This weekend is really the lull before the storm with the easing of restrictions coming our way this Monday June 1.In brief, cafes, restaurants and pubs can serve up to 50 people from Monday and now we have heard today that weddings will increase to 20 people, funerals to 50 and places of worship can have 50 people but all with the four square metre rule. Add the fact that we can holiday in NSW and the Queen's birthday long weekend is looking positive.Back to our immediate reality.A reminder that recreational boating and fishing is now allowed for a family.There is some rain coming our way but as usual it won't be much according to the BOM, maybe 1-3mm's tomorrow morning then clearing to be fairly good weekend in the early 20's.Petrol Spy has the cheapest petrol at the usual place, United Petroleum on Ballina Road (corner of Keen Street). You will be paying 109.9 for E10 unleaded with everyone else at 114.9 or 115.9. If you are going driving you can still find petrol cheaper than Lismore with Casino at 102.7 and Broadwater a 104.9.Food is back at the Lismore Farmers Market tomorrow from 8am! Kristy and Scott from the Mayfield Market Kitchen food van will be back in action after a long lay-off serving up some breakfasts, I can recommend the omelette.Blue Knob open their gates from 8:30am.Games and Puzzle lovers should check out the Lismore App's button at the very bottom of the app. This week we have added Black Jack, Checkers, Hearts and for the real card enthusiasts.Neil Marks' Blog tomorrow morning will look at the loss of the Northern Star and the Lismore Eco newspapers.While the Sunday Profile will take you on a spiritual journey with Lyn Morris, a local tarot reader. Lyn founded Inner Sanctvm centre on Magellan Street 30 years ago and makes for an interesting Sunday morning read with a coffee or tea.As always now with the Weekend Wrap, something to lighten your week.

State Member for Lismore Janelle Saffin has called on the NSW Government to release their ‘return to play’ plan for community sport and recreation facilities to give local organisations some certainty for the months ahead. Ms Saffin accused New South Wales of dragging the chain, allowing confusion to reign when Queensland, Victoria and South Australia had presented clear and manageable guidelines for the restart of sport and recreation. “Where is the game plan for safely returning to sport and recreation in a staged manner in New South Wales?” Ms Saffin asked. “The Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) this month released its Framework for Rebooting Sport In A COVID-19 Environment and I encourage people to read it at www.ais.gov.” Ms Saffin joined NSW Shadow Minister for Sport Lynda Voltz in condemning Acting Minister for Sport Geoff Lee and the Office of Sport for their lack of leadership on the issue. “It simply is poor form to leave our state, regional and local sporting organisations in limbo,” Ms Saffin said. Ms Voltz said: “Where is the plan for football or gymnastics to return? Where is the plan for gyms to re-open? Ms Saffin said local sporting organisations needed clear guidelines for a return to training and competition as COVID-19 restrictions were gradually eased. “Sport and recreation organisations are at the very heart of our local communities,” Ms Saffin said. “It’s time this Government presented a clear plan for community sport and recreation to return. “The thousands of participants in the Lismore Electorate deserve to know when they can safely return to the field, court or gym.” 

Op shoppers get ready for bargains - the Lifeline op shop on Magellan Street has a tentative opening date of June 9 - that’s the Tuesday after the June long weekend.Lifeline’s regional hub manager Ross MacInnes said the decision to reopen the shop was made by the management of Lifeline Direct yesterday.“We are concerned about the safety of our staff and if all goes according to plan, we will bring in our paid Lifeline staff to run the shop, and not involve our volunteers,” he said.“Most of our volunteers are older and in a high risk group, when it comes to coronavirus.”Ross said the shop staff have been using the Covid down time to move stock around the shop and get ready for an autumn reopening.“We’ve taken the opportunity to do painting in the stores and we hope it will be exciting,” he said.When the shop first opens, it will reopen with limited trading hours and restricted numbers in the shop, much like the Salvos and Vinnies op shops did when they reopened recently.Read more: Lucky Lismore's op shops are chosen to re-open“We’ll do a limited four hours a day, from Monday to Friday and judge where to go after that by need and what people want,” Ross said.“Based on square meterage of the shop, we will also limit numbers to 15 people at any time in the shop.”Ross said Lifeline is not accepting donations at the moment, due to not having volunteers to sort through it and the need to keep the items in isolation for a period when they first come in.But, hang on to your stuff, because Lifeline will be in need of it down the track.Westpac Rescue Helicopter ServiceThe Westpac Rescue Helicopter Service op shop on Magellan Street has no plans to open yet.The Service’s regional marketing manager Zeke Huish said they were still keeping all seven of their op shops in the region closed temporarily.“Like other charities, our volunteers run our op shops – we have no paid staff,” he said.“Our elderly volunteers are sensitive and acutely aware of dangers involved with virus.“But over time, we will get their feedback on how they feel about coming back and starting again.“Hopefully, as restrictions ease and community sentiment changes we can open again.”It’s not just the Rescue Helicopter’s op shops that are impacted by the changes, Zeke said the company is looking at what return to work looks like for all staff – many of whom are working from home.“Our fundraising has been challenged with the Covid-19 isolation,” he said.“Everything from raffles to fundraising BBQs, golf days and the outdoor leisure show we cancelled in July– they all involve meeting people.“We even rescheduled the Byron Bay coastal charity walk. We are all looking forward to an easing of restrictions soon.”Keen Street's Caroona op shop and the Adventist op shop on Uralba Street also have no reopening date yet.

