Around 550 competitors gathered at Hepburn Park at the weekend to test their stamina and teamwork in the Lismore Samson Fitness Challenge, the major fundraising event for local charity Our Kids.The contest pushed 135 four-person teams made up of the fittest, the not-so-fit and the frankly fun-loving through nine events designed to work every muscle in the human body – most of which were on display in some of the more ripped competitors.Others chose to conceal their assets in pink or gold tutus.Union Fitness won the event in a total time of 1hr 11 min 59 followed by Fit Farm Training on 1:14:25. The women of Summit Sweethearts took third place with a time of 1:17:26.Fourth were The Momentum Gang (1:18:52) followed by Elite Force Fitness Lennox fifth (1:18:53), Turner Joinery sixth (1:18:56), Summit Daughters seventh (1:19:40), Fit 2478 eighth (1:20:00), Bmf Crew ninth (1:20:11) and Two and Two Tutuaes (1:21:32).The Lord's Taverners Northern NSW provided marshalls for the course, while the Lismore Lions Club and Goonellabah-Wollongbar Lions volunteered their time to marshall the swim leg at the Goonellabah Sports and Aquatic CentrePolice constable Kim joined in the action by knocking out 34 press-ups in just one minute.

Garry Mulroy, the former Trinity Catholic College schoolteacher facing pedophilia charges in Cambodia, has been sent back to prison after a court appearance in the capital, Phnom Penh, in which judges deferred their decision on whether the charges should be dropped.Speaking to AAP outside the court on Friday, Mulroy asserted his innocence of all charges and said that what “irked” him was that the six boys in his care at an NGO he set up named Education House had lost their opportunity for an education “and for life in general”.Cambodian police allege the 64-year-old schoolteacher had procured the boys for sex in exchange for food and money.However, an independent report commissioned by the defence found no evidence to support the charges. Mulroy was a victim of an extortion bid amid petty rivalries among foreign-run charities, it said.  The report, by risk management consultant Ross Milosevic, which included affidavits from people who knew the children, also found that police interviews were made "under extreme duress, intimidation and extortion"."I can honestly say these boys were never abused by the accused. The boys’ honesty and demeanour showed no attitude that they were ever mistreated or abused sexually in any way," one witness says in the report.The Investigative Chambers of the Phnom Penh Appeals Court was to rule on two submissions on Friday: to annul the charges amid defence claims of a lack of police evidence, and on follow-up interviews with witnesses.Mulroy's lawyer So Mosseny said the court would not rule on witness testimony because an investigative judge had not conducted all requested interviews.He said the annulment hearing was postponed to a date to be determined.A visibly disappointed Mulroy was returned to prison in Siem Reap in the northwest of the country.A trial date for charges he sexually abused boys under the age of 15 has been set for March 24 in Siem Reap.

Australians have faced plenty of adversity in recent times – fires, floods, an epidemic – and they have faced it with courage, kindness, community spirit and, often, not a little humour.It’s not being pessimistic to predict that there’s more adversity to come, so it’s a good plan to learn more about how to laugh when bad fortune strikes – and there are few people on the planet better able to help you do so than the multi-talented Mandy Nolan.Mandy will be one of guests on the next Regional Gallery-hosted Thursday Night Live! panel, which has Laughing in the Face of Adversity as its topic.Mandy is popularly considered one of the funniest people in Australia, with more than 25 years of industry experience. Ruby Wax, herself no slouch when it comes to comedy, recently declared Mandy as being "hysterically funny".She has tackled adversity with laughter before, creating Stand UP for Dementia, a humour therapy programme for people with dementia, and other comedy programs for people with lived experience of mental illness, and for people with disabilities and children.Mandy and the other panel guests will be introduced by Gabrielle Griffin, an independent performing artist since 1994, and specialist in disability dance, adult puppetry, improvisation and clowning.Gabrielle says she is attracted artistically to the darker sides of human existence, such as grief and death, and has been challenged to find the humour and joy in merely being alive.Others on the panel include stained-glass creative and hoarding support worker Maire Barron and creative performance maker and circus performer Simone O'Brien.Thursday Night Live! is a monthly talks program putting critical, thought-provoking topics in the spotlight.Lismore Regional Gallery, Thursday, March 12, 6pm – 7.30pm. Free event. Bar opens at 5:30pm.

