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Issue 904 |
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Using tap water outside at home is banned from midnight on Saturday under level 5 restrictions being introduced by Rous Water. Residents will not even allowed to use buckets of tap water for pot plants outside the house, and must rely instead on recycled water to keep their gardens alive. Anyone who tries risks a $220 fine with local councils planning to step up their policing of the new restrictions. Catching water thieves in the act has proved difficult, with just 22 people fined since water restrictions began six months ago. Lismore Council has sent more than warning letters to 200 people, but only fined one householder. Ballina has fined eight people since mid-December, including one repeat offender. People secretly topping up their swimming pools are expected to be targeted for a 'please explain', since evaporation rates are predicted to be around 12cm a month. Rous Water's operations manager, Wayne Franklin, said the level 5 restrictions mean one simple rule: "Householders cannot use town water outside." The increasingly severe restrictions will also have a major impact on business, curbing their water use unless they have an approved water management plan. With Rocky Creek Dam falling to 24 per cent capacity, Rous Water is ready to begin pumping water from the Wilsons River. It will cap the amount of water available each day. While average daily consumption fell by 0.84ML to 26.01ML last week, further major savings need to be made. Daily consumption ranged from its lowest level - 23.67ML on Australia Day, to a peak of 27.2ML last Tuesday. Mr Franklin said the target consumption level under the new restrictions is 22ML a day. "Until we start pumping, Rous Water is not sure what is the maximum amount of water that can be drawn from the river, so it is best to be cautious," he said. "We have completed a successful test run the pumps, but we'll have to see how things go day-in-day-out, and how it effects the water level in the river. "Given the current climatic conditions, this could continue for some time, and the community needs to be prepared to buckle down a bit and minimise water use," he said. The new level 5 restrictions apply to residents in the Ballina, Byron, lower Richmond Valley and Lismore (excluding Nimbin) council areas, and have also affected Lismore pool, which can now only open eight hours a day. The pool will open 6-7.30am, 9.30am-3pm, 4-6pm weekdays, and 10am-6pm weekends. The free Lismore Lake Pool will be open 10am-6pm daily. The drought has also forced the Dept of Land and Water Conservation to suspend pumping in all of the Richmond catchment and its tributaries, except the Richmond River between Casino and the Wilsons River junction, which is limited to 12 hours per day, between 3pm and 8am. One Day Becomes a Lifetime
Terra Sword When long-time Casino resident Joan Newman was asked to fill in at the RSL Women's Auxiliary for an absent worker, she didn't expect to still be with the organisation 45 years later. Joan, who was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) on Australia Day, said she simply loved working with the Women's Auxiliary so much that she decided to stay. "I really didn't expect to keep working with the organisation, but once I was there I just didn't want to leave," said Joan, whose now 79. "Sometimes I think to myself that I should slow down and give some of the work away, but once I'm there I love it and I just want to keep working. It's become a part of my life." As well as being with the RSL Women's Auxiliary since 1958, Joan has also worked with the St Vincent de Paul Society for 36 years and has been a regular volunteer with the Australian Red Cross and Meals on Wheels. Joan has also been a member of the Casino and District Historical Society since 1984 (she's currently treasurer), and she has worked with the Casino and District Family History Society since its establishment in 1987. "I didn't ever expect anything like this - it's such a honour," Joan, Casino's 1994 Citizen of the Year, said. "You never expect accolades for simply doing what you feel is right, but that's not to say it isn't nice to know you're appreciated. The real satisfaction comes from helping other people and seeing them smile. That's the one thing I'll really miss when I have to give it away - that and the wonderful friends I've made. But then, I don't think I'm going anywhere for a while just yet."
'Slight Nick' a Brush with Death
Robin Osborne The Australia Day afternoon was so hot that when nurseryman Russell Taylor of Main Arm, near Mullumbimby, decided to water of his bougainvillea plants, he didn't think he'd need to wear boots. He slipped on sandals and took little notice when he felt a "slight nick" on his right ankle, continuing the watering for half an hour before walking up the hill to the house, about 500 metres away. Recalling the events from the place he would spend the next 36 hours - the Intensive Care Unit at Lismore Base Hospital - Mr Taylor said, "I remember getting dizzier, and by the time I made it home my lights were starting to go out. I yelled to my wife Phillipa, then lay down". "In fact you collapsed in front of us and were hardly breathing," said Phillipa Taylor, a response echoed by their daughters Teja, 25, and Sara, 15, who, unlike Mr Taylor, were fully conscious throughout the ensuing brush with death. The tiny fang marks, identified later as two strikes from a highly venomous Brown Snake, gave no indication of the seriousness of his condition. At the time, his family was unable to locate the injury site, let alone bandage it, and even two days later the wounds looked like little more than pin-pricks. The bites could have been fatal, but Teja was talked through a first aid procedure by a NSW Ambulance officer on a phone in distant Newcastle. "At one stage dad's breathing stopped altogether," Teja recalled, "and he was out for about 45 seconds, but by massaging his chest as directed, I was able to bring him around. "It's terrible that so few people know first aid," added Teja, who, as it happens, had booked to do a first aid course starting next week. "Everyone knows that Brown snake bites are bad, but this was a whole lot worse than you ever imagine," Teja said. "He was sweating, burning hot, and moaning, and then even stopped breathing. We really feared the worst. It was an absolute nightmare." Mr Taylor was transferred to Lismore Base, where, after experiencing an initial adverse reaction to the Brown Snake anti-venom, he was soon on the road to recovery, and keen to pass on an important lesson to local residents. "Never walk around without boots or decent shoes," he said, clearly regretting breaking his own rules. "I've always been careful to wear boots, and the first time I let my guard down, this happens. I was very lucky not to die," he said.