The Lismore City Council 2020/21 Draft Operational and Planning Budget is on-line now with the Council asking for public input on the budget. As readers of the Lismore App know, with COVID-19 and the current financial situation of council, this was always going to be a tough budget.One particular part of the budget getting attention from some businesses in town is the Tourism and Events sector, it is budgeted for a $469,000 decrease in 2020/21.The Lismore App has received an enquiry from a long term Motelier about this decrease. The enquiry was asking why there were significant cuts to this particular area when tourism brings in so much business into Lismore through our amazing events, especially through the areas of accommodation, dining and entertainment.Think Eat The Street, Lantern Parade, Carols By Candlelight and Masters Games. According to Tourism Research Australia the latest figures from 2018 said that tourism injected $134 million into our economy.The long term Motelier said "I understand that council have to save money but why do they have to make cuts to the events that bring hundreds of thousands of dollars to town".This was supported by the Chair of Destination NSW Cameron Arnold who said that he has written to the council General Manager Shelley Oldham for clarification on the proposed cuts and is waiting on a response. "It is concerning", Mr Arnold said, "you can be easily left behind if you reduce events and area tourism marketing too much. It can take three years plus to attract that same amount of tourists back to the Lismore region".The Lismore Chamber of Commerce is also concerned with President Sarah Smith saying "The Chamber is awaiting communication from council to confirm the planned cuts to the tourism and events budget and to gain councils view on the likely impact of such cuts to the local Tourism Industry.We understand that "Tourism" is not just about attracting tourists, it is a vital economic growth contributor and key to supporting the recovery and growth of the Local Economy.We will always promote and advocate for local government spending to support our lucrative Tourism and events sectors, however, having reviewed the draft budget it is clear that cuts need to and will be made.We have however, been engaged by the Council to work with them, representing, and addressing the needs of local Business in our recovery from Covid-19.We do encourage Business owners to engage with the Chamber to ensure they are utilising the services and support on offer from the government and our partners such as destination NSW."The Lismore App has been studying the draft budget and comparing it to the 2019/20 budget then sent the council some detailed questioned looking for clarification on the reduction of certain expenses and what that means to our much loved events and tourism in 2020/21. The main points from the Draft Budget Program were;The overall operating costs have been reduced by $469,000 for next year. Events revenue is reducing from $299,000 to $96,000 with Nimbin Tourism removed and Lismore Tourism revenue removed compared to the 2019/20 budget.Carols By Candlelight is budgeted for $37,000 in revenue where nothing was allocated in 2019/20.Three events that have reductions in costs are Eat The Street (down $30,000), Masters Games (down a $141,200) and North Coast National Lismore Show (was $11,000 now $0).Tourism expenses reduces from $365,800 to $144,000.Corporate charges support costs have increased from $472,900 to $542,900.Loan repayments increased from $38,000 to $111,000.The Draft Operational Plan on point E5.1.1 included the wording "provide and support Visitor Information Centres as a first point of contact for visitors to Lismore and Nimbin". In this years Draft Plan it says "Produce and maintain a collection of marketing media to attract returning and new visitors to the area".The main question asked of council was "what do the proposed cuts mean and what do our events and tourism in Lismore look like in 2020/21 given the cuts to the Tourism and Events budget?The reply from Mayor Isaac Smith was "Thank you for your questions.As you know, this year’s budget was one of the most difficult in recent memory for both Councillors and staff. The impact on the community from COVID 19 has been significant, and we have done everything in our power to ensure the continuity of essential services throughout this challenging time. This budget ensures these essential services can continue into the foreseeable future.As councillors, we must ensure Council continues to deliver the essential services our community needs. That means making some hard decisions about which other services we can reduced to pay for this. Any budget reductions are not decisions that are made lightly. To the contrary, this is a process that requires extensive consultation with the community, and is inevitably a very fine balance between delivering the best possible service to the community and ensuring a secure financial position for Council.We have made it clear that, even prior to COVID-19, Council’s financial position needed to be rectified, and over the course of our last three budgets we have made significant progress in this regard. This cannot be achieved without certain reductions in spending and more prudent allocation of Council funds.We want to reassure the community that funding to our city’s signature events, the Lismore Lantern Parade and Eat the Street, have been retained in our upcoming budget. We continue to look at innovative ways we can deliver events for the community and one innovative response is supporting the delivery of the upcoming Virtual Lantern Parade in June, prior to supporting the street Lantern Parade we all know and love taking place in November. We are also looking into a number of grants available from both State and Federal Governments that can provide extra funding to supplement our Tourism and Events plan.Make no mistake, we are doing everything we can to support local businesses in what will be a difficult year ahead. The Virtual Lantern Parade in June will host the enchanted windows to activate the CBD and South Lismore. We recently provided rate relief to CBD businesses by cutting council rates by 20%. We are in the middle of developing a recovery plan for local businesses that will be delivered in the coming months.Again, we have worked hard to provide an Operational Plan and Budget that meets the needs of the community through these difficult circumstances. The full documentation of this can be found at https://yoursay.lismore.nsw.gov.au/budget1We want to encourage everyone to take the opportunity to make a submission as we greatly value the input of the community on these matters.Submissions close on June 10.Thank you again.FURTHER BACKGROUNDSome key features of the upcoming Operational Plan are:·     $12.9m of roads construction for – Blue Knob, Coraki, Dunoon, Nimbin, Alphadale, Boatharbour, Caniaba, Cowlong, Gungas, Johnston, Rock Valley, Stoney Chute and The Channon Road, and Orion, Diadem and Keen Streets.·     $7.85m of roads maintenance to help clear the significant backlog in roadworks.·     Investment of $4.2m in improvements to the Lismore Regional Airport through a Federal Government grant.·     Investment of $4.7m in upgrades to Oakes Oval and Crozier Field through State and Federal Government funding.·     Investment of $1.5m in CBD revitalisation through State Government funding.·     Investment of $2.3m in Nimbin and Lismore Showgrounds through the Federal Government grant.While most people involved are concerned about how these draft budget cuts will affect our city, they too are waiting on clarification on what impact the cuts will have on our economy.In the meantime, as Mayor Smith pointed out you can have your say about the Draft Operational Plan Budget for 2020/21 through this link https://yoursay.lismore.nsw.gov.au/budget1. You have until Wednesday June 10 to make a submission.

