Vandals continue attacks at cricket HQ

By Tim Howard

The continued senseless destruction of large sections of the boundary fence at Grafton’s Ellem Oval has outraged the local sporting community.

The president of the Clarence River Cricket Association, Anthony Dickson, was astounded at the extent of the damage when he arrived at the ground on Saturday ahead of the first match of the season.

Dickson, also a player with the South Services first grade team, said the modern picket fence around ground was in a sorry state.

“It’s a beautiful oval this time of year, but there’s panels busted out every where,” Dickson said.

“I don’t know what we can do,” he said. “The council don’t seem to want to do anything. It’s starting to drive us insane.”

Dickson said the location of the heaviest damage to the fence, near the skate park, was a clear indication of  who were the culprits.

“It’s a beautiful oval, with a modern clubhouse and this is happening. It’s a bad look,” Dickson said.

The classic picket fence surrounding the cricket ground in the park, named after the Ellem family who were synonymous with Clarence cricket for most of the 20th Century, was part of a $2.5 million upgrade off the Fisher Park precinct completed in 2011.

The skate park near the oval has been a popular addition to community infrastructure but has also been a venue for some anti-social behaviour.

The skate park, built in the early part of the century and upgraded at cost of of $64,000 in 2010 has been a source of conflict between young people using the park and cricketers ever since the picket fence went up in 2011.

Skate park users have at times interrupted cricket matches, riding bikes onto the field on at least one occasion and at times taunting players on the field near the fence.

Dickson said it was not surprising the heaviest damage to the picket fence has occurred along the perimeter next to the skate park.

“We’ve been told the damage to the fence now would cost about $10,000 to repair,” he said.

The skate park has been popular with young people in Grafton ever since it opened and has also been used as a venue for the popular Out of the Box youth outreach service.

But it also been the scene of a number of assaults and other anti-social behaviour and also a spectacular vehicle fire in March 2022.

Dickson said damage to the fence had continued over a number of years but had not been repaired.

“We’ve got this beautiful cricket oval going around about three quarters of the ground, with this modern clubhouse,” he said.

“But that section near the skatepark has had all the palings busted off and even the rails have been pulled down.

“Now they’ve smashed up another section of the fence coming back towards the clubhouse. Something’s got to be done. It has to stop.”

Vandals have also moved inside the fence to damage the ground with wicket covers destroyed and people riding bikes on the wicket surface when it was wet.

Dickson said leading umpire up Tony Blanch, who is also the wicket curator at the ground, had met with the police after the latest vandal attack.

“I don’t know what we can do,” he said. “We’ve had these problems for a long time, but it always seem to end up with nothing happening.”

Clarence Valley Orchestra Medical Student Scholarship

The Clarence Valley Orchestra (CVO) is proud to announce their first scholarship candidate for their new Rural Medical Student Scholarship worth $5,000 to Mattea Lazarou in Grafton.

Mattea says, “I have been fortunate enough to complete the beginnings of my medical education as part of the Graduate School of Medicine at University of Wollongong. With a strong focus in contributing to the health and wellbeing of rural Australia, the program sees students undertake a year-long placement within a rural community. With personal connections to the local community, I was thrilled to be placed in the Clarence Valley to complete this stage of my training. It is through my placement in Grafton and surrounds, that my own passion for practising rural health and contributing to the wellbeing of rural communities was encouraged. It was a privilege not only to be surrounded by enthusiastic mentors and teachers within the hospital setting, but to connect with and hear the stories of community members, both within the hospital and beyond. I was fortunate enough to be given the opportunity to return to the Clarence Valley in this latter half of the year and undertake additional experience in both Grafton and Maclean hospitals. I am grateful to complete this final stage of training with the support of the Clarence Valley Orchestra’s generous scholarship. I look forward to returning to Grafton to work as a doctor throughout my career to give back to the community that has showed me so much kindness and opportunity”.

