The Northern Rivers Echo Main News

Sign of the times faces $220 fine

Inner Sanctum proprietor Lyn Morris points to the sign advertising her business, which Lismore Council has declared illegal, leaving her liable to a $220 fine.

Story & photo: Julian Ryan

Advertising your business in Lismore could prove costly, with Lismore Council warning CBD retailers that they face a $220 fine if they use an A-frame sign to advertise their wares.

Council says the signs are illegal, may distract drivers and pose a risk to pedestrians, and this week threatened to fine businesses using them. But retailers have fought back, saying that Council isn't supporting them at a time when the CBD is experiencing a downturn in trade as customers are drawn to the expanded Lismore Square.

Woody's Sports Shoes proprietor Richard Fisher said the small sandwich board sign in front of his Magellan Street business attracted customers and had never caused problems for pedestrians.

Mr Fisher said if Council was concerned about making the streets safer they should crack down on bicycles and skateboard riders using the CBD footpaths.

"Once an elderly customer was leaving my shop and nearly got hit by a young bloke on a bike in a very close call," he recounted. "I've never seen anyone hurt themselves on my sign, but I've been told by Council that the signs are an OH&S risk. I want to know why retailers signs are any different to the signs put in the street by Council and the RTA, not to mention Council garbage bins and plants. It's definitely a case of Council double standards."

Lyn Morris, proprietor of Inner Sanctvm, said her sign in Magellan Street attracted up to 30 per cent of her customers and her business had improved significantly since she erected it more than a year ago. She said careful consideration was given in relation to the placement and construction of the sign.

"We deliberately made the sign very solid so that if someone did bump into it, it wouldn't fall down on top of them," she said. "There are many other obstacles that could present pedestrians with danger so when we put our sign out we chose a spot on the footpath that is very wide so there is plenty of room for pedestrians to get around it."

Ms Morris said she was confused and disappointed about Council's approach and said they failed to notify her officially that her sign was illegal and that she could face a fine.

"As far as we are concerned the whole thing is under review, and I haven't been involved in the consultation process or received official notification to remove the signs, so I have no idea what Council expects of me," she said.

Amber Hall, manger of the business organisation Lismore Unlimited Opportunities, said the issue of street signage had divided the business community for some time. "Some businesses have been lobbying us to keep the signs whilst others are wanting to get rid of them."

Council's executive director of development and governance, Lindsay Walker, said the crackdown came about because Council had noticed an increase in illegal signage.

"We need to clean up the roadsides to minimise this visual clutter," he said.

The ban also applies to roadside advertising signs in other parts of the city.

Leave bats alone wildlife officials warn

This tiny black flying fox is the smallest baby that Sue Thompson from the Northern Rivers Wildlife Carers has ever cared for. He needs feeding eight times a day, around the clock, and to be kept at a steady temperature until he can maintain his own body heat. He will require around three months of devoted care before joining a pre-release program.

With flying foxes caring for newborn babies, the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) is warning people to avoid disturbing these misunderstood creatures at a critical time.

NPWS area manager Mark Pittavino said flying foxes return to the Northern Rivers at this time of year to feed on flowering plants such as eucalypts, banksias and paperbarks. Three species are regular visitors to the area - the grey-headed, little-red and black flying fox.

"It is common for the three species to share a preferred roost site," he said. "It is important that the flying fox colonies are left undisturbed. Disturbance may result in the premature birth of offspring or cause the females to abandon their young."

Mr Pittavino said he'd had reports of people disturbing flying fox colonies on North Creek at East Ballina. "The grey-headed and black flying fox are threatened species and anyone found harming flying foxes is liable to prosecution," he said.

Mr Pittavino said flying foxes were essential pollinators of the native hardwood species that the timber industry relies upon. "Flying foxes also disperse seeds, particularly of rainforest plants, and are vital for the survival of many of our fragmented rainforest remnants," he said. "Their seasonal movement for food corresponding with flowering of native forests has the effect of concentrating animals in what appears to be a population explosion. Residents are asked to be tolerant and respect that this time of year is an important time in their life cycle."

