Or would you?

The photo above was taken at midday, on a clear, warm late spring day in October when the club should have been in full swing.

But, as of the morning of Friday 24 October, the Bangalow Bowling Club abruptly ceased operation, shut up shop, and advised patrons of its closure via laminated signs at the entrances.

Perhaps this approach to sharing such significant news is unsurprising, given the club — under its Norths Collective stewardship — had become renowned for poor member communication (not to mention its failure to action, in a timely manner — or at all — a number of promises made in their Memorandum of Understanding).

Club managers arriving for today’s shift were asked to hand over their keys. The Advisory Committee, set up to liaise between Norths and the legacy club committee, were emailed advising of the closure.

The content of this email has not been made public, but it is thought to cite the causes of the sudden closure as building compliance and safety issues, ongoing substantial financial losses over a period of years, and the improbability of the club’s continued operation as a result.

Addressing long-standing building compliance issues was perhaps the number one selling point from Norths Collective in its overtures to the formerly community-owned club leading up to the amalgamation. Anyone can see there has been limited significant work done to remedy any of these issues. The tap in the women’s toilet still leaks.

A “services no longer required” email was also sent to floor and bar staff, with as little as two hours’ notice before the start of a scheduled shift.

In June this year, we reported that strongly pro-amalgamation club member Greg Nash was so alarmed by the lack of progress and transparency within the operation that he took himself to the Norths Collective AGM in Sydney to ask some hard-hitting questions. He returned from the meeting with a to-do list, and a few tasks (bi-fold windows, new auditorium doors, and clearing out the under-deck storage area) were completed — but not without substantial time and effort from community volunteers. (The extensive requirement of such volunteer support proved to be yet another unmet promise post-amalgamation.)

These small wins suggested to the community that perhaps plans to re-enliven the venue were getting back on track after months of frustrating delays. But under this veneer of improvement, things were quietly going south.

Following the June AGM, Norths Collective appointed a new CEO and COO, resulting in the departure of two key figures in the Bangalow amalgamation deal.

The original amalgamation plans and process divided the town, with resistance group Keep the Bowlo Local pleading the case for community ownership and operation. As we know, the deal went through regardless, and now the town is once again divided between sentiments of “what a tragedy” and “I told you so.”

This rhetoric does little for the now-suddenly unemployed staff — particularly those with outstanding pay who are rightly concerned that monies owing may not be forthcoming. The sudden turn of events is also highly dispiriting for local young people who are clearly ambitious, creative, and willing to take risks, as demonstrated through their efforts with the club signage immediately following the closure.

In true local spirit, other venues have reached out to affected staff members.

Matt Rabbidge from the Mosey on Inn Group, which runs the Eltham Hotel, has taken to social media to advise of a number of hospitality roles available within their team for former Bowlo staff who now find themselves jobless. He is “bitterly disappointed” at the news. The Lennox Bowling Club and The Park Hotel at Suffolk Park have also quickly suggested that some roles may be available.

Other community comments have been far less restrained — and fair enough. “Utterly disgraceful,” and “What the f*ck?” are among the few publishable sentiments to emerge immediately following the announcement.

Nashy reached out Norths Management via email with a subject line “Dishonourable bastards” calling out their “cowardly gutless withdrawal” not what was promised. Concerned locals are once again rallying to get answers in order to understand what this sudden closure means for the future of the club. The club was not available for comment.

For an organisation whose social media profile declares, “We exist to bring people together,” Norths Collective has done an awful lot to tear people apart.

Sure, the community had a couple more years of the club’s doors being open (again, another selling point in their push for amalgamation), but the club’s position now is no better than before the amalgamation. In fact, it’s probably worse.

Sally Schofield

The name of the breed, British Whites, contains two fundamental strands of their story: a Northern Hemisphere heritage, and white hair, which makes them very well suited to the harsh Australian climate. Currently there are about 800 British White stud cattle registered across the country and the breed remains on the Rare Breed Trust ‘At Risk’ list in Australia.

Heritage is the key word: British Whites are one of the oldest breeds of cattle native to the United Kingdom, meaning they have a broader range of genetic characteristics than most of the varieties commonly farmed in Australia. As a consequence, they are robust and resilient, non-selective grazers that produce marbled beef on pasture alone. They were traditionally a dual-purpose breed, good for both milk and beef, and high-quality milk means healthy, well-grown calves.

There are about 55 farmers registered in Australia to help to conserve them. They range from devoted stud breeders to hobbyists, and their enchantment with the breed is remarkable.

Among them is director and company secretary of the British White Cattle Society of Australia, Dierdre Mikkelson. Following a successful corporate career and early retirement, Dierdre’s youthful hankering for a career in agriculture was re-ignited when she and her husband Earle bought a small block 10 years ago at Eltham. Her new life as a farmer launched her onto a steep learning curve: animal husbandry, pasture Cattle and a rare breed of farmer development, soil science, biology, botany, entomology and chemistry.

Wanting to put their land to meaningful use, Dierdre set her sights on establishing a stud herd of heritage cattle to be raised within a regenerative farming model. British Whites’ rarity, attractive appearance and docile temperament were the deciding factors for her when choosing the breed. “They are the most amazingly calm, lovely cattle and yes, we get emotionally attached to them,” she says.

She admits that as a hobbyist she is “by no means a proper farmer”,and hates it when she has to part with an animal. She is, however, hard-nosed when it comes to breeding quality stud stock and promoting British Whites as a viable commercial breed – most likely in niche markets such as paddock to plate, regenerative and hobby farms, or bulls for northern Australian breeding programs.

