If the floods shocked the community at large, they were devastating for those whose property was destroyed or damaged. Some Bangalow residents had more than 30cm of water come through their houses, damaging flooring, appliances and possessions, while others experienced flooding in under-

house storage rooms and workshops, with thousands of dollars’ worth of damage to tools and equipment.

As always, 2479 residents stepped up to help in the aftermath, putting in hours of work to clean, dry and help dispose of damaged goods. Friends, family and community members turned up with gloves, squeegees, fans and dehumidifiers, gurneys and wet/dry vacuum cleaners, along with much-needed sustenance in the form of tea, coffee, biscuits, brownies, sandwiches and pizza to fuel the workers.

The role of the Bangalow Resilience Network

During the Friday 13th flash flooding the Bangalow Resilience Network (BRN) worked alongside the community, using our training and equipment to help clean-up efforts on the ground and calling in support via social media, in particular the Bangalow Community and Beyond Facebook page.

With many of our members trained as Community Carers and Responders (CCRs), we were able to put our skills in emergency communications, first aid, psychological first aid and disaster resilience planning to use as we supported the emergency response. We were also able to draw on the wider regional network of trained CCRs through Plan C’s CCR WhatsApp group and Facebook page. Requests to this network were answered quickly and helped support the clean-up efforts with both hands-on and remote contributions.

“A dramatic and fast-moving weather event like this,” says the BRN’s Vice-President Jo Palser, “may not need a physical hub to facilitate coordination of helpers, like we had in 2022, but what we can do is to get the word out so that people affected by the disaster get the help they need as soon as possible.” The advantage of this approach is that it helps link up affected families with the exact equipment, or helpers with particular skills, that they need. Because every disaster is different, and people will quite often be affected in different ways in the same disaster, it can be really helpful to have a trusted source to spread the word.

“The BRN is connected to Council’s recovery team and the shire-wide network of resilience volunteers. This team activates in declared natural emergencies and other widespread severe events. The system relies on having local volunteers who are on the ground to gather information and others with mobile or internet connectivity to enable them to publish updates on Facebook where possible.”

The BRN wants to extend our network of volunteers to build up strong local communications across 2479 neighbourhoods, so we are well placed for any new events.

One silver lining of the event is increased community awareness about the risks of flooding in Bangalow, which many new arrivals have understandably assumed to be less at risk than other towns in the region. But as long-time locals know, parts of Bangalow such as Deacon St and the sports fields have always flooded. With climate change making rainfall events more intense and less predictable, it is likely that going forward we will experience flooding in places that have not flooded before. Indeed, the Friday 13th flooding took place just a week after the Byron Shire Council released a flood study on the town that warned of the risks to the town of both riverine and overland flooding. The fact that floodwaters could rise as quickly as they did after only several hours of intense rain, and in a much less dramatic ‘wet season’ than we’ve had in previous years, points to the unpredictability of the situation we are now facing.

We at the BRN extend our sympathy and best wishes to all those affected by the flooding, and our gratitude to those who took part in the community response. We hope that more community members will come and join us before the next disaster, or even make contact by sending us an email or following our Facebook page.

Who are the Bangalow Resilience Network?

We are a group of 11 financial members who live in the 2479 postcode, with a wider network of around 30 people on our mailing list.

Our goal is to empower Bangalow’s response to natural emergencies by being organised, sharing knowledge, creating strong connections and taking collaborative action.

In disasters, we aim to connect with people on the ground and keep the wider community informed through our Facebook page, reaching out to our wider networks (like the CCR network, the Byron Shire Community Hubs network and the Byron Shire Community Resilience Network) and our contacts at combat agencies such as the SES, RFS, Fire and Rescue NSW and the Byron Shire Council.

We draw on our relationships with local groups such as the CWA, Men’s Shed, Showground Committee, the Opp Shop and the Lions Club to help organise the volunteer disaster response and recovery, and have, over the past two and a half years, been slowly building an inventory of equipment including a generator, a Starlink unit with battery charger, plus 30 CB radios and three base stations.

However, our capacity to show up, gather information and communicate, and to liaise with our contacts is limited by our numbers, so please consider joining!