The 2020 Norco Eat The Street food festival is only seven days away.I hope you have marked it on your calendar (Saturday March 13 from 12 midday to 9pm) and invited family and friends from afar to join you.Head to the Eat The Street button on the front page of the Lismore App or check out the website on your PC or Laptop Eat The Street.Apart from the many fabulous food vendors that you will be tasting (check them all out in What's On and Tasting Plates) there will be a Live Music stage, a Cooking stage, Family Fun and the Guest Chef for this year is the 2015 Master Chef runner-up, Georgia Barnes.Eat The Street also offers other featured events that you may not know about and want to try, here's the list.Progressive Dinner: An evening food foray throughout the wonderful city of Lismore. Festivities begin at the Workers Club with a beverage and canapes before heading to Miss Lizzie’s, La Baracca and The Bank for a delightful evening including one course and matching drink at each venue. Additional beverages at your own cost. A comfortable coach will transport you to each venue throughout the evening. Thursday March 12 between 5:30 and 9pm you. Cost $135.Farm Tour: Experience the practices of growing contemporary “dry land” rice at Nimbin Rice and traditional Australian bush foods at Wattle Tree Creek. See Dorpa sheep feeding shamelessly on the hilly grasses at Bexhill. Discover the American First Nation’s “pacane”, or pecan nut. Sample an array of local produce and refreshments followed by a gastronomic long table lunch under the shade of the pecan trees at Eltham Pantry. Cost $125.Master Class with Georgia Barnes: Join Australian celebrity chef Georgia Barnes and make a delicious meal with fresh, seasonal and local ingredients. Georgia inspires everyday people to cook from scratch and see the beauty in real food. Georgia kicked started her career after placing runner-up on MasterChef Australia in 2015. Known throughout the series for her creative-flair, delicious desserts and plating skills, Georgia’s warm and bubbly persona made her a household favourite. Cost $90. Saturday March 14 2:30 to 4pm. Friday March 13 9am to 3pm.New Garden Party: The Garden Party will be set to the backdrop of Lismore's amazing Back Alley Gallery. It will be an area of relaxation with the convenience of a private bar, seating, shade and facilities. Private entertainment will play throughout the party and knowledgeable bar staff are on site to ensure you get a full understanding of the local beverages on offer. Entry into the Garden Party will include 4 x tasting vouchers to be used at food outlets throughout the event. Cost $50. Saturday March 14 between 3 and 7pm.Tickets for these events can be purchased through the Eat The Street website Ticketed Events tab.For two luck people you can win a double pass to this years new addition, The Garden Party. It is very simple to enter, go to the WIN! button (Win!) on the front page of the Lismore App and enter your details. Entries will close next Friday March 13 at 12 midday with the winners drawn later that day.Now, the only thing left to do is for the Lismore City Council to order the perfect 25 degree blue sky day!

When looking on my iPhone all I see is rain forecast for the weekend which was not a good start for the Weekend Wrap.I decided to ring Helen at the BOM to get the official word and my spirits lightened. Helen did say we may get some thunderstorms later tonight or early tomorrow morning but they will be fairly isolated.Then on Sunday a southerly change, which is currently in the Hunter, will move up the coast containing a few showers for us but the forecast is nothing more than a few mills. Although, there could be the odd isolated patch of rain so beware.Temperatures will be in the mid-twenties (27 and 26 degrees) which is perfect to explore one of the walks on the Lismore App Walks.Check-out the glorious photos from last weekends walk to Minyon Falls. Apart from the usual tourists and backpackers there were a few families with young children making the trek down the path to base of the falls. It is a tiring but rewarding walk of about 3-4 hours. Parents beware that the final part is a climb over rocks to get to the falls but some families stopped at the river to let the kids swim instead.The Lismore City Hall continues the three day Women's Festival over the weekend. There are events from 9am to 5pm over both days culminating in the Fabulous, Funny and Female comedy show at 3pm. Check out the full rundown of events here https://www.lismorewomensfestival.org/program-2020.Market wise, there is quite a bit on offer.The Lismore Farmers Markets are selling their wares at the Showground from 8am to 11:30 and the Blue Knob Markets between 8:30 and 11:30am. If you like garlic, corn and sweet potatoes there is plenty to choose from as well as some great local meats for sale.The Lismore Vintage and Handmade Market is back on again at 152 Keen Street from 10am (runs until 2pm) and then on Sunday the monthly Channon Markets is worth a drive up the hill.For music fans, there is some hard rock with Masochist, Usurper and Wicked at the Gollan tonight from 7pm and the Roaring 20's is on at Mary G's. Acts include Essie James, Jex Lopez and the Gravediggers, Fisted Sister, Kiss My Boots and more.For the weekend sport which includes the ANZAC Cup opening matches in the soccer, head to our Sports button Sport.That is the Weekend Wrap. Have a great two days off.