Dierdre’s introduction to British Whites was through Society president Lindsay Murray, of Dingo Lane Farms, and she bought her first three “girls” from him – Josie, Carmen and Ettie.

Farming got real when the three were old enough to ‘join’ with a bull and nine months later she and Earle had their first experience of calving; it was challenging, as she failed to heed the vet’s warnings to not let the heifers get too fat. Even tougher land-care lessons followed, with additional acreage the couple bought near Lismore going under water in the 2022 floods, and twice after, resulting in water-logged soil, followed by pasture dieback at their Eltham property. The experience strengthened Dierdre’s interest in regenerative agriculture – with its focus on soil health, energy, water cycles and species diversity.

“The more I learn about commercial agriculture, the more it worries me,” she says. “The genetic concentration in crops and livestock brings a massive risk. Nature thrives on diversity.”

A side-effect of “retiring” early was the desire to keep her brain active, and, although she loves being out on the land, she admits to a need for people – through various volunteer activities and, for three years now, part-time work at the Bangalow Post Office. “I need interaction with others,” she says. “It’s a small community, and I can get to know people. It’s a terrific place to work and so different from my old corporate life.”

The land – and community – are also in Lindsay Murray’s blood. He grew up on a mixed farming operation in the Riverina, but left home at 17 to study medicine, which he practised full time until recently in senior roles at Lismore Base Hospital. His childhood experience made farming “very attractive”, he says, “but we were also very aware of how destructive agriculture was becoming in the 60s and 70s” and he dreamt of doing things differently.

In 2010, he bought 130 acres in Myocum. Cleared for dairy 100 years before, and neglected for the previous half a century, it was infested with lantana, camphor laurel and privet. Lindsay says he knew that he couldn’t restore it all to original forest in his lifetime, and also that he wanted to produce food in a sustainable way, so he and his partner developed a plan that would see 15% of the farm restored to native rainforest, with the remainder allocated to grazing cattle to produce beef within a regenerative system. “And British Whites ticked all the boxes,” he says.

Lindsay now runs about 55 to 60 stud breeding cows and grows out their offspring for sale as breeding animals or for slaughter. A similar number of steers brings the total herd up to 120. The purchase of a neighbouring farm took the farm to 100 hectares, 20-25% of it under environmental restoration.

A key role of the Society is to maintain a herd book of pedigreed animals. It’s a meaningful responsibility. “In the last 70 or 80 years there’s been highly selective breeding to meet criteria set by industrial farming, and the genetics of certain breeds have narrowed,” Lindsay says. “However, the genetics required now may not be those we need in 50 years, or even sooner. It may be that having a cattle breed that can do quite well purely on grass and produce good food with minimal inputs is exactly what we need in the future. And if we lose those genetics, we can’t recreate them.”

Maintaining these rare breed genetics is a primary concern of the Society’s treasurer, Wayne Cross, and his partner and former treasurer, Chris Malden, who together work 120 acres at Vale Hill Farm at Knockrow, primarily a stud operation, with 40 breeders and a dozen bulls.

They came to the Northern Rivers six years ago from Victoria, where they ran British Whites and Hampshire Down sheep. They also owned a hotel and restaurant, where their produce was on the menu – a real hands-on paddock to plate operation. Once here they cleared the land of camphor laurel and other weeds, replaced all the fencing, installed new irrigation and concentrated on pasture improvement, including planting about 20 acres in rye grass to keep the weeds down. They have also worked with Bangalow Koalas to plant thousands of food trees along their boundaries.

Their aim is to spread the British White breed around the country, and they have been selling their females and quality bulls to new and established British White studs for many years.

Farming is more challenging in the Northern Rivers than in Victoria, Wayne says, what with a greater incidence of diseases, ticks and flies, more noxious weeds, the rain, and tropical grasses with their undesirable high moisture content.

But the challenges are worth it and Wayne and Chris say they still prefer to farm up here. “It’s nice to have green grass all year round”.

They add that they have met so many lovely people here too, both within the dedicated British White community and outside it. Considering Bangalow’s commitment to heritage values and the region’s support for farmers markets, humane farm practices and regenerative agriculture, it’s only natural that they and their fellow visionary caretakers of the land – and the rare breed they champion – would be warmly welcomed.

It was during a 2017 holiday at a friend’s Myocum farm that the pieces unexpectedly began falling into place for Grant Rasheed’s new chapter in the Northern Rivers. The spontaneity and financial risk may have deterred some, but Grant isn’t one to shy away from a bold new adventure.

It’s in the blood, after all. The original Australian Rasheed, Grant’s grandfather, left his parents in Lebanon as a six-year-old and migrated to Australia with two of his uncles in the 1890s. Arriving in South Australia’s Port Pirie, the Rasheeds settled in the Flinders Ranges, where they went on to own several sheep stations, before the Depression undid much of their hard-earned success.

The Rasheeds were Druze – a small, ancient religious and ethnic community whose highly secretive faith blends elements of Islam, Greek philosophy, Hinduism, and mysticism. Set adrift from their brethren, they joined the ranks of Catholicism, and their numbers swelled – Grant, one of nine children, and uncle to 57 nieces and nephews.

After finishing school, he left the family sheep farm at Orroroo for the bright lights of Alice Springs/Mparntwe, and spent four years stifled amidst the regimented world of bank telling and car rentals, before venturing on to Adelaide where he found a better fit in fashion.

