Showing posts with label Yamba. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Yamba. Show all posts

Thursday 21 December 2023

About that infill re-development proposal for Yamba Hill & CBD


The General Manager

Clarence Valley Council

2 Prince St, Grafton, NSW 2460

council@clarence.nsw.gov.au


21 December 2023


COPY TO:

Cr. Peter Johnstone (Mayor)

Cr. Jeff Smith (Deputy Mayor)

Crs. Allison Whaites, Debrah Novak, Greg Clancy, Ian Tiley, Karen Toms, Steve Pickering, William Day


Dear Sir,


RE: Clarence Valley Council Draft Local Housing Strategy and Draft Affordable Housing Policy – on public exhibition until 9am Friday 22 December 2023


Draft Local Housing Strategy (final form 27 October 2023) a 158 page document and Affordable Housing Policy 2015 (final form 11 October 2023) a 7 page document, lay out Clarence Valley Council's proposal for future residential development in the upper and lower Clarence Valley.


These documents speak to using medium density infill development to more closely align urban area demographics with what local and state governments consider 'ideal'. NSW Government policy suggests that infill development can exceed surrounding building heights provided 10-15 per cent of a new building's total floor area can be considered 'affordable housing'.


When it comes to Yamba there are two infill proposals.

One for above existing shop residential flats /apartments raising an undisclosed number of commercial buildings to heights of 18 metres in the town CBD. Foreshadowing increased pressure on town parking which already frequently has cars cruising the main and side streets repeatedly trying to find a parking spot - a situation made worse by visitors in holiday periods. Added to that the street shadows cast by the raised height of buildings in a central business district where casual outdoor dining is enjoyed by residents & visitors alike. Entrance to these above shop flats/apartments will require stairs and this will potentially limit residency to those without mobility or other health issues, those who are not frail aged and perhaps not be accommodation favoured by parents with very small children.


The second infill proposal is for 152 R3 Medium Density dwellings on Yamba Hill, which after demolition of up to 70 existing houses on selected lots will see the net new infill dwellings reduced to est. 82 "Premium townhouses in desirable location near to the ocean" 12 meters in height. [Clarence Valley Council, October 2023].


The three housing types shown as examples of infill dwellings in the "Draft Local Housing Strategy" at page 42 were Dual Occupancy, Terrace Houses and Manor House which is simply a two story block of flats.

All of them shared the same features: internal staircases, common walls and an indication that there would be little to no cross ventilation into some of these dwellings. In the case of the block of flats there was no architectural feature which would lessen the heat hitting the buildings outer walls.


So many of Yamba's existing two-bedroom duplex dwellings, due to inappropriate building design & small lot size, experience both hot and cold extremes to a degree larger housing tends to avoid.


Given Australia's average air-surface temperature has increased to1.47 ± 0.24 °C since national records began in 1910 [CSIRO online, retrieved 21.12.23] and the average global temperature is 1.2°C above pre-industrial levels and expected to begin to consistently surpass 1.5°C from 2024 onwards [Hansen, James et al, November 2023,"Global Warming Acceleration"], I would have expected Council to indicate that it realises that vulnerable people are going to start dying during heat extremes in just such multiple dwelling designs it offered as examples. After all it does briefly mention under Strategic Directions, "Adapt to climate change and reduce exposure to natural hazards".


By the same token, given science has made it clear that tropical storms are now moving polewards, slowing down but growing in destructive force and are predicted to occur as Category 2 cyclones as far south as the NSW coast with Corindi Beach as the range limit [Bruy`ere, C.L. et al, Sept 2022, "Using large climate model ensembles to assess historical and future tropical cyclone activity along the Australian east coast"] it is not unreasonable to expect there would be some mention of housing designs with wind loading standards higher than 57 m/s.


As a general observation I was disappointed that the necessary broad brush approach to population demographics was not refined once specific re-development sites were outlined [See Appendix].


I suggest that Council gives serious and detailed consideration to the exacerbated climate change risks that urban areas now face and, consider amending the two documents to include ways to limit the degree to which such risks affect the built environment. Thus making it clear to all stakeholders that Council expects and will insist on a higher level of structural safety built into infill house designs and development applications.