Nimbin's bowled over

Nimbin Bowling Club head chef Richard Schofield with the 'Silver Bowler' sculpture being launched on Saturday as part of this weekend's Continental Carnival.

In a fascinating fusion of two of Nimbin's great community strengths: art and sport, the village has come up with an icon to rival Ballina's Big Prawn - the Silver Bowler.

The sculpture, outside the Nimbin Bowling Club, was made over eight months by award-winning Nimbin sculptor Adrian Ward to complement the newly refurbished clubhouse. Adrian describes the 12 metre by 1.7 metre ferro-cement sculpture as "very 1950s Olympic stadium art".

The Bowling Club has undergone a considerable rebirth in both appearance and sporting success of late. Younger players combined with some seasoned bowlers, to win the Northern District Zone Finals for the first time this year, then made it all the way to the State Finals in Sydney.

A 'champagne launch' of the Silver Bowler will be held at 4.30pm this Saturday, November 5, to coincide with the club's annual Continental Carnival, where bowlers come from around the region and from south-east Queensland to compete. Everyone is welcome.

Time's up for Ballina CBD parking

Shoppers parking in River Street, Ballina, will have their parking time cut to just 15 minutes in a major shakeup of parking in the CBD.

Ballina Council is planning to introduce the 15 minutes limit in around 12 to 20 car parks to allow more people the opportunity to run a quick errand in the main street shopping area. The current time limits are two and one hours, and 30 minutes.

The change is part of a revision of existing timed parking zones, with two-hour time limits slapped on the Cherry Street and Fawcett Lane cul-de-sacs. Moon and Cherry Street limits will be cut back from two hours to one, while previously unrestricted parking in Grant Street will be limited to two hours.

Crs Howes, Rich and Felsch voted against the proposal.

General manager John Christopherson said the changes were based on advice from a traffic flow consultant. "They are not major changes, and they will be good for business," he said.

The proposed changes will go on public exhibition within two weeks, and the public will have around a month to comment.

Ballina Chamber of Commerce secretary Bryanm Marriott said his organisation is seeking feedback from members before next Wednesday's board meeting to consider whether to back the Council proposal.

Tee off for kids with cancer

CanTeen Charity Golf Day coordinator Stan Bendall (left) and local cricket legend John McMahon, who is the special guest at this year's event.

Golf enthusiasts or anyone who likes socialising and helping others is encouraged to sign up now for the CanTeen Charity Golf Day at the Lismore Workers Golf Club on November 27.

Sponsored by the Lismore Workers Club and Farmer Charlies, the day will raise vital funds for CanTeen to help young cancer patients and their families. It's a fun and light-hearted affair, with golfers and non-golfers invited to battle it out on the course for this good cause.

"It's a four-person ambrose event so people play in teams of four - the camaraderie generated is fantastic and it gets quite competitive, although you don't have to know anything about golf to have a go," said coordinator Stan Bendall. "It's more about socialising and having fun than anything else - if you can have a laugh and help even one child with cancer at the same time then it's absolutely worth it. If you win a prize then that's a bonus."

The CanTeen Charity Golf Day costs $25 per person, which includes a barbecue prior to a 12pm tee off. For details or to nominate, phone the Lismore Workers Golf Club on 6621 2255.

Wollongbar unit development up for discussion

The Wollongbar Progress Association is so concerned by plans for a 34-unit high density residential development in Smith's Lane, Wollongbar, that it has called a public meeting for next Thursday, November 10, with the developer.

"This development has the potential to change the character of Wollongbar forever," said Progress Association member Marilyn Perkins. "The developer has been invited and said he will attend the meeting - it will be an opportunity for people to talk to the applicants and discuss their views on the development in an open forum. The whole community needs to come out because we need to present a united voice to Ballina Council."

The public meeting on November 10 is at the Wollongbar Hall from 7.30pm. For more information phone Marilyn on 6628 3880 or Jeanette Coulson on 6628 6243.

