The post Keeping Byron Beautiful appeared first on .
]]>One thing I love about Viv, who’s been my beauty therapist for as long as I’ve been in Byron is that she never minds getting me a lavender-oil soaked tissue to smell before she starts my waxing routine.
Over the years I’ve seen her practice grow into a gracious salon – equipped these days with some of the latest state-of-the art therapy equipment including colonic hydrotherapy; oxygen facial therapy; removal of fat by cavitation and painless hair removal.
But it wasn’t always like that. “Byron has always been my spiritual home,” she tells me. “Beauty therapy really began as a hobby to support my ballet dancing. I studied beauty therapy in Byron, on the Gold Coast and in Sydney, and had a small studio at the back of my house, and of course, like everybody else I had to work as a waitress to support myself, but beauty therapy paid for my dance tuition at the conservatorium. I went through all the grades and danced full-time, and gradually made the transition from dancing into beauty therapy.”
Vivienne Freeman runs Azula Beauty and Body Cleansing Clinic in Byron’s Industrial centre.
For Viv one of the main things has been to continue her education. “I never wanted to just run a beauty salon,” she says. “I wanted to understand how people’s psyches work around their health and beauty and be able to help them function at optimal health.”
To that end she enrolled at Southern Cross University to study a Bachelor of Naturopathy and Complementary Medicine degree. “That was really just the start of it,” she says. “It’s been a lifetime of learning. Modalities I’ve studied include yoga, homeopathy, herbs, colon hydrotherapy, cranio-sacral therapy and Oriental medicine.”
Over the years she’s come to the conclusion that there are eight principles of life to observe – and if these are in balance then life works. “Nutrition is number one,” she says, “then sunshine, breathwork, fresh water, exercise, loving relationships, meditation and sleep.”
Although she loves living and working in Byron, one thing about the Byron lifestyle disturbs her. “I have to say that I’ve seen a vast increase in the amount of alcohol young women drink,” she says. “They don’t realise the damage they are doing, it destroys the liver, and brain tissue, it affects the skin, and new studies have shown it’s a possible cause of cancer. The problem for young women is that they are often underweight, or at least, very slim, as well and that makes the effects of alcohol on their bodies even worse.”
I wonder how she feels on the subject of that now widely-accepted beauty treatment – Botox? “We’re moving away from the Botox revolution,” she says, “and into healthier ways of keeping the skin taut, young and beautiful like radio-frequency and oxygen therapy. After long-term Botox use, and if you suddenly stop the skin begins to sag. Why not grow old gracefully? When practising the Eight Principles we will look and feel fabulous inside and out.”
Vivienne describes her salon as an “holistic beauty centre. They’re not just with me for treatment, I advise them and I give them some education on their bodies and their health. What they do with that advice knowledge is their choice, but I feel it’s important for them to know that they can make very important changes which will have long-term beneficial effects on their lives – and it’s not that hard! I like people to take their health into their own hands.”
I can certainly vouch for Viv, her treatments, her wise advice, her laughter and her warmth. So if you live in Byron, or are passing through make sure you a book an appointment to visit her at her welcoming and warm salon in Byron Bay’s Industrial Centre.
Just remember to ask for the lavender tissue.
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]]>The post Byron Bay’s First Chess Camp appeared first on .
]]>The guest of honour and lecturer of the Byron’s Chess Camp is Adrian Randazzo. Adrian works directly for FIDE (the international chess federation created in 1924) with the first official chess academy in Latin America. They organize these types of events in Europe and train chess coaches in Latin America to teach in schools. Mexico, Colombia, Argentina, Chile, Peru, Ecuador and Spain are some of the countries where these trainings have taken place. In July 2018, he has been invited by the president of the chess coaches federation and participated in the chess camp of Maribor, Slovenia, together with the best chess coaches in the world.
Children getting a chance to hone their chess skills.
Byron’s first chess camp was created to increase awareness of chess and the active participation of our local community. In Australia chess isn’t as popular compared to other countries of the world. Adrián has lived more than 10 years in Spain where chess is very popular. For example, just in Barcelona itself, you can find more than 100 chess clubs and academies. In Valencia, Adrian gives high-performance chess classes in a popular club that has more than 92 schools. He has been teaching for more than 20 years and has extensive experience in chess camps and events. In the past few decades, thanks to the Chess in Schools Commission, clubs and schools have been using chess for educational purposes, not for the sake of teaching chess and not to create better chess players, but to improve children’s educational outcomes. The objective is to use chess in ways that provide benefit in education, social development and health from childhood to old age. Chess – A Tool for Education & Health <https://cis.fide.com/images/stories/OGF3/ogf3en2-180322.pdf> (2018) https://cis.fide.com/images/stories/OGF3/ogf3en2-180322.pdf
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]]>The post Myall Creek Massacre Remembered appeared first on .
