NAIDOC Week Celebrations in Ballina Shire

NAIDOC Week is a significant time to honour Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander history, culture, and achievements, providing an opportunity to recognize the vital contributions Indigenous Australians make to our nation and society.

This year’s theme, “Keep the Fire Burning! Blak, Loud and Proud,” celebrates the enduring strength and vitality of First Nations culture. Fire symbolizes a connection to Country, to one another, and to the rich tapestry of traditions that define Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. This theme invites all Australians to listen, learn, and engage in meaningful dialogue, fostering a society where the wisdom and contributions of Indigenous peoples are fully valued and respected. Through collective efforts, we can forge a future where the stories, traditions, and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities are cherished and celebrated, enriching the fabric of the nation with the oldest living culture in the world.

Activities Planned for Ballina Shire:

Annual Celebration Walk

• Date: Monday, 8 July
• Time: Meeting from 10:00 AM
• Details: The whole community is invited to join the annual Celebration Walk starting from the Ballina RSL Club, proceeding along River Street and Cherry Street to the Ballina Indoor Sports Centre (BISC) for the official flag-raising ceremony. Refreshments, BBQ, displays, and games will be held at the BISC and in the closed-off area of the car park, with morning tea provided for community Elders.

Bunjum Sports & Stalls Day

• Date: Tuesday, 9 July
• Time: 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM
• Location: Saunders Oval Ballina (BISC as the wet weather option)
• Details: Jarjums sports and stalls day featuring skills and drills, a touch football round for 4 to 18-year-olds. There will be food, activities, sports, and performances.

Bullinah Basketball 3 x 3

• Date: Wednesday, 10 July
• Time: From 12:15 PM
• Location: Ballina Indoor Sports Centre (BISC)
• Details: 3 x 3 basketball competition, skills and drills followed by an All-Stars basketball game.

Bundjalung Goori Cultural Celebration

• Date: Thursday, 11 July
• Time: 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM
• Location: Missingham Park Amphitheatre
• Details: Cultural activities including weaving, dancing, jewellery making, cultural art, cultural tours, didgeridoo playing, bush tucker tastings, and live music.

Art Exhibition

• Date: Thursday, 11 July
• Time: From 5:00 PM
• Location: Richmond Room
• Details: Goori celebration of the Arts exhibition.

Bunjum Elders Lunch

• Date: Friday, 12 July
• Time: 11:30 AM – 2:00 PM
• Location: Cherry Street Sports Club
• Details: Lunch for the Elders with entertainment and games.

For more information on these and other activities planned for NAIDOC Week in Ballina Shire, visit the Council’s website at ballina.nsw.gov.au or discoverballina.com.au.

For more local Ballina news, click here.

Wonderful Wardell: A Day to Connect, Play, and Get Creative

Join the community for a fun-filled day at Wonderful Wardell, an event designed to spark creativity, enjoy music, and spend quality time with family and friends. On Sunday, June 30, 2024, from 10 AM to 3 PM, the western end of Richmond Street in Wardell will come alive with free, engaging activities for all ages, featuring some of the region’s most imaginative artists, facilitators, musicians, and performers.

Event Highlights

• Pop-Up Play Space by internationally recognized Roundabout Theatre, based in Northern Rivers.
• Live Music by Wardell’s own Serendipiti, Bella Frankie, Andrea Soler, and the Evans River High Band.

Creative Workshops for All Ages and Abilities

• Natural Fibre Weaving with Aunty Tania Marlowe and Deb Cole from Jugan Dandii.
• Creative Design Workshop with Kate Stroud, contributing to a mural for Wardell.
• Artwork Workshops with Jeremy Austin to design pavement tiles for the future Wardell Village Centre Revitalisation project.
• Collaborative Chalk Mosaic activities with The Chalkies.
• Collage Workshop with Claudie Frock in “Let’s Stick Together.”
• Music Workshop with Andrea Soler.

Event Details

• Date: Sunday, June 30, 2024
• Time: 10 AM – 3 PM
• Location: Richmond Street, Wardell (western end)
• Cost: Free
• Audience: All ages and community members welcome; family-friendly event
• Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible; a sensory-friendly quiet space will be available.

If you require an Auslan interpreter, please notify us two weeks in advance. For access queries, contact Claudie Frock at frockonya@yahoo.com.au or call/text 0432 400 753.

The Wonderful Wardell event is organised by Ballina Shire Council and supported by the NSW Government. For more information, visit here.

For more local Ballina news, click here.

Ballina Shire Council to speed up flood-resilient housing plans with new funding

By Sarah Waters

Ballina Shire Council has been allocated $210,000 from the NSW Government’s $100 million Resilient Lands Program (RLP) to help bolster housing options in the Shire.

Last Friday, Member for Lismore Janelle Saffin, Member for Ballina Tamara Smith and Acting CEO of the NSW Reconstruction Authority Mal Lanyon made the announcement.

The funding will be used to help Ballina Shire Council fast-track the planning and design of housing on council-owned land at Hutley Drive, Lennox Head.

It will also be used to ‘unlock housing capacity’ in the Ballina CBD, including using shop tops as housing.

Ballina Mayor Sharon Cadwallader said the boost would help council address some of the housing needs that have existed in Ballina prior to the floods.

“Council can now get on with the important job of planning for this site on Hutley Drive in Lennox Head and explore options in the CBD for medium-density housing,” Ms Cadwallader said.

The Ballina Shire Housing Strategy prioritises providing residences for local workers within the community.

Member for Ballina Tamara Smith said she hoped that any council land that comes under the Resilient Lands Program has a significant portion dedicated to either social or affordable housing.

“We need genuine affordable housing for residents in our community, not expensive housing stock that is of more interest to property investors,” Ms Smith said.

The announcement marked the fifth round of funding under the Resilient Lands Program, which is fully financed by the NSW Government.

Ballina is the fourth flood-impacted council to be assisted with funding under the program.

Previous allocations have supported housing projects in East Lismore, Mount Pleasant Estate in Goonellabah, Saddle Road in Brunswick Heads and Summerland Estate in Casino.

The Resilient Lands Program was established to unlock land and provide safer places for people to live across the Northern Rivers following the 2022 floods.

The program includes a variety of new home and land options and provide pathways for flood-impacted homeowners to relocate to safer areas.

The Resilient Lands Program links in with the $700 million Resilient Homes Program (RHP).

Participants of the RHP, who have accepted a buyback offer from the government, are typically given the first opportunity to purchase new land and homes before they’re offered to the open market.

Minister for Planning and Public Spaces Paul Scully emphasised the program’s role in advancing the development of flood-resilient housing solutions, particularly in flood-prone areas like Ballina.

“This will really accelerate the delivery of flood-resilient land and housing options for people to move off the flood plain.

“In Ballina it will help deliver a greater range of higher density housing options in the CBD and at Lennox Head and potentially add to the social housing stock as well.”

Parliamentary Secretary for Disaster Recovery Janelle Saffin said flood-affected communities across the Northern Rivers region had been waiting for safer land and housing options to be identified.

“I’m pleased to see another LGA added to the councils receiving support under the Resilient Lands Program.

“The Community Leaders Forum (seven mayors and six state and federal MPs) early on adopted the principle of equity in recovery for the entire region affected by the 2022 floods.”

Acting CEO of the Reconstruction Authority Mal Lanyon said the RLP would offer families affordable housing options while assisting councils in infrastructure planning for major housing developments.

For more local Ballina news, click here.