THE BYRON SHIRE ECHO Advertising & news enquiries: Mullumbimby 02 6684 1777 Byron Bay 02 6685 5222 Fax 02 6684 1719 [email protected] [email protected] http://www.echo.net.au VOLUME 20 #17 3PRING TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2005 22,300 copies every week &AIRÊ *>}iÊÓä $1 at newsagents only A TOAST TO ABSENT FRIENDS Vale, Carol Page Peace fl ame to light up carnival October 30, 1948–September 6, 2005 Carol Page, former Echo journalist and Mul- started to raise a family. They moved up to lumbimby resident, died in her sleep at her Byron Shire in the early eighties and after home in Dalgety on Tuesday, aged 56. their separation Carol lived for many years Her death has come as a heartrending in the Yellow House at Main Arm with her shock to hundreds of people in Byron Shire growing brood. who knew her as a friend, colleague and In 1986 Carol joined the fl edgling Echo as remarkably honest, open and loving human typist, bookkeeper, receptionist, sales per- being. son and general factotum, but editor Nicho- Carol spent much of her youth in rural las Shand soon discovered and encouraged NSW. Her father was a senior police offi cer her talent for journalism. This talent was and Carol experienced a wide variety of rooted in her genuine love for and interest in communities as he was posted from town to the wide spectrum of people living in this town. Her love of the bush began in this area. Spend half an hour with Carol and she period, and possibly also her tendency would know your life history, and you hers, towards a nomadic existence. When she was but you would also know that her knowl- a teenager in Miranda her rebellious ways edge valued your individuality and was never led her father to board her out with the used negatively. Lewis family in Moree. Carol brought Syd- Her initial friends in the district came ney, miniskirts and all, to Moree and Moree from the counter-culture community of her gave Carol a thorough grounding in horse- own generation, but she quickly became Annabel McLisky passes the World Peace Flame torch to Cassandra Parkinson from the Byron Commu- manship, which remained a precious ele- known and loved by everyone, particularly nity Centre where the flame will be permanantly housed. Dru yogis Alina Hughes and Sara Siegelman ment in her life. in Mullumbimby. Her affi nity for the bush, look on. Photo Jeff ‘In A Piece’ Dawson Carol was a natural rebel. She never took most marked in her accomplished eques- existence for granted. She always pushed it trian skills, and her restless curiosity led her An all night prayer vigil to welcome the peacemaking in the area over the last 35 hard, shook it for answers, avoided the easy to a wide circle of friends, from the politi- World Peace Flame (WPF) will be part of years. The fl ame will arrive and be presented paths. In 1971 she was in India, sitting at the cally most conservative to the artistically the Byron Peace Carnival on September to Mayor Jan Barham who will accept it on feet of her master, Maharaji, and the follow- most radical. It was this genius for friend- 17. behalf of the Shire. ing year returned to Sydney and devoted ship which gave her writing such appeal, and The vigil, to be held at the Butler Street Australian actor Jack Thompson will herself to helping spread his message of when she moved to the Snowy Mountains a ‘Peace Park’ in Byron Bay ends an evening speak, and the fi nal scene of The Gathering, inner peace. few years ago, The Echo was the poorer. program of ceremonies and music. a fi lm that he is narrating, will be shot at the In 1974 she married David Ransome and Nicholas Shand was the love of her life, The Saturday evening begins with a walk event. and though their relationship was tempestu- from the lighthouse with visiting peacemak- This will be followed by an interfaith ous they shared a reckless, larrikin attitude, ers from the Life Foundation in the UK ceremony in which local spiritual leaders and an infectious propensity for partying, carrying the WPF torch. will light candles from a peace fl ame caul- which defi ned the extra-curricular activities Crowds will gather at the park at sunset dron. of the newspaper for many years. and watch the ceremonies on giant screens The evening ends with chanting and a Friends quickly learned that when you as the fl ame makes its way from the light- silent prayer vigil, which will extend through were around Carol nothing was simple. house. the night. Residents are invited to join the Indeed drama was her keynote, although The WPF will go through three ceremo- vigil to ‘anchor the energy of peace in the nobody could have been