Events – Page 26 – Paluma – our village in the mist

Paluma Garden Competition – The Results Are In !!

Paluma Garden Competition 2018

On a sunny Friday 19th October, the judging of the 2018 Bunnings Paluma Garden Competition took place. Lynn Hyland accompanied the judges around the acreage blocks, whilst Jamie Oliver escorted the judges around the village gardens. Natalie Pace and her mother Denise, both past judges for the Townsville Garden Competition were our 2018 judges. Natalie held an Open Garden in September at her Rollingstone property and attracted 350 visitors. There really are many keen gardeners in Townsville. She is encouraging us to consider having an Open Garden event in Paluma next year. Well Paluma gardeners what do you think about this?

The Garden Competition winners were announced at our PDCA Social on Saturday 3rd November. They are:-

1. Best Business Garden Winner is Gumburu

2. Best Acreage Garden Winner is Don Battersby

3. Best Residential Village Garden Winner is Nick and Glenda Van Rynswoud. The Alison Evans Memorial Trophy was also awarded to Nick and Glenda Van Rynswoud.

4. Highly Commended Residential Village Garden Winner is Peter and Dorothy Klump

5. An Individual Plant, Garden Bed, Herb Garden or Vegetable Patch, Outdoor Space, etc Winner is Michele Bird

Paluma is blessed with a cooler climate than the coast and hence we are able to successfully grow many plants that aren’t seen in Townsville gardens. During the judging, some of the plants that were in full bloom were the spirea, hippeastrums, New Guinea impatiens, daylilies and orchids to name just a few. Do check out ‘What’s Flowering In Paluma’ on the website to keep abreast of the latest showpieces in Paluma gardens.

Article by Lynn Hyland with Photos by Michele Bird & Colwyn Campbell

Remembrance Day at Paluma

On Sunday 11 November at 11 am a small group of Paluma residents and visitors congregated at the Community Hall to acknowledge Armistice Day and the 100 year anniversary of the end of World War 1.

The commemoration included an audio rendition of The Last Post and a minute of silence, followed by a short anecdote from Les Hyland.

Many thanks to Len Cook for raising the flag on the day and to Lynda Radbone for her technical assistance. Len also provided the morning tea!

Paluma Dam Good Trail Run

On Sunday Oct 29th, the population of Paluma swelled by more than 300, as competitors and spectators participated in this year’s trail run organised by Outer Limits Adventure.

There were 3 separate course covering distances of 6, 10 and 20 km and traversing terrain that many of use would struggle to walk up! Wilfred Karnoll helped out by handing out lollies at the bottom of Blue Gum creek to provide a quick energy boost before runners started the last grueling climb up to the village.

Temperatures were high and there was little cloud cover, but all competitors completed the race and were provided with sustenance and refreshments at the finish.

Congratulations to all participants and to the winners of the various categories.

While the trail run no longer circles the Paluma Dam, the event was still Damn Good!

Famous Paluma structure goes up in flames!

Even the editors at Paluma.org can’t resist the odd attention grabbing headline (or click bait as it is now called) …….

Len Cook watches the smoke and flames emerging from the Anagama kiln

Last week saw the famous Anagama wood-fired kiln blaze into life at the Paluma Pottery on Lennox Crescent. Len Cook, our local award-winning Pottter, spent the last several months making hundreds of pots of various sizes and shapes, in preparation for the annual wood firing.

Len Cook at around 3am on the 4th day- still going strong

The process started last Monday evening (October 29) at 8pm and finished exactly 100 hours later at midnight on Friday. Prior to the start of the firing the lower part of the shelter that houses the kiln was chocked full of firewood, mostly pine and black wattle from the blocks at Hussey Road. By Friday most of the wood had been fed into the kiln, producing temperatures in excess of 2,000 degrees in the front part of the kiln. Continuous stoking of the fire was needed to maintain the temperatures that allow the wood ash that constantly flows over the pots to melt and form a wonderfully variable glaze on the pots. Len, together with Kelly Davis and Jamie Oliver worked shifts feeding the kiln, monitoring temperatures and making the odd adjustment to airflow vents and shutters.

