I F H A R D W O R K PA Y S , S H O W M E A R I C H D O N K E Y The Byron Shire Echo • Volume 40 #23 • November 12, 2025 • www.echo.net.au
Momentum Collective in voluntary administration Aslan Shand Momentum Collective, a local organisation that supports people with mental health issues, social housing, domestic and family violence, aged care, and disability care has gone into voluntary administration. FTI Consulting were appointed as voluntary administrators (VA) effective 16 October, 2025. ‘Momentum Collective provides critical services in the communities in which it operates, in particular the regional communities of Northern NSW where there are not a lot of options for these types of services,’ said VA John Park. Momentum Collective brought together a range of service providers from Casino, Ballina, and Tweed Shires in 2016 to service the Northern Rivers community. ‘This is terrible news for our community. When a not-for-profit social organisation, that has been providing much needed front-line support to those who are most vulnerable in our community, can’t sustain operation you know the system is broken,’ Ballina MP Tamara Smith told The Echo. ‘The Minns Labor government committed to provide recurrent funding to organisations like Momentum at the last election and talked a lot about supporting community-based social services, so this is an opportunity for them to step in and walk the walk. Organisations ▶ Continued on page 8
Mullum Road to reopen 24 November ▶ p8
Mullum Show shines
Eric Rawsolen’s Orpington Bantam Drake was declared Champion Waterfowl at the Mullum Show. ‘We had a great show again this year with lots of happy people and different generations getting together to enjoy the event,’ said one of the show’s organisers Sue Walker. ‘Numbers were up from last year in every area, from people attending, to record cattle entries.’ Photo Jeff ‘Show Pony’ Dawson
Can Bangalow Bowlo be saved by a heritage listing? Aslan Shand Byron Shire Councillor Asren Pugh is seeking support to consider the option of heritage listing the Bangalow Bowlo in response to the closure of the bowlo by Norths Collective (North Sydney Leagues Club) on Friday, 24 October. Norths ceased trading just three days after the memorandum of understanding (MoU) that restricted them from selling the site lapsed. The request from the
community that Norths hand the site back to the community was refused by Norths. Cr Pugh states in his notice of motion (NoM), that is going before the 13 November planning meeting, that Norths ‘is now exploring options to sell the asset’. The NoM requests a report on the ‘Heritage listing options to ensure the Bangalow Bowlo continues as a sporting and cultural hub for the community’ as well as a report on ‘the current land use zoning and what planning
Gough Whitlam’s extraordinary legacy ▶ p12
Filter Off: beauty, style, fashion, grooming ▶ p20
instruments allow on the site’.
‘The Bangalow Bowlo has been a much-loved community hub for over 115 years. It has played a central role in creating social, cultural and sporting connections since 1910 and it is time that this was recognised properly,’ Cr Pugh told The Echo. ‘With the current uncertainty
about the future of the Bowlo I want to make sure that it remains as that social, sporting, and cultural hub into the future. So I’m asking Council to look at whether we can ensure this is recognised through a heritage listing so that whatever happens to it, it stays as the Bangalow Bowlo, and all the various things that that means for our community.’ If you want to get involved in saving the bowlo email savebangalowbowlo@gmail.com.
What’s The Scoop? Some great local biz ▶ p22
Bangalow’s turn! The Show starts this Friday ▶ p24
Secure the bowlo for future generations
Feel supported. Feel at home.
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