You know that Spring is just around the corner when the Hippeastrum bulbs are starting to poke through the soil with their long flowering stalks. All round the village the numerous varieties of these flowering bulbs can be seen getting ready to flower. At No. 31 Lennox Crescent (right on the corner of Mt Spec Road) there is a cluster of Hippeastrum papilio already in full bloom. This variety of Hippeastrum is native to Brazil. It is sometimes called the butterfly amaryllis. It has white flowers with a touch of lime colour and striking burgundy markings. Unlike many other Hippeastrums, this species is said to be evergreen in its ideal climate. Clearly, it thrives at Paluma!
Did anyone else feel the significant earthquake at Paluma today?
At 1 pm today (Sunday 23 August) my entire house shook for some 6 seconds. The windows and doors rattled quite violently and the cups on the kitchen sink also rattled and moved from their original position. There was a very brief hiatus and then another shorter rumble. The dog woke from his sleeping place on the floor and with the second rumble took off in fright to run outside. I have felt earthquakes and tremors before, but today’s was a significant shake-up.
After a few minutes I did a Google search to find that a 4.9 magnitude earthquake had been recorded in North Queensland some 197 km from Townsville towards Charters Towers.
Did others feel the quake too? Any damage at your place?
Throughout the year, Paluma is blessed with colourful plants, photos of which are regularly posted on the website. Such is the focus on gorgeous blooms that the humble food gardens tend to be overlooked. They are due for some well-deserved attention, particularly as growing fruit and vegetables in Paluma is a real challenge.
The climate can be unkind at times but the wild-life presents the major obstacle to successful food gardening. Bush rats and White-tailed rats eat stone fruits, such as plums and peaches long before the fruit is ripe. Cockatoos savage citrus crops and at night, wallabies emerge from the forest and feast on any new green leaf within reach; citrus, gardenia, rose and hibiscus are favourites along with potted herbs. Bandicoots burrow deep beneath plants, birds steal the chillies but the worst predator within the village is the Brush Turkey. Two or three of these can, in only a few minutes, lay waste to an entire bed of vegetables: nothing is spared; pots are up-ended and their contents eaten and they rival rats in their plunder of pumpkin and choko vines. Out on the rural blocks, feral pigs make unwelcome forays, at times pushing through flimsy fences and devouring everything from bananas to sweet potatoes.
So, it is with awe and admiration that I see several Paluma residents refuse to be defeated and have productive gardens that would make a professional market gardener or orchardist envious. What are some of the secrets of their success? Location, (a position with enough sunlight throughout the day) and pest-proofing are vital.
On the rural blocks most gardens are securely fenced, some are also roofed with wire mesh.
In the village various strategies are employed. Some gardens are in raised beds with a bird-mesh structure above, which can be opened to give access for weeding and harvesting. Other kitchen gardens are in purpose-built boxes suspended from veranda rails – excellent for restricted spaces.
Jennie Robinson’s herb box garden contains basil, parsley, oregano And several other herbs.
Jan and Peter have given their ‘caged’ plants extra protection by planting insect repelling flowers nearby.
Barry and Chris at the Paluma Environmental Education Centre, have established hydroponic gardens with healthy crops of lettuce varieties, tomatoes, beans, radish and a range of herbs. The tubs containing the plants are set on a vertical framework, making them fairly inaccessible to turkeys. A conventional vegetable garden has also been established at the school with the plots protected by bird-mesh covered arches.
So far turkeys have not discovered the hydroponic plants but the other garden has not escaped attention; a net inadvertently left open gave a young male turkey his chance to explore.
So, with location and protection taken care of, the secret of success in producing strong, healthy food plants, apart from having green thumbs, and a passion for gardening, is ascribed to the fertiliser used. Fertilising with liquid and casts from a worm farm seems to be a winner. The popularity of worm farms is growing with several gardeners now raising these helpful little pets.
Lynda’s worm farm
While commercial products work well, traditional natural fertilisers such as goat and cow manure are highly regarded.
Hats off to all these determined gardeners. You are inspirational! This article will be followed up with regular updates of what fruit has ripened and what vegetables are being harvested.
Lynn Hyland celebrated her birthday this past week and the occasion was marked with a birthday cake at morning tea on Saturday at the Rainforest Inn. Jennie baked an amazing layered rainbow cake and it was decorated by Lynda with colourful blooms from her garden, including pansies, violas and snapdragons. The cake not only looked spectacular, but it was delicious too.
The fantastic Australia Festival of Chamber Music is usually held in Townsville in August, but was cancelled due to Covid19.
However, they have organised an online festival happening this weekend!! (Thank you Paul Baker for letting me know).
This Friday, Saturday and Sunday there is one concert which is live streamed from the Melbourne Concert Hall. Plus each day there are pre-recorded concerts and chats.
A single concert is only $20, the entire three days is $64 total.
Fantastic value and a great initiative.
