Issue 740
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Main NewsProtestors Greet Deputy PM
In Byron Bay, National Party leader John Anderson was sprayed with rose water. In Lismore, he copped a spray. During his two day visit to the region campaigning in the marginal seats of Richmond and Page, narrowly held by the National Party for the last five years, the deputy Prime Minister was prepared to do almost anything to help his candidates - sitting members Larry Anthony and Ian Causley. Starting the day with a business breakfast in Ballina - a traditionally strong support base for the Nationals that was moved to the Page electorate, to the dismay of Larry Anthony, during the last redistribution of electoral boundaries - Mr Anderson stressed the coalition's economic record. After that he headed for Byron Bay lighthouse to don cycling shorts and a helmet to join the cycling-mad Community Services Minister Larry Anthony for a ride around the town. They headed for Sunspirit Oils in the Byron industrial estate where a surprised Mr Anderson was sprayed with rose water. He received an equally mixed blessing from Sunspirit's founders David and Melanie Dane, who said sales had fallen 22 per cent following the introduction of the GST. But, the Danes said, they weren't interested in Labor's rollback proposal, preferring to get on with business having adjusted to the new tax system. They also suggested Mr Anderson try lavender oil to relieve tension. After that, it was off to a bamboo surfboard maker before heading to Lismore where the natives were far from relaxed and comfortable. A group of around 20 anti-war protestors were waiting outside the Molesworth Street campaign office - a closed bank - of Ian Causley. Never one to duck a good stoush, Mr Causley had already engaged his constituents in a lesson on the finer points of state and federal funding responsibilities in education, roads and health. The normally outspoken backbencher wasn't having much luck getting a word in. The harangue shifted to the war in Afghanistan. 'We're protecting Australia to defend you,' he said. 'That's bullsh.., you're not protecting me,' a protestor said. At that point, Mr Anderson arrived and tried to come to his colleague's defence. He wasn't having much luck, and declared, 'I can see you believe in peace'. The Minister for Transport and Regional tried to make some points about the Coalition's view on the war in Afghanistan, but was shouted down. 'You're wearing nooses [ties]... you're not going to get in again... you are the minority - you're fat white men,' Socialist Alliance candidate Edda Lampis said. After a minute, he gave up, shouting out 'There's nothing more I'd like to do more than talk to, but you're obviously not going to let me. Thank you.' 'You're just gonna talk crap like any politician, no-one believes you,' Ms Lampis said He disappeared inside to meet the party faithful and assembled local dignatries, leaving the protestors to squabble amongst themselves about the best way to bring down a government. Inside, after praising the efforts of Mr Causley as a 'great old tiger' who 'plays the game with a straight bat', Mr Anderson went on to say that one of the major challenges facing the Government was the management of the environment and natural resources. 'We need to balance production and environmental values in areas like this,' he said. After presenting Norco with a cheque (marked 'For presentation purposes only'), he told the assembled media that he 'loathed' the idea of war, but appeasement was not the answer. 'In the case of terrorism we're not going to war with another country, but we are allied with America and other countries in a determined effort to seek out those who are responsible for this sort of action and those who would harbour and nurture them. That is an action undertaken in the very pursuit of the peace that we're all looking for,' Mr Anderson said. Responding to local concerns from dairy farmers, including Tom Cooper, who is standing as an independent, Mr Anderson said the National Party had ensured farmers had 'a fighting chance' the restructuring assistance package. 'This was not the result of economic rationalism or competition policy. This was about a 100-year-old constitution which says you have the right to trade interstate and the Victorians were going to use it come hell or high water,' he said. On flood levee funding the Minister said 'Now where you are in the queue, I don't know, I'll have a look and get back to you. I'm aware it is an important issue here.' On the doctor crisis in Nimbin he said 'it's a real problem and we're going to find a way to fix that'. Later in the afternoon, the deputy PM met with Lismore council and local business people to discuss issues, including forestry, transport, economic development and funding for the CBD cultural centre. He gave no firm commitments. Celebrating Indigenous Spirit
