Last Sunday, on August 20th was our first Community Meeting with Cr Margie Ryder for this year. It was very productive with some rigorous discussion around several issues. There was also an earlier briefing with Nick Dametto, our Hinchinbrook electorate representative in Qld Parliament, regarding the village entrance signage. The issues raised at the community meeting included:
- Pet clean up bags and general pet management
- Traffic management – speeding in the village
- Community security – break-ins, hooning
- Road maintenance – verges on road to Dam turnoff and potholes on dam road
- Vegetation control – weeds on council land and vacant blocks
- Signage at village entrance
- Pet clean up bags: proposal put to council to provide pet clean up bag dispensers has not been approved. Maggie will take it back to council again noting that the PDCA is happy to do the restocking of any installed dispensers with resources provided by council.
- A ‘letterbox drop’ to residents suggested as a reminder of their responsibilities as pet owners including use of leashes.
- Pet management: There is currently a ‘local law’ pertaining to cat ownership currently being considered at State level. This resulted from a community survey open to all of the Townsville City Council area. If this law is passed, this community has the option to be considered for its use. It would mean residents will not be able to bring in ‘new’ cats to their home. A grandfather clause will allow those who currently have cats to keep them. It was suggested this also be applied to dog ownership although Margie indicated this would likely not be accepted.
- The notion of an ‘off leash park’ be established on council land was also put forward.
- Maggie provided some pet clean up dispenser bags and leashes for distribution to residents with dogs.
- Traffic management/speeding: Need to report ANY observed offences with the police, online or by phone. Mobile number for Rollingstone Police: 0456096305 If its not reported, it hasn’t happened and no action can be taken.
- Due to valid concerns of the safety of visiting school groups and visiting families during school holidays walking along the main road, Margie will write to Nick Dametto to approach Education Queensland (Nth Qld Region) and Townsville Catholic Education Office as well as Main Roads in regards to signage and other measures to mitigate the possibility of future casualities due to vehicles speeding through the village. Specific examples of ways other communities have mitigated speeding provided.
- Community security: Need to report ANY observed offences with the police, online or by phone. Mobile number for Rollingstone Police: 0456096305 If its not reported, it hasn’t happened and no action can be taken.
- Suggestion residents purchase loud portable air horns to assist in alerting close neighbours of immediate security concerns. This has been effective in reducing criminal activity in some streets in small communities near and within Townsville city.
- Suggestion to establish a community alert ‘phone tree’ to ensure residents are alerted to any immediate security threats.
- Suggested to invite Rollingstone Police mobile number to Paluma Community Alert WhatsApp
- Paluma Dam Road and verges from village end to turn off: Paluma Dam road annual maintenance will occur in September. Request for support for more regular maintenance considered.
- A request to council to budget for building up and strengthening verges to cope with large vehicles including garbage trucks. Recent repairs due to request by Sam Stedman of Outer Limit Adventure Fitness in preparation for the recent Paluma Push. Noted this took persistent communications to happen.
- Use ‘Snap Send Solve’ App available on TCC website; Contact Margie directly regards road/verge maintenance (from village to Paluma dam turnoff and the Dam road, Hussey Road) that have been logged with council but not actioned ESPECIALLY if any safety concerns.
- Vegetation control: Council to be informed to mow verges of loop road as part of their regular maintenance. Margie will query council on their ability to enforce landowners to manage vegetation on their vacant blocks of land. Individuals can register a complaint with council regarding unkempt properties.
- Village entrance signage: Margie will check with council if they can take ownership of the proposed location from National Parks. If not possible, Nick Dametto has agreed to appeal to the appropriate State minister.
- Other signage around the village: regardless of prior consultation and against Margie’s recommendations, TCC has started installing a range of signs through the village. Some are not appropriately located. Further collaboration and consultation will be sought by Margie.
Participation in this meeting by local residents was most appreciated and we are grateful for having a local councillor who is willing to drive up our range road regardless of feeling quite unwell let alone having to manage car sickness with doses of ginger. Appreciation also for Nick Dametto meeting with Margie and the PDCA president at 9am to discuss improving the Paluma Village entry signage. Nick is one ‘ever-ready bunny’ and doesn’t suffer car sickness as he truly enjoyed his motorbike ride up the range road to meet with us.
Margie has noted the tropical BBQ on December 9th in her calendar and our next community meeting will be around this time, if not earlier.
Text: Juanita Poletto. Images: Juanita Poletto unless otherwise noted
Last time I checked Paluma was part of the democracy of Australia. In a democracy we all have a right to our opinion, an equal say and a right to have our opinion respected – even if it doesn’t always align with those of others. But, there comes a point where as a member of a small community I start to take exception to being dictated to (endlessly) by those with big voices, big opinions and their own agendas. We all have to live together and we all have to learn to respect that others are entitled to their opinion, ideals and life choices. There is a good reason why dictatorships make for very unhappy societies. When I first came to Paluma nearly 8 years ago I mistakenly had the impression that this was a close knit community where people truly cared for and respected one another. I have since learned otherwise. Sometimes, whatever you do and however hard you try, there are those who will always criticise and focus on the negative. It is disheartening to learn that now we have people running around collecting dossiers of ‘evidence’ on people who should be their friends and neighbours. Unfortunately, there are those amongst us who are working very hard to strangle the life out of the best parts of this small COMMUNITY. I truly don’t understand it and I’m out.
I have found that 99% of dog and cat owners in Paluma are very responsible with management of their animals. I have not seen any roaming cats in the ten years I have lived here and dog owners are very responsible in carrying their dog bags. It’s the visitors if any who may not be as concerned of our environment as our locals. Pets are family to those I know who own them up here and as I don’t have any at present I look forward to meeting them and their owners of course. Responsible pet owners should not feel compromised by those who don’t wish to have them here.
Unfortunately, I have found the opposite to be true. Many dog owners in Paluma choose to walk unrestrained dogs, many residences do not have adequate fencing and droppings are not picked up. In the five years I have been a Paluma resident, I have known of wildlife being killed by dogs, including the platypus that was at the weir (last seen running down Mt Spec Road in a dog’s mouth), dogs safely locked behind fences have been injured and killed by other residents’ dogs, I have seen dogs being regularly walked in the National Park and have seen birds stalked by people’s pets. Right now, I could supply photos and dash cam footage of at least 5 local residents’ dogs unrestrained in the village. This past weekend 40 highly skilled people arrived in Paluma to conduct citizen science projects on our local birds. Not one of these people agreed dogs should be present in Paluma. Wet Tropics World Heritage Area is that, it is globally recognised for it’s environmental values and belongs to all people of the world, not just those of us fortunate enough to live here. Following this council meeting, I will be attaining evidence of the irresponsible behaviour of dog owners and submitting this evidence to council.
Please do provide photographs so that we can ascertain which dog it was and if it belonged in Paluma or was a dingo/cross. They have been seen around town and could be the cause of the droppings also. As for the dogs that killed their neighbours dogs that has been dealt with and that should not be a reason to label all dogs as killers. By banning all dogs would you also ban assist dogs and guide dogs. Let’s be reasonable about this. Find out who the culprit is and then approach the owner. What next would you want banned? People who leave their rubbish up here as they don’t want to take it home, people who pinch native plants from the rainforest or plants from residents gardens, people who drive over and kill native animals, people trample through the rainforests off track and destroy rainforest ground cover. The list could go on. Find out who or what is the problem and deal with that. DO Not make a blanket statement and inflict restrictions on those and their pets who are doing the right things.
Ditto Jen 🤗