Stories from the Byron Shire Resilience and Regeneration Roadshow
Resilient Byron hosted, in collaboration with Renew Fest, the Byron Shire Resilient and Regeneration Roadshow, a series of free events held from February to April 2021 across the Byron region, generously made possible by the Northern Rivers Community Foundation.
Our region got hit hard by a number of disasters and crises so we came together as a community to prepare and transform the way we live. The Roadshow encouraged local communities to connect, share, listen and work on concrete ideas to take on the challenges presented by bushfires and floods, the economic and housing crisis, and COVID. The Resilient Byron Research team has compiled and analysed these ideas, which can be found here.
Each roadshow event featured a different guest speaker, which recording you can listen below, followed by hands-on workshops. Participants expressed feeling empowered, with a sense of hopefulness about what can be done locally. A number joined Resilient Byron’s sub-groups and others proposed contributions to Renew Fest.
If you couldn’t make it to one of these events, you can read and listen below to a range of media stories and podcasts featuring special guests of the Roadshow:
The Echo featured a series answering the question: what will make local communities more resilient?
Catherine Ingram: What if the trucks stop coming
Mandy Nolan: Resilience and Diversity needed, not perpetual growth
Richard Jones: The time of a New Renaissance
Zara Noruzi: Lessons on resilience, regeneration from Iran
James Perrin: Resilience through biodiversity and awareness
Podcasts with The Overview Effect (interviewed live at the Roadshow by James Perrin)
with Mandy Nolan (a local comedian, social justice activist and Green candidate for the next Federal election)
with Catherine Ingram (an international dharma teacher, author and former journalist)
with Richard Jones (a publisher, environmental NGO founder, former member of Parliament and now artist)
with Zara Noruzi (an ex-political prisoner from Iran, activist, surfer)
with Jean Renouf (an academic, firefighter, ex-international humanitarian aid worker, chair of Resilient Byron)
