The Northern Rivers Echo Main News

Funding cuts not so ACE

ACE teacher Regan Harding (centre) with students Chris Hoath and Remi Bastion, who both say studying at ACE has changed their lives for the better. ACE is now facing funding cuts next year and may be forced to close as a result.

NSW Government funding cuts could force Lismore-based Adult Community Education (ACE) North Coast to close, its principal Jim Nicholls has warned.

ACE is facing cuts of between 15 and 30 per cent next year, which Mr Nicholls says could spell the end of the organisation.

The move is the latest in a series of body blows dealt to Northern Rivers residents by the cash-strapped Labor Government. Earlier this year it closed the Casino to Murwillumbah rail line and delayed the promised Alstonville bypass.

Mr Nicholls said ACE's future is currently "up in the air".

"We're just living in hope," he said. "Costs are going up and funding is going down, which is unsustainable. If we were forced to close there would be jobs lost in the Lismore community as well as Casino and Kyogle, and if these cuts come through we're history. We were promised two months ago that we'd be told what our funding would be for 2006, and as yet we still don't know."

The closure will once again hit hardest with battlers such as Remi Bastion, 17, and her boyfriend Chris Hoath, 19, who say ACE North Coast has given them and a new start in life and hope for the future.

Remi was just 13 when her mother died and she began getting into trouble at school. She dropped out and worked part-time before discovering she could do her year 10 certificate at ACE.

Remi fell pregnant while studying, but sadly lost the child shortly after birth. When she decided to take time off to grieve, ACE was supportive and the compassion shown by her teachers soon inspired her to return to study for her HSC.

"ACE made me want to do something with my life - I didn't want to end up being a bum and education gives you so many opportunities," Remi said. "The teachers have been really understanding of what I've gone through and have always treated me with respect and tolerance. At ACE I wasn't afraid to be myself."

Remi and Chris, who is now studying his year 10 certificate and mentoring other young people, are just two of the many success stories ACE has produced.

Mr Nicholls said that ACE's closure would leave many people who seek alternative education with nowhere to go.

"We provide all kinds of different services, some which are quite public and some which work behind-the-scenes, but they all contribute to Lismore's community life," Mr Nicholls said. "ACE in Lismore has developed several innovative projects working with youth who need to maintain access to education and also with Aboriginal communities providing opportunities which would otherwise not be available. Why should these people miss out because the NSW Government can't balance its budget properly?"

Lismore MP Thomas George was unaware of the proposed funding cuts, but said he would look into the matter as he believed ACE was an integral part of the North Coast community.

"The ramifications of ACE closing would be immeasurable - it provides a lot of support and outreach services and its closure would have a devastating affect on the smaller, rural communities," Mr George said. "I will now seek more information so I can properly represent ACE's concerns with the Minister."

Push continues to shift highway inland

Northern Rivers MPs launched three separate campaigns to force action over the Pacific Highway last week, but not all are aimed at the same outcome.

In the NSW Legislative Council last week Greens MP Ian Cohen was successful with a motion against B-double trucks using the Pacific Highway. The upper house passed a motion recognising the danger posed to residents and motorists on the Pacific Highway by interstate freight, especially on non-upgraded sections, and condemning the Government for allowing B-doubles on the highway for the last three years.

"Residents are rightly up in arms about these mammoth trucks being allowed to plough through their community," Mr Cohen said. "These trucks are tearing the community apart. The distress residents are feeling is understandable. The whole safety of the district is under threat.

"Two weeks ago Country Labor joined in passing a motion calling for a 12 month moratorium on B-double use of the North Coast section of the Pacific Highway. Two weeks later Macquarie Street ALP has let down their country cousins.

"The Government cannot just sit on its hands and hope to ride out the storm," Mr Cohen said. "The North Coast community is galvanised by this issue in a way I haven't seen for a long time. They will not be going away."

Clarence, Lismore and Ballina MPs Steve Cansdell, Thomas George and Don Page said they received a fair hearing when they met with NSW Roads Minister Joe Tripodi last week to push for an inland route proposal for the highway between Tyagarah and Grafton.