It's that time of year again, when the going gets tough and the tough get going in the Lismore Samson Fitness Challenge at Hepburn Park in Goonellabah, the major fundraiser for local charity Our Kids. This year's Challenge – the 10th since it was founded by Dr Chris Ingall in 2001 – sees a whopping 135 teams competing, with four members each, drawn from Southeast Queensland, the Gold Coast and Sydney as well as the local area. They will test themselves in events whose names are even enough to tire out normal people, including the sled pull, Jerry-can run, dead-ball carry, tyre flip and push-a-prowler. Also on the gruelling programme is a run from Hepburn Park to the Goonellabah Sports and Aquatic Centre, where competitors will swim a kilometre before running back to the park. There they will face an obstacle course and the expectation of 100 burpees.Several classes of competition mean no-one has an excuse to not take part, from the Elite and Competitive to the Social, the last just for the fun of it, "which is an interesting concept in itself", jokes Our Kids fundraising co-ordinator Rebekka Battista.Our Kids – or the Northern Rivers Children’s Health Fund, to give it its proper name – provides medical equipment and support to help children stay local when needing medical care. Over the years it has helped improve the health services for children in the Northern Rivers through raising awareness and vital funds to buy life-saving medical equipment for the paediatric wards such as Children’s Ward, Special Care Nursery and Accident and Emergency at Lismore Base Hospital and other hospitals across the region.The Lismore Samson Fitness Challenge has raised more than $135,000 in its 10 years of competition, and Rebekka expects this year's collect to be around $25,000."We couldn't do it without the fantastic community spirit behind us," she said. "The 120 or so marshalls, our fantastic sponsors and all those who volunteer. I'd like to say a huge 'thank you' to them all."It really does take a village to raise our kids, and to help keep them healthy."The Samson Fitness Challenge goes from 6.45am to 3.00pm tomorrow, Saturday, March 7, at Hepburn Park, corner of Holland St and Oliver Ave, Goonellabah. 

