Issue 726
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Main NewsLost highway crossing means run, don't walk
When Albert Park Public School's acting principal, Ted Williamson, tried to cross Ballina Street with a group of 25 students last week, he had to walk onto the road and stop the cars. Ted had been warned that the pedestrian crossing on Ballina Street had disappeared following Council's recent upgrade of the road, but had no idea of the problems it would cause. The following week Ted had to get 65 students across the road, and in an effort to make the crossing as safe as possible, he enlisted the help of five parents, three teachers and four teachers aids. "I know many parents are really concerned and local residents have started doing letter drops asking other people to write to Council and ask for the crossing back," Ted said. "While we don't use the crossing every day for school outings, some students have to cross the road twice a day to get to and from school. Without the crossing their safest way across is under the underpass, which is a ridiculous distance away." But Council's traffic and law enforcement coordinator, Bill McDonald, argues the removal of the crossing was in the best interests of the students. "We've taken several complaints about near misses at the pedestrian crossing where children aren't taking adequate precautions, they're just walking onto the road - which is a potentially dangerous situation," Bill said. "We reviewed the situation with police and the RTA and the results of a pedestrian and traffic survey were given to the Traffic Advisory Committee." The committee recommended to Council to put in a pedestrian refuge with curb blisters and pedestrian lighting 10 metres further along, closer to the Ballina Street bridge. The crossing was previously moved from in front of Lismore City Hall because of the dangers posed by drivers coming off the roundabout. "This puts the onus back on the pedestrian to take more care and wait for gaps in the traffic. Council's roads and safety officer will do talks in schools to teach children how to safely use the refuge," Mr McDonald said While Council believes making the children cope is the best option, P&C president Julie Lickiss thinks they couldn't be more wrong. "Instead of educating kids to cross roads, which parents do anyway, how about educating drivers how to drive," Julie said. "The idea of a six year old crossing a four lane highway in peak hour traffic is just ridiculous. Council should put the crossing back. Even if a crossing isn't 100 per cent safe, it's definitely preferable to a refuge. "Now, an underpass is the only real solution." The curb blisters are due to be installed next week and the lighting is expected to be complete within a month.
People Say No to 3rd Village
A community consultation meeting in Alstonville last night voted overwhelmingly against a third village on the fertile plateau. A sizeable majority of the 350 people attending the meeting - part of a public exhibition process - made it clear that they would rather preserve the area's current mix of urban and agricultural land. They also raised concerns about water supply, sewage disposal, pollution, increased traffic, an inadequate road system, and the commercial viability of a third shopping centre. While some speakers called for a blanket rejection of the proposal, and others acknowledged that a strategic plan was better than no plan at all, no-one seemed willing to wholeheartedly embrace the third village concept. Rous farmer Ross Frederickson told the meeting that his family had been farming on the plateau for more than a century. "It's some of the best agricultural land in Australia, and proposing to cover 400 hectares of it with urban sprawl is nothing but short sighted vandalism as far as I'm concerned," he said. When plateau farmer Terry Prendergast, who supplied plants to the Olympics, asked rhetorically why Wardell, Rous, Rous Mill and Tintenbar, which already have schools and community halls, were not being considered as sites for growth. "It's because 18 years ago people were asked whether they would prefer the unchecked expansion of Alstonville-Wollongbar or a third village on the plateau," he said. "What they should have been asked was what areas of the Ballina Shire are suitable for urban expansion." Mr Prendergast also claimed that of the five proposed sites, one was on a former tick research station and likely to be polluted, the second was on poor quality building land, the third was in a high-density farming area, a fourth in a designated water catchment area and the fifth in an area subject to slippage. Another speaker said talk of a third village was unrealistic until a road bypass of Wollongbar and Alstonville was completed. Margot Henry said she moved to the area to live in a rural residential subdivision five years ago, but now realised that such a lifestyle could not be allowed to continue into the future unchecked. "I may sound selfish, but we may all have to be selfish in the future if we wish to preserve what we have here," she said. When a speaker called for an indication of whether residents wanted a third village at all, rather than where it should go, 303 people stood up to indicate their opposition to the proposal. Of the less than 50 who remained seated, a number indicated they had simply not yet made up their mind. Consultants GeoLINK will collate the meeting's responses, as well as submissions made through its information display at the Alstonville Plaza, for presentation to Ballina Council. The council will then decide whether or not to proceed with identifying a particular site for further study. - Dave Fawkner 3rd village site: www.bsc3v.com The Echo launched a new internet poll on its website this week. We will be asking the topical questions in our community to get your feedback. This week's question, 'Does the Alstonville Plateau need a third village?', has already received 55 votes, with 47 per cent saying no, 35 per cent saying yes, and 18 per cent saying more information is needed. You can vote at www.echonews.com The results will be published next week.