]]>“I was honoured to be at the Myall Creek Memorial,” says Alex. “Around 500 people gathered at Myall Creek near Bingara to commemorate the 180th anniversary of the massacre that took place in 1838. While there were many many massacres during the frontier wars, Myall Creek was significant in that it was the first time that Europeans were brought to justice for the killing of Aboriginal people in Australia’s history.”
Bingara is a small town on the Gwydir River in Murchison County in the New England region of New South Wales and to mark the occasion a traditional possum cloak was created. “It was displayed at the ceremony,” says Alex, “and it was extremely powerful.”
Carol Sparks, deputy mayor of Glen Innes Severn Shire; Jasmine Knight-Smith and Adele Chapman-Burgess, member of the Myall Creek Memorial committee with the possum skin cloak. Photo: Alex Clarke.
In the past some tribes traditionally wrapped their babies in possum skins. As the children grew more skins were added and decorated with personal stories and connections to country. (Somewhat ironically, the 30 possum skins used for the Myall Creek Memorial gathering cloak had to be imported from New Zealand as it is illegal to kill possums in Australia.) The song-lines on the cloak fan out to represent the song-lines from Boggabilla at the border to Glen Innes in the New England tableands – one of the travelling routes of the Aborigines killed in the massacre. It also features stories of people such as Adele Chapman-Burgess, a member of the National Friends of the Myall Creek Memorial, and one of the artists who helped create the cloak.
Aunty Sue Blacklock, Kamilaroi elder and descendent of the Myall Creek Massacre survivors. Photo: Alex Clarke.
“We won’t forget but we will forgive, and walk down that path together,” said Aunty Sue Blacklock, who can trace her history back to survivors of the massacre. Invited to visit the Myall Creek Station, she’d found it still to hold powerful memories. “If you stood on one place, to me it’s like I could hear the screams,” she said. “It was very quiet, there was no noise, It was just like the wind was bringing their screams as it blew, I could feel their hurt.”
“It was an extraordinary experience to be at the ceremony,” says Alex, whose photographs are a moving testament to the day.
Visitors to the anniversary included Walt Secord, Shadow Minister for Health, Shadow Minister for the Arts, and Shadow Minister for the North Coast, Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Council, who announned Labor’s promise of $3 million for a cultural museum at the site of the Myall Creek Memorial should Labor be elected.
Walt Secord with Jasmine Knight-Smith
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]]>The post Love Lennox, Love Your Dog… appeared first on .
]]>Share the fun with your �
Love doing things with your four-legged best friend? Well, Love Lenox 2018 has you covered. Continuing with our hugely popular Dogs of Lennox mini event, we are back this year, with a great show, just for you … and your 
.
The fun categories you can enter are: DogWalk Model 2018 (Best Dressed), Waggiest Tail, Peanut Butter Challenge, Best Trick and Aren’t They the Cutest! (Cutest Puppy). Entry fees are only $2 per dog per event and all proceeds go to Save Mexican Street Dogs. Great prizes are up for grabs so don’t miss out!
Enter your online. More information, including T&C here.
LOVE LENNOX FESTIVAL – 2nd JUNE 2018
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]]>The post Coming soon to a stage near us – Women of the Blues… appeared first on .
]]>Melissa Etheridge is making a welcome comeback to Bluesfest this year. Byron Bay embraced the singer/songwriter on her previous visit, who some years ago survived a battle with cancer. Diagnosed with breast cancer in 2004, the singer unerwent a particularly brutal form of chemo. “My work had always been a drug-free zone,” she’s said, “but the chemotherapy that was prescribed was called “dose dense”: a harsher, stronger chemo than the usual because I had the benefit of not having to work during the treatment. My close friends told me that, as an alternative, medical marijuana was a natural way to help with the excruciating side effects of chemo.”
Melissa Etheridge (left) and Sheryl Crow – Bluesfest solo then Australia together.
After leaving the band she released her iconic solo album “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill” which changed the face of popular music when it was released in 1998. The album’s innovative mix of traditional soul, hip-hop beats and politically charged rap was a revelation. It won five Grammys the year it was released and has gone on to be included in dozens of “Greatest Albums Ever” lists such as Mojo’s 100 Greatest Albums of Our Lifetime, Q’s Top 100 Albums Ever, Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Albums of All Time and it came in at number 2 on NPR’s 150 Greatest Albums Made By Women.
