Paluma’s annual garden competion will occur this Wednesday, October 11th. As ususal the Judges from Bunnings will be escorted around the gardens by a member of the PDCA. Any residents who do not want to participate this year, and who have not already notified us, please email or ring Jamie Oliver or Lynn Hyland.
Category: Events
A Fantastic Community Effort
The PDCA would like to thank everybody for their combined efforts to make Paluma’s final market day of the year and the NRL grand final viewing in the hall such a great success this past Sunday.
Locals and tourists alike were a strong and steady flow starting quite early in the day. The bbq didn’t shut down till quite a bit after 12pm and did great business with many coming back for seconds (and thirds) for “‘the lot’ please, that bbq-ed pineapple is amazing!”
The hall was filled with chatter and laughs with some shoppers making beelines to the baked goods stalls and others slowly meandering and enjoying the sport of browsing and selecting what they desired. Our community was on show and did itself proud at these markets. So many smiles.
The NRL grand final evening was also an opportunity to quietly socialise prior to the game for some of the locals as well as an opportunity for all – locals and visitors – to watch the footy showdown on the ‘big screen’.
Our PDCA treasurer, Wilfred Karnoll, is likely still grinning as this post ‘goes to air’ as the markets and grand final viewing made a net total of $1366 for our community. This success comes with effort from all the volunteers who:
- worked hard to ensure the hall was ready for vendors and shoppers alike;
- Made the effort to set up their own stall to raise funds for the rural fire service
- ensured all ran smoothly throughout the duration of the market;
- prepared many a preserve, cake, slice, cookie and sweet and savoury treat for the PDCA bake stall
- Collected fresh produce and plants from local growers for the PDCA fresh produce stall
- sliced, diced, shredded, mixed, bbq-ed, served, washed, dried…
…and smiled through it all.
A great big “Thank You” to our volunteers. Your service makes our community stronger. As Wilfred said, “…just goes to show what a small community like ours can do when we all pull together.”
Text and photos by J. Poletto unless noted otherwise
Reminder: Paluma Community Markets, Sunday Oct. 1st 9am-1pm
Our next Community Market is just over a week away. There will be a range of locally produced ornamental and edible items available for purchase as well as our sausage sizzle and cold drinks. If you forget to bring cash Wilfred of one of the PDCA executive will be able to take your credit card and provide small amounts of cash uisng our eftpos machine.
This is also a call-out for Paluma’s amazing cooks to donate some baked goods to sell for community (PDCA) fund raising.
If you are interested in doing some baking and donating your goods for sale at the Easter Market then please read on…..
Here’s what to do:-
- Please divide your baked goods into small batches for sale. We suggest batches of 2, 4 or 6 individual pieces as this has worked well at previous markets.
- Please plate the goods (in batches) and secure with glad wrap or suitable packaging. (We have previously used paper plates and glad wrap and this works well).
- Please add a sticker or other suitable label outlining the contents of your baked goods. You will need to add this label to EVERY individual batch of goods. This is required for health & safety reasons.
- Please add a price sticker to your goods, with what you think is a fair and reasonable price for your baked delights.
- Please deliver your goods to the Community Hall on Sunday morning at 8.30 AM (for a 9 am market start).
If you have any questions or need any further information, please contact Lynn Hyland by phone or email:- leshyland@icloud.com
Previous cake stalls have been a great success.
Notice of Annual Paluma Garden Competition
The annual Paluma Garden Competition will be held in the month of October. Competition judges from Bunnings will be escorted by a member of the PDCA executive committee around gardens of Paluma residents and businesses including the blocks along and adjacent to Hussey Road.
If you do not wish to be included in this competition please let Jamie Oliver, Lynn Hyland or any other member of the PDCA committee know as soon as possible.
All contact details of the PDCA committee are accessible on this website under ‘contact’.
Working Bee Saturday September 2nd
Welcome Spring in Paluma by participating in our monthly working bee organised by Wilfred Karnoll. Meet at the Rotunda next to the Community Hall at 2PM and he will let you know what the plans for the afternoon are. Contact Wilfred if you wish to know what you may need to bring along, eg: gardening equipment.