With the increasing media reports about COVID-19 or Coronavirus, the Lismore App decided to see if the panic has set in around Lismore.I was surprised that the panic buying of basic grocery items like toilet paper was affecting our local supermarkets. Not only that but hand sanitiser and mask supplies are already non-existent. Is this "being prepared" or is this an overreaction through what is commonly known as Crowd Psychology?A walk around the CBD gave a rather shocking view what the threat of the coronavirus can do to people.First stop was Dan O'Connell at Chempro on Woodlark Street. Dan told me that they had two bottles of hand sanitiser left and they will be gone in a few hours.Steph Bulmer at Blooms on Keen Street was next with the same story, no hand sanitiser and no masks. "We have them on back order," she told me. So, it was around to Helen Brand at Brands Pharmacy on Molesworth Street; same story with Helen hoping to find a new supplier.The Goonellabah Pharmacy was next, same story and a phone call to the Nimbin Village Pharmacy painted the same picture.Armed with that knowledge, it was then time to check out our toilet paper supplies.Coles in Goonellabah, completely out. The amusing aspect here is that I was told people were lining up in the morning waiting for the morning delivery. For toilet paper!IGA Goonellabah did have some on their shelves.Hand sanitiser and masks are understandable, but not the bulk buying of toilet paper. So, why is this happening?One theory is Crowd Psychology -- the phenomenon where people see or hear stories on the media or through friends and family then copy that behaviour, fearing there is something to the story whether it is based on fact or not. Basically, if one person is buying six large packs of toilet paper then there must be an important reason why and I had better not miss out.The fact is that most of our toilet paper is actually made in Australia. The likelihood of us running out is minimal.Quilton is made by ABC Tissue Products in Brisbane, Sydney and Perth, while Kleenex is made in Millicent, South Australia.Supply runs out when demand is well above what the normal levels of supply are on a weekly and monthly basis.So, don't panic. Just keep to your normal buying habits and the toilet paper will once again return to the shelves.Masks.The Chief Health Officer for NSW, Dr Kerry Chant has said that masks are not recommended for healthy people but only for those people who show flu-like symptoms. The majority of people do not need to wear face masks.The spread of influenza and the coronavirus is through close contact with an infected person through coughing, sneezing or contaminated hands. This is why only unhealthy people should be wearing masks. You cannot contract coronavirus through food, packaging or mail.Hand sanitiser.This is the product that can help people not contract the flu or coronavirus. Dr Chant has said that the "practice of good hand hygiene is important in not contracting the coronavirus". This can also be done through the regular washing of hands throughout the day.Do not rush to buy bulk supplies of face masks, a few will do for when you may come in contact with healthy family members or friends if you are displaying flu-like symptoms. There must be enough to go around everyone in our community.What should you do if you have flu-like symptoms?The focus of NSW Health is on "containing the spread of the virus".This means that if you feel the symptoms of the flu then do not rush to the doctor as we would normally do. You should contact your doctor and make an appointment, making them aware of your symptoms. They will advise you to wait in your car until a physician comes out to assess your condition and what the treatment should be.If someone in your family has symptoms, do not go to work or school. Isolation is the best way to tackle a potential outbreak, according to doctors.The mortality rate of the coronavirus is smaller than SARS in 2003. SARS' mortality rate was 9.5% while coronavirus is between 2 and 5%. The common flu has a rate of 0.1%.To give this more perspective, people under 50 have a mortality rate of 0.2 to 0.4%. In 50-59 year olds it rises to 1.3%, 60-69 3.6% and 70-79 8%. The age group most in danger are 80+ people with a 14.8% mortality rate. People with health issues are also more susceptible than the average person.The statistics suggest that if you have loved ones that are above 80 years of age and you develop symptoms of the flu, stay away from them. As would be the case in any normal flu season.We need to approach the next few months with a great deal of common sense not panic.The facts are that through good hygiene practices and isolation when displaying symptoms we will continue to live normal lives.The symptoms of COVID-19 include fever, cough, runny nose, or shortness of breath. The most important step in protecting yourself from any illness, including COVID-19 is regular handwashing, especially before preparing and eating meals or drinking.There is no need to panic buy grocery items.There is no need to not continue our everyday lives and support businesses in our local community.As of yesterday March 5, 2020 there were no confirmed cases of Coronavirus in Northern NSW with 25 cases confirmed in NSW.To stay up to date or to get more facts about coronavirus, go to the Health NSW website page https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/Infectious/diseases/Pages/coronavirus.aspx.This page includes important information on flights with confirmed cases of coronavirus. There are a lot of people still travelling overseas, either for work or pleasure. If that is you, this page is definitely worth taking note of.

Chappy and Prince, two fine-looking Kelpie crosses, gaze out at the camera.Prince has a pleading look in his eyes. He wants a home, with some lovely human companions to play with him, to love and be loved by.They both do, because it’s getting a bit boring in the Lismore Pound, now that all the other dogs have been adopted out.Two weeks ago the Pound was at capacity – nine dogs in all, an unusual state of affairs, according to Lismore City Council’s senior law enforcement officer Jody Hinds.“It might happen once or twice a year, if that,” he says, and only when a range of circumstances come together.That might include February’s heavy rains, which could have knocked down fences and let dogs run off. That wouldn’t matter if the dog’s microchip was current, Jody says, but when people change address, or get a new phone, they can forget to update the details on their pet’s microchip, extending the time before they can be re-united.In the rare cases of dogs not being micro-chipped at all, they are kept for seven days before efforts are made to re-house them; owners of micro-chipped dogs have 14 days to locate their four-legged friends.The two kelpies have the Pound to themselves now because following a Facebook call-out about the facility’s full-house, two of their mates were re-homed and the remaining five and were fostered out through an animal rescue group.It put the Pound rangers in the slightly awkward position of having just Chappy and Prince left for their Open Day at the end of February.It was a nice problem to have though, says Jody, because the most satisfying part of the rangers’ job is seeing dogs leave the Pound, ideally to loving new homes, micro-chipped, desexed, vaccinated and registered.Deciding to take a dog home is a serious matter, Jody says, and his team – all dog devotees themselves – put a lot of time and thought into finding the right match.“We’re not just dog-catchers, we’re dog lovers trying to break the cycle of a mis-match between human and dog.“Choosing a dog is not like going to the supermarket and picking something,” he says. “It’s a full adoption process; we talk to prospective owners, find out about their hobbies, their lifestyles, and try to match a chilled dog with a laidback owner, or an active one with someone who likes to exercise.“We don’t want people making an emotional decision. We’ve got to make sure that it’s a right fit.“We’re looking for a home where a dog will be loved and cherished for the rest of its life.”To that end he encourages anyone to come and talk to the rangers at the Pound – and perhaps even join the waiting list for a breed they like.The Pound is located at the Lismore City Council Recycling and Recovery Centre on Wyrallah Road.