The Renoir of Rous Road
Local artist Christine Marsh has been painting murals for different charities for more than 15 years, and the good karma she's racked up is coming back. After meeting Christine and seeing some of her work Goonellabah Professional Centre proprietor, Peter Simpson, offered Christine a premises free of charge to show her artworks and do more paintings. Christine and Peter hope the idea will bring more customers to the shopping centre, which has undergone major changes since the nearby Goonellabah shopping village opened. "People can come along, bring their artwork, look in the shop or just come and chat and watch me paint," Christine said. "The shop was just sitting there empty and Peter thought why not utilise it. It's giving me a studio to work from - and a lot of that work is voluntary. I'm going to be painting a mural at The Elders Park in Goonellabah at the end of July. I'm also doing a mural in the Kyogle Youth Group Hall in the next couple of weeks and this studio gives me a base to work from." Christine is also interested in painting shop fronts for local CBD business owners who want to be involved the new initiative started by Fundamental Foods some time ago. Lismore Unlimited is offering $1,000 grants to any shop owners who want to repaint shopfronts. No special planning approvals are needed to paint a mural, provided they are not advertisements or on heritage-listed buildings. For more information phone Christine on 6624 4198 or Lismore Unlimited on 6621 4366. Story & photo: Terra 'pictures with words' Sword
Bypass Protest Brings Traffic to Halt
A humble pedestrian crossing yesterday became a major player in the fight for an Alstonville-Wollongbar bypass. Between 8am and 9am a sedate crowd of more than 250 residents calling for an immediate start to the bypass halted peak hour traffic by using the crossing in Alstonville's main street. Police observing the protest said that under the Road and Traffic Act pedestrians had the right of way on the crossing and they were unable to interfere as long as people kept moving. The rally was meant to cause peak hour chaos, and it did. Around six cars passed through the protest each time the crossing was briefly vacated by the protesters. At one point west-bound traffic was backed up to Perrys Hill on the village's eastern approach. However, rather than exhibiting road rage at the delay, almost every driver sounded their horn in support of the protesters. A driver who rang his boss from the middle of a roundabout to say he would be late for work summed up the thoughts of his fellow motorists. "I live in Ballina and drive to work in Lismore every day," he said. "This is not just about making the main street safer for pedestrians , it's also about making it safer for drivers. We all need a bypass and I support the protest wholeheartedly." The semi-trailer driver behind him was of the same opinion. "This is the major road between the coast and Lismore, Casino and Tenterfield, but the main street is so narrow that when a bus stops to drop off a passenger the traffic comes to a halt," he said. Alstonville Ratepayers Association president Jane Gardiner said the protest had been organised by a wide section of the community including school councils, sporting clubs, service clubs, the Alstonville agricultural society and the local chamber of commerce. "The point that all of these organisations want to make today is that Alstonville's main street is not suitable for a mix of commuter, through and local traffic," she said. Mrs Gardiner said Alstonville has been calling for a bypass for 25 years. During that time, the government has purchased 40 per cent of the land required, completed a design of the route and an environmental impact statement. "However, the community is extremely angry that roads minister Carl Scully's answer to when he is going to sign off on the EIS and make the remaining funds available is 'I don't know'," Mrs Gardiner said. "We're fed up. Everyone - the state government, the RTA, council and local politicians - knows the situation here. "When the RTA carried out its EIS it predicted 15,000 