Issue 634
Issue 634 |
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The Olympic flame on the Northern Rivers
Milk price war threatens Norco farmers A milk-price war between Coles and Woolworths has local dairy farmers the losers from the outset, according to Norco chairman Greg McNamara. Speaking from his 76-hectare dairy property at Goolmangar, an angry Mr McNamara said that a cut in the price of Woolworths’ own-brand milk would eventually force Norco to follow suit. “We have to maintain a farm-gate price of between 27 and 30 cents a litre for our producers until the end of September, but I would expect it to fall to between 24 and 25 cents after that,” Mr McNamara said. “This is likely to be reflected in a drop in our retail milk price after October 1.” Woolworth’s decision to drop its milk price followed the signing of new milk-supply contracts with National Foods and Dairy Farmers on a state-by-state basis. In Lismore Woolworth’s milk is $1.19 cents a litre while Norco’s is $1.27. Mr McNamara said that while he could grudgingly appreciate Woolworth’s position, he was disgusted with the role played by the Dairy Farmers Co-operative. “What they have done is commodify the industry, causing the price of whole milk to drop to value of the export market which is based on skim milk and butter,” he said. Woolworths’ corporate relations manager Prudence Anderson told The Echo that Woolworths had merely negotiated the best price possible from its suppliers. “It is policy to sell milk in the state in which it is produced and we have decided to pass on the cost savings in NSW to the consumer,” she said. Cole’s has also dropped its milk price to match Woolworths. “From the competitive angle we had no choice but to do so,” Cole’s media relations manager Lisa Amor said.“We had already passed on savings brought about by dairy deregulation and we thought that already gave good value to our customers.” “In this case we just had to match the Woolworth’s price.” Despite this, both chains have reported ongoing loyalty to the Norco product despite the eight cent price difference. The NSW Dairy Farmers’ Association, which represents NSW dairy farmers, claims the price war threatens Norco, and the long-term viability of the NSW dairy industry. Association president Reg Smith, said the actions of Woolworths and the Dairy Farmers Co-operative showed no commitment to the welfare of farmers and rural communities. “Prices for our members are bloody lousy. The farm gate price is between 30 and 32 cents a litre in the area around Sydney, 28 to 30 cents on the South Coast and 24 to 26 cents on the North Coast.” He said NSW farmers averaged between 35 to 36 cents a litre before deregulation.. “While National Foods got the contract to supply Woolworths in NSW, it was always the Dairy Farmers price that was going to set the benchmark,” he said. Mr Smith said smaller dairy co-operatives would have to reduce shareholder dividends or the farm gate price to stay competitive. At least one Lismore small business has decided to take on the supermarkets at there own game. Dhezi’s, in Wilson Street, South Lismore, is currently selling two-litres of Norco milk for $2. - DF Volunteers wanted to celebrate Federation More than half-a-million people are expected to watch the one-and-a-half-hour parade as it travels from Macquarie Street to Centennial Park. Lismore, Ballina, Richmond Valley, Tweed Heads, Maclean and Copmanhurst councils are taking part in the presentation of the Northern Rivers’ float, which has the theme Artistically Speaking. Final design plans are being completed and construction will be coordinated by artist Les Brough. Apart from celebrating the Centenary of Federation, the parade is a chance to show off the North Coast’s vibrant lifestyle, according to Richmond Valley Council tourism officer and member of the Northern Rivers working party, Rod Caldicott. “The Northern Rivers region is a diverse and multicultural community and we hope to reflect our rich and colourful identity in all aspects of our parade performance,” he said. “The style and design of the float is obviously very important, but the choreography and the diversity of the participants will give the float its true meaning and reason for being.” Applicants must be over 16 years of age; available between December 31 and January 2; willing and able to participate in a series of creative workshops (props, costume, choreography and set design/fabrication); have the stamina to cover the 3.6 kilometre parade route in three hours, and the ability to work creatively as a member of a team. All transport, food and accommodation costs will be met by the State Government. Submissions from volunteers close on August 31 (see application form on page 4). A Blooming Great Sport Matthew came to see the hearing impaired class’s Olympic Garden, and is pictured with the school’s assistant of special classes (who also happens to be his mother), Robyn Allan (right) teacher Beth Gardner and some of the students. The garden has pansies arranged in the shape of the Olympic rings, with colours to match. It was planted in April so its blooming would coincide with the Olympics. “The