Posts – Page 61 – Paluma – our village in the mist

TCC Senior of the Year Award: Nomination for Leslie Hyland

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 90^th 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.

Text & Photos by Michele Bird

What’s been Blooming in July?

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

A Different Kind of Chainsaw……

‘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.

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.

Text & Photos by Michele Bird

It’s cold enough for snowflakes in Paluma! …and Peaches

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)

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.

Emergency & Rescue Training at Paluma

Last weekend Paluma Village was host to Jason Taylor and the team from Category 5 Emergency Care based out of Cairns. Jason conducted an Emergency and First Aid Training Course over several days at the Paluma Community Hall with emphasis on survival training and rescue in wilderness and remote locations. The course was well attended with over 20 participants. The Category 5 Emergency Care group specialises in teaching first aid training, event medical coverage, lifeguard courses and sports trainer education.

The training course included both theory and practical sessions with the participants actively engaged in several ‘mock scenarios’ in which they get to practice and hone their newly learned rescue skills.

Theory learning sessions took place at the Paluma Community Hall.

Practical sessions were held at the Village Green and one detailed ‘mock scenario’ on Sunday afternoon took place at the Paluma Weir. The emergency scenario as follows:-

A group of weary bush walkers was returning from several days of hiking in the wilderness. Upon nearing the Paluma settlement there was an unexpected bridge collapse at the Paluma Weir. There were numerous casualties with a range of injuries from potential spinal injuries, to broken and sprained limbs, possible concussion, cuts and abrasions. Medical assistance would be more than one hour in arriving at Paluma. Those who were injured and incapacitated were rendered first aid by those who were not injured and/or who were at the scene, using only the first aid supplies and materials from their hiking backpacks.

Practical training in rescue skills at the Village Green.

The life-like emergency scenario at the Paluma Weir was fascinating to observe. The photographs below show the practical training in action.

You can imagine the complete surprise of a couple of unsuspecting tourists who came upon the grisly scene at the weir on the Andre Griffin Walking Track on Sunday afternoon, with injured and bloodied bodies strewn along and adjacent to the walking track! Much to their relief, they were quickly reassured that emergency and rescue training was in session.

You can watch a slide show of all the photographs of the Paluma Weir training scenario, at the end of the post.

Text & Photos by Michele Bird

Browse additional images below

Jennie’s Got Jonquils!

Our unique mountain climate at Paluma has inspired many of us keen gardeners to experiment with growing plants from the more temperate climes. Many local gardeners have had great success with a range of ‘cool climate’ plants.

There’s Len Cook’s superb collection of camellias and magnolias (recently featured in a post on this website). Colwyn grows some spectacular blue hydrangeas, with large flower heads every bit as good as those grown in the south. Lynda has had great success with her potted Asiatic liliums and she currently has colourful pots of blooming pansies and violas. The Bligh’s have a Japanese inspired garden and water feature with some cool-climate conifers. The Cooke’s flowering peach tree is a sight to behold just now in full blossom. Then there’s the Van Rynswoud’s with their array of temperate plants – let’s face it, those two can grow just about anything!

But, in my books the ‘garden gong’ for Winter 2020 has to go to Jennie for her potted jonquils and daffodils. A few months ago, Jennie planted several jonquil and daffodil bulbs in large tubs. The jonquils have prospered producing several heads of creamy and highly fragment blooms. Likewise, her daffodils bulbs have sprouted lush foliage. So far, there is one large perfect flower, hopefully with many more blooms to come.

Several of us (myself included) have planted daffodils bulbs each year to have them produce lush foliage, but no blooms. Jennie’s theory is that this year the weather has been cold enough to encourage the bulbs to flower. She is currently the envy of many a gardener around the village. Jonquils and daffodils in the wet tropics – what an achievement!

The single, perfect golden daffodil bloom.

In conducting ‘research’ for this article (several cups of tea and a good gossip), I was informed that the late Kelly Davis planted jonquil bulbs every year. Marilyn said he was diligent in planting, raising, storing and then re-planting the bulbs each year in a small, dedicated garden bed at his Paluma residence. Together, Kelly and Marilyn planted their jonquil bulbs earlier this year. The jonquils have been blooming with an abundance of flowers for the past fortnight. While Kelly missed their flowering this year, bunches of the fragrant blooms have been shared amongst his Paluma friends and family. They are a warm reminder of his everlasting presence in the village and his legacy as one of our great gardeners.

