As usual there are plenty of live music events happening this week in Byron Bay. The weekend is coming so get ready to dance the night away!

Lisa Hunt will be playing at the Buddha bar on Friday night.

Lisa has performed in Byron Bay many times and is not to be missed.

Lisa Hunt began singing in that great African American tradition, the gospel church, which laid the foundation of her soulful singing style. She went on to study voice at The City College of New York (BFA).Lisa’s studio credits include sessions with famed producers Jellybean Benitez (Madonna), Toni C (Whitney), Frank Farion (Boney M, Hot Chocolate), Her voice can be heard on several top 10 dance tracks all over the Europe; she is “the voice” of LOVESTATION (UK), CLUB X (Germany), and D1 (USA). In Italy she has been the featured vocalist on tour and recordings of ZUCCHERO for over 15 years and has worked with a range of artists from PAVAROTTI to RAY CHARLES (check her out on Pavarotti and Friends), ERIC CLAPTON, JAMES BROWN, DIONNE WARWICK, BRIAN MAY, RANDY CRAWFORD, JOE COCKER, MILES DAVIS, and ANDREA BOCELLI
In Australia Lisa has toured and recorded with JIMMY BARNES, DEISEL  and Lisa recalls, “I had the honor of being invited onstage (in front of 50,000 people) to sing with MIDNIGHT OIL”.

Also on Friday night catch these other great acts:

Hudibrastic Funk at the Railway Hotel, 6.30pm (FREE)

Bonjah (National Album Tour) at the Beach Hotel, 9.30pm (FREE)

Quality Control at Cocomangas

Diaspora Latina at The Great Northern Hotel

Stafford Brothers, Ryan Rushton & Daniel Webber at La La Land

This merry month of May sees Byron Bay play host to not one , but four major sporting events.

Starting on April 27 and running until May 3, the Byron Underwater Festival is the first of the events to be held.
The festival promotes the beauty of what lies beneath the ocean and the fact that Julian Rocks is one of Australia’s top 10 dive sites.
One of the world’s leading dive legends and underwater pioneers Neville Coleman will be a guest of the 2009 festival.
There will also be an underwater photo and video worskhop and a shoot-out competiiton; wildlife and artists presentations and marine visions open medium art competition with more than $5000 in prizes.
On Sunday, May 3, swimmers from all over Australia will converge on the Bay for the milestone 21st Beach Hotel Byron Bay Winter Whales Ocean Swim Classic.
This year’s swim is expected to attract more than 1500 swimmers with national and international swimmers competing.
Former Commonwealth and Olympic swimmer Hayley Lewis will swim in this year’s elite superfish category.
The following weekend will be busy with the staging of the annual Byron Bay Triathlon on Saturday, May 9 and the finals of the annual Byron Bay Malibu Classic on Sunday.
In its 29th year, the classic will start on May 8 and longboard surfers from all over the east coast from Sydney to Noosa will compete.
There will also be a contingent of surfers from New Zealand.
Presented by the Byron Bay Malibu Club, the three-day contest will be held at Wategos Beach.
The major sponsor is the Byron Bay Bowling Club and all money raised will be donated to the Cape Byron Headland Trust, Coastal Patrol and Westpac Rescue Helicopter.
The Byron Bay Triathlon on May 9 is an iconic event and one that is popular with professional competitors.
It is one of the few Olympic-distance races now held in Australia and is the last race of the triathlon season.
The race involves a 1.5 km swim, 40 km cycle from Byron Bay to Lennox Head and back and a 10 km run along the Byron Bay foreshore and town.

Looking for Work? This week there are some great jobs on offer in Byron Bay.

Buddha Bar & Restaurant Due to better than expected trading we are looking for reliable and hard working experienced staff at the Buddha Bar & Restaurant. If this is you please send your resume to thebuddha@byronbaybrewery.com.au   re:chef, kitchen hand, cashier, weekend cleaner.

Byron Beach Cafe is looking for kitchen hand, cooks, junior trainees. Must be hardworking, reliable and motivated. Days, nights & weekends available. To apply email GM enquiries@byronbeachcafe.com.au 

Domestic Help wanted near Lennox, approx 12 hours pw. $20 ph. 66878929

Exp Casual Cleaners wanted for Byron Bay apartments. Must be able to work weekends. TFN or ABN required. Send resume to PO Box 1020 Byron Bay, 2481 or fax66809477.

