This month’s edition is a celebration of collaboration as we dive into stories that show what can be achieved when people work
together.
Organising events like the annual Bangalow Show takes a lot of time, effort, and the energy of countless individuals - many of them volunteers. The Lions Club, celebrating their 50th birthday this year, is famous for stepping in when the community needs them. Their motto, 'We Serve', is testament to this commitment.
Collaboration is not a new concept. Just ask Brian Shultz, who, in 1977, rallied cricket-loving locals (including the Bangalow Lions) to raise funds—through raffles, debutante balls, and walkathons - to build what is now Shultz Oval on a couple of old paddocks behind the Bowlo. Taking community collaboration to a wonderfully aspirational level, this month you can also read about Jindibah on Fowlers Lane. Thirty years ago, a group of like-minded people began transforming this former dairy farm into an intentional community. Now a lush sanctuary for 12 households, the residents are committed to restoring the land and cooperatively managing some 90 rural acres - a meaningful example in world of climate change that is also facing a lack of affordable housing.
Speaking of collaboration, we also introduce you to your new team of Councillors at Byron Shire Council and learn more about how they will work together (and with you and me) to get things done in our community. The Council is also calling for submissions for its Disability Inclusion Action Plan for 2025-2029. If you have a disability or mental health condition, or care for someone who does, please visit the Council website to share your feedback and ideas.
Finally, the upcoming Dis-co Ball, presented by Sprung Dance Theatre at the A&I Hall, is the ultimate celebration of inclusivity and creativity, showing us how collaboration can make a difference for everyone.
Sally Schofield
Sally Schofield caught up with local forager Peter Hardwick and his partner Mee Hee Douglas to find out more about eating wild.
2024 marks the 50th anniversary of the Cater family’s Rug Shop – the last 23 years of which have been spent enriching the main street of Bangalow. Georgia Fox spoke… Read more: The human element
Sally Schofield speaks to Bangalow triathlete Claire O’Meara about her recent Ironman Australia success in Port Macquarie.
Angela Saurine meets the founder of Bunny Racket ahead of the release of the band’s first recording in three years.
Programming a literary event such as the Byron Writers Festival (BWF) is a little like weaving, says the festival’s new artistic director, Jessica Alice.
Claire Oelrichs OAM has recently returned from a trip to Ukraine as part of her ongoing involvement with a grassroots initiative supporting the fight against the Russian invasion. Georgia Fox… Read more: From Coopers Shoot, with Love