Issue 732
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Main NewsRead about the 2002 Byron Bay Writers Festival here. Read about the 2002 Herb Festival here. Tasty Treats at Herb Festival
Are herbs just weeds? Well, this Sunday, August 19, in Heritage Park, Lismore, it depends on which journalist you ask. The Echo's editor, Simon Thomsen will lead the negative side in ‘The Great Herb Debate', squaring up against a team led by Northern Star production editor Russell Eldridge. The comedy debate - which should prove you can't believe anything a journalist says - is the finale of this weekend's free Northern Rivers Herb Festival in Heritage Park. With comedian S Sorrenson as moderator, and more laughs coming from fellow debaters Greg Champion, Nikki Fuda, Laurie Axtens and Julie Sarkozi, the debate 'That Herbs are just weeds' will rage from 3pm. Celebrating the natural lifestyle of the Lismore region, the Herb Festival has had its serious moments this week with two major conferences - on herbal medicine regulation and the agricultural production of herbs, native foods and essential oils. This weekend it offers everyone the chance to learn, taste, smell and hear more about the wonders of herbs in food, medicine and everyday life. Saturday kicks off with the ‘Herbie' parade - a flotilla of VW beetles through Lismore's CBD at noon. Don't miss it, even if you're not a fan of the ‘Love Bug', because the members of the classic and vintage car club will add their special ‘horseless carriages' to the parade. The celebrations then shift to Heritage Park, for two days of good food, markets, entertainment and fun for kids big and small. On Saturday there is a lantern making workshop in preparation for a lantern parade at dusk through the park (phone 6622 6333 if you'd like to be part of the parade, or turn up and make yourself known to organiser Jyllie Jackson). The parade is followed by the Sunspirit Twilight Aromas concert at 6pm (see Scene, p 20). For younger music lovers, there's the MAAD Thyme dance party at Lismore City Hall from 5pm. Tickets are $5 at the door. Lismore's acclaimed Young Drums Percussion group will give a special performance at 12.45pm on Saturday, and jazz guitarist Jim Kelly and his band will play a tribute concert to Herbie Hancock at 4pm. Over at the skate park, there are skate competitions, BMX and skate demos and dance classes. On Sunday, the skate park will have DJs all day for open skating for young people. In the kids playground at Heritage Park, the Spaghetti Circus will give workshops and performances throughout both days for younger kids. For anyone interested in herbs and their role in our lives, there is a series of seminars in a marquee, experts will discuss everything from herbs in popular music, to herbs through history, and food irradiation with Dr Helen Caldicott. Meanwhile, at the Medicine Garden, 14 Arthur Street, North Lismore, the weekend will feature tea parties to start the day, tours of the gardens, music, seminars on herbal medicine and even tips on how to grow your own medicine garden. Phone 6622 2524 for details and times. But the really fun part for food lovers is the world's first HerBBQ, featuring some of the region's finest chefs serving up their herb-inspired dishes. You'll be able to try herbs in a range of dishes from Jamaican tofu kebabs to West African lentil burgers, a BBQ seafood kebab with lemon myrtle-infused olive oil and salsa verde, and parsley, mint and macadamia crusted lamb cutlets with coriander pesto. Acclaimed celebrity chef Neale White of Olivo Restaurant in Byron Bay will show off his back-to-basics cooking style with a demonstration, titled ‘The Great Australian Gourmet BBQ', at 10.45am on Sunday. Neale believes in simplicity with maximum flavour, so you'll pick up some great ideas for next time you fire up the barbie. The Herb bazaar will also run in Heritage Park on Saturday, 12noon-8pm, and on Sunday, 10am-4pm. It features stalls from the region's finest producers of all things natural. Wandering through the bazaar's friendly and relaxed atmosphere, you'll be able to find indulgent and decadent treats to buy, from herbal drinks to essential and massage oils, bath salts, body lotions, first aid remedies, dried organic herb and rainforest jams. Free consultations and iridology readings will also be available. Herb Festival organiser Louise Barry promises there's something for all the family at this weekend's Herb Festival in Lismore. The Herb Festival has been developed over the past year to give Lismore a unique flavour and an event that promises to make the city the herb capital of Australia. All you have to do is come along and have a herbacious time. (Editor's note: And cheer loudly for the Great Herb Debate's negative team, because we're right - herbs are more than just weeds!)