The building formerly known as The Hub Lounge Bar and Café will go under the auctioneer’s hammer next Friday, June 5.The bar at 98 Keen Street was closed in September 2016, after the Hub’s team announced on Facebook they would cease trading “due to major problems with the building”.The Hub had only been open for six months, after the location was purchased by 3rd Eye Productions from previous owner Jack's Bar.Jack's Bar had already been raided and forced into a 30-hour closure. At the time, the former owner, Darren (Jack) Barry retained ownership of the accommodation side of the business.Next Friday’s auction will be run by auctioneer Wilson Cregan.Wilson said he has already had quite a few enquiries.“I was pleasantly surprised, considering the current circumstances,” Wilson said.Wilson said any future plans people had for the building would be subject to a development approval by Lismore Council.“It was a licenced premise previously, but I think it would be expensive to return it to licenced hotel again,” he said. “As a restaurant it might not be so difficult.“Lismore is lacking an entertainment venue with Tatts and the Dusty Attic closing - it would be good if we could have another venue like that.”Wilson said the building was big and the 680m2 piece of land also had a large undeveloped section at the rear, as well as having three street frontages.“It goes all the way down the side to the lane at the back and there’s lots of car space,” he said.Wilson said when people ring up to ask questions, they often don’t tell him what they are thinking of doing with the building.“I have had one enquiry about using it as an entertainment venue,” he said. “And others are interested in using it as office accommodation downstairs.”Wilson said the price will be subject to the vendor’s acceptance of the auction bid’.“The vendor will put a reserve price on it on the morning of June 1 and I will know then what he wants,” he said. “He can lower or increase that reserve in writing."The building is advertised as having three bedroom residences and nine motel room style rooms, as well as off street parking for up to 30 cars.If you have any enquiries about the building or the auction, you can phone Wilson on 0407 754 978.

In a scene reminiscent of the streets of Sydney, a black tunnel has appeared on the corner of Keen and Magellan streets in Lismore.The footpath tunnel, made of scaffolding, boards and construction works, have created an eerie funnel, through which CBD shoppers need to walk as they go about their business.Timezone owner Graeme Hoskins said his shop, located right on the corner, was a bit dark, but so far it hadn’t stopped people coming in.Graeme said the construction works were for a safety overhaul of the awnings over the shops, and had been a long time in the coming.“Council did an inspection three years ago,” he said. “They were worried about the awning and wanted to strengthen the top and make it safer.“The tunnel is so nothing falls on people as they move around the CBD.”While Graeme currently only has a black outlook from his shop front door, he said “it will be good to look out the window - so the sooner it’s done, the better".Timezone owner Graeme Hoskins and his staff are in good spirits as the awning work continues.“If it takes too long, we might have to drill a hole in the wall there so we can see the sun,” he laughed.“It hasn’t worried us too much at this stage, it was nice they did it after Covid.”It is expected it will take two to four weeks for the work to be completed.

Lismore’s claim to fame as the city of roundabouts is about to get bigger with the imminent construction of two more roundabouts. Hazardous intersections at Orion and Keen streets; and Orion and Diadem streets will soon be made safer using grant money from Federal and State Governments. Lismore Mayor Isaac Smith made the announcement today at the Orion and Keen streets intersection.He said the two grants totalling $789,000 will be used to install roundabouts and other traffic calming devices at the intersections.“Between 2013 and 2018, there were six accidents, including one serious one, at the Diadem and Orion streets intersection and five accidents at the Keen and Orion intersection.” Mayor Smith said.“One accident on this spot was tragically a disaster.“This intersection is on the corner of a school, the cathedral and the CBD of Lismore – it’s a vital spot to have road proofed and improve the interchange of traffic and reduce the risk of future accidents.“A new roundabout will improve safety for motorists and importantly also for school children who are heavy users of both intersections as they get to and from school.”Work at both intersections will include a one-lane roundabout, new concrete footpath, pedestrian fencing, concrete medians and kerb blisters, and upgraded street lighting.The new roundabouts will complement recent roadworks undertaken to fix adjoining sections of these streets under Council’s urban roads budget.The Diadem Street roundabout is in the hospital precinct and Mayor Smith said it was a busy street that just had an upgrade itself.“It’s getting busier too, so to have those improvements to foot traffic and parking is good."Mayor Smith said progressing the upgrades was important for Lismore “as we come out of coronavirus restrictions.”Construction of the roundabouts is expected to start in July.The grants are from the Federal Government Blackspot program and the State Government’s Safer Roads programs.Mayor Smith said the funding was awarded to roads in an unsafe condition.“Once accidents are reported to police, it triggers the funding to improve them,” he said. 

