The NRL Grand final with the Brisbane Broncos vs the Penrith Panthers is on next Sunday (Oct 1st). If you will be up in Paluma and want to watch the game live on the big TV in the Paluma Community Hall then come along.
The Bar will be open from 5:30 pm til 8:30 pm. The game starts at 6:30 pm.
Our next Community Market is just over a week away. There will be a range of locally produced ornamental and edible items available for purchase as well as our sausage sizzle and cold drinks. If you forget to bring cash Wilfred of one of the PDCA executive will be able to take your credit card and provide small amounts of cash uisng our eftpos machine.
This is also a call-out for Paluma’s amazing cooks to donate some baked goods to sell for community (PDCA) fund raising.
If you are interested in doing some baking and donating your goods for sale at the Easter Market then please read on…..
Here’s what to do:-
If you have any questions or need any further information, please contact Lynn Hyland by phone or email:- leshyland@icloud.com
Previous cake stalls have been a great success.
Patricia Mary Jackson (1947 – 2023)
Trisha was born Patty McGahan on May 26th 1947 in GawlaSA. She was estranged from her father at a very early age and was raised in her Mum’s family clan Ramsay around Naracoorte and Kingstone in southeast SA. After leaving school Trish became a Medical Receptionist/Typist working in Doctor’s surgeries in Adelaide and sharing an apartment with two friends who she kept in touch with throughout her life.
Trisha was married at twenty-one and they spent the next seventeen years moving regularly. From Adelaide to Peterborough and on to Ballarat. Their two boys were born in that time. Trish owned and operated a Fashion Studio, a Photographic Studio and an Antique Store some of these at the same time. She was heavily pregnant when an errant antique wardrobe fell off a truck and pinned her to the ground. In true Trisha fashion she got up, dusted herself off and finished unloading the truck.
From Ballarat the family moved into Queensland buying a property at Laidley. From there on to Emerald and then Innisfail.
Trish arrived in Townsville in 1985 and was employed as an Admin Officer/PA at the same company as James where they met. Trish moved on and was employed by Commonwealth Pathology Laboratory where she met Doc (Ron) and Sue Rimmington. When Doc discovered that Trish and James spent most weekends camping around Paluma and PalumaDam he offered the Rimmington house at any time it was not being used.
Trish and James were married in 1989 when they both resigned from their respective positions and embarked on a shared but personal journey of self-discovery. With that out of the way and a stint at running a pub under their belt they moved to Paluma permanently, living in the Tubman/Jackson Family house that had been built of the site of the old Willowdean cottage. Trish worked around the village in different part time and full-time positions that her knowledge, experience and flexibility allowed. Her last trick before leaving Paluma was a multiple resignation and return from and to PEEC. I can remember Baz saying, ‘no more retirement cards for you’ They had a beautiful working relationship.
The Paluma community was very welcoming, and Trish made many ‘forever’ friends that she loved and kept in contact with. Cooking had always been a passion, no doubt inherited fromher Mum. Cooking for kids at the two Centers were some of the happiest times. Trish contributed to the community she loved, she worked hard for the Community Association, Mount Spec State Emergency Service and Paluma Rural Fire Brigade, earning a Australian National Service Medal and a QFES Diligent and Ethical Service Medal. She was humbled by the awards and would say ‘all I ever did was make the sandwiches. Mind you when you’ve been on the fire ground for six hours ad someone turns up with a sanga and a cold can of coke you’d bloody well give them a VC.
Trish and James moved on from Paluma after twenty-five or so years to build a retirement home and lifestyle at the foot of the Cardwell Range near Ingham. The family house changed hands and Tracy put the finishing touches to it that we had never gotten around to. (Looks fabulous Trace).
The owner-built house in Bemerside was completed in 2019 and by 2022 Trish had started her Hoogle Culture beds off with their first seedlings when she received the diagnosis. Trish and James left immediately for the Gold Coast where a specialist team (not available in North Queensland) began treatment. Unfortunately, a combination of factors including the fact that there is no early diagnosis currently available for Ovarian Cancer, hence most are not diagnosed until stage three or four, there are very few unusual or noteworthy symptoms and treatment options are very limited when compared with more common cancers. Trish passed away at home in Bemerside after a year of intense treatment, but she was wrapped in a cocoon of love by family, friends and even Doctors for that whole period. Trish was pretty easy to love.