What a Snappy Dad
If you've got a great picture of a father and son together, then don't miss your chance to enter it in the Father's Day Photo Competition. Competition coordinator Chris Hawke is encouraging people to get their entries in as soon as possible before the August 31 closing date. The only criteria for entries is that they must express a positive connection between a young male and their father, other male relative or carer. 'The competition is affirming the good things dads and carers are doing all the time and promotes positive relationships,' Chris said. 'Research shows that if a young person has a positive connection with their father or other adults it helps them get through life and grow up to a well adjusted adult themselves! Once the competition has closed and the photos have been judged they'll be displayed in local schools, community organisations and shopping centres, which gives the community a chance to see the great things that fathers and carers are doing.' The Fathers' Day Photo Competition has six categories, with great cash prizes to be won, as well as vouchers from local businesses. The photos can be of any size, in black and white or colour. Categories are:
The judges: Northern Star photographer, Jacklyn Wagner, The Echo's Terra Sword, Ted Ashby from Adult Learning and Lismore Camera Club president Marie Cook. The panel will also include last years Fathers' Day Photo Competition people's choice winner, Michelle King and best student photographer, Emily Jordan. For more information or to get an entry form, phone 6622 3143.
Visit a Beautiful GardenWhen Margaret and Bob Eggins bought their five acre property at Rous 11 years ago there was a house, one tree and five acres of cow paddock. Hundreds of hours of digging and planting later, Margaret has used her green thumb to turn the once empty field into a beautiful sprawling garden nearly two acres in size, which she gets to show off this weekend as part of the Australian Open Garden Scheme. 'I started out planting outside the kitchen window so I'd have a nicer view and from one small garden bed we just kept joining more and more garden beds together until we had this massive garden,' Margaret said. 'It was quite a lot of work at first and for maybe five or six days a week I'd do something in the garden, but now it's just maintenance and that only takes about two days a week. I find gardening so relaxing – I'd much rather potter around my garden than do anything else.' Margaret's 'pottering' has certainly done the paddock proud and her garden, fondly called Pleasant Place, will be open this Saturday and Sunday, August 18-19 from 10am-4.30pm each day. Entry is $4.50 (children under 18 are free). Enjoy a stroll through the garden and a chat to Margaret and Bob – or their talking parrot Billy Boy. Pleasant Place is on Rous Rd, Rous just up from the Rous Public School. For directions phone the tourist centre on 6622 0122 or 1902 261 026 and press two.
Inspiring Youth Honoured for Helping Others
Youth are not just our future, they are an important part of the community now, NSW Youth Affairs Minister Carmel Tebbutt told a gathering of the region's finest youth last night. The Minister was speaking at the Kids in Community Awards, which honour the contribution of local young people to the community. Now in its second year, the awards attracted 70 nominees across six categories. The winners were congratulated by Olympic gold medal swimmer Adam Pine and Ms Tebbutt at a ceremony in Ballina on Wednesday night. 'The nominees have proved themselves hard-working, creative, focussed and ambitious. They are making a valuable contribution,' Ms Tebbutt said. The winners were:Peer support: Samson Slough, who is physically disabled and unable to talk, but communicates through a computer and is able to ‘voice' concerns on behalf of fellow disabled students. Community support, aged 13-18: Kadina High student Roxanne Smith, from the peer group ROADIES, who offer respite care, support and friendship to peers and people with intellectual and physical disabilities, as well as being a role model for young people. Community support, aged 18-25: Southern Cross University student Ben Lawson, who is a volunteer youth officer, church camp leader and charity fundraiser. Indigenous youth support, aged 13-18: Richmond River High school student Matt Lewis, 17, who teaches softball and encourages aboriginal children to play sport and live a healthy life. He volunteers as a coach for Koori Works. Indigenous youth support, aged 18-25: Jessica Walker, 22, a mother of five, who work part-time at Goonellabah Public School helping children read, and through Koori Works, steers kids into sport and other positive activities. Homeless youth support: Bianca Bright, 22, who has worked with the 5 Loaves mobile soup kitchen for the past 12 months, cooking and serving, as well as acting as unofficial secretary. Community group support: Kyogle Youth Action, a suicide prevention initiative by 15 young people, aged 14-22. They meet every week to develop activities for local youth. Mentor: ‘Aunty' Louise Walker, who has been involved with Koori Works for nine years, and works at Kadina High supporting aboriginal children when they have problems.