Lismore Knife AttackNaomi Louise Watkins, 22, of Lismore Lake Caravan Park, will appear in Lismore Local Court next week on charges of malicious wounding after stabbing her boyfriend in the thigh. The incident occurred around 12.50pm on Saturday during as domestic argument between the couple, who had both been drinking. Watkins made a full admission about the stabbing, which allegedly occurred after her boyfriend grabbed a knife, offered it to Ms Watkins, and said 'stab me'. The man was taken to Lismore Base Hospital, where he received three stitches. The matter was adjourned until February 4.
Ballina Knife AttackPolice are appealing for help to find a man involved in the malicious wounding of a 58-year-old Ballina man on Sunday. The man was walking through Fawcett Street Park around 6am when he approached a man fishing on the wharf. An argument ensued, and the victim was taken to Ballina Hospital with severe lacerations to the forehead, bruising and swelling to his right eye and other bruising. He was later released. The offender is described as a tanned Caucasian male with light brown hair, who left the scene of the incident riding a bike. Anyone with information should phone Police on 6681 8699.
Fire Bug CaughtPolice have charged an 18-year-old Jiggi man in relation to a small bushfire at Tyagarah. The incident occurred around 4.30pm last Saturday, when a witness noticed three men leaving the Tea Tree Lakes area. The witness then extinguished the fire, before following the men back to their car. Brunswick Heads Police were given registration details and a description of the men, leading to the man's arrest last Thursday. He has been charged with intentionally causing a fire and allowing it to spread. He will appear in Mullumbimby Local Court on February 19.
Local BushfireSeveral private properties were threatened by a bushfire burning in the Richmond Range National Park, northwest of Kyogle over the weekend. The fire, burning in inaccessible country between Toonumbar and Old Bonalbo, was believed to have started from a lightning strike on Sunday night. Rural Fire Service crews used back-burns and helicopter water drops to contain the fire, and brought it under control by Wednesday, although it continues to burn in the Sawpit Creek area. Local fire crews will continue to monitor the blaze throughout this week. Another fire is burning in the Findon Creek area.
Car FireA man was incinerated in his own car on Tuesday after an accident on the Ewingar Road near Tabulam. The man was driving his Holden station wagon west when it left the roadway and caught fire, killing the driver. A 39 year-old male passenger escaped the blaze, flagged down a passing motorist and raised the alarm. He was taken to Bonalbo Hospital with numerous cuts and abrasions.
Cancer Families Benefit from Fundraising
Robin Osborne Tracy McLean admits that when she first came through the doors of Lismore Base Hospital's Cancer Care and Haematology Unit (CCHU) she felt like vomiting - and she wasn't even reporting for treatment. Just two months after the passing of her husband, Graham, the Casino-born Australia Post worker and mother of two young girls remembered clearly the regular visits for treatment during the last six months of his life. "It was in mid-2002 and at the age of 41, my husband Graham had been diagnosed with cancer of the colon," Mrs McLean said. "The consequences seemed terrifying, and we were both literally nauseous at the prospect of even going inside." CCHU's nursing manager, Margaret Gorton-Weller, said patients and their families spend from six months up to a couple of years at the unit. "We get to know all about them, often developing such a close relationship that we almost feel part of their families," she said. When Tracy McLean revisited the unit last week with her daughters, Candice, 12, and Abbey, 10, they received a pleasant surprise - a family day pass to Sea World with overnight accommodation at the adjacent Nara Resort, provided by the newly-formed Patient Quality of Life Fund. The fund was set up by specialist and nursing staff to buy treats like entertainment passes, or a dinner out, and is being supported by donations from the community. "With an illness such as cancer, patients and their families tend to get on a 'treadmill of treatment', with their quality of life taking a back seat. Life revolves around chemotherapy, CT scans, blood tests and radiotherapy, and life can become quite overwhelming," Ms Gorton-Weller said. The Quality of Life Fund was kicked off with money raised by the dedicated members of Evans Head Bowling Club, who have donated a total of $27,000 to the CCHU over the past two years. A further $6,000 was raised by the local surf club in last September's surfboat row from Ballina. The funds are being used to purchase medical equipment and furniture to make life more comfortable for patients visiting for treatment. Some money also went into the Quality of Life Fund. "Community support for the unit has been tremendous," Ms Gorton-Weller said. "We have received recent donations from the residents of Lismore's Caroona units, local service clubs, and a range of individuals. Cancer is an illness that touches everyone in the community."
This week's features: Health and Beauty - Building and Home Decorating - Australian Day Awards 2003 - Local Businesses
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The
Northern Rivers Echo Main News
Local environmentalists John Corkill (left) and Dalian Pugh, who were both awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for their conservation work over the past 15-odd years. Photo: Jeff Dawson
Richmond Valley mayor Charlie Cox and OAM recipient Joan Newman, who also happens to be Charlie's cousin.
Brown snake bite survivor Russell Taylor of Main Arm with nurse Isabel McIntosh at Lismore Base Hospital's Intensive Care Unit on Tuesday.
Right: Revisiting Lismore's Cancer Care and Haematology Unit, Tracy McLean, with daughters, Candice, 12, and Abbey, 10, holds a photo of her late husband, Graham McLean. At rear, head nurse Margaret Gorton-Weller (left) and Pam Freeman of Evans Head whose husband John also died of cancer.