Photo: David Lowe - Cloudcatcher Media

NSW Premier promises to ‘rebuild and retrain’ communities for a safer future.

In the corporate world the month of August is known as “reporting season”, the time when companies announce the results of their previous financial year’s trading. August 2022 has earned a special claim to the title through the release of several high-level government reports on diverse matters.

One, reported elsewhere in this magazine, was the report of the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide.

 Another, of particular interest to residents of the Northern Rivers, is the report of the NSW Parliament’s Legislative Council (LegCo) Select Committee on The Response to Major Flooding Across New South Wales In 2022. 

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Lismore flood 2022 - watercolour pigment with acrylic binder on canvas

Well-known artist Geoff Harvey looked no further than the flooded city of Lismore as inspiration for his entry to this year’s prestigious Wynne Prize, awarded to the best landscape painting of Australian scenery, or figure sculpture. 

The dramatic work made the final cut – 34 selected from 601 submissions - but in the end was not judged the winner.

Geoff said, ‘I painted this image of the recent floods to help me come to terms with what had just happened to Lismore. My own house was washed away in the surging floodwaters and completely destroyed. Fortunately, no one was hurt as it was vacant at the time.

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Dr Andrew Binns

I arrived in Lismore in 1979 and my aim was to get a job as a GP. I had already tried to get work in Pt Lincoln a major fishing town on Eyre Peninsular where an uncle lived. After a flight there with partner Jeni Binns we returned having not secured a job – no vacancies.

I then drove to Lismore and again stayed with another uncle at Teven and tried to get work in this region. The same problem arose in that trying to get work as a GP in Alstonville or Lismore was met with the same response ie no vacancies.

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Paul Archer

I have always had an affinity with adolescents, which is why I became a secondary school teacher and stayed committed to this work for 25 years. In 2013, I completed a Masters in Psychotherapy, greatly deepening my understanding of adolescence and my efficacy as a teacher.


I left teaching in 2020 and established a practice as a counsellor/psychotherapist for adolescents. I have always had a sense of empathy and understanding of the adolescent population, especially those who are often labelled in negative ways due to their behaviours. Adolescence is such a vulnerable time in life, one filled with so many possibilities, opportunities and pitfalls. I am here to help.
I have a thorough knowledge of adolescent development which embraces existential, neurological, biological, psychological and sociological perspectives.

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Dr James Goldstein

It’s unsurprising if you or someone you know finds themselves a little lost these days. Between fires, floods and inflation, many of us are wondering what will go wrong next. It is quite normal at such times to experience periods of sadness. It is part of the human experience.

However, the sustained strain of the pandemic has led to increasing numbers of people experiencing an overt major depression. This increased suffering has not gone unnoticed by those of us working within this field. In 2019-2020, a 35-year-old antidepressant - sertraline - was the 10th most prescribed drug in Australia for the first time1. Last year it rose to 8th2.

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  1. No rural health Ombudsman but a new panel and 10,000 more staff
  2. Local MPS upgrades will enhance rest and recreation