The three MPs initially said the meeting was conducted in a congenial atmosphere where there was a free exchange of ideas, but later changed their view after Mr Tripodi was quoted in the media saying the inland route would stall planning for highway upgrades.

Don Page accused Mr Tripodi of playing party politics rather than seriously considering the inland option.

"He did express some concerns about the inland route proposal at the meeting, but he didn't give any indication he was going to play party politics in the media," Mr Page said.

The Roads Minister had been quoted saying he would ask for a preliminary examination of the inland route, but it could further delay the upgrade and went against the wishes of the community.

Mr Page said new information indicated it could be constructed at a third of the cost of upgrading the Pacific Highway, which in turn would mean the new road could be completed in a third of the time.

"The inland option would save so much money and traffic problems would be solved much more quickly. It will also separate interstate traffic from local traffic," said Mr Page. "Mr Tripodi is of the opinion the inland route would go against what the community wants. But what the community wants is a route that will minimise disruption to their lives and that can be built within the foreseeable future to stop people dying on our roads," he added.

Also making their way into the Roads Minister's office last week were members of the Pacific Highway Taskforce, a coalition of North Coast councils and the NRMA.

"The Taskforce can play an important role in representing the best interests of communities from the Hunter to the Queensland border," Mr Tripodi acknowledged. "There's no doubt that a united group representing 26 local government areas is powerful.

"It's clear the Taskforce has a clear purpose and is determined in its goal to complete the upgrade of the Pacific Highway to a dual carriageway by 2016. I share this goal but as I told them, this won't happen unless the federal Government increases its funding commitment to the Pacific Highway."

Mr Tripodi said he told the mayors that other roads in the federal Government's new national network will receive 80 per cent funding from the federal government under AusLink yet it is contributing only 20 per cent of what is needed every year to complete the Pacific Highway's dual-carriageway program.

* The Byron Shire Echo

60 years later, we remember them

Page MP Ian Causley presented more than 40 Lismore World War II veterans, or surviving relatives, with commemorative medallions to mark the 60th anniversary of the end of World War II.

This week's presentation was the final in a series made over the past few months to local veterans in recognition of their personal contributions during the war.

Visit a beautiful garden

With a backdrop of glorious vistas of rolling hills, a 360-degree view of Byron Bay and Lismore and surrounded by dense rainforest, walking around Bleeker's Arboretum near Federal is a magical experience for anyone with an interest in gardens.

Bleeker's Arboretum is open this Saturday and Sunday, November 26-27, as part of the Australian Open Garden Scheme, and people are invited to come and wander, explore and enjoy this natural delight.

Owners of the five-acre property Pieter and Marijke Bleeker, have created a haven for birdlife with many Australian natives. The garden is at 33 Bayview Drive, Goonengerry (near Federal), and is open from 10am to 4.30pm on both days. Morning and afternoon teas are available and plants will be for sale.

Entry is $5, with children under 18 free. Proceeds will go to Doctors Without Borders and community projects. For directions, phone 1902 261 026.

$1.6m for research

Southern Cross University has received more than $1.6 million in Australian Research Council funding.

$830,000 will be used for projects looking at how nitrogen is cycled in coastal ecosystems while $230,000 goes to a study of the history of philosophy, in conjunction with leading scholars from Cambridge University and Copenhagen University. It's hoped the research will lead to a greater understanding of the common traditions of the world's major religions.

A further $350,000 will be used to look at acid sulphate soil landscapes throughout the North Coast, and will focus on the role of a newly discovered iron mineral, called 'schwertmannite', in environmental degradation.

Ruddock announces new family reforms

Federal Attorney-General Phillip Ruddock visited Lismore this week to open the Interrelate Family Centre and outline new family law reforms.

Helping couples sort out their troubles through mediation rather than through the Family Court is a central aim of the federal Government's new family law reforms, which Attorney-General Philip Ruddock outlined during a visit to Lismore this week.