Celebrations for International Women’s Day (March 8), ranging from the formal to the fun-filled, kick off tomorrow, Friday.A luncheon hosted by the Lismore City Council will have as its focus a keynote speaker, Fay Jackson, the director of Vision in Mind and deputy commissioner of NSW Mental Health, who will address the theme of the event, “An equal world is an enabled world”.“This is a great opportunity for local women from all walks of life to come together and share their experiences in a fun and supportive atmosphere,” said council general manager Shelley Oldham. “Organisations and businesses are now realising how important mental health is to their workplaces,” Ms Oldham said. “However, they often do not have the knowledge to deal with these issues.”“The luncheon will start a discussion about how we can make workplaces a safer and more nurturing place, not just for women but for all of us.”On Saturday evening, there is a screening of the Women’s Adventure Film Tour, a collection of award-winning short films celebrating inspiring women doing extraordinary things in the name of adventure.The programme features a cast of Australian athletes including four-time world champion cliff diver Rhiannan Iffland, climber Angie Scarth-Johnson, trail runner Jacqui Bell and many more, including women in snow sports, mountaineering and mountain biking.Guest speaker is Terra Roams, who after five decades exploring the world is shifting her focus to story collecting and telling a few of her own. Over the years she has walked and snowshoed more than 22,000kms solo, including almost 6000kms in wilderness.Ms Roams is passionate about conservation and climate action and uses her expeditions to highlight important issues and solutions.The evening includes a prize draw as well as the screening.Meanwhile, the Lismore Women’s Festival will run all weekend, A weekend-long celebration hosted by YWCA Australia.Events include The Roar Women’s Music Festival on Friday, headlined by singer-songwriter Essie Thomas, who grew up on the Northern Rivers and is now an internationally recognised musician.On Saturday is the She-Rated Cabaret for over 18s and a burlesque workshop, in which a former World Queen of Burlesque will teach women how to striptease.On Sunday, events range from the uproarious (The Fabulous, Funny and Female Comedy Show with Vanessa Larry) to the highly serious –a workshop to train people what to do when they find themselves a bystander to violence. Other workshops provide opportunities to learn about nutrition and perimenopause, said festival co-ordinator Emma Newman. “We’ll also have dancing, yoga and relaxation sessions each day, as well as visual art at Serpentine Gallery in North Lismore.”Lismore City Hall will be the main venue for all events, “where women can go from workshop to workshop: listening, debating, writing, relaxing, dancing and laughing their heads off”.The biggest gathering will be on Sunday, March 8, for International Women’s Day. There will be a gathering on the lawn outside Lismore City Hall with a Welcome to Country ceremony, followed by Young Women on the Mic. “People can enjoy music, food, talks, a feminist panel and browse a wide range of stalls on the day – all in the spirit of empowering women,” Emma said.Topics will range from growing trees, intercultural awareness, performance, environment, music, feminism, health, communication and comedy. Closing the day will be a concert by the Our Women in Harmony Pop-up Choir – Beautiful Songbirds at City Hall.For festival programme details, visit www.lismorewomensfestival.orgWomen’s Adventure Film Tour is at Star Court Theatre, 126 Molesworth Street on March 7 at 7pm.The LCC luncheon will be held in the Fountain Room at Lismore City Hall tomorrow, March 6 between noon and 2pm.Individual tickets cost $50, or $45 each for a table of six. Bookings are essential. For tickets, see www.visitlismore.com.au

A man will face court today after he allegedly broke into a home in Goonellabah and sexually touched a woman who was sleeping inside.On Wednesday 4 March 2020, a 33-year-old woman and her two daughters aged four and five, were asleep in their Allingham Place, Goonellabah home, all sharing the same bed.About 4am the woman was woken by a man sitting on her bed sexually touching her. She screamed, and the man ran from the premises.Officers from Richmond Police District attended and commenced an investigation with the assistance of Detectives and Crime Scene Officers.About 3pm yesterday (Wednesday 4 March 2020), a 19-year-old man was arrested at a home in Simpson Place, Goonellabah.He was taken to Lismore Police Station where he was charged with aggravated break and enter commit serious indictable offence (sexual touching).He was refused bail and will appear in Lismore Local Court today (Thursday 5 March 2020).The two children were not harmed during the incident.

