Lismore News
Residents raging at Road Runner Village
Residents raging at Road Runner Village
By Samantha Elley
Residents of the Road Runner Caravan Park and Village are not happy.
They have sent their concerns to the owners of the park who, they say, are not providing them with important information when it comes to changes where they live.
Resident Kevin Robson has lived at the park for the last 21 years, along with his wife and in-laws and has seen a number of changes, and not always good, according to him.
The biggest issue he and other residents have had has been the new barbed wire fence with double locked gates that was erected after the February 2022 floods.
“If there is a fire, they said they will get someone to open the gate for us,” he said.
“Before the flood there was an old fence with a turnstyle and single gate.
“The fire brigade said there needs to be a single gate for emergency exits but that’s never been done.”
In a formal complaint to the park owners, one resident wrote that they had not been notified where the keys are for use in an emergency.
The other issue, according to Kevin, is the state of the roads throughout the park.
“(The) road is dangerous to walk on even with (a) wheelie walker,” wrote a different resident in another complaint.
Kevin said many of the residents are elderly and find it difficult to move around on the roads in the state they are in since the floods.
Another issue residents have raised is the inability for visitors to gain access to the park.
Residents are not happy about the new fence installed where they live.
“Elderly people here have cleaners come in to do their homes and they are not able to enter the park,” said Kevin.
“There are also tradespeople, delivery drivers and ambulances that can’t get access.”
Kevin has outlined all these concerns made by at least 14 residents to the NSW Department of Fair Trading who received a response from the owners, Chris and Samantha Hughes, and the work they are doing to rectify many of the issues.
Samantha Hughes responded to each of the concerns via the Department of Fair Trading, starting with the new fence.
“This is a replacement of a damaged boundary fence from the February 2022 floods, which secures the property for all the residents of the park,” she wrote.
“In an emergency a staff member will be notified and will open the gate as required.
“It is not for residents’ personal use.
“We do not need to give residents notice if we are replacing an already existing fence with a better quality fence as it was due for an upgrade.”
Ms Hughes also commented that other residents were pleased with the new fence.
In relation to the concern about emergency services not having easy access to the park through the boom gates, Ms Hughes said they have been provided a code for access when needed.
Ms Hughes acknowledged the roads in the park were damaged in the February 2022 floods and had spent money cleaning off debris so residents could use them.
“As the park sustained most of the flooding in the front part, the roads where (the permanent residents) reside are still in good order,” she said.
“(We) must prioritise which parts of the park to repair and maintain and this will take some time and a significant amount of money which will need to be budgeted over time.”
Ms Hughes said they have started filling in potholes in the roads and sought quotes ready to fix the worst of these in the near future.
For more local Lismore news, click here.
Specialist mental health service for new parents opens in Lismore
By Sarah Waters
New and expecting parents in the Northern Rivers will now have access to free specialised mental health care as they navigate their journey through parenthood.
Last Friday, Gidget House officially opened at Tresillian Lismore Family Care Centre to support parents struggling with perinatal depression and anxiety.
Gidget House provides year-long, free individual psychological counselling services and holistic care delivered face-to face and via telehealth.
New data from Gidget Foundation Australia reveals one in two parents living in regional NSW lack both emotional and practical support from their family and friends.
A quarter of parents in regional NSW also needed the most support between 3-12 months after the birth of their child.
While one in three felt a loss of identity in most aspects of their life after having a baby.
NSW Minister for Mental Health Rose Jackson officially opened Gidget House and welcomed the service for expectant and new parents to the area.
CEO Gidget Foundation Australia Arabella Gibson, NSW Minister for Mental Health Rose Jackson, Lismore MP Janelle Saffin, Gidget Angel Kaiden Powell and Tresillian operations manager Rachael McLean at the opening of Gidget House in Lismore.
Ms Jackson said families across the Northern Rivers had experienced unparalleled challenges over recent years with floods and threats of fires, whilst still navigating adjusting to early parenthood.
“This is why providing mental health support in regional communities such as Lismore and the surrounds is a top priority of ours,” she said.
“It’s important for expectant and new parents to have access to quality services like Gidget Foundation Australia in times of need and know that help is never too far away.”
Gidget Foundation Australia CEO Arabella Gibson said the expansion of face-to-face services across the state will provide much needed support for parents in regional locations.
“With half of parents in regional NSW reporting a lack of emotional and practical support after having a baby, it’s necessary for us to expand our services to reach more mums and dads who may be struggling,” Ms Gibson said.
“As part of our valued commitment to support the emotional wellbeing of expectant and new parents across the country, we’re hopeful our expansion to Lismore will provide a safe space for open conversations with perinatal specialist clinicians.”
It is estimated that perinatal depression and anxiety affect almost 100,000 expectant and new parents in Australia each year.
For more health news, click here.
SYDNEY SPRINTCAR DRIVERS DOMINATE AT LISMORE SPEEDWAY
By Dennis Newlyn
Sydney Sprintcar competitor Jessie Attard drove to a superb victory in the “Hoedown at the Showground” 25-lap feature race at Castrol Lismore Speedway, Saturday night, November 18.
Sydney drivers dominated the top three main event placings after Sam Walsh finished second and Daniel Sayre was placed third.
However, it was Attard’s night.
He posted his initial feature win and the emotion overflowed when he unbuckled from the driver’s seat of his high horsepower 410 Sprintcar at the start/finish line after the race.
Lismore Speedway Sprintcar main event top three: Winner Jessie Attard (centre) with runner-up Sam Walsh (left) and third-placed Daniel Sayre. Photo: Tony Powell.
“A lot of work has gone into this win,” he said choked on words as the momentous moment overflowed with emotion.
“A lot of people made this possible and I could not have got it done it without them. It’s (the main event win) now off my shoulders.”
Attard drove a near-perfect race as he staved off Walsh’s full-on pursuit. At one point they ran close in testing lapped traffic, but Attard kept his cool and maintained his advantage. He posted the fastest lap time of the race when he clocked 11.668 seconds for an estimated speed of 110.5 mph near mid-distance.
Walsh had set up the suspension especially to handle the tight confines of the Lismore Showground bull ring, but admitted after the race, the car was not at its best.
“We got beaten by a better car tonight and congratulations to Jessie,” a gracious Walsh said.
“We were really battling tonight. We spent all night trying to keep the front wheels on the ground,” he explained in relation to the continual suspension adjustments.
Daniel Sayre made a late charge into third after following Brody Appleby for most of the race.
JESSIE ATTARD – Lismore Speedway – November 18, 2023. Photo by Tony Powell.
“The traffic was pretty hectic out there trying to get through the lapped cars,” Sayre admitted.
Local Sprintcar stars were out of luck after Tony Bridge posted the best result with a ninth in the feature race.
The only incident involved Kobi Wright who caused a red light near the end of the race when he crashed upside down into the fence, however he was uninjured.
Other main event winners were: Boyd Chaffey (Formula 500s), Charlie Brown (Formula 500 Juniors), Matt Gordon (Legend Cars), Nathan Gordon (Production Sedans), Luke Manttan (Pro Sprints), Jacob Jolley (Wingless Sprints).
V8 DIRT MODIFIED MR MODIFIED SERIES – DECEMBER 26
Next fixture at Castrol Lismore Speedway will be the annual Boxing Night spectacular featuring the Mr Modified Series opening round.
For more sports news, click here.
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