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Len Cook Exhibition Rescheduled

Anyone hoping to catch Len Cook’s ‘Fire and Rain’ pottery exhibition at the Perc Tucker Regional Gallery this month will be sorely disappointed.

Len has advised that due to unforeseen circumstances at the Gallery, his exhibition has been postponed (all other scheduled events at the Gallery are also postponed for the time being).

In the mean time, ‘Len Cook Ceramics’ is open for business and you can visit the ‘gallery in the clouds’ to pick up unique pieces from our own award-winning Paluma potter.

STOP PRESS – Len has just advised that his exhibition is now rescheduled to open on 12 May 2023.

The ‘Fire and Rain Exhibition’ is a retrospective exhibition featuring work going back to the 1980’s. It features pieces from the collections of regional galleries and also private collections.

Reminder: St. Patricks Day Social, Saturday 18 March

A reminder to everyone that next Saturday night, 18th March we will gather to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with a social at the Community Hall.

Celebrations kick off at 6.30 pm. Bring a plate of food to share with your friends and neighbours. Bring your good humour and good spirits – and if you don’t have any of the latter, you can buy some at the Bar!

Wear green in honour of St. Patrick, the Patron Saint of Ireland.

Did you know that St. Patrick is also a patron Saint of Australia, Nigeria and Montserrat? He was born in Roman Britain in the 5th century and at the age of 16 he was kidnapped and taken to Ireland as a slave. After some years, he escaped and returned to his family. He entered the Catholic Church, just as his father and grandfather had done before him. He eventually returned to Ireland as a missionary where he worked in the west and north of the country. He died in 461 AD and is said to be buried at Down Cathedral in Downpatrick, Northern Ireland.

The most common symbol of St. Patrick’s Day is the SHAMROCK. The shamrock is the leaf of the clover plant and symbolises the Holy Trinity.

GREEN is also a common symbol that many people choose to wear in celebration of St. Patrick’s Day.

Now that you know all about St. Patrick, see you next Saturday night !

A Wet Working Bee

Come rain, hail or shine, nothing stops a working bee at Paluma.

A very successful working bee was held last Saturday (4 March) to carry out some much needed maintenance and clean up work round the village. The planned track repair works along the Rainforest Walking Track was postponed for the time being due to the wet weather, but there were plenty of other jobs to complete. The targeted works included installation of new signage at Whalley Crescent and the H-Track, pruning of vegetation along the road verge at the western end of the village and removal of wattle clippings near the tennis courts.

The seven very keen volunteers were: – Wilfred, Ian, Julie, Rob, Annesheke, John and Michele. The crew worked through the persistent and sometimes heavy showers of rain and nothing could dampen the enthusiasm for the jobs at hand. Well done to all those who came along to lend a hand.

The (damp) volunteers at Saturday’s working bee.
Putting your back into the working bee.
New signage at the western end of the H-Track.
New signage at Whalley Crescent.
Pruning of vegetation from the road verge at the western end of the village.

On a walk around the village you might also have noticed some new signage at the western end of Lennox Crescent to alert visitors to the H-Track and Len Cook Ceramics.

New signage at Lennox Crescent.

A recent clean-up of vegetation encroaching over the signage at the entrance to the village has also been undertaken, this volunteer work by Jamie. Some new signage to welcome visitors to Paluma is planned for this area in the future. Stay tuned…

Tidy up around the signage at the village entrance (volunteer work by Jamie).

Text & Photos by Michele Bird & Roy

The Rooster’s Still on the Run….

The canny Rooster is still on the run on the Paluma Range Road. My latest siting was last evening (Sunday 5 March) at culvert 147 just above The Saddle. There he was perched high atop a boulder overlooking the road. He did look a bit worse for wear and somewhat bedraggled after the heavy rain during the afternoon.

Many have tried and failed to trap, net or snare this elusive fellow without success. Some have gotten close, but the feisty fowl has so far eluded capture. The intent is to try and capture him and relocate him to a better life – on a farm or in a nice hen house where he can live out his best life. It must be lonely for a solitary renegade rooster on the Range Road.

Text & Photos by Michele Bird.

Music from the mist

For many of us, our village in the mist is a haven offering respite from the bustle of city life and the opportunity for a restorative walk through the forest, immersed in the vibrant sights and sounds of nature. Our local forests, creeks and wildlife have also acted as a muse for artists of many types, including painters, potters, photographers, glass-smiths, sculptors and musicians. 

The Melbourne ambient music composer known as Badskin is one of the latter group. She has recently released her second album, “Bush Bash”. Both of her albums (the first is “Where was I ”) feature sounds from the Paluma rainforest magically melded with various instruments and synthesised sound to create an entrancing and at times dissonant aural experience. Within the complex and abstract soundscapes a careful listener will be able to identify whipbirds, frogs, chowchillas and other familiar local species, all blended with guitars, keys, and synths.

Bush Bash


This type of music is not for everyone but if you feel like having a listen, her work is available on Bandcamp, Spotify , and Apple Music.

In case you don’t already know, I proudly confess that I have a conflict of interest in recommending this artist.  Badskin is the artistic name chosen by our daughter Carla Oliver.

Text by Jamie Oliver

February Rainfall Update

Here’s the latest rainfall figures for Paluma from the BOM recording site at the Village Green, courtesy of Barry Smith (weekday recorder) and Peter Cooke (weekend recorder). Ponder this….

561 mm of rain for the month of February

23 days of rain in the month of February

A total of 1,166.6 mm of rain since 1 January

Reminder: Working Bee at Paluma this Saturday 4th March

A timely reminder that there will be a Working Bee this coming Saturday 4th March to continue with repair and upgrading works on the Rainforest Walking Track (opposite the Community Hall).

