All Events: Here’s an idea

I would like to help produce a Three day music event in Town showcasing all our local musical talent, from youngsters through to a Whiddon Choir!!

The idea would be to have the KMI open all weekend with various genres of music booked in to play in sets. Matinees for the very young and slightly older and nighttime programs for something livelier. Solos, instrumentalists, bands etc.

Meanwhile there would be stages in both pubs for over 18 year old performers and street busking spots.

A scheduled rotation of performers through the different venues, with each act playing several times over the weekend. 

It would be a free event for all, with no payment to performers. It is based on participants getting a stage, a chance to perform in front of a crowd. Showing the town who they are and what they can do.

The weekend would be coupled with a Bazaar, so the shell could also be a stage for performers.

I would like to involve the youth of the town in both getting a chance to perform but also in making and painting the stage props as a school project.

The plan is totally flexible and open to others’ ideas, but we just seem to have any avenue for up-and-coming artists and little exposure for established local musicians. Future events could have different format with the provision of ticketing and artists payments. 

A street festival atmosphere with food vendors and all shops open. Advertising to the region and putting us on the map musically.

A professional film academy established specifically for the community of Kyogle & Villages to thrive in. Developed in partnership with Kyogle Cinema (yes, they are interested!) to bring our very own motion-picture theatre back to life with our love and attention. We’ll come together every week to explore curious films and documentaries, both old and new, and learn new and exciting ways to capture the stories of our time and meet the many characters of this beautiful, down-to-earth region.

I want a place to see and experience everyone’s forgotten Super 8 footage.

I want to see local grandchildren interviewing their grandparents and sharing a tear.

I want to see the sunrise settle on our sensors, from the streets of Bonalbo, through the fields of Woodenbong, to the hills of Cawongla. 

I want to see how the magic hour in our Green Cauldron blazes through the lens, warming the glass a thousand different ways.

I want to see the sun spiking through the rainforest canopy of our Border Ranges as the whispers of our bubbling brooks meet the birdsong from above.

I want to see the cheeky smile of our First Nations elders as they stand strong in the dirt, sharing a laugh while they share our history with the glint of knowing in their eyes.

I want young and old of every town to sit side by side again; to learn together, ask questions of each other and build a bridge of conversation and connection.

“Let’s shoot it here…” “Let’s try this…” “Check out what I filmed over the weekend…” “Great, I’ll see you there…”

I want to create a feast of a forum for the lonely and the loved… a shared platter, a warm cup of goodness and on the regular.

Bring your cameras, bring your smartphones, bring your notebooks, bring your footage and bring your friends… to the hearth of our Community Cinema. 

After all, that’s all a film really is… 

Symphonies of light we create and experience together.

Along with the rest of the planet Kyogle is getting hotter. 

Trees provide shade and lower temperatures. 

At a basic level, trees absorb carbon dioxide and provide oxygen. Very convenient for us and other living things. 

Trees attract and support wildlife, from our insect friends through to our amazing birdlife – and who doesn’t appreciate birdsong. 

Trees, and any contact with nature, are proven to bring physical and mental health benefits, uplifting our souls at the same time. 

Kyogle is sadly lacking street trees. A street tree program – with support from council and proper attention to site and species selection – would bring all of these benefits to Kyogle. 

Providing a focus on local species would help add some substance to the currently hollow slogan of GATEWAY TO THE RAINFORESTS. 

In the next 10 years I would like to see the residents/businesses/industry of Kyogle decide what type of community they would like to reside/operate/invest and work in. For many years there has been discussion as to whether it should be a business/service centre or whether the tourism aspect should be developed further, but this would require the community working together. As you drive around the area on weekends and come to the heart of the LGA – Kyogle – you are hard pressed to find somewhere to purchase a cup of coffee let alone a sandwich after about 2.30pm on Saturday and Sunday. 

