it was a funky Melbourne vibe.Read related business news: After 24 years Daleys is moving from Woodlark Street Scary place“But since February when Julian closed down The French Bench at the other end of the arcade because of Covid impacting on his business, it’s become a dangerous, toxic and scary place to be.“People were used to walking through the alleyway from the other side - but we can’t see who’s coming in through our back door and I’m worried about the safety of my staff.“We were finding condoms and syringes and are worried about using the toilet upstairs. We are the only ones in the building, apart from the counsellors upstairs - and they keep irregular hours.”To help her staff feel safer, Tracey closed off the alleyway with a partition to stop through-traffic.Major incident“Just last Friday, we had a major incident here,” she said. “The police chased a man causing problems down the alley and they said they got him because he was hindered by having to dive through the partition we have put up.”Responsibility and risk“We’ve told the real estate about it and that we won’t open the back doors unless the building’s owners take responsibility for the work health and safety of staff here.“A year ago, the building was sold to a new owner. The previous owner was fantastic and looked after us, but we think the real estate agent is not passing on our concerns to the owner.“I’m disappointed other people don’t see the risk for what it is.“If people want to walk through from the back laneways to Woodlark Street, they can still walk through the chemist instead.”New lease on life Tracey said she gave her real estate agent notice on the shop yesterday and she hopes to be trading in the new location by October 19.“It will be exciting working out how to merchandise and showcase our beautiful clothes in a new shop,” she said.Tracey said when Matthew Healy – the owner of Daleys – moved the business to the new location on Keen Street last week, she was immediately interested in taking over the old shop building.“Matthew and I have always got on well as business colleagues,” she said. “Daleys has been in business for 30 years too.“I bought the Fashion Profile business in July 2015 when I left my teaching job and Matthew bought Daleys from John in October when he left his corporate job. We are both long term businesses and we have a supportive, community working relationship.”Read related business news: Historic cream can reappears atop new Daleys shopCommunity“Our relationship has grown over the years and along with Trea’s Shoes, the three of us opened up the emporium in Evans Head together in July this year. We’ve committed for six months already. You sell more fashion in Evans Head than towels, so we needed a different business model.”Read about the Evans Head emporium. As generations of locals keep business in Lismore afloat, Tracey is glad to be part of the community.“There’s a good landlord in the new building and there’s a toilet on bottom floor,” she said.“It’s a sad day for business when people see an empty shop in Lismore. It’s not because we aren’t trying as a community though.”The Lismore App today contacted Tracey’s real estate agent for comment about the Mathers Arcade alleyway.Read more business news: New deli brings bagels, cupcakes and New York to Lismore

The tragic loss of 17-year-old Eddie Allen's life on Monday night has hit our community hard.Loss of any kind is difficult to come to terms with but when it is someone so young it reaches far into the community through mates, sporting teams, students, schools and parents let alone the family.The love and support of those impacted is demonstrated by schools offering ongoing counselling as well as grief documents being emailed to parents so they have the necessary tools to help their child.Last Saturday, the Lismore Rugby Club Colts won the Far North Coast Rugby Union Under 18 Colts Preliminary Final to advance to this week's Grand Final. It is the first time the Colts have reached this point of the season.Now the decision has to be made whether the team plays in the Grand Final.Josh Creighton is the coach of the Colts and he said that the decision is with the players."I have left the call to the boys and what they want to do," Josh said, "We had a bbq at training last night with 150 people turning up including Ed's Rams league side.""We just talked about what has happened and I told them to not make a decision now but reflect on it for a couple of days. They will let me know what they want to do at training on Thursday.""If they say 'yes' they would like to play then we will go and train and focus on our footy. It will be bloody hard but I don't want it to ruin their day on Saturday."Eddie Allen was playing both rugby union and rugby league this year. He would lace up on Saturday for the Colts Under 18s then back up on Sunday for the Marist Brothers Under 18s. At training last night the Under 16's and Colts played a game of touch against the rugby league players.Whatever the decision made by the Lismore Rugby Club Colts it will be supported by the 43,800 living in the Lismore Government area.

