NOT TO BE CONFUSED WITH PSEUDO ECHO The Byron Shire Echo • Volume 38 #45 • April 17, 2024 • www.echo.net.au
It’s a teddy bear’s picnic!
It wasn’t just teddy bears at the picnic at Heritage House in Bangalow on Saturday. Lotte and Hamish shared their snacks with Dee the dolly, Fluffy the seal, Pinky the elephant and Butter the hound dog. The Bangalow Historical Society is located at Heritage House, corner of Ashton and Deacon Streets, Bangalow. It is open from Wednesdays to Saturdays, 10–2pm. Photo Eve Jeffery
PM opens Beacon laundry Eve Jeffery The Anthony Albanese show came to Bangalow on Wednesday to open the Beacon social enterprise laundry. Replete with local and federal police, and men talking into their cufflinks, around 200 stakeholders, workers and community members gathered in the carpark of the Dudgeons Lane laundry. Two groups were also present at the event, who protested about Palestine and Wallum in Bruns. The laundry is the latest White Box Enterprises project, and the
Banglaow loses its classical music fest ▶ p3
Beacon motto is, ‘Creating sheet loads of good’, is described as a jobs-focused social enterprise commercial laundry, with a mission to create local jobs, career pathways, and a workplace where people from all backgrounds can thrive.
Carefully curated In a carefully curated visit, the PM and local federal Member for Richmond, Justine Elliot (Labor), were whisked through the facility to shake hands with staff and check out the equipment, before the official part of the event that was
Reclaiming childhood in the ‘device age’ ▶ p8
set up in front of a large national press gallery. Arakwal woman, Shanti KellyTorrens, gave a Welcome to Country, and White Box Enterprises CEO, Luke Terry, spoke about the support the project was given at both local and federal government levels, as well as from the private sector. The role that Richard and Lorena Uechtritz played in supporting the laundry was particularly noted. Laundry employee Mel was very grateful for the team at Beacon. ‘My mental health started to take ▶ Continued on page 2
Paul Watson on his Sea Shepherd ousting ▶ p11
Bruns Holistic Dental Centre closed Hans Lovejoy Longterm employee and senior dentist, Dr Roy Gamma, has described the closure of Brunswick Holistic Dental Centre (BHDC) as devastating. Large dental corporation BUPA closed the clinic on April 16. Dr Gamma told The Echo the clinic has operated continually in the same building for over 50 years, ‘and now leaves Brunswick Heads as well as Ocean Shores without a dentist’. He said, ‘The community at large will likely be shocked by the news, especially as a few years ago, the Maven Dental group closed down the only dental practice in Ocean Shores and merged it with their Mullumbimby practice’. BUPA were asked for comment but are yet to respond. There were no attempts to sell the practice, prior to breaking news to the staff, says Dr Gamma, ‘with
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Mungo MacCallum’s penultimate crossword ▶ p16
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Devastating and bewildering decision Dr Gamma says that the closure is a ‘devastating and bewildering decision for the practitioners and loyal support staff at BHDC’. ‘BUPA management claim that the recent performance of BHDC and its location within the network, are the reasons to not renew the lease and to close down the practice. ▶ Continued on page 3
Brunswick Holistic Dental Centre staffers Dr Roy Gamma, Samantha Tasker, Zoe Hutchence, Renee Bozanic, Cathy Elliott and Kim Smith (seated). Photo Eve Jeffery
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one manager heard saying no one would want to buy it as it’s not viable’. ‘After hearing the news, a last minute attempt to buy the practice by a dentist that used to work at BHDC came to no avail, with a claim that it was too much of a risk. I assume for the potential purchaser, there wasn’t enough time to do due diligence to accurately assess and investigate those risks’.
School holidays fun ▶ p17
For your health and wellbing ▶ p18