NAIDOC WEEK 2023: FOR OUR ELDERS The Byron Shire Echo • Volume 38 #04 • July 5, 2023 • www.echo.net.au
¨ëĶŊş 0ưĕſƷ ĕǔşſƐ ŔëĎĕ ſIJƷƐIJŔƆǽ ƖŕĎëƷ Paul Bibby
Mayu, Kai and Hero will be performing with Byron Taiko Drummers as part of this Sunday’s annual Matsuri Japan Byron Bay Festival. Master drummer, Ryuji, will also feature. This free traditional cultural festival includes food and market stalls, and runs from 2pm until 8pm at the Byron YAC, located at 1 Gilmore Crescent, Byron. Photo Jeff ‘Tapping And Thwacking Since 1986’ Dawson
dşĈëō ƱëƐĕſ ƆƐſëƐĕīƷ ſĕōĕëƆĕĎ The NSW Labor government released its Far North Coast Regional Water Strategy on Tuesday, in which it describes ‘a clear vision for the future of sustainable water from Tweed Heads to Evans Head, Kyogle to Casino, Lismore to Byron Bay and everywhere in between’. The press release by Minister for Water and the North Coast, Rose Jackson, claims the framework was ‘developed through extensive planning and consultation’ and the strategy’s key priorities over the next 20 years and beyond were ‘safeguarding town water supplies, boosting the resilience of natural
Council compromises on car park housing plan ▶ p7
systems, improving river connectivity and delivering better First Nations outcomes’. According to the document, available at water.dpie.nsw.gov.au, 25 actions were developed to ‘help to improve the Far North Coast’s readiness to adapt to a more variable climate’.
Population growth biggest impact As for how climate change will impact the region, the strategy says, ‘Intense storm events could become more frequent; however, it is uncertain if the severity of
North Coast news ▶ p8
62/$5 )5(('20
associated flooding will also increase. Storm surges and inundation of low-lying areas could also increase’. And on page 53, the strategy says, ‘Over the next 40 years, population growth in the Far North Coast is likely to have a greater impact on water supply security than climate change’. Seven ‘key challenges’ that are the initial focus for the region are: ‘Declining catchment and river health; competition for low flows; saltwater intrusion into freshwater sources; Aboriginal people’s rights and access to water; water security for industries in age 3 ▶ Continued on page
Catherine Cusackk unpacks the Gladys ys Trap ▶ p10
Whale strandings, like the one that occurred at Seven Mile Beach last weekend, are likely to become more common because of the growth in the east coast humpback population, a rescue and research organisation says. The stranding and subsequent death of the 30-tonne mammal produced widespread distress and concern within the local community, including questions about why the stranding occurred, and what was done to try and save it. In an interview with ABC North Coast on Monday morning, Skippy Love from the Organisation for the Rescue and Research of Cetaceans in Australia (ORRCA), said there were likely to be more such incidents in the future. ‘As you’re seeing the increasing numbers, which is fantastic to see as part of the [population’s] recovery, you’re going to see increased cases of strandings,’ Ms Love said. ‘They’re the closest they’ve been