Fewer people attended Lismore Base Hospital’s Emergency Department (ED) throughout the Covid-19 pandemic from April to June, according to a new Bureau of Health Information quarterly report. With 8,547 presentations to ED, it was a 12.8% decrease compared to the same quarter in 2019. However, arrivals by ambulance remained stable at 2,313, down 0.6%.At the same time, the hospital’s performance improved, with 82.2% of patients starting treatment on time. The median time to leave the ED remained stable at two hours and one minute, lower than the state average of two hours and 27 minutes.   The decrease in hospital ED attendances was reflected across the Northern NSW Local Health District (NNSWLHD) – as well as across the whole State. The largest reductions were in the semi-urgent (T4) and non-urgent (T5) categories, which were down by 25.2% and 25.7% respectively. Covid restrictionsNNSWLHD Chief Executive Wayne Jones said the drop in presentations coincided with increased restrictions on community gatherings and activities, as well as people practising social distancing and better hand hygiene in response to the pandemic.  “Over the past six months we have had to significantly change our behaviour, and there’s no doubt that has impacted on the numbers of people we’re seeing through our hospitals,” Mr Jones said.  “The restrictions meant Northern NSW residents were moving less frequently around the community, socialising less, and not participating in regular activities like competitive sport.  “We also know there has been a significant reduction in flu-like illness this year, with people adopting the public health advice around good respiratory and hand hygiene.”  Emergency department performance improved, with 84.3% of patients starting treatment on time, a 6.6 percentage point increase on the same quarter in 2019. Elective surgery performanceDue to COVID-19, there were major changes to elective surgery following the Federal Government’s direction to cease non-urgent elective surgery on 25 March and to recommence incrementally from 27 April.Despite the major disruptions, the LHD performed 2,215 surgeries. Non-urgent surgeries were down 73.3%, while urgent and semi-urgent surgeries decreased by 17% and 16.3% respectively.  “Our surgical teams worked extremely hard, both in actioning the initial reduction in surgery, and then gradually recommencing the delivery of non-urgent surgery in a COVID-safe environment,” Mr Jones said. Changing situation“They have done incredibly well to respond to the changing situation, adapting quickly to ensure our community can continue to receive the care they need.” The NSW Government has announced up to an extra $388 million will be invested to fast-track elective surgeries which were delayed as a result of the Federal Government’s decision, ensuring patients will be booked in to public or private hospitals as soon as possible. The NSW Government has committed $800 million extra funding over two years on top of the 2019-20 Health Budget of $26.7 billion to help boost ICU capacity and purchase additional services and medical equipment, to help respond to COVID-19. The 2019- 20 budget for Northern NSW Local Health District was $875 million, this is an increase of $37 million on the previous financial year’s annualised budget. Mental healthDuring the April to June quarter, there were 443 acute mental health episodes of care across the specialised mental health units, with 224 at Lismore and 219 at Tweed. The rate of seclusion at Lismore was 10 per 1,000 bed days and at Tweed it was 5 per 1,000 bed days. The NSW average rate is 7.3 per 1,000 bed days. The rate of physical restraint at Lismore was 4.3 per 1,000 bed days and at Tweed it was 8.6. The NSW average rate is 9.6 per 1,000 bed days. Mr Jones said NNSWLHD is committed to reducing and where possible, eliminating seclusion and restraint, and providing the best possible mental health care in the least restrictive environment. 

A group of teenagers have been inspired to design and build garden beds as part of a unique youth garden project which is transforming the CASPA Learning Centre in Lismore.  The CASPA Learning Centre delivers educational programs and support to young people who are disengaged or unable to attend school due to complex needs and behaviours. CASPA education officer Jess Grace said the teenage boys had never had a garden before and have been happily staying past their lessons to work on the project and “have really taken ownership of it”. “Joel Orchard from Future Feeders led the project and inspired the young people to throw their energy into the garden,” Ms Grace said. “They worked together to design, build the garden beds, and learned about soils, worms, compost and gardening.“The next stage is a pizza oven for the courtyard.  “As well as taking ownership and pride in the garden, these young people have built their self-esteem and confidence and developed new friendships.  “Together we have created a beautiful outdoor space for students and a sustainable garden to use in our cooking program.” Thanks to a Youth Health and Wellbeing grant from the Northern NSW Local Health District, young people at CASPA were able to transform the bare outdoor space into a garden courtyard. Health Promotion Manager Jillian Adams said the aim of the youth grants was to start projects that would encourage young people to be physically active and eat more healthy food.  “This CASPA project ticks all the boxes,” Ms Adams said. “There is plenty of physical work in building and maintaining a garden, and the young people will have the satisfaction of preparing and eating the fresh produce.”