The black and white community will come together in a spirit of reconciliation this weekend for the Bundjalung People's Gathering, October 12-14, in Heritage Park, Lismore. The gathering wil bring together different tribes in the Bundjalung nation, as well as the rest of the community to celebrate Bundjalung country and its indigenous culture. 'We want to celebrate our Aboriginal traditions and customs. We want to share them with other people an show them our beliefs and our culture is still alive today, it hasn't been lost,' traditional Waibal descendant and co-organiser, Chris Phillips, said. 'It's not about political issues it's about people, black and white, coming together as one to celebrate being people.' Building on the success of the event last year, the weekend features Elders forums, traditional and contemporary performances, dance, music, art and craft, a kid's program and workshops. It's a chance for non-indigenous people to learn more about local Aboriginal culture and customs. The Gathering begins tomorrow night with the Bundjalung People's Concert from 7pm, featuring local bands Monkey and the Fish, Ragweed and Black on Black. The opening ceremony is on Saturday, with Bundjalung Elders welcoming people to their land. Other Saturday events include the Youth Talent Quest from 11.30am, which will continue throughout the day between acts. From 12-5.30pm a variety of dancers, singers and bands will perform including solo artist Mereki, award-winning female Maori trio Manuhiri and the Goobah Goobah Theatre Company. Choirs at Sunset from 5.45pm, features a variety of choir groups including the Reconciliation Choir directed by Bruce McNicol. Bunna Laurie and Jason Scott from the hugely successful Australian band Coloured Stone will perform at 7.15pm and to take the night out is the band Guriabu to get everyone up and dancing. Sunday begins at 10.30am with a Memorial Service in the park, followed by an Elders Forum and traditional music and stories from Bundjalung tribes. At 1pm the best of the Youth Talent Quest will be seen followed by the Closing Concert from 2pm. The Closing Concert will feature a special performance by the Bundjalung Custodial Dancers as well as a variety of performances from the many artists performing over the weekend. All events are free and all are welcome. Story & photo: Terra Sword Have Your Say On Health Care
Next week sees the start of a comprehensive six-week village and small-town primary health survey called 'Have your say on primary health care'. The health survey will provide locals in 30 small communities the chance to highlight their local health needs, say the researchers, John Hale and Jane Oliver, from the Northern Rivers Division of General Practice (NRDGP). 'We will listen to their health needs and concerns, and then we will work together to highlight possible solutions,' John said. The two independent researchers are putting together a picture of health needs outside the region's main population centres. They will be visiting the communities to hear what residents are really concerned about and will hold forums in halls, schools and clubs. They will concentrate on community-based primary health and doctor-related issues. 'Locals will be able to have an input into decision making about their health needs by attending the forum, or by completing a simple survey if they can't get there,' John said. 'If we need better primary health here in the Northern Rivers, we want to find out what, where and why.' The community-driven solutions will be written up for recommendation to the Commonwealth Department of Health and Aged Care. The selected communities are outside a 20 kilometre radius of large hospitals, and outside a 10 kilometre radius of smaller hospitals. Each community has more than 200 and less than 5,000 residents. As a comparison, two communities just 10 minutes drive to a large regional hospital have also been randomly selected. All residents are invited to the community health forums. Anyone who wants to attend the meeting is asked to phone the division to register at 6622 4453. Residents who complete a simple survey will go into a draw for a $250 prize. Even if you don't attend the meeting, you can still fill out a survey. Local meetings are as follows:
St Francis Would Be Proud
Pictured are Northern Rivers Animal Liberation Group members Karen Bevis and Chris Simcox with their two-month-old daughter, Taishah. The groups have very different roles, but are united in their respect of animals. The Northern Rivers Wildlife Carers rehabilitate injured native animals while Animal Rights and Rescue finds homes for abandoned or unwanted cats and dogs (they are currently fundraising to build a shelter locally for animals without homes). The Northern Rivers Animal Liberation Group focuses on the use of animals in entertainment, research and intensive farming. All three groups need more volunteers and donations are always appreciated. To contact the Liberation Group phone Chris or Karen on 6688 6119, for Animal Rights and Rescue phone 6628 1358 and for the Wildlife Carers phone 6628 1866.
