Playing alone for her ensemble music exams was a strange experience for Southern Cross University (SCU) student Sophie Ozard.The third year Contemporary Music student didn’t have ready-access to an on-campus student ensemble band for her music performance exams last month, and she had to get creative to deliver her live set, virtually.Sophie laid down her own backing vocal tracks and piano loops for a 40-minute set.“I played guitar to accompany myself for about half of the performance,” she said.“The situation pushed me to do more in terms of production. Piano is not an instrument I usually play so that was hard but it was a good challenge.“It’s always weird watching yourself on video, up close. It was different to most other exams I’ve done yet I’m happy with the final result.”Sophie has been a regular on the Northern Rivers gig scene for the past couple of years. She plans to return to Melbourne to pursue music therapy when she graduates.“I found doing music online in Session 1 hard actually,” Sophie said.“Music creation is about coming together for collaboration, jamming, arranging and playing to an audience. The student ensemble is a big part of it and the part that everyone likes doing.”Senior music lecturer Dr Leigh Carriage acknowledged the challenges students faced because of the University’s COVID-19 lockdown.“It was so uplifting to witness so many students surrounded by so much uncertainly and under less than favourable circumstances, yet rising to the occasion playing and singing with so such passion and commitment,” Dr Carriage said.Dr Carriage also said the additional skills and experience the music students gained was invaluable.“The situation meant developing technical skills like creating backing tracks or learning to set-up for a video shoot. Self-sufficiency is essential within the portfolio of musicians. Students now know how to create good quality footage to add to their own social accounts.”Dr Carriage also credited the enormous effort of all involved.“For practice-based creatives the changes brought about by COVID-19 lockdown restrictions required music staff and students alike to dig deep and respond immediately with creative innovations and flexible online delivery.“Our Contemporary Music course co-ordinator Dr Matt Hill and lecturer Dave Sanders were keystones of much innovation and problem-solving, and offered incredible stewardship during this time.”Enjoy a selection of the Contemporary Music exam performances, including Sophie's: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-erLSIp1rj4

Pasta, prosecco, coffee and cake are on the menu for Lismore’s Friendship Festival – which, despite being postponed this year, is getting ready for June 2021 in Spinks Park.The festival with a strong Italian flavour is set to be better than ever after receiving a big cheque for $3,210 from Federal Member for Page Kevin Hogan this week.Festival president Ros Derrett said the money will go towards providing a “waste” experience, as well as first aid training qualifications and a dedicated marquee for festival volunteers.This year would have been the fifth year for the Friendship Festival, which celebrates Italian culture in the community and brings approximately 5000 people into the CBD each year.Ros said getting volunteers on board was going to be made even easier with the grant money.“We are all volunteers,” Ros said. “We are excited to engage more young people as volunteers for next year and be able to upskill them and provide them with training.”“Aliison Kelly, our festival manager is also looking at how we can recycle, reuse and educate people about being in public spaces and not leave a lot of waste.“When you are serving food in a public space, waste is a big problem a big problem – and we are engaging partners in the local community to help us with the community education.”With Covid still looming into the future, Ros said the festival will still likely be looking at social distancing, but encouraging people to bring their own receptacles and have water available.Italo ClubThe Australian-Italo Club and its volunteers have played an important role in the running of the festival over the years, and despite the club’s recent financial worries and potential closure, Ros said the club will remain a part of the Friendship Festival.“The Italo Club was instrumental in auspicing us in our first year and uses the festival as a fundraiser,” she said.“We are participating as members of the Italo Club and look forward to seeing them go forward if the Club Marconi amalgamation opportunity comes through.“It’s a good relationship because this festival has a strong Italian feel and celebrates the relationship between Lismore, its Italian settlers and two sister cities in Italy.“We need more people on board with a commitment to Italian relationships and look forward to working with the Italo Club and the wider community to make sure the festival works.“We have a relationship with a city in Italy known to be the centre of prosecco making in Europe so will certainly acknowledge that.”The festival is hoped to he held in June 2021, but Ros said they will just have to wait and see what happens. Regardless of when it is held next, it will offer lots of Italian food, a kids’ stage and workshops for children, as well as an Italian film festival. 

After 30 years of working with veterans, the Veterans Motorcycle Club Rock Valley Chapter is ready to upgrade.Thanks to a volunteer grant from the Federal Government, the club can now upgrade their food preparation capabilities, storage space and laundry facilities. Federal Member for Page Kevin Hogan, today announced a $4,860 grant would be given to the club to support its new projects. “The work they do supporting our veterans is incredibly important,” Mr Hogan said. “The group have been working in our community for decades, this funding will ensure they can continue to support our returned servicemen for years to come.” “One of the great aspects of the club is the different people it brings together.There are Army, Navy and Airforce veterans that are all being brought together at the club. It’s a great support network for people who may not have had the opportunity if the club weren’t here.” “Volunteers are central to so many local organisations and provide important services in our community. “It is important to support the efforts of these organisations and the individuals that allow them to function.”