Mr Ruddock said the laws were designed to encourage broken families to sit down and resolve issues such as access rights before resorting to the courts, and to develop a parenting plan that provided the best outcome for the child or children involved.

Mr Ruddock also discussed plans to build a new family relationship centre in Lismore as part of a nationwide network of 65 centres where couples, mothers, fathers, grandparents and children can all go to get help, advice and support. The first 15 of these centres, including the one planned for Lismore, will be rolled out in July next year.

"The centres will become an integral part of their communities by becoming the first port of call when people need help to make their relationships stronger or when relationships end," he said. "We have located the first centres in areas with high numbers of families with young children and high numbers of divorced or separated families and blended families."

The Attorney-General's final engagement in town was to officially open the Interrelate Family Centre in Laurel Avenue, which relocated from its Wyrallah Road premises two years ago. The Interrelate Family Centre is now preparing to submit a tender to run the new family relationship centre.

Exercising free speech

Samlara Canin-Henkel, 13, of Clunes, was among around 100 protestors who took to the streets in Lismore on Monday to "welcome" Philip Ruddock to town and voice their opposition to the new anti-terror laws.

Around 20 police were present. The protest remained peaceful and no arrests were made.

Water fluoridation survey begins

Residents in Lismore, Richmond Valley, Byron Bay and Ballina will be called next week as part of a random phone survey asking for their views on fluoridating the local water supply.

The survey by Charles Sturt University's Western Research Institute, and funded by the Australian Dental Association, and the Northern Oral Health Network, is part of Rous Water's deliberations on whether the regional water supply should be fluoridated in a bid to reduce tooth decay.

While the proposal has already attracted fierce debate and strong opposition in some quarters, a similar survey in Mudgee earlier this year found that the majority of the population supported water fluoridation.

John Irving, project manager of the Northern Oral Health Network's 'Teeth for Health' program, said that the region's residents suffered from a high level of dental disease.

Mr Irving said a new website - www .fluoridenow.com.au - features recent research data from Victoria and the USA on the issue of water fluoridation.

"One excellent document, titled One in a Million, is part of the package of information that is being sent to Rous Water and its four member councils for their libraries and front desks," he said

The results of the survey will be available by the end of the year.

Lake pool's future still up for grabs

The future of smoking at the free Lismore Lake Pool was the issue that fired the imagination of councillors when they met to discuss the pool's future at the November Council meeting.

Staff have been asked to prepare a report on options for the pool's future, which will be considered at a workshop in early 2006.

While an independent report into the $10 million Memorial Baths redevelopment found that the site is not user-friendly for younger children, with the water in the 25m pool being too deep, the free lake pool is their only option for swimming where the water isn't over their heads. Council is currently investigating a number of issues at the Memorial Baths in a bid to resolve problems identified since it first opened.

In the meantime, the need to spend more than $500,000 to upgrade the free lake pool to keep it going long-term will need to be addressed in next year's budget planning. Financial manager Rino Santin said that while the pool will remain open for the rest of the swimming season, retiling it was not enough to keep the pool open.

But it was a suggestion to ban smoking inside the pool fence that provoked impassioned debate and a surprising defence of civil rights from Cr Peter Graham, who said he was concerned that parents would be "forced away" to smoke.

Cr Jenny Dowell said she was concerned about people smoking in the pool and wanted butt bins placed around the area, along with designated smoking areas.

Crs King, Chant, Crimmins and Graham voted against the idea, but it was backed by a majority of councillors.

During the debate, Cr Irwin said the lake pool was known as the "don't pool" by locals. "Don't run, don't do this, don't do that, don't have fun," she said.

Council did not endorse the idea of lifesavers at Lismore Lake and Nimbin pools.

Norco profit plummets

The Norco dairy co-operative has only just managed to remain in the black after seeing its profit slump by $2.17 million to a miniscule $163,000 for the 2004-05 financial year.

