The Northern Rivers Echo Main News

Sitting at the dock of the river bank

Lismore mayor Merv King and members of the Lismore SES Unit at the official opening of the new wharf and community facilities near Ballina Street bridge last Friday.

The first stage of Lismore City Council's riverbank redevelopment near the Ballina Street bridge was officially opened last Friday with a free concert and BBQ.

The work, which cost around $400,000, features a new wharf, a widened boat ramp, full BBQ facilities, shade areas, a new walkway and a 'leash-free' dog park. A further $580,000 will be spent on a 'face-lift' for the riverbank, which will incorporate six recreational areas linked by walkways and cycling tracks.

"We now have a place in Lismore where families can take advantage of our beautiful riverbank, and I think that's wonderful," Mayor Merv King said.

"The riverbank is an integral part of Lismore's history and character - we want out community, and visitors, to embrace and enjoy it."

Meanwhile, the final stage of the Lismore's levee construction starts this week with the wall being built along the western side of Glasgow Lane, under Fawcetts Bridge and up to the Lismore Police Station.

During construction, the top Hensley Car Park (two hour time limit) would be closed for around three months, affecting 30 car park spaces.

The unrestricted car parking area below this area, along the river, will still be open.

Wherefor art they

Showing of their major HSC artworks that will be included in the annual students exhibition, Art Thou?, are Trinity Catholic College students (clockwise from far left) Jessica Smith, Johanna Kenyon, Georgie Hilton, Shelley Meehan and Andrea Shinners.

The annual Trinity Catholic College student art exhibition, aptly titled Art Thou?, will be opened next Tuesday, August 17, at the St Mary's Site Hall on Dawson Street.

The exhibition features more than 100 artworks from students from year seven to 11, as well as HSC major works from year 12 students. The works range from studies on Picasso to commentary on world politics.

"It's really interesting to see how young people perceive and then present the world around them through art," art teacher, Jay Foley said.

"The art faculty at Trinity would like people to come and support the talented young people in our community and celebrate creativity, originality and diversity in learning."

Next Tuesday's opening night kicks off at 6pm. Art Thou? continues next Wednesday and Thursday, August 18-19, and is open 9am to 7pm.

Vintage wheels show their class

Vintage and Veteran Car Club members Norm Clapham (left) and Noel Johnston with Norm's 1926 Dodge and Noel's 1937 Chevy that they will be showing off this weekend.

Norm Clapham has taken the term 'hobby' to a whole new level.

The passionate vehicle restorer and member of the Northern Rivers Vintage and Veteran Car Club has been rebuilding his 1926 Dodge for the last 14 years, and says he still hasn't finished.

Along the way Norm completed a three-year vehicle restoration course at Lismore TAFE and has spent thousands of dollars - a small price to pay for the thrill of bringing an old car back to life.

"There is simply nothing better than seeing a piece of history recreated," said Norm. "It's been an adventure just getting the parts and I've travelled thousands of miles. One mudguard took me three months to finish but it doesn't matter because what you work towards is that first drive out on the road once its been restored. It's the greatest buzz there is."

Norm is one of the many local restorers who will be showing off their prized possessions this Saturday and Sunday, August 14-15, at the 43rd annual Northern Rivers Vintage and Veteran Car Club rally.

The club's policy is that vehicles must be restored to their original condition, so people get to see turn-of-the-century vehicles exactly as they were on the showroom floor all those years ago.

Registration for the rally will be held on Saturday from 9am-12pm under Lismore Shopping Square, which is a good time for people to check out these spectacular machines.

The 80-odd rally members will then go on a tour of the Northern Rivers before meeting up again for breakfast at the Clyde Campbell Carpark on Sunday from 7-9am, where people are also welcome to view the cars.

Rally participants will then drive through Lismore and surrounding towns, before heading to the Goonellabah RSL Sports Club for the presentation of prizes.

For more information phone 6628 1207.

Young idols far from idle

The winners of the Choral Speech category for their recital of 'My Country' and 'The Adventures of Isabelle' were Ballina's St Francis Xavier's year six class.

With a cast of thousands of performers coming from schools from all over the region, the 92nd Lismore Festival/Eisteddfod began this week and organisers say it is by far the best yet.

The Eisteddfod showcases the talents of local children in categories including, vocal, instrumental, spoken word and dance and is a curtain raiser to the main festival, which begins in September.

Lismore Music Festival Society Secretary Val Axtens praised the efforts of all involved.

" I would personally like to thank, the teachers, the students, the judges, and the Lismore Choral Society who have put so much effort into making these last couple of days a memorable occasion for the children," she said.

Bentley's best ever

Organiser of the Bentley Art Prize, Reg Hartley, with the winner of the $1300 Open Art Prize, Michael Donnelly and his work 'Interior Design'.