The Federal Government's extension of the JobKeeper Payment and the Coronavirus Supplement for businesses and households comes at a time of uncertainty for many people in our community.Federal Member for Page Kevin Hogan said today that the extension was the next phase in helping to support for Australians who are without work.“This unprecedented economic support will bolster our economic recovery,” Mr Hogan said."For businesses and their workers in our community, it will help them to not only get through this pandemic crisis, but recover on the other side."Under the Government’s next phase of support, the JobKeeper Payment will continue at its current level until September 27, after which it will be extended for a further six months to March 28, 2021. A two-tiered payment will also be introduced so as to better reflect the pre-COVID-19 income of payment recipients.Specifically, from 28 September until 3 January next year, the two payments will be $1,200 and $750 per fortnight, with the lower payment for employees who worked less than 20 hours a week in the month of February pre-COVID-19.From 4 January to 28 March next year, the two payments will be $1,000 and $650.The temporary Coronavirus Supplement for those on income support will also be extended until 31 December 2020. The $550 per fortnight Supplement will continue until 24 September. From 25 September until 31 December, the Supplement will be $250 per fortnight, reducing by the same amount as the JobKeeper payment."The Government’s focus remains on reopening the economy where it is safe to do so, but the extension of these measures recognises that some parts of the economy will continue to be affected and need continued support," Mr Hogan said.

When Lismore DJ Big Furr (Rodrigo Aguilar) cancelled an upcoming event at the Civic Hotel because he was told by the venue manager he wasn’t allowed to play music anymore, it meant the end of a new way of living in a covid world.So, The Lismore App decided to get to the bottom of this new world with no music or dancing and see what was happening in local pubs and what it meant for locals.Read Weather news: Weather: rain is on the way with more than 30mm's expectedNo singing, dancing, mingling - but karaoke is okWhile restrictions relaxed in NSW for a while to allow small groups of 20 to book a venue, last Friday’s decree from the NSW Government changed the rules to venues having a maximum of 10 in a booking.While the NSW Premier said dancing and singing were frowned upon, they were not actually prohibited. However, the changes to group booking numbers meant an end to potential gigs for many local musicians and DJs – including the Tropical Fruits event Fruity Fridays at the Civic.“When my gig was cancelled, I through ‘oh no, not again’,” DJ Big Furr said. “This is what I do for a living. The government is clamping down and now, I’ve got to push back my gigs till something changes.”“I’ve been a DJ for 20 years and before coronavirus, I had gigs every week - it’s meant a loss of a lot of income for me and I had to go onto Centrelink to pay the rent."Read more news: 'We’ve got to stop the mingling': new restrictions for cafes, restaurants, gatheringsPolicing the singing rulesNSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said the Government was working with the Australian Hotels Association (AHA) to create a safe environment for pubs and venues in NSW.AHA director of liquor and policing John Green said singing and dancing are not actually prohibited, but there are additional planning rules around having karaoke and wind instruments.“The rules state a singer must be three metres away from the audience [to minimise transmission of airborne saliva particles] and AHA has distributed this information to member organisations,” John said.“A pub also needs to have a covid safety plan, have customers seated while consuming alcohol and comply with public health regulations.”Is karaoke music?Rodrigoz said over the past few weeks, he would play music that “wasn’t too high energy”.“People could only sit down at tables, and I didn’t want the organisation to get stung by authorities if people danced.”While the Civic Hotel has decided to can the music and potential dancing, the Northern Rivers Hotel in North Lismore still intends to hold regular karaoke nights. Some may argue that karaoke isn’t exactly music, but for others, a good singing session is considered good medicine.Civic Hotel Civic Hotel manager Dan Jenkins said stopping the live music was about not attracting attention to the pub.“We can’t afford to get a 72 hour shut down and risk the owner’s licence as well – it’s just not worth it,” Dan said.“And we can’t afford to pay to put a band on for ten people.“So, we thought it’s safer to keep it as simple as possible so we can open up, serve meals and have few people dining.“If the police do the rounds and someone pissy starts dancing, our business is on the line. It’s already hard enough to monitor and keep the pub sitting down and not mingling.“The regulatory police are hammering the pubs right now, I don’t understand why they not going for shopping centres.“All our glasses are cleaned and sanitised and we can monitor our cleaning ten times better than Woolies.What about Woolies?“People in a pub drinking don’t let go of that glass until they leave – how many people at Woolies have touched a packet of rice?"Dan said he has been the manager at the Civic for 14 years and knows the pub generally pulls in an older crowd and not travellers. He said pubs like Mary Gs will have a harder time regulating social distancing as they pull a much younger crowd who wanted to party.Travelling crowd“I was in Surfers Paradise with my family recently and there were thousands of people on Cavil Avenue and we couldn’t move,” he said.“Everything was open and people were shoulder to shoulder. I felt weird.”Read more: Letters To The Editor: flight seat allocations to make you pay more“So, here, we are doing what we can to keep the doors open and make sure it’s safe for everybody.”So, if not having a DJ or live music puts people off coming to the pub and potentially dancing, that’s what the Civic Hotel intends keep on doing.