cars a day by 2006, but we have almost reached that figure today." That figure is an average daily figure over a year, but according to Ballina mayor David Wright, an RTA survey conducted during the Christmas holiday break revealed 158,129 vehicles used the main street in one week - including more than 34,000 on a single day. Richmond MP Larry Anthony, who was present along with state MPs Don Page and Thomas George, said the road was a state-funded highway. "However, I acknowledge that it becomes a bypass for traffic between Brisbane and Grafton when the Pacific Highway is closed by flooding," Mr Anthony said. "If Bob Carr was to come up with a proposal based on that we would be willing to look at it." Story & photo: Dave '49 today' Fawkner
Council Backs Riverbank RevampThe redevelopment of the riverbank through Lismore's CBD came a step closer last week with Lismore Council committing $188,200 in funding over the next two years towards the project. But the money is conditional on the Federal Government also coming to the party with $302,000 towards the $1.25 million cost of the initial stages of the project. The riverbank plan has already attracted more than $846,000 in funding and support from government, business and community groups. State Rail pledged $200,000 towards the stabilisation and refurbishment of the railway wharf on the western bank, with NSW Waterways providing $162,500 towards boating facilities, including a wharf extension, widening the existing boating ramp and the construction of a floating pontoon. TAFE has offered 15 trainees over 15 months for landscaping works, worth $246,000. The Federal funding will go towards infrastructure like interpretive signs telling Lismore's history, a boat hire shed and parks and gardens and viewing platforms. Council's project officer for the riverbank restoration, Lois Kelly, said she hoped to begin work soon. "This proposal has enjoyed widespread community support. All we're waiting for now is a commitment from the Federal Government to match the existing funds," she said. Mrs Kelly said that every $1 council spends on the riverbank attracts $3 in other funding. "Other cities that have restored their CBD riverfront, like Townsville, have enjoyed huge economic and social benefits. Townsville's riverfront attracts 10,000 people every weekend." She said the project had the potential to increase tourism spending by $4 million per annum to $17 million. The riverbank plan has seven interlinking project areas, with both leisure and commercial opportunities, including:
The initial work will focus on the nature park, wharf, and picnic areas.
Top Cops and Great Ambos Recognised
When senior constables Gary Hill, Stuart Turner and Paul Fredericks attended a domestic incident in Ballina last November and faced a man armed with a knife holding a four-year-old boy hostage, they were "just doing their job". When the scene turned ugly and the officers had to smash a window and drag the traumatised child from the house, they were still "just doing their job". It was a job that saved a young boy's life. Yesterday, to their complete astonishment, the officers were awarded with commendations of bravery during the Richmond Local Area Command's Award Ceremony. The three men are among 50 police and ambulance officers who were awarded long service and good conduct medals, certificates of appreciation and commendations of bravery. "I'd do it again in an instant and I believe every other police officer would do the same," Stuart said. "We really are just doing our jobs - although an award like this does make you feel proud." A number of Volunteers in Policing were also given awards in appreciation of the ongoing support they give to the NSW Police Service. "The jobs that our volunteers do are many and varied, from arresting a criminal to answering the phones," Supt. Barry Audsley said. "These people are the eyes and ears of the police service and their help makes our job easier and NSW a safer place for everyone. It's heartening to see individuals putting someone else's interests above their own - there is nothing more noble." Stuart, Gary and Paul had to eat sandwiches and drink tea with the volunteers and ambulance officers after the ceremony, much to their delight. "We're just doing our job!" laughed Stuart. Story & photo: Terra 'on-the-job' Sword
