The program provides $50,000 in funding to support festivals and events held within Ballina Shire between July 2012 and June 2013.

Applications will be assessed by an independent panel and reported to Council in March for a commitment to funding in the new financial year.

Community organisations and non-profit groups planning festivals during the eligible period are encouraged to apply. To be eligible for support the total cost of the festival/event must be estimated at over $20,000, with a minimum of $15,000 allocated towards cash expenses, excluding Council’s contribution.

The proposed festival should contribute to the delivery of one or more of Council’s strategic priorities as identified in the Ballina Shire Community Strategic Plan, specifically targeting Community Development and Economic Value and Environmental Awareness.

In this sense, the festival should provide a public benefit in the fields of either art and culture, sport and recreation, general health, well-being and education or learning and knowledge, whilst ensuring the event makes a positive contribution to the local economy.

Council is also looking to support events that have long-term viability and a commitment from other sources in the community.

Events that were successful in receiving funding in the 2011/12 program were Ballina Coastal Country Music Festival, Ballina Boat and Leisure Show, Ballina Island Paddle Challenge and Alstonville New Year’s Eve Family Festival.

The Festivals and Events Policy detailing the criteria for selection, and the application form, is available on Council’s website www.ballina.nsw.gov.au

For further information, contact Holly Archibald, Council’s Events and Grants Support Officer, on 66861 457 or at hollya@ballina.nsw.gov.au

The council says it intends to design a centre for the entire community, from sporting groups and community groups to a centre for civic functions.

The preferred location for the centre is Kingsford Smith Reserve and Council’s preferred option is to design a centre which will include a two-court multi-court centre for sports, trade shows or concerts and performances.

The facility would also include a catered function centre with movable internal walls to allow for a fully flexible space that can be one large function room or divided up to form four individual rooms.

The final design will be such that the centre can be extended in the future to include a third court to meet the growing demands of the Ballina community.

PDT Architects will be conducting information gathering sessions on 17 February 2012 at the Ballina Shire Council Chambers.

Council is inviting interested sporting and community groups to register to attend by contacting Chris Allison on 6686 1442 or email chrisa@ballina.nsw.gov.au

Time slots will be allocated to organisations when registering. It is intended that these sessions will formulate the basis for possible inclusions in the centre.

Also during the citizenship ceremony, Ballina Shire welcomed 10 new Australian citizens who pledged their loyalty to Australia and its people. They are Julian Chlopicki, Cathrine Dela Cruz, Jubilee Dougherty, Lyndin Graeve, Amy Roberts, Mark Serdina, Lee Young, Bethany Young, Lee George Young and Thomas Young.

Ballina Shire Council also took the opportunity to recognise and thank our local heroes through the announcement of the 2012 Australia Day awards. Australia Day award winners were:

• Col Lee – Citizen of the Year

• Jason Sines Jnr – Young Citizen of the Year

• Jacqueline Freney – Sports Person of the Year

• Our House – Community Event of the Year

Due to an outstanding number of applications received for Volunteer of the Year, Council awarded three recipients:
 
• Richard Lutze – Volunteer of the Year
• Dawn Sword – Volunteer of the Year
• Christopher Cook – Volunteer of the Year.

For award winner’s biographies visit ballinaaustraliaday.com.au

The reduced limit applies near the Ballina Road intersection, which the RMS says will provide safer access to Alstonville.

The change is a result of a route review of the bypass.

The review assessed a number of factors including road environment, traffic characteristics and crash profile.

“A route review of the Bruxner Highway has been carried out as part of the Alstonville bypass project,” an RMS spokesperson said.

“The review assessed a number of factors including road environment, traffic characteristics and crash profile.

“The changes on the Bruxner Highway will improve road safety, providing safer access to Alstonville from the highway.

“This area is considered an urban surrounding and the existing 100km/h speed limit is not appropriate.

“There are a significant number of vehicles turning at the intersection of the Bruxner Highway and Ballina Road,

“The reduction of the speed limit to 80km/h near the Ballina Road intersection on the Bruxner Highway will better reflect the roadside environment and improve the safety of road users.

Alcohol restrictions have been put in place in response to incidents experienced in previous years that have occurred as a result of excessive alcohol consumption.