On With The Show - And Fire Up The Barbie!
Every year the Rotary Club of Lismore operates a barbecue at the North Coast National Show to raise funds for local charities, but this year they're doing something a little different. This year the club has a specific target - to raise $4,700 to buy a BiliBed for Lismore Base Hospital, which will assist newborn babies, their mothers and the staff. To attract people to their stall and get people to buy more hamburgers the club recently gave their building at the showgrounds a new lick of paint, and the royal blue and yellow certainly stands out. 'Lismore Base Hospital has a BiliBed on loan, but it has to be returned by the end of this week. Seeing the great need for such equipment, we decided to put all our efforts towards buying one for the hospital,' Rotary Club of Lismore president, Lorraine Ryan, said. 'Lismore has one of the highest birth rates in NSW, so it's something that would be of great benefit. We've got everything in place and now we need the community to come along and support us. Basically, we want people to eat as much as they possibly can!' The BiliBed is a relatively new piece of equipment used to treat jaundice in newborn babies. Because the bed is portable it eliminates the need for newborn babies to be isolated from their mothers whilst treatment takes place. The Rotary Club of Lismore's building is just inside the main gate at the showgrounds and it will be open from 8am until close every day of the North Coast National show, October 17-20. Just look for the blue and yellow building - you can't miss it!
Trash Turned Into Treasure
Lismore City Council's latest initiative to minimise waste, the Lismore Revolve Centre, was launched on Saturday at the Wyrallah Road Waste Facility. The Revolve Centre, which is being operated by Henderson's Metal Recyclers, works to reduce waste by re-using and recycling materials which would normally go to landfill. Residents can take reusable items, like washing machines and old furniture, to the Revolve Centre before dumping their waste, thereby reducing the cost of dumping at the tip. The operators then sell these materials, and others they have rescued from the tip site, to the public at a cheap price. 'We believe the Revolve Centre has the real potential to involve the community in reducing the overall level of waste,' Council's Northern Rivers Waste manager, Kieran Wade, said. 'These kinds of centres are enthusiastically supported in other areas - people find them a great place to find odds and ends, used building material, lost pieces for machines, old clothes and much more.' Henderson Metal Recyclers director Norman Henderson, said things were already looking up after they found a working computer in their second day of business. It's now use for accounts. 'Over the weekend we had more than 150 people come through, which is a really positive response,' Norman said. 'It's anticipated the centre will reduce waste by a further five per cent - or add about 12 months to the life of the landfill, which is currently about 12 years.' The Lismore Revolve Centre is open Wednesday to Friday, from 10am-4pm and on weekends from 9am-5pm. Phone 6622 0895.
Passengers ReturnPassenger numbers through Lismore Airport are returning to normal, a week after the resumption of Hazleton flights, according to the Lismore City Council. Council's business and enterprise manger Craig Kelly, said passenger numbers were steadily increasing following the return of electronic booking 'We are seeing our bread-and-butter passengers from Lismore's business and government offices returning to normal travelling patterns,' he said. On Wednesday, Hazelton's Lismore-based network manager Maurice Gahan and mayor Bob Gates met with deputy Prime Minister John Anderson to stress the importance of the Lismore service. 'Lismore's status as a regional administrative and commercial hub means it must have access to reliable and regular flights to Sydney,' Mr Kely said. 'These are being impacted by air service policies such as access to landing slots, and the sale of Sydney Airport.' 'We would like to see a continuing commitment from the Federal Government to safeguard the future of air services to regional centres, including Lismore.'