Norco chairman Greg McNamara blamed the drop on a major decline in the Lismore-based ice cream manufacturing division and a rapid fall in its profitability, describing the result as "disappointing" at last week's Norco AGM in Murwillumbah.

New CEO Murray Richardson said the direction of the co-op's ice cream division was "unsustainable" and implemented a restructure earlier this year. The shift spelled the end of Norco ice creams, including the multi-award winning Cape Byron Supreme premium range, which Mr Richardson said had a poor profitability, despite a "long and proud history". Mr McNamara said it had become too expensive for the company to market its own products and they will focus on making ice creams for other brands.

"We are now making ice cream for two major Australian companies and another large firm in Japan and even though this is not a quick fix solution we feel this is the way to go in the future," he said.

After four years of posting profits in excess of $2 million, this latest profit announcement represents less than one per cent of the company's $179 million turnover. While revenue and income grew by around $9 million, expenses jumped by more than $10 million and borrowing costs more than doubled to $796,000, while restructuring costs almost trebled to $277,000.

The company shed 17 full-time jobs to 226 employees, but replaced them with 16 part-time and casual workers.

While the number of dairy farms supplying Norco dropped below 200 for the first time, the average milk production per farm jumped by around 5 per cent. Norco spent $48 million buying milk - slightly down on last year, but paid farmers a higher price at 34.36 cents per litre.

The company's rural stores performed well. Norco bought four stores from the Banana Growers Federation stores group and Mr McNamara said Norco was looking at establishing more stores in NSW and southern Queensland.

The Norco Pauls fresh milk joint venture also performed strongly and the company bought the Hastings Co-operative in Port Macquarie.

Mr Richardson said the rationalisation of the ice cream business to reduce costs would continue, adding that the company had a "bright future", especially through the development of non-milk businesses.

Ted's one night stand with Bob

Photographer Ted Harvey is showing his never-before-seen photographs of a 1972 Led Zeppelin concert at the Lismore Regional Gallery next week.

The days of bad perms and ground-breaking rock and roll may well and truly be over, but thanks to North Coast resident and former freelance photographer Ted Harvey, Led Zeppelin lovers now have the opportunity to relive - or at least try and remember - some of their youth.

Recently Ted unearthed a box of old photographs he took at Led Zeppelin's concert at the Sydney Showground in 1972, which he shot before heading back stage to hang with Robert Plant, John Bonham, John Paul Jones and Jimmy Page in their hotel room.

Some 33 years later, Ted inadvertently unearthed these photographic gems and will be showing them off next week in an exhibition called One Night Stand.

"All this was a distant memory until recently rummaging through a box in storage. I found my original negatives and realised that no one, apart from Zeppelin, had seen the photos," Ted said. "I thought others might like to relive the memories of an era that will never be repeated."

One Night Stand: Led Zeppelin Photographs by Ted Harvey will be opened by rock historian Glenn A Baker next Monday, November 28, at the Lismore Regional Gallery from 5.30-8.30pm. The pics will then be on show the following day from 10am-4pm.

Tickets to the exhibition are $5 from Caddies or at the door, and all proceeds will help support Brazilian children through the charity Compassion Australia.

For more info phone 6622 2209.

Council forces Woodburn credit union to close

The Summerland Credit Union is holding a community forum this Friday, November 25, to discuss the closure of its Woodburn branch in mid-December.

Richmond Valley Council has declared that the branch does not comply with its development requirement and the Credit Union has been instructed to cease trading by Friday, December 16.

Credit Union CEO Margot Sweeny said that during the fit-out last year they received professional advice that no development application (DA) was required. "We opened the branch in good faith, believing that it was operating within the appropriate guidelines," she said.

Ms Sweeny said the cost of modifications to comply with the DA made it unfeasible for the branch to remain open. Employees at the Woodburn branch will be offered other positions and the Credit Union's Evans Head branch will continue to operate as normal.

The community forum is at the Woodburn-Evans Head RSL Club from 5.30pm.