The University of Wollongong’s Dean of the Graduate School of Medicine, Professor Zsuzsoka Kecskes has commented that “we are very excited about the recent awarding of the first Clarence Valley Orchestra Medical Scholarship and would like to once again congratulate Mattea on her successful application. In times when living costs continue to rise, it’s vital for our students to have external support and encouragement to stay on track toward their dream careers and to feel the impact their efforts can have on our communities. We want to express our gratitude to the Clarence Valley Orchestra for their incredible support – our partnership is a fantastic example of how community efforts can uplift and empower future generations.”

The idea of Artistic Director and Conductor of the CVO Dr Greg Butcher, says “the Orchestra is thrilled and has agreed to keep the $5,000 scholarship going over the next 2 years (3 years in total) as a way of ‘thinking outside the box’, hopefully attracting GPs to the Clarence Valley and wider area in the future. These scholarships along with other major community donations are funded from tickets sales from the orchestra’s major concerts. CVO’s next concert, An Afternoon at The Pops, will be their 10^th anniversary and will be on Sunday 27^th October at the Saraton Theatre Grafton, performing with the Comedy Trio the Kransky Sisters, with compere comedian Anthony Ackroyd”.

For more local Clarence Valley news, click here.

More Homes for the Northern Rivers as Junction Hill Site Released

In a significant step toward bolstering disaster-resilient housing in the Northern Rivers, the Minns Government has announced the release of land in Junction Hill near Grafton, as part of its broader initiative to deliver up to 1,000 new homes. This marks the seventh land release under the $100 million Resilient Lands Program (RLP), a key component of one of Australia’s largest flood-resilience efforts, alongside the $790 million Resilient Homes Program funded jointly by the State and Commonwealth.

The Junction Hill site joins previously identified locations in East Lismore, Goonellabah, North Lismore, Brunswick Heads, Casino, and Lennox Head-Ballina. Collectively, these sites are expected to yield more than 4,300 homes across the region, addressing the critical need for safer and more resilient housing following the devastating 2022 floods.

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been signed between the NSW Reconstruction Authority (RA), Transport for NSW, and the Clarence Valley Council to outline necessary transport infrastructure improvements for the Junction Hill site. This infrastructure is crucial to supporting the anticipated growth and development in the area.

The NSW Government has also detailed its Resilient Lands Strategy, which identifies additional sites in Murwillumbah, Goonellabah, and Kyogle. The strategy, developed through extensive community consultation and expert peer review, aims to accelerate the supply of land for residents affected by the 2022 floods. It complements, rather than replaces, ongoing land releases and housing developments across the Northern Rivers.

The RA is now working with councils, landowners, infrastructure providers, and various partners to expedite land and housing developments as quickly as possible.

For more information, visit the NSW Reconstruction Authority website.

Key Government Statements:

Minister for Planning and Public Spaces, Paul Scully: “It is critical that communities are assisted in building resilience to natural disasters. The release of land at Junction Hill and the Resilient Lands Strategy demonstrate that the Minns Government is serious about properly planning for the future. With housing stress and homelessness remaining high in the Northern Rivers, these initiatives are vital in creating up to 4,300 flood-resilient home sites.”

Minister for Emergency Services, Jihad Dib: “The Resilient Lands Program will accelerate the delivery of new land and housing, providing locals with safer options. Clarence Valley is the fifth council to receive support under the program, and we will continue working with other councils to bring more housing to the Northern Rivers.”

Minister for Regional Transport and Roads, Jenny Aitchison: “The Minns Labor Government is committed to ensuring that people in the Northern Rivers have safer homes connected to essential services. Good transport infrastructure is vital for the success of new housing developments, and the release of land at Junction Hill will support this.”

Parliamentary Secretary for Disaster Recovery, Janelle Saffin: “Flood-affected communities across the Northern Rivers have been keenly interested in safer land and housing options. I’m pleased to see Clarence Valley included in the Resilient Lands Program, and there is more to come.”

Member for Clarence, Richie Williamson: “This site has been zoned for development for some time. It’s flat, flood-free, and close to town—a rarity in the Northern Rivers. The only thing holding back development is the necessary transport infrastructure upgrades, which this initiative aims to address.”

The release of the Junction Hill site and the broader Resilient Lands Strategy reflect the NSW Government’s commitment to providing disaster-resilient housing and ensuring that the Northern Rivers community is better prepared for future challenges.

For more local Grafton news, click here.