Students Celebrate Koori Culture
The planting of a Hoop Pine at Woodlawn College yesterday provided the opportunity for local Bundjalung elder and Wijabul clan member Fletcher Roberts to set the record straight. "A lot of people associate the Red Cedar with this area, but the truth is that the Wijabul name for Lismore is Ghoorongbal, meaning a place of many Hoop Pines," Mr Roberts said. The planting commemorated National Aborigine and Islander Day of Celebration (NAIDOC), which falls during next week's school holidays. Mr Roberts, who described the occasion as 'yet another day when we can walk together in the spirit of reconciliation', joined with Woodlawn chaplain Fr Paul Pidcock in blessing the event. While Fr Paul blessed the tree Mr Roberts did the same to the students with a traditional smoking. "There are many similarities between Aboriginal and Christian culture, including respect for the mother and self discipline," Mr Roberts said. "This planting today is a symbol of Bundjalung culture. "If you respect this and look after the pine it will help to connect you to the spirit of the land." Story & photo: Dave Fawkner
Lismore Hosts Major ConferenceLismore has won the right to host a major economic conference in September. The Community Economic Development Conference will attract more than 200 delegates from across NSW to the city. Regional Development Minister Harry Woods announced Lismore had won the right to host the conference, to be held at the Workers Club, last week. "The Conference, September 9-11, gives leaders in community economic development the opportunity to generate new ideas at the grass roots level," Mr Woods said. The Minister said that would give Lismore the chance to showcase its opportunities. "A presentation on the Cellulose Valley concept will attract attention and visit to the Wilsons River beautification and CBD upgrade are planned," he said. Lismore MP Thomas George welcomed the news, saying that because it preceded the Masters Games by only a few days, interested business entrepreneurs may stay on to enjoy the games.
Council Grandstanding Costs $1 Million
In 1995, when retiring councillor Reg Baxter led the council push to buy the Sir Leslie Wilson grandstand from Brisbane's famed Gabba, he thought the $116,100 price was a pretty good deal. The plan was simple. Most of the grandstand would go to the Albert Park baseball field and the rest - about $40,000 worth - would be set up next to Oakes Oval at Crozier field. With plenty of volunteer support from the sporting community, Reg assured everyone it wasn't going to cost council a penny more. Six years down the track, and last week Lismore Council approved an additional $411,083 in expenditure to finally bring the project to completion. Cr Reg is back on council after a four year break. He picked the right time to lay low, since council's failure to properly plan the project led to a long-running and expensive legal battle with nearby residents who opposed the project and the fencing of the site. Council managed to avoid a court order to demolish the stand. Already around $463,000 has been spent on construction costs, plus $51,000 on development and building application costs. Now, only $16,032 is needed to complete the grandstand But the spending doesn't stop there. Council wants to build a toilet block for $70,000, plus $36,000 to connect the sewage and power, $162,000 for change rooms, $56,000 for a kiosk, $27,000 on landscaping, $9,000 on a scorer's box, $13,000 on internal fencing and $5000 in minor works to cap things off. All up, close to $1 million will have been spent on the project, and that doesn't council the legal costs, the staff time and costs associated with developing the Plan of Management for Lismore Park - a necessity that landed the council in legal hot water to begin with. At last Tuesday's council meeting to approve the budget for the coming financial year, Cr Ros Irwin speculated that the total cost of project, including the legal bill was close to $1 million. They were both wrong. It has cost the community a lot more than $1 million. And when only a couple of hundred people turn up to watch local sport on the weekends - leaving the adjacent Oakes Oval largely empty, it makes you wonder just who in the hell is this $1 million been spent on? After six years of accusation and counter accusation by councillors over the fallout from the project, it's hard to tell the grandstand from the grandstanding. Simon Thomsen