The brilliant winter sunshine in the last week is about to come to an end tomorrow with more than 30 millimetres forecast over the next five days, the wettest of which will be the weekend.The Bureau of Meteorology said is an onshore flow will bring a little rain tomorrow then increasing on Thursday and Friday with between 3-8mm's expected.That onshore flow will combine with an upper level weather system on Saturday to produce more than 10mm's with the same expected for Sunday.We will return to those idyllic winter days on Monday once again.Sport has only just returned following the COVID pandemic with rugby league already postponed from last weekend and soccer due to resume. Hopefully the forecast rain will not affect our local sporting fields.Stay up to date through the Weather link in the Lismore App Weather.

The Buttery is offering a free four-week online program to help people with alcohol and other drug issues, without needing to join a residential program.This time around, the program is especially focused on helping people in Nimbin, Kyogle, Casino and the surrounding areas.In response to COVID-19, The Buttery has adapted its popular Community Rehab Program (CORE) to become an online program that can be done from home.CORE will be delivered from August 3 for four weeks, Monday to Friday from 9.30am to 1pm. It will include group and individual therapy. The program will also provide meditation and online peer support for participants. People taking part can access case management, advocacy and referrals to other agencies for issues such as education or accommodation. The program will be followed by aftercare to help prevent relapse.Program manager Tanya Magnay said the program concept is more cost-effective than residential rehab.“It is also flexible enough to help people during the pandemic who would never have been able to put their family commitments on hold to seek intensive rehab,” she said.CORE will address lifestyle issues such as nutrition, exercise, stress management, mental health, and budgeting.To find out more about the program go to The Buttery website or call The Buttery Intake line during office hours on (02) 6687 1111.CORE is funded by Healthy North Coast through the North Coast PHN program.

Free online workshops from Byron Writers Festival are being made available to teachers and children at local primary and secondary schools this year.The annual Schools Programs are going online this August due to Covid restrictions cancelling the annual gathering. But that doesn’t stop Australia’s writers and thinkers being streamed on-demand into classrooms. Interested teachers need to register at byronwritersfestival.com/primary-schools or byronwritersfestival.com/secondary-schools to access the free programs.Byron Writers Festival director Edwina Johnson said she was pleased to present the online programs free of charge thanks to the support of both Southern Cross University (SCU) and The Copyright Agency’s Cultural Fund.SCU School of Education Dean Professor Amy Cutter-Mackenzie-Knowles said for the first time, teachers will be given resources to support student learning during these sessions.“This includes a selection of teacher’s notes, videos, podcasts and classroom activities curated by academics from SCU,” she said.The Secondary Schools program invites students to explore their unique writing style and voice with Christos Tsiolkas (The Slap, Damascus), discover the stories behind the songs with musician and writer Clare Bowditch (Your Own Kind of Girl) and be inspired by former Socceroos captain Craig Foster (Fighting for Hakeem) who is now an Ambassador for Human Rights and Refugees with Amnesty Australia. The Secondary Schools program also includes engaging sessions with former Triple J presenter, comedian and writer Matt Okine (Being Black ‘N Chicken, & Chips), teen novelist Vivian Pham (The Coconut Children), award-winning writer and poet Ellen van Neerven (Comfort Food, Throat) and LGBTIQ rights activist, writer and Executive Director at change.org, Sally Rugg (How Powerful We Are). These topical, enthralling conversations are exclusive to Byron Writers Festival and facilitated by authors Sunil Badami, Zacharey Jane, Benjamin Law, Maeve Marsden and Story Factory executive director Cath Keenan.Primary School students will be inspired and entertained by best-selling author of funny books for kids Tristan Bancks (Nit Boy, Tom Weekly series), beloved children’s author Felice Arena (The Boy and the Spy, Fearless Fredric, A Great Escape), celebrated climate-change trilogy author Deborah Abela (Grimsdon, New City and Final Storm), award-winning children's author, poet and NSW Aboriginal Woman of the Year Kirli Saunders (The Incredible Freedom Machines, Kindred) and author and illustrator Dub Leffler (Once There was a Boy and Sorry Day with Coral Vass). Registration and more info at: (Primary Schools) www.byronwritersfestival.com/primary-schools/ (Secondary Schools) www.byronwritersfestival.com/secondary-schools/