This year's Bentley Art Prize is the best yet according to organiser Reg Hartley, who said the attendance topped last year with 600 visitors coming to hall over the two-day event.

The annual art prize attracted some 350 entries, with Michael Donnelly from Green Pigeon (near Kyogle), taking out the $1300 Open Art Prize for his work 'Interior Design'.

"I was very pleased with the outcome and I'm getting used to the unusual art that wins," Reg said. "Everyone I spoke to said they thought the art was the highest standard it has ever been, and we sold more art than ever before. It was a great success and we have raised more than $1500 for St Vincent's Palliative Care Unit, which is just fantastic."

Roland Schicht Sunshine was the winner of the 'art other painting and photography' section, which is sponsored by The Echo.

Pray for rain

The NSW Council of Churches has declared Sunday, August 15, a special day of Prayer for rain.

Vietnam vets

This Saturday, August 14, is the Vietnam Veterans' Day march and memorial service. The march will head down Molesworth Street at 5pm, followed by a wreath laying service at the Vietnam Veterans memorial. All are welcome to attend.

Seeking Charlie

Charlie Ah Ching was an elderly Chinese gentleman who resided at Riley's Hill and donated a huge brass bell to the Union Church at Broadwater. The bell was eventually moved to the Riley's Hill school (now a community centre) where it still hangs. Little is known about his life. If you have any information on Charlie, or other Chinese migrants to the region, the organisers of a symposium about Chinese settlers would like to hear from you.

Contact Annette Potts at the Richmond River Historical Society 6621 9993 or 6620 3007 or email info@richhistory.org.au .

Go nuts cooking with herbs

Echo editor Simon Thomsen and Peppertree Kitchen proprietor Helen Knott try their own macadamia nut-inspired dish in the lead up to the Northern Rivers Herb Festival cooking competition.

Everyone has a favourite recipe and sharing it at the Northern Rivers Herb Festival next weekend could win you some great prizes.

The Macca-fusion cooking competition gives keen cooks the chance to win gift vouchers and cooking classes. There are two categories - baking and cooking, for both professionals and amateurs, for a sweet or savoury recipe featuring macadamias and the herb of your choice.

Three finalists will be invited to prepare their dish, accompanied by an expert chef at the Herb Festival, next Saturday, August 21. In the 'Bake-Off' category the dishes will be pre-prepared by the entrants.

The professional category is open to cooks, chefs, caterers and anyone involved in the food industry.

Entry forms for the Cook-Off and Bake-Off competitions are available online at www.herbfestival.org, at Peppertree Kitchen in Magellan Street, see page 16 of this week's Echo or call 6622 8147 for more information.

Entries close next Wednesday at 5pm.

The Northern Rivers Greenridge Herb Festival will be held in Lismore's Riverside Park, August 21-22.

For a full program or more information visit visit www.herbfestival.org

More trees go as pool expands

The critics of the Lismore memorial baths redevelopment were right. The site is too small - a fact Lismore City Council recognised last month when it approved plans to expand the site into Market Street adding around $200,000 to the cost of the project and delaying its completion by several weeks. The changes will give pool users more open space around the site.

But moving the road south of its existing alignment means that five Hills Weeping figs on the southern side of the street are now in the way. Country Energy wants to put underground cables along the street and the buttress roots would be severely damaged. Transplanting the trees was not recommended by Council staff, who said the trees suffered from poor health and bad pruning. The Hills Weeping fig is seen as crucial to the survival of the critically endangered Coxen's Fig Parrot and late last year, 11 trees were removed from the north side of Market Street as work on the redevelopment got underway.

Council is planning to plan Coolaman trees in market Street when it is complete. To mitigate the loss of the five figs, Council will plant replacement figs in Riverside Park.

Simply the breast

Celebrating the Australian Breastfeeding Association's 40th birthday in Lismore last Friday were Lismore group leader Ros Fleetwood (right), founder of the Lismore group Cr Jan Mangleson and local breastfeeding mum Stacey Yates, with her baby Joshua and older son Jackson.

The Olympics may not yet have started, but already Australian mothers have set a new world record for the most number of mothers breastfeeding simultaneously across the country.

Twenty-eight mothers turned out in Lismore's Heritage Park last Friday to join the 'Breastfest', taking the final count to 1,664 and ensuring a spot in the Guinness Book of Records.

The event, which coincided with World Breastfeeding Week and the Australian Breastfeeding Association's (ABA) 40th birthday, also provided local mothers with the opportunity to talk to one another about their breastfeeding experiences.

