Welcome to the spring edition of the Clarence Environment Centre newsletter. Contributions are always welcome. Here’s a chance to say what you want to say. Leave your original stories, poems, drawings, cartoons, rants and raves in the Environment Centre newsletter pigeonhole. In the next edition we’ll be bringing back the Celebration of Trees page. Do you have a paragraph or two about your favourite tree? A forest moment which moved you? Thanks to everyone who contributed this time – Simon, Jim K, Dave, Mark, Karin, Gary, Emma, Glen, Jim M and John.

By the time you read this, the submission period will have closed to the McConaghy Holdings proposal for an expanded Shoppingworld over the Duke St carpark. There has been a lot of community concern about this plan. The Duke St carpark with its trees provides an important pedestrian link between Prince St and shops like Narvi Organic Fruit and Vegetables, and Shoppingworld. The McConaghy proposal epitomises the difference between pure corporate engineering and sensitive urban design. What do we need? A central business district where there are safe and pleasant opportunities for walking and sitting. Public domain. We need places where we can experience a sense of connection between people and buildings. A streetscape whose building form and scale works as a whole. Trees. Open spaces connecting places where people gather. What’s proposed? A production line to channel consumers into large concrete boxes, discouraging them from walking to main street shops. No more Duke St carpark. Certainly no trees. Pressure on main street shops to relocate to the mall where the customers will be, where the rent is higher, and where the shops must be in perpetual markdown mode to survive. The question we always need to ask in these cases is: what’s in it for the local community? Let’s hope Grafton Council sees the answer.

- Clara



FROM THE TREASURER

The Shops With Christmas approaching, we are well stocked with inexpensive gifts such as incense, a great variety of incense holders/ash catchers, deo crystals, candles, perfume oils, henna etc. The 2004 Moon Planting Guide/Astrological Calendar is in, as are Moon Diaries and Wilderness Diaries. Plus our range of affordable greeting cards has increased again - great for Xmas cards and other occasions. Thanks to all who support our Op Shop with donations, it makes a big difference to our income.

Memberships All memberships fell due at our AGM in August, but so far only a small fraction of members have renewed. Please remember that as an incorporated organisation, we can only function properly with a good amount of paid up members, especially when dealing with government departments and grant applications.

CEC Gift Fund Just a reminder that we have gift recipient status for our Gift Fund, and all donations from $ 2.00 are tax deductible.

Music Cafe and the South Grafton Emporium The October Music Cafe was a great success for the CEC, especially financially, and a big thank you to all who helped. The December Music Cafe will be a big End of Year celebration with many old and new performers. Do come along. The fact that the Music Cafe is such a great fundraising venue has prompted the organisers to open it up to other not for profit community groups. So it you are part of or know any groups that would like to be part of this exciting opportunity, please contact the CEC or Annie Dodd at the Emporium on 6643 3525.

-Karin