Text & Photos by Michele Bird

Magnificent Magnolias

When Len Cook’s beautiful Magnolia was featured recently in ‘What’s Blooming in Paluma’, I felt that this plant deserves more than just a brief mention. So, having read a little about the Magnolia family, I would like to share with you, a little of what I have learnt.

The Magnolia is one of about 210 flowering plant species in the sub-family Magnolioidaceae of the family Magnoliaceae. It was named after the French botanist, Pierre Magnol.

The Magnolia is an ancient genus, one of the most primitive plants in evolutionary history. Fossil records suggest that the genus has existed from the Cretaceous Period (145-66 million years ago). The Magnolia was the first flowering plant, appearing around 95 million years ago. Before this were only ferns, horsetails, cycads and conifers. The connection with conifers can be seen in the protruding female organs which develop into a cone-like mass of seeds. The flower bud is enclosed in a bract rather than in sepals. The perianth parts are undifferentiated (similar in size and shape) and called tepals rather than distinct sepals and petals. The cone-like receptacle in the centre is composed of numerous spirally arranged carpels and numerous spirally arranged stamens.

The Magnolia evolved before bees and pollination is by beetles and beetle-type insects. To improve its means of successful pollination the inner tepals of the flower remain tightly closed, allowing visiting beetles to feed safely and become covered in pollen. Magnolias are monoecious, that is, bearing both male and female organs on the same specimen. To counteract the risk of self-pollination, individual plants will not mature their male and female organs at the same time. This enables pollen from one specimen’s male flower to reach the female organ of another.

Before the last Ice Age, distribution was across most of the Northern Hemisphere: mainland Europe, North America and Asia. Since the Ice Age, it has been restricted to southern USA, Central America and South-East Asia, however Magnolias have naturalised in many countries.

Apart from the large Magnolia genus, the family contains the fragrant Michelias and the tulip tree.

Although the flower colour may be only white, pink or purple, the flower shape has taken on a great variety with blooms being described as lily, goblet, cup or star shaped. One species, the rare giant Himalayan Magnolia (M. campbelli), may grow to 15 metres and has huge flowers, 25 centimetres across.

Many beautiful and varied plants have been hybridised. For example, from hybridising M. heptapeta and M.quinquipeta comes a host of M.soulangiana varieties from which in turn other cultivars have been developed.

Magnolias are fairly hardy but should be planted in a sheltered position, out of direct wind and rain. Ideally, they should be with other plants where they will get light, shade and shelter, but not too dense as they need sunlight to encourage flower formation. They are often difficult to transplant, especially when large. Layering is probably the best way of propagating or taking cuttings from a heel of older wood.

What a magnificent and venerable tree this is. And what a survivor!

Text & Photos by Colwyn Campbell

What’s Blooming at Paluma: Magnolia variety

Len Cook planted this magnificent Magnolia more than thirty years ago. Every winter since then, he has enjoyed the classical beauty and subtle, sweet perfume of the glorious, goblet-shaped flowers.

The Magnolia is a large genus of about 210 flowering plant species in the sub-family Magnolioidaceae of the family Magnoliaceae. It was named after the French botanist, Pierre Magnol. It is an ancient genus, appearing before bees did and it is believed the plants evolved to encourage pollination by beetles.

The Magnolia has such an interesting history that it deserves a more detailed article devoted to it. I shall endeavour to do this soon.

Text & Photos by Colwyn Campbell

Rainforest Tree of the Month, July 2020 – Davidson’s Plum

I have chosen Davidson’s Plum (Davidsonia pruriens) as the July Rainforest Tree of the Month because my attention was drawn to this tree by the abundant litter of large, purple fallen fruit on the ground beneath a tree near the Paluma Environmental Education Centre’s fire pit. Investigating, I saw that the tree was well laden with bunches of fruit, some ripe and ready to fall while small green fruits were also strewn along the branches. It was early in June when I saw the fruit but fruiting can occur at any time of year.