Tip of the Week: Notice how the employers in the above adverts have used the words hardworking, reliable and motivated? In your CV make sure you include these type of adjectives where you list your attributes. Some other attributes that are important to employers are: honest, capable, punctual, well-presented.

There will be a photo shoot for four students this Friday- 1 May – at GV Byron Bay

Dean Turner from Turnervisual http://www.turnervisual.com/ will be at GV Byron Bay at 2pm on Friday. The students who participate in the photo shoot will receive $45 per hour. So if you are interested please tell Dave Sinclair who is co-ordinating the session.

Besides the photo shoot this Friday Turnervisual is always looking for suitable models to appear in stock photographs. Applications are open to people of all races, gender and age. They require all types of people from all walks of life. Old, young, short, tall. Photographs taken are used for a variety of advertising purposes and are similar to those seen in mainstream brochures and catalogues. The photos above are all examples of stock photographs. There is no nudity and all sessions are conducted in good taste.

No formal model training or experience is required. As long as you have a positive and cooperative attitude, you will do well.

Sessions are organised on a flexible, casual basis, and can be done at times that suit you in most cases. A model release must be signed before a session. A minimum of 1 hour is needed for modeling and a typical session would last for 2 hours. They give plenty of notice if you are required for a shoot (usually at least 2 weeks).

So even if you don’t take part in the photo shoot on Friday why not register your interest with Dean Turner when he is at GV and you might find yourself on the cover of a magazine!

Maybe you want to learn a bit about some of the terrific teachers we have here at GV Byron Bay. This week we spoke to Senior Teacher Sophie who is currently teaching pre-intermediate and Intermediate classes.

Tell us a bit about yourself. How long have you been in Byron Bay and where else have you lived and worked?

I’m Sophie and I have been a teacher at the school since it opened in July last year.  I live in the hinterland of Byron in Nashua, which is about 25 mins from BB.  I moved here from Sydney a year ago with my partner Nigel.  I have lived and taught in many countries around the world including Kenya, Japan, Indonesia, New Zealand and Australia.  I loved the experience of different countries and cultures but my heart will always be in Australia. I love this country and I especially Byron Bay and the surrounding areas. 

Do you have any special talents or interests (besides teaching ESL of course)?

I am a great cook!  Many of our students have experienced my cooking when we’ve had group excursions to my house for international cooking feasts.  I also speak Indonesian.

Which class are you teaching at the moment? 

I teach intermediate in the morning and pre-intermediate in the afternoon, both classes are wonderful and a joy to teach.

Can you tell us about a student in your class who you feel has made outstanding progress…?

Seo has just left the school but he made huge progress when he was a student here.  He always spoke to his classmates in English both in the classroom and outside of school.  In the last few weeks he was here he did extra work at home and really made an effort to improve his English.

What do you enjoy about teaching at GV Byron Bay?

The things I enjoy most about GV Byron Bay are the students and the staff.  We have always had a great mixture of nationalities in class and all the students make an effort to get to know each other.  Because our school is still fairly small all the students are friends and love socialising together no matter what country they are from.  The teachers at GV BB are fantastic too.  We are a young, enthusiastic group who are always willing to help out each other and our students.

If you weren’t a teacher what job would you like to be doing now?

Does living on a farm with chickens and a dog while tending to my vegetable patch count as a job??

 What do you like most about living in the Byron Bay area?

The relaxed atmosphere and down-to-earth people make Byron Bay a very special place.  The beaches and National Parks here are the best in the world and the music festivals are brilliant fun.  Everything you need is here but it’s so much more relaxed than the cities of Australia.

What is your favourite shop in Byron Bay?

I love the Farmer’s Markets that are held every Thursday.  The local food sold there is fresh and delicious and the farmers are there to tell you all about their produce. 

Favourite restaurant or café in Byron Bay?

For quick and easy food I like Fish Mongers, they have the best fish and chips in town.  A little pricier but amazing is Dish.  Have a cocktail at their bar if you can’t afford the meal!

www.dishbyronbay.com.au/

Favourite place in the area?

Broken Head beach, it is surrounded by national park and I can ride my bike on the sand to the lighthouse at low tide. 

Do you have any handy learning hints or tips for students?

Speak English ALL the time.  The more you practice the better you get.  Writing a diary at least once a week is also a great way to improve your grammar.  Ask questions in class, your teacher is there to help you learn as much as possible in the time you’re here.