Reminder: Community Meeting with Councillor Margie Ryder – Sunday, August 20th
On Sunday, August 20th at 10 am the PDCA is hosting a community meeting with our Townsville City Council representative, Margie Ryder. This will provide an opportunity for Margie to report on what the Council has been doing and to listen to any concerns that Paluma residents may have relating to council facilities and initiatives. Items that we will be inviting Margie to comment on include:
- Plans for signage at the village entrance, and upgrade of other signs around the village
- Dog Poo bag dispensers and other issues on animal control (Cats, noisy dogs)
- Community security in the light of multiple recent events in and around the village
- Road Maintenance
- Vegetation control (weeds)
The meeting is open to all Paluma Residents. Please come along to have your say.
And the winner is…
There were a lot of winners at our recent “Game On!” night at the community hall enjoyed by a rowdy crowd of enthusiastic participants, not least, our SES and RFS groups.
Sam Steadman of Outer Limits Adventure Fitness at the start of the evening, presented $2, 323 cheques to EACH of our local SES and RFS (Paluma and Waterfall Creek) branches in recognition of their support of the recent Mike Carney Paluma Push event. In his speech, Sam said he was happy to give back to our community that provides such a fabulous location and support for this annual event. Having this kind of event that promotes our location nationwide as one to enjoy healthy outdoor activities in a beautiful environment and which helps to grow our essential services at the same time, is definitely a winner!
The games were officially opened by Peter Klump (who seemed to be channeling Bjorn Borg) as names were drawn out of the “boy and girl buckets” to find out who our games partner was going to be. He gave us a rundown on rules and a rousing pep talk and then we were off to our first 15 minute round of foozball, table tennis, indoor bowls, darts, knock-em-downs or hole-in-one golf. It was a lot of fun, a lot of laughs and a great event that encouraged locals to mix it up and get to know each other a little better.
Scoring was monitored to ensure all was fair by Les as recorded by Peter. After some heated and very close competition and triple checking of scores, the champion pair of the night was announced. Mark Crisp and Julia Anderson very happily received their gold trophy and chocolates as their just reward as champions of Game On! for 2023. Great sporting spirit was shown throughout the games including the young accomplished golfer, Kian, who coached his opponents on form to help achieve their hole in one.
Not to be forgotten, our wonderful volunteers including Lyn Hyland who capably organised the sausage sizzle enjoyed prior to the games whilst Lynda Radbone once again had the bar in hand with the delicious addition of spiced mulled wine. The many helping hands on the night cleaning up was appreciated in addition to Wilfred, Colin and Jill Mead as well as Peter and John Klump who were seen by this author in the clean up the day after.
We are lucky to have Peter and Dorothy Klump who have successfully organised this community event for the past three years and we are all very much looking forward to the 2024 games!
Text and Photos by Juanita Poletto
Where’s Wary? Volunteers needed to count Cassowaries around Paluma-Mt Spec
Although Cassowaries have been seen very occasionally by many of us on the roads and tracks near the village, the only one we can be guaranteed to see in Paluma is the barbed-wire sculpture of “Wary the Cassowary” in front of Wilfred Karnoll’s house. Cassowaries are an iconic and charismatic resident of the Wet Tropics, but due to multiple human-related threats, they are listed as endangered. As many of us can attest Cassowaries are not easy to spot, even when there are nearby, and getting information on population numbers in different areas is very difficult. A new project to fill in this gap has recently commenced and the researchers are looking for volunteers to assist them in their work, or to provide any additional local knowledge that could help their assessments. This project is being conducted in conjunction with BirdlifeAustralia’s “Birds with Altitude” program, that is monitoring a range of Endangered and Vulnerable species in the Wet Tropics.
If you would like to volunteer for these projects, or would like to learn more about the issues they are addressing, please come along to the Launch event at the Paluma Community Hall on August 25th. There will be a catered dinner (donations accepted to defray costs) at 6pm and presentations at 7pm and organising volunteer teams at 8pm. For catering purposes please register if you intend to come to the dinner and think you want to volunteer. Any residents just wanting to learn more are welcome come to the presentations. Surveys and training for both the Cassowary and Birds with Altitude citizen science programs will then be held over the 26th and 27th.
