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Australia: Nimbin laments loss as fire investigations continue Darren Coyne Echo Netdaily Wednesday 13 Aug 2014 Until yesterday, Nimbin, Australia’s counter-culture heartland since the 1973 Aquarius Festival, had such an iconic place, albeit a much more humble affair. The museum, established in 1992, was a curiously ramshackle joint with an old painted Kombi sticking out the front wall, followed by a kaleidoscope of artwork and memorabilia inside a labyrinth of rooms. Tourists from around the world have taken a selfie at its entrance, and many would have purchased pot in the lane between the museum and the adjacent Rainbow Cafe. Within its walls the museum told not only the story of the area’s alternative culture during and after the Aquarius Festival, it spoke of the present. Curator Michael Balderstone, who is also president of the Nimbin Hemp Embassy, said its loss, along with the cafe, was ‘as if Nimbin has had its two front teeth knocked out’. The Rainbow building, owned by the Tuntable Falls Community, has been a popular gathering place for decades, operating at times as a cannabis cafe, and providing a needle exchange service. Cafe owner Jodee Tichborne said she had 20 people working at the cafe before the fire, describing it as ‘the heart’ of Nimbin. And while the cafe served up food and entertainment, the neighbouring museum gave visitors the story of the hippies, pot, activism and the ongoing struggles of a conscious community. North east Rural Fire Service group officer Robbie Graham, who was the incident controller yesterday, said it would take some time for the site to be declared safe. Mr Graham said firefighters would keep the fire site wetted down to prevent contaminants from spreading. He said because of the age of the buildings, asbestos was an issue, so the clean up would take some time. ‘The RFS will be here all day monitoring the situation,’ he said. Meanwhile, Lismore mayor Jenny Dowell posted a statement prepared by Lismore city council staff, outlining how the clean up of the fire would take place. ‘There is no imminent risk of structural safety issues with adjoining buildings, however, council staff will be working work with the relevant property owners and their insurers to ensure appropriate assessment are undertaken as soon as practically possible,’ the statement said. ‘The priority will be to ensure that the footpath at the front of the site is made accessible as soon as it is safe for that to occur. ‘An assessment will also be need to be made of the use of buildings immediately adjoining the affected sites, to ensure they are safe to occupy and continue trade or use for habitation. ‘While the primary focus of council staff will be to ensure public health and safety through the above actions, council staff will also be liaising with affected property and business owners to identify their immediate and medium term needs and how they may be able to be facilitated by council. ‘This could include looking at facilitating continuation of trading on alternate sites if required.’ Cr Dowell said any specific questions or community concerns should be directed to the council’s customer service centre on 1300 878387. http://www.echo.net.au/2014/08/nimbin-laments-loss-fire-investigations-continue/
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