Teacher Louisa decided that it was such a lovely day the lesson should incorporate a trip to the Farmers Market

The Farmers Market happens every Thursday morning at the Butler Reserve, just a short walk from GV Byron Bay. At the market you can buy fresh food such as fruit and vegetables that have been grown by local farmers. There is plenty of delicious prepared meals to buy as well and all sorts of treats and goodies. Of course there is great coffee! The market opens early in the morning and a lot of students go before classes start and buy their food for the week at really cheap prices!

Lara, who was a student at the school hired a “Wicked” campervan and toured the East Coast of Australia. She has now come back to Byron Bay.

Lara and her Wicked Van

Lara came back to visit the school and especially to thank Senior Teacher, Sophie, who helped her plan her road trip. She intends to stay in Byron Bay for the rest of her time in Australia and says that although she visited some beautiful places in Australia, Byron Bay is still her favourite. When asked what is so good about Byron she replied that it’s the mix of fantastic surfing beaches (she bought a surfboard while in Byron), the good atmosphere created by the large number of young travellers in the town and the friendly locals!

Exp casual cleaners wanted for Byron Bay apartments. Must be able to work weekends. TFN or ABN required. Send resume to PO Box 1020 Byron Bay, 2481 or fax 66809477

Housekeeping Cleaner to clean bathrooms 6.30am start five days per week. Must genuinely like cleaning & want to do the job! to apply email application to angie@artsfactory.com.au

Barista required min 3 years experience for casual hours over a 7 day roster. Please forward resume & cover letter to mgowen88@hotmail.com

Kingtide at the Beach Hotel Saturday 18th April at 9.30pm, FREE Entry

A really awesome band! Heres what the Sydney Moring Herald Review had to say about Kingtide:

Sydney band Kingtide is what happens when a bunch of absurdly talented mates surrender

 to the Rasta beats of reggae.

Lead singer Tony Hughes says the band, which has built a solid following over 18 months

since forming, comprises friends “who have come home to roost”.

The line-up features drummer Terrapai Richmond (The Whitlams, DIG), bassist Alex Hewetson (Swoop, DIG) and guitarist Tony Gilbert (Flotsam and Jetsam).

Also on Saturday night you can see Austin at The Railway Hotel at 6.30pm(free entry), it’s Ladies Night at Cheeky Monkeys (the backpackers favourite hangout), Foxxy is playing at Cocomangas and see Livewire at La La Land.

Cleaner wanted for 5 star resort in Byron, casual position available. Phone 66807555.

Thorough Cleaners wanted for new business in Byron Bay. Experience essential. Please fax resume to 66855519.

Waiter/Barista @ Fisheads. Must have a great personality, professional attitude and excellent work ethic. Email resume to levi@fishheadsbyron.com.au

A group of intrepid students set out in the dark to climb Mt Warning to be the first people in Australia to see the sun rise that day.

A group of students set off at 3am in the morning to climb to the top of Mt Warning before the sun rose. Because it is the most easterly mountain in Australia it is the first place the sun hits Australia each morning. The students took breakfast with them and ate it at the summit.

Michael, one of our students met Jack Johnson in Byron Bay!

A GV student was lucky enough to meet Jack Johnson in Byron

The famous musician from Hawaii has spent a lot of time in Byron Bay after being introduced to the area when he played at the Bluesfest one year. Jack is a keen surfer and was considering becoming a pro surfer before his music career took off. He spends a fair amount of his time in the surf when he is in Byron and “The Pass” at Byron is one of his favourite surfing spots. To learn more about Jack go to www.jackjohnsonmusic.com/

Here are this week’s jobs. GV students have had a lot of success in getting work lately.  A good CV goes a long way. Don’t be afraid to ask your teacher or any of the friendly staff to check your CV to ensure that it is as good as it can be.

Cleaner casual work approximately 10 hours per week. Includes weekend work. Phone 6685 1329.

Cafe all rounder Suffolk Park, Barista skills, 5 shifts per week. Phone 0421034813.

Eco Cleaning team require cleaners with experience & own transport for ongoing work. Phone 0412034719.

Casual Cleaners wanted , experience preferred. Phone 66855366.

Happy job hunting! Late news: Dave “job hunter” Sinclair has found another three jobs cleaning at the Bluesfest and also has work available on a macadamia farm. See Dave for more information.