Hold a garage sale this Second Hand Saturday!

ADVITORIAL

Second Hand Saturday – the North Coast’s biggest day of garage sales is back again and registrations to hold a garage sale are now open.

Over this month, Northern Rivers Council’s together with North East Waste, are hosting a series of free workshops for Buy Nothing New Month, to encourage reuse and repair over landfill. This year, Second Hand Saturday will conclude these celebrations and be held on one date only – Saturday 4 November.

Linda Tohver from North East Waste is inviting people to get involved in this year’s event, held across the Council areas of Tweed, Byron, Ballina, Kyogle, Richmond Valley, Lismore and the Clarence Valley.

“With millions of tonnes of waste being sent to landfill by Australian households every year, the humble garage sale is one of the easiest ways we can reduce the amount of ‘stuff’ ending up in landfill,” Linda said.

Selling pre-loved goods and buying second hand is a great way to keep items circulating within our community, especially when many of us are looking at options to reduce the cost of living.”

Second Hand Saturday Poster

Residents who register for Second Hand Saturday will once again have the option of holding their own garage sale, or to organise a joint sale with family and friends.

“We always encourage people to join forces with their local community to attract more attention – get your neighbours involved and hold a street sale, run a fundraiser or collate your efforts at your local club, school or church.  That’s just one of our tips for the day to get the crowds to your sale!” Linda said.

This year all registered garage sale addresses will appear in local newspapers, with full details listed on the Second Hand Saturday website. All you need to do is register online at www.secondhandsaturday.com.au before 25 October to ensure your address will be printed in your local newspaper. Alternatively, as listings go live after the registration process is complete, you can still register up until the 3 November, for a web-only listing.

For more information, visit the Second Hand Saturday website www.secondhandsaturday.com.au, follow the mysecondhandsaturday Facebook page or contact your local Council.

For more entertainment news, click here.

Tide turning on responsible dog ownership in Byron Shire

Ten months on from the launch of Council’s Dogs in Public Spaces strategy, increased enforcement and more education and signage is helping people to do the right thing when they’re out and about with their dogs and at our Shire’s dog beaches and foreshore areas.

“We still have plenty of work to do but I am pleased to report our rangers are starting to see shifting behaviours and greater awareness about dogs in our public spaces,” Council’s Manager Public and Environmental Services, Sarah Nagel, said.

Between March and May this year, Animal Enforcement Officers issued 53 percent more animal-related fines than between the same dates in 2022.

“Our fines are up because we’ve been rotating shifts for our staff to actively patrol hot spots, dog prohibited areas and dog exercise areas at different times throughout the day – on foot and in cars,” Ms Nagel said.

“Whilst we cannot be everywhere at once, our approach is to ensure our patrols include an element of surprise.

“Dog owners are surprised to see us early in the morning or late in the evening and it’s a good opportunity for us to get our messages out to a wider cross-section of the community,” she said.

increased enforcement and more education and signage is helping people to do the right thing in regards to dog ownership in Byron Shire.

Council also recently installed footpath stencils in Byron Bay, Brunswick Heads, Ocean Shores, Bangalow and Mullumbimby to increase awareness, with more coming in other locations around the Shire.

“The footpath stencils are easy for everyone to understand including visitors who are here with their dogs,” Ms Nagel said.

It’s encouraging more involvement from the whole community who are calling out bad behaviours.

“We have also been busy on the education front with our dedicated Animal Education and Enforcement Officer doing a great job through the school education program,” she said.

“It’s pleasing to see positive results and shifting behaviours in this first important year of our 10-year strategy; however, the most vital part is that dog owners must be responsible” she said.

For more information on Dogs in Public Spaces go to Council’s website.

For more local Byron Bay news, click here.

IS ALCOHOL COSTING YOU MORE THAN JUST MONEY?

I migrated to Australia in 2003 from the UK 39yrs of age looking for a better life; randomly met a member of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) who invited me to my first AA meeting. I suspected my drinking had become problematic. I had lost the ability to control how much I drank once I started, and was also unable to guarantee my behavior when I drank. I rarely sobered up as I’d become a daily drinker; drinking and driving common practice with my children in the car, as well as drinking before going to work as an intensive care nurse. I remember drinking beer in my garage with the roller door open, sitting in a camping chair Australian style and thought that I’d arrived! I drank essentially for the effect and to change how I felt, living life without alcohol I struggled to “cope” with feelings and circumstances. It didn’t matter if I was happy or sad, I drank, and drinking had become a way of life that seemed normal. Eventually my drinking ceased being a luxury and fun and became a necessity and extremely sad. I was largely drinking alone at home and often to oblivion.