I further suggest that Council reconsider the impact that increased building height associated with shoptop housing may have on the character of CBD streetscapes which form part of the tourist experience of Yamba and, from which local income is derived which supports the Clarence Valley regional economy bottom line.


In anticipation and appreciation of your assistance with this matter.


Sincerely,


[signature & address redacted]


Yamba NSW 2464



APPENDIX


PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION


Yamba, a coastal urban precinct covers an est.16.92km of degraded sand hills, a section of elevated coastline with unstable soils, predominately soft estuarine & ocean shore lines, drained marshland, small tidal water courses, subverted natural flood ways and, a former natural flood storage area historically used as pasture but now under development.


It is bordered by the Clarence River (north), Sullivans Road-southern limits of an established golf course (south), Pacific Ocean (east) and Oyster Channel (west).


TOWN POPULATION


As of 2022 the town's resident population is est. 6,403 persons with a population density calculated at 378.5 persons per sq.km [.id Community: Demographic Resources, "Yamba Community Profile", online version].

NOTE: Yamba's current resident population is thought to represent a little over 10 per cent of the total Clarence Valley population [Clarence Valley Council, October 2023]


The Yamba estimated resident population had remained stable at between 6,168 and 6,403 persons in the six financial years 2017 to 2022, indicating a population growth of just 235 individuals or an average population change percentage of less that one point [.id, Yamba Community Profile].


BUILT ENVIRONMENT


The built environment includes two distinct shopping precincts, a mixed light industrial estate, a marina, various forms of holiday/tourist accommodation, two hotels, two sports-based social clubs, a number of small restaurant/cafes, a cinema, a post office, two banks, two primary schools, a digital TAFE space and, approx. 3,643 dwellings with an average household size of 2.1 persons [ABS Census 2021].


PUBLIC TRANSPORT


Public transport in the town consists of 8 daily bus movements out of Yamba from Monday to Friday which follows a set route through 10 town streets. With 4 bus movements on Saturday, Sunday & public holidays.

There are 8 daily bus movements into Yamba from Monday to Friday and 4 bus movements on Saturday, Sunday and public holidays. Wait times between buses on weekdays is between an hour and a half to two hours depending on the time of day.

The bus service is supplemented by one taxi nominally operating 7 days a week from 7:30am to 10:00pm. However due to post-pandemic state-wide movement restrictions which affected the local economy this taxi service sometimes has to use the Yamba taxi to service Maclean township as well and, on occasion it is not on the road at all due to staffing issues. The one rideshare vehicle nominally operating in Yamba has restricted hours.



HOUSING


The permanently occupied residential dwellings are est. 2,783 dwellings, with the remaining 860 unoccupied residential dwellings presumably being either investment properties, second homes, deceased estates or for sale as vacant possession on Census Night.

NOTE: Holiday rental & AirBnB accommodation were excluded from the occupied residential dwelling count in Census 2021 and presumably their number can be found in the 411 dwelling difference between the occupied & unoccupied residential dwellings and the overall total of undifferentiated dwellings in the town [ABS, Yamba (NSW) 2021Census: All persons QuickStats].


By 2021 the residential housing profile was:

Separate house — 2,091

Semi-detached, row or terrace house, townhouse etc — 474

Flat or apartment —161

Other — 44. [ibid]

NOTE: An est. 71.9 per cent of all occupied residential housing had between 2 to 3 bedrooms.


Of the occupied residential dwelling an est. 69.3 per cent were owner occupied while another 27.2 per cent were occupied by persons renting their accommodation [op cit].



VACANT LAND WITHIN TOWN PRECINCTS


Within town precincts there is sufficient vacant land with residential zoning — much of it with active development consents and some of it in the process of site preparation in anticipation of subdivision & sale/lease. Included in active consents & proposed developments are medium density subdivisions and manufactured home estates.


It is currently estimated over 2,000 people will be housed in active & pending development consents should these be fully realised.


EMPLOYMENT WITHIN THE TOWN


People of workforce age comprise 56.6 per cent of the town population. In June Quarter 2023 the Maclean-Yamba-Iluka unemployment rate was 3.6 per cent in a labour force of 7,013 persons. The unemployment rate for the same quarter in Grafton was 6.4 per cent and unemployment across the entire Clarence Valley in June 2023 was 4.7 per cent.