Although it is a rainforest tree, Davidson’s Plum is not endemic to Paluma. It grows to about 18 metres high and is found from sea level to altitudes of up to 1095 metres from near the Big Table-land near Cooktown to Cardwell. There are three species of this genus endemic to Australia, one occurring in Tropical North Queensland.

The name Davidsonia, named after a pioneer sugar-cane grower, J E Davidson is ironic given that so much of the lower level rainforest where this tree occurs, has been lost to cane-fields. Pruriens, means itching or stinging and applies to Davidson’s Plum because there are irritant hairs on leaves and young fruit.

The large, hairy compound leaves of this tree are distinctive with deeply serrated edges to the leaflets and little leaf-like protrusions between the leaflets. Both sides of the leaf are covered with fine hairs.

Flowering can occur at any time. Flowers are tiny, with no petals but have four or five green or pink sepals. The grow in panicles (bunches) from leaf axils or are cauliflorous (along the trunk) or ramiflorous (on the branches).

The fruit is a drupe, (fleshy), with two seeds The developing green fruit is well covered in fine hairs which can cause considerable irritation and itching. Ripe fruit is roughly oval to round, about five centimetres long, and is dark purple to almost black with a fine powdery, whitish bloom on the surface. The flesh is dark pink. Of the two seeds, usually only one is fertile. The fruit is highly acidic, too tart to eat raw, although it was eaten by Aboriginal people, but It can be made into a delicious wine, jam or jelly. Cassowaries, Sulphur-crested Cockatoos and Double-eyed Fig-parrots eat the fruit.

A good example of the Davidson’s Plum can be seen at the forest edge behind Paluma Environmental Education Centre, near the fire pit.

Colwyn Campbell

In rememberance of Sue Rimington (1923-2020)

Sue Rimington passed away in May this year. She and her husband (Dr. Ron Rimington) owned the house opposite the old police station, which they built around 1984 using the same local builder (John Grail) who built Nick and Glenda Van Rynswood’s house. The Rimington family used to come up to relax on weekends occasionally and to enjoy the cooler weather. They loved nature and gardening. Dr. Rimington’s association with Paluma possibly began with his Army Reserves service in the 60’s -70’s exercising in Paluma area.

Sue was a gentle, quietly spoken lady who dearly loved flowers and gardening. Her interest in flowers got her involved in fund raising charity events and became a key person in the flower fantasies these fundraising events required. After Ron’s death in 1998, Sue moved to Brisbane.

The Rimingtons were members of the Paluma Progress Association and well known in the Community. Their daughter and husband (Robyne and David Maguire) owned a block of land at the end of Hussey Road opposite Browne’s property . Doc as we called him used to go out there and plant cardamom and they had some fruit trees.

One story I was told was that Doc one day went out on the block to pick a box fruit, stopping to go home for lunch. On returning he found the fruit out of the boxes onto ground. He was quite puzzled by this but did not have to wait long before out came the culprit – a cassowary.

Sue’s early life was spent in the suburb of Camberwell in Melbourne and then Camperdown Victoria where her father was in a furniture business. She went to primary and early secondary school in Camperdown before going to boarding school at Methodist Ladies College in Melbourne for her senior years.

Sue’s career was in nursing at the Royal Melbourne Hospital. Melbourne was where she met and married her husband Ron and from here they both moved to Townsville so Ron could take up a medical position at the Townsville General Hospital. Townsville is where they based their next 50 years. They had three children, Scott, Robyne and Mignonne.

Sue had many interests too numerous to mention but a couple come to mind one being how she started a home decorating business and her logo was a large snail with the wording “Is your home getting on your back”. The other one was later in life turning to painting and developed a style which seemed to be an extension of her real flair for colour.

She spent her last 20 years in Brisbane surrounded by a large and loving family whom she adored. Her grandchildren and great grandchild have many wonderful memories to pass onto their children in the future.

I gathered some of this information from family and what I knew myself of Ron and Sue as Ron was my boss at the Commonwealth Pathology Laboratory and James and I became very close friends with them over many years.

Always remembered,

Trish and James Jackson