My delusion surrounding my drinking had hindered me from learning what alcoholism is. An alcoholic doesn’t have to be a park bench drunk. I was a working mother, with a profession and a career, a nice home, a driving license and from the outside looked like I had things together yet inside I was dying. Life had become an existence and I arrived at AA with a multitude of problems. I was prey to misery and had problems with personal relationships. I had no clue how to be a decent partner, mother, daughter, friend or employee. I couldn’t control my emotional nature, and I was full of fear, and often very angry and resentful. Today I understand that alcoholism is a disorder and that I am mentally and physically different from normal, moderate or heavy drinkers and I suffer a malady of a spiritual nature. AA has offered me a solution to my alcoholism. AA is a fellowship of people who share their experience strength and hope with each other that they may solve their common problem and help others to recover from alcoholism. The only requirement for AA membership is that you are alcoholic and have a desire to stop drinking.

After 22 months of abstaining from alcohol and just “not drinking” it all got too hard and I picked up a drink. 6 weeks of attempting to control my drinking unsuccessfully, desperation took me back to AA. I rarely had one or two drinks, what was the point? I now identify with the Allergy/Phenomenon of Craving in the Dr’s Opinion of the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous and that I am Powerless over alcohol both before I start drinking due to a mental obsession around alcohol, and after I pick up a drink due to a physical phenomenon of craving. For years to me I thought that I was just changing my mind and choosing to drink. I now know that I have lost the power of choice where alcohol is concerned.  I could stop drinking for short periods of time, I just couldn’t stay stopped. I would usually return to drinking as a reward or if in emotional pain, fear, anger or resentment. I know today that I cannot drink safely as I drink abnormally, but I didn’t know how to live without alcohol. That desperation has been the greatest gift, as painful as it was; it propelled me to do the suggested things in AA. The twelve-step programme of AA is a practical programme for living; it requires total abstinence from alcohol and is based on spiritual principles and living and growing along spiritual lines. I have been awakened by the process of taking the twelve steps and introduced to a concept of a power that keeps me sober; if personally powerless over alcohol (which the evidence of my drinking career confirmed) I needed a power in my life by which I could live. I arrived in AA a militant atheist and today my relationship with my Higher Power is the most significant relationship I have in my life; it gives me a life. AA is not a religious programme it’s a spiritual programme. Living AAs design for living has required honesty and willingness to examine my past and huge changes that help me to live sober. It involves going to AA meetings, working the twelve steps with a sponsor (someone who has had the experience of taking the twelve steps) being involved and of service and helping others. AA gave me hope, when my situation felt totally hopeless. My experience is that giving AA a go, today I have a life indescribably wonderful. I swapped the calamity and dramas for a life filled with joy, fun, laughter and freedom as I am no longer controlled by my alcoholism. AA saved my life, changed my life and gave me a whole new life and for that I am truly grateful. If it can work for me, it may work for you.

Anonymous.

Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) is very active in the Northern Rivers. Multiple physical meetings daily and online digital meetings are an option.

Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) is very active in the Northern Rivers. Multiple physical meetings daily and online digital meetings are an option.

September 8/9/10^th 2023 Alcoholics Anonymous are holding the 7^th annual convention locally. Organised and run by local AA members.

Knowing where to go and how to get help when an active alcoholic wants help, local AA members are on hand to give that help. Somewhere in the background of an active alcoholic’s life, there has probably been help from an employer, a Dr, an alcoholism agency or facility, a relative or friend in the suggestion of attending AA. From the beginning in 1935 AA has depended on good community relations to keep its helping hands informed.

7pm Friday September 8^th 2023

Alcoholics Anonymous holding a LOCAL PUBLIC AA MEETING Open to All

Free Event – Bangalow A&I Hall

How to get help from Alcoholics Anonymous

• Visit www.aa.org.au
• Phone the National AA helpline 1300 22 22 22
• Local helpline 1800 423 431 or 0401 945 671

For more health news, click here.