Plateau farmland carve up rejected

Ballina councillors bit the bullet and rejected an application for a three-lot subdivision of farmland in Leadbeatters Lane, Alstonville, on the DA's third appearance before Council last week.

Owners JJ and MA Peut already had approval to cut the block into two 20-hectare allotments, but wanted to turn it into three smaller lots.

The Department of Primary Industries advised that 20 hectares is the minimum block size allowable for state significant farming land.

The applicants had twice asked for the decision to be deferred while they got consultants' reports on the viability of the smaller lots they proposed, suggesting they could be economic for coffee plantations.

Council staff were not convinced and recommended the application be refused.

A dream come true

Southern Cross University student Julie Hood's dream came true when she was crowned Miss Alstonville Showgirl on Saturday. Photo courtesy of Colin Cooksey Photography.

End in sight for Lismore Lake Pool?

The future of the free Lismore Lake Pool is under a cloud with Lismore Council facing escalating costs over its upkeep and concerns about public liability if it left unsupervised.

A five-page report on the pool, prepared by Council's finance manager lists a series of deficiencies, ranging from the need for a new shell because of cracking and leaks, to shortcomings in safety requirements. The report says "there are likely to be significant financial implications to ensure Lismore Lake Pool remains open" leading to concerns that the Council may look at closing the pool now that the Memorial baths have re-opened.

An audit by the Royal Life Saving Society found that the pool was non-compliant for 72 per cent (48) of 67 safety inspection points, with 28 of those failures regarded as high risk. An audit of Nimbin pool also revealed similar outcomes and recommendations for improvements.

While Council was considering, but had delayed, spending $171,000 to retile the pool, a consultant's report into the 31-year-old lake pool found that it had severe cracking, leaked a considerable amount of water and needed upgrading, including the fencing and filtration. The cost of the work is likely to exceed $500,000.

Liability concerns have also forced Council to consider introducing two lifeguards at both the Lismore Lake and Nimbin Pools at the seemingly excessive cost of $20,000 per month. Supervision was introduced at Lismore Lake pool last year when the Memorial baths were closed and now Council is concerned that the precedent has been set, leaving it exposed to increased risk.

Staff are also looking at preparing an options paper on the future of the Lake pool. The matter will be considered at next Tuesday's Lismore Council meeting at the Clunes Hall.

The meeting will also consider forcing the compulsory acquisition of land for the Goonellabah Leisure Centre from Consolidated Properties, developers of the Goonellabah shopping centre, following a breakdown in negotiations in which the developer originally promised to donate the land to Council.

And they're racy...

While Makybe Diva made Melbourne Cup history, some fine fillies were also showing champion material at the Our Kids Cup fundraiser on Tuesday. Jenny Cleaver (right) was declared winner of the Best Dressed Mare award by a nose (with matching hat and accessories) and presented with her prize by Cath Ingall, one of the luncheon organisers. The event raised $8000, which will be used to buy monitors for the new humidicribs Our Kids have also bought for Lismore Base Hospital's children's ward.

New sentencing plan for Aboriginal offenders

Circle Sentencing project officer Ken Morgan will speak at a crime prevention seminar next Tuesday, November 8 when the Circle Sentencing program will be discussed.

Aboriginal offenders who plead guilty will have the option of being sentenced by a panel that includes local Aboriginal Elders and a magistrate under the groundbreaking Circle Sentencing program, which begins in Lismore early next year.

Circle Sentencing has already been trialed in Nowra, Dubbo, Walgett and Brewarrina with remarkable results.

Project officer Ken Morgan said once the program is in place, offenders will sit with the Elders, the magistrate, prosecutor and support people to talk about the crime and how it has affected the community, victim and offender.

Mr Morgan said research revealed that once an offender has been sentenced by the circle, their likelihood of re-offending is significantly reduced.

"After we have discussed the crime and its effects, the circle will break and the Elders will discuss what type of sentence should be imposed. They will make their recommendations to the magistrate who will hand down the sentence.

"I've done a lot of networking with the local Aboriginal community and the Bundjalung Elders and everyone has been very supportive."