Get Nostalgic For The Kids
To help raise funds for the new Northern Rivers Children's Fund, The Nostalgia Ball and auction is being held this Saturday, October 13 at the Lismore Workers Club. The Northern Rivers Children's Fund was set up to raise funds for much-needed equipment at Lismore Base Hospital, including ventilators, vital signs monitors and humidicribs for premature babies. More than 20 items are to be auctioned by Lismore MP and seasoned auctioneer Thomas George. They include a beautiful painting by local artist David Lane, a Gutbuster program, a 1984 Grange Hermitage, a collection of rainforest trees, a beauty package, a snorkelling trip for two, dinner for two at Fins Restaurant, a 10-year-old Bonsai and much more. 'The staff at Lismore Base Hospital were trying to do their best raising money through raffles and other little events, but we wanted to set up the fund to consolidate the fundraising into one effort,' the fund's fundraising officer, Carolyn Coleman, said. 'This will allow the staff to focus all their attention on caring for the children, because now people have been allocated to do the fundraising. A big thankyou must go to all the businesses and community members who have helped get the ball up and running. Now we just need the local community to get behind it and give us support - so put your flares on, grab some friends and come and have some fun!' The theme of the Nostalgia Ball is 50s, 60s and 70s rock n' roll, and everyone is encouraged to dress up for the occasion. Following the delicious two-course meal local band Magnum will perform a variety of rock and roll favourites. Tickets are $50 per person and they are available until 12pm tomorrow from Caddies Bean Shop and the club. The ball starts at 7pm. Donations to the fund are always appreciated. Phone Carolyn on 6620 2705.
Youth ArrestedPolice arrested a 17-year-old boy on Wednesday morning over an assault and robbery on a 29-year-old Bexhill man on Saturday. Police say the man accepted a lift home with three males around 2am. He invited them in for a drink, but was later assaulted, and a small amount of cash was stolen. The man was treated for facial injuries. The youth has been charged with robbery in company. He was refused bail and will appear in Lismore Children's Court on October 15.
Jumping AccidentA 38-year-old Newcastle man suffered spinal injuries after jumping from a 10m high cliff face at Dalwood Falls, near Alstonville, on Sunday afternoon. Police say the man landed on his back, and had to be rescued by paramedics, and SES personnel due to the rough terrain.
Nurses StrikeNurses at Lismore Base Hospital, Ballina and Byron hospitals will strike from 7am to 4pm next Thursday, October 18, as part of their campaign for improved wages and conditions to try and address the national chronic shortage of nurses. So patients are not placed at risk, night-duty staffing levels will be in place in all clinical areas and critical care staffing levels will be maintained. The nurses are planning to take their case to Lismore Show to gather community support.
Get Up And GoLismore and Alstonville citizens who are young at heart and a little on the adventurous side should enter the 2001 Get Up & Go Awards. Entrants must be over 60 and an Australian citizen. They can nominate themselves or be nominated by a friend or relative. People simply need to tell the judges about an adventure they, or the person they're nominating, has had. 'Any adventure counts, whether it be a trek through the Kimberley or a sightseeing trip in your home town with a second-hand bike and a backpack,' NSW Seniors Card representative, Philippa Redwin, said. 'It could be a search for a long lost friend or relative or a return to a childhood holiday spot... we can't wait to hear all the stories!' The national winner will receive a $12,500 luxury holiday for four people to the Queensland Sunshine Coast. Entries close on October 30. To obtain an application form phone 1300 364 758.
Alstonville SurvivorSoul Survivor is a full day, extreme adventure program held in conjunction with the Discover Conference at the Alstonville High school on October 13, from 9am to 4.30pm To become a participant you must be 5-11 years old and be able to pack up and leave your family for a whole day of extreme adventure. Contact with the outside world is prohibited (NB parents are able to communicate directly with the Soul Survivor director) and once stranded, the castaways must be prepared to face the most outrageous set of challenges invented by man and established a new society. They must learn to work together as a team as true Soul Survivors can never work alone. On the day competitors must compete in challenges of strategy, guile and wit to win small luxuries and to preserve their chance for the ultimate prize, which includes a chrome scooter. Souls survivor is about surviving the elements, outlasting the other tribes and learning about faith and trust in the process. This will determine who will be the Soul Survivor for 2001. To be a part of the action be at the High school before 9am and cost is $10 for the day. This is a ministry of the Alstonville Baptist Fellowship.
Two Credit Unions MergeLismore-based First Pacific Credit Union will merge with Grafton's Northern Rivers Credit Union on October 27. First Pacific Managing Director Paul Kelly said the merger would bring together almost 9000 members in Northern NSW and Southern Queensland. The power industry was the traditional base of the NRCU. Mr Kelly said companies had a long-standing working relationship, and that it was a chance to grow both businesses. The name First Pacific will remain.