You just go on to the festival website to book and the link below should take you there:
Back in late June I posted photos of the numerous beautiful flowering Vireya’s or Tropical Rhododendrons amongst the village gardens. About 6 weeks on (in early August) and these beautiful plants are as showy as ever. Several gardens have spectacular flowering specimens just now, producing a blaze of brilliant winter colour. I spotted the following beautiful blooms last weekend in gardens at the Rainforest Inn, Gumburu and at the Venn’s on Mt Spec Road.
Unfortunately, I don’t know which Vireya varieties or cultivars these are. But what’s in a name? To quote my beloved Shakespeare, “What’s in a name? That which we call a rose. By any other name would smell as sweet”. I think the same applies to these Vireya’s. It doesn’t really matter what each is called, they are still spectacular!
When Townsville City Council (TCC) called for nominations for their annual Senior of the Year Award 2020 some us got to thinking about the many worthy potential nominees at Paluma who would aptly qualify for this award. In the end there was a collaborative effort (and a conspiracy of sorts) amongst three of us to nominate Leslie Hyland.
It was initially Colwyn’s suggestion that we nominate Les for his long-term volunteer work and his ongoing contribution to our village community. Michele then set about to do some research. Lynn was our main co-conspirator and she compiled a comprehensive dossier on Les’ various roles at Paluma over the past 30 years. Drawing on this information, Michele wrote a nomination and it was submitted to TCC last Friday. It was all rather ‘secret-squirrel’ (from Les that is) until Saturday morning when we told him of the nomination. He was quite surprised, but thankfully, well pleased.
TCC will announce the winners of the Senior of the Year Award (male and female) on 21 August 2020. We wish Les all the best and we hope he wins. Even if he doesn’t, he will always be a winner at Paluma.
Special thanks go to Lynn Hyland for her great assistance in preparing information for the nomination for Les. Of course, Lynn could very easily be nominated in her own right for this award and we acknowledge that she is an essential part of this dynamic duo of community volunteering. However, the main impetus for nominating Les at this time was motivated by the fact that he will be 90 years young in June 2021 and we felt that the time was nigh for this nomination and acknowledgement.
The nomination for Les Hyland is reproduced below, along with some photographs submitted with the nomination, showing Les Hyland in action in his various roles in the village.
Les Hyland is 89 years young and this year and indeed for more than 30 years he has been an active and enthusiastic community volunteer in the village of Paluma. Around here we view Les Hyland as our esteemed Elder. He works tirelessly for our community with the vigour of someone half his age. He is ever reliable, selfless and a stalwart of this community. His achievements are many. It is for his long-standing and dedicated service to our village community that we nominate Les Hyland for the Townsville City Council Senior of the Year Award for 2020.
Les was born in Dublin, Ireland and emigrated to Australian in 1974. He and wife Lynn became residents at Paluma in 1986 when they purchased their acreage block on the western outskirts of the village.
Soon after his arrival, Les joined the Paluma Rural Fire Brigade in 1986. His service with the RFB is current to this day. He also joined the Mt Spec SES as an inaugural member in 1989. Again, his service to the SES is current in 2020 and his resolve and determination to fulfil these roles has never wavered. Over some 33 years, Les has worked hard to protect and serve our village – be it fire, flood or other emergency. In a crisis he is the first to step up, providing logistical and other support when and wherever required.
Les has and continues to fulfil so many roles in this community and the list is endless. He is well known and much admired for his willingness to volunteer for just about anything!
Currently, he works with other community volunteers to run the Paluma History Display at the Community Hall. His wealth of knowledge about Paluma and the surrounding district has impressed many a tourist and traveller. He delights in sharing yarns about our village and he works hard to promote Paluma and the greater Townsville region. He has undertaken this role for over 7 years.
For some 18 years Les has undertaken the role of social coordinator and barman for just about every Paluma Social Event, including the annual Bush Dance. Perhaps his greatest work is in running the annual St. Patrick’s Day celebration at Paluma. His Irish jokes and quiz night are renowned throughout the village. At every social and function, Les is the first to arrive, setting up the Community Hall and facilities so that others can relax and enjoy themselves. He’s always the last to leave whatever the time of night, washing the dishes or taking out the rubbish in the wee small hours – with that ever-present good humour and a twinkle in his eye. Just last week Les could be spotted at the Community Hall on Saturday afternoon ‘deep cleaning’ the Hall (down to the very door knobs) so that it could be utilised by the community.
Les Hyland is the king of the sausage sizzle. Not a Paluma Community Market or event goes by without Les coordinating his band of volunteer workers at the BBQ. He works with complete determination and resolve to raise much needed funds for our community association. Indeed, Les’ tireless volunteer work in his many roles contributes a substantial proportion of the annual income for the association.
Les’ voluntary service extends to many other roles, both formal and informal. He undertook the role of Secretary on the Executive Committee of the Paluma & District Community Association (PDCA) for 5 years. He also acted as Secretary for the Community Hall Building Committee for a number of years. He was the Editor of our local newsletter ‘Turkey Talk’ for a remarkable 16 years, producing an impressive 82 issues! As technology evolved, so did Les. When the newsletter moved to digital format in more recent years, Les adapted, bought a computer and taught himself how to use it!
