The incessant Paluma rain stopped on Saturday evening (20/02/21) just in time for the Chinese Lunar New Year celebrations at the Community Hall. Twenty-something very enthusiast residents gathered under red lanterns at the Hall to mark the occasion.
While it’s well known that Paluma has some great cooks, they really excelled on Saturday night. The Chinese-inspired banquet was good enough to rival any restaurant – even without the fried rice! Funnily enough, everyone assumed that everyone else would cook rice, when in fact no-one did (with the exception of Colwyn’s coconut milk and peach dessert). One thing was certain, everybody had more than enough to eat and plenty to share.
Lynn hosted her newly invented game called “The Chinese Tree of Good Fortune” whereby some residents got to try their luck with a Lunar New Year Scratchie. Unfortunately no major winnings were ‘scratched’ on the night. Chinese horoscopes were read in this the Year of the Ox. Fortune cookies were shared, with some residents still contemplating the profound messages contained in their cookie. My own fortune cookie read……”Judge not the horse by its saddle”. Mmmmmmm…..I’m still thinking on that one! A planned game of ‘Chinese Whispers’ was abandoned because the lively noise reverberating from the Hall meant that anybody ‘whispering’ would have gone unheard.
The Bar did a lively trade as always with some profits in the kitty for the PDCA. Thanks to all those who attended and for embracing the theme of the night.
Our next Social will be held on Saturday 20 March for St. Patrick’s Night celebrations. Time to put the Chinese clobber away and start thinking Irish GREEN!
Text & Photos by Michele Bird
Well the hall looks great since I was in it at the time it opened. I played the drums there for a bush dance. We developed the block behind what was once the Police station. Great memories there from those days.
Hi John, thanks for your comment. For your information, this year we are celebrating the 20th anniversary of the opening of the Paluma Community Hall. We are having a Morning Tea at 10.30 am on Sunday 24th October 2021 to mark the occasion. It would be great if you could join us to pass on your stories and reminiscences about the Community Hall.
My memories go well back beyond that 20 years to the original clearing of the land and the construction of the big shed, back 5o years as an estimate to the time of Jimmy Linton, Tommy Nutt, the Smith family, and the original school building and the bark hut in cloudy clearing. I have a vague memory of seeing Arthur Bentham. Jim Linton taught me the art of scratching for alluvial tin. Mr dad and grand parents built the small holiday home behind what used to be the police station. The original US army log cabin was still intact and the original concrete igloos still had remnants of U S camouflage on them. We walked from there to the Star River on several occasions. I would be interested to come to the opening morning tea.