A dedicated fundraiser from fashion

Showing off fashions featuring in Lismore On Show next Wednesday is Lions Miss Personality Quest entrant Libby McMahon (centre) and Gilchrist Casting models Kerstin Devoy (left) and Jada Wagner.

Alstonville's Libby McMahon is using her bubbly persona to help raise money for life-saving medical cures.

Libby is the Lismore Lions Miss Personality Quest entrant and is on a mission to raise as much money as she can by May next year for the Lions Medical Research Foundation. Her first major fundraiser is a fashion parade called Lismore On Show next Wednesday, November 30, at the Lismore Workers Club.

The day will feature the trendiest new season arrivals from 10 local clothing stores and boutiques.

"The fashions we have are just beautiful - it's a great way to find a Christmas present or pick out an outfit for a New Year's Eve party," Libby said. "The great thing about raising money for the Lions Medical Research Foundation is that it doesn't just help one specific group - they research thousands of diseases and their work can benefit people in every corner of the world, either by improving their quality of life or saving them from disease."

Tickets to Lismore On Show are $10 from Sunnies Plus and the Sobi Clothing Company, or $12 at the door. The event begins at 7pm.

For more info phone Libby on 6628 1365.

Rescue Helicopter gets a lift

Life Saver Rescue Helicopter chairman Warren Tozer (right) thanks Country Energy managing director Craig Murray for $30,000 donated by Country Energy customers.

The Life Saver Rescue Helicopter was lifted to new heights this week thanks to the generosity of local Country Energy customers who donated $30,000 to the service.

Rescue Helicopter chairman Warren Tozer said Country Energy had been long time supporters.

"This essential service relies on the support of the community and we're extremely proud of all those customers who have contributed to raise this money in the last 12 months," he said.

Country Energy customers can make tax deductible donations of as little as $2 each time they pay their electricity accounts or may choose to make larger donations that are automatically forwarded on to the service.

For details phone 132 356.

Council's trash a community group's treasure

Richmond River Historical Society president Bernie Childs received his free computer from Lismore mayor Merv King last week.

Lismore City Council has donated 45 second-hand PCs to a range of local community groups following the annual upgrade of its computing systems.

Mayor Merv King said the donation is one way of showing support and appreciation for the valuable work conducted by local community organisations.

"Many community based organisations receive little or no funding and yet provide excellent services, often only with the help of volunteers," Cr King said. "This is one small way that Council can help those organisations that may not otherwise have access to a good computer."

The computers were donated to sporting groups, neighbourhood centres, village youth groups and community arts groups.

Parents to blame for drunk kids

Teenagers are more likely to develop drinking problems if their mothers drink regularly, a landmark University of Queensland study has revealed.

The findings come from researchers who tracked alcohol related disorders of children through adulthood as part of one of the world's longest health studies. The research involved 2551 Brisbane mothers and their children at six months, five, 14 and 21 years of age.

Dr Rosa Alati, lead researcher from UQ's School of Population Health, said teenage children of mothers who drank one or more drinks a day had a two-fold risk of problem drinking in young adulthood.

Dr Alati said maternal depression and early teenage behaviour, such as aggression and delinquency, increased the risk of alcohol disorders in young adults.

The study also backs up an Australia-wide poll by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, which found that one-third of children aged 12 to 15 had drunk alcohol and three in 10 drank weekly or more often.

The shocking figures reinforce the importance of parental responsibility when it comes to teenage drinking, a message being reinforced in Lismore this week at RRISK seminars for school leavers being held at Southern Cross University.

Wendy Johnson, RRISK project coordinator, said that while some parents tolerate teenage drinking, it was against the law to supply anyone under 18 years of age with alcohol, even at private parties.

"Many parents will be helping their children celebrate the end of the school year or leaving school in coming weeks and some of them may not be aware of their responsibilities in relation to supplying alcohol to under 18s," she said.

Reyna Dight, coordinator of Alcohol Projects at North Coast Area Health Service, said parents face major dilemmas about knowing when and how to introduce alcohol to adolescents and what advice to give them about staying safe on the roads.