Etheridge and Crow are both set to perform their own solo spots at Bluesfest before teaming up to hit Perth, Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney in early April. Now that will be an outstanding gig.
For more info on the 29th annual Byron Bay Bluesfest go here: https://www.bluesfest.com.au/
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]]>The post World’s first solar train in Byron appeared first on .
]]>There’s capacity for 100 seated passengers, additional standing passengers, wheelchair access and luggage room for bikes, prams and surfboards. The train runs a return shuttle service for the three kilometre journey between North Beach Station in Sunrise Beach and the Byron Beach platform adjacent to the Shirley Street level crossing.
Byron Bay Railroad Company has restored a derelict heritage train for the job, and also repaired three kilometres of railway line and a bridge, reinvigorating a section of derelict rail corridor. Solar panels on the train and train storage shed generate the amount of energy required to operate the train daily, charging the on-board battery bank. The solar charged batteriesare designed to operate all the systems including traction power, lighting, control circuits and air compressors. The custom designed curved solar panels on the roof of the train combined with the solar array on the storage shed roof generate sufficient energy to power the train and the regenerative braking system recovers around 25% of the spent energy each time the brakes are applied.
In the case of prolonged lack of sunshine the on-board batteries can be charged from the grid supply using 100% green energy from local community based energy retailer Enova Energy.
This diagram outlines the solar conversion components and how the system works.
The two carriage rail set was originally constructed as the first of ten 600 class sets at the Chullora Railway Workshops, Sydney in 1949. Following the war and with the massive influx of European immigrants, transporting people around the state was critical, so the Workshops innovatively used aluminium aircraft technology from their war efforts to produce high performance yet lightweight trains.
The train runs along 3km of track which is part of the 132km Casino to Murwillumbah line. This line once connected the town of Casino, which is on the Sydney to Brisbane line, with Lismore, Byron Bay, Mullumbimby, Murwillumbah and dozens of towns and villages in between.
Now, with the advent of the solar train, part of that line lives again.
0 – 5 years free
6 – 13 years $2
14+ years $3
For a one way journey
Contact:
02 8123 2130
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]]>The post Everything Lismore in one new App appeared first on .
]]>Co-founder Simon Mumford describes the smartphone app as “everything Lismore – people use their smartphone severy day and we are connected to each other more than ever before, so we wanted to design a business where all your local information can be viewed by pushing one push of the button on your mobile phone,” Mumford says. “What we’ve created is something unique and specific to the Lismore region, something easy to use and absolutely free.”
Lismore – nestled in the valley in the early morning sun.
Digital content editor and journalist Will Jackson says the app would be a one-stop shop for local news and sport, things to do and events, community contacts, trades and classifieds. Jackson says a big focus of the app would be keeping users informed of what was happening in the community with news articles published throughout the day specifically for the people who live and work in the Lismore local government area. The news agenda of the Lismore App would be a mix of council, crime, entertainment, social issues, sport and whatever other quirky interesting stories people wanted to share with the community.
“I definitely believe in reporting what’s in the public interest, not just what’s interesting to the public. Lismore is such a diverse community, and being fair to all sides is important,” he says. “My approach buy viagra with paypal is to celebrate what’s good in the community, expose what’s not so good and document what’s important. Most importantly the app will be an entertaining read.”
The Lismore App is the first foray into this unique model by the NSW Local App Company which hopes to eventually launch apps for communities around the region.
Lismore Lantern Parade – one of Lismore’s favourite events.
“The Australian media is going through what they call a period of ‘disruption’ at the moment – the old business models no longer works,” said the app’s advertising and marketing manager Mark Colegate. “We’re hoping that with a fresh, innovative approach on a platform that the people of Lismore use every day, the local app model can actually be financially sustainable. An important element of the Lismore App is that we offer display, trade and classified rates at very affordable rates compared to traditional media. We have kept our business costs very low so now any business can afford to advertise which, with high usage, will increase their profitability leading to more jobs being generated in the Lismore region.”
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]]>The post 75 – and she’s still tall in the saddle appeared first on .
]]>I feel a bit ashamed of myself to be honest. I think it was about four years ago, in my late fifties, when I began to complain a bit about a slightly arthritic right hip that was preventing me from hopping on and off a horse in quite the style I’d been used to, and I started to talk about whether it was time to give up riding altogether.