In Ballina the following reserves will be alcohol prohibited areas on Australia Day – Commemoration Park, Missingham Park, Kingsford Smith Reserve, Pop Dennison and the reserve adjacent to the entry to the Shaws Bay Caravan Park.

In Lennox Head the following reserves will be alcohol prohibited areas on Australia Day – the public reserve surrounding Lake Ainsworth, Ross Park, Lennox Park, Williams Reserve and the foreshore reserve along Pacific Parade.

In Wardell the Wardell wharf and pontoon and will be an Alcohol Prohibited area this Australia Day. 
 
Residents and visitors are also reminded that Alcohol Free Zones (AFZ) are already in place in the Wardell, Alstonville, Ballina and Lennox Head CBDs.

The AFZs operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week and apply to the roads, footpaths and public car parks. Alcohol is not permitted to be carried or consumed in areas that have been declared an AFZ.

A map showing these areas is attached and is located on Council’s website www.ballina.nsw.gov.au.

All sports fields in Ballina Shire are Alcohol Prohibited and alcohol may not be carried or consumed in these areas unless there is a licensed bar operating in association with a sporting event and alcohol may be consumed in the licensed area.

Under the alcohol prohibited regulations, police may confiscate alcohol and dispose of it without warning.

Council and NSW Police are seeking community support to ensure these restrictions are observed.

To find out more about alcohol regulations in the Shire. visit Council’s website www.ballina.nsw.gov.au or
phone 6686 4444.

The annual awards program is an opportunity for members of the community to be recognised for their outstanding achievements and commitment to our shire.

Award recipients will be announced at the official Australia Day celebrations on Thursday, 26 January, at the Lennox Head Cultural & Community Centre. 
 
Ballina Shire Council is currently seeking nominations for recognition in the following categories: Young Citizen of the Year, Citizen of the Year, Volunteer of the Year, Sports Person of the Year and Community Event of the Year.

All nominees must reside in the Ballina Shire local government area.  
 
The announcement of the awards will be made at the official Australia Day ceremony which will commence at 9.00am at the Lennox Head Cultural & Community Centre. The ceremony will run until 10.30am and include the flag raising, welcome to country by local Bundjalung elder, ambassador address, citizenship and award ceremonies.
 
Award nomination forms can be downloaded from the official event website www.ballinaaustraliaday.com.au or collected from Council’s Customer Service Centre, cnr Cherry & Tamar Streets, Ballina. Nominations close 2pm Friday 6 January 2012.
 
The full Australia Day program of activities will include a special Aussie Day market on Williams Reserve from 8.00am – 1.00pm.

Leading children’s entertainment specialists Byron Bay Kidz Klub will be running kids activities from 9am – noon including parachute games, tug o war, skipping and free face painting.
 
Local one man band Juzzie Smith will be a special live performer, between 11am–1pm.
 
To find out more about what’s happening this Australia Day visit www.ballinaaustraliaday.com.au or contact Holly Archibald, Council’s Events & Grants Support Officer on 66861 457.

PICTURE: Some of the 20111 Australia Day award winners.

Ballina Shire Council is co-ordinating the local annual celebrations and is planning to have a strong community focus in the 2012 program.

Expressions of interest are being sought from schools, chambers of commerce, community organisations and individuals who would like to add an event element to the program.

Groups wishing to be apart of the celebrations may like to use the event as an opportunity to fundraise, boost recruitment numbers or provide an educational display.

Schools are also encouraged to nominate to perform as a choir or dance group at the official ceremony.

A number of community organisations were involved in the 2011 celebrations at Missingham Park including Marine Rescue Ballina Unit, Scope Club of Ballina, East Ballina Lions Club, Ballina Pipe Band, Ballina Shire Concert Band, TS Lismore Naval Cadets and Our Kids.

Expressions of interest close at 5pm on Monday 28 November 2011. All applications will be reviewed by Council’s Australia Day Team, with successful applicants notified in early December.

Nominations remain open for the 2012 Australia Day Awards Program with applications being sought in the following categories:

Young Citizen of the Year (under 21 years of age), Citizen of the Year, Sports Person of the Year, Volunteer of the Year and Community Event of the Year.

All nominees must be Australian Citizens and reside within the Ballina Shire Council local government area. Selection will be made in each category on the basis of level of personal achievement or commitment to community service. Nominations close 2pm Friday 6 January, 2012.

