THE TWEED www.tweedecho.com.au Volume 3 #45 Thursday, July 21, 2011 Advertising and news enquiries: Phone: (02) 6672 2280 [email protected] [email protected] pages 8-9 CAB 21,000 copies every week AUDIT LOCAL & INDEPENDENT Council to spend Rare snail found millions fighting erosion at dam wall site Luis Feliu Herald the government’s plan to dust off the $67 million dam proposal was A Byrrill Creek resident claims to ‘damaging, expensive and entirely have found an endangered Mitchell’s avoidable’. Rainforest Snail near the edge of the ‘Th e minister has embarked on a proposed new dam wall, as the news war against the environmental pro- of the state government’s recent deci- tections that were put in place based sion to review a ban on the dam hit on sound scientifi c evidence,’ Dr Kaye Sydney media this week. said. Resident and anti-dam activist John Minister for Primary Industries, Morrison told Th e Echo he found and Katrina Hodgkinson, quietly an- photographed what he believed to be nounced the review earlier this month one of the rare pyramid-shaped snails in response to questions from the lo- (theresites mitchellae) on a log amid cal ABC News team. The minister deep leaf litter at Pretty Gully, Byrrill had been lobbied by vocal pro-dam Creek in the shadow of Mt Warning Tweed mayor Kevin Skinner, who had last Monday. used his casting vote to get the new Mr Morrison said he reported the dam plan up, and his factional ally Cr Steve Spencer This picture shows the dramatic extent of the erosion in front of the public finding to the Australian National Warren Polglase. Kingscliff Beach caravan park after the latest scouring of the foreshore by Museum’s Atlas of Living Australia Dr Kaye said the two ‘have had A crisis meeting to tackle the erosion big tides. Council work crews and contractors relocated around half a dozen project which catalogues Australia’s their patience rewarded’. emergency at Kingscliff has decided cabins to save them from being destroyed by the big tides. biodiversity aft er he learnt the snail ‘It took the new Primary Industries to spend an extra $255,000 in an at- Photo Jeff ‘Dropping In’ Dawson was listed as critically endangered Minister less than 100 days to throw tempt to stop more of the foreshore under federal legislation and endan- out the scientifi c evidence behind the from tumbling into the ocean. manager Richard Adams said in a Management Plan. gered under NSW law. water-sharing plan and reopen the Workers this week relocated beach- press release that the trust was trying ‘Council has allocated $3 million in Th e fi nd of the rare, air-breathing divisive debate over the future of Byr- front cabins further away from the to protect the source of income the loan funds as its contribution, and at land snail comes as NSW Greens MP rill Creek. erosion zone to stop them toppling Kingscliff Beach Holiday Park pro- this critical stage would greatly appre- John Kaye told the Sydney Morning continued on page 2 into the sea. vides for the maintenance and en- ciate any fi nancial contribution the Th e Tweed Shire Council meeting hancement of Tweed Crown reserves. state or federal governments are able decided to build another 70 metres of Holiday park fl ow-on to provide to implement this proj- sandbag wall in front of the Kingscliff ect to restore the public amenity of Beach Holiday Park as a temporary ‘Council and the trust understand Kingscliff and ensure the commercial measure. the important fl ow-on eff ect to the lo- sustainability of the Kingscliff com- Th is is on top of $140,000 in emer- cal business community which results munity. gency works taking place in front of from tourists staying in the holiday ‘Council, acting as the Trust, will the Holiday Park and south of the park,’ Mr Adams said. seek urgent representation through Cudgen Headland Surf Life Saving ‘Council and the trust’s long-term the local state members of parliament Club. strategy is to nourish Kingscliff for emergency funding and to expe- But this money is dwarfed by the $3 beach with 300,000 cubic metres dite a long-term solution. million earmarked by the council to of sand extracted from the Tweed The council is in the process of permanently safeguard the crumbling River downstream of Barneys Point securing a licence to complete these foreshore. And the council is seek- Bridge. works and has applied for federal re- ing another $3 million from the state ‘Re-nourishment would continue gional development funding to com- and federal governments to fully fund as required in the long term, in plement council funds. their anti-erosion project. accordance with council’s exhib- Q See Cabarita van park story, page 3 The Mitchell’s Rainforest Snail found in leaf litter near the proposed Byrrill Tweed Parks Holiday Reserve Trust ited and adopted Tweed Coastline and Editorial, page 6. Creek dam site last week. Photo J Morrison GREAT WINE AT A BARGAIN PRICE YALUMBA Y SERIES $11.95 EACH OR GREAT RANGE $30 FOR 3. Sauvignon Blanc, GREAT PRICE Pinot Grigio, Merlot, GREAT LOCATION Shiraz Viognier OPEN 7 DAYS RRP $14.99 each Shop 4, Kingscliff Shopping Village 3 Griffi th Street, Coolangatta Phone 02 6674 3366 Phone 07 5536 3066 <echowebsection=Local News> Local News iPads, MBPros & iPods Old Stokers church marks 100 years in Stock & On Sale! Kate McIntosh Cancer survivor Alan Skerritt says it was both a leap of faith and act of insanity that saw him buy Stokers Siding’s his- toric former church. In a devastating diagnosis, doctors gave him just three months to live after discover- Shown with Apple SmartCovers $45 ea.• in leather $79 ea. ing a malignant melanoma in 2004. New iPad2: Now in White or Black It was on a drive down to 16gb - 32gb & 64gb; w or w/o 3G: Starting at $579 $564. the Northern Rivers with his daughter that same year that New 2.3Ghz MacBook Pro 13” the Brisbane-based business- $1399 $1369. man first fell in love with the church and after returning New 2.7 Ghz MacBook Pro 13” $1698 $1669. from the trip he called his law- yers from his hospital bed and put in an offer. 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Byron Shire’s Only Apple Certified Tech Centre Since 1992 nominations of the Christian months recuperating in Eu- 13, from 10am. Tickets are $25. 3/84 Centennial Circuit in the Arts & Industry Estate Byron Bay 02 6685 8796 • See Website for easy Directions faith including Presbyterian, rope. Activities include regency For more info contact Alan hrs: m-fri 9-5 • sat 9-1 www.lightforce.com.au Church of England and the The church has been deco- dancing displays, jig and jazz on 0409 898 385 or email alan- * Apple Beating prices are for cash/EFT - excludes CC Service Fees, Apple sales, refurbs, etc. Uniting Church. rated with artefacts from his performances, fortune telling, [email protected]. It was decommissioned in Sustainable journalism • sustained 1982 and has since been pri- vately owned. Rare snail found at dam site (from page 1) by advertisers for readers. If you like Although the church had our stories, let our advertisers know! undergone renovations, Alan ‘If Katrina Hodgkinson was understood modern least-cost, Polglase and Youngblutt who says it had retained much of looking for something to re- integrated water planning, she pushed through the new dam its character. view, she need go no further would have told Tweed Coun- option instead. than Tweed Council’s abysmal cil to look at the cheaper and A council report has already failure to look at water reuse less destructive options, rather identified 45 threatened fauna and efficiency measures before than re-opening the entirely species, including the giant pushing ahead with a damag- discredited Byrrill Creek dam barred frog, the double-eyed ing, expensive and entirely project’.