The future of compost is unclear, but Lismore’s recycling facility is almost back on track with glass, aluminium, plastics and paper.Since the great compost fire of August 2019, it’s been a slow rebuild of the recycling-sorting machinery that burned down at Lismore's Recycling and Resource Recovery Centre.Amid very dry and windy conditions, the fire burnt for 10 days causing extensive damage.Lismore City Council Mayor Isaac Smith said Council’s insurance claim had been successful and there would be no ongoing financial impact to Council from rebuilding the facility.“The fire caused an enormous disruption to our business and the services we provide to the community, so it’s really exciting to see the rebuilding work,” he said. "Part of the new build was a big shed for keeping the recycling dry in order to make it easier to process."With half of the machinery now in operation, and the other half ready soon, the Centre manager Andy Irvine said he hoped the full build will be complete by the end of the year – but that work had been held up by the Queensland border closures which stopped necessary materials getting to the site.Compost“Fires in compost piles happen all the time,” Andy said. “The rebuild is in a different location and the new compost piles will be reduced in scale.“The equipment required to make the compost burned in the fire too. We are almost done rebuilding the blowers for the compost and we’ll be back in business on a small scale after planning with Council and councillors about what to do.”Mayor Smith said as far as whether or not the facility would return to pre-fire production levels of compost production goes, Council was looking at what was the best way to handle the income streams from the facility.“We will look for the best outcome to get a good return, while managing the waste sustainably,” he said.Read more news: A 55 tonne whale carcass arrives in Lismore todaySorting trial and container deposit schemeAndy said staff were currently doing a trial sorting of recycling trying to work out what people are actually putting into their bins.“The container deposit scheme has changed what the make up of bins are,” he said. “So we are picking though tonnes of recycling and weighing it so we can plan future operations at the facility. and how to charge accordingly.“There used to be more glass and plastic bottles before people got 10 cents a container and stopped putting them in the yellow bins.Unscramble“From a sorting point of view, it’s great. We don’t have to unscramble the mix of recycling. It means we have a cleaner product to sell.“Bales of aluminium are a much wanted commodity and worth a lot to us. But we don’t want it contaminated, because the price drops if there is plastic in it.Should we put cigarette butts in cans?“It’s best to keep things as clean as possible, but if there’s a cigarette butt in a can, at the end of the day it will be melted down anyway.“It’s more about the capacity of our facility to keep soft plastics out of bales – it gets into everything and makes it hard. The standards of clean end products has been lifted massively in this industry.Common recycling mistakes Andy said a common mistake people made was to put nappies in the green waste.“It makes life really difficult,” he said. “We want no plastic bags in green waste - don’t think that it might break down eventually.“Also in yellow bins, we don’t want heavily contaminated packaging.Bottle tops“If a glass bottle comes through, it goes through the glass breaker. If it still has a bottle top on it, the bit of glass with it goes to waste. If the top wasn’t there, the whole glass bottle would be broken up, turned into glass and used in a road or something.“If people can take care at the source with recycling, we can recover so much more - when it’s badly contaminated, there’s nothing we can do with it."FutureMayor Smith said the Lismore Recycling and Recovery Centre is a $3.65 million Material Recovery Facility and processes around 15,000 tonnes of recyclables per year,“We are looking forward to once again being able to manage waste in our own backyard,” he said.“I want to acknowledge the community for their patience during the last 12 months as both the fire and COVID-19 has had significant impacts on our waste services.“I would also like to thank our waste staff, who have been under enormous pressure, and have continued to show incredible commitment under very trying conditions to deliver essential services for our whole community.”Since the fire, Council has been working with contractors in the Northern Rivers and south-east Queensland to manage the waste.

At 510pm this afternoon the Westpac Rescue Helicopter was tasked to a property at Federal north west of Bangalow to a report of a person who had fallen 3 meters off a roof. NSW Paramedics and the Helicopter Critical Care Medical Team have treated and stabilised the male patient believed to be in his 40’s for leg fractures before being airlifted to Lismore Hospital in a stable condition for further treatment.  

The remnants of a 55 tonne sperm whale will be arriving at Lismore Recycling and Resource Recovery Centre today. The unusual arrival is the carcass of a whale that washed up on Patches Beach in Ballina last Friday. Read more news: Lismore Rugby Club mourns the death of rising starThe centre’s manager Andy Irvine said Lismore Council staff had already used machinery to dig a hole big enough to accommodate the carcass – thought to be the one of the largest whales yet to wash up on a NSW beach.Andy said the logistical nightmare of removing and transporting the 16.9 metre whale from the beach to Lismore was the responsibility of the State agency, Soil and Conservation NSW.Andy wasn’t sure exactly how it was going to arrive at the landfill site, but said it would certainly involve cutting the large carcass into smaller pieces for transport. Prime News reported last night that local Aboriginal people had requested that the whale not be buried on Patches Beach due to the area being a Bundjalung culturally sensitive site. Local authorities also performed an autopsy on the whale prior to its removal from the beach, in order to work out how it might have died. Andy said the whale was not going to be buried in the compost, but in a separate area of the Lismore facility. “We’ve been in touch with the compliance people and we have to cover it with polymer and soil,” he said. When asked if it might become a plant fertiliser product down the track, Andy replied “we are not planning to bottle it for the garden”.“That’s not high on my priority list - as long as no one complains about it," he said.So how does a dead whale smell?“I’ll tell you about it this afternoon,” Andy laughed.

"It is with a heavy heart that Lismore City Rugby Union Club is today saddened and devastated by the loss of one of its young guns Eddie Allen." This is the first line on social media from the Lismore Rugby Club facebook page as the sporting community mourns the death of the 17 year old.Read more news: Teenager dies in East Lismore car crashA Far North Coast and NSW Country representative player, Eddie at just 17 years old made his debut with City first grade in 2020 and played with the Clubs Colts team who made their first ever Grand Final with victory over Mullumbimby on Saturday. A game that Eddie played."Taken tragically and too young Eddie was loved by everyone. ""Rest easy Eddie.""Our thoughts are with his family and friends at this time."Other tributes have been posted on their facebook page including other Rugby Clubs like Wollongbar Rugby Club, "On behalf of the Wollongbar Rugby Club condolences to the family.Our thoughts are with his teammates and the Lismore Rugby Club. May he Rest In Peace."How this tragedy affects this weekend's Grand Final against minor Premiers Casuarina Beach is yet to be determined.Read more news: A 55 tonne whale carcass arrives in Lismore today