Hospital Wards Close Under Nurse BansLismore Base Hospital has been forced to close a 17 bed ward in response to industrial action by nurses campaigning for more nursing staff. The nurses are pressuring the NSW government for improved conditions and wages in a bid to tackle a nation-wide nursing shortage. Nurses at Lismore Base Hospital (LBH) voted unanimously last Thursday to implement 14 work bans, which NSW Nurses Association Vice President and LBH branch secretary Helen O'Donnell said were aimed to 'free up' her colleagues from non-nursing duties. 'The bans are designed to allow nurses to concentrate on providing patient care. Nurses are currently required to wash beds after patients are discharged, clean theatres between operating cases, and even worse, wash delivery suites, and clean the floors and bathrooms after a mother has delivered her baby,' Ms O'Donnell said. 'With the current critical shortage of nurses, we have decided to concentrate on patient care alone.' The industrial campaign began at 7am yesterday, and included a ban on overtime, cleaning and filing duties, data collection for statistical and financial reports and a strict application of the Award conditions for meal breaks. The campaign, dubbed ‘What's a nurse worth?', has already seen more than 6500 nurses from 12 NSW hospitals, including Byron Hospital, begin industrial action in an effort to force the NSW government to reconsider the case for better wages and conditions to attract nurses back into the profession. More than 10,000 registered nurses in NSW who are not working as nurses. Ms O'Donnell said Lismore base management had responded positively to the bans, which she said would not effect patient safety. 'They are employing additional staff to cope with the extra non-nursing workload normally carried by nurses.' Ms O'Donnell called on the public to support the campaign. 'If we don't attract nurses back into the profession, the health system will be in a very sorry state, with too few nurses to care for all the people who need care. We need the public to send a very clear message to the NSW government to sit down and discuss improved wages for nurses as a means to attract them back into health care,' she said. 'We are professionals too and deserve to be paid and treated as such.'
Soup Kitchen Considers New Home
A temporary Soup Kitchen has been set up in a Council-donated shed in Norco Lane, South Lismore after the Lismore Soup Kitchen's premises in Union Street were destroyed by fire last Wednesday. The original plan was to rebuild the Soup Kitchen on the old site, however, the soup kitchen committee's president, Ridley Bell, said Lismore Council has since expressed concerns about the location of the site being in a flood-prone area. Negotiations are now underway with Council about over whether to move to another nearby site. 'We obviously want to get the Soup Kitchen back up and running as soon as possible, but at the moment we have no firm idea of exactly what will happen,' Ridley said. 'As soon as we know exactly how much money we will receive from the insurance claim and the attitude of Council on where to rebuild, we'll be ready to go – everything else is in place with the builders.' Ridley says he has been delighted by the support from local Lions and Rotary clubs, community organisations, business people and individuals. But he is concerned by the negative views coming from some nearby residents. 'I don't think it's fair that a couple of residents with an axe to grind should disrupt an important service that people need and rely on,' Ridley said. 'Many of our clients have mental health and social isolation issues. The Soup Kitchen is a place where they feel welcome and have people to talk to about their problems. There are more good stories than bad. 'What do these people want us to do with them – lock them up and throw away the key? We're becoming a society without much compassion and that's quite sad. 'We just have to remember the many positives, like the fabulous response from the wider community in terms of donations.' The temporary Soup Kitchen in Norco lane is providing cooked lunches seven days a week between 11am and 2pm, with packed sandwiches to take home for the evening. Donations of money, food and kitchen equipment are still greatly needed. They can be dropped off at The Echo office, 218 Molesworth Street Lismore, or to arrange a pick up phone Margaret on 6621 6936 or Ridley on 6624 6080. Story & photo: Terra Sword
