COMMUNITY ALERT

Following the recent attempted break in at the Rainforest Inn there has been a reported case of squatters taking over one of the residences along Mt Spec Road. They apparently found the key to the property that was hidden in a “safe” place. The unauthorised “visitors” helped themselves to some of the alcohol, left a mess and caused some water damage when they left a tap running.

This is just another reminder that our village is not immune from these kinds of criminal acts of wilful damage and vandalism. All property owners should reconsider and upgrade their security precautions and keep a watchful eye out for suspicious activity in our community.

A reminder of some important contact numbers:-

Police Link (non-life threatening issues) – 131 444

Rollingstone Police – 4770 7144

Text by Wilfred Karnoll & Michele Bird

Paluma History Display Is Open

A reminder that the Paluma History Display will re-open from this Tuesday 9th May at the Community Hall. The History Display will be open from 11.00 am to 1.00 pm every Tuesday, subject to the availability of volunteers to run the display. Drop in to the Community Hall to learn all about the history of Paluma, as well as things to see and do whilst visiting the village and surrounds. You can even enjoy a cuppa at the same time.

Len Cook: Fire & Rain

This coming Friday, the Perc Tucker Gallery will be opening a retrospective exhibition of 4 decades of works from our local award-winning ceramic artist, Len Cook.

The exhibition will open this Friday, May 12 and run until August 2023. On Saturday, May 13, Len will give a talk at the Gallery about his work


Len Cook is one of Australia’s foremost woodfired
potters. The exhibition FIRE AND RAIN draws
together nearly 80 artworks created over 40
years Of ceramic practice with loans from public
and private collections, as well as key works from
the artist’s own collection.


The exhibition highlights the artists lifelong
passion for wood-fired kilns and pots that are
glazed by natural ash deposits over extended
firing in traditional Japanese anagama (cave)
kilns. Len Cook’s practice encompasses domestic
ware, ceramic sculpture inspired by the coral
forms Of the Great Barrier Reef, and his anagama-
fired work.

https://www.townsville.qld.gov.au/facilities-and-recreation/theatres-and-galleries/perc-tucker-regional-gallery/exhibitions

Join artist Len Cook and curator Ross Searle as
they discuss the works on display in Cook’s
exhibition FIRE AND RAIN.
Floor Talk
Saturday 13 May
10.30am

Reminder: Working Bee this Saturday 6th May

A reminder to Paluma residents that the monthly Village Working Bee will take place this coming Saturday 6th May. The weather is beautiful so it’s a great time to get out in the fresh air to help with all those maintenance jobs around our village.

Please meet at the Community Hall at 2 pm and from there tasks will be assigned to team members. Refreshments will be provided after the work is done. If you have some garden tools (shovel, wheelbarrow, pruners, secateurs, etc) bring them along with you.

If you have any questions, Wilfred is the man to see.

Alert for Paluma Residents

Paluma residents are advised that there was an attempted break-in at the Rainforest Inn early this week, sometime between Sunday night and Tuesday morning. Screens were removed and/or cut from windows on the laundry and toilet. Fortunately, the would-be thieves did not gain entry.

This is a timely reminder to residents to lock up and stay vigilant for suspicious people and/or activity around our village. We can all become complacent in assuming the village is safe from criminal activity, but it appears not to be the case.

Sincere thanks to those treasured friends and neighbours such as Don and Lynda who mobilised today to check on properties around the village.

This notice has also been posted to the Paluma Community Alert on What’s App. If you are not signed up to receive community alerts, please contact Sonya, Lynda or Michele (the administrators of What’s App Paluma) and they can invite you to join the group. The Alerts are used for important community messages and ‘need to know’ information such as Range Road information (trees down and road issues), Bruce Highway closures, safety issues and other urgent community messages and information.

Free Workout at Paluma this Saturday

A reminder that there is a Free Workout on offer this Saturday afternoon 8th April – otherwise known as a Paluma Working Bee. Many hands make light work and there are always plenty of jobs to do around the village to keep things maintained and looking beautiful.

If you have a couple of hours to spare this Saturday afternoon, please meet at the Community Hall at 2 pm. Everyone is welcome.

It will be a great opportunity to work-off those extra Easter calories from chocolates and hot-cross buns and working outside in the fresh Paluma mountain air is always good for the mind and body.

A free beverage is on offer after the work is completed.

PDCA AGM – Executive Committee for 2022-23

This year’s Annual General Meeting was well attended with 25 people in attendance. Don Battersby and Lynda Radbone manned the BBQ to provide a lunch beforehand which may have helped to bring in a range of members from around the village.

The AGM minutes will be posted on the Member’s area shortly, together with the President’s Report, Financial Statement and History Project Report.

This year there were advance nominations for two new members of the Committee, who were elected unopposed (Anneshka Brown as Vice-President, and Juanita Poletto as Secretary).

Sarah Swann decided not to run for office this year, and I would like to thank her on behalf of the PDCA for her efforts on several PDCA initiatives and inputs into discussions over the last few years.

The remaining Committee Members agreed to stay on for another year and were elected unopposed. After a call from the floor for other nominations to fill available positions, I am delighted that Leonie Crennan and Linda Whitely agreed to join the committee.

It is great that we start this year with four new faces on the Committee and with the position of Secretary filled after more than two years.

The final composition of the PDCA Committee is listed below.

PresidentJamie Oliver
Vice-PresidentAnneshka Brown
SecretaryJuanita Poletto
TreasurerWilfred Karnoll
Committee Member (SES)Charlie Allen
Committee Member (RFS)Ross Hyne
Committee MemberLyn Hyland
Committee MemberJill Meads
Committee MemberLeonie Crennan
Committee MemberLinda Whitely

If anyone is interested in reading a summary of events and achievements for the year, you can download the President’s Report here.

Jamie Oliver