If the community at large decides that the area should concentrate on the development of the business/service sector please start with informing prospective clients of your trading hours. There is nothing more annoying than travelling some kms. to town to find a sign on the door “back in ½ hour” but this tells you nothing; when did the ½ hour start?  The service sector in the local economy has expanded rapidly over the last few years with particular growth in the employment sector and aged care. One wonders what will happen in the future particular in relation to the employment sector if there is an upturn in the economy and these services are no longer needed. 

This community, if it is going to grow and benefit all who live within the boundaries of the LGA, needs to learn to work together for the benefit of all. It amazes me how in a time of disaster such as fire, flood and drought people come out of the woodwork to help, but in the case of a community event such as the Writers’ Festival the organizers literally have to beg people to help. Unfortunately this applies to many of the community events, the core volunteers are aging and there does not seem to be a younger generation stepping up to take their place. 

I am asking the residents/business owners and investors to decide once and for all what type of community do we want to live in and to work towards achieving that goal. It may be necessary to work with like-minded businesses to create a roster so that you can always buy that cup of coffee. Or forget that there is an East and West of the Range, or you’re in my patch mentality. We are one community. Let’s work together for the benefit of all.

Reggae music is a great unifier, bringing people of all ages, backgrounds and cultures together. Known as the world music, loved in over 190 nations, Reggae has been making waves in Australia in recent times, with sound systems- handcrafted walls of speakers acting as a mobile disco – taking the continent by storm. In the last decade, the number of sound systems has grown from 3 – one in Brisbane, one in Melbourne, one in Adelaide, to over 60 or 70 nationwide, including Lismore, with a collective following of tens of thousands. 

Many sound system events are happening in our major centres, but Kyogle has something the centres do not: space. Like the Notting Hill Carnival – Europe’s biggest street party – the Kyogle Reggae Carnival is able to host many sound systems at the same time, which gives it a great edge. 

Kyogle Reggae Carnival will not only attract hundreds – thousands if we want them – of people from across Australia and the world to our region, but will also serve as a platform to engage people young and old from Kyogle shire and train them up in the creative industries, one of the fastest growing sectors in Australia.

With the development of the NRRT proving very successful, how can Kyogle take  advantage of this amazing asset. I see 2 opportunities that Kyogle could link to it.  1. Walking Trail from Bentley to Kyogle via Mackellar Range and Red Mt and linking into  the proposed Fairy Mt Walking Trail (that is to begin development this September).  Total distance is 33km from the Rail Trail at Bentley to Kyogle. So with a Camp area  half way this would make it a perfect 2day walk. Pretty sure there is current Fire trails  through this area. Funding to upgrade these trails for fire management maybe an  option for extra funding. I can email anyone interested of this proposed route.  2. Cycling trail to link from Bently to Kyogle via Bungabee Forest, Back Creek Rd and  Hillyards Rd. The challenge is how to avoid riding on the Lismore Kyogle Rd. From  Bently there are Forestry trails through Bungabee Forest to connect to Back Creek Rd.  Currently closed, but communication with Forestry NSW may offer possibilities. There  is a 2km section on the Lismore/Kyogle Rd to connect to Hillyards Rd. This is probably  the biggest challenge. Options to make this safe would be widening the road to include  a Bike Lane and also signage to reduce speed at this section to 80km/hr with signage  saying “Cyclists Share the Road”. From Hillyards Rd there are 2 options to get back to  Kyogle on quiet roads. One via Omagh Rd. The other option thinking of possibilities is  via Grass Tree Rd. From memory I thought this was once connected from Merrigans  Rd. This is through private property, and would need consultation with landowners to  make this happen. If it was possible to connect with the Kyoge Mt Bike trails and  walking trails of Fairy Mt this would be fantastic.  

Both these options tick the boxes of providing Nature Connection, so much needed in our  communities these days. Investing in opportunities for all ages to get out in nature ticks all  the boxes for Physical, Mental and Social well being. Getting kids off screen time would be  

every parent’s dream. Obesity and other health issues are all linked to lack of exercise.  In addition to these benefits there would be a huge economic benefit of attracting tourist  dollars to Kyogle. Once the NRRT is completed from Murwillumbah to Casino, Kyogle  needs to take advantage of these nature connected tourists.  