For more information or to be added to our emergency WhatsApp group (activated only in times of disaster), please send us an email at bangalowresiliencenetwork@gmail.com

Claire McLisky

Bangalow Resilience Network

Norths Collective has had two difficult trading years for a number of reasons – post-COVID impacts, cost-of-living crisis, lack of available discretionary spending, rising costs in all expense areas, changing entertainment preferences and pokies being on the nose (good!). The hospitality industry is generally struggling across the board, and Norths Collective is no different. However, they have reset and restructured in all key areas and are trading well in 2025, with high expectations of turning things around in fairly short order. They are most definitely not engaging in any further club mergers or acquisitions and understand that they need to focus on their existing assets. They intend to reduce bank debt by selling off a valuable Sydney asset and significantly improve cash flow in order to invest in the remaining group assets, including the Bangalow Bowlo.

Here’s the outcome of last night’s meeting:

The Draft Master Plan and Draft Development Application for the proposed major renovations for the Bowlo are on hold for the short to medium term – likely one to two years – and until their financial position has significantly improved to allow what will be a multi-million-dollar investment. They have five years following amalgamation – that’s until mid-2028 – to commence the major renovations, according to the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), and I think they will need all of that time to commence and complete the job. I advised them in no uncertain terms that Bangalow Bowlo members and, indeed, the Bangalow community are deeply unhappy with this outcome and that it’s most definitely not what we signed up for, despite what the MOU terms and conditions may state. They heard it loud and clear from me and well understand our acute concerns. They appear to be contrite and genuine. However, they are heavily capital-constrained, and it’s just not possible at this time. Most disappointing, given our high expectations in 2022. It’s a gut punch, for sure.

What will commence and mostly be completed in 2025 includes the following work items:

• Complete replacement of the bifold windows and doors in the auditorium, for both aesthetic and acoustic reasons (just completed in May 2025 – well done, Salvo!)
• Fresh painting of the property, including repairs to gutters and eaves
• Screening and clean-up of the under-veranda storage area
• Screening of the refrigeration unit located in the car park
• Repairs to outdoor shade sails
• New outdoor festoon lighting
• Upgrade of the audiovisual system to assist in the operation of functions, events and other promotional activities
• Repair and replacement of furniture items throughout the venue
• Make the pokie room less conspicuous – there are no plans to add more machines
• Install new television screens and related equipment

Norths Collective has appointed a new Group CEO and a new Group COO, both of whom are very experienced. I met with the new COO and he said he’d anonymously visited the Bangalow Bowlo last weekend just to have a look (he doesn’t commence until June 2025) and committed to sorting out the management and staffing issues as a priority. I advised him that our team members are distressed and confused and need immediate assistance and support.

On an interim basis, experienced staff will be redeployed from Tweed Heads Seagulls until a new GM for the Bowlo is appointed. They need to appoint a strong, experienced GM as soon as possible and sort out the spotty service problems – including better rostering, I advised.

My assessment is that Norths Collective will paddle along until their financial position improves and allows for the promised investments and building upgrades at the Bowlo to take place. I think they’ll get there – but we shall have to be patient, grrrr! I don’t believe that they have any grand plan to do anything other than run a licensed club at Bangalow, so please don’t be concerned that our much-loved club will turn into a block of flats overnight. We won’t let that happen, and my assessment is that it’s not on Norths Collective’s radar at all.

In the meantime, please support the Bowlo – eat, drink, play – that’ll help.

Greg ‘Nashy’ Nash

Photos Lyn McCarthy Niche Pictures

Cancer touches so many lives. Within our own CWA branch, a number of members have experienced cancer first-hand – either as patients or as carers. We’ve seen the strength it takes to face diagnosis and treatment, and the profound impact it has on families. That’s why this cause is close to our hearts.

While the Biggest Morning Tea is well known for raising funds for vital cancer research, we want to shine a light on the many other ways the Cancer Council supports Australians affected by cancer.

Every day, their services help real people in real ways. In 2021 alone, the Cancer Council provided over 29,000 transport trips and 33,000 nights of accommodation so people could get to treatment. They delivered more than 4,000 counselling sessions, and their resources were accessed over 250,000 times. Their support line (13 11 20) connected more than 38,000 people with experienced cancer nurses who offered guidance, compassion and care when it was most needed.