"Positive role modelling, and parental involvement in, and awareness of, their children's activities are the best way to help keep them safe," she said.

In surveys conducted in 40 northern NSW high schools during 2003 and 2004, 20 per cent of young people said they had been passengers in a vehicle driven by a family member who drank alcohol before driving.

The RRISK seminars challenge students to make informed choices to manage their own level of risk when socialising.

Farming scholarships

BCU is encouraging people to apply for a $5000 BCU Bill Ussher Agricultural Scholarship.

The scholarships are named after Bill Ussher, BCU's first member and one of the community credit union's founding fathers, who passed away in 2004.

It's open to anyone who runs an established family farm and is a member of BCU and is designed to help farmers stay abreast of industry changes and new technology.

Applications close on Monday, December 12, at 5pm. For details about the scholarship and eligibility criteria talk to your local BCU agribusiness or branch manager, or visit the website at www.bcu.com.au/agri.

Food for thought crimes

St Vincent de Paul Society volunteers Robyn English and Len Moore (left) with Richmond Tweed Regional Library employees David Kennedy and Nicole Eldridge, who are promoting the food for fines amnesty that runs until Saturday, December, 21.

A bottle of tomato sauce, some jam or a tin of tuna will get you out of trouble if you're late returning items to the Richmond Tweed Regional Library in the lead up to Chritmas.

The library is offering an amnesty on late fees and fines if borrowers donate non-perishable food instead, which will be given to the St Vincent de Paul Society for Christmas hampers.

Library technician Nicole Eldridge said the amnesty is a great way to get into the Christmas spirit of giving.

"Most people are unaware that they have overstepped the mark with borrowed items so we are asking them to check the dates and if they are late bring in a couple of non-perishable food items with them and we will do the rest," Nicole said.

The amnesty runs until Saturday, December 21.

Leaders' course

Young adults employed in rural industries are being urged to apply for the federal Government's week-long Young Rural Leaders' Course 2006. It's open to 18 to 35-year-olds working in agriculture, fisheries, forestry, natural resource management, food or related industries. Applications close on Friday, December 16. For details, contact Page MP Ian Causley on 6621 9909.

Trading Post employees left high and dry

Eight former employees from the Trading Post in Ballina face a bleak Christmas after their office was closed on Monday.

Senior management from the Telstra-owned Sensis company arrived in Ballina on Monday with news of the closure, which is part of a Telstra restructure that will see 12,000 jobs axed.

Alstonville resident Wayne Morcom has spent nearly 14 years with the company and said the eight staff were offered redundancy packages and redeployment to other offices, but chose not to accept the offers.

Mr Morcom said staff were told if they accepted redeployment at Newcastle, Sydney, Brisbane or Melbourne they would have to re-apply for those positions and if they chose redundancy packages they had 24 hours to accept.

"The reason we didn't accept the redundancy packages is because we can't be certain that our entitlements have been accurately represented," Mr Morcom said. "I feel that I've really been left on the scrap heap because I'm approaching 50 and in this high unemployment area I really don't like my chances of getting another job locally. "This really came out of the blue because two days before they closed the office we got an email to say that no Sensis jobs would be cut. It really makes you wonder how anyone employed by Telstra can feel safe at the moment."

As part of the restructure offices were also closed in Newcastle and Wollongong, with operations centralised to other major cities.

A job well done

Long-serving Richmond Valley Council staff were acknowledged at last Tuesday's Council meeting with special presentations from mayor Charlie Cox, who thanked them all for their dedication.

"Richmond Valley Council is one of the area's largest employers and we appreciate the loyalty and hard work put in by our staff," he said.

Inscribed plaques of appreciation and $150 gifts for 25 years continuous service were presented to Bruce Colman, Andrew Deas, James Doyle and Paul George.

Certificates of appreciation and $50 gifts for 15 years of continuous service were given to Roger Churchill, Mark Collison, Jennifer Creighton, Geoffrey Everson, Warren Grissell, Wayne Halcrow, Rebecca Mellin, Frances Morrow, Paul Radnidge, Stephen Trustum, Shane White, Raymond White and Raymond Williams.