The Circle may decide to jail the offender or hand out lesser sentences including counseling, home detention or community work. Other circles have handed down sentences considered tougher than those a magistrate would have imposed.

If there is a victim of the crime, they will be invited to attend and the offender has the option of rejecting the sentence handed down by the circle and returning to the formal court where the matter will be heard.

A community information day about Circle Sentencing will be held at Bugalma Bihyn Indigerelate Aboriginal Family Healing Centre at 33 Rous Road, Goonellabah, next Tuesday November, 8, from 10 am to 3pm.

Everyone is welcome and lunch and morning tea will be provided.

For more information phone Ken Morgan on 6623 3620.

Long arm of the law gets rolling

Showing off the new Honda CRV donated to the Richmond Local Area Command are superintendent Bruce Lyons and crime prevention officer Michael Hogan (left) with Cr Graham Mieneke and Ireland Honda principal Neil Ireland.

Donating a Honda CRV to local police last week is Ireland Honda's way of repaying the local community for helping make the business a success, says dealer princpal Neil Ireland.

The new vehicle will be used by the Richmond Local Area Command's crime prevention office, freeing up other vehicles for important police work.

"Our family has been here for three or four generations and we've made a living out of the area, so this is just one way we can give something back," Neil said. "We hope it goes some way to maintaining the standards of the area - the North Coast is a wonderful place to live and bring up children, and we want to keep it that way."

Kyogle cleans up at awards

There's been some cheerful news for Kyogle. Despite still suffering from the loss of the Norply plywood factory in a disastrous fire, the town has won three Tidy Towns awards for its youth work, litter prevention and community economic development.

Kyogle Youth Ventures, formed to create opportunities for young people to have fun in a safe environment, won the Young Legends Award.

The town's Kicking a Bag Habit program to get rid of plastic bags won the Litter Prevention Award.

Kyogle's Sense of Place Project, designed to integrate community and economic development issues, won the Community Economic Development Award.

Meanwhile, Ballina High School took out the Schools Environment Award for innovative programs such as marine studies and aeronautics, its school rainforest and tree plantings, and the school's marine discovery centre.

The Tidy Towns awards are part of the Keep Australia Beautiful program. For more information visit www.kabnsw.org.au.

Come in, the water's fine

Ballina beachgoers will benefit from water quality monitoring at five local swimming sites this summer thanks to a partnership between Ballina Council and the NSW Department of Environment and Conservation (DEC).

DEC director general Lisa Corbyn congratulated Ballina Council for its plan.

"For the most part, these swimming spots are as clean as they are beautiful," she said. "However, people need to be able to be confident about the quality of the water they're swimming in."

Ms Corbyn said Council would be monitoring for enterococci and faecal coliforms bacteria, which indicate if the water is polluted with stormwater or sewage and may be unsafe for swimming.

Ms Corbyn warned people to be careful after rain because of the stormwater pollution threat.

"As a general rule, we encourage people to avoid swimming after it rains for a day on coastal beaches, and up to three days in estuarine areas," she said.

Go west highway residents tell RTA

A map detailing proposals by planner Ian Oelrichs to relocate the Pacific Highway between Woodburn and Byron Bay to the west, skirting Lismore.

Blackwall Highway Action Group members Rick Easton, Sue Whiteman, Mike Meszaros and Rob Graham attended the Parliamentary Inquiry into the Pacific Highway upgrades at the Ballina RSL Club last Friday. Mr Graham's son Mark presented the group's case to the Inquiry committee members, chaired by Nationals MLC Jenny Gardiner.

By Eve Sinton

Coastal community groups are united in their opposition to new routes proposed by the RTA for two local upgrades to the Pacific Highway, suggesting the road should be relocated as far west as Casino.

The NSW Parliamentary Inquiry into the upgrades between Tintenbar and Ewingsdale and Woodburn and Ballina held hearings in Ballina last week. It received a number of submissions supporting re-routing the highway inland through Casino, claiming land use issues out west were less sensitive and that Casino residents would welcome the economic development that would come from making the town a transport hub.