The Cancer Council’s work goes well beyond research. They provide financial, legal and workplace support, offer peer connection through programs like Cancer Connect, and ensure people in rural and regional areas can access services too. They’re also the largest non-government funder of cancer research in Australia, investing $51.7 million in 2021. And through campaigns like National Skin Cancer Action Week, they reached over 21 million Australians with life-saving SunSmart messages.

As a local organisation that believes in the power of community and kindness, we are proud to support this important cause. The Biggest Morning Tea is not just about raising money – it’s about raising awareness, creating connection, and reminding people that they are not alone.

We would love for you to join us. Come along, enjoy a cuppa, something delicious to eat, and a chat with neighbours – all while helping to support the Cancer Council’s incredible work.

Seats are limited, so we encourage the community to book early. Let’s come together to show our support, celebrate resilience, and help fund a future where fewer Australians are impacted by cancer.

Thursday 22 May, 10am-12pm | Moller Pavilion, Bangalow Tickets via Eventbrite

Bangalow CWA

(Also note: CWA Cake and Produce Stall – Saturday 31 May, 8am-12pm

Photos Lyn McCarthy Niche Pictures

Cricket was originally played at the show grounds, sharing the arena with the Hockey club and grazing cows. The cricket club would mow the infield around the wicket but the outfield was a mix of long grass and cow poo, not ideal for a game of cricket.

So by 1977 realising it was not fit for purpose, Shultzy, with the help of the Lions Club, called a public meeting in the RSL hall on Station Street and formed the Bangalow Sports Association.

The Holmes family owned a couple of paddocks behind the Bowlo. So Shultzy approached them about buying the paddocks in order to build a cricket field. So around the kitchen table over some tea and biscuits a deal was struck to purchase 12 acres for $40,000.

The Club secured a loan from the local bank manager, who was a cricket fan, and with the Lions Club guaranteeing the loan, the land was purchased.

Over the next year Shultzy, his wife Jan, her best friend Jan Hulbert and a cast of local identities held raffles, progressive dinners, debutante balls and even a couple of walkathons between Byron and Bangalow to raise money to pay back the loan.

Around this time Shultzy and a few mates got wind that the then Premier of NSW ‘Nifty’ Neville Wran was at a golf tournament in the Tweed Valley. So they jumped in their cars and headed up for an impromptu meeting. After a few beers and handshakes they left with a $24,000 grant!

With Shultzy being the local police sergeant, he had his ear to the ground and heard that Ballina council had some large earthmoving machinery arriving from Brisbane and managed to divert the drivers to Bangalow to practice on the machines before delivering them to Ballina. Over the course of a few weeks they cleared all the camphor laurel trees and levelled the paddocks.

A large pile of trees started to form where the tennis courts now are and as they were too large to burn they became a place of shade for all the locals who were helping clear rocks off the cleared land. Eventually this pile of trees turned into ‘The Camphor Laurel Club’ where a cleansing ale could be had at the end of the day for the workers.

The ground held its first cricket match on 8 June 1981 between Bangalow and Tintenbar. The large pine tree that is along the tree line in the north east corner of the field was donated by Alstonville Cricket Club on their first visit to the grounds. Shultzy was an opening batsman and wicket keeper. His batting average was around 40 with a top score of 124 N.O. in a game against Ballina. He retired from the police force in 1981 and still lives in Bangalow with Jan.

Howard Zatt

By the age of 15, I was straight into second grade senior cricket. I batted at number 8, and by 16, I was opening the bowling.

In 1995, Bangalow, Byron, and Mullumbimby-Brunswick combined to form a first grade team. Bangalow had two representatives in the team, Mark McLean and myself. We were 18 years old, a left- and right-arm opening combination forming a lethal fast-bowling duo. We loved the contest against the best batters from the other teams. By 1999, I had hit my first 100, but the combined first grade team folded, so I found myself back at Bangalow, playing second grade with my mates.

Around this time, the legendary Robert Parks re-joined Bangalow and captained our team. He was the toughest cricketer I ever encountered, never took a backward step, and expected 110% from everyone when you played for Bangalow. This instilled in us the confidence and spirit that led to Bangalow winning three consecutive premierships in 2005, 2006, and 2007.

