I F O P P O RT U N I T Y D O E S N ’ T K N O C K , B U I L D A D O O R ! – M I LTO N B E R L E The Byron Shire Echo • Volume 40 #27 • December 10, 2025 • www.echo.net.au
As if Christmas isn’t already too much fun
The Versace Boys and Hotmess have been cooking up a Christmas show that’s dedicated to pint-sized legends and their families. Will Henderson (one half of the Versace Boys) calls it, ‘The funnest family day out of the year! We are heading to Federal Hall on 20 December at 2pm to kick the silly season into gear. The family-friendly Hotmess show is ripe and will include: absurd performance; interactive games; drawing exercises; costumes and play; followed by music by everyone’s favourite designer duo, us, The Versace Boys!’ Kids under 3 are free. Photo Jeff ‘Vinnisace’ Dawson
Aboriginal protection sought for Wallum development site An application to protect the Wallum development site at 15 Torakina Road, Brunswick Heads has been submitted under the Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islander Heritage Protection Act 1984 (Cth) (ATSIHP Act) by Minyungbul Mulanjali woman Ms Arabella Douglas of the Bundjalung Nation.
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The application seeks the longterm preservation of Lot 13, DP 125 1383, which is owned by Clarence Property Ltd, who have approval to build a 124 housing lot subdivision with three medium-density lots with roads and supporting infrastructure on the ecologicallysensitive heathland site.
The community-driven Save Wallum campaign has fought against the approved development with a high-profile court case and community action for several years. Ms Douglas is claiming that the site is a ‘significant Aboriginal area’ and the Minister for the Environment and Water has appointed
Online algorithms and ‘manosphere’ degrade masculinity ▶ p11
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Fenella Atkinson to provide a report to the minister on the application. Ms Atkinson is calling on interested parties to supply representations to her in relation to the ATSIHP application (see page 7) or email: fenella@palimpsest.au. Representations must be supplied by Wedensday, 24 December, 2025.
Social media ban moving forward, despite criticism ▶ p19
Bruns to lose its visitors centre? Paul Bibby Just four months ago, the Byron Bay Visitor Centre quietly closed its doors and moved online, ending a decades-long physical presence in the heart of the town. Now its sister centre in Brunswick Heads has come cap-in-hand to Byron Council in a bid to ensure it doesn’t suffer the same fate. And it now appears – somewhat ironically – that it could be parking meter revenue from Bruns which ends up saving the centre’s bacon. The agenda to this week’s Council meeting shows that the Brunswick Heads Visitor Centre (BHVC) is seeking a significant increase in its annual financial contribution from Council as well as an advance payment, in order to address ‘cash flow issues’. The request was made at a meeting with the Council’s general manager (GM), which the BHVC urgently requested in order to ‘discuss the future of the centre’. At the meeting, on November 19, the centre reportedly requested an advance payment of $45,000 from the 2026/27 financial year. This request was reportedly made due to ‘misalignment of the financial years between the two organisations’. The request followed a similar entreaty in March this year when the BHVC requested $45,000 from Council and then asked for a $20,000 advance on this payment. In a written statement accompanying its most recent request, the BHVC said the additional contribution would ‘support us with our cash flow up until the next budget’. ▶ Continued on page 4
Filter Off: beauty, style, fashion and grooming ▶ p25
Festive season in full effect ▶ p27