There are two jobs that spring to mind that make most people growl. One is a parking officer and the other is being the Public Health Officer for the Lismore City Council (we can nearly throw Councillor into that list too!).Cameron Smith is the person handed the job of making Lismore businesses compliant from a Health and Safety perspective in normal circumstances but his job has become much more difficult with the ever changing face of the COVID-19 restrictions.The Lismore App wanted to know how compliant our local businesses were and are during the COVID-19 pandemic.How have Lismore businesses responded to the COVID-19 restrictions and regulations imposed by the NSW State Govt? How has Council assisted these businesses?"When COVID-19 first hit forcing local businesses to go into hibernation, Council organised a successful advertising campaign with the assistance of local media, like the Lismore APP and NBN, to encourage people to support our local businesses and protect local jobs"."The campaign, which ran for a couple of months and featured many local businesses, urged the community to think and shop local whether it was by ordering takeaways or ordering items from a local business online"."Importantly, Council was also in constant communication with businesses, by phone and on-the-ground visits to premises, to assist them to get the maximum use out their business during the lockdown"."Council focused on how to help businesses find ways that they could remain productive, employ their staff and use their time wisely, whether it be from using the shutdown as a good time to clean, repaint and freshen the premises, to helping them get their kitchens ready and encourage them to do takeaways while still achieving social distancing and ensuring that we have all people looked after in terms of public health".How did the situation evolve?"The major issue facing businesses was the constant changing of the Public Health Orders and information. The information changed at such a rapid rate of knots that we had to work out a way for businesses to make sure they knew what the changes were and how they could meet State Government requirements"."Once again, the key was constant communication through pre-arranged meetings at the premises so that we could ensure social distancing and phone calls"."For example, when the lockdown came into effect a lot of businesses went straight into hibernation mode. Initially that was correct, but once NSW Health said you could open the kitchen, we went out to these businesses and helped them open and advised them to use social media and put signs on their doors that they are open for takeaway and some even offered delivery"."It was really talking to businesses and telling them ‘Here is a new business model for you. You may have never done this before, but it doesn’t mean you can’t do it now’"."This is because some of the planning instruments that had been in place previously stopping businesses from doing certain things were changed overnight, such as all of sudden restaurants could sell takeaway alcohol with takeaway meals"."It has made some businesses much more viable because of them changing their business models"."We also set up a special COVID-19 webpage as a ‘One Stop Shop’ for updated Public Health Orders and other useful information to make it easier for our businesses to keep up to date with the rapidly changing rules".What percentage of businesses are complying with these regulations?"The latest figure I have seen is that across the state the rate of compliance is 68%"."I think we are actually above the state average because Council has done a lot of work from March, being out there from Day One"."The majority are doing a good job and trying to do the best they can under a very difficult situation. The initial days of opening up with limited numbers was disastrous for some and took a bit of foot pounding by Council to help people understand how social distancing works and how to work around it, such as having two shifts and letting customers know if they had to book in, or they may have to leave after a set amount of time"."We were lucky in the fact that we didn’t have a major virus problem compared to the metro areas where all those councils literally shut down their services overnight and all inspectors were called back into the office"."We stayed in the field working with businesses firstly by phone so Council staff could ensure social distancing when they were physically onsite. That meant we could work with businesses providing on the ground advice from March, rather than coming out of hibernation after three months and having no idea what has been happening".What advice does Cameron give to those that are not fully complying with the regulations and restrictions?"The best advice I can give to businesses is if you are unsure about something, pick up the phone and ask. Don’t wait to be told. Council is here to advise on how to comply".Some people have a love/hate relationship with the Lismore City Council but regardless of your view it is difficult to criticise Cameron's role since the coronavirus arrived on our doorstep in March. Some restaurants and cafes were on the brink of closing their doors and losing everything but with the help of the LCC and in particular Cameron, new business models were explored allowing many to open doors and start trading once again to pay the day to day bills like rent and electricity as well as staff for those that could keep them on their books.Perhaps now people won't duck back inside their businesses saying "Cameron's coming" although the compliance job does not have an attractive profile.