Winning those three premierships in a Rob Parks-led side was probably the highlight of my cricketing career. As a mentor, Rob has had the most influence on how I play the sport: ‘Take on the challenge and never give up.’

Anthony Maxwell, the president of the club for the last 20 years, has also been a rock for me and the club. He has steered the club through many tough times and got it to where it is today—four junior teams, three senior teams, and a strong Blast program bringing the young kids from Bangalow Public School and other local schools through.

More recently, I have had the opportunity to see my son Yuvraj rise through the junior system at Bangalow and play grade with me. It is indeed a special feeling being able to play a competitive sport with your child, take a catch off his bowling, bat in partnership with him, and enjoy success through our love of cricket and the mighty Bangalow Cricket Club.

Volunteers operating the Bangalow Historical Society rooms are often asked who lived around here before white settlement, and where they lived. While it is well known that there were seaside camps around Byron Bay and inland in the Lismore area, far less is known about the area we now know as Bangalow 2479.

An article by geographer and academic D.N. Jeans, from The University of Sydney, describes what was going on before 1861, when Sir John Robertson’s Crown Lands Alienation Act came into being. ‘When a piece of country was wanted for private ownership and alienation from the Crown, a government surveyor made a plan of the portion to be alienated,’ it explains in his chapter in the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service book, Rainforest Remnants.

So the Crown owned everything, until the land was surveyed and could be purchased from the Crown, a process called “alienation”. The original “portion plans” are kept in the Plan Room at the Lands Department in Sydney, appropriately numbered. Not only do these portion plans refer to land of a particular size, they also ‘contain information about vegetation at the time of alienation’, D.N. Jeans explained. (Before the land was officially documented in this way, it may well have been settled by squatters – but that’s another story.)

By 1864 the Crown issued new instructions to its surveyors. Not only did they have to mark the corner trees around each plan they identified, they also had to mark ‘the boundaries of swamps, forests, plains, lands liable to inundations…the geological and mineralogical character of lands surveyed, the suitability for towns, for cultivation and building purposes, the supply of water and indigenous produce as timber, grass etc’, the same chapter reveals. After 1864, the surveyors’ descriptions included the names of tree species, and commented on soils.

You may have heard that at the time of settlement, the Big Scrub covered 75,000 hectares. In The Big Scrub Rainforest – a Journey Through Time, there’s a description of this land of the Bundjalung people, who ‘held a belief that the land belonged to them, and they belonged to it’.

‘The Big Scrub was a unique feature of the Bundjalung Country, which stretches south to the Clarence River, north to Beaudesert, and west to the Great Dividing Range’, it reads in that book. ‘The natural features and landforms that formed their Country, including the Big Scrub, were understood to be the creation of their Dreamtime ancestors. Bundjalung people’s relationship with the landscape was cyclical, shaped in accordance with seasonal changes and renewal. This contrasted with the thinking of the Europeans, who believed that mankind was on a forward trajectory of linear progress’.

While we may not have found out specifically where in 2479 the Bundjalung people of this time lived, writings of early European surveyors and settlers clearly documented what food was available. ‘The Big Scrub harboured an incredible diversity of plant and animal life that was hunted and gathered, by Bundjalung people for food and other needs’, it continues in that book. ‘This comprised nuts and berries, roots and fruit. Forestdwelling animals included snakes and birds. Possums provided pelts for body coverings, and vines, rushes and grasses the material for bindings, baskets and bags. Creeks and streams were a critical source of fresh water, as well as sustaining tortoises and other creatures, also hunted. Waterfalls, highpoints and other landforms and features scattered throughout the Big Scrub landscape embodied cultural stories that tell of the interconnectedness of the landscape and all that lived upon it.’

The Bangalow Historical Society is producing a short film with Delta Kay, from Explore Byron Bay. Delta takes tours of the land around the Bangalow Museum, Piccabeen Park, in which she points out edible bush tucker plants, and plants used for natural medicine, jewellery, fibre, tools and weapons. The film will reflect information shared in her tours.