Sectors where employment is frequently found in the town:

Cafes and Restaurants, Accommodation, Aged Care Residential Services, Primary Education, Supermarket and Grocery Stores.


CURRENT POPULATION DEMOGRAPHICS


Age groupings as a percentage of the town population:


  • 0-14 years—13% compared with Northern NSW at 16.3% & all of NSW at 18.2%;

  • 15-24 years—7.4% compared with Northern NSW at 9.7% & all of NSW at 11.8%;

  • 25-39 years—13.1% compared with Northern NSW at 14.9% & all of NSW at 21.4%;

  • 40-54 years—14.1% compared with Northern NSW at 17.7% & all of NSW at 19.1%;

  • 55-64 years—14.8% compared with Northern NSW at 14.8% & all of NSW at 11.9%;

  • 65-79 years—27.7% compared with Northern NSW at 19.9% & all of NSW at 13.1%; and

  • 80 years & older—10.0% compared with Northern NSW at 6.8% & all of NSW at 4.6%. [.id, Yamba (NSW)

    Locality snapshots]

    NOTE: An est. 37.7% of Yamba's population are between 65 to 85+ years of age. While 61.4% of those over 15 years of age are living as legally married or de facto partners.


POPULATION MOVEMENT


Total migration into the Yamba-Angourie area in 2022 & 2023 combined was est. 1,435 persons and migration out of the area was est. 941 persons, resulting in net migration of est. 494 people [.id, Angourie – Yamba: Components of population change].



PROPOSED INFILL ON YAMBA HILL


The section of Yamba Hill which Council has indicated it intends to designate as suitable for R3 medium density infill redevelopment falls with ABS SA1:10401188228 covering 0.39 sq.km with an equivalent population density of 758.9.


Council proposes to allow the demolition of approximately 70 dwellings to be replaced by 152 dwellings in the form of townhouses, with building heights of 12 metres which translate into two floors.


The net dwelling increase will be 82 newly erected dwellings and a projected increase in population on this section of Yamba Hill in the vicinity of 172 persons. Given the description of the housing types anticipated it is highly likely internal access to dwellings would involve staircases.


All newly housed persons would be able to access the direct bus route via Yamba Street. However, as there is a 1hr:30min to 2 hour wait between all weekday bus movements and 2 hour waits on weekends, anyone without access to a car would have to rely on the taxi service or walk between 320 to 800 metres downhill to Yamba Central Business District.

If on foot the return journey via Yamba Street goes from a level 9m elevation increasing by degree up to a 17m elevation near the top of that section of Yamba Hill.

Sunday 22 October 2023

THOMAS MAYO: Although the Voice referendum was lost, and despite the racist vitriol it unleashed, the movement for Indigenous rights and recognition has grown

 

The Saturday Paper, October 21 – 27, 2023, No. 472:


Although the Voice referendum was lost, and despite the racist vitriol it unleashed, the movement for Indigenous rights and recognition has grown. By Thomas Mayo.



Analysis: The movement that follows the Voice


As a parent of five, I am acutely aware of the way in which our children absorb everything – conversations, body language, snippets of the news and the bits and pieces they share with friends at school. We try our best to protect them from the harsh realities of the world until we think they are ready. They might seem oblivious to it all, but they know more than they tell, as if they are reciprocating our care.


Though I knew this of our children, I wasn’t prepared for my 12-year-old son’s reaction to the referendum loss on Saturday. When I called my wife soon after the loss became official, to see how they were, she told me he had cried. He went to bed early, barely consolable.


The next day, when I checked in on them, she told me William was okay. She remarked on how he had mentioned several times that he felt calm that morning, as if the feeling were strange to him. We came to realise he had been feeling the weight of the referendum on his little shoulders. For the first time since the loss, I cried too.


The Indigenous leadership of the “Yes” campaign called for a week of silence that ends today. There was a need for contemplation after an intense campaign. Anyone who put up their head for “Yes” was brutalised. We were labelled communists, greedy elites, puppets of the United Nations and promoters of a racially divided Australia. None of this is true.