James Jackson
Ovarian Cancer Research Foundation – Donate to Patricia Mary Jackson (ocrf.com.au)
On Sunday, August 20th at 10 am the PDCA is hosting a community meeting with our Townsville City Council representative, Margie Ryder. This will provide an opportunity for Margie to report on what the Council has been doing and to listen to any concerns that Paluma residents may have relating to council facilities and initiatives. Items that we will be inviting Margie to comment on include:
The meeting is open to all Paluma Residents. Please come along to have your say.
Although Cassowaries have been seen very occasionally by many of us on the roads and tracks near the village, the only one we can be guaranteed to see in Paluma is the barbed-wire sculpture of “Wary the Cassowary” in front of Wilfred Karnoll’s house. Cassowaries are an iconic and charismatic resident of the Wet Tropics, but due to multiple human-related threats, they are listed as endangered. As many of us can attest Cassowaries are not easy to spot, even when there are nearby, and getting information on population numbers in different areas is very difficult. A new project to fill in this gap has recently commenced and the researchers are looking for volunteers to assist them in their work, or to provide any additional local knowledge that could help their assessments. This project is being conducted in conjunction with BirdlifeAustralia’s “Birds with Altitude” program, that is monitoring a range of Endangered and Vulnerable species in the Wet Tropics.
If you would like to volunteer for these projects, or would like to learn more about the issues they are addressing, please come along to the Launch event at the Paluma Community Hall on August 25th. There will be a catered dinner (donations accepted to defray costs) at 6pm and presentations at 7pm and organising volunteer teams at 8pm. For catering purposes please register if you intend to come to the dinner and think you want to volunteer. Any residents just wanting to learn more are welcome come to the presentations. Surveys and training for both the Cassowary and Birds with Altitude citizen science programs will then be held over the 26th and 27th.
To register follow this LINK. Further information below:
Join with researchers, locals, BirdLife Townsville & BirdLife North Queensland and bushwalking clubs to help contribute to our knowledge of Cassowaries at the southern extent of their global distribution and high altitude birds vulnerable to climate change in Paluma Range National Park.RSVP
25 Aug, 1:00 pm AEST – 28 Aug, 10:00 am AEST
Lake Paluma – Magar Yamba Group Area, Lake Paluma, Crystal Creek QLD 4816, Australia
Paluma Range Citizen Science Program Launch & Birds With Altitude Camp Out
25 – 28 August 2023
Join with researchers, locals, BirdLife Townsville and BirdLife North Queensland and bushwalking clubs to help contribute to our knowledge of Cassowaries at the southern extent of their global distribution and high altitude birds vulnerable to climate change in Paluma Range National Park.
The only targeted surveys for cassowaries on the Paluma Range were for the faecal DNA wet tropics populaton analysis (Westcott et al 2014). No scats, signs or sightings were recorded during that study however, the extrapolated population estimate for the area was 16 adult birds. The Paluma Range however contains 22,050 ha of potential habitat and birds are sighted here semi-frequently. So let’s track them down to add to our body of knowledge about the distribution, abundance, habitat condition and threats to Cassowaries here. Please download the Birdata App on your phone.
Camping @ Lake Paluma – Magar Yamba group camping area or self-arranged B&B accommodation at Paluma Village.
Friday evening welcome, presentation and dinner @ Paluma Community Centre, 65 Mount Spec Road, Paluma.
Friday, 25 August
1:00 pm campsite open @ Paluma Community Centre – Nywaigi Welcome to Country.
6:00 pm catered dinner.
7:00 pm presentations on Cassowary and Birds with Altitude programs. Organise survey teams and locations.
Saturday, 26 August
AM survey designated routes.
PM review camera trap data. Self-catered.
Sunday, 27 August
AM survey designated routes.
PM review findings & camera trap data. Sunday night camping optional. Self-catered.
Monday, 28 August
AM survey optional.