The Northern Star newspaper will stop printing newspapers from June 29 it has been announced today by Executive Chairman Michael Miller. Along with the same announcement the Lismore Echo will cease printing also.The Northern Star has long history in the Lismore community first printing a newspaper in 1876. The Northern Star was owned and operated by a local community consortium until it was purchased by APN who then sold the business to Rupert Murdochs News Corp media empire in 2016.(Chief Executive of News Corp Michael Miller)The reported last newspaper will roll off the press on June 29.News Corp has decided to restructure their entire print business which will mean the loss of hundreds of jobs as printing press stops on more than 100 print offerings. The Sydney Morning Herald have said that regional and community news roles were previously about 1200 with todays statement saying 375 roles will now cover their regional news and community news across the country.What these job losses mean across Lismore and the Northern Rivers is unsure. The Lismore App has put in a call to Northern Star General Manager Rod Harris, at the time of publication Mr Harris has not returned the call.While the physical newspaper will cease to exist the Northern Star will move to a digital based platform, similar to the Lismore App.Mr Miller said "Over recent months we have undertaken a comprehensive review of our regional and community newspapers. This review considered the ongoing consumer shift to reading and subscribing news online, and the acceleration of businesses using digital advertising.""Our portfolio review highlighted that many of our print mastheads were challenged, and the doubler impact of COVID-19 and the tech platforms not remunerating the local publisher whose content they profit from, has, unfortunately, made them unsustainable publications."While it is a loss of history to Lismore and the Northern Rivers community this outcome was inevitable as time and changes in technology made printing a newspaper unsustainable.

It seems a wetter than average winter is in store for most of Australia this year.The Bureau of Meteorology released its 2020 Winter Outlook today, with most of the country showing an increased likelihood of wetter than average conditions in the coming three months.The Bureau's manager of long-range forecasting, Dr Andrew Watkins, said most areas of mainland Australia are showing a better than 70% chance of having a wetter than average winter.“The Winter Outlook for NSW shows a high chance of above average rainfall for inland areas of the state, however the coastal fringe of the NSW is showing no strong push towards wetter or drier than average conditions,” Dr Watkins said.“Cooler than average days are more likely for western parts of the state, and warmer than average in the east, particularly near the coast.“Overnight temperatures are likely to be warmer than average for the entire state.”Dr Watkins aid the preliminary autumn summary predicted daytime temperatures have been very much below average except for the coastal strip.Overnight temperatures have been closer to average for most of the state and rainfall has been above average across most of the state, particularly inland areas.Across the whole of the continent, Dr Watkins said parts of northern Australia are also showing no strong push towards wetter than average conditions.“But this is typically the dry season anyway”, he said.Dr Watkins said the winter outlook was being largely driven by warmer than average ocean temperatures off north west WA, as well as warm ocean temperatures in the western Pacific."Ocean temperatures in the eastern Indian Ocean are currently warmer than normal, and our models are predicting they will warm further throughout the winter months,” he said."When warm sea surface temperatures occur closer to Australia, weather patterns shift towards us too, favouring more cloud and rainfall across the country."We last saw this happen in 2016, when a strong negative Indian Ocean Dipole formed to the west of Australia. This was the last time we saw tropical moisture from the northern Indian Ocean deliver good winter rainfall to large parts of Australia."We aren't guaranteed the same results as 2016, but the warmer ocean temperatures surrounding the continent will push us in the direction of better than average rainfall."As always, it's important people use the outlooks in conjunction with all of the Bureau's other tools to make decisions, including the seven-day forecast which will provide details on potential rainfall for the immediate days ahead."Daytime temperatures throughout the winter months are expected to be cooler than average for much of the southern half of the country, but warmer than average along the eastern seaboard and most of northern Australia.Overnight temperatures are likely to be warmer than average across the entire country."When we look at the expected temperatures, they really fall in line with the expected rainfall conditions,” Dr Watkins said."Areas with a higher chance of above average rainfall are also looking at increased chances of cooler than average days because they are more likely to have cloud cover and more evaporative cooling in the coming months."Conversely, it means our nights are more likely to be warmer than average, because that cloud cover will prevent heat from escaping during the evenings.”

Jingi walla! (means welcome or g’day, in Bundjalung language).Today, May 27, marks the beginning of National Reconciliation Week 2020. Reconciliation starts with understanding and this year’s theme is ‘In this together’.Here at The Lismore App, we take a moment to acknowledge the Aboriginal Traditional Owners of this land and encourage others to do so in their daily lives – at work and social gatherings - through Acknowledging Country at the beginnings of meetings, classes or gatherings. “We acknowledge the traditional Custodians of the Land on which we work and live - the Widjabal/Wiabal people of the Bundjalung Nation. We recognise their continuing connection to land, water and community and pay respect to Elders past, present and emerging.”Both a Welcome to Country (delivered by a Traditional Custodian of the land on which you stand) and an Acknowledgement of Country, recognise the continuing connection Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have to their land.The practice of Acknowledging Country has been part of Indigenous cultures in Australia for thousands of years and is of great significance to many Indigenous people.It's also a way we can bring more awareness to all Australians about the need to recognise the wrongs committed by white people to Aboriginal people through colonisation - and work towards reparation for the Traditional Owners of this country.To learn more about how to write an Acknowledgement of Country, visit https://www.commonground.org.au/learn/acknowledgement-of-countryFor more information about what’s happening for National Reconciliation week and what you can do, visit https://www.reconciliation.org.au/national-reconciliation-week/Read about Lismore born Bundjalung artist Oral Roberts on The Lismore App: Bundjalung artist Oral Roberts' art chosen for new Pacific Highway

