DRAFT ONLY

Byron Bay Coffee Table Book

‘The Spirit Beauty & History’
17 Sample Images and Stories from a Total of 125.
Copyright 2010 Peter Duke
[Link]

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, copied, stored or transmitted in
any form or by any means–graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying,
recording or information storage and retrieval systems ̶ without the prior written permission
of Peter Duke, except where permitted by law.

Every effort has been made to contact persons owning copyright in the works of art
illustrated in this book. In cases where this has not been possible, copyright owners are
invited to notify Peter Duke.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander’s please note, this book contains images of deceased
persons.
 The Bray Family: Bobby King of Bumberline. On the right is Alice. On the left is Clara
with her two children, Linda and Peter, grandchildren of Bobby. Byron Bay 1901.

Photo courtesy Arakwal Corporation & Mitchell Library. Caption validated by Arakwal Elder (as per Eric Wright Collection).
 The Legend of Julian Rocks

“The aboriginal legend about the Julian Rocks is a tale of two lovers. The male was from Cavvanba, the female from up
the coast – ‘away’. Her tribe was taboo with Cavvanba and the Elders promised heavy magic upon the two unless they
stopped seeing each other. Of course they didn’t, hence the ‘bone’ was pointed at the lovers. The earth began to tremble
and the sky filled with fire as the two lovers walked into the ocean holding hands. Giant waves rolled across the bay .
...continue

Photo courtesy Terry Wilcox

 When the World was Wide

“They roved away in the ships that sailed ere

science controlled the main,
When the strong, brave heart of a man prevailed as
`twill never prevail again...”
“They raised new stars on the silent sea that filled
their hearts with awe;
They came to many a strange country and
marvelous sights they saw”.
Henry Lawson (1867–1922).

1770
“A high point of land which I name Cape Byron bore
N.W. by W at a distance of three miles…and may be
known by a remarkable sharp peaked mountain,
which lies inland, and bears from it N.W. by W”.
Captain James Cook was
on a voyage in the Southern Sea tracing the transit
of Venus across the face of the sun, a calculation
that was thought to help measure the sun’s distance
from Earth.

Photograph
Captain Cook-Obsession and Discovery. 2007.
Still supplied by Film Australia.
Photo by Simon Cardwell.
 First Settlement

The town of Byron Bay was first settled in the 1870s. Originally known as Cavvanba, an Indigenous word for ‘meeting place’, the town
was renamed Byron Bay in 1894. David Jarman built the first habitual dwelling on the north side of Cape Byron. Jarman’s place acted as
a halfway house for the early settlers travelling between the towns of Ballina in the south and Brunswick Heads in the north. Pictured
Brookes Camp at Palm Cove (The Pass) c 1910. The original site of Jarman’s.

Photo courtesy Leona and Keith Anderson. Information source, Byron Bay and the Story of Surf Life Saving, by Harry Mercer, researched by Col Hadwell.
 25

The maiden voyage of the TSS Wollongbar II, arriving in Byron Bay from Glasgow,
Scotland,11th January 1923.

Photo courtesy Eric Wright Collection.

 The Watego’s

“Grandfather Watego came to Sydney from the Loyalty Islands (South Pacific) and belonged to the Salvation Army. He was a market
gardener and known for his roses. Grandmother Watego was English, by her photos she looked very Italian. In 1914 Murray “Mick”
Watego (son) moved to the Tweed River at 19 years old and married Mary Noels; they had ten children. Mick cooked for the cane cutters
and farmed the land. Mick’s sister Laurie came to Byron Bay and together with Mick bought land at Wategos Beach. Aunty Laurie worked as a
cook at the Pier Hotel. Mick’s boys Vincent, Lloyd, Clarrie and Colin cleared the acres to grow bananas and vegetables. Lloyd cut and sliced
palm trees and built a cabin. We watched the Wollongbar go past our beach...continued
 Surfing

We saw the biggest change in surfing when Phil Edwards and his mates arrived from California and Hawaii with their Malibu surf
boards. They surfed their way up the east coast of NSW sometime in 1959–60, staying for a few weeks in Byron Bay as a good
autumn swell provided perfect waves at Wategos and the Pass. The Americans met up with a few of the bigger lads from the surf club,
surfing on their hollow plywood surf boards. As far as performance in the waves, our local boards were a bit clumsy compared to the
fibreglass and foam boards from California… continued

Surfing the wreck 1962 © photo courtesy Max Pendergast.

 New Folk in the Valley
by Frank Mills

When the hippies found the North Coast

With its scenery and natural charm,
The place where it all started
Was the top end of Main Arm.