Community Registration and Award Nomination forms can be downloaded from the official Australia Day website www.ballinaaustraliaday.com.au or collected from Council’s Customer Service Centre, Cnr Cherry & Tamar Streets, Ballina.

To find out more about how you can be involved in this year’s Australia Day program, contact Holly Archibald, Council’s Events & Grants Support Officer on 66861 457 or via email hollya@ballina.nsw.gov.au.

Mr Page said that residential parks provide an affordable housing choice for many people, who develop strong, valuable networks of support within their park.

“It is vital that effective laws are in place setting out clear and balanced rights and obligations for residents and park operators,” said Mr Page.

“The discussion paper honours our election commitment to residential park residents to carry out a full review of the Residential Parks Act 1998 and improve the governance of the residential parks industry”.

The paper looks at several ways to help strengthen and grow the residential parks sector, including options for licensing park operators, education for new operators and better ways to resolve disputes about rent increases.

“The NSW Government has listened to concerns at the grassroots level and will make sure the real issues affecting park residents and operators are addressed by this review,” Mr Page said.

The discussion paper is available online at www.fairtrading.nsw.gov.au or by calling 13 32 20. Comments can be lodged directly online, by returning the submission form at the back of the paper, or by sending a submission to NSW Fair Trading.

The deadline for providing comments on the discussion paper is Wednesday, 29 February 2012.

“I encourage all park owners and residents in the Ballina Electorate to make the most of this opportunity to have their say on how the law regulating residential parks could be improved,” Mr Page said.

“Since the introduction of our new 3-bin waste service, Ballina Shire residents have been doing a great job at recycling, however, there are still a few confusing items relating to glass and plastic that make their way through and contaminate our recycling,” said Kate Heyward, Ballina Shire Council’s Waste Education Officer.

“The most common plastic contaminants are plastic bags, which become tangled in the machines that process our recycling, and should instead be put into the mixed waste bin.

“Glass items that cannot be recycled include drinking glasses, bowls, pyrex, sheet glass and mirrors. This type of glass is
made to withstand a much higher temperature and will ruin the normal glass recycling process.

“There are also a number of additional recycling options that Ballina Shire residents can make use of, such as recycling points for items such as fluoro lights, gas bottles, oil and car and boat batteries at the Ballina Waste Management Centre.

“The more we recycle, the greater the environmental benefit as we are not only minimising the output of carbon dioxide, which is the biggest contributor to climate change, but we’re also conserving valuable resources and saving vast amounts of water and energy.

“Last financial year more than 10,100 tonnes of recyclable waste was recycled in the Ballina Shire Council area alone, which is a tremendous effort. This includes household recycling collected from kerbside and recyclables collected at the waste management centre such as metal, oil, paper and cardboard, and motor batteries.

“This amount of materials being recycled is equivalent to saving approximately 5060 tonnes of carbon dioxide entering the earth’s atmosphere or removing 1200 cars permanently removed from our roads, and a water saving of 168 million litres or 67 Olympic-sized swimming pools.”

For more information on recycling and National Recycling Week and to check you are recycling correctly, visit Ballina Shire Council’s website www.ballina.nsw.gov.au or visit www.recyclingnearyou.com.au

The Tastes of Spring Festival is an example of the capabilities of its Events students and showcases the region and its produce by incorporating elements of spring such as family, food, wine, garden and sustainability into an interactive event.

The event is run by students completing a Diploma in Event Management and showcases their passion and enthusiasm for the industry with an energetic array of activities and exhibitors.

Tastes of Spring is an opportunity for regional exposure and collections from the day will be forwarded to the Our Kids charity.

“It will be a great day out with the family to support local businesses and producers. Bring along a picnic or food will be available for purchase, then relax and soak in the beautiful views our TAFE and regional partners have to offer,” a TAFE spokesperson said.

Saturday, November 5, 2011
Time: 10am – 4pm
Venue: TAFE Wollongbar Campus
Entry: Gold coin donation.

Activities include:

Live Music and Entertainment
Celebrity Cooking Competitions
Regional Exhibitors and Produce
Children’s Activities
Demonstrations and Competitions
ABC Radio Broadcast

“Join in and support local businesses and producers and experience the versatility of our region, through the eyes of innovative Event Management students,” the spokesperson said.