Shaggy Dog Comments...

Shaggy sends two-score of birthday wishes to that spritely lad regarded as the thinking woman's local government crumpet, John Bancroft. Bangers, as he's often called, is Lismore Council's events coordinator, best known for his work on the Lismore Masters Games and the Herb Festival. Lismore's resident stud muffin turns 40 today.

Marist Brother's Rugby League flyer, Peter Reeves, is the fastest man in the world, after breaking the 100-metre sprint world record on the weekend at the Lismore racecourse. Despite a heavy track, he was clocked at 9.4 seconds - a full third of a second faster than the present world record. Although the record spawned jokes about Reeves' possible steroid use, the actual reason probably lay in the length of the track. We suspect the organisers forgot to add GST, so he probably ran around 91m.

The City of Lismore RSL Sub-Branch will be selling poppies and badges for Remembrance Day next Thursday and Friday, Nov 4-5, in the Lismore CBD and the South Lismore Industrial Estate. All money raised from sales goes toward the United Soldiers Appeal and providing welfare for the ex-service community. And don't forget Remembrance Day (aka Armistice Day, signalling the end of WWI), is on November 11.

Our thanks to the North Coast National organisers for last week's rain. Despite the preceding dry, this was the 15th year in a row when the heavens opened up during show week. Perhaps Rous Water should look at holding a Lismore Show every couple of months in the catchment.

Thanks and our apologies to readers kind enough to point out a couple of embarrassing homonyms in last week's front page story on the show. Perhaps it was our jealousy over a chook on a beer diet, but the fowl in question is indeed a Rhode Island Red. Our only excuse is that having studied at the University of Life, we were Roads Scholars (yes, we know that's the wrong spelling, but that's the joke, so please, no more letters).

Among the usual plethora of 'Weeks' this is Anti-poverty Week. Among the stark Australian figures, it seems around 100 homeless families end up on the street every night because they can't find places in a refuge; about 500,000 Aussie families have no members in paid work; and indigenous Australians have a life expectancy of 20 years less than other Australians, putting them on a par with Bangladeshis, despite Australia being 10 times richer. About 2 billion people worldwide earn less than $3 a day, and a similar number lack basic sanitation. In Africa, life expectancy is now less than 45 years and falling. To our national regret, Australian overseas aid has now fallen to about one-third of the agreed international benchmark. For more details, see www.antipovertyweek.org.au.

For what it's worth, Shaggy's money in that Horse Race™ next Tuesday is going on She's Archie, by a length from Media Puzzle.

Don't forget this Saturday night is the start of daylight saving. Put your clock forward an hour before going to bed. And we'll be taking down the names of any Echo staff who turn up an hour late. They'll be in trouble - primarily for not reading this column.

Art lovers Eden at Coraki

A work by well-known Aboriginal artist Albert 'Digby' Moran that will go under the hammer this Saturday during the Coraki Artsfest art auction.

The famous Coraki Tea Tree Art Prize opens this Friday, October 29, at the Youth Hall in Coraki from 7pm, marking the beginning of Coraki's inaugural Artsfest.

The art prize, on show this Saturday and Sunday, is the main focus of a weekend of art-inspired fun happening in and around Coraki's beautiful riverbank.

Saturday features art workshops, stalls, ceramics and sculpture installations, live music, graffiti and chalk art activities for youngsters, plus a poetry competition and bus tours to the local museum and nearby winery.

A real drawcard for art lovers is a special art auction on Saturday at the Youth Hall from 3.30pm. Works have been donated by local artists to raise funds for future Artsfests and are on show at Armistead's Gallery in Lismore until Friday. Auctioneer Kevin Cocciola will do the honours and featured artists include Rhonda Baker, Albert 'Digby' Moran (just back from a successful European exhibition) and previous Art Prize winner Ken Swan.

Lismore based Red Inc, which caters for young adults with disabilities, will also have an exhibition this weekend at the Old Bank, which is destined to become a gallery space Red Inc was given the privilege of being the first group invited to show their artworks.

The Coraki Artsfest has something for everyone. For more information phone Sharon Walker on 6683 2626 or Narelle Jarvis on 6683 1617.

For those who can't make it this weekend, Armistead's Gallery will be exhibiting the Best of Coraki Tea Tree Art Prize from November 10-24. Keep an eye on The Echo for more details closer to the date.