The Uncovering our Past exhibition opens 21 September at the Bangalow Historical Society Museum, corner Ashton and Deacon Streets, Bangalow. It will feature beautiful line drawings of native plants and animals found in the area, drawn by Andy Erskine and Dailan Pugh, some of which will be for sale. Check out Bangalow Historical Society Facebook page for details.

“The Community Transport Company (TCTC) was advertising on the radio, so I decided to check them out and see what their expectations were,” she says.

TCTC is a not-for-profit organisation that helps people who are unable to use public transport to maintain their independence and quality of life by helping them get out and about. The drivers are mainly volunteers, and transport is provided in hybrid cars or comfortable minibuses, most of which are equipped with lifts for easy access.

“There were a few hoops to jump through— police check, medical, first aid course— but TCTC covers the cost of all these requirements. After a demonstration run with Joan, a Fernleigh driver who generously and happily volunteers for TCTC three days per week, I was on my own,” she says. TCTC provides a range of door-to-door transport services for medical appointments, visiting family and friends, and social and recreational outings. There is a cost for the service, but the fees are very affordable. For example, a return trip from Bangalow to Byron Bay is $20, to Ballina $35, and to Tweed Heads $50.

Frail and aged people 65 and over should register and be approved by My Aged Care. This will enable clients to access a subsidised rate of transport. Passengers under 65 years can register directly with the office on 1300 875 895.

Carolyn, who volunteers on Mondays, says it is her favourite day of the week. She enjoys meeting different people and hearing their life stories. Her passengers are always appreciative of the volunteers’ service.

“Driving for TCTC is one of the best jobs I’ve ever had. I like driving, but the thing that makes it most rewarding is the clients. It could be a short trip down the road for their weekly catch-up with friends or a trip to the movies, but for some, you are the only person they’ve seen in several days, and it’s an opportunity for them to have a chat. Most have a story or two to tell, and most are happy to tell it. I have a couple of regulars who, while we’ve sat next to each other for an extended journey, have shared some of their incredible life stories,” she says.

Carolyn’s long commitment to community volunteering began when she had young children and joined the parent committees of pre-schools, then school P&C, and school council. She was also actively involved in the now sadly disbanded Bangalow Chamber of Commerce for 20-odd years, serving as treasurer, secretary, president, and a Billycart Derby volunteer.

“I can only attribute my love of volunteering to my parents who, despite having five children (or because of it), always had time to give to others. I mention this because there is a very clear connection between what we saw as children and the present day, where all five of my siblings volunteer in some capacity,” she says.

More volunteers are needed in the Bangalow, Ballina, and Byron Bay areas. To find out more, contact The Community Transport Company on 1300 875 895 or email admin@community-transport.org.au You can also visit their website at communitytransport.net.au

“I think a lot of people were told, when they were kids, ‘oh, stop it … you’re singing flat,’ or urghh you’re out of tune, maybe you should mime?’ But it’s just not true. In becoming a Natural Voice Leader I’m reminded of the vitality and uniqueness of our voice and to celebrate each voice, however it shows up, wherever it’s placed, whatever it sounds like… it’s your birthright to use it. I get goosebumps just talking about the power of that.

I love performing but I’m also deeply passionate about sharing the fact that we’ve all got a voice and we can use it. It was the inspiration for both the Shire Choir and the Singing Circle, a one-hour weekly session for women that I’ve been leading for five years. We gather and express ourselves, learning songs from around the world; lots of rounds, lots of harmonies, improvisation and exploration, trying out different colours and textures. the palette of the voice and the different shades that we can use.

Shire Choir is such a lot of fun. Usually because alcohol is involved. Well, it is held at the pub! But really, it’s such an uplifting community event. So non-threatening, so joyous. You’re in a room full of other people, just like you, there are no solos and you can’t actually hear your own voice in the mass of the collective voice. It’s safe and I think people love the experience of just using their voice in a big room of other humans. It’s a pop-up so whoever is in the room is the choir. We choose songs that you probably know from your own back catalogue, rock and pop songs that are familiar. We arrange each song into three parts and make it our own.

It’s all about community. That notion is really important to me actually, because I’ve been so supported by the local community. I feel like the Choir is a beautiful giving back, a really nourishing interaction, because I’m getting so much from it too. What I understand from people who come along is that it’s a great reason for them to be with other people with a connecting common purpose and to just enjoy themselves.