WŽǁĞƌ WƌŝĐĞƐ ƚŽ ZŝƐĞ ϱϲй ŝŶ ϮϬϮϯ͊
Medical cause suspected Ms Love said that it was not known why the whale, estimated to be between five and ten years old, became stranded, but that a medical cause was suspected. ‘No one can say for sure, and each case is individual,’ she said. ‘But when it’s a single mammal like this, it’s quite often a result of sickness or injury, and I think clearly this animal was compromised. It could have died from natural causes. The animal was in good body condition, so you’d have to think there was some kind of internal medical condition. We all come to the end of our time.’ Foundation and Head ▶ Continued on page 3
Many agencies quickly responded at Seven Mile Beach after a Humpback beached itself on Saturday. Carig Parry Photography b
Arts in focus in this week’s feature ▶ p22
Culture, music, cinema – be entertained with Seven ▶ p25
^ƉĞĐŝĂů͊ Ͳ ĚĚ ĂƚƚĞƌŝĞƐ ƚŽ ŶLJ džŝƐƚŝŶŐ ^ŽůĂƌ ^LJƐƚĞŵ ŶĚ 'Ğƚ Ă &ƌĞĞ WĂŶĞů ůĞĂŶ͊
Ž LJŽƵ ŚĂǀĞ ƐŽůĂƌ ƉĂŶĞůƐ LJĞƚ ĨŝŶĚ LJŽƵƌ ďŝůů ŝƐ ŶŽǁ ƚǁŝĐĞ ĂƐ ŵƵĐŚ ĂƐ ŝƚ ǁĂƐ ůĂƐƚ LJĞĂƌ͍ dŚĞ ĞůĞĐƚƌŝĐŝƚLJ ŵĂƌŬĞƚ ŝƐ ďƌŽŬĞŶ ĂŶĚ ƌĞƚĂŝůĞƌƐ ŚĂǀĞ ĂƚƚĂĐŬĞĚ ƐŽůĂƌ ƵƐĞƌƐ ǁŝƚŚ Ă ĚŽƵďůĞ ǁŚĂŵŵLJ ʹ ^ůĂƐŚ ƚŚĞ ĂŵŽƵŶƚ ƚŚĞLJ ƉĂLJ ĨŽƌ LJŽƵƌ ƐŽůĂƌ ĞŶĞƌŐLJ ĂŶĚ ŝŶĐƌĞĂƐĞ Ăůů ƚŚĞ ŽƚŚĞƌ ĐŚĂƌŐĞƐ͘ DŽƌĞ ƉĂŝŶ ŝƐ ŽŶ ƚŚĞ ǁĂLJ ʹ ĂŶŽƚŚĞƌ ϮϬй ŝŶĐƌĞĂƐĞ ŝŶ ƉŽǁĞƌ ƉƌŝĐĞƐ ƚŚŝƐ LJĞĂƌ͘ tŝƚŚ ƉĂLJďĂĐŬƐ ĂƐ tŝƚŚ Ś ƉĂLJďĂĐŬƐƐ ĂƐƐ ůŽǁ ĂƐ ϱ LJĞĂƌƐ͕ ƐŽůĂƌ ůŽǁ ǁ ĂƐƐ ϱ ϱ LJĞĂƌƐ͕͕ ƐŽůůĂƌ hŶůĞƐƐ LJŽƵ ŚĂǀĞ ƐŽůĂƌ ďĂƚƚĞƌŝĞƐ LJŽƵ ĂƌĞ ĨĂĐŝŶŐ ƐĞƌŝŽƵƐ ŝŶĐƌĞĂƐĞƐ ŝŶ ĞŶĞƌŐLJ ĐŽƐƚƐ͘ ϴϴϴ ^ŽůĂƌ dĞŬ ŚĂǀĞ ŝŶƐƚĂůůĞĚ ŚƵŶĚƌĞĚƐ ŽĨ ƐŽůĂƌ ďĂƚƚĞƌŝĞƐ ĂƌĞ ďĂƚƚĞƌŝĞƐ Ɛ ĂƌĞ Ğ ďĂƚƚĞƌLJ ƐLJƐƚĞŵƐ ŝŶ ƚŚĞ EŽƌƚŚĞƌŶ ZŝǀĞƌƐ ŝŶ ƚŚĞ ůĂƐƚ ϴ LJĞĂƌƐ͘ /Ĩ LJŽƵ ĞƐƐĞŶƚŝĂů ĨŽƌ ůŽǁĞƌ ĞƐƐĞŶƚŝĂů ů ĨŽƌƌ ůŽǁĞ Ğƌ ŚĂǀĞ ĞdžŝƐƚŝŶŐ ƐŽůĂƌ ƉĂŶĞůƐ ǁĞ ĐĂŶ ĞĂƐŝůLJ ƌĞƚƌŽĨŝƚ ƐŽůĂƌ ďĂƚƚĞƌŝĞƐ ƚŽ ďŝůůƐ ĂŶĚ ĨƌĞĞĚŽŵ ƐƚŽƌĞ LJŽƵƌ ƉŽǁĞƌ ĨŽƌ ŽǀĞƌŶŝŐŚƚ ƵƐĞ͘ tŚLJ ďƵLJ ŵŽƌĞ ĞdžƉĞŶƐŝǀĞ ďŝůůƐ Ɛ ĂŶĚ Ě ĨƌĞĞĚŽŵ ĨƌŽŵ ƉƌŝĐĞ ƌŝƐĞƐ ĂŶĚ ĨƌŽŵ ŵ ƉƌŝĐĞ Ğ ƌŝƐĞƐƐ ĂŶ ŶĚ ĞůĞĐƚƌŝĐŝƚLJ ǁŚĞŶ LJŽƵ ĐĂŶ ƵƐĞ ŵŽƌĞ ŽĨ LJŽƵƌ ĨƌĞĞ ƐŽůĂƌ ƉŽǁĞƌ͍ Ăůů sŝŶĐĞŶƚ ŶŽǁ ƚŽ ŐĞƚ Ă ĨƌĞĞ ŽŶͲƐŝƚĞ ĐŽŶƐƵůƚĂƚŝŽŶ͘ ďůĂĐŬŽƵƚƐ͘ ďůĂĐŬŽƵƚƐ͘
&DSWXU UH &DSWXUH WKH 6XQ WKH H 6XQ Q
to the shore in 13 years. ‘The water’s also clearer than it’s been in recent years – we’ve had the floods and the fires polluting the waters. The animals want to take the quickest route on their migration and that’s taking them closer to the shore this year.’
ϱ Ŭt ,LJďƌŝĚ 'Ϯ /ŶǀĞƌƚĞƌ ǁŝƚŚ ϱ͘Ϯ ŬtŚ >LJŶdž >ŝƚŚŝƵŵ ĂƚƚĞƌLJ ĨƵůůLJ ŝŶƐƚĂůůĞĚ ĨƌŽŵ
ϴϴϴ
Ψϳ͕ϴϴϴ /LF 1R &
WŚ ϬϮ ϲϲϴϴ ϰϰϴϬ Ăůů sŝŶĐĞŶƚ ^ĞůůĞĐŬ ĨŽƌ Ă &ƌĞĞ
ǁǁǁ͘ϴϴϴƐŽůĂƌƚĞŬ͘ĐŽŵ͘ĂƵ
ŽŶƐƵůƚĂƚŝŽŶ