Reducing Raging Risks
A successful program aimed at raising awareness among young people about the risks involved with driving and social gatherings has now entered its third year, and is scheduled to begin in November. The organisers are currently holding workshops with 17 students from Woodlawn, Casino and Lismore High School and Trinity Catholic College to find out ways of improving the program. Entitled RRISK (Reduce Risk - Increase Student Knowledge), it involves more than 1,800 young people who will attend seminars and receive information on the consequences of risk-taking behaviour. 'The idea is to get young people together before the summer holidays and talk to them about the risk involved in driving, drug and alcohol use, partying and celebrations,' Council's road safety officer, Wendy Johnson, said. 'That way, young people have the information they need to make informed decisions.' To complement the program, inserts will be included in school newsletters for students, their parents and the school community about how they can work together to reduce risk taking behaviour.
Wooldridge Ignores Northern Rivers HealthThe Northern Rivers health system has been dealt another blow by retiring federal health minister Dr Michael Wooldridge, missing out on Medicare rebates for radiology scans at St Vincent's hospital for seriously ill patients. In June, doctors at North Coast Radiology invested in a multi-million dollar MRI scanner, which can detect everything from brain tumours to slipped discs, and installed at St Vincents hospital in Lismore. The painless scans cost in excess of $500 each, but patients using machines licenced for a Medicare rebate can claim back $415 Last month, in granting the latest round of six licences, Dr Wooldridge gave only one licence to a regional area - Orange. The others went to areas like the Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast, which already have rebated MRI scanners. The Sunshine Coast, which has a population of similar size to the Northern Rivers, now has two rebated machines within 40km of each other. In between Noosa and the Gold Coast, several more MRI scanners operate in Brisbane. The decision has disappointed Dr Warwick Herbet from North Coast Radiology, who believes regional areas are being discriminated against by the federal Department of Health in the decision making process. 'Several other regional electorates which met the criteria and applied for a licence were also passed over,' Dr Herbert said. 'Our tender complied with the requirements. 'The people who need these scans have fairly serious medical problems. A significant number of people on the north coast, especially pensioners and retired people, cannot afford to pay the full cost, but if the want to claim the rebate, they need to travel to John Flynn hospital on the Gold Coast, where the wait is anything up to three weeks and they still have to a pay a substantial gap fee.' The decision has also outraged the Far North Coast Vietnam Veterans Association. The Association's secretary, Sheldon Maher, said it was sad to see veterans being forced to travel to the Gold Coast for the service because the Dept. of Veterans Affairs will only use rebated sites. 'This journey can be extremely hard on ill patients,' Mr Maher said. 'We understand that the reasons given for the local service missing out was that St Vincents was too far from Lismore Base Hospital.' While local doctors are left bewildered after getting the initial impression their bid would be successful, it's not the first time Dr Wooldridge's ministry has let the region down. Earlier this year, after being led to believe a strong bid from the university, health service and local GPs for a Clinical School would be successful, the Dept. of Health reduced its support, offering a scaled down version instead. As with this last incident, Dept. of Health officials are unable to comment on how the decision was made. Simon Thomsen
Volunteers Clean Up Tucki Tucki Creek
Two projects to improve the condition of Tucki Tucki Creek in Goonellabah are currently underway to tackle water quality, reduce litter and revegetate the stream bank. The first project is the installation of a pollution trap at a stormwater outlet to capture litter and leaves from part of the catchment. 'A certain amount of leaf litter is needed in creeks, but in urban areas large amounts of leaves, twigs and lawn clippings are washed down the drains during storms and from residents hosing,' Council's stormwater education officer, Vanessa Tallon, said. 'Once in the creek the dead vegetation rots slowly and causes the oxygen level to drop, adversely affecting fish, insects and other animals in the creek. 'Council asks residents to sweep leaves and grass clippings, use them for mulch or place them in the organic wheelie bins.' Before the net trap was installed, the creek was full of litter, but thanks to the hard work of a group of volunteers, or Green Reserves as they call themselves, it is all but gone. The group was removing weeds and planting native local species in the park, but as one member, Lindsay Roberts, said 'there was that much litter around that the team decided the area needed a good clean up.' The team will continue working in the until December removing water weeds so platypus, turtles, fish and eels can move more freely between pools and shallows. Story & photo: Terra Sword
$1m Grant Screams For Norco Ice Cream
Dairy cooperative Norco's dream of becoming Australia's leading ice cream manufacturer received a major boost from the federal Government last week when it committed $1.1 million in grant funding towards modernising the plant. Page MP Ian Causley said the funding, under the Dairy Regional Assistance Program would assist the ice cream manufacturing division of Norco to upgrade and modernise plant facilities for 24-hour a day production. Norco CEO Bernard O'Brien said Norco would match the funding dollar-for-dollar, as part of a plan to target export markets in Asia, Japan and Saudi Arabia. 'The grant means Norco can substantially enhance its capital development program and grow employment,' he said. 'The work involved is quite substantial, as well as time critical. Some of the major modifications cannot be done until next winter. The funds will cover things like increasing throughput in the ice cream mix area, upgrading refrigeration and new staff amenities.' The upgrade is expected to take about 12 months to complete.