But recently I met Janet Edgerton, and I have to say – I’ve been somewhat silent on the subject of riding, and ageing, because at the age of 75 (it was her birthday a few weeks ago), Janet is riding on a weekly basis, and not only that, but she came back to it after a 36-year-break.
I’m standing on the sidelines of the arena at the Byron Bay Equestrian Centre watching Janet and her fellow rider, Beeb Fleetwood, a mere 64, going through their paces on two of Tesse’s most precious horses. Beeb is on, Junior, a somewhat ironically named massive 16.3hh warmblood, and Janet is on Lucy, Tesse’s own personal Percheron.
As I watch, Janet urges Lucy into a canter, and Tesse is giving her encouragement. “Keep your leg on,” she urges, “don’t let her fall out – well done!”
Janet Edgerton on Lucy at their regular Friday lesson.
I’m catching the end of the lesson and Beeb and Janet are going through their final paces. I’m impressed, not least because I suspect I wouldn’t last 20 minutes without gasping for breath, but afterwards when I talk to Janet about her late re-entry into her best-loved hobby, I’m not surprised at how fit she is. “I ride every week,” she tells me, “but I also ride my bike, do a one-kilometre swim a couple of times a week, and play badminton twice a week, so I’m pretty healthy and fit.”
Pretty healthy and fit doesn’t even begin to cover it really – but I do wonder why Janet came back to riding after so many years away from it.
“I grew up in England with horses,” she says, “we were into hunting and showjumping, and I competed until I was in my twenties, and rode until I was 37. But then I met my husband over in the UK, who was Australian, and we had three children, all of them born over there, and life just simply got too busy. He was keen that we try living in Australia and so we moved here in 1984.”
At first Janet wasn’t sure if Australia was for her. “It took me about a year to settle in,” she says, “it was so different. We settled up near Pottsville, but somehow life was so busy there never seemed to be time to ride or get into it properly. It wasn’t until a couple of years ago that I was talking with Beeb about her lesson down here, and she suggested that I come along.”
Janet took her time – checking out the centre, and watching a couple of lessons, until in March last year, she had her first half-hour lesson. “I took to it like a duck to water,” she said. “I do think it’s a bit like riding a bike – you never forget. Now it’s a highlight of my week and I really look forward to coming down and sharing my lesson with Beeb.”
64-year-old Beeb Fleetwood and Junior strutting their stuff.
Beeb Fleetwood, Janet’s lesson partner, also came from a horse background. Beeb grew up on a farm in Western Victoria, and like many kids do, started off small. “I learnt to ride on a Shetland pony, as you do,” she laughs, “and I progressed through Pony Club and onto bigger ponies and horses. I continued to ride intermittently on the farm into my teens and twenties, and then when I was older started doing some trail riding in the High Country which I really loved. Later on I did a bit of Adult Riding Club, and I also used to have lessons, but for me it was always more about the trail.”
Despite her love of trail-riding though, what prompted Beeb to go to the Byron Bay Equestrian Centre was initially to ride with a friend of hers who was coming back to riding after a tragedy many years ago when her father had died after a fall from her horse. “I wanted to ride with this friend to keep her company,” she says, “but at the same time some friends of mine were beginning to go on these worldwide riding adventures and I really wanted to start doing some of them, but I’d always lacked a bit of confidence in my style of riding, so I decided that getting some lessons was a good way to improve my aides.” Beeb soon found a six-day ride in Sicily which she loved. On the ride, Beeb was in the saddle for six-eight hours a day, but thanks to her regular lessons she felt fit enough to handle it. “I loved it so much I’m going again,” she says. “I’m really hooked on the adventure of it.”
It was Tesse who suggested to Janet and Beeb (whose friend didn’t continue) that they have their lessons together and for both of them it’s been a rewarding experience.
And not just for them. “To see the pair of them so passionate about horses gives me something to look forward to,” says Tesse. “They’re literally my idols. When Janet first came she was walking on a horse for just five minutes, three or four months later I put her onto Lucy, my own horse, and the next moment she was thundering around the arena with the biggest smile on her face, and galloping as if she was on a hunt! She got severely reprimanded! But it was also very funny and entertaining. I’m so happy that her confidence has built up so much. Beeb had a lot of deep-seated issues with her parents telling her that she wasn’t good enough, and she’s physically improved out of sight. She has a beautiful natural seat and all the natural ability there – it was just teaching her that she had it, and she became an amazing rider.”
As for Janet, she’s got no plans to hang up her boots and spurs just yet. “I just feel that while I’m enjoying it, why not keep on doing it?” she says.
