Richmond Valley Notes

with Therese Schier

North Woodburn poo poos boundary

Seems like North Woodburn residents don't much care which council area they belong to, as long as they get their toilets sewered. Sewerage, or the lack of it, was the issue that dominated the recent meeting held by Lismore and Richmond Valley councils to discuss possible boundary adjustments to move the community from Lismore to Richmond Valley council area.

With stories of grey water languishing in open drains reminiscent of a third world country and with hopes of an imminent connection to the Evans Head sewerage dashed yet again, Lismore Council can only offer residents advice on water management. The results of a survey on the boundary adjustment will be available shortly.

Library launches ahead

It's all systems go at Casino Library, the headquarters of the Richmond-Upper Clarence Regional Library with a newly acquired state of the art mobile library stocked and on the road this week, and the launching of a Legal Information Access Centre (LIAC).

The LIAC is a comprehensive collection of legal information ranging from pamphlets to legal toolkits, law books, and a website. Staff have been trained to assist people access the information that is right for them.

Also on Wednesday MLC Amanda Fazio presented librarian Gary Ellem with two NSW Government grants. The first for $30,882 will be used to purchase and promote Australian fiction at the library.

"It's a great opportunity for us to build up our Australian authors for adult, teenagers and children's literature and we'll be organizing promotional visits by authors during the year," Mr. Ellem said.

And finally the library received a grant for $7,611 to develop the library's 'Books Alive – Storytelling Resources for Bookworms' pre-school program.

Council mentor Koori

Casino resident Jon Bell, has been selected as the first Aboriginal person to be mentored by Richmond Valley Council.

Jon will have the opportunity to learn more about the workings of council with a view to possibly standing for election as a councillor. Mayor Charlie Cox will "walk Jon through" council business papers and Cr Don Harvey will sit with Jon during meetings. Jon, who is a budding filmmaker, returned to Casino last year and is currently coordinating the Jambama Art Shed.

Casino Art Centre

Peter Gallo's vision for a Casino Art Centre moved another step closer to realisation with the staging of the Centre's first exhibition of art and sculpture by local high school students this week. The works, some of which made comment on topical issues including detention centres, along with the use of the latest digital photographic technology, impressed guests who attended the official opening on Monday.

Great to see some art on display in Casino and with the imminent launch of the Visitor Centre Art Gallery locals and visitors will finally have somewhere to exhibit and view artwork.

Primary kids study high schol

Year 6 kids getting ready for the often scary move from primary school to high school are being assisted by an innovative program developed by Kimberlii Austen and Sue Haynes at Evans River K-12. Titled "On the Move", the program consists of a video, CD Rom, illustrated booklet and diary, and has attracted orders from around Australia.

"Transition packs have been around for a while," Kimberlii said. "But this is the first time a visual element has been used." Parents wishing to borrow the video can contact call Sue Haynes on 6682 2264, or Maria Walsh on 6682 5834.

Casey's the face of the show

Casey Saunders, Miss Casino Showgirl 2003, calls herself s a "town girl" and knew she had to hone her farming knowledge to win the crown.

Casino-born Casey now has the rural bug and wants to learn even more about Casino and its industries.

"I'm even going to learn to ride a horse!" she said.

"I've got ideas and I want to get involved with the community," she said. "And to further develop and promote the show."

The Show finished with a bang from fireworks and Show Society President Martin Maloney said the new format of the Casino show made the day a big a success.