Ballina Cadets Win with 5-star Effort
The Ballina Navy Cadet Unit has won best Cadet Unit in NSW and ACT for the third year running at their annual Inspection and Open Day on Sunday. Australian Navy Cadets national commander, Captain Gavin Reeves, declared them winners after the unit performed their ceremonial parade. The unit is now in the running for the hotly contested National Award in mid-November. 'We had an excellent parade – the cadets were fabulous and didn't miss a beat,' the unit's commanding officer Carol Horn said. 'We were really close for the national award last year and this year we have performed even better, so we've got our fingers crossed and are ever hopeful.' Carol has been working with the cadets on a voluntary basis for more than 16 years and last night was nominated in the Citizen of Youth Community Award in the Kids in Community Awards. The award recognises an adult who works closely with youth in the community to positively enhance their development. Carol says it's working with the cadets that brings the real rewards. 'It's an interesting and challenging job – we get the cadets when they are 13 and we help mould them by teaching them important skills and self importance,' Carol explained. 'We have a lot of fun together but we also learn a lot together. When a young person rings me to say they've joined the Navy or got a job, or are moving forward in their lives in some way, it's all the reward I need.'
Just what the Army Doctor Ordered
After more than 15 years working as a specialist in Lismore, Peter McLaren thought it was time to take on a new challenge – one that might prove difficult but will benefit hundreds of others. Not one to do things by halves, Peter has joined the Army and last week was officially sworn in as a commissioned officer in the Australian Defence Force Army Reserve. Now known as Captain Peter, the 49 year-old anaesthetist will travel to East Timor in November for a 31 day tour at the UN Hospital in Dili. To prepare Peter will attend a two week training program at the Duntroon Military College. 'After 15 years in Lismore it's time to get out of my comfort zone and experience something new,' Peter said. 'Australia is becoming more preponderant in peacekeeping missions which makes it more attractive because it's doing something really worthwhile.' The Reserve is still looking for doctors to serve as commissioned officers. Phone Brian on 6622 1285 or 0404 024 772. Story & photo: Terra Sword
Caring Volunteers Recognised
The late Margaret Mocatta was one of more than 25 volunteers from the Lismore Base Hospital Cancer Care Unit and St Vincent's Hospital Palliative Care Unit. After retiring from her position as assistant director of nursing at Lismore Base Hospital in 1990 Margaret began doing volunteer work at the Cancer Care Unit, doing anything from making cups of tea to talking to patients in times of need. A short time ago, Margaret was diagnosed with cancer. She never told any patients of her illness and cheerfully continued to do volunteer work until three weeks before she passed away. Her daughter, Kathryn said simply 'that was just the way mum was'. Kathryn and her brother Mark were presented with a special certificate for Margaret at an afternoon tea this week to honour the many volunteers who support the service. 'These people have given themselves and their time freely, and many people are the richer because of it,' Cancer Care nurse unit manager, Margaret Gorton-Weller, said. 'It's inconceivable to imagine the service without these fabulous people – they have the courage to walk towards people with cancer instead of looking the other way.'