Please meet at the Community Hall at 2 pm and bring your wheel barrow and shovel. Wilfred says there is a couple of hours of work to do and there will be refreshments afterwards!

The monthly Working Bee is now a regular event on the first Saturday of every month. So please mark your calendars as there are always plenty of jobs to carry out around the village. Many hands make light work…!

St. Patrick’s Day Community Social

Put the date in your diary…..On Saturday night the 18th March, Paluma will celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with a Social at the Community Hall commencing at 6.30 pm.

St. Patrick’s Day actually falls on Friday 17th March, but we will hold off on celebrating until Saturday evening.

Please bring a plate of food to share – Irish inspired if you wish – the more tatties the better as far as I am concerned!

The Bar will be open for low cost beverages.

And don’t forget to embrace the theme and wear emerald GREEN.

See you there!

Yet another wet season mushroom

As the wet season rain continues to soak the forest around Paluma, new and interesting mushrooms just keep appearing! Rosie Gillespie recently found this striking white and warty mushroom on the range road and its distinctive ornamentation certainly makes it worth sharing. This particular mushroom proved relatively easy to identify. It is Amanita pyramidifera – or the Pyramid Builder Lepidella. It is found in eastern Australia in moist sites associated with eucalyptus forests or rainforest.

If you see any more interesting mushrooms that you would like to share or identify please feel free to send them to me.

Photo by Rosie Gillespie, text by Jamie Oliver

An Important Message from Mt Spec SES – Cyclone Season Preparation

CYCLONE SEASON PREPARATION – Paluma/Hidden Valley (2022/2023)

Memories of the 2019 February inundation and the subsequent isolation of Paluma and communities to the west will be with us for years. These memories should prompt all of us living in the area to consider carefully how we prepare for this wet season. 

The best way to start this years’ preparation is to visit the Queensland Government website www.getready.qld.gov.au. The site addresses preparation for a range of disasters that could affect Queensland. Cyclone, storm damage & fires are the most relevant to our area.  It also lists a number of disaster related apps. Another useful website is http://disaster.townsville.qld.gov.au

Cyclones & extreme rainfall events

The getready website suggests being prepared for 3 days of self-sufficiency. This may be adequate for the lowlands, but could easily prove inadequate for Paluma to Hidden Valley communities.  If a high category cyclone crosses the coast anywhere near Townsville, Paluma to Hidden Valley problems are likely to be well down government priority lists, if they are not life threatening.

Plan for the worst – what if?

  1. All access roads to the area closed for seven (?) plus days
  2. Prolonged loss of the electricity grid supply.
  3. Eventual loss of landline, mobile phone & internet communication due to loss of power to Telstra sites.
  4. Damage to Townsville Water infrastructure resulting in unreliable water supply.
  5. Structural damage to your private residences forcing evacuation to temporary accommodation.
  6. For those living west of Paluma & not dependant on town water & the electricity grid – consider consequences of damage to satellite dishes & solar panel arrays. Ensure water tanks contain enough water to resist cyclone strength winds.

If you work through the three steps of the Have a Plan section of the get ready website you should be covered for most things. But there are local considerations.

THE FOLLOWING CHECKLIST COVERS SOME OF THE THINGS TO CONSIDER.

Clearing around you residence to remove anything with the potential of becoming an airborne projectile.

Insurance – Check currency & adequacy.

Basic supplies

  1. Enough food for the whole household including pets. If you have no generator backup for your refrigerator then stick mainly to non-perishable food (dried or tinned).
  2. Adequate supplies of prescription medication plus cold & flu tablets, pain killers etc.
  3. Toiletries.
  4. Adequate clothing for everyone for the duration.
  5. Extra bed linen & towels.
  6. Sturdy gloves.
  7. Wet weather gear.
  8. Allow 3 litres of bottled water per person per day. Alternatively a small rainwater tank with water purification tablets from chemist/camping stores. Without power electrical appliances will not be able to boil water for safety.
  9. Important documents & a backup hard drive.
  10. Up to date first aid kit.
  11. Adequate fuel for vehicles & generators plus gas for backup cooking equipment. Those on solar off grid systems should consider how much fuel they may need if the solar array is damaged.
  12. Spare batteries for torches/radios.
  13. Sturdy waterproof containers for food, clothes, medication, phones etc.

Communications

  1. The Telstra site in Paluma has backup batteries & a generator but when the fuel  runs out Telstra will be unable to refuel, if access roads to Paluma are closed. So the phones & internet may continue to work for some time after a power failure & then shut down. Suggest it wise to make any important phone calls or emails as soon as possible after the event. West of Paluma landline phones may also eventually fail due to loss of power or damage to Telstra facilities.
  2. For landline phones a non 240v dependant phone is best.
  3. Have an alternate way of charging mobile phones & tablets without mains power.
  4. Will your mobile phone work at the Star Valley or McClelland’s’ lookouts.
  5. Battery radio.

Equipment

  1. Generator –tested/serviced.
  2. Backup gas cooking equipment (BBQ) if you only have an electric stove.
  3. Alternative lighting.
  4. Fire extinguishers are always cheap insurance.

Rental properties.  If you have any form of rental property in the area, consider the need to advise potential tenants of the risk of isolation after extreme weather events.

If you are not going to be in the Paluma area.

  1.  Ensure anyone occupying your house is aware of the above suggestions.
  2. Clean out your fridge & freezer
  3. Consider supplying a neighbour with a key & your contact details so they can access your property to check for damage & report to you.

Evacuating your house due structural damage. Extra things that should be considered for an evacuation kit include bedding (sleeping bags, inflatable mattresses & pillows), reading material & games, cash.

 Fallen Power Lines.  Assume live & maintain an exclusion zone of 8 meters. Report to Ergon Energy – Ph 131670. Warn others.

Mt Spec SES