The Inquiry is investigating the potential impact of the proposed upgrades and how it will affect local communities, as well as considering the New England Highway as an alternative route for freight.

A number of local residents told the Inquiry of their frustration about the way the RTA conducts its public consultations, claiming the authority used divisive tactics to get the outcome it wanted.

Blackwall Highway Action group member Mark Graham, who represents the community on parts of the Woodburn to Ballina section, welcomed the chance to speak to the politicians, claiming that the RTA ignored local concerns and "doesn't respond to anyone."

He claimed the RTA has failed to properly survey rare fauna and flora on proposed routes close to the Blackwall Range, near Wardell, and presented his own research detailing the presence of numerous species not accounted for in the RTA's studies.

Meanwhile the Newrybar Landcare Group, Ballina Shire Residents Group and Upper Emigrant Landcare Group combined to oppose the RTA's four short-listed routes for Tintenbar to Ewingsdale.

"All of the routes destroy immensely valuable and irreplaceable fertile land that produces macadamias, coffee, soft fruits, pecans, sugar and many cash crops which support the local communities and stimulates the local economy, not to mention the export dollars that they earn for Australia," spokesman Robert Deards said.

The groups backed up their submission with a DVD fly-over of the highway upgrade corridor.

And in a bold vision, a member of the Northern Rivers Regional Development Board, planner Ian Oelrichs, and the technical advisory group of the Far North Coast Regional Strategy presented an alternative route based on linking Casino and Kyogle to major south-east Queensland transport corridors. He proposed a short-term solution using a road that loops west just south of Woodburn, passing to the west of Lismore and returning to the highway at Tyagarah. Mr Oelrichs said the new route would open up a new development corridor and focus growth away from the coast and closer to the regional hub of Lismore.

He said the RTA's plans failed to take account of regional transport, economic and population issues.

"These alternatives will make it quicker to complete the whole route and are safer for everybody and are cheaper to build," Mr Oelrichs told the inquiry.

Ballina MP Don Page has also backed suggestions for a new route further inland than the existing highway, suggesting the road should follow the now-defunct rail line from Bangalow to the west of Lismore, on to Casino and down to Grafton via Summerland Way.

The Parliamentary Inquiry received more than 200 public submissions and is expected to present its findings early next year.

Lawyers threaten to gag highway opponent

Story & photo: Eve Sinton

An ecologist campaigning against one of the Pacific Highway upgrade route options near Wardell has been threatened with legal action by one of the RTA's consultants.

Mark Graham (pictured with a wildlife monitoring device), spokesman for the Blackwall Highway Action Group, is leading the resistance from residents who fear their lives will be carved up if a six-lane highway is rammed through their land.

Mr Graham said that not only are people's homes at risk, but also hundreds of koalas and many other rare and endangered species living in pristine pockets near the Blackwall Range, near Wardell, are in the bulldozer's sights.

The group set up a website in opposition to the route and Mr Graham made a feisty submission to the Parliamentary Inquiry into the Pacific Highway upgrade.

Women needed for anaemia study

Young women from 18 to 25 years of age with mild anaemia are needed to help in a new Southern Cross University study on the effectiveness of iron supplements.

Study coordinator Dr Joan O'Connor said young women might want to be involved to find out more about their general health, their blood readings or to try a supply of the product.

She said participants in the 42-day trial would need to attend a clinic at SCU's Lismore campus on four occasions during the study.

"Participants will take the product three times a day. Blood samples will need to be taken on three occasions during the six-week trial," she said.

For more information on the trial contact Dr Joan O'Connor on joconnor@scu.edu.au or phone 6620 3649.

No. 1 mum sought

Nominations have opened for Australia's Number One Mum. If you know an inspiring mum you can nominate her at www.barnardos.org.au.

Children's charity Barnados is taking nominations until February 5 next year and finalists will be selected next April.

Red Cross bowls day

The Red Cross is holding a Mufti Bowls Day this Sunday, November 6, at the Bangalow Bowling & Sports Club to raise funds for a variety of local projects.