With Europe calling, Grant departed Australia in the early 1980s at the age of 23. An earlier brush with one of King Charles’ best mates who had visited Grant’s uncle’s Wilpena Pound/Ikara property forged an unlikely connection to English aristocracy, and he arrived in London with one phone number in his pocket – that of the fabulously intrepid, mountain-climbing Dowager Duchess of Westminster. His hard yards in hospitality were soon punctuated by semi-regular, surreal trips to her verdant estate for weekend soirées full of fascinating people, ferried to and from the train station by the septuagenarian tearing through the hedgerow-lined country lanes in her old Land Rover like a “bat out of hell”.

Falling in love with an Italian fashion designer provided the perfect excuse to head to Milan, where the two developed their own knitwear label. When the relationship ended 22 years later, Grant returned to the wide-open spaces of the Flinders and landed a job managing the Prairie Hotel in Parachilna – a tiny outpost on the road to Birdsville, population seven.

This historic and quintessentially Australian Outback hotel has evolved into a refined tourist destination since being purchased by its current owners, who tasked Grant with creating an Indigenous art gallery throughout its public spaces.

Grant’s passion for contemporary Indigenous art had been ignited during regular visits to the Art Gallery of South Australia on trips home from Milan, but establishing the Prairie Gallery allowed for complete immersion in the subject.

The Adnyamathanha people of the Flinders are more commonly associated with ancient rock carvings than contemporary painting, and Grant looked further afield for suitable work. Connecting with a dealer from the Northern Territory, he fell in love with the art of the Central Desert region – an area that encompasses renowned communities such as Papunya, Yuendumu, and, ultimately his favourite, Utopia.

Characterised by vibrant colours, intricate patterning, and themes grounded in Country, culture, ceremony, and ancestral knowledge, the artist-led Utopia community has produced some of Australia’s most celebrated artists, including Minnie Pwerle and Emily Kame Kngwarreye.

During his time at the Prairie, Grant launched his own side business exhibiting Indigenous artists in Italy and China. Searching for a suitable name, his niece Carly came across the word “ninbella” in H.M. Cooper’s 1948 book Australian Aboriginal Words – its meaning defined as “beautiful”. With “bella” also meaning beautiful in Italian, the name perfectly embodied Grant’s deep love of both cultures.

Twelve years into his time at the Prairie, Grant came to stay with his friend in Myocum. He noticed the empty shop between Wax Jambu and the pharmacy and enquired about the rent. It seemed like a pipe dream, until the landlord mentioned another gallerist had viewed the space and might be open to sharing – which he was. When Grant discussed it with his friend, she encouraged the move and offered him a room in her house.

A sea/tree change wasn’t on the cards when he arrived, but Grant couldn’t help but wonder if it might indeed be time to pre-emptively move closer to services as he approached his 60th lap around the sun. His only shot at funding a new gallery was if the government approved an application to cash in his super – which they did – and soon Grant was all in, making the 2000km journey east, his car full to the brim with all his earthly possessions.

Ninbella and JEFA Gallery opened in December 2017, each occupying |a window and one length of wall space. While Grant was grateful for the opportunity their arrangement afforded, he was even more elated to be in a position to take over the lease when JEFA relocated just over a year later. The clash of aesthetics had proved harder to reconcile than anticipated, and under a single curatorship, the space and its art were able to truly come to life.

“I love it here, I really do love it,” says Grant of Bangalow, and the broader Byron bubble. “What I encounter here in the gallery is a level of sophistication, a level of education – a kind of empathetic socialism. Married with capitalism,” he laughs.

Today, Ninbella shows a considered mix of Indigenous and non- Indigenous art, with Bangalow’s own high-profile practitioner,  Hilary Herrmann, shown alongside a diverse range of contemporary artists from across Australia. Among them are some of the Central Desert’s most significant names, including Utopia’s Gloria Petyarre and Kudditji Kngwarreye, whose paintings are held in the National Gallery of Australia and the British Museum. It’s an offering built not just on a keen eye, but on ethical representation, and not the kind of gallery regional towns of this size can usually claim. But then again, not every town is Bangalow. And not every town has a Grant Rasheed.

Georgia Fox

In 2005, a coffee roaster imported from Turkey sat in a Bangalow storage shed, waiting for its moment to bring fresh-roasted beans and cups of caffeinated goodness to the community. The plan was ambitious (and delicious): a roastery and bakery café in the historic Readings building. But when Council approval failed to materialise, Bangalow’s David and Jenny Kennedy did what all good small business owners must do at some point – pivot.

“We just needed to get roasting,” Jenny says. And so they did – in a roller-door space in Byron Bay’s industrial estate. With their Turkish coffee roaster fired up and ready to go, Bun Coffee was born.

Twenty years later, Bun Coffee has grown into one of the Northern Rivers’ best-loved coffee roasters – found in homes, local cafés, market stalls and on shelves at FoodWorks and Pantry 29. Still independently owned, still proudly local, it remains a business with a warm heart and a passion for the perfect blend.

For David, the obsession with coffee goes back even further than that humble Byron shed. Growing up in Yorkshire, he became fascinated with coffee in his teens – an unlikely interest for someone in the teadrinking heartland of the UK.