Labor Puts Teeth Into Dental FundingLabor candidate for Page Terry Flanagan has tackled local concerns over access to the national dental health scheme announcing that the ALP will commit $100 million over four years to the scheme for low-income earners. The scheme, implemented under Labor, was cut when the coalition took government. Mr Flanagan said dental health was the ALP's most important health issues. 'Pensioners and health care card holders don't have decent access to free dental care,' he said. 'I have had met people who have had to wait months to have even the most basic check-up.' The ALP's candidate in Richmond, Jenny McAllister told similar tales of hardship. 'John Burns, a Tweed resident, has to survive with half a tooth. Mr Burns told me he could not afford follow up visits to complete his treatment. Another woman was told she would have to wait 6-12 months for a filling,' she said. Under the plan, 4.3 million people with a Health Care or Pensioner Concession card will be eligible for help. They will receive emergency care, regular check-ups and treatment from public and private dentists, and low-cost denture repairs and new dentures. Labor also promised to improve dental services to nursing homes.
Tax Return ChangesA change has been made in late lodgement penalties for tax returns and anyone who hasn't already lodged their tax return is urged to do so before the end of the month. Until the 2001 tax year late lodgement penalties were only imposed where tax was payable on the return being lodged. From 2001 however, a late lodgement penalty of $110 will be imposed for every 28 days a return is late, up to a maximum of $550. In addition, interest penalties will be imposed where tax is payable. Under the new penalty system, people not lodging through an agent have until October 31 to lodge their return and avoid any penalty.
Protest For Peace
In response to America's bombing in Afghanistan, a group of about 50 activists and concerned community members hit the streets on Monday to voice their concerns. The protest was organised by the Global Justice Alliance (GJA) in Lismore. 'Bush, Howard and Beazley say that if we are not for military action we are with Bin Laden's terrorism, but millions of people around the world do not support bombing of either US civilians or Afghani civilians,' GJA member, Edda Lampis, said. 'We are going to continue to campaign against the war and are prepared to use civil disobedience if that ids what it takes to stop the bombing of civilians. People are not 'collateral damage' and this is an unjust war again an enemy the US cannot even see. We will continue to mobilise people to oppose the war.' The GJA meets every Wednesday night at the Lismore Workers Club from 6pm. For information phone 6620 3044.
Plateau Heritage Group Forms
If you want to know more about places such as the Alstonville Agricultural Society Hall, built 90 years ago, or know some stories about places like Alstonville's Masonic Lodge and Duck Creek Weir then a heritage group planned for the plateau is just for you. An already enthusiastic group holding a meeting at the Alstonville RSL Hall next Sunday, October 21, at 2pm about setting up the Plateau Heritage Group. The group will discuss its aims at the meeting, and the organisers have already suggested that one of the first tasks should be the recording of the history of the area in oral histories, memories and photographs from long-term Plateau residents. The group will be formed under the umbrella of the Wollongbar Progress Association so that insurance cover can be extended to all members. A membership fee will be charged, giving people dual membership of the Heritage Group and the Wollongbar Progress Association. Membership is open to anyone who has a love of the area, wants to know more about its history and make that history known to the wider public. For details phone Marguerite on 6628 6053.
