VOICE of BYRON regular, Mike Watterson, sees a sinister Lismore connection to NSW Education’s attempt to grab Suffolk Community land and auction it off.
“Suffolk Park Land Grab” – While I might these days live a long way from the Bay, my past dealings with the Lismore-based Regional Education Office have left me with indelible memories of the treacheries which are normal practice in that particular organisation.
Past experiences with these people make me feel Suffolk Park should be very alarmed and very suspicious at the moment.
Among the first questions that should be posed to the Education Department people is to ask can they produce, publicly, the demographic figures (education) that their decision to sell the Suffolk Park land are based on?
If they say they haven’t done a required demographic study to support their decision, they’re lying.
I, and a great group of other Bayites, have already gone a few rounds with the Education Department in years past, particularly the Lismore mob.
To win our battle, we formed the Build a Byron Bay High School Committee.
And I can state why the Committee was quickly formed: the Mullumbimby High School Headmaster at that time was promoted to the Lismore Regional office as District Inspector of Schools.
He then quickly set the wheels in motion for the next High School in Byron Shire to be built at Ocean Shores. This is a fact!
With an admittedly already suspicious mind of both the Regional Education and Health Departments, I’m thinking who is it really behind selling off the Suffolk Park land in Beech Drive?
Could it be that maybe one or more of the current Department managers lives in Lennox Head?
If they do, then could they be pushing for a new Primary School in Lennox, to take The Bay’s overflow? That would mean NSW Education could sell the Suffolk Park land, wouldn’t it?
Finally, a little history, touching on the establishment of Byron Bay’s new High School: Byron Bay won its case and Lismore lost, because back then we had a very influential Labor figure on our side – RIP – (Tweed) putting our case to the Government of the day.