Love is as cold as ice for researchers

Southern Cross University Honours students Darren Fortescue and Stacy King will spend 10 weeks in Antarctica studying global warming and climate change.

Visitors to Antarctica say they miss their loved ones most, but in the case of Southern Cross University students Darren Fortescue and Stacy King that won't be problem, because they've got each other.

The couple, both Honours students, have been selected to take part in a 10-week research trip in January as part of a long-term project looking at global warming and climate change headed by associate professor Graham Jones from the School of Environmental Science and Management.

Darren and Stacy will be among 60 researchers on the Australian Antarctic Division Voyage, and will take water samples at depths of up to 200 metres to measure the level of sulphur compounds in algae.

"Antarctica is a pristine environment with minimal human impact, which is why it's a very good place to study global cycles and measure the impact," Darren said.

Uni chaplain calls it a day

Many Southern Cross University students who finished their degree have chaplain John Kidson to thank.

After 14 years as the chaplain, Reverend Kidson (pictured) retired last week and is looking forward to a quieter life and writing a book.

He recalled that one of the most regular problems he dealt with was students saying they wanted to leave university because there was too much pressure.

"The university experience can be a very stressful time for some people and students would often come to me saying they realised they were only at uni because their parents wanted them to undertake tertiary studies," he said.

Reverend Kidson was also kept busy counseling students and staff about everything from relationship breakdowns to study pressures, and even people considering suicide.

"In the more extreme cases some students thought the only way out was to top themselves, so I would try to get them to adjust their study program and do my best to counsel them not be afraid of their spirituality."

DNA funding

Southern Cross University has received a $290,000 federal Government grant to establish a unique DNA testing and analysis facility for agricultural research.

Professor Robert Henry, director of the Centre for Plant Conservation Genetics, said it will be the only one of its kind in Australia.

"This technology is ideal for testing the varieties of particular seeds and grains. It will help maintain the quality and integrity of food," Professor Henry said. "We are really quite unique in terms of the technology we have got and it will certainly help us to attract further research funding and collaborative partners."

Mumps warning

Northern Rivers residents are urged to ensure their immunisations are up to date following an increase in cases of mumps.

The North Coast Area Health Service (NCAHS) has had seven cases reported in the last five months, compared with no cases in 2004 and just two in 2003.

"Symptoms include fever, swelling and tenderness of salivary glands, and sometimes in post pubertal males testicular swelling occurs, which can lead to sterility, although it is extremely rare," said Immunisation Coordinator, Marianne Trent.

"To prevent infection, people with mumps should stay home from preschool, school, work or other places where there are susceptible individuals for nine days after the onset of swelling."

Mumps is preventable through the MMR (Measles, Mumps and Rubella) vaccination, which is given as part of the childhood immunisation schedule at 12 months and four years of age.

"Parents should check their children's immunisation status and ensure that they are up to date," Ms Trent said.

Ms Trent also said any adults born during or after 1966 who are not sure if they have received two doses of the MMR vaccine should see their GP.

A heart for humanity

Lismore MP Thomas George presents Vahideh Hosseini with a Federation of Ethnic Communities Council of Australia Award for her work with the Red Cross the Baha'i community in Lismore.

When Vahideh Hosseini moved to Lismore from Sydney seven years ago, she laughed off suggestions that as part of the only Iranian family in town, she'd be lonely.

As the Australian Red Cross Northern Region manager and a member of the Baha'i community, she's barely had a moment to herself. And Vahideh's work hasn't gone unnoticed, with the Federation of Ethnic Communities Council of Australia recently presenting her with an award for her tireless commitment to human rights and helping others regardless of culture, creed or politics.

"I have always believed in unity in diversity because it is beautiful that we are all different, and it is a real pleasure to work towards the betterment of humanity," said Vahideh. "I thrive on doing things for the community and I want to continue to put my energies into working to improve society."