After delays and uncertainties resulting from COVID-19 the Paluma Push for 2020 is now confirmed and scheduled for October 11.
Visit the Paluma Push website for more information and bookings.
This year the event is being coordinated by Outer Limits Adventure, and Sam Stedman is keen to tap into the dedicated volunteers from Paluma who have manned the checkpoints in previous years. So please put this important date in your calendar if you would like to help out. More information will follow in due course.
St. Patrick’s Day celebrations come early to Paluma as the real St Patrick’s Day is March 17. We are pre-empting the day and celebrating on Saturday 14 March at the Community Hall.
The usual ‘bring a plate to share’ applies and if it is somewhat Irish, so much the better. The event will commence at 6.30 PM and the wearing of green is obligatory!
The bar will be open with the usual stock and a limited supply of Guinness in tins for those who want to get really Irish.
If you have a few Irish jokes bring them along – Les will probably have a couple too. A fun night is planned, so do come along !
Members (and prospective members) are advised that the Annual General Meeting of the Paluma & District Community Association Inc. will be held on:
Saturday March 21, 2020 at 12pm for a BBQ lunch followed by the AGM at 1pm in the Community Hall
Nominations are open for all Executive Committee positions. Nominations should be forwarded to the Secretary to arrive no later than Friday, March 6th 2020. Please use the nomination forms, which can be downloaded here.
Positions are:
President,
1 or 2 Vice-Presidents
Secretary
Treasurer
General Committee members (numbers flexible)
Members are reminded that Annual Subscriptions are now due and should be paid prior to the commencement of the AGM. Membership is available in two classes, these being Ordinary & Family. All classes attract the same subscription fee of $40.00 Please use the subscription form here to submit your dues. New members are more than welcome and should use the same form.
Please note that you must be a PDCA member to nominate someone to the Committee or vote for any Committee member.
The AGM will be followed immediately by a normal General Meeting with with the new Committee.
The annual Paluma Garden Competition was held in late November this year and the results were announced at the last social of the year (Tropical BBQ on 7th December). Lynn Hyland reports that the event was most successful and she has provided the following feedback:-
“We had four Bunnings staff as the judging panel this year. On Tuesday 26th November the judges walked their little feet off for nearly five hours. I escorted them around the Acreage Gardens and Jamie Oliver did likewise around the Village Gardens. We provided lunch at the Community Hall“.
The Bunnings judging panel for the 2019 Paluma Garden Competition.
“Even though the gardens and lawns were very dry at this time, the judges were most impressed with the gardens of Paluma. They stated that they will be back next year and will stay longer on the job without being so rushed. They took a lot of photos of the gardens and interesting plants. I even got introduced to some new plant names. It was great to have a horticulturist to refer to for information about species. There really are a lot of ‘hidden treasures’ in our Paluma gardens. The ladies really enjoyed the experience and would like to see the gardens of Paluma at an earlier time of the year when the camellias and azaleas are in bloom – maybe after Easter next year“.
“I also had the Memorial Trophy refitted with new ornaments as it was looking a little sad about the gilt work. It now looks smashing. The trophy is now in the custody of the winners”.
The Alison Evans Memorial Trophy for the Paluma Garden Competition.
The Trophy with names of the previous winners of the Paluma Garden Competition.
The overall winner this year and the trophy holder for the 2019 Paluma Garden Competition goes to Glenda and Nick Van Rynswoud. These are truly award winning gardeners having won the competition a total of four times.
Hearty congratulations to all the winners and for contributing to the ongoing success of this Paluma event. Sincere thanks to Bunnings for their ongoing support for our competition, the judging panel from Bunnings and to Lynn and Jamie for volunteering their time to escort the judges around the village and acreage blocks.
The Winners of the 2019 Paluma Garden Competition are:-
Best Residential Garden in the Village: Glenda and Nick Van Rynswoud Memorial Trophy winner. $50
Highly Commended Residential Garden in the Village: Graham and Judith Malpass. $30
Best Commercial Property Garden in the Village: ‘Manali’ Bill and Linda Venn. $50
Best Acreage Garden on the Blocks: Anne Bruyeres. $50
Best Novelty/Unusual Garden: Rainforest Novelty Trail and Garden, Don Battersby. $20
Glenda and Nick’s award winning garden.
Text by Lynn Hyland and Michele Bird. Photos by Michele Bird and Jamie Oliver.
