Ross Wells Eberle passed away after a long illness on Friday, June 9th with his family by his side. He was a loving husband, Father, Father-in-Law and Pop as well as a great mate to those who knew him here on the mountain.
Ross and Denise purchased their property on Hussey Road about 20 years ago. They both became well known in the community and Ross was an active member of the Paluma Rural Fire Brigade. Ross worked at the Townsville General Hospital as an orderly and was very active in motor sports. He drove rally cars and enjoyed the thrill of trail bike riding.
A keen fisherman, he loved travelling and camping. He has left his loving wife, Denise, with many fond memories of their adventures together.
Ross’s life was celebrated at Woongarra Crematorium Chapel on June 19th. Our thoughts and hearts go out to Denise, Ross’s family and friends.
Please note that after this week, the History Display at the Community Hall will be on a Wednesday from 11am – 1PM. Due to power outages it was on Tuesday this week.
A call will be put out soon for volunteers to support the display at these times. July is currently covered.
The last few weeks have seen Paluma without power for 8 hours on Thursday and 6 hours the following Wednesday. With pole works ongoing for at least another two Wednesdays.
The arrival of 58mm of rain in Paluma last week softened the verges enough so that the work trucks left deep tyre marks, which they quickly filled. Ross was caught energetically watering the “fill” to settle it.
About 30 friends helped Les Hyland celebrate his 92nd birthday. What an achievement! Les entertained us by recounting his journey to Australia, meeting Lyn, and becoming a Paluma resident. There were many interesting dishes to share and more food than could be eaten, although we tried our best, remembering to leave room for the birthday cake.
This last weekend was a big one for Paluma. A select group enjoyed the annual Wattle and Gum Bush Dance and BBQ. Don and Colin cooked sausages, onion and pineapple while Jill and Anneshka served them. Once again, the coleslaw and pineapple were a hit. The dancing was energetic and greatly enjoyed by those who joined in.
The June market was held the next day with live music outside in the Gazebo. Although a similarly quiet day, Don, Ross and Les on the BBQ stall had a good day.
Trialled on the community stall were two different savouries, six types of marmalade, dried Orange and Mandarin dipped in dark Chocolate and the usual array of wonderful cakes, slices and muffins. Although numbers were down, Charlie and Kristy sold all but two cakes and a few quiches. The marmalade sold well, with the Kumquat Marmalade selling out first, followed by the Orange and Whiskey Marmalade.
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:
Plans for signage at the village entrance, and upgrade of other signs around the village
Dog Poo bag dispensers and other issues on animal control (Cats, noisy dogs)
Community security in the light of multiple recent events in and around the village
Road Maintenance
Vegetation control (weeds)
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
A reminder that a get-together will be held at the Community Hall this coming Saturday 17 June commencing at 6.30 pm to mark the occasion of Les Hyland’s 92nd birthday (which actually falls on 14 June).
Please bring a plate of food to share. The Bar will be open for drinks.
Come along to celebrate with Les and perhaps enjoy a wee dram (or two). Slainte!
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.