International Night at Paluma

Saturday night (14 August) was International Night at Paluma. There was only a small crowd of some 13 people in attendance, but you wouldn’t have known that from the noise coming from the Community Hall. The gathering was loud, enthusiastic and spirited to say the least.

The evening began with Lynn’s various entrée dishes which were consumed in a flash. As always, there was plenty to eat and drink for everyone with a delicious curry, chicken dishes, fried rice, dumplings and other meals. There was only one dessert on the night, so you had to be quick.  This was a sumptuous ‘Scottish pavlova’ made by yours truly. Whilst there was much debate on the night regarding the origins of the humble pavlova (from New Zealand or Australia), my rationale is that if someone of Scottish descent makes a pavlova, then it quite rightly can be called a Scottish pavlova?  

The small crowd at the Hall were delighted when Paluma’s newest residents Leonie and Mark joined the event. They accidentally discovered International Night when they stopped by to see what all the noise and activity was at the Hall. They were soon invited in for a meal and a welcome drink. Mark and Leonie are the new owners of the ‘Paluma Dreaming’ property on the Loop Road and they are currently renovating the property. It was great to welcome these new residents to the village, Paluma style (and we hope we didn’t frighten them away!).

There was a great deal of fun and laughter on the night. Lennox (who didn’t really want to hang around with us ‘oldies’) made several quick ram-raids on the buffet during the course of the night. He eventually made off with a dish of Mark and Wendy’s chicken wings, but he wasn’t quick enough to get any of the pavlova. There were some strange goings on in the kitchen at one point and what happened behind closed doors between Barman Leslie and Jodie remains a mystery. What happens in the kitchen, stays in the kitchen…….?

Here’s some more photos of a fun time with friends and neighbours at Paluma International Night.

Text & Photos by Michele Bird