Checkout by 10:00 am.
Funded by a Qld Government CSA – Threatened Species Grant and Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens. Supported by BirdLife Townsville, BirdLife Australia, Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service, NQ Dry Tropics NRM and Girringun Aboriginal Corporation and thank you to the Paluma Community Centre for gifting in-kind support of the community centre for the Friday evening.Read moreRSVP
Our Annual Palum Games night, organised by Peter and Dorothy Klump will be held in just a few weeks, on Saturday, August 5th at the Community Hall.
The evening will start with a sausage sizzle dinner ($3.00) at 6:00 pm with the bar also open for the purchase of drinks. By 7:oo pm, the teams of two will have been announced and the various games will commence. These will include darts, indoor bowls, ping pong, and soccer pinball to name a few.
Previous years have proved a great success with lots of friendly participation mixed with bouts of enthusiastic competition. There are probably a few residents looking to topple the previous winners in some categories so the spirits will be high. Hope to see you there!
Our annual Christmas in July Social is on Saturday 1st July at 6.30 pm at the Community Hall. Bring a Plate to share. The Bar will be open
On Sunday, August 20th at 10am the PDCA is hosting a community meeting with our Townsville City Council representative, Margie Ryder. This will provide an opportunity for Margie to report on what the Council has been doing and to listen to any concerns that Paluma residents may have relating to council facilities and initiatives. Items that we will be inviting Margie to comment on include:
The meeting is open to all Paluma residents. Please mark this date and come along to have your say.
The annual Wattle n Gum Bush Dance and BBQ will be held at the Paluma Community Hall this Saturday June 24th. This is one of our most popular events of the year and there is always an eager group of dancers and bush music enthusiasts to encourage the band. The BBQ will start a 12noon with the band commencing at 1pm. The bar will open, of course. More details here.
The Paluma Markets will commence the next day (Sunday) and will be open from 9am to 1pm
1. A proposal for refurbishment of signs in and around the village including the village entrance, is being put together.
2. Security – After the community meeting which followed the PDCA meeting, actions are being taken to officially register our community with Neighbourhood Watch through our local police station. Our local security issues will be raised at a meeting in August with our local council representative, Margie Ryder. We encourage everyone to register on our Paluma WhatsApp group set up solely for security purposes.
3. Events Calendar: This is regularly updated on the website. Please keep a lookout for any changes and community notices. A new occasional social event will begin soon. It is an end of week “Friday Chill” gathering where the bar at the hall will be open from 5 – 7pm to kick back, catch up and generally chill out with your mountain mates. Do keep an eye on community posts on the website for the inaugural evening. We have to note here our social event organisers are simply excellent at generating community spirit and we thank them for their extra time and effort for our benefit.
4. A Community Meeting is being organised with Margie Ryder with an August date to be confirmed: Issues to be raised and discussed include: signage; animal control and hygiene; community security; vegetation control and road maintenance. All will be welcome to attend.
5. The Hall Bar management has officially been handed over to the capable Lynda Radbone from our iconic Irishman, Les Hyland. Les’s many years of reliable service and cheerful management of the Hall bar was noted and we appreciate his generosity of spirit and time in ensuring the takings were profitable. Thank you Les and we look forward to seeing you enjoying your 92nd birthday celebrations coming up SOON!!!
6. The Paluma History Display – Lyn and Les Hyland are stepping away from involvement in the History display. Lyn’s contributions and efforts to ensure an effective, interesting and valuable documentation of Paluma’s heritage is very much appreciated. Her input and efforts will be very much missed. Anneshka Brown will be calling for volunteers to help support our history display which will be changing from a Tuesday to a Wednesday.
If any of the above raises questions or you would like to know more information, please don’t hesitate to contact any of your PDCA committee members.
Did you know, five years ago on June 23rd, Paluma’s water treatment plant was opened by Margie Ryder and the community was invited to tour the facility?
It was your PDCA which played a key role in getting the Townsville City Council to install the facility. This became a necessity after a series of momentary shutdowns, monthly testing for giardia and finally many months of water not being fit for drinking.
Text and Photos by Juanita Poletto