After more than a year of planning and many months of construction, the new Training/Meeting Room at the Community Hall has been completed!
The PDCA, Rural Fire Brigade and SES invites all residents and PDCA members to join us for an official opening ceremony on September 22, 2018 at 5:00pm. After the ceremony, we will be offering wine and cheese and there will be a brief presentation by the PDCA President on our Vision for Paluma. We will be encouraging comments, questions and suggestions following this presentation.
Neil and Jennie at the Rainforest Inn would like to advise all Paluma residents and visitors that the Rainforest Inn will be closed for business from 20th September to 11th October inclusive.
Neil and Jennie apologise for any inconvenience and look forward to seeing you when they re-open the Inn on 12th October.
This month in ‘Meet A Villager’ we introduce you to Roy Mackay.
Roy Mackay celebrated his 90th birthday last March (2018) with one of the biggest birthday parties Paluma has ever seen. The Rainforest Inn was bursting at the seams on the afternoon of Sunday 18th March as all of Roy’s Paluma friends and family joined him for a very special day to mark his 90 years young.
Roy Mackay has led a truly remarkable life. He was born in Camperdown in Sydney in 1928. Roy’s passion for nature, the outdoors and ‘the bush’ developed very early in life and as a young child he kept several varieties of non-venomous snakes. His interest in herpetology has been life-long and even today he is known locally in Paluma as the ‘snake expert’.
Roy’s first job as a taxidermist
Roy’s first job after leaving high school was to train as a taxidermist at the Australian Museum in Sydney. He became so accomplished at his work that he was to become Head of the Department of Taxidermy.
In his mid-twenties, Roy met and married his wife Margaret, who was also a lover of nature and wildlife. They met at a monthly meeting of the Royal Zoological Society in Sydney. Margaret was a nature photographer and she also worked as a zoo-keeper at the Taronga Zoo.
In 1964, Roy and Margaret moved to Papua New Guinea and Roy took up a position as the Director of the Papua New Guinea Museum in Port Moresby. Roy’s work involved travelling the lengths and breadths of PNG to collect indigenous artefacts and museum specimens.
Roy’s love of nature, culture and anthropology led him to spend the next 23 years in PNG. He also worked as the Director of the Baiyer River Sanctuary, which focused on a breeding program for the Bird of Paradise in the western highlands of PNG.
In 1987, Roy and Margaret moved back to Australia and made Paluma their permanent home. Roy says that they chose Paluma to live because they could be “close to nature”. Roy has lived in the village for the last 31 years.
Roy’s early training as a naturalist, curator and scientist means that he is an avid record keeper. Even today, Roy keeps meticulous records. If you want to know the rainfall figures for last November, the average daily temperature for June, or how many snakes have been observed in the village this month, then Roy will have it documented!. His diligence in record keeping is to be admired and envied.
What is most astounding is that Roy has kept detailed journals of his life’s work and travels, filling volumes and volumes of precious hand-written diaries. To add to his achievements, Roy is a published author, with his numerous books and pamphlets pertaining mostly to his work in PNG. For many years, Roy has been a regular contributor to local newsletters, contributing articles on ‘Nature Notes’. Roy’s publications, his personal library, memoirs, journals and his contribution to science and the natural world is nothing short of outstanding.
Roy Mackay in his library
As a nation, Australia keeps a list of ‘National Living Treasures’. The recipients of this award are chosen on the basis of “having made an outstanding contribution to Australian society in any field of human endeavour”. Roy Mackay would certainly qualify for this list. If the village of Paluma was to have such a list, then Roy Mackay would be at the very top of our list. He is our own very special, National Living Treasure.
This week has seen the annual Buddhist’s Retreat held at the Paluma Community Hall. This is the thirteenth year this event has been held at Paluma. The course is organised by Buddhist Chaplain Phil Heang.
The teachings are provided by Lama Choedak, a Tibetan-born Buddhist. Lama Choedak trained as a monk for nine years, spending three and a half years in solitary retreat sponsored by The Dalia Lama.
Lama Choedak
The three day course focuses on ‘Calm Abiding Meditation’ which is the most fundamental of all Buddhist meditation practices. The teachings focus on using the tool of mindfulness to bring a sense of stability and clarity to the mind. Calm Abiding Meditation can assist in understanding the origins of stress and mental confusion and it can assist in coping with life’s problems.
Some 15 participants took part in this week’s course, some traveling from as far afield as Hervey Bay and Melbourne. Lama Choedak is based in Canberra and enjoys his annual visit to Paluma. Lama Choedak and Phil Heang would welcome Paluma residents to join the course next year. The course is usually held in early September.
This beautiful small tree or shrub, also known as Plum Satin-Ash, may be seen in several Paluma gardens and also in the forest understory along the upper reaches of the Range Road. A modest, dainty tree, almost spindly in growth, it is easily overlooked until the emergence of new leaves. These cascade in pendant clusters of brilliant crimson, flame-like against the dark green of older leaves.
Flowering occurs between June and December, but here in Paluma the months of August and September see the most prolific blooming. At present there are many flowers to be seen, hanging demurely beneath long, dark green leaves. The gorgeous flowers are made up of dense clusters of filaments which form a delicate red pompon, about the size of an orange. They attract many birds, mostly honey-eaters. Clusters of cherry-sized creamy white fruit follow flowering. It is not recorded whether they are edible, but most fruits of the Syzygium species are edible.
Syzygium wilsonii is usually seen as a shrub growing to about 3 metres, but it can occasionally grow to 9 metres. Its timber is fine-textured and moderately hard. It is resistant to fungi and termites, but susceptible to dry wood borers. The wood can be used for making musical instruments, tool handles and furniture.
