BYRON BAY [SIC] ECHO SINCE 1986 The Byron Shire Echo • Volume 37 #36 • February 15, 2023 • www.echo.net.au
Local police assault charge dismissed
Feeling the…
Mia Armitage
Last Saturday’s fundraising event for the restoration of Mullum’s flood-damaged LOVE sign at The Paddock Project raised more than $1,000, say organisers, to help rebuild the sign, using more permanent material. Donations to the GoFundMe campaign (rebuild-mullum-love-sign) are at $3,000, with a $10,000 target. The Paddock Project’s owner, Karen Gross said, ‘On behalf of The Paddock Project, I would like to thank everyone who helped on the day. It was a wonderful day’. Photo Jeff ‘Luvers Since 1986’ Dawson
Commission hands down damning Feros report Paul Bibby Residents at the Feros Village aged care facility in Byron Bay were subjected to substandard care across every aspect of the service, the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission has found (ACQSC). In a disturbing Performance Report completed late last year, the federal Commission found that the
service had failed to comply with each of the eight key assessment standards applying to aged care facilities in Australia. Despite the findings, Feros management told The Echo they have been reaccredited by the Commission. Residents interviewed as part of the assessment said they did not feel they were treated with
Flood-prone ‘affordable housing’ development pushed by Council ▶ p4
International Women’s Day lunch ▶ p7
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dignity or respect, nor ‘encouraged to maintain their identity or supported to make informed decisions about their care and services’. They provided examples of disrespectful treatment, including one incident in which a senior staff member allegedly yelled at a resident and another in which the same resident was admonished for asking to dine in their room.
The management of Feros Care said the actions of this staff member had not been representative of the attitude of other staff. However, the Commission noted that there had been ‘further examples of disrespectful treatment… indicating that inappropriate staff behaviour was more widespread’. The Commission also found that ▶ Continued on page 4
What’s a tree’s Curate your cure – monetary value? Health & Healing ▶ p8 feature ▶ p22
The family of a youth who endured multiple taser and baton strikes from police in Byron Bay five years ago have vowed to continue their fight for justice. ‘Is this what you call justice?’ the step-father of the boy, now a young man, cried out in Lismore Local Court on Tuesday afternoon when Magistrate Michael Dakin affirmed his earlier verdict on the case: charge dismissed. Magistrate Dakin told the court he had reviewed evidence in the assault case, taking into account what a reasonable person would objectively consider reasonable or excessive force. Magistrate Dakin, a former police officer, chose not to recuse himself from the re-hearing, which was ordered by the NSW Supreme Court last year owing to a perceived error in his judgment. He had twice delayed Wednesday’s re-hearing. The young man, who The Echo has chosen not to name, was flanked by family and other supporters, and appeared calm in the leadup to the verdict. He said it was an emotional experience seeing the former police officer who beat him eighteen times with a baton, but he otherwise felt calm and ready for whatever the outcome would be. ‘Things haven’t gone our way in the past, so it’s not like we’re not used to it,’ the young man said. But his step-father told media outside the courthouse he was angry and determined to pursue ‘any legal avenue’ left open to the family. Q Mia Armitage is from BayFM.
Get out there and be entertained! Gig Guide ▶ p31
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