The racist vitriol we felt was at a level not seen for decades in Australia. Indigenous advocates for the Voice could not speak out about the abuse without some sections of the media, whose audiences we needed to persuade, falsely claiming that we were calling all “No” voters racist. Even if only in the way the headlines were worded.


Respected Elder and lifelong champion for Indigenous peoples Marcia Langton probably experienced the worst of this. The stories with negative headlines exploded and continued for more than a week because she dared to mention the race-baiting of the “No” campaign.


The “No” side, on the other hand, was barely scrutinised. When their figureheads claimed racism against them, some journalists showed sympathy and the “Yes” campaign was scapegoated. When leading spokespeople for the “No” campaign were racist beyond reasonable denial, their leaders doubled down defiantly. Most of the media’s focus quickly moved on. The abhorrent “No” campaign cartoon, depicting me in a racist trope and printed in The Australian Financial Review, is one example of many.


In the week of silence, I have had time to reflect on last Saturday’s outcome. I have concluded Indigenous peoples were correct to take the invitation in the Uluru Statement from the Heart to the Australian people. We were not wrong to ask them to recognise us through a Voice.


For a people with inherent rights but who are a minority spread across this vast continent – with a parliament that will continue to make laws and policies about us – it is inevitable that we will need to establish a national representative body to pursue justice. We need to be organised.


Delaying the referendum was never an option, not even when the polls were going south. Had we convinced the government to postpone the referendum, we would still be wondering what could have been, especially if the gaps continue to widen. We had a responsibility to try now, to use the rare opportunity we had, in the interests of our children. At least now we know where we stand.


While the outcome was disappointing, in all my years of advocacy for Indigenous rights, I have never felt such levels of solidarity.


As a leader of the campaign, I accept that, although we tried our best, we failed. I agree there were aspects of the “Yes” campaign that could have been better and I ponder what else I could have done. These thoughts hurt, like an aching emptiness in my chest.


An honest assessment compels me to mention Opposition Leader Peter Dutton as well. Dutton has shown he is bereft of the qualities held by the Indigenous leaders I have worked with. He is well short of the calibre of his opposite, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.


While Albanese listened to Indigenous peoples respectfully, Dutton ignored us when in power. When Albanese negotiated the constitutional alteration with the Referendum Working Group, he did so in good faith, while Dutton was duplicitous, two-faced, deceitful.


At the next federal election, the record will show the prime minister had a go. He followed through with his pre-election promise to hold a referendum in this term of parliament. He kept his word, even when the going got tough, whereas Dutton has already reneged on his promise to hold another referendum should the first one to fail to pass.


It is noteworthy, because it exposes that this is all politics on his part. If he ever becomes prime minister, it is an indication that he places no value in speaking with Indigenous people before making decisions about them. His promise of a second referendum was decided without consulting Indigenous leaders, not even his own spokesperson on Indigenous affairs.


None of this is bitterness on my part, just truth. Peter Dutton chose politics over outcomes. His career came before fairness. He sought victory at any cost.


When I go home on Sunday – just my 25th day in Darwin this year, having worked almost every day since May 21, 2022 – I can proudly tell my son that though the referendum failed, the movement for Indigenous rights and recognition has grown.


In 2017, we were almost 4 per cent of the population calling for Voice, Treaty and Truth-Telling. As of Saturday, we are nearly 40 per cent, walking together. Almost seven million Australians voted “Yes”. Both major parties would kill for a first preference vote like that.


Probably the most important analysis from the referendum was that polling booths in predominantly Indigenous communities across the entirety of the country overwhelmingly voted “Yes”. We have thoroughly established that this is fact: a great majority of Indigenous people support constitutional recognition through a Voice to Parliament. We seek self-determination over who speaks for us. Claims otherwise are an incontrovertible lie.


To my fellow Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, I say we continue our push for our common goals. Don’t be silenced. Be louder, prouder and more defiant. Of course, you will be. The survival of our culture and our babies depends on it.


To the parents I met so many times, who turned up for their first doorknock with their little ones in tow, their “Yes” shirts worn proudly, sunscreen smeared on their faces: keep having those conversations with your neighbours at every opportunity. Keep turning up.