Bundjalung artist Oral Roberts has another feather in his hat, with his artwork being chosen to adorn a new overpass as part of the Woolgoolga to Ballina Pacific Highway upgrade.The Lismore-born artist said he can’t talk about what the artwork will be, because the highway hasn’t yet opened.“It’s a bit of a secret,” Oral said. “I’m not supposed to talk about it.”Read National Reconciliation Week news: Reconciliation Week begins with acknowledgementOral has been a practicing artist for 46 years. In fact, he’s just redone the mural on top of the Nimbin hall.“I’ve been up and down the ladder a lot doing it,” he laughed. Oral was born on the Cubawee Mission near Lismore in 1960. Oral’s parents moved from Cubawee to Goonellabah where they lived the rest of their lives. His father is Widjabal and his mother Minanjali/Bundjalung.While Cubawee had the first Aboriginal school on the North Coast, Oral said he never had the opportunity to learn the local Aboriginal language, because when he was growing up, speaking anything other than English was forbidden.Now living in Ocean Shores, Oral regularly visits Nimbin and Lismore to visit family and friends.Oral said he makes art every day.“I get into everything – sculpting, ceramics, painting, anything” he said. “I can’t stop – it’s like a disease or something and I’ve gotta go with it – it’s crazy.”The love affair with art started when Oral started tattooing at the age of 14.“I did my first tattoo on my leg – it was a swallow and I haven’t stopped since,” he said. “Now, I tattoo everyone else.”As well as making art every day, Oral teaches young Koori kids to paint.“A lot of them have got nothing else to do in Lismore and they do well with the painting,” he said. Oral’s own artworks reflect his close connection to the Bundjalung land and culture. His painting expresses his strong connection to the spirit and the bush, where many of the bird species and animals he paints are native.Pacific Highway Aboriginal Art TrailOral was one of 10 locally connected artists to feature in the Pacific Highway’s Aboriginal art trail spanning the new highway route.Transport for NSW Director North Region, Anna Zycki, said the artists will design work that will appear on nine bridge safety screens and four rest areas located along the 155-kilometre route once it opens fully to traffic in 2020.“Aboriginal artists and creative thinkers with a connection to the local Gumbaynggirr, Yaegl and Bundjalung communities are creating work depicting stories from their narratives,” Ms Zycki said.“Project facilitator Balarindji’s co-design process directly involves the local Aboriginal community in the process and places local Elders and knowledge holders at the centre of decision-making.”Gumbaynggirr community artists chosen are Daniel Dootson, Debbie Taylor and Reece Flanders.Yaegl community artists chosen are Aneika Kapeen, Frances Belle Parker, Gilbert Laurie and the late Jessica Birk.The Bundjalung community is represented by Marcus Ferguson, Oral Roberts and Sheldon Harrington.The NSW Government is supporting the Woolgoolga to Ballina Aboriginal art trail as part of its Beyond the Pavement design policy, which seeks to improve journeys and make rest areas more attractive to stop and relax.Ms Zycki said the artwork also helps reduce vandalism and graffiti, improves the tourist experience and – most importantly – provides a connection to the deep Aboriginal history and culture of the region.“The NSW Government is justly proud of its Aboriginal engagement on the Pacific Highway upgrade, where about seven per cent of the workforce identify as Aboriginal,” Ms Zycki said.“More than one-third of those identify with the local Aboriginal nations of Gumbaynggir, Yaegl and Bundjalung.”The Pacific Highway already features similar artwork at Banora Point and Nambucca Service Centre as well as the Aboriginal-themed design at the Ballina Interchange.

Richmond Tweed Regional Library’s Click and Collect service is expanding from June 1. The changes will include allowing library members to collect reserved items weekly, rather than monthly, and members without online access will be able to call their local branch to request a bundle of staff picks. There are many ways to access library services right now. The Library is offering free online membership to all community members which allows immediate access to online books and magazines.Current members can also access the Click and Collect service to borrow physical items like books, jigsaws and DVDs. There are plenty of preschool and school aged programs through Facebook or the website, you can even join in online author talks.  Richmond Tweed Regional Library Manager Jo Carmody said that the community interest in current services has been fantastic, and staff have been able to adapt many services and programs to ensure the community still has access to reading material and regular programs. “It has been a challenge to adapt services, but one staff have willingly and enthusiastically embraced,” Jo said.Jo said there are still no overdue fees on items borrowed from the library at the moment. “Staff are now focused on further adapting services and the physical set up of the library to meet strict safety guidelines,” she said.“You will see an increase in access and services with a staged physical reopening of the Library to the public from July 1.” For all the latest library information, follow The Richmond Tweed Regional Library on Facebook or check in at the Library website.All details are available at http://www.rtrl.nsw.gov.au. For those without internet access, phone your local branch for options.

With funding of $501 million “sitting there going to waste”, Lismore MP Janelle Saffin is urging small businesses in Lismore to apply for the NSW Government’s $10,000 COVID-19 support grants,However, Ms Saffin said the the 75% downturn criteria is far too tough. “The bar is too high, and needs to be lowered immediately," Ms Saffin said. Ms Saffin said the June 1 deadline to apply is too soon and needs to be extended, until at least the remaining $501 million allocated for the scheme is expended. “The Government has ‘dropped the ball’ with $501 million of a promised $750-million budget left unspent despite small businesses suffering the sharpest downturn since the Great Depression,” Ms Saffin said. “In April this year, the Government announced that 75,000 small businesses in New South Wales who don’t pay payroll tax could ask for a $10,000 grant, which sounded great at the time. “It is estimated that more than 80%of small businesses with between one and 19 employees in the Lismore Electorate do not pay payroll tax. “However, the Government set the bar too high for small businesses by insisting that they had to show a 75% downturn because of the COVID-19 pandemic. “The Minister for Small Business Damian Tudehope MLC now should adopt Victoria’s much simpler rules of a having to show a 30% downturn, akin to Jobkeeper. “This Government still has time to correct the scheme’s shortcomings and get the money out the door to struggling small businesses on the ground.” Treasury officials told a Parliamentary hearing in Sydney last week that the Government only received 34,000 applications for the COVID-19 grant from hundreds of thousands of businesses not paying payroll tax.Service NSW has also distributed just $249 million of the $750 million budgeted, with 25,000 small businesses obtaining grants. Ms Saffin has joined NSW Shadow Minister for Finance and Small Business Daniel Mookey MLC and NSW Shadow Treasurer Walt Secord MLC in calling on the Government to keep the scheme open until the $750 million is fully spent. “So, while I have reservations about how effective this scheme has been to date, I still urge local small businesses to apply because there is $501 million sitting there going to waste,” Ms Saffin said. Eligible small businesses can apply for the grant online through Service NSW -http://www.service.nsw.gov.au going to the website’s COVID-19 assistance page or by telephoning 137 788.

