Profile

Sally Schofield speaks to Bangalow triathlete Claire O’Meara about her recent Ironman Australia success in Port Macquarie.

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 spoke with her to learn more.

Sally Schofield chatted with Uniting Church minister Rev. Phil Dokmanovic about music and ministering.

This year’s Governor General’s Honours List sees the appointment of Bangalow CWA’s Social Justice Officer, Rhonda Ansiewicz, as a Member of the Order of Australia (AM). Georgia Fox sat down with her to learn of an incredible lifetime of selfless service. Rhonda Ansiewicz was so conflicted at the news she was being recognised for her 40 years of social activism,…

Bangalow-based sculptor Ben Hellewell recently wrapped his first solo exhibition, Where Movement and Stillness Collide. Created mostly from assembled driftwood, it’s a body of work that represents the deeply personal journey Ben has been on since the course of his life changed four years ago. He’d lived in the Shire for about a year, led here on an “expansive journey”…

You’ve probably heard the mantra: Dance like nobody’s watching. Well, what about: dance like 300,000 people are watching? Bangalow’s Caroline Ralph is about to discover just what that feels like as she heads to Rio de Janeiro to dance in the world-famous Carnival, writes Sally Schofield.

Long time Bangalow resident, Jit Chong, is a community pharmacist. In September, he opened The Little Dispensary in Brunswick Heads. It is one of very few pharmacies between Coffs Harbour and the Gold Coast to exclusively dispense medicinal cannabis products. Here he speaks with Christobel Munson.

Melia Naughton is a busy woman. She sings, acts, composes and plays music. Melia has her finger in many creative pies around the Shire. Here she tells Lyn McCarthy all about her current projects and her very first triangle solo.

“I have no other reason to be here, other than I care about the viability of Australia’s wildlife,” says Coorabell resident Delvene Delaney, who’s in the middle of one of her many volunteer sessions at the Byron Bay Wildlife Hospital at Knockrow.

Dave Eastwell manages farms at Possum Creek. A motor mechanic by trade with a broad range of skills, he can fix and repair things. He’s got a good seat on a horse and well understands livestock. Quietly spoken, with a ready smile, he grew up on a cattle property on the Darling Downs. He can turn his hand to just…

When you think about it, rubbish bins are an essential part of life. Humans are consumers of products that create waste. Where would we be without our red bin, green waste, and recycling bins? We’d be neck deep in rubbish, ‘burning off’ or making regular runs to the tip! It’s not a question one would often stop to ponder, but…