After moving to Sydney in the late 1980s, he worked in the burgeoning café scene – notably captaining the well-loved Le Chocoreve café in inner city Glebe, where he earned the nickname ‘Bun’, a reference to the English ‘sticky bun.’ It was around this time that David visited a roaster with the goal of creating his own bespoke café blend that would become his signature brew. That blend, created in 1989, is still in the Bun Coffee range today.

Not long after, David sold his café and returned to that same roaster – eventually becoming their head roaster and head of sales. “That’s where he learned the invaluable discipline and principles of the roasting craft,” Jenny says.

Moving to Bangalow in 2005, the pair settled into community life, raising three children, and creating a rainbow-coloured coffee empire from the ground up. The business launched with four house blends in what would become its signature, candy-coloured packaging, including David’s original blend (also known as ‘the yellow one’).

Today, the brand has seven regular blends and a rotating library of more than 65 single origin beans – possibly the largest single origin offering from any Australian roaster. “I don’t know anyone else who does what David does,” says Jenny. “It’s a true passion.”

Among those single origins is Byron Blue, a coffee grown in the subtropical paradise of Broken Head. “Just last week we went to the farm Emu Tree Paddock to pick up the freshly hulled green beans – it was a beautiful thing to buy direct from the grower,” says Jenny. “The aspect, the view, the fruit – it’s some of the most exceptional coffee in the world.”

Much has changed in coffee over the past 20 years – and Bun Coffee has evolved with it. “People are much more discerning now,” David says. “There’s been a real surge of interest in organics, in single origins, and in brewing styles. It used to be espresso, plunger or filter – now we’ve got batch brews, cold drip, immersion cold brew, V60s, Aeropress…”

To deepen his knowledge, David recently studied a postgraduate diploma in specialty coffee at the Zurich University of Applied Sciences. The 18-month course covered everything from cultivation and trade, to roasting, sensory evaluation and brewing. “It was exhaustive,” he laughs.

With the rise of automation in cafés – including smart machines that talk to grinders and adjust settings in real time – David sees another shift on the horizon. “There’s definitely more automation coming. Some cafés in Europe just press a button and hand you a croissant while the coffee’s made.”

Consistency and precision are very much part of the art of coffee, but there’s something warm and essential in the exchange between barista and customer. “That human element matters,” he says.

Over the years, Jenny and David been generous supporters of school fundraisers and local causes – always grounded in community. “We’ve been so fortunate to make this our business,” Jenny says. “And we’re so grateful to the locals who’ve supported us – in cafés, markets, and shops. They need to know that when they buy Bun Coffee, they’re supporting a local business who employs local people.”

In fact, many of the team – including Bangalow local, head roaster and ‘coffee machine whisperer’, Andre Schoeman – have been with the organisation for over 10 years, “which is just brilliant,” Jenny says.

As the business enters its third decade, their energy hasn’t waned. David is passionate about the future of coffee production, including a keen interest in global variety trials, and climate-adaptive planting research, as well as the potential of new species of coffee which could help to safeguard the future of global coffee production against the ravages of unprecedented climate events.

Behind the vibrant packaging that lines local shelves, Bun Coffee is still very much a hands-on operation. David and Jenny remain involved in every part of the business. “We started at the Bangalow and Byron markets – selling bags of beans by hand. That’s how it all began,” says Jenny. Industry accolades and global know-how aside, it’s the small things – a good cup, a loyal customer, a connection to growers – that matter most.

Which is why the 82-year-old has devoted the past third of his life to ensuring money is spread around where it’s needed, an undertaking that earned him the Order of Australia Medal (OAM) for services to the community of the Northern Rivers in the June 2025 King’s Birthday Honours list.

Following a successful business career, John retired early and very soon began concentrating his skills and experience on helping others. “I found community service – working with people – more satisfying than playing golf,” he says. At least 14 community groups have benefited from his energetic input – and many continue to do so.

“I don’t believe I can do anything on a national scale but I can make a contribution at the community level, and I feel very proud to have done so,” he says. “Being put forward for the award by my peers in the community is a great honour.”

John came to Australia from South Africa at the age of 18, keen for adventure. After a spell running a market research company in Singapore he returned to Sydney and set up his own company, Bennett Research, in 1975. He fell in love with the Northern Rivers and in 1980 bought a farm just outside the town; 150 acres, which he planted with macadamias, peaches and guavas.

From there it was to a farmhouse in Friday Hut Road, and then onto an empty block off Possum Creek Road, which he has transformed into a gorgeous country estate, running beef cattle, like his grandfather did.

He met his wife Jen at the Rails hotel in the early 90s and they’ve been together ever since. A 45-year Bangalow resident, he says he has found his “perfect place”.

One of John’s earliest philanthropic roles was as an adviser to the New Enterprise Incentive Scheme, supporting youth employment, but he has also contributed time and fundraising, networking and marketing know-how to the Byron Community Centre, the Byron Writers Festival, Liberation Larder, Enova Energy, Byron Youth Service and many more. Particularly satisfying was the work he did as president of the Uncle Project, and he remains in contact with the young man he mentored through the scheme.

John’s wide-ranging altruism gained a sharper focus 22 years ago when he helped found the Northern Rivers Community Foundation (NRCF), a registered charity and “giving” organisation designed to last forever.

The Foundation is based on an “in-perpetuity” model, whereby donations are pooled and ethically invested in a perpetual fund, whose income is strategically distributed to local community organisations.

The now renowned organisation has provided more than $10 million to groups working to empower girls and women, boost disaster resilience, ease access to education, reduce homelessness and conserve the environment, among many other areas of need. The selection of grant recipients is very well controlled, John says, and money goes only to worthy causes in the Northern Rivers.

