Plenty to talk about

A DRUGS crisis, war, politics and indigenous issues set the scene for some serious debate at the Byron Writers Festival today and tomorrow.

While Cameron and Sam Bloom are in the Yellow Brick Road pavilion at 9am today talking with broadcaster Richard Glover about the little magpie that saved their family (see main story this page), photo-journalists Ben Bohane, Tim Page and Gary Ramage will be in the SCU marquee giving first-hand accounts of dangerous assignments in conflict zones.

Ramage lines up again later in the day with drug and alcohol treatment advocate Matt Noffs and author Luke Williams, who wrote the controversial book The Ice Age: A Journey into

lous doctor brusquely told Sam that it was obvious she’d never walk again. My brave wife was devastated.’’

How she then managed to take on rehabilitation was beyond her husband, but she did so “with a vengeance’’.

In time Sam joined the Manly Warringah Kayak Club and within 12 months was the fastest KL1 paddler in Austra- Crystal-Meth Addiction, to look for an upside to the bleak news in their topic, Ice Nation: Australia in Crisis.

Novelist Tom Keneally, renowned indigenous journalist Stan Grant and Jesuit priest and prolific author Frank Brennan will dissect the Constitution and indigenous recognition.

The hot topics continue tomorrow as the line-up is joined by controversial former politician Tony Windsor, who gave Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce some stiff competition in the seat of New England at the recent federal election.

Tomorrow is also the day for the next generation, with a line-up of children’s authors and illustrators at the festival’s Kids Big Day Out.

lia. She has become a familiar face on the Gold Coast, having spent a lot of time training at Varsity Lakes.

She was selected for the Australian Paracanoe Team and went to the Canoe Sprint World Championships in Milan, but told the Bulletin she missed out on selection for the Australian team for the Paralympics this year.