The Bangalow Herald

From the Editor

There is a quiet theme running through this month’s edition: movement.
The bees at Coorabell migrate and return, swarming and resettling as part of their natural cycle. A rescued figbird is lifted from a milk crate and carried from Byron to Bangalow and back into care. Families trace journeys ‘from all the lands on Earth’ to this small postcode we now share, documenting the passage of time.
But movement is not always gentle. Bangalow’s Jack and Sophia share their café journey in Burringbar, through disaster and back again, re-emerging in a new form. There is domestic upheaval too – whitegoods and weary dogs navigating the emotional geography of moving house. Council voted unanimously to pursue heritage recognition of a beloved civic space – the Bangalow Bowlo – to the relief of many concerned about its future.
Creators are also making all the right moves. Local theatre-makers redevelop and reimagine a work in collaboration with a Tony Award-winning writer, and on a smaller scale, former postmistress Joan Leeds moves from counter to comedy, transforming frustration into laughter.
Seasons shift, and gardeners anticipate the abundance of autumn, both edible and decorative. Our tastes have also undergone a transformation, with no- and low-alcohol options gaining popularity with both young and old.
Movement, in the pages of this month’s edition, is not always about leaving (although we acknowledge the hard work of Asren Pugh as he departs his role on Byron Council). It is about our capacity to appraise, adapt and continue, sometimes against the odds.
We move between roles, homes, identities, careers and interests. We carry memory forward – lessons learned, mistakes made – while making room for what comes next.
In Bangalow and beyond, we are always in motion. The question is not whether we move, but how – and who we move with.

Sally Schofield