Alstonville Goes for World Record
If you've always wanted to be a world record holder, but don't swim like Thorpie or run like Cathy Freeman, then next weekend offers a chance to make the Guinness Book of Records. A world record attempt for the biggest Tae-Bo class ever staged will be held next Saturday, August 25 as part of the Northern Rivers Health, Wealth and Food Festival at the Alstonville Entertainment Centre. Gary Rodwell from the Fit for You Gymnasium in Alstonville is coordinating the event. To break the world record he needs more than 1000 people participating at the showground. 'We're going to stage the event between 5.30-6.30pm just when it's getting dark and everyone participating will get a glow stick, so it'll be as much fun for the viewer as the people participating,' Gary said. 'If you've never done Tae-Bo before it doesn't matter either – just come along, join in the fun and we'll show you the ropes. The event is also a fundraiser for the Lifesaver Rescue Helicopter, so it's a good chance to raise much-needed funds for a fantastic community organisation.' To be part of the record attempt costs $5, and you'll get certificate of appreciation for joining in. Phone Gary on 6628 0710 for details. If you're not into breaking records, then $5 will get you into the two-day festival, August 25-26, which focuses on health, wealth and food. There will be hundreds of exhibitors, offering everything from advice on financial investments to sports nutrition, seminars on menopause, naturopathy and organic food. There'll also be a huge array of food from every corner of the world to indulge in and demonstrations of different exercise and relaxation techniques such as Tai-chi, massage and martial arts. Dr Sandra Cabot of the liver cleansing diet fame will be a special guest speaker. For details on the festival, phone 6622 5155.
Listen Up SeniorsAs part of Hearing Awareness Week, August 19-25 Australian Hearing is encouraging seniors to get a free hearing test. 'Hearing loss usually develops slowly over many years and can be hard to recognise, that's why we are offering free hearing screenings for seniors this year,' Australian Hearing's Lismore district manager, Prue Oliver, said. Australian Hearing is offering a limited number of free hearing screenings to seniors from Monday to Friday, August 20-24. To make an appointment phone 131 797. Australian Hearing is also running two information sessions on hearing loss and hearing aids on Wednesday, August 22 from 11am, and a practical workshop for hearing impaired people who have difficulty using the telephone, on Thursday, August 23 from 10.30am. Bookings are required for both session, phone 131 797.
Obituary - Kate Ewenson
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Ready to cook up an herbacious storm at this weekends HerBBQ in Heritage Park are (l-r) Ken Harper of Blue Hills Restaurant, Brian Henry of Goonellabah Rotary Club, Julie Powrie of Sistas Cafe, Rachael Bartolo, Louisa Barton and Karlinka Chwialkowski from TAFE, the other ‘sista' - Christine Cox, Neale White of Olivo, and John Damm of Cafe Moet. 
Father's Day Photo Competition coordinator, Chris Hawke, with the winning student photograph from last year taken by year 11 Richmond River High School student, Emily Jordon, who will be a judge in this year's competition.
The winners of the Kids in Community Awards.
Lismore Soup Kitchen committee vice-president, Murray Harding (second from left) with regular soup kitchen visitors Vicki, Phill and Kevin outside the Soup Kitchen's temporary home in Norco Lane, South Lismore.
Ballina Navy Cadet Unit cadets and staff at the annual Inspection on Sunday.
Australian Defence Force assistant surgeon general, Dr Brian Pezzutti, swears in Dr Peter McLaren.
Mark and Kathryn Mocatta, (who were presented with a certificate in recognition of their late mother Margaret's volunteer work) and volunteers from the Lismore Base Hospital Cancer Care Unit and St Vincent's Hospital Palliative Care Unit.
Fit for You Gymnasium proprietor Gary Rodwell (left) is encouraging people get involved in his Tae Bo world record attempt to be held at the Alstonville Health, Wealth and Food Festival next weekend.
25 Dec 1966 – 4 Aug 2001
Nimbin Hemp Embassy spokesman Michael Balderstone and Australian National Council on Drugs chairman Brian Watters agree to disagree on cannabis reform in Nimbin.
Mayor Bob Gates talks with Albert Park school principal David Bartholomaeus (second from right) and Naomi Dibble, Rae Dillon and Wendy Firth.
Cancer Care Unit patient Anthony Barling with the new blood warmer machine and nurse unit manager Margaret Gorton-Weller, cancer care unit volunteer Bev Herbert, Quota Club president Shirley Armstrong and Quota member, Julia Adlington.
Lismore and District Pharmacy pharmacist Allan Stuckey with staff members (l-r) Kylie Imms, Margaret Knight, Ruth Yager and Julea Johnston with their Pharmacy Guild of Australia accreditation certificates.