To the small number of people who registered to attend the town hall in Yamba and Grafton, and the hundreds more who turned up without registering, and who expressed their gratitude at how the forum had brought the community together: stay committed to this unselfish cause. In regional communities across the country, the town hall attendances were magnificent. Keep turning up.


To the random members of the public who have hugged me, to the beautiful Elders who treated me like a son, to the fellow union members who organised their communities, not just their places of work, maintain the love for what makes this country unique – more than 60,000 years of continuous heritage and culture.


While the outcome was disappointing, in all my years of advocacy for Indigenous rights, I have never felt such levels of solidarity.


Across the country, lifelong friendships have been made. I have new Aunties and Uncles, like the strong Aboriginal women at Baabayn Aboriginal Corporation in Mount Druitt, who themselves have formed bonds with the local ethnic communities as they campaigned for “Yes”. I love you, Aunties.


In this campaign we saw Liberals and Nationals give speeches alongside Labor and the Greens. We saw corporate chief executives leafleting with union officials. All denominations have prayed together. The “Yes” rallies, more than 200,000 people strong, brought colour, joy and diversity to the streets, in unity with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.


Late this week, ending the week of silence, an official statement from Indigenous leaders was made public. In summary: we continue our calls for our voices to be heard, for reform and for justice, and we need your ongoing support.


This is the task ahead. I say to all the hundreds of thousands of people I have spoken with over the past six years, the many friends I have made on this journey: we were always on the right side of history. Young Australians voted “Yes” with us. Imagine what we can achieve if the almost seven million Australians who voted “Yes” continue to have conversations with their neighbours, meeting “No” voters with an understanding that they may have voted “No” because of the lies they were told. In time, we will turn the “Nos” into “Yeses”.


Let us talk of our strengths while addressing our weaknesses. Let us believe in ourselves, our communities and our country, rather than looking over our shoulders at the shadows Peter Dutton has thrown across Australian politics. Let us call on the parliament to shine a light on those shadows, those deathly shadows, lest they continue to undermine our democracy. Ask yourself, which group will be targeted next?


When I was writing my first book about the Uluru Statement from the Heart, published in 2019, my son was just eight years old. He asked me what the title of the book would be. When I asked him what he would call it, he proceeded to do a series of armpit farts. We both laughed. Then I told him I would call it Finding the Heart of the Nation. He asked me, “Where is the heart of the nation?”


I put my laptop down beside me on the couch. I pulled him close. I put my hand on his chest, and I said, “The heart of the nation is here.”


The heart of the nation is still here. It always was and it always will be, waiting to be recognised by our fellow Australians. Whether you voted “Yes” or “No”, I say to you with humility and respect, open your hearts and your minds henceforth. The truth should be unifying, not divisive.


This article was first published in the print edition of The Saturday Paper on October 21, 2023 as "After the vote".


Thomas Mayo is an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander man, assistant national secretary of the Maritime Union of Australia and author of six books, including Dear Son – Letters and reflections from First Nations fathers and sons and the bestselling children’s book Finding Our Heart.


October 21, 2023



Tuesday 12 September 2023

Uniting calls for new tenders on incomplete independent living apartments in Yamba and now hopes to have construction completed in late 2024


Clarence Valley Independent, 6 September 2023:




Uniting has called for tenders to complete its 50 apartment Yamba Road development after the contracted builder GCB Constructions was placed into administration. Image: Fran Dowsett



Uniting has called for tenders to complete their 50-apartment development on Yamba Road after the builder initially contracted to complete the work, GCB Constructions was placed into administration.


When GCB began work on the site in 2022 it was hoped that the development would be complete, and tenants would have moved into the apartments by Christmas 2023.


But due to the problems incurred by GCB Constructions, tradespeople have only set foot on the Yamba site this year to retrieve any tools and equipment, before the site was secured after GCB was placed into administration on July 26, 2023.


The CV Independent has been contacted by local tradespeople working on the site who say collectively they are owed more than $1 million by GCB Constructions.


The company, which was founded in Lismore, formed a Gold Coast branch, with the Gold Coast division engaged by Uniting on the Yamba project.