Autumn is upon us but, with continuing high temperatures and high humidity, it still feels like summer.And what a summer it was, with extreme dry relieved in February by extreme wet, inconvenient for some but welcomed by farmers, gardeners, householders and above all, firefighters. The rain started in the north and progressed southwards, and by February 13 it had helped to douse the bushfires that had dominated the headlines and devastated the lives of hundreds of people.It was “a summer of two halves”, in the words of Bureau of Meteorology climatologist Andrew Watkins, with the two main drivers at the start of the season being a very strong positive Indian Ocean Dipole and a near-record negative Southern Annular Mode, which led to the warmest and driest December on record – a staggering 4.31 °C above the long-term average.Those drivers “returned to neutral levels” in January, with a very late arrival of the northern monsoon finally bringing some tropical moisture to our shores.While they helped to put out the flames and cooled temperatures compared to December, the extra moisture and cloud couldn’t stop January and February from ranking among the 10 warmest on record for the country as a whole, Dr Watkins said.So what does autumn hold for us? Continuing “very much above” average temperatures, both during the day and at night.And, while most areas of the state are showing no strong push towards wetter or drier than average conditions over autumn, the Northern Rivers has slightly increased odds of wetter than average conditions. (Sadly, in the far west of the State, the forecast is for rainfall to be “very much below average”.)"Typically, in autumn our main climate drivers are resetting, which means they're exerting less influence on our weather patterns,” Dr Watkins said."This means we can expect our weather over the coming month or two to be driven by more local conditions, and that makes the seven-day forecast an important tool for assessing upcoming rainfall. “By winter, we will have an even clearer indication if this will change, and hence what the weather will look like for the rest of 2020."

The Northern Rivers Rural Fire Services has declared the Bushfire Danger Period over – one month early.The high-risk period is usually set down for seven months, running from September 1 to March 31, during which anyone wanting to light a fire requires a permit from their local fire control centre.Because of the extraordinary dry, hot and windy conditions this season, total fire bans were in place for many months.“People are no longer required to get a permit,” RFS Inspector Boyd Townsend said, “unless their fire poses a danger to buildings.”However, anyone wanting to light a fire is still required to contact their neighbours and local fire control centre 24 hours beforehand, he said.The Bushfire Danger Period is variable, according to Insp Boyd, and because the Northern Rivers “fire season” starts earlier than elsewhere in the State, the official danger period can be started and finished earlier.It is not unusual for the danger period to be called off early, he said.This year was a perfect example, with fires starting in our region from August, and later in the south of the state, and being extinguished here earlier also.January and February’s torrential rains experienced across the region means there is no longer significant danger of fires breaking out, Insp Boyd said – a great relief following the horrific, out-of-control events at Mt Nardi and elsewhere in the later months of 2019 and early January.

Two donations for bushfire relief from Lismore’s sister city Yamato Takada in Japan will be handed to the Lismore Rotary Club secretary Graham Hargraves and Lismore mayor Isaac Smith tomorrow.The donations are to be delivered by Southern Cross University Professor Peter Wilson on campus at 3.30pm.During a trip to Yamato Takada at the end of February, Professor Wilson visited both the Yamato Takada Rotary Club and the city’s mayor.The president of the Rotary Club, Katsumi Nakahori, handed over funds collected by members of the club and asked that they be given to their sister club in Lismore.“Kaatsumi handed me an envelope with 220,000 yen and a letter. He asked if I could bring it back to give to the Lismore Rotary Club President, Trevor Hopf,” Professor Wilson said.The other donation was gifted on behalf of the Lismore and Yamato Takada Sister City Association, by President Yoshikiyo Yakimoto, with the request that it be passed on to Cr Smith. This money was collected by students and parents of the Bamboo English Class in the local primary school in Yamato Takada.Lismore and Yamato Takada have had a sister city relationship since 1963, and have continually strengthened ties through student exchanges, cultural programs and official visits.

A man will face court today charged over the sexual touching of a young girl in a public bathroom at the Lismore Transit Centre yesterday.Officers from Richmond Police District responded following reports a 15-year-old had been sexually touched by a man, who is known to her, at the Transit Centre about 12.20pm (Tuesday 3 March 2020).On arrival, police conducted inquiries before arresting a 26-year-old man.The Lismore man was taken to Lismore Police Station, where he was charged with two counts of sexually touch child 10-16 years and incite to crime.Police will allege in court that the man approached the girl and led her into one of the toilet areas, where he sexually touched her.It will also be alleged that the man asked the girl to buy cannabis on his behalf.He has been refused bail to appear at Lismore Local Court today (Wednesday 4 March 2020).Inquiries are continuing.

