Schoolies about to descend on Byron Bay

By Sarah Waters

School is out for summer and more than 8000 year-12 school leavers or ‘schoolies’ are expected to arrive in Byron Bay tomorrow to celebrate.

The Australian rite of passage, which has been going for 43 years, will see high school graduates party through late November to early December.

Byron Bay’s relaxed coastal atmosphere and eclectic night life has made it a ‘top schoolies destination’ with thousands of young people continuing to flock there year after year.

Byron Shire Mayor Michael Lyon congratulated the young people, who had finished their schooling, but cautioned them to be responsible.

“It’s always a busy time of the year for the region and we welcome everyone as always and encourage our schoolies to enjoy themselves, but to celebrate responsibly, Mr Lyon said.

“Certainly, enjoy the nightlife, but also take it easy and look after one another, so that you can enjoy the many other things our region has to offer, like the beautiful beaches, lighthouse walk, markets and shops around the region,” he said.

While ‘Schoolies’ in Byron Bay is not an organised event, Byron Shire Council will support NSW Police and other community organisations, which provide services to keep young school leavers safe.

More than 8000 schoolies are expected to descend on Byron Bay this weekend

Mr Lyon said local Police were prepared for the many school leavers.

“I hope all the teenagers who come to Byron Bay go home with fond memories of a wonderful time.

“I do ask everyone to please respect our town, our residents, businesses and our natural environment while you are here,” he said.

Council has also provided funding to Red Frogs, an Australian charity which provides a positive peer presence in alcohol-fuelled environments to educate young people on safe partying behaviours.

Last year Red Frogs recorded about 13,000 interactions with Schoolies in the Byron Shire, helping them when they needed assistance, including first aid.

Schoolies will also be directed to Byron’s Youth Service’s Street Cruise program, which connects teenagers with information and services.

Much of Byron Bay’s CBD is an alcohol-free zone.

Council and Police enforce these zones year-round, including during Schoolies Week.

Meanwhile, businesses are set to profit from the annual event with much of the lower-middle range accommodation completely booked out from late November to early December.

Many sold out schoolie events will take place at a large number of bars and clubs across the town.

For more Byron Bay news, click here.

HOT SHOWERS INSTALLED AT BRUNSWICK HEADS PARK FOR THOSE SLEEPING ROUGH

HOT showers are something that we take for granted, but for those sleeping rough they can be difficult to access.

In an effort to ease this problem, Reflections Holiday Parks and Byron Shire Council have partnered to jointly fund the installation of hot water at the amenity block at Banner Park Reserve, Brunswick Heads.

The aim of the initiative is to provide hot water to help people who are sleeping rough.

Hot water is now available daily in the public amenity block at Banner Park Reserve between 6am and 11am. To support water conservation, showers will run on a timer.

Banner Park Reserve is maintained by Reflections for the local community and is part of the 15 acres of public reserves that Reflections looks after in the Byron Shire. Reflections uses proceeds from its holiday parks to provide nature reserves, BBQs and amenities for the local community.

Reflections’ CEO Nick Baker and Byron Shire Council Mayor, Cr. Michael Lyon

Reflections CEO Nick Baker said the role of Reflections, the only holiday park group in Australia that is a certified social enterprise, was not only to nurture land on behalf of the NSW public but also to do ‘business for good’ as a profit-for-purpose organisation.

“As a Crown Land Manager and a social enterprise, Reflections reinvests profit from holiday parks into public nature reserves for the enjoyment of the local community, and we also partner with community organisations on initiatives that benefit the community,” Mr Baker said.

“We are really pleased to partner with Byron Shire Council to help the local community and look forward to continuing to work together.”

Cr. Michael Lyon, Mayor of Byron Shire Council, said he was grateful to Reflections for working with Council to provide the service for the people in the community who were sleeping rough, adding that “a simple thing like a hot shower can make the world of difference to someone.”

“Byron Shire has the highest number of people sleeping rough in NSW, ahead of the City of Sydney, and they are some of the most vulnerable members of our community,” Cr. Lyon said.

“While appropriate housing and support services are what’s needed to for people to exit homelessness, we also need to make sure that they have access to basic amenities, like hot showers, that support dignity and well-being.”

For more Byron Bay news, click here.

Australian Food Safety Week encouraging food safety on a budget

This year’s Australian Food Safety Week (11 to 18 November 2023) is encouraging people to stay safe while eating on a budget.

Sarah Nagel, Byron Shire Council’s Manager of Public and Environmental Services is urging local consumers not to compromise their health by taking food safety short cuts.

“This year’s theme for Australian Food Safety Week is ‘Food safety – dollars and sense’ and it’s a good opportunity to review the information on the Food Safety Information Council’s website about how to manage the increased cost of living without compromising food safety,” said Ms Nagel.

“You could also consider visiting North East Waste’s love food hate waste program, for some great information on using leftovers better and saving you money in the long run.

“There are an estimated 4.67 million cases of food poisoning in Australia each year that result in 47,900 hospitalisations, 38 deaths and cost the economy $2.1 billion, while also costing people time, money, and their health.

“Food borne disease isn’t a minor illness, it can leave you with long term effects such as reactive arthritis,” she said.

Byron Shire Council together with the Food Safety Information Council recommend following these useful tips to stay food safe:

• Buy yourself a meat thermometer and use it, it doesn’t have to be a fancy digital version, one with a dial can be just as effective.
• If you are moving to cheaper cuts of meat such as mince, sausages, rolled roasts, liver and other offal and chicken, remember they need to be cooked to at least 75°C in the centre.
• Beef, lamb, kangaroo in whole cuts like chops, steaks, pieces, and roasts need to be cooked to at least 63°C (medium rare) and left to rest for around five minutes.
• Pork steaks and pieces need to be cooked to 70°C and roasts to between 70°C and 75°C and left to rest up to five minutes.
• Don’t purchase food from unknown sources such as on social media, make sure they are a legal source.

Byron Shire Council requires all permanent, temporary, and mobile food businesses to go through an approval process before they can operate.

“The objective is to ensure that people aren’t exposed to unnecessary risks caused by the mishandling of food,” Ms Nagel said.

Local businesses can find out more about Council’s approval process on Byron Shire Council’s website and take advantage of the free food handling online training.

You can learn more about food safety, test your knowledge and take the food safety quiz on the Food Safety Information Council website.

For more Byron Bay news, click here.