Shaggy Dog Comments...

Issue 731

It's Missing Persons Week, and in the last 12 months, around 260 people have gone missing on the North Coast. So we thought we'd contact the police to see if we could help by profiling a missing person. Unfortunately, the only person authorised to comment was the duty officer. They couldn't find him.

Lismore Council's memorial baths redevelopment is already causing concerns because of the ongoing operating losses it will incur. The report implies it could even be worse if they build things like a creche and health and fitness centre – they appear under the heading 'complimentary facilities'.

Shaggy had some fun at the Byron Writers on the weekend – the highlight was a panel titled ‘Sex & drugs & rock ‘n' roll', featuring Andrew Denton, Helen Garner, a blackly funny Melbourne writer Anson Cameron and musician-cum-novelist Martin Arminger. After some very funny anecdotes, Shaggy asked the panel 'Have you ever felt the need to stop, in flagrante, to write down an idea?' One replied that the moment was so brief, he can normally remember the thought and wait ‘til the end... Andrew Denton said he knew a man who stopped, mid performance, to go and watch an eviction episode of Big Brother. 'He doesn't know what good sex is then,' an audience member called out. 'He doesn't know what good television is either,' Denton replied.

Australia's troubled textile, clothing and footwear industry received another blow last week when Goonellabah-based Sunbuster Sportswear announced that it was being forced to close, with the loss of 27 jobs. The company's owners, Robin and Jean Graham, had invested 20 years of their lives and more than $1 million in the business, all for nought, because of a far-from-level playing field. Even the Olympics, that supposed boom for Australian business, bought its clothing from foreign companies. In a letter to customers, Robin makes the following excellent points: 'Until such time as governments of all persuasions stop hanging on to their ‘clever country' or ‘knowledge nation' fantasies and face up to the realities of their open trade policies, there will be no future for manufacturing in Australia. The inevitable result of this will be that our descendants will have three employment options:

Digging holes to export our minerals,
Waiting on foreign tourists, and
Selling Chinese-made toy koalas and baseball caps at airports'.

It's unlikely that politicians who spend $1.5 million of taxpayers money on ‘entitlements' (see Margo's column) would care or notice. We wish the Grahams all the best in their future ventures.

On the weekend, the Summerland Guides' canned food drive gathered 40 cans of food, fresh produce and $150 for the Lismore Soup Kitchen in South Lismore – about two days worth of supplies. Showing off the haul are Soup Kitchen volunteers (l-r) Mattoos Ferreira, Margorie Helm and Richard Carroll. Only a day later, tragedy struck when the soup kitchen burned down, so now even more help is needed. You can do your bit by dropping off food or money to The Echo, 218 Molesworth Street, Lismore.

To celebrate the Centenary of Federation, 12 riders and a pack horse will recreate the old Lismore to Murwillumbah mail service over the historic Nightcap Track, August 24-26. They'll be carrying specially designed and numbered commemorative envelopes (pictured) designed by Raylee Delaney. The National Parks and Wildlife Service has given the riders special permission to travel the track, which is now part of the Nightcap National Park. The track was first used by European settlers in 1874 and is believed to follow an ancient Aboriginal pathway. Mail pack horses used the trail between 1875 and 1889, until a new coach route opened via Brunswick Heads. Local equestrians are invited to join the three day ride on the first or third day of the trek. Registration forms to ride as well as the unique envelopes are available from Chris Allen at Horselands in North Lismore, phone 6621 3296. You need to get an envelope by August 20 for it to be part of the ride.