We’ve just received a grant from Byron Shire Council for a ‘Community Feel Good Tour’ with the idea of uplifting our community post floods. It’s so good that Council recognises the value and the power of singing together. We’ll be backed by a live band, the Birrell Bros and we performed at Eureka Hall and Newrybar Hall in September, with dates at Coorabell Hall and the Brunswick Picture House in October, and it will all be free. So, it’s really exciting that we can do this for the community.

I’m also loving an extension of The Shire Choir that we’ve created called Sounds of the Shire Choir. It emerged because we did this dynamic collaboration with DJ Groove Terminator at the Byron Music Festival. He works with the Soweto Gospel Choir and he told us he wanted something like that. I’m like, ‘Well, we’re not the Soweto Gospel choir, but we are a great collection of local voices.’ We performed a medley of five songs while he was live DJing. That was a brilliant experience. We closed the recent Cabaret BanGala with one of the songs Love is in the Air by John Paul Young.

Besides the Choir work, I recently co-wrote the musical score for the Spaghetti Circus show Monumental at the Brunswick Picture House, with an amazing musician called Sue Simpson. I learned a lot from her, she’s really incredible. I loved the buzz of performing every night and how I had to stretch myself as a musician and collaborator. I play piano, guitar and sing but for Monumental I had a triangle solo (!) and I played percussion which I’d never done before. Performing alongside trapeze artists was a first for me. We’re hoping to remount the show next year for the National Circus Festival.

There’s also a murmur about a return season of New Blood the musical. Five of us (Anouska Gammon, Joel Cooper, Mikey Bryant, Elodie Crowe and myself) wrote a musical from scratch which was a pretty bold thing to do. We had sold out seasons locally and we were invited to perform at the Adelaide Fringe. I feel that it’s a really powerful work that speaks particularly to people who live around here. It’s all about development and progress and being local and belonging, and what it means to be part of a community.

And then there’s The Gumboots, which is an original band entertaining kids and their adults led by me with Elodie Crowe and Ben Cox. We played at Little Splendour and a few other local festivals. It’s a three piece and we’re all wearing gumboots, of course. We perform funny songs about cockroaches and leeches and ticks and fire engines, songs that I’m getting a big hit of satisfaction out of as a writer and performer, because I love playing with lyrics. And I get to play guitar. An electric guitar!

shirechoir.com.au

Feature image

Melia Naughton getting into character Photo Hamish McCormick Carnival Cinema

The NSW Government set up the NRRC to manage the rebuilding of flood-impacted communities following the disastrous 2022 floods that devastated the Northern Rivers. Our community was already in a housing crisis before the floods, with Byron Council declaring a ‘housing emergency’ in April 2021. The floods and population movement due to COVID simply made the situation worse.

What is happening with housing?

Our wider community is battling the scourge of homelessness. While the official numbers have not yet been released, The Herald understands that the latest Homelessness Street Count conducted by the NSW Government has seen the Byron Shire overtake the City of Sydney as the local government area with the most rough sleepers in NSW. A distressing honour for such a small shire.

We have all seen the impact in Bangalow, with many people sleeping in cars in different places around town. Fletcher Street Cottage in Byron Bay, which provides services for rough sleepers like showers and social support, reported a 30% increase in usage over the year to April 2023.

According to Homelessness NSW, the rental vacancy rate in Byron Shire, at 1.2%, is lower than the NSW average and over half of households are experiencing ‘rental stress’. Our Shire also has higher average rents and lower average incomes than NSW as a whole. Put these things together, along with over 8% of properties being used for Short Term Holiday Letting, and you have a real housing crisis.

This crisis is having impacts right across our community, with many long-time locals forced to move out of the area and kids having to move away from their schools, friends and support networks. Local businesses are finding it hard to get the critical and essential workers they need.

Members of Arakwal have said that the biggest issue is housing and the lack of ability for the First Nations people of this land to live on their own country.

What does the strategy say?

The Resilient Lands Strategy has been drafted to identify areas for new, flood-free housing. Unfortunately, the draft strategy is light on when it comes to details. So what do we actually know?