"It was a lovely day and it was very special for us to have Cr Jan Mangleson there, who founded the Lismore group 30 years ago," ABA Lismore group leader Ros Fleetwood said. "As well as the world record attempt we wanted to promote breastfeeding as normal - we want to get to a stage where breastfeeding in public doesn't make the news. When you see articles in the paper you still feel like you have a long way to go. But then when you think of the 1960s, when you weren't even allowed to write breastfeeding - that's why we were called Nursing Mothers then - you realise just how far we've come."

Despite the hurdles some mother encounter when breastfeeding, Ros encouraged new mothers to persevere.

It's not always easy and some mothers do experience difficulties along the way, but there is lots of help and support available," she said.

The Australian Breastfeeding Association's next meeting is Thursday, September 2, at the Goonellabah Community Centre from 10am. Women can just turn up. For more information or advice phone Ros on 6689 9356, visit www.breastfeeding.asn.au or phone the 24-hour Helpline on 9639 8686.

Awards for best in local design

To encourage and celebrate excellence in urban design, Mayne Investments and the Northern Rivers Regional Development Board have launched the Northern Rivers Urban Design Awards.

Entries are open for commercial, government, and not-for-profit urban design projects.

Judges will consider criteria such as design excellence, functional quality, environmental responsibility and sustainability, provision of value for money and the promotion of biodiversity and supporting of local ecosystems.

Submissions for the Northern Rivers Urban Design Awards close September 1, with the Awards Ceremony being held on September 8.

Details can be found at www.urban-design-award.com or phone 6622 4236.

Ballina hotel plans 'eat street'

An artists impression of the Ramada Ballina's proposed 'eat street' featuring a range of food outlets.

Ramada Ballina's $36 million hotel development on the former slipways site is planning an 'eat street' food precinct as part of the design

Glen Stotter, managing director of developers Slipway Properties Pty Ltd, said the precinct will feature a licensed, international-style café/bistro, six specialty restaurants, and three smaller lobby shops.

The eat street will stretch from the Ramada's Richmond River frontage, along Martin Street to Fawcett Street in the CBD.

"Ballina's Eat Street is likely to become the town gathering centre with a deliberate design as the community hub of eating, entertainment, shared ideas and culture, where visitors and locals eat and meet," Mr Stotter said.

He said it will occupy a ground floor area in Ramada's six-level, four-star, 110-room hotel complex. Construction on the project is expected to start shortly and is to be completed by late 2005.

Mr Stotter said the food precinct will also feature wireless technology so people with laptops can use the internet without need cables.

He said the eat street was seeking expressions of interest for a food styles, from seafood to Indian, sushi bar, ice creamery, noodle bar, Mediterranean, Moroccan, North Coast and country cuisine.

Blue skies for Ballina

A Virgin Blue Boeing 737 flew into Ballina airport last Friday, heralding the launch of the airline's daily service to the region.

Greeting the plane shortly after it touched down last week were NSW Tourism minister Sandra Nori, Ballina mayor Phil Silver and Cr Alan Brown (front) with the cheerful Virgin Blue team (l-r) first officer David Beard (a Ballina boy), flight attendants Beti Koltovska, Miranda Cecich, Tania Houlton and Farrah Whalan, and captain David Anderson.

The service markets the return of a jet to Ballina after three years. Mayor Phil Silver hailed it as a positive step forward.

"It's very satisfying - we've been in discussions with Virgin Blue for about two years now so it's wonderful to see the plane finally touch down," Mr Silver said. "This will make Ballina the stand out regional airport and whether guided by price or frequency, people in the Northern Rivers will no longer have to travel to Coolangatta. It's a huge windfall for the Council, the airport and Ballina as a whole."

Virgin Blue will operate a daily service with the flight departing Sydney at 11.35am, landing at Ballina at 12.45pm. It departs Ballina at 1.15pm. Fares start at $85 one way.

Desperately seeking asylum

Inda and Dac are Vietnamese refugees who have been held in detention centres for more than 11 years.

Inda and Dac are Vietnamese refugees. They have been in detention for 11 years, first in Indonesia and now in Australia, where they have been for the last five years.

Cawongla's Lina Eve first heard about their plight two years ago when a group of women who visited Baxter Detention Centre wrote to university staff and students, imploring them to write to detainees and bring them some hope.

"Inda and I have been enjoying getting to know each other ever since and I am humbled by her and Dac's courageous spirit and determination to seek a better life for themselves and their children," Lina said. "Inda is determined to learn English and writes to me with a dictionary by her side."

During their many conversations Inda told Lina about her life as a refugee and the amazing circumstances that have seen her and her husband incarcerated for more than a decade.

This is her story:

My name is Inda. My husband Dac and I were born in Saigon in South Vietnam. We love our country but the current Communist rule means there is no personal freedom, no free speech, no free press or freedom of religion and anyone who violates these unspoken rules can end up in prison or be killed.