Catchment Coordinator AppointedA catchment management plan developed by the residents of the Bungawalbin Creek catchment has taken a step forward with the appointment of a full time co-ordinator. Dr Wendy Seabrook, who has a background in environmental management and training, will co-ordinate the implementation of the plan over the next nine months. 'It's an interesting and diverse catchment that runs from west of the Summerland Way to the Richmond River south of Coraki,' Dr Seabrook said 'It is drained by the Bungawalbin, Myall, Sandy and Myrtle creeks and contains a variety of land forms and uses, including forestry, cattle, swamp forests, bush blocks, tea tree and sugar cane farms, and what are regarded as some of the best wetlands in NSW. 'Environmental issues include acid sulfate soils, creek-bank erosion, sedimentation and wetland degradation.' Dr Seabrook said the community had developed a catchment management plan that identified areas of high priority and her job was to co-ordinate its implementation in consultation with the Bungawalbin Catchment Management Group. 'We will be organising field days and workshops on land degradation, acid sulfate soils, stream management and other sustainable land management practices,' she said. 'We'll also be collecting information on the area's fauna and flora, produce a number of booklets and provide a newsletter to all houses in the area.' Dr Seabrook said the Bungawalbin community had recognised the need for catchment management and had worked hard to develop the plan since 1998. 'Members of the community are already monitoring water quality and carrying out riparian restoration,' she said. 'My job is to co-ordinate these and other efforts without trying to reinvent the wheel.' Dr Seabrook's position is funded through the Natural Heritage Trust and supported in kind by Southern Cross University. Dave Fawkner
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Deputy Prime Minister John Anderson and Page MP Ian Causley try to debate issues with anti-war protestors in Lismore on Wednesday.
Bundjalung People's Gathering organisers Chris Phillips, Tule, Oral Roberts and Chris Fisher.
The health survey team (l-r) John Hale, Marika Ilic and Jane Oliver checking out the map of the towns they will start visiting from next week.
Three local organisations - Northern Rivers Animal Liberation Group, Northern Rivers Wildlife Carers and Animal Rights and Rescue - joined forces to raise awareness about animals for World Animal Day last Thursday.
Rotary Club of Lismore member Ron Lubow and his wife Alison, with secretary Brian Wheatley and (rear) president Lorraine Ryan and painter extraordinaire Steve Payton.
At the launch of the Lismore Revolve Centre on Saturday is (l-r) Henderson's Metal Recyclers sales manager Paul Henderson and director Norman Henderson with Council's Northern Rivers Waste manager, Kieran Wade.
Northern Rivers Children's Fund fundraising coordinator Carolyn Coleman and Lismore MP & auctioneer Thomas George with a painting and Gutbusters program to be auctioned at the ball.
Lismore City Council's road safety officer, Wendy Johnson (centre), Catholic Education office drug and road safety advisor Sue Hetherington (far left) and Northern Rivers Area Service representative Reyna Dight (far right) with the RRISK committee's new logo and students advising the RRISK committee (clockwise from bottom left) Sarah McMahon, Nathan Pascutto, Emma Botfield, Ben Lyons, April Rich, Jaime Reid, Chris Landers, Tom Finlayson, Toni Johnson, Courtney Cairns and Chantelle Dellar.
Lismore City Council's stormwater education officer, Vanessa Tallon, and volunteers who have been cleaning up the park (l-r) Lindsay Roberts, Toni Jones, Geoff Monk and Robert Garbutt. 
Norco CEO Greg McNamara (right) receives the $1.1 million grant from National Party leader John Anderson, watched by Page MP Ian Causley.
Global Justice Alliance members Edda Lampis and Dave Besnett at the protest in Lismore held to in opposition to the bombing in Afghanistan.
The Alstonville Agricultural Hall Buildings of 1911 will interest a new heritage group forming in Alstonville