If commercial cookery is calling to you, then consider applying for a new TAFE scholarship program – but be quick – applications close this Friday.There are ten scholarships that have been allocated to TAFE Wollongbar for Cert IV Commercial Cookery valued at $15K per year. TAFE Wollongbar is the only TAFE site on the NSW Far North Coast to have these Scholarships.The scholarships are offered by TAFE NSW in partnership with Destination Australia.There are 2 types of scholarships: Domestic students: $15,000 per studentThis is for anyone in Australia that is not illegible for the Smart and Skilled Scholarship, so they would usually have to pay full price, someone that can't get Centrelink or doesn't have a concession or pension card etc. For students to be encouraged to live and study in regional locations. International students: $15,000 per student and for those with CRICOSThis applies to 2 different groups, onshore internationals that need a 500 subclass visa to study, they would need to move and live in the area. The second is overseas internationals that can still apply but due to COVID-19 they would most likely start in 2021. Applications close this Friday, May 29.For information and to apply, visit https://www.tafensw.edu.au/international/scholarships/DestinationAustralia

With NSW Government allowing allow pubs, clubs, cafes and restaurants to have up to 50 customers as of next Monday, June 1, life will look a little different at local cafes and restaurants, including Dragonfly, The Bank and The Loft.Owner of Molesworth Street’s The Bank café and Nesbitt Lane’s The Loft restaurant Brad Rickard said it’s “back to business” for both venues which are already doing sit down and dine in options for customers.’Brad Rickard at The Bank cafe. “It’s easy to stop and harder to wind back up,” Brad said. “Dining in started yesterday at the loft, but we can only have ten people at the moment and our capacity is 30.”From Monday, the new rules for pubs, clubs, cafes and restaurants mean venues can have up to 50 customers, subject to a one person per four square metre rule, and with strict social distancing guidelines.“At The Bank, we can get 45, including outdoors,” he said. “But we are in winter and people will have less willingness to sit out in the cold.”Brad said his staff will have to keep a guest book, recording which customers come in and sit down to have a coffee and some food.“Dine in is for diners,” he said. “We hope that if people are booking to dine in, they buy food and drinks. It makes it a better financial return for us with less customers.“But we are not too proscriptive about it and we are still doing take away.“We only have ten chairs this week – but the community is ready and understanding.Read more news: Frock up and order food for the Our Kids Virtual Ball this weekendDragonfly CaféIn the two months since Angus O’Neill took over Dragonfly Café, he said it’s “been exciting but challenging”.The Carrington Street café has already been inviting customers to book ahead and dine in – but Angus is gearing up for next week’s June 1 change to café rules.“We’ve been advised we can have 20 people per 80 square metres and we are hoping to have ten outside and ten inside at a minimum from June 1,” he said.New flavoursOne of the big changes Angus is keen to bring about is a new menu from his acclaimed chef Rani Hewson – who has worked at big name eateries Rae’s at Wategos and Harvest.“Rani was chucked in the deep end too when I took over the business,” Angus said. “He’s keen to put new flavours on the plate and open up the café to more than the take away menu.Some of the new dishes include salt and pepper squid with citrus miso sauce and black spice seasoning; and crispy quail with a roast capsicum sauce and a charred corn salsa.“The flavours are through the roof,” Angus said.While Dragonfly has already been open for dinner seven days a week since Covid restrictions began, the changes will see people invited to book in for a 5.30pm, or a 7.30pm dinner sitting on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays.“It’s ideal if people can make a booking, but last minute bookings are ok if all the seats are not filled. You can come in later than 5.30pm, but you will have a shorter sitting time,” Angus said.Dragonfly Cafe ready to seat more customers, inside and outside.Extra staffWith extra regulations to adhere to under Covid dining in guidelines, Angus has employed a few more staff to help with cleaning and setting up.“We make sure tables and chairs are clean and sanitised before the next person sits and we encourage people to be calm and patient as we do so,” he said. “The majority of people understand a difficult situation.“We also need to have customers seated and do table service and we are training our staff in good table service guidelines. It’s a big change for us.”Like at The Bank and The Loft, dining in is for diners, but Angus said they don’t want to turn away regular customers to a café that’s been running for 14 years.“If someone wants to sit, we say have people coming in for bookings and they may only get a short sitting,” he said. “Some people order cakes and little things on top of coffee and it makes it better for the café. “We want to make sure our customers are happy.”After 14 years of baking for Dragonfly café, Brian Findlayson is still baking for Dragonfly three days a week. “He comes in and sees some of the new things we are introducing and likes it,” Angus said. “We are doing great things and moving forward with new energy.”