Every donation is tax-deductible and becomes, quite literally, the gift that keeps on giving.

Seven years ago, John further refined his work within the NRCF, taking on the role of Bequest Ambassador – encouraging people to pledge donations in their wills – a contribution that will continue to work and support the community long after the donor has passed.

John has put his money where his mouth is, pledging $1 million to the Foundation upon his death; his friend and fellow Foundation stalwart, Paul Jameson, has left his entire estate to it. There is no requirement to give such high amounts, John says. “Any contribution is welcome – and it is vital that it is undertaken with the knowledge and agreement of any other would-be beneficiaries.”

John made a point of discussing his bequest with his three adult children, who all readily agreed to sharing the wealth with the community.

He is a believer in people helping their own family first, with a proviso: “Give your kids enough so they have a bed to sleep in, but not so much that they won’t get out of it,” he says, only half-jokingly.

Several Bangalow residents are among the 40 or so community members who have pledged bequests, although no-one in the NRCF has any idea how much it might add up to: such details are private – between an individual and their solicitor, John says. “We don’t get involved in that at all. We don’t push or ask for details.”

The sense of purpose he has received from giving his time and talents to enterprises such as the NRCF is deeply fulfilling, John says.

“I have got enormous rewards out of it and I would recommend it to anyone to try volunteering and community work. There’s a great need for it and it’s very satisfying.”

Paul Jameson says John has not only made a substantial bequest and serious donations to the NRCF, but “he has also been inspirational to others to become involved, to join us to help raise money and support the organisation”.

People new to the area have found the Foundation’s information nights a great way to connect with the community, John says, and anyone wanting to learn more about making a bequest are welcome to attend one of the morning teas that are held periodically, by contacting Sandra at the NRCF office at engagement@nrcf.org.au

Digby Hildreth

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

“If you’re not happy in your work, then it trickles down to everyone,” says Joan Leeds, who, along with daughter Kristy, took over the Bangalow Post Office in early 2023. “I love it when people say, ‘Oh, the girls in the post office are so lovely and happy.’”

In a world where postal services seemed destined to diminish, the Bangalow Post Office is flourishing. With front street access, parcel lockers, and hopes for a third terminal at the service desk, business is booming, and customers are beaming. In fact, a post on the Bangalow Herald Facebook page acknowledging Joan and her work reached over 3,000 people, and the praise for Joan and her team flowed in.

Joan is happy the Post Office building is a thriving hub, with people sipping coffee and working in the sunshine around the adjacent park. The Post Office Wi-Fi password is the worst-kept secret in all of Bangalow, but Joan doesn’t mind. She’s passionate about supporting local business and economic growth in regional areas, so is delighted to offer everything from post, parcel lockers, banking, and business services to the community. “We’re social animals, whether you like it or not, and we like to feel like we’re part of something.”

As a customer, one of the things that frustrated Joan most about post offices was the queue. Not at her place. Things move swiftly and efficiently, but with a sense of warmth and humour that can’t help but put a smile on customers’ faces.

“People like to be seen, people like to be acknowledged as well, and it’s not that hard to do even in a small way,” she says. “You can’t do this job if you don’t like people. I’m social, I’m out there. I really enjoy having a chat,” she says. “You’ve got to enjoy what you do.”

Joan’s advice for breaking the ice is to get involved. “Not long after we arrived, I went down and helped out painting the stands at the Showgrounds,” she says. “Not long after, Bangalow Museum invited me to a launch event, which was lovely,” she says. “This town gives you a big warm hug if you’re prepared to be part of it,” says Joan.

With many years of experience in a range of industries— including starting her career as a psychiatric nurse, owning two news agencies, and working in local economic development on the Mid North Coast—Joan has customer service down to a fine art. The Post Office seems to be thriving with the perfect mix of services, customer care, and a good dose of smalltown friendliness.

“I’m gifted with a good memory for faces and names, so I’m lucky that way,” she says. “After I’ve delivered your parcel a couple of times, I know who you are, and you’ve probably told me a bit about what’s in your parcel. And it doesn’t hurt to say g’day, does it?” she adds, noting that even customers using the self-service parcel lockers in the back of the building will pop in just to say hello and get a dose of Joan’s trademark bawdy banter.

With Christmas coming, Joan has this sage advice about packaging. “One of the things people need to be reminded is: if you’re going to send something fragile, movement is your enemy. You cannot afford to have the contents moving around in the box. You cannot afford to have empty space in the box above or around your item as it could get squashed, which can lead to breakage.” If in doubt, ask the friendly team’s advice on how to best wrap your package to ensure it gets to the recipient in one piece.

Joan also cautions against using whiteboard marker to address packages. “If it gets wet, it smudges, and the parcel eventually gets sent to the Dead Letter Office (Ed.—yes, it really exists). I’ve got a parcel there in a prepaid satchel that’s been put into the red post box, but it has no details of the sender or receiver on it.”

Speaking of packages, Joan confesses to some lively exchanges with local celeb Liam Hemsworth. “He used to come in, and we’d rev each other up,” she says. The star uses a nom de plume for some deliveries, which initially caused confusion for the staff. “Liam got his items, and then he said to me, ‘No, there’s one more. I’ve got a big package,’” says Joan, eyebrows raised in mock shock. “I let one of the other girls go and get his big package, which he signed for, and as he was walking out, I called out, ‘Don’t come in here talking about your bloody big package!’ And I thought he was going to choke! I said, ‘I’m a 66-year-old woman and I can only take so much excitement, mate.’ After that, when he came in, he’d always wait for me to serve him,” she laughs.