Before they had found Nimbin

And the beautiful beaches of Byron Bay,
They settled in banana packing sheds
Deciding this was where they’d stay.

Col was the leader of the hippies

He purchased 400 acres of land,
Whatever he would do with it
The locals couldn’t understand.

But times were quickly changing

When these new folk came into view,
Men had hair down to their shoulders
And some women were topless, too …continued

Photo Markets by the Sea 1978 © courtesy Terry Wilcox.

 Anti-logging Protestors at Terania Creek

In 1979 a student gathering and anti-logging protest

made national headlines at Terania Creek. The
demonstration lasted 28 days and there were about
200 people in residence. They moved into the forest
and set up camp, people coming and going
throughout the demonstration. The protestors
formed a human barrier as the new settlers defied
the odds and held off the work in progress. A
commissioned inquiry was called and the result was
a new World Heritage listed region known as
Protestors Falls... continued

Photo © courtesy David Kemp.

 Photo courtesy Terry Wilcox

This internationally renowned mural on the Byron Bay Community Centre attracted much attention from the moment it was painted in
1984. Designed and created by three of the new wave of artists who arrived and settled in Byron Bay during the early 1980s. The mural
depicted actual characters living in the area. .. continued
 The Man with the Bell and Box

In the early seventies a silver-haired, stocky built Greek

immigrant, George Feros, could be seen each morning cleaning
the walkways and streets of Byron Bay. This daily self-imposed
mission restored half of the CBD from the previous day’s
usage.

Then in the evenings at the Top Pub, as the crowds frolicked

and danced to the live rock bands, George would circulate
through the throngs of rocking, smoking and drinking people.
Gently waving his hand bell he would ask for donations towards
his dream, the building of an aged persons home. As the years
progressed, people warmed to his persistent sincerity of
mission, giving more coins and notes... continued

Photo: George Feros,1979

© Photo courtesy Terry Wilcox.

 Harmonic Convergence

“Groups of people around the world gathered for the dawn,

to meditate for world peace at significant sites. The fishermen at Cape Byron
were surprised to discover, as the sun rose, their huge audience.1987 Photo courtesy John McCormick
 Walk for Climate Action

More than 250 people lined Cape Byron, pointing towards Mount
Warning in a symbolic gesture of the global climate challenge facing humanity.
Information source Byron Shire News ([Link]).

© Photo courtesy Katrina Folkwell.

Aerial Photograph
2003, As Australia, the
United States of America
and the United Kingdom
go to war in Iraq, the
women and girls of Byron
Shire (naked) sent a clear
message to the world...
March 2010, an Iraqi
hospital located in an area
where the fighting was
most concentrated reports
the gross deformity of 2-3
new born babies (born)
every day. The Iraqi
government has issued a
warning against women
bearing children.
(Reported on SBS News
Australia).

Photo ©
Joe Scott, courtesy Anne Marie
Campbell.
 International Peace

“...A fundamental problem is pinning down exactly what “peace is.  It’s easy to think it’s simply the
absence of war, right? – that is what researcher John Galtung calls negative peace (1996; as cited in
Vision of Humanity Institute of Economics and Peace, 2008).  But just because there’s no direct
violence doesn’t mean a society is “at peace”.  Structural violence occurs when the government or
society’s norms oppress, exploit, or deny services to some citizens.  Often, the two forms reinforce
each other – the oppressed use violence to rebel against structural conflict & the government responds
by further repressing them (Wagner, 2001).  What we’re really thinking of when we talk about “world
peace” is nations free of violence & with attributes like social equality, political and religious freedom,
and equal educational and economic opportunities.  That’s what Galtung calls positive peace(1996; as
cited in Vision of Humanity Institute of Economics & Peace). 

Two possible causes of conflict are poverty and inequality.  In turn, conflict often costs people their
livelihoods and homes and may create new inequalities (Briggs, 2005).  In this way, a cycle is born –
inequality & poverty can lead to conflict, which leads to more poverty & inequality.  A lot of international
& non-governmental organisations like World Vision & Oxfam are working to relieve poverty & injustice
before conflict arises, providing the poor & oppressed with improved access to food, clean water,
education, health care, & economic opportunities to become self-sufficient. (World Vision Australia,
2008; Oxfam Australia, 2008).”

Extract courtesy of Winnifred Louis & Michelle Steffens for the Psychologists for Peace Interest Group of the Australian
Psychological Society. 
 
Byron Bay Peace Rally 2005

Photo courtesy © Peter Duke.

Photo courtesy © Nicoletta Revis 2002.