After two months in Covid isolation without beauty services, locals have already booked out two Lismore-based beauty salons in eager anticipation of their reopening next week.Getting rid of unwanted hair growth is near the top of the most needed list, according to Victoria’s Beauty salon owner Victoria O’Neill.Affordable Beauty salon owner Kristy Saad said it’s not just bikini waxes people are in desperate need of, it’s bookings for acrylic nails and eyelash extensions that have kept her phone running hot.Affordable Beauty Kristy said the answering machines at all three of her salons have been filled with messages from people desperate to book in for a session as of June 1, when the NSW government has deemed it’s ok for beauty salons to reopen.“The phone hasn’t stopped for days,” Kristy laughed. “It’s chaotic. I’m completely booked out already next week.”“People say they resorted to shaving, they couldn’t hang out any more. They joke with us that we need to get some hedge cutters and that they will pack a lunch or need an overnight stay.”Extra costs from closureKristy is in the process of restocking products in the beauty salon, because the two month hiatus on business meant the shelf life of many beauty products has already expired, or oxidised.“I’ve spent close to $10,000 in products to get three stores open,” she said. “Eyelash glue lasts a month and it costs me $55 per bottle . I also had to throw out eight one-litre bottles of tanning products – I can’t risk it.”Kristy said she’s ready to “hit the ground running” with reopening her three stores in Lismore, Goonellabah and Ballina and is prioritising regular clients with bookings.“We’ve had brainstorms about how to made the place safe under Covid regulations,” she said.Covid-safe“We didn’t want paper stuff on the beds, so we decided to use electric blankets with PVC plastic over them and then towels on the top.“They will keep the clients warm and will be easy to clean off between clients. We’ll also have disposable head mats we will change between clients.”Kristy said the last two months with the business closed have given her a chance to be a full time mum, rather than stretch herself between three businesses.“During the first month, I thought I was going crazy,” she said. “I understand how quickly people can spiral down in their mental health – but I worked though it then I eased into it and was there for the kids and caught up on TV shows.”JobkeeperKristy said she hopes other business owners were able to navigate the Jobkeeper payments like she had to in order to keep her six employees paid with $18K a month.“It was struggle,” she said. “You have to come up front with payment for over 6 weeks before the government paid the wage money.“I was lucky - my accountant said I was in a good position and I would register my wage payments with the government every week and so I got paid quicker.”Victoria's BeautyFor seven years, Victoria’s Beauty salon has been located at 52 Magellan Street, but owner Victoria O’Neill took time out over the Covid break to work our plan a shop move.She’s currently in the process of moving the shop to 129 Magellan Street - under the Lismore Motel.“It’s a smaller premises with cheaper rent,” she said. “The lease on the old shop was up and Covid was the final push I needed to think about myself and what was best financially for the future.”New locationThe new premises used to be a hair salon, which made it easier for Victoria to get approval from the Council, as the right infrastructure (like washing water) was already in place.“It’s a work in progress and I think the decorating will take a little longer, as I’m fully booked out next week and will be busy,” she said. “But there might still be a few short appointment slots.“Clients are already contacting me - everyone is so keen. The community here has given me a great clientele base and I would move mountains for them.“2020 has been a push of my limits and recent events area blessing in disguise bringing me to something new.Government guidelinesBeauty and nail salon operators can begin treatments from June 1 under strict Covid-safe guidelines.Premier Gladys Berejiklian said this is another important step in easing restrictions while maintaining public safety. “Whilst this is positive news, the key is introducing practices to protect the safety of both customers and beauticians,” Ms Berejiklian.“It is vital staff and clients of beauty and nail salons abide by the one person per 4 square metres rule with no more than 10 clients at any one time.”NSW Health has compiled a checklist for the industry. Businesses must develop a safety plan that addresses how to minimise risk from COVID-19.Safety plans will include measures such as:One person per 4 square metres including both staff and clients, up to a maximum of 10 clients at any one timeExclusion of staff and clients who are unwell, even if they have only mild symptomsRecords of attendance on the business premises for all staff, clients and contractorsCleaning requirementsRemoval of books, magazines and iPads from waiting areas to reduce the potential for infection of clientsSeating in waiting areas that complies with physical distancingEnsure good hand hygiene facilities are available, including at venue entry and exit, and promote excellent hand hygiene by staffClearly displayed conditions of entry on their entrance, website and social media platformsDesignating a staff member whose responsibilities include ensuring staff and clients have appropriate physical distancing and that the venue does not exceed the maximum capacity limit andMeasures to maximise distancing between staff where safe and practical, including assigning staff to specific work stations that are at least 1.5 metres apart and minimising any interaction between these stationsEncourage download of the COVID-safe app.Health Minister Brad Hazzard said clients must not attend salons if they are unwell even with the mildest of symptoms.“NSW has worked hard to flatten the curve but as restrictions ease we need to ensure the good work continues to keep our community safe,” Mr Hazzard said.“The elderly and people with underlying health issues should be particularly cautious when and if visiting salons.”NSW Chief Health Officer Dr Kerry Chant said it was important beauty therapists and nail salons follow their safety plan, as these are environments where close contact will happen.“All businesses must have a COVID-19 safety plan and take precautions to protect the health of their staff and their clients,” Dr Chant said.Businesses covered include beauty, nail, waxing and tanning salons. Once beauty salons are open, any services that normally and legally take place in a beauty salon will be able to be undertaken. Any existing rules and regulations will continue to apply.