Bangalow was a new start for Joan, who is blessed with boundless enthusiasm, a sunny disposition, and a wicked sense of humour. “I was married for 45 years, and I’m now divorced,” she says. “I walked away with nothing but my Super, which I used to buy an income [the Post Office]. And this,” Joan cackles heartily as she holds up her middle finger, now embellished with a sizeable piece of bling, in an impressive one-finger salute to her ex-husband.

With a solid business, a happy team, and the town behind her, it sounds like Joan got the last laugh.

*Photo Lyn McCarthy Niche Pictures

After months of waiting while the Development Application wended its way through Council corridors, permission was finally granted for the markets to start at Piccabeen Park on a “temporary trial” which ends in October 2026. If the trial is “deemed successful”, then the Farmers Market may be included in Council’s Sustainable Markets operations.

For the last nine years, Kylie McGregor has been the Bangalow Market’s onsite manager, while her husband Tom Carey performs the same duties at the Byron Bay Farmers Market. With a background in journalism and marketing, Kylie manages the market’s admin, marketing, social media and advertising. A committee of members runs an umbrella not-for- profit organisation, Byron Farmers Market Inc, which operates both the Byron Bay and Bangalow markets. Belinda Fortune is its president.

Each Saturday, stalls start setting up between 5.30-6am, for a 7am start and close at 11am. Currently, the Bangalow markets have around 30 stalls, which fluctuates according to the season. “While the majority of our farmers and stallholders are perennial,” Kylie explains, “we have a handful who have shorter seasons, so they only attend when their crops are in season.”

Initially, the move to Piccabeen Park was triggered by a social media post from a main street business on a Bangalow Community Facebook page. It asked the community what it thought of making the move to the park. Most responses were in favour of the move. At the same time, the pub had advised the market operators that renovations would be taking place at some point, which would require them to move offsite. Once the idea of moving to the park was proposed to stallholders, they voted unanimously to relocate permanently.

The market stalls will start at the Deacon Street entrance to Piccabeen Park and run along both sides of the road known unofficially as ‘Wetlands Way’, ending at the amenities block. A distinct advantage to the new location is the fact that there’s carparking conveniently located behind the museum. It has capacity for up to 43 cars (with supervision). No doubt this will be a relief to anyone trying to find a park along the main street on Saturday mornings.

Overhanging trees will provide more shade for the stalls and stallholders, and there’s an adjoining grassed area for customers alongside. “There’s also the opportunity to expand our offering to include breakfast and drink stalls,” adds Kylie.

“We have been incredibly grateful to Tom and Cathryn Mooney for allowing us to run the market in the pub carpark for the past 20 years. When the market was first started all those years ago, there was quite a bit of opposition to it. But it was the Mooneys who supported us and offered the market a venue in which to operate. Their generosity is greatly appreciated. It will be sad to leave, but this is a chance to evolve the market into a new era. While it has been great to call the pub home for so many years, the bitumen is extremely hot over the warmer months. I think everyone is looking forward to having a little respite from the heat as we head into summer. And a new home feels timely.

“We are hoping this new environment will be more enticing for people to not only come to do their weekly grocery shop, but to spend some time – having breakfast, listening to the live music and just hanging out. Plus, there are two playgrounds for the kids, and it’s a dog-friendly zone, so dogs on leads will be welcome. It just feels like a well-rounded offering for our community.”

The Bangalow Historical Society is planning to offer scones, jam and cream on the lawns outside the museum on some Saturday mornings, and is hopeful the presence of the markets, next to the museum and the weekly Library Bus, will create the perfect Saturday morning vibe for the town.

The mood among farmers is optimistic. Anthony Hotson, who has been selling the range of Rainforest Foods he grows and packages since the very first farmers markets in the Byron Shire, confirms the obvious: “Over the years, the markets have become more professional, more diverse, and we now offer a more comprehensive range of produce,” he said. “It is precarious, with the weather, but this is a beautiful market community here. It’s always been good for the farmers. Not as many markets have lasted as long as us. We really appreciate what Tom and Cathryn Mooney have done, giving us the opportunity to be here behind the Bangalow Hotel, but it’s time to move on.”

Heather Armstrong’s stall offering juicy Coopers Shoot Tomatoes, has also been operating at the Bangalow markets from Day One, as has David Trevor-Jones, from Hayters Hill Farm. Georgie Powell, from Mt Chowan Organics, has been coming to the markets since she was a child. Her father, Lance, was one of the original stallholders; now Georgia runs the stall.

The Bangalow Herald asked Kylie McGregor what she buys from the markets to cook herself. “It depends on the season! I always buy the staples, like leafy greens, potatoes, tomatoes, herbs and garlic and then it changes with what’s available. In the warmer months I reach for more salad options with lettuces, rocket, radicchio, red onions, radishes and avos – all topped with olive oil and sprouts. In the colder months I love slow cooking beef and whatever vegies are available – eggplant, tomatoes, zucchini, silverbeet, carrots and squash. To me, it’s always about keeping it simple. When the produce is as great as we have, you don’t need to do much to it. At the moment, my go-to lunch or snack is locally-made rice crackers with avo, tomato, cheese and basil – all from our farmers. And when the berries, pawpaw and dragonfruit are in season, I’m in heaven. It’s really just about making the most of and appreciating what’s in season.”