A new Boutique Brewery is planned to launch by December in the historic rail yard building in South Lismore.Two Mates Brewing is the brainchild of former Kookaburra, Olympian and Casino local Grant Smith and his business partner and best mate Andrew Newton.It is hard to picture the finished product yet as the work is only just beginning on the historic rail yard shed on Engine Street, South Lismore. Presently, it is a bit of an eye sore but if you can imagine a community hub that produces local beer during the week then provides a space for people to come and enjoy a beer as well as lunch or dinner from Friday afternoon to Sunday evening with recreation equipment for children as well as live music, local art and local produce, you start to get a feel for what Grant and Andrew want to create for Lismore."We wanted to create a Community hub based on where you can take your family on a weekend" Grant told the Lismore App, "My wife and I have 7 daughters from 18 to 3 and we continually ask ourselves what are going to do this weekend?""Sure, you can go to some of the regions recreation areas but the novelty wears off because it doesn't engage parents and children".The inspiration for Two Mates Brewing comes from a visit to the wineries in the Margaret River region of Western Australia and in Tasmania."There is nothing like it NSW", Andrew said."We want this to be a space that the community can come together and enjoy, it is not just a brewery"."We need to get the model right. The evolution can be driven by the community.""A local artist across the road stopped by and asked if he could showcase his metal art in the area then we thought about car clubs that could display their cars in fact we are open to any suggestion from the community. "Everything is determined by where people want to take it" added Grant."Local art, local music, local clubs can help us define the public space we end up providing". The primary operation of Two Mates Brewing is to produce a local beer that the locals love, embrace and support. A local beer that Grant and Andrew hope will end up a national success which then presents opportunities to market the Northern Rivers region to the rest of the country or world.For concerned local residents the brewery and truck movements will be kept to a minimum so there will be no 3am deliveries waking people in nearby homes.As for the public days and times, the proposed opening hours STCA are;Friday 12pm to 8pmSaturday 10am to 8pmSunday 10am to 6pm The site in Engine Street has great historical value to Lismore as the shed was the rail yard building that would service the lead trains following the first official journey on May 15, 1894. This means the 126 year old building does have some heritage listing components and is something that Grant and Andrew want to keep and highlight."We want to tell a story about this place. We want people to able to come in and look and learn about the history of the building, the site and its importance to the region". "There are some old photographs from the early days as well which will be framed and displayed"."The owners of the land have done some fantastic work on the building, even getting the old Gantry crane operational again", Andrew said."We want to maintain the look and feel of this historical site. We will not touch the original window frames or the original rail yard office"Even the family area at the rear of the building will be keeping with the historic rail yard look and feel by integrating features like planter boxes, 44 gallon drums and old water tanks for slippery dips, flying fox, swings using old kegs and more. "We don't want to put modern with old, it negates the feeling of the building itself", Andrew said.Two Mates Brewing sounds like it fits Council's Strategic Growth Plan like a glove. May this be the first of many new businesses to hit Lismore. We need more entrepreneurs like Grant Smith and Andrew Walker.As they put it "we are not a multi-national company, we are two young families having a crack in line with what Lismore is asking for and trying to create a legacy for this region".On that note, if you want to pass on suggestions to Grant or Andrew on what you would like to see in the public space, contact them via email at grant@twomatesbrewing.com.au.Two Mate Brewing is planning to open its doors in December 2020.

WANTED: Ashleigh DEAHMPolice are seeking community assistance in locating 22 year old Ashleigh Deahm who is currently wanted on 2 x conviction warrants. Ashleigh is known to frequent the Goonellabah area.Anyone with information regarding Ashleigh's current whereabouts is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or Lismore Police Station on 02 6626 0599.

NSW Health is warning people not to buy prescription medications on overseas websites or off the street after the discovery of counterfeit versions of anti-anxiety drugs. NSW Poisons Information Centre clinical director Professor Andrew Dawson said a number of products have tested positive for etizolam instead of the expected alprazolam, and other drugs have also been detected in the counterfeit products. These can be extremely harmful. “We have seen a doubling in calls about alprazolam to the NSW Poisons Information Centre just in the past two months,” Professor Dawson said. The counterfeit products are labelled with the brand names “Xanax” or “Mylan” which are not sold through pharmacies in Australia. There are also reports of counterfeit versions of the Australian brand, “Kalma” 2mg. “The packaging and tablets are cleverly copied to look like prescription pharmaceutical brands so we are urging people to only buy from registered Australian pharmacies.” “If you have taken a tablet purchased online or from the street and are experiencing side effects, call Triple Zero immediately or seek urgent medical attention.” Anyone who has concerns about these tablets or adverse effects from benzodiazepines should contact the NSW Poisons Information Centre on 13 11 26 for confidential advice. Signs of overdose include difficulty or slowed breathing, lack of consciousness and seizures. NSW Health has notified the Therapeutic Goods Administration of these counterfeit medications, who have issued their own safety advisory: www.tga.gov.au/alert/counterfeit-alprazolam-2mg-and-kalma-2-tablets For support and information about alcohol and other drugs, please contact the Alcohol and Drug Information Service – 1800 250 015 – a 24/7 service offering confidential and anonymous telephone counselling and information. NUAA also provides a range of harm minimisation resources and advice and can be reached on 1800 644 413. Associated public drug warnings can be found here:    www.health.nsw.gov.au/aod/public-drug-alerts/Pages/default.aspx In 2020/21 the Government will invest more than $231 million delivering alcohol and other drug prevention, education, treatment and ongoing care programs state-wide.