Get in early with your orders and your bookings if you’re keen to frock up and fundraise for the Our Kids Virtual Ball this year – that’s the lowdown from The Loft restaurant owner Brad Rickard.Normally, at this time of year, local charity Our Kids would be gathering the community at the Lismore Turf Club for their Morgan’s Financial Winter Ball. But like many community events, COVID- 19 has meant they need to adapt.Bring on the Virtual Ball. Our Kids Fundraising Coordinator Rebekka Battista said Our Kids will instead be hosting a Virtual Ball this year to raise money for paediatric equipment for local children in hospital. On Saturday, May 30, local charity, Our Kids is asking people to take part by hosting a dinner party, dress up and order takeaway from their favourite local restaurant.The Loft restaurant’s Brad Rickard said he was excited to support Our Kids and encourages people to get on board and not only support local food businesses, but a worthy cause too. “People should get their food orders in by Friday so they won’t be disappointed for Saturday’s virtual ball,” Brad said.“At The Loft, we have a small dine in capacity too,” he said.Rebekka said normally the ball entails frocking up in black tie and enjoying an evening raising funds for Our Kids.“But unfortunately we have had to postpone like so many other community events in Lismore,” Rebekka said.“This is just a simple idea to unite the community, have some fun and give everyone a good excuse to get out of your active wear and PJs,” Rebekka said.“We have had a great response so far, with people from as far away as England joining in, where they’ll be hosting a champagne breakfast due to the time difference.“Even the Commonwealth Business Banking Team who usually volunteer at the Ball are hosting their Virtual Ball at a lunchtime function so their team can join in.”If you would like to take part in the Our Kids Virtual Ball, follow these simple steps: 1. Host a dinner party with family and/or friends on Saturday May 30. (Please adhere to the NSW Government guidelines of social distancing and staying safe.)2. Choose your theme and set your table. 3. For dinner we ask that you support a local restaurant by ordering take away or book into your favourite restaurant. 4. Dress up. This is your chance to ditch the active wear, the PJ’s and work gear and dress to impress. 5. Join the Our Kids Virtual Winter Ball Facebook Group so you can be up to date with what’s happening https://www.facebook.com/groups/ourkidsvirtualball/ 6. Take some photos and upload to the Facebook group. There are opportunities to donate with an online raffle. For more information, visit https://give.everydayhero.com/au/our-kids-virtual-ball

Lismore City Council’s recent winning of a swim safety award for local swim programs comes at a time when we all look eagerly toward when fitness centres like GSAC will reopen. The State Government has yet to announce a date that fitness centres and gyms can open, but a date sometime in June is expected. This was reiterated by Lismore Council today.“There is no firm opening date for GSAC at the moment,” a Council spokesperson said.“We are working our way through necessary social distancing protocols to ensure the safety of the community and staff.“As soon as we do have an opening date we will let the community know through the media and our Facebook page.”Swim Australia award winLast week, the Council’s swim school at GSAC (Goonellabah Sports & Aquatic Centre) and the Lismore Memorial Baths were named the Best Small Swim School in Australia for marketing and promotion at this year’s Swim Australia and Australian Swimming Coaches & Teachers Association Awards.The awards include Council’s use of social media, bus signage, water safety week, grandparents’ week and swimming clinics.The award is designed to highlight the importance that Swim Australia places on the swim safety message, and acknowledges the outstanding work being done around water safety.Teacher of the Year Two local swim teachers - Craig Beck and Trish Bailey - were given Teacher of the Year awards at the ceremony.Craig Beck was awarded Teacher of the Year - Babies & Toddlers. Craig is part of the Learn to Swim program at Northern Rivers Swim Academy at Trinity College. "Not a bad effort for a bloke pushing 66," Craig said. "Move over Laurie Lawrence."GSAC teacher Trish Bailey, was also awarded Teacher of the Year for Learners with a Disability.Trish has worked at GSAC for eight years and has taught many children with additional needs, building a great relationship with the student and their families, while achieving amazing results with the children.Lismore City Council’s Manager, Major Recreation & Cultural Facilities, Tony Duffy congratulated the winners.“I would like to congratulate and thank our swim school team and Trish. We have some great facilities in Lismore, and what these awards show is that we also have some wonderful and dedicated staff who work in those facilities,” Mr Duffy said.“We all know that drownings are tragic events for the families affected, but also for the whole community. That is why teaching members of our community how to swim and feel confident in water is crucially important.”

The next time you chew bubble gum, think carefully about where you dispose it.A Magpie Lark that couldn’t fly was picked up by a member of the public last week.When local Wildlife Information and Rescue Emergency Service (WIRES) volunteers were called to the scene, they discovered the bird had a sticky substance through its wing. It had caused the wing to become stuck to its tail and it couldn't fly.The local, Sophie, had already contained the helpless bird, and put it in a box with a soft cloth at the bottom.She was keeping it warm, dark and quiet to reduce its stress before WIRES arrived to give assistance.When WIRES volunteer arrived, she discovered that the sticky substance was bubble gum.Julie said this bird was “one lucky Magpie Lark”.“It was good that Sophie discovered the bird was in trouble before any major injuries occurred,” Julie said.It was also lucky because Julie is trained in how to remove sticky substances such as chewing gum from our feathered friends.According to Julie, there was minimal feather damage after the gum was removed.The Magpie Lark, just before it was released.“The Magpie Lark was given hydration and seemed quite feisty,” she said.“It was given a flight test and passed with flying colours. “This male Magpie Lark was ready to resume life in the wild and was promptly released back home."Julie said chewing gum can be lethal if thoughtlessly disposed of.“It may not kill the bird if it is ingested, but it can certainly cause issues, and as in this case would have eventually killed the bird as it was unable to fly leaving it helpless and easy prey,” she said.“Please dispose all rubbish including chewing gum responsibly, in a bin with a closed lid.If you find an injured animal, call WIRES 66281898. WIRES is a voluntary service looking after native wildlife an is ways looking for volunteers and donations.