Many Vietnamese people are now refugees all over the world in order to escape Communist Vietnam. "Freedom or Death" has become our catch cry.

My father and grandmother were both killed as they attempted to escape. Dac and I knew the time had come to leave Vietnam to seek sanctuary in a free country.

Dac and I have been refugees from Vietnam for more than 11 years. For the last three years we have been detained in Australia at the Baxter Detention Centre, SA. Previously, we spent two years in Woomera Detention Centre. In August we face a full court hearing and hope we will finally be able to make Australia our home.

It was 1990 when Dac and I and our first son first tried to escape Vietnam. We crossed the sea to Indonesia but were herded into Camp Gulang in Indonesia upon our arrival. We were detained in Indonesia until 1996. Our second son was born there and we were eventually forced to return to Vietnam because of a UN contract between Indonesia and Vietnam.

Life in Vietnam became even more dangerous for us on our return. Neither Dac nor I could work because a permit was needed and the police would not issue us one. We suffered constant harassment. Every night the police came to our house and searched everything, leaving us shaking and afraid.

Eventually we decided to escape again. We left our two boys with my husband's parents as the boat trip would be very dangerous. The tiny boat was just 1.5 metres long and with a group of other refugees we risked crossing uncertain waters, hoping to find sanctuary in Australia.

Everyone on board was terrified. The monsoon season meant we were pelted with rain every day. There was no shelter. We were constantly soaked with rain and shivering with fever. Each day we had to deal with the fear and trauma of the sick and the bodies of the dead.

After three months at sea, a violent storm erupted and the old boat broke up. Suddenly we all found ourselves in the dark waters of the raging ocean, swimming for our lives. I was sure we were going to die.

On the fourth day in the water, with more of the refugees missing, presumed drowned, waves washed the rest of us on to the beach of what we later learned was the Island of Kapang in Indonesia. Dac and I were covered in blood. We knew our survival was miraculous, but the trauma of our ordeal will haunt us forever.

The Indonesian police recaptured us soon after we landed and we were taken to the House of Immigration. With other refugees from Iran, Iraq and Afghanistan, we were moved to the Woomera Detention Centre in South Australia. Two years later we were moved again to this detention centre at Baxter, Port Augusta.

Dac and I hope and pray that this August our full court hearing will grant us visas so we can stay in Australia. We desperately want to be reunited with our sons. Dac now works as a cook at Baxter and I enjoy working in the garden we have started here. I keep busy with sewing and studying to learn English.

All we want, hope and pray for is to be able to work, live and worship in peace with our children in Australia.

Fostering Olympic spirit

Lismore Heights Primary School principal Trevor Pryor and students (l-r) Ryden Darvill, Mia Pritchet, Kirralee Towers, Jake Kumpulainen, Brooke Webster and Luke Parrish (front) with a poster of Justin Anlezark, who the school has adopted as their Olympic hero.

Students at Lismore Heights Public School will be barracking for Australian Olympic shot put hopeful Justin Anlezark throughout the Athens Olympics as part of the Telstra Adopt-A-Hero initiative.

Lismore Heights Public School is one of 290 'foster' schools that will help encourage Olympic athletes by sending emails and messages of support. They will monitor Justin's progress before and during the Games and in return receive updates about his progress as he prepares for competition.

School principal Trevor Pryor said the Adopt-A-Hero initiative is an opportunity for the kids to have a close personal link with Justin and learn new skills.

"We have used the program to teach email skills and literacy as they talk on-line to Justin," he said. "Justin has responded to all of our emails, which is absolutely wonderful for these children."

Olympic swimmer Matt Welsh said the support of primary school children in Australia would certainly boost the morale of Australian athletes in Athens.

"It's great to know that school students from across the country will be with us in spirit as we're competing in Athens," he said. "The messages of support will be a real driving force as we're gearing up to compete against the world's best."

Everyone loves a Challenge

Launching a new book that details the 50-year history of Lismore Challenge recently were (l-r) Lismore Challenge chairman John Corcoran, Lismore MP Thomas George, author Maurice Ryan, Page MP Ian Causley and Lismore Challenge employee Brett Wilson (front).

Local author and historian Maurice Ryan's latest book, Lismore Challenge: A Story of Faith, Hope and Love in Action, was recently launched by Lismore MP Thomas George in Lismore.

The book celebrates the 50-year history of Lismore Challenge, an organisation that provides employment for around 90 people with disabilities in the Northern Rivers.

Maurice Ryan is a former lecturer at Southern Cross University and has written 15 books focussing on the history of the Northern Rivers.

The book is on sale at local bookstores and from Lismore Challenge.

This week's features: Your Shopping Guide - Local Businesses