The competition will be played in teams of three and $10 includes green fees, lunch and raffle tickets. The day also includes an auction featuring a 2005 signed and framed Broncos Jersey and a signed and framed Ian Thorpe swim cap. Arrive at 9am for a 10am start.

Best foot forward for a good cause

Pickled Pepper staff members Debbie McDonald, Maria Butler and Heather McDonald have organised their own charity walk this Sunday to raise money for this year's 2LM Children's Christmas Appeal.

Story & photo: Julian Ryan

More than 30 locals will join Lismore MP Thomas George this Sunday for a 10km charity walk hoping to raise $20,000 for this year's 2LM Children's Christmas Appeal. At the same time, staff and friends from the Pickled Pepper Bistro in Lismore have organised a walk of their own to also help raise funds.

Staff member Heather McDonald said she and her friends couldn't come up with the $500 entry fee required to join the official walk, so they mapped out their own course and will be out in force on Sunday raising as much as they can and having a lot of fun at the same time.

"We have about a dozen people so far who are going to walk from the Lismore Airport and back to town and through the CBD and then back to the airport," Heather said. "We have had the odd cheeky customer telling us that we won't be able to make the distance but that has just made us more determined to prove them wrong."

The Picked Pepper team will carry buckets while they walk and donations are welcome.

Anyone wishing to join in the can ring Heather at the Pickled Pepper on 6622 2750.

Meanwhile, Mr George says he has been doing some heavy training to prepare himself before he sets off on Sunday for the 10km charity walk from Goonellabah to Lismore airport.

"I've been in hard training for the last two months and I don't expect to get any blisters, but if I do it, it doesn't matter because it's for a great cause and we're supporting early intervention, CASPA and other important beneficiaries that do a great job," Mr George said.

Program helps keep young drinkers alive

A pioneering program to reduce the dangers faced by students as they leave school and become independent has been found to save lives and has been declared a remarkable success following an exhaustive three-year study into its effectiveness.

The award-winning RRISK program (Reduce Risk, Increase Student Knowledge) has been running for the last six years in 26 local high schools. It's aimed at Year 10 and 11 students and specifically targets adolescent driving, partying and alcohol and drug use.

This study found that students who took part in the program improved their knowledge, protective attitudes and behaviours related to risk-taking and road safety, compared to those who did not attend.

Program coordinator Reyna Dight said young people aged 15 to 19 accounted for 45 per cent of motor vehicle deaths and engage in a number of other activities that put them at risk of injury.

"We know that risk-taking is a normal part of adolescence. Programs like RRISK provide opportunities for young people to think about consequences and make better decisions, which could save their lives," she said.

Researcher Dr Eric Van Buerden said the RRISK program has produced some promising results compared to other more intensive programs.

"The RRISK evaluation conducted in local schools not only confirmed national trends, but found behaviour of students in the North Coast was even more risky," he said. "It's important to keep up the momentum by reinforcing these messages if we want to reduce risk taking amongst North Coast adolescents."

However, Dr Van Buerden revealed there were frightening levels of alcohol abuse among young people, including the fact that students drank so much that they felt ill at one in four parties they go to, while a staggering 60 per cent were binge drinking. Almost one in every four (23 per cent) rode with an alcohol impaired driver and one-in 10 (9 per cent) admitted to drink driving, even though the legal limit for L and P platers is zero.

The RRISK program is run by North Coast Health Promotion and funded by the NSW Motor Accidents Authority.

Meanwhile, a new study from the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre (NDARC), commissioned for the Pfizer Australia Health Report, warns that consuming alcohol from a young age can increase the likelihood of developing an alcohol dependency as an adult.

A key finding was that just over one-in-10 Australians has, at some point in their lives, experienced a problem with alcohol.

This 'at risk' group is more likely to have consumed their first full serve of alcohol at 13 or 14 years of age, suggesting a strong link between early teenage drinking and alcohol problems in later life.

NDARC Information Manager Paul Dillon said that drinking alcohol to excess during your formative years can create a cycle of alcohol problems which can continue into adulthood.