Lismore Real Estate is flying along, even in winter following a quiet few weeks in March when COVID forced our short lockdown phase.In fact, the word from Real Estate Agents is "we need more houses on the market!"Sharon Dowling from The Professionals Lismore told the Lismore App that buyers are lining up to purchase properties at the moment but there is a shortage of properties for sale. "There is a lot of confidence in the Lismore area", Sharon said, "but finance is taking longer to be approved".For Sharon and her team the strength is across the board with properties in the $250,000 to $300,000 range being bought by investors and home buyers looking to buy in the $500,000 to $600,000 range.This was supported by Robert Horder from PRD Real Estate, "we are seeing the majority of buyers in the $400,000 to $550,000 price range", Robert said. "Prices have been moving up slightly because of the shortage of supply. If people were thinking of selling, now is the perfect time"Andrew Gordon from R Gordon & Son Real Estate explained that the East Lismore/Girards Hill location is sought after and showing strong price growth. "To buy a block of land and build can still cost people $600,000 or $700,000. This is why the second hand property market is so strong", Andrew said. An indication of the growth in the Lismore property market is an owner purchasing an East Lismore property in 2013 for $290,000 while selling it for late $400,000's today.The final word from Andrew Gordon, who said "The great Aussie dream is still within reach in Lismore and surrounding areas"

Lismore City Council will be repairing the roundabout at the intersection of Uralba and Dibbs streets on Sunday, July 19 and traffic diversions will be in place.The repair works will take place between 7am and 5pm, weather permitting.The downhill lane of Rotary Drive towards the Hospital will be closed to traffic.Detours will be in place at New Ballina Road and at the Dawson and Leycester streets roundabout.Traffic will not be able to turn right from Uralba Street into Dibbs Street.There will be Traffic Controllers in place around the work zone with an area provided for U-Turns on Uralba St before the roundabout.We appreciate your patience as we improve the safety of our roads.

The arrival into Ballina airport last Sunday of a 2480 postcode resident who tested positive for coronavirus has struck fear and uncertainty into the hearts of some local residents – particularly after months of no new Covid-19 cases in the local area. Yesterday, The Lismore App reported that a 20 year old woman arrived on a Jetstar flight from Melbourne and became the 56th case of Covid-19 in the Northern NSW Local Health District (NNSWLHD).Overnight, social media comments on the story showed community fears that her arrival could be the beginning of the spread of the virus across the local area. Read more news: Lismore resident identified as Covid-19 Jetstar flight passenger So, The Lismore App contacted NNSWLHD chief executive Wayne Jones, who explained the steps taken to mitigate any community transmission - and to allay people’s concerns. Mandatory quarantine“Everyone who was on that Jetstar flight is now under mandatory quarantine for 14 days,” Mr Jones said.Read more news: Ballina flight arrives with one Covid-19 case on-board“They were advised to get tested if they showed any signs of symptoms. We also do welfare checks on them by phone every couple of days - and the police check in on them too. “We drop in to ensure that everyone is abiding by what they should do and we are confident every measure was taken, but we also appreciate the community concerns about the risks.”Flights suspended and restricted travelMr Jones said all direct flights to Ballina from Melbourne are now suspended, and the woman’s Jetstar flight was one of the last ones allowed in.“We can’t restrict travel 100%,” Mr Jones said.“All requests for travel are looked at by the public health department and most are rejected because they offer too much risk and no gain except personal benefit.“If a local resident wishes to return home, she is entitled to.“The risks are mitigated from the start and there is a permit process. If the person meets the criteria, they are entitled to come back as long as they follow physical distancing and other rules in the process.”Passengers sent homeMr Jones said that on the Sunday flight, a number of people were sent back to Melbourne who didn’t have the right permits, or had stories “that didn’t justify them leaving Melbourne under the Public Health Order”.“When they arrive, they are interviewed and assessed, have their temperature taken and their residential addresses looked at," he said.“In order to enter into Ballina, passengers needed to be asymptomatic.“This woman’s flight only had 30 people on board and they were physically distanced. A lot of research shows the risks in planes is low.“I have to praise the woman’s maturity. She is only 20 and kept physical distancing, even at home and she also wore a mask, which makes the transmission risk exceptionally low. She and her parents are now in quarantine together.”Contact tracing and airport cleaningMr Jones said NSW Health were conducting contact tracing of the woman’s contacts, but the said the chance of anyone contracting the virus at the airport was “extremely low”.“In the airport, there are continuous cleaning services,” he said. “Each time someone comes through, someone cleans it.”“Raspy throat”Mr Jones said the woman was not showing any symptoms of Covid-19 when she arrived at the airport, but once she got home, she presented with mild symptoms.“The woman described it as a raspy throat,” Mr Jones said. “While it’s a mild symptom, she took advice and was responsible and had testing done. “We did a rapid test on her with a quick turnaround. When she came in for testing, staff already had notice and were wearing protective gear so there was no risk to them.“This could have been so much worse if she was not compliant.”Compliance “We actually started doing assessments of arrivals into Ballina last week and implemented a system encouraging all Victorians to get tested and we’ve seen a significant number step forward for testing. “I can’t say there’s no risk from earlier flights, but we have seen significant compliance.Humanitarianism“We’ve seen cases where people’s parents are dying of cancer on the North Coast and the children want to be with them,” Mr Jones said. “We gave an exemption to those asymptomatic people who had no contact with any known cases of Covid and who self isolated, had dedicated transport to the hospital and also wore masks and gloves so they could be with their parents. We limited the risk.“We also want to be humanitarian and support people."How do you know if you are recovered?Of the 56 cases of Covid-19 reported in our local area since the pandemic began, three are still listed as not recovered. One of them is the woman who arrived on Sunday, but what about the other two?Mr Jones said the answer to whether or not a person is recovered is “complex”.“The person needs to have no symptoms and also feel well,” he said.“Because of the nature of the virus, you don’t have flu-like symptoms. The original criteria were having a sore throat or loss of taste.“But now, we also ask ‘how do you feel?’ Some cases are still presenting symptoms like fatigue. “The two cases listed as not recovered are still presenting with those symptoms.“We say to people to stay at home if you feel you are not recovered.”Don’t let fear dominateMr Jones said it was important that the community doesn’t allow fear to dominate the situation.“Some people’s social media comments are inappropriate and represent the fear factor and we hope it doesn’t continue,” he said. “The woman who returned is a textbook case of doing everything you should do and she should be praised.”More informationFor information about numbers of people with Covid-19 by Local Health District and Local Government Areas, visit the website https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/Infectious/covid-19/Pages/stats-local.aspxAnyone displaying any flu-like symptoms is encouraged to attend one of the local Fever Clinics to be tested for coronavirus.Coronavirus

