Local elections are well and truly over. And what an interesting and sometimes vicious time it was. Talk about out with the old and in with the new! Lismore now has a (mostly) new and fresh council guided by a forward thinking, sympathetic and pro active mayor - congratulations to Jenny Dowell who ran a great campaign and worked long and hard to win the mayoral position. Congrats must also go to our own Dave Yarnall from The Channon who also earned a well deserved place on council. Dave will be our only rural representative (I don’t count ‘the puppy in training’ who doesn’t live in the Lismore Shire) and has big shoes to fill with David Tomlinson’s retirement. He’ll do a smashing job I’m sure.
Hardie’s Development Update
Prior to the elections, all new councillors were briefed by The Dunoon Community Group regarding Hardie’s development proposal. They all made encouraging sounds - but we’ll see what happens when it’s brought before council. Council staff will brief the new council at a workshop before a vote is taken at an ordinary meeting. At time of printing the Gazette, the date of the workshop had not been set as council staff have requested more information from Hardies and they were yet to receive a reply. Therefore, senior council staff have told us that the DA will not be going to the ordinary council meeting in October. Even though proceedings were put on hold because of the caretaker period during the local elections, The Dunoon Community Group have been hard at work corresponding with various government departments and seeking legal advice to support our arguments.
Barry Griffin
Barry Griffin passed away on 19th August after a long illness. For many years he was an active member in all sorts of aspects of the Dunoon community especially the fire brigade, and he will be sadly missed. His funeral at the Catholic Church in Dunoon was well attended and the Dunoon Fire Brigade along with representatives from Tullera and Alphadale brigades were asked by Barry’s family to form a guard of honour. The Dunoon Fire brigade truck led the cortege to Dunoon cemetery. Barry would’ve been pleased. Please see pgs 6 & 7 for a tribute to Barry.
Dunoon Dam
The Rous Water forum held at Dunoon Sports Club on Tuesday 19th August drew a concerned crowd of over 100 locals. Much heated debate was held regarding the viability of the dam and the environmental destruction it’s construction would cause. A stake holders meeting was held in Lismore 2 days later and it was decided that Rous Water would investigate more eco friendly alternatives before beginning construction on the dam. This will be an ongoing discussion and we will report on more updates as they arise. Well done to all those who attended proving that communities can alter decisions and make a difference.
Editors Position
Talking about out with the old and in with the new - I’ve been tapping away for 3 years now as editor of the Gazette, and I think it’s about time for a change.
3 years is long enough for one person and, apart from growing work commitments, I think a new editor with fresh ideas and fresh eyes is required. It’s easy to become complacent after being involved for so long and I’d hate for the Gazette to become stale and same old same old. I’m no computer wizz and had only a basic knowledge of desktop publishing, but thanks to the help of people like Alex at PowerMax, my friend Paul from Time Inc. and our own Mez from Dunoon, I muddled through. The Gazette is now in a strong position financially. I have upped the print run 20%, and our book size has increased on a regular basis, a creative and interested community contribute all of the content and the distribution now covers a wider area than ever before - and the website is going great guns. So, if you’re up for it, give me a ring and I’ll let you know what’s involved. I’ll certainly be around to help and to answer any questions the new person may have.
Paula McDougall