• Overall, it has identified 7,800 housing sites for short-term development across the six Northern Rivers council areas – Lismore, Kyogle, Tweed, Byron, Ballina and Richmond Valley. The vast majority of these new sites are in Lismore, which makes sense, given that’s where the floods had the most impact.
• There is $100 million in funding to implement the strategy across the region to pay for infrastructure, planning, social and affordable housing, and land purchasing.
• There are two short-term sites identified in Byron Shire – one near Bangalow (340-500 homes) and one on Saddle Road (530-800 homes), near the Brunswick Heads turnoff. There is a second medium-term site identified on Lismore Road near Bangalow.
• Any rezoning of land around Bangalow would be subject to council’s 20% Affordable Housing Contribution Scheme. This means 20% of the house blocks, or their equivalent value, will be handed to council for affordable housing.

The strategy also identifies the need for more diverse housing, with over 75% of houses across the region being detached with three or more bedrooms. This is the most expensive type of housing. It could mean including ‘build to rent’ homes that create a permanent set of rental homes for essential workers or having higher density in parts, with smaller townhouses.

What is ‘Social and Affordable Housing’?

Both the state and federal Governments run many different housing schemes. Some of them build, own and run their own housing, other schemes contract out housing to NGOs like North Coast Community Housing and other schemes, usually more controversial, provide incentives (like higher density) for private developers to offer below-market rent for a number of years. These different definitions and schemes cause confusion and misunderstandings about exactly what kind of affordable housing is being built and how long it will last.

Social housing is usually only available for those on very low incomes, or government support, and residents only pay a portion of their income on rent.

Affordable housing targets a wider range of essential workers, those on middle incomes for whom paying market rent is impossible. Under council’s Affordable Housing Contribution Scheme, council will get to determine how it is implemented. This means the community will have a real say on the type of affordable housing built. We can make it affordable housing that lasts into the future.

What happens next?

With its lack of any detail about the specific site in Bangalow, it is hard to know what it means for our town. New housing is needed if we are going to even make a dent in the housing crisis and Bangalow will have to make its contribution. But at the moment, there are more questions than answers about this project. What will up to 500 new houses mean for Bangalow? What will the social outcomes of this project be, will it create housing that is more affordable and help ease the housing crisis? Or will it just create more expensive big blocks for wealthy people to buy?

Will there be enough funding to upgrade our infrastructure? What will it mean for traffic and the size of our public school? Much of the land around Bangalow is Regionally Significant Farmland. Can part of the site be used for market or community gardens to maintain our food security? How can we ensure that there is enough green space maintained and rehabilitated? How many people who lost their homes in the floods will be able to move into new homes?

This draft strategy is only the start of a long process including community consultation which is open until July 14. You can make a submission by emailing info@nrrc.nsw.gov.au. Following the exhibition period, feedback will be reviewed and considered before the release of a final Resilient Lands Strategy.

Asren Pugh

All the thrills and spills of the day captured by Lyn McCarthy – Niche Pictures

Bangalow Lions Club thanks all of our sponsors, supporters, volunteers and Bangalow families and community for ensuring the success of the 2023 Bangalow BillyCart Derby.

Gloriously sunny day, fantastically friendly fun community vibe,  happy families and kids, smiling faces, great billycart racing, top job by Bangalow Public School P&C Pit Stop crew and terrific work by all of our volunteers made for one of the best BillyCart Derbys ever. Special mentions must go to Principal Sponsor Summerland Credit Union, Major Sponsors GNF Real Estate Bangalow, Kennard’s Hire Byron Bay, Ace Ohlsson Bangalow, and The Bowlo Bangalow as well as our Community Partners Bangalow Men’s Shed, Byron Shire Rebels Rugby Club, Bangalow CWA & Bangalow Hotel. Big shout out to all of our community volunteers that helped out with hay bales, fencing, racetrack marshalling and other activities. Couldn’t do it without you all and we are very grateful. Finally, huge thank you to our wonderful Bangalow Lions Club Members for your great commitment to our community, top job. Proud of y’all. Let’s do it all again next year. Cheers everyone!

Nashy – President, Bangalow Lions Club