It feels like we have missed an entire season of sport since COVID struck us in March.The playing fields have been eerily quiet during this period but that changes this weekend when rugby league, rugby union, baseball, hockey and netball make returns for a shortened season. There will be a buzz around town again on Saturday morning and Sunday afternoon which is how life should be in any regional city.In union, Lismore take on Ballina at Rugby Park tomorrow in a full day with colts, women and reserve and first grade all booting up.League sees the Marist Brothers Rams travel the short distance to Casino on Sunday for their first fixture while Northern United have a home game against Mullumbimby at Crozier field.The Lismore App will be cranking up our sports reports now that competition and participation is back in full swing. Please note that there will be crowd restrictions for each code that will be unique to each venue. You are encouraged to make enquiries with your club.If sport is not your go then the markets may interest you. The Lismore Farmers Markets get under way at 8am tomorrow at the showgrounds with plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables on offer as well as hot coffee and a hot breakfast if you brave the early morning cold. A reminder that it is strawberry season so there will be plenty to buy!The Blue Knob Community Markets open the gates at 8:30 to 11 tomorrow morning.The weather for any weekend activity is brilliant with sunny skies and maximums of 20 on Saturday and 22 on Sunday. Yes, the earlier part of the day will be cool with 6 and 7 degrees the minimums.It could be a great weekend to go bushwalking or for a picnic. Rocky Creek Dam is open again but note that the water bubblers are turned off but you can refill from the tap. National parks NSW has also confirmed that more bushwalks are now open following the devastating bushfires last year. These include Mount Matheson loop, Big Scrub loop, Protestors Falls and Minyon Falls. The only walk still closed is the Pholis Gap walking track. Check out your different options here Walks.It is the last weekend of the school holidays so check out the family fun which includes Rollerworld Roller Skating here Family Fun.Petrol prices have remained steady throughout the school holidays with the cheapest unleaded E10 at its usual location on Ballina Road at the United station for 112.9. If diesel is your need then Ballina Road is still your best option with 117.9 being offered at the United and just down the road at the locally owned Liberty petrol station.On the Lismore App this weekend, Neil Marks looks at Tuesday nights council meeting while the Sunday Profile highlights the life of Meg Nielson from the Lismore Art Club which is celebrating their 60th anniversary in 2020. There are also games and puzzles to keep you entertained if you have some spare time.Here a few Friday jokes to put you in the right mood for the weekend. Enjoy.