$1.5 Million Grant Gets Region TalkingA two-year push to develop faster and cheaper telecommunications to the Northern Rivers has finally paid off, with regional IT organisation Norlink Ltd being awarded a $1.5 million grant under the Federal Government's Networking the Nation program. The money will go towards a trial of high bandwidth data and voice services over 'Wireless Local Loop' (WLL) in three specially selected towns. Norlink hopes to step in and provide cheap telecommunications as a small regional player up against giants like Telstra. Norlink chairman Mr Keith Davidson, said the trial hopes to revitalise small regional towns as 'E-towns' using advanced telecommunications technology. "Over the past few years Norlink has developed telecoms strategies that will significantly enhance our region and deliver the level of services required, but not currently delivered," he said. The E-Towns will have less than 3000 people and the loop will cover 5 per cent of the population of each town. The loop will initially provide high-speed Internet and voice connectivity. Telephony traffic transportation at reduced rates will also be a major part of the project. A range of user types from residential to business, government and the arts will be part of the trial. Norlink's project manager Janet Scharbow said that the technology will offer low-cost, high-bandwidth solutions "By implementing our 'E-Town' business model we can deliver tangible outcomes and refine all the issues relating to customer installations, customer care, billing and sustainability," she said. We believe a WLL solution will address many of the issues that currently cannot be resolved through traditional means. She said the system will also be faster to install and cheaper to run. The towns chosen for the trial will be announced in the coming weeks.
Southside turns 20
When pharmacist Michael Herrmann opened Southside Pharmacy in South Lismore 20 years ago, he ran the whole pharmacy with the help of just two staff. Today the pharmacy has nurses Jane Shields, Kerry Gannon and Karen Tregidgo on staff as well as naturopaths Rose Fajardo and Anne-Marie Spina, foot care specialist Sister Pat Macbeth and an additional six sales assistants - bringing the total staff count to 12. Michael also established Southside Health & Hire Centre next to the pharmacy about seven years ago, which sells a range of exercise equipment and surgical supplies to complement the pharmacy's existing facilities. To celebrate these achievements and thank the loyal customers who made it all possible, Southside Pharmacy are hosting a Grand Birthday Party this Saturday, July 7 at the South Lismore store from 10am-2pm. All customers of the store are welcome to join in the free sausage sizzle and cutting of the birthday cake as well as take advantage of the great bargains on offer. People can also win a Slenderline Exercise Bike valued at nearly $250 on Saturday simply by purchasing something worth more than $10 from the store. "It's our way of saying thank you to the customers for their contribution to the success of Southside Pharmacy," staff member David Fleury said. "We have been providing good old fashioned customer service since our establishment which our customers recognise and appreciate. We meet the quality care standards of the Australia Pharmaceutical Association - we don't just sell to our customers, we actually care for and look after their health and general well-being." Southside Pharmacy and Southside Health & Hire Centre are at 1 Casino Street, South Lismore. Phone 6621 4500.