Police have charged a man after he allegedly sexually touched a woman during a poker tournament in Lismore at the weekend.Officers from Richmond Police District began an investigation following reports that a 25-year-old woman had been sexually touched by an unknown man at a licensed premises at Lismore on Saturday.Police allege the woman was approached by the man at a poker tournament and sexually touched on several occasions before he was ejected by security.Following extensive inquiries, a 31-year-old man was arrested at a unit in Lismore about 7.30pm last night.He was taken to Lismore Police Station, where he was charged with two counts of sexually touch another person without consent.The man was refused bail to appear at Lismore Local Court today, Wednesday, March 4.

Lismore Liver Clinic is playing a key role in a campaign aimed at making Australia free of hepatitis C by 2030.Around 182,000 Australians live with chronic infection, and the Northern Rivers is a hot spot. The TEST CURE LIVE campaign is aimed at the estimated 3000 people living in the region with the virus, to encourage them to seek a treatment that is 95% effective.“If you think there is any chance you may have contracted hepatitis C, even if it was decades ago, through needles, a blood transfusion or tattoos, I would urge you to ask your GP for a blood test to find out,” says Krista Zohrab, Lismore Liver Clinic’s clinical nurse consultant.“There is no reason to live with hepatitis C. A simple test followed by tablets for two or three months is all it takes to be cured. Treatment is cheap, with few or no side-effects, and 95% successful.”Sometimes shame about their drug-using past can stop people from coming forward, Krista says, and she suggests that anyone not comfortable talking to their GP should call the Clinic direct on 6620 7539.“We can help organise testing and treatment anywhere on the Northern Rivers,” she says.The campaign – a Hepatitis Australia initiative in collaboration with Hepatitis NSW and the Northern NSW Local Health District – is aimed primarily at people 50 years and older. Many of them may have contracted the virus unknowingly in their youth, when it was only known as “non-A, non-B”. Hepatitis C can lie hidden for decades, a “silent” presence in the liver, showing few symptoms. If left untreated, it can cause fatigue, muscle aches, abdominal pain, nausea, diarrhoea, a rash and itching – symptoms many people mistakenly attribute to ageing. As the virus progresses, hepatitis C can damage the liver slowly and silently, leading to cirrhosis (or scarring), liver cancer and liver failure.Around 72,000 people have been cured since new hepatitis C antiviral medications were made available through the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) in 2016 – more than 2200 of them in the Northern Rivers. The new range of medications are a massive improvement on the older treatments based upon the drug Interferon, which was gruelling and relatively ineffective.Everyone over 18 with a Medicare card can access the new antivirals, Krista says.Confirmation of a cure can be provided within 12 weeks of completing treatment, with those clearing the virus reporting feeling “transformed”, their wellbeing, energy and mental clarity restored, she says.For more information, visit the TEST CURE LIVE website testcurelive.com.au.

Lismore TAFE teachers are “collapsing” under the workload of trying to teach a new, revised TAFE curriculum.As the first teaching term of the 2020 TAFE year gets underway, TAFE teachers are complaining of being left to deliver new courses that have little to no resources provided for them to use.One TAFE teacher, who requested not to be named, said her workload had tripled, and she was stressed as she struggled to create teaching materials she could use to deliver the subjects.“Most teachers are casual workers, on temporary contracts and we are just getting the same hours of pay as before,” she said. “It’s the same for every teacher across the whole State.”She said all courses taught by TAFE in Australia had been revised and rewritten last year, after being audited for consistency and standards.“Education auditors found that TAFE needed to improve in order to achieve compliance with assessment and standards of competence – and this needed consistent across the whole country,” she said.“Only a couple of courses were audited, not every subject, but a decision was made to re-do every assessment across all skill sectors - and it was done in a hurry, without collaboration or consultation across the board.“In some units, the new assessments have many parts and this increased the amount of time needed for teachers to conduct and mark assessments – as well as increased time for students to do the assessments.“Everybody is collapsing because they are over-assessing the students by giving too many assessments.“The workload is unfeasible and unmanageable and we are not given any extra pay for the extra workload. “Staff are already taking stress leave because they can’t handle it. “One teacher who works teaching hospitality in Casino in a working kitchen said two teachers were needed in order to teach the unit, Bbut one teacher’s position was cut and now there’s inadequate staffing in the kitchen.“We have given feedback to the higher ups, but nothing has changed.”TAFE has already seen cuts to funding and services over the last few years. A new review of the TAFE system has been announced this week by the NSW Government, and has already received criticism amidst fears it could lead to a privatisation of the already struggling system, or to even more cuts to services.Read more:  Where are the apprentices? New TAFE review brings criticismThe Lismore App contacted TAFE NSW for comment about the new review, but TAFE NSW declined to comment.