To make these suggestions happen would need community Support, Govt Funding and  consultation with Forestry Land and private landowners.  

Offers to Private landowners from Council could include opportunities to Subdivide for  monetary benefit. 

Synopsis: KYOGLE COUNCILLORS PLAY TRUTH OR DARE @ THE PUB.

To be held in July or August 2024.

It’s RocKwiz meets that family favourite, Truth or Dare. Kyogle councillors sit at a table in a pub and are quizzed by a host on a variety of hot local topics, general knowledge and their vision for Kyogle. They either answer the question, or FACE THE CONSEQUENCE!

A panel of impartial judges will assess the answers, based on:

• relevance of answers to questions
• understanding of subject matter
• presentation style, and
• general demeanour.

Each answer will be rated with score cards and audience responses encouraged.

Fun for all the family, and guaranteed to make Kyogle a better place to live for generations to come!

TRUDARE – you heard it here first.

Note: TRUDARE needs a local organisation to host the event.

Kyogle is the last point of call before access to several globally significant world heritage listed national parks. 

The Border Ranges is part of the largest expanse of sub-tropical rainforest on Earth! So where is the Rainforest Information Centre to match our nature wonderland? 

Further south outside Dorrigo township (population just over 1000 people) there is a world class Dorrigo Rainforest Centre which consistently receives 150,000 visitors per year. This place has recently received funding for a 56 million dollar upgrade. 

To the north in Maleny is the Mary Cairncross Rainforest Centre – a place of ecological, cultural and artistic beauty which receives 200,000 visitors annually and is home to a tiny but significant remnant of 55 hectares. 

A Kyogle based Rainforest Information Centre gives visitors and locals a way to plan their back country adventures, to learn about our unique and diverse bio-region from multiple worldviews and cultural perspectives. 

A full sensory experience, soundscapes from our local forests infused into locally produced multimedia environmental education installation with guided bio-cultural information from indigenous perspectives, stories from the old logging days and the latest forest research science from ecologists. 

As the Northern Rivers Rail-Trail nears completion, our bio-region is set to become a truly unique destination for bike-packing, back-country bushwalking, mountain biking, horse-riding, kayaking and extensive interconnected ridge walks. 

This vision won’t just become a tourism information centre, but a way to instill a sense of pride in Kyogle being The Gateway to the Rainforest.

1. Update Guided Walk Brochure, online copy and printed copy of brochure, available at Tourist Info Centre, Council and retail outlets (free).
2. Number and place plaques and signs on selected buildings and street signs.

Kyogle uses the catch phrase, “Gateway to the Rainforest”. 

I would like to help project manage the commissioning and installation of a permanent rainforest themed sculpture trail for locals and tourists to enjoy and build on that Rainforest slogan.

The idea would be for the first sculpture on the trail to be a representative “gateway”, where trail information and scan code give the walker information on the where, why and who of the trail. The gateway would be designed in such a way as to encourage the tourist walker to take photos of themselves in the gateway, and the posting of these photos on their various social media gives the town of Kyogle Free advertising.

The sculpture trail would guide the walker around the town of Kyogle, the sculptures along the trail would be representative of our rainforest region, flora, fauna or landscape.

A working group would be required to coordinate the calling for and selection of successful submissions. The pieces selected would have to be weather resistance type low maintenance works. There is no limitation on what the imagination of our local sculptors could produce and what materials could be used.

Council would be asked to assist by the installation of the works, and they would be project partners.

We have a huge group of creatives in this region, with limited provision for showcasing their talent. This would give them an avenue for showing the country what they can do and give Kyogle and avenue for showing the country who we are.

We could put ourselves on the tourism map with both the permanent sculpture trail plus organise annual temporary sculptural installations of guest sculptors and or local artists.

Instead of “sculpture by the sea” as coastal towns have, we can be “sculpture by the forest”