As I head home, I think of Elyne Mitchell, author of The Silver Brumby, who was still riding only a few years before she died at the age of 89. Time to put up or shut up I think to myself, after all, if I play my cards right, at the age of 62 I could have 20 years of riding left. Time to get going.
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]]>The post Byron Bay’s Jonson Street Lane will soon be popping with POPPED appeared first on .
]]>Commencing May 12, a team of Byron Bay’s most talented street artists will transform ‘Surf Alley’, the laneway in Jonson Street that – despite its murals honouring local surfers – has often been used as nothing more than a pedestrian thoroughfare and hot spot for late-night anti-social behaviour.
The celebration of the space reinvigoration will be an urban laneway activation event, encompassing live art, street food, bar, music, cool lighting, green walls, bespoke sustainable furniture, Live Ideas Program, and much more.
The event creates a platform for emerging artists who would not otherwise have an opportunity to engage with the local community. The Fresh Air Gallery is a live street art gallery that will auction the finished artworks on Instagram at the end of the night, raising money for the Byron Community Theatre’s much needed upgrades.
The project aims to revitalise the beloved ‘Surf Alley’, breathing new life into it, whilst honouring the legacy. “We are in direct and regular consultation with members of the honour roll, and working to achieve something new and exciting for the whole community, as well creating ways for new residents and visitors to learn more about Byron Bay’s surfing history, and ensure those stories are given a platform,” say operations manager, Monique Hartman. “We’re also using our Live Ideas program on the Saturday afternoon to use this opportunity for young and old to engage and learn about community together, through art and the power of story.”
Fresh Air Walls – part of POPPED
Popped artists are:
Nitsua // Jeremy Austin // Burg // Shmik // Basix // Sean Lemura (Set design & building) // Nikau (Greenery)
The Popped team is committed to social and environmental responsibility. Local supplier Paint Earth has donated paints that are eco-friendly and non-toxic, and the event has a zero waste policy. Go Byron and Steer group are working with the event to promote responsible drinking and getting home safe.
The full program will be distributed throughout the region via Media partners The Echo on 10 May.
OPENING NIGHT – FRIDAY 19 MAY
5PM – 11PM // 18+ only event, and fully licensed. BYO not permitted // $10 entry
Live art
Live DJs
Green walls courtesy of Niaku Byron Bay
Bespoke built furniture courtesy of SL Byron Bay
Street food courtesy of Three Blue Ducks
Bar co-hosted by Stone & Wood Brewery, Brookie’s Gin, and Bucha of Byron
New mural reveal
New honour roll reveal
LIVE IDEAS PROGRAM – SATURDAY 20 MAY
12PM – 3PM // All ages // $10 entry
12:00pm Welcome drinks hosted by Bucha of Byron
12:30pm Placemaking: The history and future of Byron
1:00pm Expression and Freedom: The Street Art Movement
1:30pm Surf Alley: Stories from the Honour Roll
2:00 pm Art, healing, and well-being
2:30pm Being Bold: Exploring Creative Courage
Panellists include Cr. Simon Richardson, Rhoda Roberts, Sarah Workman, Rusty Miller, Peter Woods, Andy Mac, Leanne de Souza, Feather, and many more still to be announced.
CLOSING NIGHT – SATURDAY 19 MAY
5PM – 11PM // 18+ only event, and fully licensed. BYO not permitted // $10 entry
Live art
Live DJs
Green walls courtesy of Niaku Byron Bay
Bespoke built furniture courtesy of SL Byron Bay
Street food courtesy of Three Blue Ducks
Bar co-hosted by Stone & Wood Brewery, Brookie’s Gin, and Bucha of Byron
Tickets are $10 each, per person per session, and can be purchased via www.poppedcreative.com or at the door. For an additional $5, ticket holders can purchase a return bus ride, thanks to GO BYRON from outer suburbs Lennox Head, Bangalow, Brunswick Heads & Mullumbimby. Limited seats available.
Traffic conditions will change for the duration of the event. No motor vehicle or cyclist access to the south entrance of the Lawson Street carpark from 12am Thursday 18 May until 9am Sunday 21 May
More information:
Facebook.com/poppedcreative
Instagram @poppedcreative
Artist and media enquiries:
Abbie Gibson 0411 215 296 // [email protected]
Operations enquiries & Partnership opportunities:
Monique Hartman 0410 759 465 // [email protected]
Popped is produced in partnership with Byron Shire Council as part of the 2016 – 17 Placemaking Seed Fund.
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