Previous Projects

7 Sibley Street
In January 2012 the community became aware that a property with a small house at 7 Sibley Street, Nimbin was to be auctioned. Nimbin Neighbourhood and Information Centre and Nimbin Community Centre met with Lismore City Council and submitted a project plan with a view to Council purchasing the site to support establishing a demonstration 'Sustainability Hub' in the village, a plan that emerged from the sustainable Nimbin community planning processes.

A fundraising campaign raised around $15,000 in a very short period but, a few days prior to the auction, Council advised that it was unable to purchase the site or assist financially due to budgetary constraints. The property was passed in at auction and fundraising continued.

By late March 2012 pledges had increased to around $30,000, and both the Neighbourhood Centre and Community Centre committed $15,000. A local resident approached the community with an offer of bridging finance via a mortgage on the condition that the Nimbin Community Centre take title over the property.

The Mortgagor's reasons for this included: 

• Greater loan security given the organisation’s asset base;
• Significant experience in property management;
• The Neighbourhood Centre could focus on development and implementation of the project;
• Prior Community Centre ownership of the adjoining Peace Park - reclaiming part of this land would expand opportunities for the sustainability hub project;
• A community partnership would increase the collective energy and experience driving the project.

   

The property was eventually purchased in May 2012 for $145,000 (plus acquisition costs of $2000) on the understanding that the site would be used for the Sustainable Living Hub project. Both Nimbin Community Centre and Nimbin Neighbourhood & Information  Centre acknowledged their obligation to honour the considerable community good will and funding contributed to acquiring the site for this purpose.

The mortgage was finally paid out following exhausting fundraising activities and ownership of the property was transferred to Nimbin Neighbourhood & Information Centre. Information about the many initiatives that are demonstrated from there can be found on their facebook page – 7 Sibley St – Nimbin’s Sustainable Living Hub. 

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Allsopp Park Mural - Our Place, Our Country
Commissioned by Lismore City Council in 2017, the mural in Allsopp Park was painted by local indigenous artists Gilbert Laurie, Lewis Walker and Oral Roberts. The mural depicts an important creation story from the Bundjalung Nation and, in 2018, Nimbin Community Centre received a grant from the Commonwealth Indigenous Arts and Languages Program to explain the mural’s story in dual languages, as recounted by the artists. 

Back when it happened (Guurii Abuu)

In the Ancient Peoples Dreamtime (Guurii Abuu Buuthrum) the two headed serpent (nyah buulabu bawurr nguyribaa) and the sleeping lizard (wuddarm narmal) had a battle (boombalare). The sleeping lizard (wuddarm narmal) was woken by the serpent (nguyribaa) which was destroying the sacred sites (juubihl) and taking the lives of our people (nuli guurii) and the animals (gudjim) as they rumbled and tumbled, creating the valleys (gabang), the mountains (dugun) and our mystical river ways (bulan).

The old man platypus (mabang Djungbung) called upon the sea animals (burugar gudjim) and the land animals (jugan gudjim), to bear witness to the battle (nyah boombalare). Then the willy wagtail (Djirrah-Djirrah), the peacemaker came to the battling giants and told them to go (yanbihba) to the battle ground (nyah boombalare). So they went to a place now called Evans Head (Gamii Garraa) the east coast of our country (ngali jugan) and more rivers (bulan) and valleys (gabang) were created as the goanna (Dirrawong) stood up on her two back legs and forced the mighty serpent (Noungbah) to leave our sacred land (wan-jugan).

And now today (bayarn) we know the Goanna Headlands (ngamaal bawurr juganbu) as the land of the Goanna (jugan Dirrawong).

As told by Lewis Walker

Gilbert Laurie speaking about the mural- https://youtu.be/-L3mlkG2ptk

Lewis Walker speaking about the mural- https://youtu.be/wjjL-RMSy58

The unveiling of the dual language explanation - https://youtu.be/6IVLX7Arjgs

Mayor Isaac Smith speaking and unveiling the mural sign- https://youtu.be/W-Ptf1zslKg

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Nimbin Peace Park and SK8 Park
Acquisition of the former Nimbin Central School property included 2 acres of land adjoining the Nimbin swimming pool, previously the school’s sports field. When the school was rebuilt on new grounds the sportsfield was no longer required. For many years Nimbin Community Centre looked after this land, renamed Peace Park, with a view to turning it into a community park. In partnership with Lismore Council the Community Centre obtained funding to establish a playground in the park and set on a mission to see a skate park built there. 

After much negotiation, a few false starts, and some intense negotiations with neighbours, the Nimbin SK8 Park was finally constructed in 2011. While Nimbin Community Centre supported and facilitated the project, a significant project championed by young people in the village, the organisation had very few income sources could not afford the insurance required for a SK8 park. In 2011 the insurance quote was over $10,000. As a result, in 2012 Nimbin Community Centre gifted Peace Park to Lismore City Council on the understanding that it would never be sold and that the hardcourt area would be given to the 7 Sibley St sustainability project should it be required.

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Tennis Courts
After Nimbin Tennis Club found itself in financial difficulties in 2013, Nimbin Community Centre stepped in to keep the courts in community ownership. Nimbin Headers Sports Club offered to take responsibility for the courts and the process of winding up the tennis club and transferring ownership began. This took longer than envisaged as the NSW government imposed stamp duty on the transfer of title, hard to justify when you consider one not-for-profit community group was transferring ownership of land (donated originally by community members) to another not-for-profit community group for no financial exchange.

Special thanks go to Rainbow Power Company who made a generous financial donation, Lismore Council who waived a significant portion of the outstanding rates, community members who joined the club whether tennis players or not, Nimbin Community Centre and Jungle Patrol who together covered stamp duty and associated transfer costs, Nimbin Law who provided advice along the way and significantly reduced their costs, Fabien Prevost, president of Nimbin Headers, and Diana Roberts, Secretary of Nimbin Community Centre who worked hard to bring this about. Thanks go also to the anonymous donor who contributed significant funds over the past year and to Pixie and his wife Wendy who handled bookings for years and worked endlessly to keep the courts and surrounds looking good. Ownership of the Cullen Street tennis courts now rests with Nimbin Headers Sports Club.

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Light up Nimbin
In 2018 Nimbin Community Centre partnered with Nimbin Chamber of Commerce to light up the village of Nimbin at night. Utilising solar technology, designed by Rainbow Power Company to handle low sunlight periods, and accompanied by a Tesla battery for power storage, a section of Nimbin’s main street is now lit up at night with beautifully ambient lighting designed by the legendary Roger Foley Fogg.

The solar installation is housed at Birth & Beyond and the system is maintained by the Chamber. The project cost around $35,000 and the Chamber is now exploring options to extend lighting, to the south, to the north and across the road.

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