kids see it as something really special for the school and they’ve cared for it so well. We can’t all go to the Olympics but we can do our best to join in,” Beth Gardner said. Story & photo: Terra Sword Practising what he preaches Rev Tim Costello, Baptist minister and one of Australia’s best-known commentators, believes in practising what he preaches. It is not enough, as he told last Friday’s inter-denominational service at Southern Cross University, to “privatise our faith and regard it as a personal test to gain redemption... that’s obscene to God. We must connect our faith to issues of social justice.” Nor was education enough to change things, he said. “The 20th Century has been the best educated and most technologically advanced, yet the most brutal. Reason is always prepared to prostitute itself to dominant ideologies.” Hence the need for a spiritual dimension to life, he said, although it was also important to “bring the world into worship.” According to Costello, the hymns of glad tidings should alternate with frank discussions about topical concerns such as redundancies, suicide, AIDS and cancer. Under his guidance the church he ran in St. Kilda opened a soup kitchen and drop-in centre called the House of Hope. Its philosophy, he explained, was for the needy, often desperate, clients to become the proud volunteers who ran the centre. “People don’t want to feel like welfare cases and when they’re given the opportunity they are happy to pitch in and help,” he said. “So we promoted the concept of mutual obligation, an idea that now seems to have gained some popularity at the political level.” Given that his brother Peter is the Federal treasurer and a key member of a government pushing ‘mutuality’ for welfare recipients, the comment drew a chuckle from his close friend Ridley Bell, who, with his wife Meike, started the Lismore Soup Kitchen eight years ago. Bell was inspired by the self-help philosophy of Costello’s Melbourne counterpart. “We share the belief that it’s not just the meal people come for, no matter how much they might need food, but the relationships as well,” Ridley Bell said. The Lismore Soup Kitchen runs on small-scale private donations, including gifts in kind, and daily serves around 15 breakfasts, up to 40 lunches and on some nights, 70 dinners. It also helps with accommodation needs and medical assistance, including drug and alcohol counselling. Rev. Tim Costello is its patron and, as last Friday night’s well-attended fundraiser at the Workers Club showed, a useful catalyser of local support. “Our spiritual energy must connect with social transformation,” he said before preparing to move on to the next location – Mt. Isa – to preach about narrowing the gap between the religious and ‘real’ worlds and between the rich and the poor who inhabit them. - Robin Osborne Woodburn Arrests Two men, aged 17 and 18, have been charged with armed robbery, stealing a motor vehicle, firearms offences and drug matters, and for a break in at Evans Head kiosk last week. They appeared in Lismore Children’s Court and Local Court yesterday. Heritage Workshop The workshop will cover conservation principles and include visits to key conservation sites in Lismore to discuss methods of preserving these sites. Phone Wendy on 0412 791 014. Indigenous Gather Legacy Week More Police: MP Last Wednesday, Mr Page told parliament that “the citizens of Alstonville and Wollongbar deserve much better. The deserve the same level of police protection as enjoyed by all other areas of the State.” He said the State average was one officer for every 500 people, while Alstonville-Wollongbar has one officer for every 6,000 people. “The heart of the problem is that the Government has not provided the local area commander with enough police to provide the sort of service the community expects… More police are needed for the North Coast area,” he said. Mr Page told parliament that local residents complained of 40 minute response times for 000 calls. He said it was a myth that Alstonville was populated by retirees, with 76 per cent of the population under the age of 60. “There is an ongoing problem with vandalism, property damage and stolen vehicles in the area, as well as serious crimes like bank robberies and home invasions, plus drug-related crimes,” he said. Artwise Grant The documentary will be made from footage filmed when 13 Artwise members took an exhibition to the International Art and Soul Festival in Los Angeles last year. The group was filmed over an eight month period by LINC TV’s founding member, Marion Conway. “The documentary will provide a valuable insight into the work of local disadvantaged artists,” Artwise coordinator, Kerrie Divett said. “We would like to thank all who helped with fundraising to allow Artwise to go to the festival.”
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Norco chairman Greg McNamara at his Goolmangar dairy farm
Students from Lismore Public School had a special taste of the Olympic celebrations yesterday when torchbearer Matthew Allan paid a visit following his run from the Lismore cauldron in Mortimer Oval. 
Ridley Bell from the Lismore Soup Kitchen with Rev Tim Costello.