"It would be foolish for us to try to ban alcohol consumption when it plays such a part in our culture, but it is vital that we try to prevent early initiation of alcohol use," he said. "This research demonstrates the need for innovative strategies dealing with alcohol consumption."

Car museum planned for Summerland House

By Eve Sinton

Summerland House with No Steps has scored a $100,000 federal Government grant to build a transport museum on its Alstonville property.

General manger Brett Lacey said they hope to start building it early next year and have it open by the end of 2006. He said the museum would house some of local motoring identity Bob Trevan's vintage car collection.

"We think it will be a major regional asset," he said. "The museum will show how transport has changed each decade over the last 100 years. It will be an attraction to vintage and classic car fans, an educational resource for schools and will be of interest to coach tours as well."

Mr Lacey said the project would help boost Summerland House's employment opportunities for people with disabilities.

Good Samaritan rescues baby koala

Country Energy's Lismore field team leader Jock McMillan (pictured) was driving to work on Wednesday when he observed a small lump in the middle of the road. As he got closer he saw it was a young koala and avoided hitting it, presuming it was dead.

"I stopped to move it off the road so that school kids coming along later wouldn't have to see it and I discovered that it was very much alive," Jock said.

He took the koala to work at Lismore and contacted wildlife carers, who discovered the young male's only injuries were a broken tooth and a scratched nose.

"They said I did the right thing, holding the koala like a baby," Jock said. "He was in shock and my body heat was helping. He certainly didn't want to let go."

Mr McMillan later found the mother koala's body on the side of the road. She was taken to the carers as well, so they could take a tissue sample and record her DNA as part of a research project into the distribution and health of koalas on the Northern Rivers.

* If you find a sick, injured or dead koala, call the koala rescue hotline, 0427 045 823.

Coalition pledges pokie tax freeze

Ballina MP Don page (right) signs the Coalition's Memorandum of Understanding at the Ballina RSL watched by (l-r) Ballina Bowling and Recreation Club treasurer Laurie Probst, Ballina RSL chairman Bob Grant, Mullumbimby Ex-Services Club president Rick Wainwright and Lennox Head Bowling and Sports Club deputy chairperson Betty Hall.

A Coalition Government will freeze Labor's deeply unpopular poker machine tax at current levels if it wins the 2007 state election. Not ones to look a gift revenue stream in the mouth, the Coalition stopped short of promising to abolish the tax altogether, offering instead to cap the pokie tax for the four years of their first term, saving a club like the Ballina RSL Club.

Ballina MP Don Page met with representatives from 13 local registered clubs at the Ballina RSL Club last week to sign a Memorandum of Understanding for the Coalition's promise.

Mr Page said freezing the gaming machine tax at the current rate will improve the viability of local clubs.

"It allows clubs to continue to support the local community," Mr Page said, but the MP would not comment on why the Coalition was prepared to keep the tax, despite campaigning so vociferously against it.

IGA in the pink

Doing their bit for National Cancer Week by dressing up in pink last week were IGA staff members (l-r) John Clark, Ben Kirk, Simeon Trewnack, Francis McIntosh, Kylee Bryn, Patricia Law, Tamara Marriott and Ann Pryor.

Staff from the new Eastpoint Shopping Centre IGA on the Bruxner Highway got behind National Cancer Week last week by decking themselves and the store out in pink to raise awareness of the disease.

IGA marketing manager Ann Pryor said it was important to raise awareness of how cancer affects so many lives.

"Having the store in pink got people talking - this is an important issue and we all need to have much more compassion for cancer patients and their families. We've only got each other and we have to take care of each other. Cancer patients shouldn't have to suffer in silence," Ann said.

St John helps students to save lives

Lismore High School students (l-r) Lucia Botta-Stanwell, Alexandria Hahn and Sasha Hunt practise CPR with local St John Ambulance trainer Alf Smith"

Eleven students from Lismore High School could one day save the life after recently completing a CPR course with St John Ambulance.