further from a nial gates, the fi rst a welcome by local Arak- Shire’. drama queen than outspoken, down-to- wal elders; totem lanterns will accompany The World Peace Flame torch will also earth Carol. It was just that drama was the candlelit procession. lead a large colourful street parade on Sun- embedded in her very existence. When she The next gate involves a salute to nature day September 18, with singers, drummers, hitchhiked across the Nullarbor she was and the elements when the Echo Islanders a giant whale fl oat and hundreds of rainbow picked up by a driver who promptly died, from the Northern Territory will call in the peace fl ags that will make their way through leaving her stranded in the middle of the whales in a sacred beach ceremony not yet the streets of Byron Bay to the Butler Street desert. She nearly died herself when she seen before by non-indigenous people. Peace Park. haemorrhaged during childbirth, again The last part of the welcoming involves At the site there will be music, peace talks, when a semi-trailer ripped into her station- sacred prayers for peace and light when the market stalls, a healing village, children’s ary car in Brunswick Heads, again when she Life Foundation symbolically presents the activities, and festive activities to express the fell into the Nymboida River rapids, and fl ame to all peoples at the peace pole. culture of peace. Parking can be found at the again when a marquee collapsed on her dur- Between the ceremonies, the crowd will market site. Carol pictured at the Byron Bay Writers Festival ing a storm. be entertained by a musical journey on the For more information on the carnival visit last month. Photo Ian Kingston continued on page 2 main stage that encapsulates the history of www.byronpeacecarnival.com. ",).$ INTERIOR &ORFREEMEASURE -/4)6% QUOTECALL ORVISITOURSHOWROOM AT#ENTENNIAL#IRCUIT "YRON"AY 2EMOTEMOTORISED /FFICIAL!GENTSFOR$ESIGNED"LINDS 6EROSOL 3ILENT'LISS *UST"LINDS3HUTTERS 0ETER-EYER"LINDS SYSTEMSAVAILABLE 2 September 13, 2005 Byron Shire Echo www.echo.net.au Local News Carol Page New cancer group for Byron Shire From front page Carol was devastated when Nicholas died in a road accident in 1996. During several years of extreme grief she contracted breast cancer and heart disease. Exhibiting amazing resilience she fought off both cancer and depres- sion and started a new life down south with the found- "2!$3"%34&2)$'%&),,%23 ing of the Snowy River Echo, a conscious tribute to Nicho- las. The newspaper has made an auspicious beginning, )")/ and it is doubly sad that after winning back her equilib- Pictured above are Byron Shire Cancer Sup- (opposite Meadows Medical Centre). 13&.*6. rium and zest for life she port Facilitator Chris Barron and Diana Over the coming months there will be should leave us now. Fisher, The Cancer Council’s Regional Pro- presentations from oncology specialists, die- YNM grams Coordinator, with some of the mem- ticians, remedial care nurses and other 4UVCCJFT But perhaps Carol would not agree. Nicholas’s sister, bers of the Mullumbimby support group. experts in order to increase knowledge and Christina Shand, recalls The inaugural meeting of the Byron coping skills among patients and carers. Carol’s last words to her: ‘I Shire Cancer Support Group was held last New people are welcome to attend and dis- don’t believe in this good- Wednesday. The group will meet at 1pm cuss their concerns. For more information bye thing, it is a continuum, on the fi rst Wednesday of every month at phone the Cancer Helpline on 131120 or we move on but we stay the Mullumbimby Uniting Church hall visit www.cancercouncil.com.au. connected.’ '063&9 Carol is survived by daughters Cristel and Cuts to special needs classes opposed (0-% Jannah, sons Obie and Len- The NSW Teachers Federa- aides for which only $15.6m has not had a good record in nie, and grandchildren -"(&3 tion has strongly opposed dollars was allocated. As this special education: figures Darcy and George. The Echo the recent announcement by was clearly an inadequate from the shadow [education] YNM#PUUMFT expects to run further trib- the Department of Educa- sum of money, instead of ful- minister show that three utes to this remarkable tion and Training (DET) fi lling that promise we are years ago, 18 students in IM woman next week. that certain special needs now faced with increases in classes received $18 000 per classes would be abolished the numbers of students in year in funding. The same and others collapsed in 2006. special needs classrooms, as students today receive $3 Carol’s day Angelo Gavrielatos, Senior well as the loss of some spe- 000.