Schools can apply for grants of up to $500 to learn more about the impact of Stolen Generations history on Australia.The Healing Foundation grants enable teachers to bring truth telling to life with age appropriate lesson plans that include the option for schools to receive book bundles with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander literature.The Healing Foundation Chair Professor Steve Larkin said the grants would support schools to engage students in meaningful truth telling activities about Australia’s past.“We’ve seen a national shift in perception around Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander issues and this is being driven, in part, by a thirst for more Indigenous knowledge at the school level,” he said.“Parents understand their children’s desire to know more about the true history of Australia and the schools kit is a great way to educate our kids and we’re seeing that flow on to Mum and Dad.“We all share the same past and understanding our common history and rewriting the story in a safe way means that together we take some of the stigma out of the narrative.”The Healing Foundation’s Stolen Generations Reference Group Chair Ian Hamm said the schools kit played an important part in healing the nation and for the thousands of children who were forcibly removed from their families and communities between 1910 and the 1970s.“The schools kit is an important part of the ongoing healing of our nation,” he said.“Our children are our future and we’re finally giving them the tools to better understand and frame discussions around truth telling and healing.“My hope is that all schools will one day soon be teaching our kids what really happened so that together we can create change that builds a better future for Australia.”The Stolen Generations Resource Kit for Teachers and Students was developed by The Healing Foundation in consultation with Stolen Generations survivors, teachers, parents and curriculum writers.It includes suggested lesson plans for Foundation Year through to Year 9 and professional learning tools for teachers. Each year level includes four activities that can be taught over a day, week, month or term, mapped to the Australian Curriculum.The lesson plans, case studies and other resources are available for free download from The Healing Foundation website.Grant applications open on March 3 and close on April 15. To find out more or apply visit www.healingfoundation.org.au/schools

Don’t be scared to clog up your drains, because Lismore’s apprentice plumbers may not be an endangered species anymore.Lismore MP Janelle Saffin has welcomed TAFE NSW’s decision to offer a Certificate IV course in Plumbing and Services (Operations Stream) at Wollongbar TAFE Campus from April 27.Read earlier story: Where are the apprentices? New TAFE review brings criticism Ms Saffin described the announcement as a win for up to 20 local tradesmen plumbers who needed to further their education closer to home rather than take the far more costly option of doing the course in Coffs Harbour. Ms Saffin said confirmation of the Wollongbar course and opening up of applications came late last Friday following strong representations she had made to NSW Minister for Skills and Tertiary Education Dr Geoff Lee on January 21 this year. “I also thank TAFE NSW Regional General Manager North Region Susie George for acknowledging that there is a demand for this course, and a need to run it in Wollongbar, putting up an offering for it (to start after Easter) and asking potential students to enrol,” Ms Saffin said. “For the local tradies who contacted me, travelling to and staying at Coffs Harbour was not an option due to the associated travel, accommodation and other costs. “Further to this, I was advised that to complete this course, a student must do 14 blocks, with each block of three days’ duration. Not every employer would be able to accommodate and afford this arrangement. “I asked Minister Lee to investigate the matter and to use his good offices to reconsider offering the course at the Wollongbar campus, and I welcome the positive outcome for local tradies and their employers.” Tradesman plumber Jamie Swinton, 23, of Goonellabah, who has worked for Sidney & Hacking Plumbing for the past three years, said he would definitely be enrolling in the Wollongbar course and thanked Ms Saffin for her advocacy. “I recently finished my apprenticeship and have been trying to further my study to become a licensed contractor for over 12 months,” Mr Swinton said. “The Coffs option just wasn’t viable and my life would have been put on hold for another year waiting to find out if the course would be offered at Wollongbar. “Now I can get on with it. It’s an 18-month course and I’m eligible for the $2850 subsidised course fee, which I can just afford. “Down the track, I would like to do a Diploma in Hydraulic Services, which goes more into design and engineering.”