On Saturday we had very good attendance at our Tropical BBQ including a couple from Townsville who happened to be up for the weekend. There was a variety of salad, and deserts and plenty of meat to go round. Les the barman made sure there was plenty of social lubricant available to add to the enjoyment of the evening. Photographic evidence of the event is unfortunately scarce. Yours truly was too busy catching up with people and providing his usual inept services as a relief barman and totally forgot to take pictures. We did manage to get a shot of the last of the crowd at the end of the evening.
This year, for the first time, the exterior of the hall and the gazebo were decorated with Christmas lights that definitely provided a festive look to the area that could be seen from the Mt Spec Rd as well as Smith Crescent. Many thanks to the Townsville City Council’s “Christmas Together ” initiative which provided funds for the purchase of the external lights as well as eskies to ensure we could keep our meat and drinks cool.
New Christmas lights provided a festive look to the Community Hall courtesy of the Townsville City Council.
As the year draws to a close don’t forget the last event on the Paluma social calendar will be held on Saturday 7 December. The annual Tropical BBQ will be held at the Community Hall.
The Bar will be open from 6.30 pm with low cost beverages on sale.
Please bring along:- Your choice of meat for the BBQ and a plate of food to share – nibbles, salad or a sweet dish.
Most of all, bring along your good cheer and Christmas spirit. See you there.
The annual Paluma Garden Competition is just around the corner with the judging to take place between Monday 25th November and Wednesday 27th November. The judging will be done by Bunnings staff, with Bunnings also kindly donating some vouchers for the winners.
The judges will be accompanied by a member of the PDCA or a local Paluma resident during the judging. If you do not want your garden included in the competition and/or you do not wish the judging team to enter your property, please send an email to Lynn Hyland at:- lhyland@optusnet.com.au
The winners of the Garden Competition will be announced at the last social for 2019 at the Tropical BBQ on Saturday 7th December at the Community Hall.
The Garden Competition is hotly contested every year, so now is the time to get out in the fresh air and spruce up your patch of paradise ready for the judging. Despite the recent hot and dry weather, a short stroll around the village on Sunday morning (10/11/19) revealed many beautiful blooms amongst the village gardens (and some stiff competition from the neighbours!).
Gardeners, start your mowers and get your secateurs ready………! Here’s a few photographs of current blooms to give you some inspiration.
A stunning mass planting of Asiatic liliums on Lennox Crescent.
Clivia hybrid in a shady spot in the garden.
Agapanthus varieties are just starting to bloom. Purple & white varieties are common in the village.
One of many mass plantings of hippeastrum lillies around the village.
The Chameleon variety of Tibouchina is bursting into flower and should be at its blooming best in a week or so.
A stunning Gladioli in the prize winning Gumburu garden.
A small but very enthusiastic crowd gathered at the Community Hall on Saturday evening (2 November 2019) for the latest event on the Paluma social calendar with an International theme.
Continents and countries the world over were represented as many of the attendees donned their finest (and not so-finest) international costumes to celebrate multiculturalism, Paluma-style. There were Mexicans, an Egyptian, two Fijians (fresh off the cruise boat), North Americans and European nations all represented. There were a few Aussies, a Scotsman and even a Drop Bear (of uncertain nationality and with a strange rear appendage) made an appearance on the night.
A wide selection of dishes from around the world meant that there was plenty of good food to enjoy. Some patrons told their best and very worst jokes on the night. The group was pleasantly surprised by the return that very afternoon of the Cooke’s (Peter & Jan) who have just made their annual migration south (from NT) for the summer. Great company of friends and neighbours ensured a good time and many laughs were had by all.
It was a very busy weekend in Paluma for the crew from Outer Limits Adventure Fitness. They had over 50 people for the open day at the high ropes course on Saturday, before turning it all into ‘Dinner Under The Stars’ (actually in the clouds with fairy lights) on Saturday night for over 100 guests. The dinner was catered by the Feel Good Foodie truck. It was a great social evening with locals and runners enjoying the evening.
On Sunday all the attention turned to the Trail Run as 350 runners lined up to tackle the challenging trails around Paluma. The 20 km run took the participants across Cloudy Creek, Ethel Creek, then back via the road and down to Blue Gum Creek and then back to the village via Witt’s lookout.
The 10 km event went straight down the Blue Gum trail and back via Witt’s Lookout. The 6 km course included all the village trails – Rainforest Loop, H-Track, Witt’s Lookout and the Andree Griffin Track. The weather turned it on for the runners with clear blue skies and a perfect Paluma day. It was a magic day on the trails!