His voluntary service also includes the annual Paluma Push Mountain Bike Event. For 16 years Les has manned Check Point 1 as Radio Operator. He is ready to serve again at the event this year, scheduled to October 2020. He served as a committee member and volunteer for the Rainforest Festival for 6 years and he has been a volunteer worker for the Northern Beaches Festival (Art Exhibition at Paluma) for 8 years. Les’ service also extends beyond Paluma and he is a Life Member of Lions International – Cleveland Bay Club, contributing 45 years of dedicated service.
On the 14 of June 2021 Les Hyland will be 90 years of age. We don’t think that will slow him down at all, but in his 90th year of life we would like nothing more than to acknowledge and thank him for his long-term service to the community of Paluma with the TCC Senior of the Year Award 2020. It would be our chance to give something back to this giant of our community and a true national treasure.
Les Hyland….the best dressed volunteer at Paluma.Les at Check Point 1 during the annual Paluma Push.Les and co-volunteers Lynn & Don at the Paluma Market sausage sizzle.
Paluma gardens are in a continuous state of change with a regular cycle of blooming and fruiting that makes each visit up to a the village a new experience. A walk along the village road can be a process of discovery of new blooms never before seen, or the emergence en masse of old favourites, or a re-aquaintance with an uncommon plant not seen for some time.
Although we continue to publish individual posts on interesting plants that are blooming in Paluma gardens, we have not, generally, created new posts for flowers that we have highlighted in previous months or years even, if they are currently in full bloom. Over time this is leading to there being fewer new things to write about in our “What’s Blooming?” section.
It seems a shame not to share our delight in seeing old favourites come into bloom during certain months, or to share a quickly taken picture of a particularly striking plant or flower that we don’t have the time or enough supplementary information to create a dedicated post. Consequently, we have started a new series which is a simple collection of photos from Paluma gardens highlighting what is in bloom during each month, and what interesting plants we have discovered.
We also invite residents with an interest in photography to send us their best photos from their gardens or from around the village for inclusion in the monthly collection.
Below is a slide show for June 202o. You can access slideshows for previous months on the Paluma through the seasons page on our website.
Enjoy the show…..
Jamie and Michele
Paluma in July 2020
Click on the image below to start the slide show… it will start automatically after a few seconds
‘Chainsaw’ is a beautiful Sulphur Crested Cockatoo and she is the beloved pet and constant companion of Paluma resident Jim – best known to his friends as ‘Jungle Jim’ for the fact that he lives on a bush block about 35 km west of the village. Jim and Chainsaw have been together for 28 years.
Jim and Chainsaw
Chainsaw’s story is an interesting one.
Jim found Chainsaw, or more correctly, she found Jim when she flew into his home one day from out of the blue. Jim says that she was already quite tame, fond of attention and she knew a few words. Jim thinks she definitely had a previous owner and perhaps an elderly or sick person because Chainsaw would mimic ‘coughing’ noises. At first, Jim tried to discourage her from staying, hoping that she would return to her former owner.
The rest of this story is history. Chainsaw never left and now Jim and Chainsaw are inseparable. Both have recently enjoyed a holiday to the coast to see Jim’s family. Chainsaw enjoyed the trip immensely, with Jim’s extended family lavishing her with attention. Jim named ‘Chainsaw’ in honour of the renowned and famous bucking bull who was doing the rodeo circuit back at the time she arrived.
This unlikely partnership between bird and bushman is surely a match made in heaven.
Its been a pretty cold winter so far in Paluma and the flowers in our gardens are showing it. The weather app on my phone indicates that temperatures have been well below 10°C with a few nights below 5°C. Jonquils and Tulips are two of the cold loving flowers that can be seen growing and occasionally flowering in Paluma, but Len Cook has made me aware that we can grow another bulb normally found in southern climes –Leucojum sp or “Snowflakes”.
Len has had a steadily growing clump of these for several years that he recently replanted them as a row along his fence and they have produced sprays of gorgeous white flowers. They are often misnamed “Snow Drops”, which are nearly identical, but Snowflakes can easily be distinguised by the small green dots near the end of each of the 6 petals. They are more tolerant of warm conditions compared to Snow Drops (Galanthus sp), but both are sufficiently cold tolerant to be seen poking out of the spring snow in full flower in temperate regions.
Snowflakes are native to central and southern Europe but have become naturalised in North America and Australia)
Photo by Len Cook
Len’s snowflakes appear to be the Spring Snowflake (Leucojum vernum). The other species found in southern gardens is the larger Summer Snowflake (Leucojum aestivum).
In addition to temperate bulbs, Paluma is also able to grow stone fruit in the form of “tropical” peaches which, despite their name, require at least a short period of cold weather to flower and bear fruit. There at least 3 residences which have flowering peach trees in Paluma at present. While the beautiful pink flowers are a delightful addition to any garden I am told that birds and native rats benefit the most from any fruit that are produced. However I gather one resident has been able to harvest enough to make peach jam one year.