Evans Head Heritage PushThe Evans Head Memorial Aerodrome Committee is pressing ahead with plans to achieve heritage listing for the town's WWII RAAF airfield. The latest round in the battle is 2000-signature petition, which was presented to the NSW Heritage Trust and the Richmond Valley Council. Committee chairman Dr Richard Gates said the group had more than 250 members. "We would have liked to have been partners with council in proceeding to a heritage listing with the NSW Heritage Office," he said. "Instead we have submitted our own application covering the airfield, the remaining Bellman hangar, the Blue Pool, Broadwater National Park Lookout, which was an observation area for bombing and gunnery practice, and the lookout on Goanna Headland. "The application was viewed favourably by the Heritage Office and a deferred interim heritage order is now in place pending the completion of a thematic study of WWII facilities in NSW." Council resolved to investigate a museum complex at Evans Head in conjunction with interested community groups. Items to be considered will include the old school tuck shop, which once served as the base post office, the scout hall, and the Bellman Hangar. Dave Fawkner
Ombudsman Lets Former Council off the HookThe NSW Ombudsman has ruled that no further action be taken over ratepayer complaints about the conduct of the former Richmond River Council. The complaints covered a range of issues, including claims of corrupt conduct within the now-merged council. The Ombudsman's office declined to investigate concerns raised about the council's consideration of the 1998-99 auditors report by Edwards & Hardy, a management review conducted by Thomas Noble & Russell, and the corruption claims on the grounds that they did not appear to contravene the Local Government Act. But the Ombudsman did express concerns about a March 1998 workshop into the amalgamation of the Richmond River and Casino councils, finding it raised some technical concerns. Council turned the workshop into a meeting when it needed to pass a motion, contravening the Act because it had not issued a public notice advertising the workshop as a meeting. The Ombudsman also ruled that as the minutes did not refer to the sections of the meeting held in closed session, nor the grounds for doing so, it contravened the Act, and that there were discrepancies between the minutes of the meeting and those presented to council a month later. But because RRSC no longer existed, the Ombudsman decided that no further action would be taken. The Ombudsman's report is available at the Richmond Valley council chambers.
Skate Park DebacleLennox Head's skatepark appears to be dead in the water following a debacle at Thursday's Ballina Council meeting in which approval for a beachfront site was rescinded, and a motion to lodge a Development Application for an alternative site in Williams Reserve failed. Cr Avis Kennedy's rescission motion raised the ire of Cr Sue Dakin who accused her of having lobbied councillors to pass the development while she took sick leave. When Cr Kennedy denied it, but Cr Peter Moore said that Cr Kennedy - in a conversation with the mayor, Cr Moore and a journalist - said she would not attempt to rescind a motion on a beachfront skatepark, which was passed while she was on leave. Mayor David Wright confirmed the recollection. Cr Kennedy said it was true that she had the conversation, but she was unsure of the words used, or the degree of seriousness that could be attached to them. "I know what I heard!" Cr Moore interjected. The rescission motion was carried 5-4 (Crs Kennedy, Felsch, Perkins, Silver and Rich for). A motion to lodge a DA for the Williams Reserve site, between the CWA Hall and the cricket nets, was defeated 5-4. Cr Felsch expressed concerns about the development's proximity to the CWA Hall. Meanwhile, plans for a larger skatepark near Missingham Bridge in Ballina are progressing with preliminary work expected to begin soon - and it's likely to be operating long before a Lennox Head site is finalised. Dave Fawkner
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EMAIL The Northern Rivers Echo ·
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Albert Park Public School acting principal, Ted Williamson, and P&C Association president, Julie Lickiss, wonder how to cross the road where a pedestrian crossing, previously located on Ballina Street, used to be.
More than 300 Alstonville residents voted no to council plans for a third village on the plateau.
Artist Christine Marsh with Goonellabah Professional Centre proprietor, Peter Simpson at Christine's new art studio at the Rous Road Shopping Centre.
Protestors block Alstonville's main street to protest against delays in funding for a bypass through the village.
Local police and ambulance officers with some of the Volunteers in Policing (the ones in yellow) who received awards at the Richmond Local Area Command's Award Ceremony on Wednesday.
Fr Paul Pidcock and Bundjalung elder Fletcher Roberts plant the Hoop Pine with the assistance on indigenous students (l to r) Arlena Swientek, Mitch King, Kate Ives and Josh Taylor.
The partially complete Crozier oval grandstand - $16,000 will complete the stand, but council wants to spend another $400,000 developing the site. 
Celebrating 20 years in business this weekend are Southside Pharmacy staff members (l-r) Melanie Reynolds, nurse Karen Tregidgo, naturopath Rose Fajardo, Jan Horan, Nathan McDonald, Maree Gollan, pharmacist Michael Herrmann, Selina Townsend, nurse Jane Shields, Jude Lawrence. 