To register follow this LINK. Further information below:
Paluma Range Citizen Science Program Launch & Camp Out
Join with researchers, locals, BirdLife Townsville & BirdLife North Queensland and bushwalking clubs to help contribute to our knowledge of Cassowaries at the southern extent of their global distribution and high altitude birds vulnerable to climate change in Paluma Range National Park.RSVP
Time and location
25 Aug, 1:00 pm AEST – 28 Aug, 10:00 am AEST
Lake Paluma – Magar Yamba Group Area, Lake Paluma, Crystal Creek QLD 4816, Australia
About the event
Paluma Range Citizen Science Program Launch & Birds With Altitude Camp Out
25 – 28 August 2023
Join with researchers, locals, BirdLife Townsville and BirdLife North Queensland and bushwalking clubs to help contribute to our knowledge of Cassowaries at the southern extent of their global distribution and high altitude birds vulnerable to climate change in Paluma Range National Park.
The only targeted surveys for cassowaries on the Paluma Range were for the faecal DNA wet tropics populaton analysis (Westcott et al 2014). No scats, signs or sightings were recorded during that study however, the extrapolated population estimate for the area was 16 adult birds. The Paluma Range however contains 22,050 ha of potential habitat and birds are sighted here semi-frequently. So let’s track them down to add to our body of knowledge about the distribution, abundance, habitat condition and threats to Cassowaries here. Please download the Birdata App on your phone.
Camping @ Lake Paluma – Magar Yamba group camping area or self-arranged B&B accommodation at Paluma Village.
Friday evening welcome, presentation and dinner @ Paluma Community Centre, 65 Mount Spec Road, Paluma.
Friday, 25 August
1:00 pm campsite open @ Paluma Community Centre – Nywaigi Welcome to Country.
6:00 pm catered dinner.
7:00 pm presentations on Cassowary and Birds with Altitude programs. Organise survey teams and locations.
Saturday, 26 August
AM survey designated routes.
PM review camera trap data. Self-catered.
Sunday, 27 August
AM survey designated routes.
PM review findings & camera trap data. Sunday night camping optional. Self-catered.
Monday, 28 August
AM survey optional.
Checkout by 10:00 am.
Funded by a Qld Government CSA – Threatened Species Grant and Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens. Supported by BirdLife Townsville, BirdLife Australia, Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service, NQ Dry Tropics NRM and Girringun Aboriginal Corporation and thank you to the Paluma Community Centre for gifting in-kind support of the community centre for the Friday evening.Read moreRSVP
Push in the Bush Done and Dusted
The dust ( or rather mud) has well and truly settled for those who recently participated in the Mike Carney Toyota Paluma Push on the weekend of July 15th and 16th. Muscles have recovered and the joy of crossing the finish line is a fond memory along with many formed around the warmth of the bonfire at the Hidden Valley Cricket Oval.
Paluma village was inundated with rubber, spokes and lycra but mostly smiles and laughter as people prepared for the start of their race. The beauty of the rainforest trails and bush land makes for a truly unique cross country mountain bike race which even had some of our local residents registered as participants including Rob, Sandi and Jamie. All of whom finished their designated distances hale and hearty!
The RFS and SES volunteers plus a few ‘local’ volunteers assisted with registration and monitoring various checkpoints along the routes and were able to enjoy viewing and encouraging the participants going hell for leather along the trails.
Seeing the youngsters set on doing their best in their very own race is possibly my fondest memory of Paluma Push 2023.
Paluma Push is such a great event for our village and a credit to Outer Limits Adventure for again bringing life to our sleepy little misty village on the mountain.
Text and photos (except where indicated) by Juanita Poletto
Game On!! Paluma Games Night August 5th
Our Annual Palum Games night, organised by Peter and Dorothy Klump will be held in just a few weeks, on Saturday, August 5th at the Community Hall.
The evening will start with a sausage sizzle dinner ($3.00) at 6:00 pm with the bar also open for the purchase of drinks. By 7:oo pm, the teams of two will have been announced and the various games will commence. These will include darts, indoor bowls, ping pong, and soccer pinball to name a few.
Previous years have proved a great success with lots of friendly participation mixed with bouts of enthusiastic competition. There are probably a few residents looking to topple the previous winners in some categories so the spirits will be high. Hope to see you there!