Christobel Munson

Images by Lyn McCarthy Niche Pictures

In 1974, with a handshake between strangers in the bazaar of the ancient Persian trading hub of Herat, Afghanistan, Bangalow’s Rug Shop was born. Maybe it’s because he joined the “last gasp” of the ancient continuum of merchants along the Silk Road, predating the formalities of lawyers and contracts, or simply because Milton Cater is a fortunate man, but 50 years, a second generation and a series of pivotal handshake agreements later, this traditional, good-faith approach to business continues to stand the entire operation in good stead.

It was Milton’s second time in Herat. He had purchased a Persian rug when passing through a couple of years earlier on his return to Australia via the hippie overland route – despite, according to Milton, not being a hippie and travelling with a suitcase. Coveted by friends and family back in his hometown on the Gold Coast, the rug was snapped up by his uncle, and the possibility emerged of turning his love of “all things Persian” into a career.

With a small loan from said uncle, Milton returned to Herat where he found a dealer named Mohammed Amin who shared his preference for the more interesting rugs of desert tribes over so-called master weavers. After a satisfactory I Ching reading from Mohammed Amin’s holy man and with nothing more than a list, a total, a small down payment and a pledge from Milton to return with the outstanding amount “in a year or three,” the peculiar age-old human ritual of extending and clasping weaponless hands was performed, formalising the agreement and heralding the beginning of an era.

Setting up shop in Brisbane’s Paddington, it was only 18 months before Milton was back in Herat for a third time, looking for Mohammed Amin to pay off his debt and secure more stock. But Mohammed Amin was no longer in the bazaar and his enquiries were met with “hushed undertones”. Milton finally found him working in the run-down old shoe market, stripped of his former life after being caught smuggling goods through the desert and avoiding tax collectors at the borders – how, it turns out, he was able to develop relationships with remote rugproducing tribes. His camel train and wealth seized, Mohammed Amin apologised that he was no longer able to be of assistance and introduced Milton to Qasim, who went on to become a dear friend and supplier for many years.

The communist coup in the late 1970s had already made things difficult for the merchant classes of Afghanistan, but as the country became increasingly war-torn, Qasim and his family disappeared. He later surfaced in Agra, India, destitute, appealing to his Australian friend for help. Milton sent the family thousands of dollars from the profits he had made selling both Mohammed Amin and Qasim’s rugs and heard nothing, until one day, about three years later when he received a call from his customs agent. A shipment had arrived from Qasim from his new home of Mashhad, Iran – a centre of carpet trade – containing inventory to the value of the funds Milton had sent. A full-circle moment of trust and faith, first set in motion by Mohammed Amin back in 1974.

Milton’s ties to our region stretch back to childhood, growing up visiting the family weekender at Suffolk, to which his parents moved permanently in 1972, and after closing the Paddington store in the early eighties, he moved to Bangalow and turned his attention to wholesaling. Anne had relocated from Sydney around the same time, and being eager to travel to India, was more than impressed with the nine trips Milton already had under his belt. The two married and had three sons – Nick, Alex and Max.

In 1999, an opportunity arose that suited the Caters’ perfectly – the owners of the old grocery store that formerly occupied The Rug Shop, Lisa and Peter Hughes, were waiting on the redevelopment of the garage across the road (present-day Foodworks), and the landlord, Cath Pugsley, needed tenants who could work with an undefined move-in date. With just another handshake, the deal was sealed. So firmly in fact, that despite the rapid gentrification of Bangalow during the two years it took for the new supermarket to be ready, and the multiple offers of more money Cath received for the space, she honoured the agreement, and Anne and Milton opened in November 2001 – tricky timing for merchants dealing in Islamic wares a matter of weeks after 9/11.

They found a way around their usual twice yearly purchasing trips to the Middle East during the pandemic by shifting negotiations to WhatsApp, and even with the borders reopened, the convenience has stuck. Trading remotely with sanctioned countries is not for the faint-hearted though, both financially and logistically, and seems is only possible thanks to the meaningful relationships forged with their network on the ground over so many years.

The boys gravitated towards the business, which is undergoing a gradual generational transition. As Anne and Milton ease their foot off the pedal and spend more time with their ever-growing number of grandchildren, Nick and Alex continue stepping to the front, with Max in the shop part-time when he’s not working as a local arborist. But it is not just their children carrying on the mantle – Anne and Milton often find themselves dealing with a second generation of suppliers, as well as a second generation of clients.

The longstanding excellent relationship with their landlord also underwent a recent transition with the purchase of the shop, cementing their presence on our main street. With their comprehensive online store offering free shipping Australia-wide though, their reach extends far beyond our little town, with a huge client base in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane.

To be a trader of integrity amongst a world of mass-produced imitations and dubiously eternal closing down sales put The Rug Shop in an elite category alongside just a handful of others across the country. They are the only recognised valuers north of Sydney, offer a full service of repairs and cleaning, and deal in both antique pieces, as well as traditionally produced contemporary rugs, directly supporting families of sheep farmers and weavers.

Paying forward the good faith extended to them back in Herat half a century ago, the Caters welcome customers taking rugs home to try in situ before purchasing, and in all their years of entrusting strangers with such precious works of art, have, with only one exception, had their faith in the essential good of humans sustained.