When the CV Independent contacted GCB Constructions Lismore office they advised they were not associated with the embattled GCB Constructions on the Gold Coast which is in administration….


A Uniting NSW ACT spokesperson told the CV Independent, Uniting had invited tenders to complete the project.


Uniting has now terminated the contract with GCB Constructions,” the spokesperson said.


The administrators will still be working closely with creditors (including sub-contractors and Uniting) who have been impacted by these developments.


Uniting has invited tenders from a select group of contractors to complete the works – this tender has not yet closed.”….


Uniting hopes to have appointed the new builder and commenced work by the end of the year, with the aim of completing the apartments by late 2024.”



BACKGROUND


To avoid confusion being sown in the minds of readers….


GCB Construction Pty Ltd website lists its three offices as being:

14E/421 Brunswick Street, Fortitude Valley QLD 4006, Australia;

Level 3/21 Lakes [or Lake] Street

Varsity Lakes QLD 4227, Australia; and

32 Barnes Avenue, East Lismore NSW 2480, Australia.


Greg Clark Building Pty Ltd website lists its two offices as being:

32 Barnes Avenue, East Lismore NSW 2480, Australia; and

Level 3, 21 Lakes Street, Varsity Lakes QLD 4227.


The websites of both companies displayed a completed Uniting Caroona Hostel 12 Bed Extension as one of their own projects here and here. However, the incomplete Yamba independent living units contract with Uniting is only listed on the GCB Construction website in the Aged Care Capability Statement.


Thursday 17 August 2023

Ray White Yamba is to be congratulated for deciding to not use the Ailo app in its rental business model


 

Ailo app 1.0 was released in or about April 2020 and has had nine iterations up to 25 July 2023.


From the beginning this app appears to have had stability issues – eg., app crashing, failure to load (Loading Error, Server Timeout Error, Connection Reset Error, Connection Failed Error) and raised some general concerns about security of personal information due to potential third-party data sharing, possibly including photographs of occupied rental interiors.


This post in a Reddit thread appears to encapsulates renter unhappiness:


I've had nothing but problems since being forced to use this god awful app. Incorrect due dates for rent, incorrect amounts being charged for rent, receiving repeated emails stating my rent is $5 overdue ( this one lasted for months). Not to mention the annoyance of trying to pay rent without being charged a fee.


While a Whirpool forum show tenants are fighting back:


I successfully complained to the Dept of Fair Trading NSW and Ailo have now offered a 'fee-waiver form' as a way to stop fees being charged for direct debit rent payments.


It does sound like you only avoid paying fees if you know about the fee-waver form.


In my view the wording of the current legislation is too open to abuse, which is what Ailo have done (see Residential Tenancies Act 2010, Sect 35.) Fair Trading and others are putting pressure on Ailo and it seems to be working; make your voice heard if this is affecting you.


Fair Trading recommended contacting policy @customerservice.nsw.gov.au, who review legislation reforms, and Tenants Advice or Advocacy Services (TAAS) at www.tenants.org.au


Hope this helps.



So Ray White Yamba is to be congratulated for deciding to not use the Ailo app in its rental business model.



Clarence Valley Independent, 16 August 2020


Increasing cost-of-living pressures have led Ray White Yamba to elect not to use the Ailo mobile app, introduced by the company across its network of agents as a property management system, for tenants to pay and landlords to collect rental payments.


Recently, some Ray White agents, along with other real estate brands, across Australia emailed tenants and landlords inviting them to use Ailo, a third-party property management app to pay their rent, which was founded by former Ray White Director Ben White.


Ray White Yamba Managing Director, Daniel Kelly said after piloting and testing the Ailo property management system they decided against implementing it for their clients.


The Ailo technology is not exclusive to Ray White, there’s other brands around the country that are using it as well,” he said.


Based on our experience in using it, we feel as though it is not the right fit for us.”


The Ailo app charges 0.25 per-cent for an automated direct debit from a bank account, 0.95 per-cent for debit card payments and 1.5 per-cent for credit card payments, while also offering a fee-free method of payment as required.


In NSW, a law was passed in 2011 that every real estate agent must offer a fee free means of paying rent.