See if you can spot some of these gorgeous flowers hanging shyly beneath long leaves in Paluma gardens.
Paluma gardeners are quite accustomed to regular visits from the local wildlife, be it birdlife, bandicoots, wallabies, lizards and snakes. However, over the past two weeks an echidna or spiny ant-eater (Tachyglossus aculeatus) has been spotted in several gardens along the eastern end of Mt Spec Road. This spiky character has been seen digging for termites, ants and other invertebrate goodies to eat.
Photo by Clancy Swan
Echidna’s occur over most of Australia from cool temperate climes to tropical forests and desert. Mating occurs in July and August which might account for this individual being very active at present. It seems to be particularly fond of the gardens at No’s 15, 16, 17 and 18 Mt Spec Road. Keep an eye out for this welcome garden visitor next time you take a walk through the eastern end of the village.
A very successful Working Bee was held on Saturday (25 August) at the Village Green at Paluma. Fifteen very enthusiastic volunteers congregated at the Green to spread some mulch and topsoil around the Green and at the Trees In Memory. A very big ‘THANK YOU’ to all those attended to lend a hand and make light work of the tasks to be done.
The band of volunteers included:- Don Battersby, Graham & Judy Malpass, Len Cook, Wilfred and Suzanne Karnoll, Graham Pope, Jamie Oliver, Juanita Poletto, Peter Klumpp, Beth Snewin, Colwyn Campbell, Roy Mackay, Wayne Pellow and Michele Bird.
Volunteers at the Working Bee
Special mention goes to Graham Pope for bringing along his tractor!. Roy Mackay kept a close eye on operations and thanks to Suzanne for the tasty sausage rolls. The generosity and community spirit that exists in Paluma makes this village a very special place indeed!
The annual trail run at Paluma, organized by Outer Limits Adventure Fitness, will be held on October 28 this year.
This is the 6th run in the Outer Limits Trail Run Series 2018.
Race HQ, start and finish for all distances will be at the village green in the Paluma township. There is an array of trails around the village crossing creeks, passing water falls and lookouts. Paluma is cooler then the coastal region and it makes for great trail running in October.
We have $2000 worth of great prizes for our top 3 winners for each distance and first place in each age group. This includes some new trail running shoes and hydration vests from Salomon!
Outerlimits Adventure is sponsoring a 3-day accredited Remote and Wilderness First Aid Course in Paluma
October 19-22, 2018
at the Paluma Adventure Centre (High Ropes Facility) $670 pp incl. meals, accommodation
Jason Taylor from Category 5 Emergency Care is coming to Paluma to teach a Standard Wilderness and Remote First Aid course.
Sam and Aline have done multiple courses with Jason already and highly recommend them to anyone who likes to adventure and maybe even works outdoors, especially in remote areas. So we have teamed up with Jason and we are bringing you the Standard R.A.W First Aid course to Paluma.
We will spend the weekend at the Adventure Centre in Paluma and stay at the Adventure House. Meals will be provided, please let us know if you have any dietary requirements.
What is R.A.W First Aid?
Category 5 offers a unique training course specific to North Queensland and is delivered under our remote area training division SOS (Specialised Outsdoor Survival). Remote and Wilderness First Aid designed for those who work and play in the outdoors. While “Senior” First Aid Courses give you great basic skills and knowledge, they don’t account for being a long way from help.
RAW First Aid differs significantly from standard first aid courses that are oriented toward the urban environment. RAW first aid will give you extended knowledge and skills to deal with situations that may occur whilst in a remote location. We prepare students for emergency situations that involve prolonged patient care, severe environments and improvised equipment. Our courses are scenario based which means you get hands on experience to prepare you for the real thing. They are fun, practical and very comprehensive. We use stage makeup and blood to give the realistic effect and a true outdoor experience.
These courses are perfect for Outdoor Professionals, Mine sites, Camping, Scuba Diving Professionals and anyone who works or plays in the outdoors.
Topics include:
Introduction & Medical Legal Issues
Patient Assessment & Basic Life support
Traumatic Injuries
Spinal Injury (including clearing a spinal injury in the field)
Head Injury
Bleeding and Wound Management
Musculoskeletal Injuries (including relocating dislocations and angulated fractures)
Environmental Injuries
Bites & Stings
Medical Emergencies
Common problems
Adult CPR/EAR Urban and Remote Specific
AED – Defibrillation
For bookings please call Sam 0421484211 or send us an email info@outerlimitsadventure.com.au
With the superb winter weather at Paluma, every week sees a ‘flock’ of birdwatchers visiting the village and surrounds to search out and photograph our birdlife. Last week, Murray and Dawn Frick spent time at Paluma and were hosted by Don Battersby at Hussey Road. Don provided some free mealworms and the birds arrived.
Murray and Dawn are sugarcane farmers from Bundaberg and this is their fourth trip to Paluma for birdwatching. When they are not working on the farm they love to travel around Australia. They are on their way home after seven weeks on the road, traveling some 10,000 kilometres throughout Queensland and the Northern Territory.
They first came to Paluma some years ago in search of the golden bowerbird. This trip they have photographed the golden whistler, satin bowerbird, rifle bird and many other species. Murray and Dawn say they are never disappointed when they come to Paluma as they know “we will always get good birds here”. We wish Murray and Dawn a safe trip home to Bundaberg and we hope to see you next year!
After more than a year of planning and many months of construction, the new Training/Meeting Room at the Community Hall has been completed!