On the subject of whether rugs are art or not, Milton is passionate. “We have this hierarchy – there’s fine art and there’s domestic art, and it’s so wrong. Everything here,” he says gesturing at the walls of exquisite colour and patterns that take months, and sometimes years to produce, “in the Western canon, is not considered art. We consider it art.”

The 70s saw Bangalow very down on its luck. “Everyone said it was a dying town,” he explains. Hundreds of semi-trailers barrelled through the main street each day, scraping awnings, rattling buildings and making it difficult to cross. Some storefronts had people living in them. Others sat empty. His daughter Rebecca remembers playing ‘shops’ in one where the proprietors had simply walked out, leaving everything behind.

The Du Lieus and their three young daughters had been storing their furniture for a couple of years after relocating from Sydney in 1970, when a friend suggested renting a shop in Bangalow for half of what they were paying. They leased the old butcher’s shop and stowed their belongings, but in 1973 the owner announced he didn’t want to rent it anymore and offered to sell for $2,000 – the equivalent of just under $23,000 in today’s money. And abracadabra alakazam, a Bangalow institution was born, responsible for giving the region a 30-year-long catchy TV campaign and generations of local teenagers their first job.

Initially a bric-a-brac, book and old-wares dealer selling stock sourced from clearing sales and auctions, Hamilton asked the petrol station next-door if he could park on their land. To his surprise, they informed him he’d bought the vacant lots around the old timber building too – gaps left by the 1931 fire which took out that row of shops, including the original Bangalow Herald whose charred stumps remain beneath the floor today. Leaking like a sieve and sinking into the ground, Hamilton describes it as a “shockingly bad building,” built by unskilled labour during the Depression with timber salvaged from the old butter factory.

Old wicker washing baskets from clearing sales were always quick to sell, giving Hamilton the “light bulb” moment of sourcing baskets. They burnt incense to mask the musty smell from the leaks, upsetting passers-by who assumed it was marijuana and crossed the highway to avoid inhaling it. “When we realised people were offended by it, we thought ‘great!’, and started selling that too.” Apart from “You sell smokes?”, the number one question Hamilton was asked was “Why on earth are you here?”. As the original “odd people” they were met with suspicion, and even “thoroughly investigated and surveilled” as a possible channel of drugs into the region.

But Hamilton was on a mission to further transition away from his career in advertising and spend more time with his family. As a young copywriter in London working for a transnational agency, he was sent to Sydney in 1963 for a year “to show the Australian end how to do ‘proper advertising’”. Shocked to find the Australians doing just fine, and that everything was not trying to kill him, they soon realised they had been “comprehensively lied to about how primitive and dangerous the country was”. The Du Lieus decided to stay.

He spent the next seven years at a Sydney agency managing high-profile asbestos, airline, alcohol and tobacco accounts, but as well as never getting to see his family, he grew increasingly uncomfortable with what he saw as his role as a “merchant of death… everything I specialised in killed people”. They headed north “with no prospects or thought,” living in a rudimentary shed on a banana farm at Middle Pocket, owned by a colleague’s wife’s family. He was soon in high demand as a freelancer, particularly as a jingle-writer for car dealers in Brisbane, who ferried him by light aircraft from the Tyagarah airstrip.

The shop unconventionally opened only on weekends in the early days. “People would go for Sunday drives and nowhere else was open.” But it was tough going. “All the money I earned during the week, I lost on the weekend,” he smiles. Undeterred, they rolled up their sleeves and self-built the ‘Book Barn’ and former hair salon on the eastern half of the site, later adding the warehouse and residence out the back. Most of their deliveries arrived by train to the Bangalow station, and semi-trailers of books and comics, diverted from being pulped, were unloaded at the A&I Hall and sold two-for-one at 20 cents.

Hamilton’s iconic 1981 ad might be the “cheapest commercial ever made,” laughs Rebecca, who features in the ad herself and still works in the store today, now alongside her daughter Sophie. For the ad, the letters ‘Abracadabra’ were cut out of felt and pinned to the yellow t-shirts worn by a line-up of local young women bearing famous Old Bangalow names such as Jarrett, Solway and Flick. (The ads, along with a treasure-trove of historic photos of the shop and town can be found on the Abracadabra website.)

The 1994 highway bypass was the genesis of many new businesses, with Abracadabra serving as an inspiration. “People figured if a basket shop like mine could make it, they could too,” says Hamilton. He’s watched as waves of shopkeepers from capital cities have passed through – lots of “black and white” from Melbourne, “country-style” from Brisbane, and “kind of raffish ones” from Sydney. Asked how he feels about the gentrification of the town, he is full of enthusiastic praise for all the “smart and lovely” people that have enriched the community. He still lives out the back, making the “big commute” across the deck each day.

Customers often reminisce about growing up with the jingle, or bring in their grandchildren to show them their favourite shop from when they were little. “That’s one of the things that can happen in 50 years,” he says, gesturing at Rebecca, “even your youngest daughter can become a grandmother”. Hamilton’s great-grandsons attend Bangalow Public, and, along with his penchant for early mornings, are the driving force behind the rather unconventional new opening hours of 5:30am to 2pm (12pm on weekends). “Afternoons are for family time,” he explains. While the early mornings might not be particularly busy, he says he’s “not a fan of busy,” and his morning visitors are among some of the “best people in the world”. “Broadly speaking, we’re not about making money, we’re about having fun.” When asked about his plans for retirement, he is characteristically unorthodox in his attitude. “I don’t work, so how can I retire? You can’t retire from fun!”

Georgia Fox