THE SOLAR FLARES WILL CONTINUE UNTIL MORALE IMPROVES The Byron Shire Echo • Volume 38 #49 • May 15, 2024 • www.echo.net.au
Let’s dive deep into potholes! lëĶŕ ſŔ ŔĕĕƐĶŕī ƱĶƐIJ !şƖŕĈĶō ƆƐëǔ reveals state of rural road repairs
Foodie fest on the table
Hans Lovejoy Main Arm residents were disappointed to hear from Byron Council’s senior staff at a public meeting last Thursday night that their dangerous and rapidly deteriorating roads might not get repaired until the end of 2025 at the earliest. The open and frank discussion at Kohinur Hall between Council staff and residents revealed the complex, confusing and ever-changing bureaucracy that hampers restoring, maintaining or improving the shire’s crumbling road network. The event was hosted by Main Arm Disaster Recovery (MADR). Residents say they were informed by Council that a previous state government funding application under the NSW Betterment Program for Main Arm Road had not been successful, despite the clear evidence that the road is becoming undriveable. Other valleys such as Wilsons Creek were successful in the grants.
From left, Karl Kanetani (Beach Byron Bay), Alex Taylor (Caper Festival founder and director), Darren Robertson (Three Blue Ducks), Louis Tikaram (Stanley Brisbane, festival’s food curator), Jedd Rifai (North Byron Hotel), Abbie Gibson (Caper’s creative director) and MasterChef semi-finalist, Mindy Woods (Karkalla Restaurant). Photo ‘Caped Culinary Crusader’ Dawson Food and culture takes centre stage this week, as Caper Byron Bay Food & Culture Festival returns May 17 to 26. Director Alex Taylor says, ‘The ten-day festival is a foray through Byron Shire’s food, drink, music, wellness, art, community, and
entertainment, with over 20 ticketed and free events. Events include beachside long lunches, a yakitori party at Wandana Brewing, fire cooked dinners with chefs flown in from interstate, and an aperitivo evening and a restaurant take-over
at Brunswick Picture House. There is a free family event on May 25 at the North Byron Hotel (the official watering hole and festival hub) with kids entertainment, pony rides and fun for everyone!’. For more info, visit caperbyronbay.com.
Local police are calling on residents to keep their doors and windows locked, including when they’re at home, in a bid to address the spike in car break-ins and thefts taking place in and around local shires. With scores of locals from Lennox to Pottsville having been impacted by a series of crime spikes over the past four months, Detective
Chris Dewhirst’s role in Chile’s 9/11 ▶ p5
Chief Inspector Matt Kehoe from Tweed-Byron police said the best thing locals could do to protect themselves was to always lock up. ‘A lot of these incidents seem to have a pattern, where the offender is entering the home to steal the car keys through an open door or window, and then stealing the car which they then use to undertake further offences,’ Inspector Kehoe told The Echo.
Big tech, porn, violence and young blokes ▶ p8
The meeting also highlighted an inadequate roads budget for the entire shire, and road crews were unable to keep up with the estimated 609km road network. Only one councillor, Duncan Dey (Greens), was present as an audience member. He is not recontesting
Bangalow’s billycarts ready to roll this Sunday ▶ p16
Positive choices for your health and wellbeing ▶ p20
‘More than 90 per cent of the time, it’s a door or window that’s been left open, and they come in even if people are there. ‘They won’t go to the effort of smashing a door or forcing a window… It’ll all be done very quietly. That’s why we’re asking everyone to make sure that we lock our doors and windows all the time, whether you’re home or not. ▶ Continued on page 3
What’s that smell? Oh, it’s Labor’s gas policy ▶ p7, 13
Crews unable to keep up
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Reliant on grants He shared his frustrations that applying for grants was time consuming and did not lead to better outcomes. Council’s yearly budget contributes very little towards the huge task of fixing the shire’s roads, and Council is largely reliant on government grants. Holloway later told The Echo that Council is waiting on approval of more than $14m of 2022 flood grants, with the application being extended until December 2024. ‘We are sick and tired of seeing the same infrastructure getting damaged’, Holloway told the meeting. ▶ Continued on page 2
Crime ‘cluster’ spikes spread across region Paul Bibby
the September election. Residents reminded Council staff of the dangerously unacceptable conditions, and questioned why road maintenance was virtually non-existent, given it has been over two years since the 2022 floods. And of the roadworks undertaken in recent times, residents said that they were not a long-term solution, and questioned its value for money. Director, Infrastructure Services, Phil Holloway, opened the night with an acknowledgement that Council could do better with its communication with the public over how it manages roads and infrastructure.
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