The course was sponsored by the Sony as part of Project Rainbow, which aims to deliver free CPR training to almost 3000 year 9 and 10 students across NSW.

"Everyone should know CPR," said St John branch manager, Chris Way. "Regrettably, you may need this skill one day to save a friend or a family member. It's easy to learn and once it is learned it is rarely forgotten."

St John Ambulance conducts regular CPR classes. For more information phone 6621 8044.

The race that stops at Tabulam

Story: Therese Schier

This Saturday's Tabulam races are expected to draw around 2000 people to one of the region's most colourful and fun picnic races.

Tabulam Racing Club member Joan Reay said all is in readiness for the annual pilgrimage to the town.

"The track is really green after some dry years," she said. "Because it's held on the first Saturday after the Melbourne Cup, people remember when it's on. We have people come from Sydney and Brisbane, as well as from around here."

The meeting will feature five local races and there'll be on-course bookies for those who like a flutter.

Joan said the races are a great day out for the whole family and there will be plenty of food vans and refreshments.

"We've got the Bryon Bay Kidz Club entertainers coming to keep the kids amused with face painting, foot races, and much more," she said.

The Heritage Highlanders pipe band is returning to play the pipes with a nip of Scottish music.

If the weather looks threatening on the coast, Joan said not to worry, because it's often different west of the range. "I've never known the races to be rained out," she said.

If you're keen to make a weekend of it, there's free camping on the track on race day, and on the river

Entry is $15 for adults, $10 for students and pensioners and children under14 are admitted free. To get to Tabulam head west from Casino on the Tenterfield Road.

Computer offers kids hope

CASPA student Forrest Welsh and mentor/tutor Debbie Campbell (front) with (rear l-r) Rotary Club of Summerland Sunrise president-elect Pat Macbeth, CASPA general manager Lisa Gardiner and Rotary Club of Summerland Sunrise president Dr Malcolm Tester.

Helping young people rediscover the joy of learning is the objective of CASPA's Learning Support Program, which was given a boost last week when the Rotary Club of Summerland Sunrise donated a computer, software, and a package of children's books.

CASPA general manager Lisa Gardiner said the computer and software from Compu K, worth more than $2000, will help children who have had a disrupted education or who are unable to attend school.

"This program receives no government funding, so this donation was a dream come true," Lisa said. "Rotary can see that the best way of providing opportunities for these children in the future is by acting now."

Rotary grasses on PCYC

Rotary Club of Lismore West community services director Bob Barnes (pictured left) recently presented Lismore PCYC club manager Jason Clarke and life governor Jim Crethar with a $750 lawn mower to help the club maintain its extensive grounds.

"Rotary's generosity has been wonderful," said Jason. "We had an old lawn mower that was just about to fall apart so it couldn't have come at a better time."

Bob Barnes said the Rotary Club of Lismore West has had an ongoing partnership with the Lismore PCYC for around 15 years.

"The PCYC helps the youth of our district. Young people are the future and anything that helps them makes a stronger community," Mr Barnes said.

Perkins cousins unite

Margaret Perkins of Goonellabah recently organised a reunion for all her cousins - the 40 grandchildren of James and Margaret Jordan.

The cousins (pictured) had a luncheon at the Goonellabah RSL Sports Club and came from as far afield as Bundaberg, Sydney, Brisbane, Kincumber and Maitland. The eldest female cousin, Teresa O'Keefe of Murwillumbah, and the youngest male cousin, Brian Mills of Brunswick Heads, cut the cakes made especially for the day.

Mural now in right place

This mural by Bundjalung Elder Oral Roberts is located at Tuntable Creek Public School - not Tuntable Falls Community Primary School as printed in The Echo recently.

The mural, which covers the school's outdoor basketball court, was part of a six-month program where students learnt about different aspects of Bundjalung life, including participating in hands-on activities such as making damper and planting bush food trees.

The program is part of Tuntable Creek Public School's ongoing commitment to teaching children about the local Aboriginal culture and students are now learning the language from Bundjalung Elder Aunty Agnes Roberts.

The Echo apologises for the mistake.