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[email protected] [email protected] http://www.echo.net.au VOLUME 20 #11 S TUESDAY, AUGUST 2, 2005 EE C EN 22,300 copies every week TR LABOURING UNDER A HARSH SENTENCE EP $1 at newsagents only AGES Byron Writers Festival Frank’s still fi ring on all cylinders continues to thrive Rivalling Melbourne’s Writ- sport and celebrities the One of the most popular ers Festival in terms of size audience is not just a little parts of the program has been the Byron Bay event, on this elite group. Our audience the humour session on Satur- week, has grown from an from outside the Byron Shire day night with John Clarke, elite gathering of a few hun- is also growing. People are John Safran, Wendy Harmer dred people in 1997 to seeing this as a perfect exam- and Guy Rundle which was around 8,000 today. ple of cultural tourism, to booked out three days after Writers Festival Director Jill enjoy food for the mind.’ the tickets went on sale. Eddington started her six year An impressive line-up of Government funding has association with the Byron writers and commentators been at the core of festival Bay festival in 1999 when turn up each year. Jill says funding from the early days, she signed on as a volunteer. that her personal highlight is but has been decreasing as a ‘The biggest change in the appearance of author percentage of the budget as that time is seeing the incred- Kate Grenville this year.