Cafes, restaurants and clubs are now subject to the same new restrictions as announced by the NSW Government earlier this week for pubs and hotels. New restrictions for weddings, funerals and corporate events have also been announced today.Read more news: NSW premier announces tighter restrictions for pubsRead more news: New pub rules bring harsh penalties and covert inspectionsNSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said the extra restrictions are to minimise the risks of activities the Government knows are super-spreaders of coronavirus.“We have to stop the mingling,” Ms Berejiklian said. “In cafes and restaurants, even though people are seated, mingling still happens.“We are now imposing the restrictions on clubs, restaurants, cafes and all indoor hospitality activities.“There can be no group bookings above ten people.“Cafés, restaurants, clubs, pubs and weddings – everybody indoors is still subject to the four metre squared rule and strictly 1.5 metre social distancing.“Weddings and corporate events can have a maximum number of 150 people who are seated and there is no singing, dancing or mingling - so there is less chance of spreading the virus.“Funerals and places of worship are limited to 100. “This is important because at these emotional events, people know each other and the chance of mingling and spreading the virus is increased."Ms Berejiklian said the restrictions will be in place from next Friday, July 24, but she hoped people would begin to implement the restrictive measures immediatelyShe also said that the rules about who you can invite into your home will remain the same.“We currently say 20 people are allowed into your home – that’s not changing. But we ask people to be thoughtful about who you welcome in and protect those who are vulnerable.“Training together outdoors can still happen because we know there is less threat of spreading the virus outdoors.“We are doing this based on what happened in Victoria and we ask people with symptoms to stay home.“If you are tested, even though you might show a negative result on day three, you might be positive on day six.“Our message to everybody is that we are doing ok. but we are on high alert.“We are worried about seeding from Victoria – and have a couple of cases with unknown sources and these could be new clusters.“We want to keep NSW open and our livelihoods and reduce risk of transmission.”Currently there are 3346 Covid-19 cases in NSW, with 101 being treated by NSW Health and 1 in intensive care.

The secrets of how to break into the screen and media industry will be revealed in an online zoom event with some of Australia’s leading film, television and music professionals.If you have ever dreamt of working in film and TV but are unsure how to score your break into the big time, Screenworks and Southern Cross University (SCU) invite you to join with the panel on July 24 for ‘Breaking into the Screen and Media Industries’.Multi-award-winning filmmaker Jocelyn Moorhouse of The Dressmaker fame will be joined by screenwriter, director and producer Stuart Beattie (Pirates of the Caribbean and Collateral), multi-award-winning screen composer Caitlin Yeo (Danger Close: The Battle of Long Tan) and Emmy award-winning creator and Ludo Studio co-founder Daley Pearson (Bluey).Facilitating the panel is Northern Rivers based producer and Screenworks founding member Lois Randall (Grace Beside Me).Screenworks chief executive Ken Crouch said the highly-accomplished industry guest speakers will talk about their careers and working in the screen and media industries.“Through this Screenworks and SCU partnership, we look forward to helping create a bridge for students between studying Screen and Media at university and pursuing a professional career in the industry,” Mr Crouch said.SCU academic and media artist Grayson Cooke said the acclaimed line-up was an inspiration to students and early-career practitioners.“Not only will they share stories and advice on possibilities in the screen, media and music industries, they’ll also explain the impact COVID restrictions have had on the industry and where new opportunities are emerging, as well as taking questions from the audience,” he said.“This event was originally planned to be held at Southern Cross University Lismore campus, however, this online format now enables larger scope for early-career filmmakers and musicians around the country to come together and learn from the best.“It’s a must-attend opportunity for anyone who is interested in composing, writing, film and television production and animation.”The Screenworks and Southern Cross University panel event will be held on Friday, July 24 from 11am to 1pm. To register visit http://wwww.scu.edu.au/screenworks   Photo: Multi-award-winning screen composer Caitlin Yeo.

A 20 year old woman from the Lismore Local Government Area has been identified as the person who tested positive for Covid-19 after arriving on a Jetstar flight at Ballina airport last Sunday, July 12.Read the earlier story: Ballina flight arrives with one Covid-19 case on-boardNorthern NSW Local Health District (NNSWLHD) chief executive Wayne Jones said this afternoon that the woman “did all the right things” and was wearing a mask on the flight from Melbourne.Coronavirus“This person was a resident from the 2480 postcode who was returning home,” Mr Jones said.“She was picked up by family members and because she was wearing a mask and didn’t interact with anyone, she is considered low risk.“It was a best case scenario and I am impressed by how mature she was.”Mr Jones said there were approximately 30 people on the flight and staff had spread everyone out so they were not sitting too close together.“All passengers were screened at Ballina airport on arrival as soon as the flight landed, as well as having their border passes checked,” he said.“Everyone who was on that flight will be contacted and if have they have any symptoms, they will be encouraged to get tested.“The woman is now at home with two family members who are also in isolation now.”