Mr Kelly said convenience and increasing cost-of-living pressures were reasons why Ray White Yamba chose not to use the Ailo app.


Predominantly one reason was convenience for our clients, tenants in particular, because it’s a system that largely would have been accepted, I believe by landlords, but, from a tenancy perspective the feedback that we have had is that it removed a level of convenience for them in paying the rent,” he said.


The decision we came to was, obviously cost-of-living is a big issue at the moment, and we don’t want to be inflicting further pain on people, so it wasn’t the right fit for us.”



Saturday 22 July 2023

Yaegl Elder, patriarch, anthropologist, historian, former university lecturer, Doctor of Letters honoris causa Ron Heron of Yamba passed away on Thursday 13 July 2023 and his funeral will be held on Monday 24 July. NOTE: This post includes the image of a person who is deceased


 

Clarence Valley Independent, 19 July 2023:




The Indigenous community and people across the Clarence Valley are mourning the death of Yaegl Elder Uncle Ron Heron, who passed away on Thursday, July 13. He is pictured here at the opening of the Yuraygir Coastal Walk in 2014. Image: Geoff Helisma.



Aboriginal communities across Australia and people from the Northern Rivers are in mourning following the sudden passing of renowned Yaegl patriarch Uncle Ron Heron.


Uncle Ron Heron was born at Lismore in 1947, schooled in the mission system and worked in the Clarence Valley as a cane cutter and picking peas until he decided to make his mark on the world in his early 30’s.


His niece Lesley King told the CV Independent Uncle Ron was a working as a cane cutter when he woke one day determined to make his mark on Aboriginal society and education.


Prior to all the studies he did, he was just an ordinary cane cutter, he used to go and do cane cutting all around the Clarence River,” she said.


Then he woke up one day thinking he had to do something else with his life, he said he just decided ‘this isn’t me’, so he started studying, it was his own wake up call.


So, he started working with Community Health in the Clarence Valley as an Aboriginal Drug and Alcohol counsellor, and he did a bit of work in the Richmond Valley travelling all around to places like Baryulgil.”


Lesley said Uncle Ron decided to go to university, so he moved the Canberra to study and graduated in 1992 with a Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Letters, by thesis (now Master of Letters) in prehistory and anthropology.


After he got his degree, he came back to the Richmond River area and he worked at Southern Cross University at Lismore for 10 years lecturing in Indigenous Studies,” she said.


Once a year Macquarie University came to Maclean High School as part of the Rivers of Learning program and Uncle Ron was involved in a week of training and learning, Lesley said, then they would all celebrate together.


Contributions to extensive research at Macquarie University on bush medicines, in international scientific journals, lectures and storytelling led to Uncle Ron being awarded a Doctor of Letters honoris causa from Macquarie University in September 2014, an extremely proud moment for the family and the Yaegl people.


The family were so proud of Uncle Ron, he worked hard all of his study life,” Lesley said.


He was a very gentle man; he was very positive in everything he did.


He was passionate about Aboriginal issues, mostly with archaeology, but also with National Parks and Wildlife, to help educate the other side of the world, the Europeans.


Uncle Ron met tonnes of beautiful people in his work and in his training and left a positive mark with everyone he met.”


When a mural of Uncle Ron painted on a pump station at Maclean was graffitied in 2022, Lesley said he was ‘gutted’, but when artist Nitsua unveiled a repainted mural in June 2023, he was immensely proud…..


During NAIDOC Week celebrations early this month, Lesley said Uncle Ron had a great time at the elders’ lunch and at the South Grafton community day.


He was great, he was laughing and out meeting mates and friends and other Elders,” she said.


Then he got sick on the weekend, and we took him to Maclean Hospital and all his tests were good until he had a blood test and we found out he had a heart attack.”


After the shock of the news Uncle Ron had suffered a heart attack, Lesley said arrangements were made for him to have bypass surgery, but tragically he passed away before the operation…..


He was the father of all of us Yaegl people after we lost our mum and for all the other’s that had lost their mum and dad.


Right up until his passing he was teaching all of his grandchildren what he was trained to do.”


Uncle Ron Heron will be farewelled at the Maclean Anglican Church on Monday, July 24, at a time to be confirmed.