The pots started to glow after the first day and by the end of the firing the entire inside was glowing red.

Each time new wood was added (about every 15 min, 24 hours a day) the chimney would produce billows of smoke and fire, which was particularly impressive at night.

The kiln is currently in cool-down mode and Len will not know what the results of this year’s efforts have been until later this week. But given the wonderful results from previous firings, there should be some spectacular pieces.

More pictures:

Remembrance Day, Sunday 11 November

LEST WE FORGET

REMEMBRANCE DAY SUNDAY 11 NOVEMBER

Remembrance Day Gathering, 11 AM on Sunday 11 November 2018 at the Paluma Community Hall.

Please meet at the Community Hall at approximately 10.45 AM in preparation for the raising of the flag and a minute of silence at 11 AM to commemorate Remembrance Day.

ALL PALUMA RESIDENTS AND VISITORS WELCOME

Blankets of Love Retreat at Paluma

Last Friday to Sunday (5-7 October) the annual three-day ‘Blankets of Love’ retreat was held at the Paluma Community Hall. Blankets of Love is a quilting group based in Townsville and the main prerequisite for membership is an absolute passion for making quilts. Last weekend’s retreat is the ninth year the event has been held at Paluma. There were 18 participants at this years event, travelling from Townsville, Bowen, Collinsville, Tully and Ravenswood.

For three days, the ladies stitched and sewed, piecing together some beautiful quilts for charity. This years theme was ‘children’s toys’ with each member of the group contributing a block or section of the various quilts. These ‘community quilts’ are then passed on to various charities and organisations such as the Royal Flying Doctor Service, Palliative Care, the Children’s Paediatric Emergency Unit and various nursing homes. The group recently donated 29 of their quilts to the Glendale Nursing Home in Townsville.

The Townsville Blankets of Love group formed in 2000 after a founding member suffered the devastating loss of a grandchild. Out of this hardship, was formed a truly dedicated and remarkable group of women. Their most important role is to make and provide small quilts which are passed on to social workers at hospitals. The quilts are given to parents suffering the loss of a baby and the hope is that the quilts will assist in the process of saying goodbye to the loved one.

The Townsville Blankets of Love group intends to return to Paluma next year (2019) to celebrate the 10th anniversary of their annual retreat. They are a truly remarkable group of women – every stitch a measure of their charity, kindness, compassion and love for others.

Blankets of Love is a charity and welcomes donations of fabric to produce their beautiful quilts. Anyone with fabric or materials to donate can contact Merle Prince on 0438 164 770.

Text & photos by Michele Bird

Paluma Sunday Market

Sunday September 30 was a beautiful fine sunny day at Paluma with a breeze keeping temperatures to about 26 degrees. There were 8 stallholders set up before opening time at 09.00 hrs and thanks to Don Battersby, Ross Hyne and Sonya Bryce, the barbeque was operational before 08.30 hrs.

After a slowish start there was a steady stream of customers in the hall and most also patronised the sausage sizzle. For the first time we were able to take advantage of the community hall extension, with two stalls set up in the new meeting room and people making use of the now extended square verandah.

Stall holders and customers at Paluma Market

The steady flow of customers continued until the sausages ran out at 12.40 hrs and about the same time the crowd in the hall diminished. Nevertheless, the feedback from the stallholders was very positive many, including newcomers, declaring their intention to return with their stalls at Easter. Altogether, a highly satisfactory day which will yield a modest profit that the Paluma & District Community Association needs.

Text & Photo by Les Hyland

Opening Ceremony for the new Community Hall extension

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.

We hope you can join us.

Buddhist’s Retreat At Paluma

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.

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.

Paluma Dam Good Run

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!

Tickets are on sale now!

Registration opens 1st January 2018. Click here to register

Go to the website for more details