WILLIAMSON RENEWS CALLS FOR RIVER DREDGING

State Nationals MP for Clarence Richie Williamson has renewed calls in the NSW Parliament for the Minns Labor Government to implement a 10-year dredging strategy for the Clarence and Evans rivers, similar to plans the Government has put in place to dredge Swansea Channel in the Lake Macquarie region to improve navigation and provide improved access.

Mr Williamson recently moved a motion in the NSW Parliament calling on the Minns Labor Government to develop a long-term dredging plan for both the Clarence and Evans rivers systems.

“In river communities like ours, continual maintenance of rivers like the Clarence and Evans rivers is essential on many levels, including environmental, economic and recreational,” Mr Williamson said.

“These rivers are the lifeblood of communities that live along them, and it is evident that dredging is required to keep them in optimum health.

“The Yamba and Evans boat harbours are home to a commercial fishing fleet, a booming recreational fishing and boating enthusiasts and a significant maritime sector, including Marine Rescue. Hundreds and hundreds of jobs could be at risk if action isn’t taken.”

Mr Williamson said in addition, the continuing silting up of the river’s ecosystem increases the risk of flooding in terms of river height and flow rates.

“I will work with the NSW Government to get these very important projects underway, which will benefit the entire community,” Mr Williamson concluded.

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“There are certain people who are part of my heart”

By Samantha Elley

For the last 40 years, patients and staff of the Evans Head Medical Centre have had the pleasure of dealing with Marion Smith, but that came to an end last Monday week when she finally retired from a job she never expected to have.

“I took my baby to the doctor when he was nine months old,” Said Marion Smith.

“And they offered the job to me.

“I wasn’t looking for a job and they were the days that Paul Walsh and Ernie Finberg were the doctors and Lorraine Aleckson was there. We are now lifelong friends.”

That baby, Brock, is now 40 years old and Marion has done reception, practice management and dealing with the many people who have walked through the doors of the small village practice over that time.

“And it’s become a generational thing,” she said.

“The people that were little people when I started, they have brought in their babies and they treat you like their aunty.

“It’s just the most beautiful feeling.”

Marion said she has been through the tragedies and joys with many of the clients to the practice, and while others would shy away from such emotion, she takes a different view.

“It’s a real privilege to be part of someone’s terrible sorrow,” she said.

“For them to share it with you.”

Being part of the community has been a great joy for Marion as well, as people share their lives with her.

“It’s like an extended family,” she said.

“There are certain people who are part of my heart.”

One of the biggest changes Marion has seen over her time at the practice has been the growth of the town.

The need for new doctors to attend to the increasing population, meant that she had to help source doctors from further afield.

“I negotiated with people in America to bring the doctors over,” she said.

“Female doctors in our little town. That was a big change.”

Covid was a tumultuous time for the practice as well.

“Covid was scary,” Marion said.

“You really had to think about going to work, as I’m an asthmatic so I really got a bit (worried).

“Then I thought, it’s important because if we don’t come…it’s very hard when you can’t cuddle people, when they walk up to the counter and they are in tears.”

Then there was the patient who was a cat.

“At one stage I had a patient come around the back door with their cat for the doctor to try and save,” laughed Marion.

“There was no vet back then.

“Poor Dr Walsh tried to stitch the cat up.”

Marion’s lasting memories will be the many patients and staff she has worked with, but she is also looking forward to time with her family and indulging in her hobby of house decorating.

“I get to go home,” she said.

“In all my lifetime I’ve never had time at home.

“I’ve worked the whole time and now I get to enjoy my family.”

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Northern Rivers Koala Hospital needs funding: Urgent appeal for support

By Sarah Waters

Koalas are becoming an increasingly rare sight in NSW and the one organisation that is dedicated solely to their care in the Northern Rivers is desperately trying to keep operating as normal.

The Northern Rivers Koala Hospital, operated by Friends of the Koala, has made an urgent plea for financial support.

A decline in donations and available funding has threatened the hospital’s ability to operate effectively.

The hospital is specifically designed for the medical treatment of koalas and is the only wildlife hospital in NSW licensed to vaccinate all treated koalas against Chlamydia – the number one cause of death for koalas in the Northern Rivers.

General manager of Friends of the Koala Silva Everaers said more than 350 Koalas are treated at the hospital each year.

“From July last year we’ve seen a 20 per cent increase in koalas coming in, versus the year before,” Ms Everaers said.

“It will continue to increase as the threats to koalas are increasing with climate change, natural disasters, habitat being destroyed causing more koalas on the road, which leads to car hits, dog attacks and more diseases due to stress.

“So that’s obviously concerning, and it has been really, really busy for our volunteers rescuing and caring for them,” she said.

The Northern Rivers Koala Hospital was formed in 2019 and is part of the wider Friends of the Koala (FOK) organisation.

The FOK organisation receives government grants for certain projects including a recent grant to vaccinate 300 koalas against chlamydia.

But no government money is received for the operational cost of the koala hospital.

General Manager of Friends of the Koala Silva Everaers

Half a million dollars needs to be raised by Friends of the Koala each year to cover the hospital’s annual operating expenses.

It is set up with diagnostic and treatment tools including ultrasounds, x-rays, a blood bank, as well as surgical and pathology equipment to provide specialised 24/7 veterinary care to koalas.

Until more funds become available the hospital may not be able to continue in its current capacity.

Ms Everaers said the priority was to keep the hospital funded and veterinary staff paid.

“That really is where the research and the magic happens,” she said.

“We work with over 300 volunteers, who do an absolutely incredible job rescuing and rehabilitating the koalas treated in our hospital, and because of that we are able to keep operational costs really, really low.

“But we can’t do it without financial support, in the end, there’s medicine, veterinary staff, the equipment we need, research facilities – it’s not free.”

Friends of the Koala have set up a special donation drive, appealing to the public’s generosity to help keep the hospital in operation and maintain their high standards of care.

Anyone with a heart for wildlife, including business owners and philanthropists, can become a ‘Friend of the Northern Rivers Koala Hospital’ at: friendsofthekoala.org or support by donating to the organisation.

Friends of the Koala are a grassroots organisation with more than 35 years of experience working on critical, on-the-ground activities to conserve habitat and protect koalas individually and as a species.

It originated as a charity focused on planting trees but has evolved into a multifaceted organisation that also provides 24/7 koala rescue, medical treatment, research, advocacy and community education.

Friends of the Koala has successfully rehabilitated and released over 2000 koalas back into the wild since its inception.

The Northern Rivers is home to one of the last significant, genetically diverse koala populations.

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